# Just another dissatisfied customer



## imy112

Hi all,

I just thought I'd vent my dissatifaction with BA Mississauge. I have been a loyal BA customer for many many many years and like most, I bought my first tank from BA. Most recently I aquired a 60g cube(my first SW tank). They basically sold me a beautiful tank with a crappy sump lol. 

My issues stems from them letting go of a very important employee named Gentry. For all that know her, you know she was one of the only if not only people the the fish room that actually cared of the livestock, valued the customer and was very happy to help at all times. I actually even followed her when she moved from the Scarborough location to the Mississauga location. Through disputs with upper management, she finally quit. I still keep in touch with her and was even willing to give her a new job(that's how amazing she was). 

I continued to still be a BA customer until today. I recently visited BA Mississauga (2 weeks ago) and noticed there was a used 60g cube with sump for sale and thought I'd inquire if they would sell me the sump separately. So I phoned up the guy who originally sold me my tank(Jake). Over the phone he had confirmed that the tank had been sitting around for a while, unsold and that in a weeks time to phone back. If it was still unsold he would be happy to part the tank and sump. A week went by and I phoned Jake and he informed me that one of his coligues had verbally sold the combo and the customer would pick up the combo on Thursday, he mentioned if the sump was around past the Thursday its was all mine. I phoned Jake today(Friday) and asked him if the sump was still avalible and he said yes, no one had picked It up, he said he would phone BA and I could pick it up tonight. I finished work and was starting to head down, I phoned him once more to confirm I could pick up the sump and he responded by saying, we've decided to sell it as a combo, and they were shipping it back to the warehouse with plans to sell it at the next tent sale. (How frustrating!) They strung me along for weeks, wasted my time and didn't deliver on their word. In short I am pissed and warn others to not take their word on anything! Trust is a big deal for a customer and I hope you take these matters seriously!


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## bob123

I am also one that will not shop at Big Al's in Mississauga as they are not forth right with their customers. I hope this Big Al's changes up management at this store.


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## matti2uude

I don't go there anymore either.


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## imy112

With so much competition in the area and all of the GTA, you would think customer service, customer loyalty and customer trust would be important to these guys...


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## nc208082

I knew gentry as well and she was awesome. Most of the staff at big als missisauga are not veey helpful and mostley trying to sell overpriced crap. Sad to see Gentry go.


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## TorontoPlantMan

You couldn't pay me to go to Big Al's anymore; their brampton location is *absolute trash* and their store managers Shane and Diego are a whole other subject in itself.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience but it's well known in this hobby that you should stay away from Big Als; give your money to the smaller guys and get better products and service from people who actually care about this hobby.


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## ksimdjembe

+1. As above. I love the small guy.


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## zoapaly

I like both , dry good for big guy , live stock for small guy 
I also like the little Korean girl staff @BA Mississauga


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## cica

nc208082 said:


> I knew gentry as well and she was awesome. Most of the staff at big als missisauga are not veey helpful and mostley trying to sell overpriced crap. Sad to see Gentry go.


+1 
Gentry is very sweet, honest and helpfull. She was very knowledgeable sales person and really cared for the customers. It is a big loss for BA that she had to leave. I hope she found some better job, she was way too good for BigAls. Shame on the management.


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## cica

No, not at all. She is not the one. She's not short and not chinese.


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## Greg_o

Yes BA Miss is brutal, but dudes ease up on the creeper talk.


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## Mykuhl

There is really very little reason to shop at Big Al's anymore. You can find almost everything cheaper and or better quality elsewhere, better customer service too. The only thing I would consider buying at Big Al's is a tank or stand(if I wanted brand new).


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## zoapaly

I spoke Korean language with her few times  Just kidding .
I like her because she's Korean , but for customer service she need more training , vote from 1 to 10.. she got 5 from me
25% discount i just say that such ...they increased price up to 25% example: Chervon Tang they sold for $250 -25% off after tax still higher than any LFS around , even corals from Indo very common their price tag $50 to 60 ?? But small guy selling $40 even look better  
Compare with AK from 1 to 10
My voted
Customers Service :
AK : 9
BA : 4
Livestocks:
AK :7
BA : 5
Drygoods :
AK : 3
BA : 9
Price:
Both same 
....................
Just my 4 cents


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## Bayinaung

Is gentry the tall white girl with tats? or piercings? or both? yeah noticed she hasn't been there for a while now. she was pretty helpful whenever I dealt with her.


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## imy112

Bayinaung said:


> Is gentry the tall white girl with tats? or piercings? or both? yeah noticed she hasn't been there for a while now. she was pretty helpful whenever I dealt with her.


No, Gentry was shorter, but had a ton of spunk and a great attitude. I believe that girl ended up leaving too and works at AK now.


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## loonie

Bayinaung said:


> Is gentry the tall white girl with tats? or piercings? or both? yeah noticed she hasn't been there for a while now. she was pretty helpful whenever I dealt with her.


She works now at AK, she is a nice lady, good customer service.


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## blue ocean

cica said:


> No, not at all. She is not the one. She's not short and not chinese.


-1
Bad customers service , unfriendly , haughty .
-1
The tall white guy working in Drygoods area some time for cashier very lazy , why they pay him and he did nothing ? If i want ask him a question I should book for appointment .


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## blue ocean

Aquatic K staffs very friendly and helpful , 10 from me


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## zoapaly

loonie said:


> She works now at AK, she is a nice lady, good customer service.


Are you talking about the white girl with tattoo on neck ? I like her smile  sweettttttttttttt


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## loonie

zoapaly said:


> Are you talking about the white girl with tattoo on neck ? I like her smile  sweettttttttttttt


Yes...................................


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## Bayinaung

loonie said:


> She works now at AK, she is a nice lady, good customer service.


oh that's gentry. I think the one I was thinking of might've had glasses, at BA Miss. at least a year ago or longer.

the skinny dude at AK is pretty helpful too.

whatever happened to the funny older chinese dude who works at Dragon and SUM? I hven't seen him for a bit.


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## Bayinaung

imy112 said:


> No, Gentry was shorter, but had a ton of spunk and a great attitude. I believe that girl ended up leaving too and works at AK now.


shorter? no didn't run into her.


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## zoapaly

Bayinaung said:


> whatever happened to the funny older chinese dude who works at Dragon and SUM? I hven't seen him for a bit.


He went back home


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## NovaRaven

Bayinaung said:


> oh that's gentry. I think the one I was thinking of might've had glasses, at BA Miss. at least a year ago or longer.
> 
> the skinny dude at AK is pretty helpful too.
> 
> whatever happened to the funny older chinese dude who works at Dragon and SUM? I hven't seen him for a bit.


Is this the guy who was skinny, always wore a hat, and occasionally drank beer while working? lol! I think his name is Dave. Corrections anyone??


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## Bayinaung

NovaRaven said:


> Is this the guy who was skinny, always wore a hat, and occasionally drank beer while working? lol! I think his name is Dave. Corrections anyone??


Yeah Dave I think lol. He was a funny guy.



zoapaly said:


> He went back home


home? his home's here. he's good for talking about nem.


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## NovaRaven

Bayinaung said:


> Yeah Dave I think lol. He was a funny guy.
> 
> home? his home's here. he's good for talking about nem.


I remember times when I would talk to him and he'd be drunk and smelled like corona lol!! Funny guy though. What happened to him?


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## Crayon

He's working at SUM. Saw him last week.


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## zoapaly

Bayinaung said:


> home? his home's here. he's good for talking about nem.


Hong Kong ?
I saw him last Friday @Dragon , yeah he love Heineken drink like water , he's funny  i think around 40+ not too old like you thought , best guy around to talk about salty..


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## Crayon

He worked at Big ALS Scarborough in 1993, so I think a little older than 40


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## BigAlsScarbMissCorals

imy112 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I just thought I'd vent my dissatifaction with BA Mississauge. I have been a loyal BA customer for many many many years and like most, I bought my first tank from BA. Most recently I aquired a 60g cube(my first SW tank). They basically sold me a beautiful tank with a crappy sump lol.
> 
> My issues stems from them letting go of a very important employee named Gentry. For all that know her, you know she was one of the only if not only people the the fish room that actually cared of the livestock, valued the customer and was very happy to help at all times. I actually even followed her when she moved from the Scarborough location to the Mississauga location. Through disputs with upper management, she finally quit. I still keep in touch with her and was even willing to give her a new job(that's how amazing she was).
> 
> I continued to still be a BA customer until today. I recently visited BA Mississauga (2 weeks ago) and noticed there was a used 60g cube with sump for sale and thought I'd inquire if they would sell me the sump separately. So I phoned up the guy who originally sold me my tank(Jake). Over the phone he had confirmed that the tank had been sitting around for a while, unsold and that in a weeks time to phone back. If it was still unsold he would be happy to part the tank and sump. A week went by and I phoned Jake and he informed me that one of his coligues had verbally sold the combo and the customer would pick up the combo on Thursday, he mentioned if the sump was around past the Thursday its was all mine. I phoned Jake today(Friday) and asked him if the sump was still avalible and he said yes, no one had picked It up, he said he would phone BA and I could pick it up tonight. I finished work and was starting to head down, I phoned him once more to confirm I could pick up the sump and he responded by saying, we've decided to sell it as a combo, and they were shipping it back to the warehouse with plans to sell it at the next tent sale. (How frustrating!) They strung me along for weeks, wasted my time and didn't deliver on their word. In short I am pissed and warn others to not take their word on anything! Trust is a big deal for a customer and I hope you take these matters seriously!


We are sorry that you and the other members here have had a bad experience with Big Al's Mississauga Location. We are going to look into this and hope to have a resolution for you.


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## rburns24

-
Dave was a hoot . He worked at Big Al's Scarborough for quite a while(early 90's) and used to 
feed the sharks on "shark feeding night". He then went to work at Miracles after BA's.
-


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## Bayinaung

he used to talk to me about his domestic situation at times. hehe.


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## imy112

BigAlsScarbMissCorals said:


> We are sorry that you and the other members here have had a bad experience with Big Al's Mississauga Location. We are going to look into this and hope to have a resolve for you.


I am glad that you will be looking into this, however what's done is done. Trust is a huge thing for me as a customer and if I can't trust you I can't bring my business to you. I truly hope that this has been a learning experience for Big Al's(although very doubtful) and the appropriate people have been spoken to. But, I'd like to remind folks at Big Al's... You are not alone in this market anymore. Keep your word and make customer service a priority or me and others will no long remain customer.

Lastly, I find it very interesting that my complaint is being looked into but, no one from BA is even tried to reach out to me. The things that make you go hmmmmm....


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## loonie

imy112 said:


> I am glad that you will be looking into this, however what's done is done. Trust is a huge thing for me as a customer and if I can't trust you I can't bring my business to you. I truly hope that this has been a learning experience for Big Al's(although very doubtful) and the appropriate people have been spoken to. But, I'd like to remind folks at Big Al's... You are not alone in this market anymore. Keep your word and make customer service a priority or me and others will no long remain customer.
> 
> Lastly, I find it very interesting that my complaint is being looked into but, no one from BA is even tried to reach out to me. The things that make you go hmmmmm....


Good to know BA learn about it. If a customer has been walking into your store for years, am sure he/she is a familiar face, it does not hurt to say.. HI...just like what the other stores do. When BA employ young people, educate them something about courtesy and customer service, do not encourage them to be a snob.


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## kookie_guy

loonie said:


> When BA employ young people, educate them something about courtesy and customer service, do not encourage them to be a snob.


Have you seen the youth lately?? lol. Courtesy?? That word has been replaced by....I got nothing....man I'm out of touch, lol.


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## JackOfAllFish

cica said:


> +1
> Gentry is very sweet, honest and helpfull. She was very knowledgeable sales person and really cared for the customers. It is a big loss for BA that she had to leave. I hope she found some better job, she was way too good for BigAls. Shame on the management.


Thanks everyone! 
Its nice to hear I'm missed, I miss you guys too
GW


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## WiseGuyPhil

LOL!!! Well said!!!

I wouldn't put this it on all the youth, but most "kids" these days take everything for granted.



kookie_guy said:


> Have you seen the youth lately?? lol. Courtesy?? That word has been replaced by....I got nothing....man I'm out of touch, lol.


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## bigfishy

JackOfAllFish said:


> Thanks everyone!
> Its nice to hear I'm missed, I miss you guys too
> GW


sorry for derailing, but I have to tell her this, because I promised her!

If your Gentry, here is a little update for you...

I am not sure if you remember this, BUT...

Earlier this year or late last year (I can't remember), you've helped me netted a fingerling payara and it turned out I was correct! It is a True Armatus! (The biggest species in the Hydrolycus family)

It grew to 12"+ before I sold it off to another hobbyist! ^^"


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## hoody123

WiseGuyAquatics said:


> LOL!!! Well said!!!
> 
> I wouldn't put this it on all the youth, but most "kids" these days take everything for granted.


Pretty hard to lay this on the youth of today. Realizing this thread has gone far off track... I'm a teacher of kids 13-18 and I can say, the vast majority of them are great kids, and the ones that aren't... Well, let's just say that 19 times out of 20 the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree.

Youth today, when given the chance, support and opportunity, will more often than not, do you proud.


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## WiseGuyPhil

My apologies. When I said, most "kids" I should be have said through my observations. I never blame the individual, kids are not born to demonstrate courtesy, they are taught how be courteous.

And I completely agree with "Youth today, when given the chance and support will more often than not, do you proud." I think this is a product of parents, teachers, coaches and any other people of influence in their lives.

However as it relates to opportunities, they do not just present itself; you have to work for it.



hoody123 said:


> Pretty hard to lay this on the youth of today. Realizing this thread has gone far off track... I'm a teacher of kids 13-18 and I can say, the vast majority of them are great kids, and the ones that aren't... Well, let's just say that 19 times out of 20 the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree.
> 
> Youth today, when given the chance, support and opportunity, will more often than not, do you proud.


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## JackOfAllFish

Thanks SO MUCH bigfishy, you do not realize how happy that just made me...made my week!! Whenever I had to sell monster fish like that, (and theyre alwaysssss wild caught) it took a piece from my heart to think a fish like that would never have the right environment/owner/life...( Especially payara since ive kept them and have a soft spot for them....).and seeing it grown and healthy makes me feel so content its unreal. Thank you for showing me and thank you for doing the right thing for the fish ))) !!! People like you are why I stayed with als as long as I did.


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