Village Tropical Fish

Doesn't Recommend

VanIrish

Joined 5 years ago

Rude staff. I've been into this place several times. I noticed that one other reviewer said they were rude. He's right. They have a great selection, but their prices are high, and they are really rude... sort of like they know everything and you know nothing. I've written a book on keeping tropical fish, and I STILL got treated that way, lol. I mean, good grief.

I will give them credit for not selling sick fish, and I will say they have a great variety of plants. But, the service pretty much comes in one variety: Not very helpful (or knowledgeable about what rivers some of the fish actually come from... which in my opinion is important information for creating a good community)and pretty darn rude. It's almost worth keeping a hospital tank just to go someplace else to buy fish and treat them for disease before introducing them into the population, rather than deal with them.

Doesn't Recommend

lifegiver

Joined 5 years ago

Worst service and quality ever!. This is now Fish Gallery and is on (actually off) Kirby. The staff was rude and pushy, seemingly working on commission or at least a bonus for pushing Aquarium Environments aquarium maintenace services. The staff seemed to have very little knowledge, but claimed they knew everything. The prices are a bit high. normally I will pay extra for a local supply becuase buying online is very risky and you never get any support -- so I like to support the local economy and understand that online shopping although sometimes the only option, usually has more downfals than its worth. That said I would rather send all my fish money online than give this bunch of people any of my money. Something about the staff (and one guy I assume was the manager shooting a family a really long line of ^%$) made me feel slimmy... I just dont trust this store!

Recommends

sledge

Joined 11 years ago

Great place to both learn and purchase aquaria.. Knowledgable, freindly, helpful and have species from all over the world... Wouldn't buy my Discus anywhere else :)

Recommends

ilycastro

Joined 5 years ago

Best fish store. I work at a Petco, but i've been curious about Village Tropical because customers have told me about it. So I went by today and I was highly impressed. They have a large variety of fish and they all look very healthy. At Petco, our tanks are pretty small and overstocked with fish which then causes them to get stunted in size so they never reach their full size, but at Village Tropical, the fish are in appropriate size tanks where fish have reached their full size and are simply stunning! Their prices are a little higher than Petco and other pet stores, but then again the quality of their fish maintenance appears a lot better as well, so it's worth it when you know that you're bringing home nice, healthy, happy fish. The employees there also seemed very knowledgeable about the fish and were helpful. For those who are into saltwater aquariums, the coral and fish selection is awesome too. I highly reccommend this store over other pet stores i've been to, including Petco, to everyone. Oh yeah, one last thing, the store itself is very nice and clean, and their home/commercial aquarium displays are cool too.

Doesn't Recommend

lguerrero

Joined 6 years ago

Awful Customer Service. My husband and I came here b/c it is close to where we live. It is a little hard to find esp b/c there's no sign outside with their name. I call to ask specifically where they are, and the person I spoke to was very rude and short. She pretty much hung up on me after I said thank you. We get there and after 15-20min of standing/looking around no one has offered any help. We're beginners, so we obviously had a lot of questions. We finally start speaking to someone. He seemed very knowledgeable, but wasn't extremely helpful/nice until we told him we had decide to purchase a tank. It turned out that they didn't have it in stock, so they put our names down on a list and told us he would call when they got it in the following week. A week passed, and I had to call them to find out that it didn't come in. So, the guy asks if we want to order it again. So, if I hadn't called would they have just never ordered it again for us? I told him to go ahead and put our names down again for the tank. Sure enough, they call us back, but being disappointed in our experience there, we told them that we didn't want it anymore. The guy gets upset and practically throws it in our face that they now have an extra tank. What is that??! You do not tell a customer that. We didn't sign anything, didn't pay anything, so why should we be forced into paying for something we don't want? You do not say those things to a potential customer. For all he knows we could've gone back and gotten other equally expensive stuff. Now we know NOT to go there, especially if they don't value their customers.

Doesn't Recommend

nammie

Joined 7 years ago

it is okay. I came in expecting a great place to shop at. However, the service was non existent and the prices are high compared to the other fish shops in houston. I liked that the store was clean and had a modern look, but service was not there and there wasn't much to see in the coral section. Maybe they were understocked.

Recommends

jmo13

Joined 7 years ago

Don't be in a rush. They helped me with the set up of my saltwater tank - lots of knowledge; high on the prices for equipment. Had manufacturer problems with my tank lid not fitting properly, they have already reordered several times and have another one on order. Have bought all my corals from them - they know my tank and are honest about what to buy or don't buy. Limited selection of saltwater fish. Staff is very friendly, however you have to ask for assistance or you could be standing there all day - dont' be in a hurry. Ask for Byron, Omar, or Chris if needing info on Saltwater - however if you can grab one of them don't let them get side tracked, it may be awhile before you see them again.

Already thinking of setting up 2nd tank - will go back to buy live rock.

Recommends

vineviz

Joined 8 years ago

Good folks. Village Tropical has been a great source of fish (and information) for me. The staff is knowledgeable, if a bit busy, and their selection and value are terrific. A superior experience to the competition, for novice and expert alike.

Recommends

lannerab

Joined 8 years ago

Was once a fan. Six months ago I was a huge fan of this place. They had a great selection, variety, quanity and very helpful, knowledgeable, readily-available staff. Recently I have noticed a major decline in customer service and will be taking my business elsewhere.