Episode 76, Sign Of The Times, LA Fishguys

[RussianSpetsnaz0123]

i hope your business is doing better and i hope you have more and better customers now a days

[valdezorbust]

Lesson learned. Don't sic' a man's wife on him.

[lafishguy]

hey V, I have often wondered about this. since her home aquarium was 50% of the bill and his lack of payment affected her aquarium I felt compelled to make her aware of the dilema. in hindsight I sometimes question that decission, but at the same time if one is not getting paid or enjoying the job then it was only a finacial loss. I do realize I have made some rash decissions on occasion, but I am also my own boss and I can do and need to do what I feel is best for me.

[skunkmonkey2010]

Hang in there Jim. I understand life sometime ist'nt always an easy path to go. sounds like your is a hard one right now. Things will get better We stil Love Ya Man!!!

[Arteolike]

Were is the small claims court episode =)

[pokemon1231621]

can you set up one for me

[mofoglenn333]

jim i hear ya! i go through the same stuff. biz is biz. learn karate is my advice. A good chop to the ear and they'll pay up. email me if you need help. good luck.

[mofoglenn333]

jim i hear ya! i go through the same stuff. biz is biz. learn karate is my advice. i good chop to the ear and they'll pay up. email me if you need help. good luck.

[RunChewToyRun]

Hey Jim God bless love the show, screw the dr most dr's are just greedy assholes what goes around comes around.

[lafishguy]

hey R, its ironic that a second dentist now is almost 90 days overdue. he too is going to now get cut off.

[Mahabir0101]

U were right he talks to u like that let him go find someone else like u. U do a good jod on what u do

[dubstylee444]

I understand that and i appreciate the honesty, but it came off as unprofessional to call out a customer to a wide audience, in my opinion. That said I like your show and I will continue to watch, i just wish in the future you might show some more advanced fresh water tanks such as, a planted tank or a Giant tropheus tank

[dubstylee444]

What was the point of that?

[lafishguy]

hey D, the point is its not all glamor and glitz, there is a ... disappointing side too. LA Fishguys is about the aquarium service business, the whole business, the good and the bad.

[ALI817s]

man i say fuck the damn doc all them fishes will die cause of him he will waste all of his money he spent on those fished and ect... let him try to care for those fish and see how hard it is like i said agin FUCK him and to you jim your the shit man nice videos educational and JUST KEEP MOVING FORWARD

[alecmunro]

chin up jim! we all know you care about fish keeping, it will always be good but with a bad egg & this was one of them.

[slarsen00]

I hate painting with a broad brush but I used to fix office equipment and doctors tend to be douches. I wouldn't worry about it.

[TheGeoYangPro]

Wow what a douche~i clean tanks for a local restaurant but since i am under "18" and not a professional i get paid $50 for cleaning five 200g fresh water tanks and a pond. but the point is i feel just as fustrated as u that this doctor was very unprofessional and inapporprate. Next time ask them to deposite stright into your banking account. =D Wish you get better in buisness and i enjoy watching your videos.

George~

[BCDrillerman]

Hey Jim Doctors typically have an ego, which would explain the way he handled the situation by trying to bully you on the phone.

Situations like this use to bug me as well (I use to own an ornamental fish importing company). Things will pick up eventually, but why is it that the "fish guy" always gets paid last?lol

[catajuancho]

Hi Jim.

I am also upgrading my tank from a 55 to a 72.

my question is:

would it be a good idea to replace the live sand?

for a brand new?

[lafishguy]

hey C, if you have set up the new tank without sand sucessfully consider no sand or the new sand. no need to introduce the debri in the sand back into the new tank.

[theaquareef]

hey i have a question. i have a 55 gallon tank setup and i have upgraded to a 75 gallon. im moving everything into the new tank. for that remaining 20 gallons would i fill the rest up with R/O water or saltwater? thanks

[lafishguy]

hey T, definately use SW for the extra 20 gallons.

[theaquareef]

ok thanks, do you know if it will start a mini cycle of some sort?

[catajuancho]

Hello Jim,

I am also upgrading from a 55 to a 72.

my question is: should a replace the live sand withe brand new live sand?

will I reduce the nitrates doing this?

or should I put the old sand?

[briishspy]

any new episodes coming out before crimbo

[benboarder09]

hey there sorry about what happend to you. i wish i knew someone im my area in NH but im willing to learn more. i was wondering what type of fish i can have in my 35 gallon hexagon fish tank? thanks for any help and you will get more people vary soon. keep up the good work in videos.

[lafishguy]

hey B, i am not a small-tank-guy so it really depends on your attentiveness as small means less stable.

[AQUARIUMHOBBY]

Jim, sorry to hear that your client is such a jerk, there are these people everywhere, professional means nothing, I know lawyers and doctors, they are not better ethnically than any of us. Being in retail, typical december can easily account for at least 30-40% of the years sales; this year is unbelievable sick , it's less than 50% of the sales.

[AntonyTrickrider]

Hey! An ideá for a video. About how fish like to swim / how to properly install rocks etc... I´v found thru my own studdies that in a round aquarium for example (got one) the best settup is with a round objekt or with rocks placed in the center of the tank and stretching to the surfice. ( U have a video of this already but didn´t explain the purpose of the center piece.)Now! the fishies always whant to se whats round the corner. Makes them more aktive, hapier, & tank seams bigger 4 the fishes

[Awa86]

Hey first I woul´d like too say that I understand that you were mad and you have every right too be, but I think that it was a little bit obvius who the dr is by the descriptions.

I allso think that you should have a simple contrackt, just too make it easier on yourself if you have to go to court, and I think that you are a little too nice, (just an idea)

happy too hear that they finally paid :)

Beter luck whith other clients!

And SORRY about my rubbish english

[10kpondguy]

you have a service contract with him he signed? if so, theres your money, he will settle in a minute, i work on cars, and EVERYONE signs a service contract. if i fuck up, they get righted, if they dont pay me, i keep there car or lein on it. i understand you cant put a lien on someones tank, but a service contract is a great thing to have for smaller businesses. if you didnt get one signed, its gonna be a hit for sure. im very sorry it went down that way, but where one door closes another 2 open

[lafishguy]

hey 10, i did recieve payment that later part of last week. no, i do not have any service contracts. good idea but sometimes too much for a simple aquarium cleaning business. in 15 years of doing this i have only had a few problems with payment.

[10kpondguy]

very good, good to hear. i agree, they are a hassle, but with big customers/accounts, you almost have to anymore, you must be a very good businessman to have only had few problems. very good.

[7milewest]

Wow, some people act really stupid jim. You should drop a Zebra Mantis Shrimp in his tank.

[ArcAngel9008]

Did he have the correct mailing address?

[lafishguy]

hey A, my mailing address is all over my invoices and they have mailed payments to me in the past.

[taradennis818]

Hey Jim

Sorry to hear about this, I know you really view all your services as "your tanks" & "your fish" & the tanks were beautiful.

What I would have done is get some dental work & not pay him & when he calls you up to ask you about the outstanding bill, tell him he just made a mess of things.

Dennis

[torero500]

I know it was a tough conversation to have Jim, but feel better knowing that everyone gets that thrown into their face from time to time...you thought you were doing the prudent and harmless thing in calling the wife to get an explanation on the payment status, then you get a call from the doctor acting like you've committed some grievous sin by calling the wife....it's simply just too much ego and pride that people have. You've got a great talent with your service and these videos, keep going!

[MoneyMarcMes]

Hey lafishguy, That sucks big time. Thats pretty sad for a doctor to SKIP OUT ON PAYMENT like that!!! What a cheap jerk. It seems like he had no intention of paying you at all!!! And took advantage of your services and TIME!!!! Bad Karma for him!!!

Good Luck Jim, things will get better, there are a lot of unscrouplous people out there, WATCH OUT!!!

[pimpinisanart]

Though I usually really love the LAfishguys shows, the 10 minute nag sessions that slip in every now and then have no real relevance for us viewers, since they're in now way fish or aquarium related. They let you vent your frustrations in public and that's pretty much it. Unfortunate dips in an otherwise very professional series. Wish you'd leave them out.

[Squinchyy]

The show is about the job of being a aquarium service person, so yes you might say it's right on topic

[strokemacat]

First of all Jim, your problems are our problems, we all subscribe to watch AND learn what you do. You have no doubts helped thousands of people stay on track with their own tanks.. Im wondering if you setup a one time only paypal and ANYONE that felt THEY WISHED TO donate lets say 1 dollar or 1 pound (uk) and help you get some reimburstment.......Just thinking out loud, nobody has too!!! but i have watched ALL of your videos now and are worth there weight in gold.....1 buck anyone?? :)

[TheOneAndOnlyProdigy]

Sry to hear about this. Well, don't get down you're better off without him. Did you end up getting paid $800 for two months of service. I can't believe the doctor was so unprofessional after all those years of helping him have a gorgeous tank...wait make that 2! What an ungrateful ***hole!! Good luck to you Jim, Tim

[ricksoule]

I too am a business owner and have had over a 50% decline in the past year and a half it's all over the place. Some people that spend lots of money on education to become a "doctor" or whatever don't want to admit that times are tough. Good luck with everything I love your show, it's one of the main reasons I go to youtube now.

[zeewaterforum]

Lets hope this crisis wont last much longer.

Good luck!

[russianrick8403]

Wow Jim,

I think you are right about the doctor blowing up about the situation a little too easy. There definitely has to be something else going on. Unfortunately, people get really sensitive about their banking issues. I can honestly say that a sour taste in my mouth from payment problems has made me stop doing business with certain companies. I know it is not your fault, but I think you would do well to try to patch things up, even if you don't have a contract with them anymore.

[chtrs]

Hey Jim - I seem to recall you having a problem with that office manager from your early episodes before you took them down to re-do them.

Sorry for your trouble, but you always seem to keep your cool and you will prevail. Thanks for sharing all your travels with the business - always good fun to watch!

[lafishguy]

hey C, you are correct.

[mulvaney81]

I congratulate you on keeping your cool.

Keep moving forward Jim.

[cesar333]

Iv had my own business where i serviced customers equipment. Customers logic of service and payments go out the window some times.

Just remember. High tides raises all ships.

[ray671984]

sorry to here jim that your having a bad time with people i hate when things like this happen to the best of us :(

[pfunky21]

A little off topic but I knew that the 100 gallon reef tank would be taken down. Don't be surprised if the doctor calls you back to take down the tank. In this economy it seems like there are more aquarium take downs than services!

[lafishguy]

hey P, if you can find Episode 2 ( its techinically off-line waiting for new music ) you will see that the tank is part of the dentist office check-in counter.... its not coming out.

[briishspy]

i wonder if the wife said something to piss of the doctor? i think you handled it well though, you don't want to get into any sort of argument with that type of customer it just gives them an excuse for not wanting to pay you. it dustgusts me that people think they can get away with not paying tho.

[paolo333333]

Sorry Jim, I feel your pain, I have a small business too. The best way to handle this type of situation is "like you always say" keep on moving farward.

[taedom]

keep the corals and dont give them to him till u get the check

[lafishguy]

hey T, that situation occurred last Monday. I returned the corals on Tuesday ( see last scene of video ) and his check for $88 arrived today ( Thursday ).

[XGCPR3D4T0R]

88?! i thought it was $800. . .wish you could take him to court about it! thats a pretty large sum of money to be short on.

[lafishguy]

hey X, typo, it was $800

[emisarre]

Yea jim I cant wait to see the early 35 episodes I havent watched them yet. Any idea on when they will be ready?

[nigelnathan]

Why not use paypal to get paid, It works instantly from account to account and saves all that bouncing/missing cheque nonsense.

[MrTlTO]

I remember you having a problem with that customer before this. Trust your gut jim. If it feels shady stop.

I hope they pay good luck.

[oconano]

If your area is going through anthing like my area, then they are probably upset over the raised property taxes. They doubled in my area and it's making people crazy. Take care Jim and be safe.

[kerpow1622]

This event may have been due to economy. I suspect though that you stumbled into a personal issue between the wife, husband, and office manager. The husband is caught in the middle and vented on you instead of the wife or office manager.

[fatbass12]

hay heres somthing try geting a deposit in sted of them using the mail excusee we do lawn sevise and we still do it though maill and so waht if they drop you you dont need the steres and try to get pople by referl so you know the plple how acting insted of all ways woring also one more thing most of the usa is poped up with pills ter givn evry kid pills to countrol something and adults prozca of termosen for emosnal strees or dpresstion and im sure the docs are popin some freebe so dont U b sad

[TropicalFishAuction]

Yes its true he must be upset because things are down. He was upset about somehing else and just took it out on you.

[tkreefer]

Nice job keeping your cool! It would have been nice if you beat him down with a 20 LB. bag of live sand though! :) I can just see the headlines " LA Doc gets hospitalized from nasty sand beating"

[gtsdesigns]

great attitude... times are getting tough. the doctor should have just been honest, i am sure you are the type that would have worked with him... oh well, people like that usually end up losing more than they try to scam off other people...

[BeerBellyDK]

Hey Jim, that's just sad when people react like that, you just did your job, and you should really get your money from it.. :)

Hope they pay up.

Great show, i'm still waiting for the early episodes as i haven't seen them, just discovered your channel about i week ago, and i really like it. :) I would like to see some freshwater tanks to, though.

Sorry about the bad spelling. ;)

Best regards here from Denmark.

[sunsetreptiles]

i would take them to court and demand your money.

[joshinjosh]

hm... calling the wife about problems with the doctor's office obviously ticked him off, it would tick any husband off. Youre very humble and honest, but, in business, customers are always right. yeah times are tough, home you can ride it out.

[MrDirect23]

I say screw them both the doc and the wify ! U refuse the right to service anyone( remember that) you are the professional one here, I say send the bill !! and if not take them to small claims court. when both of theiir fish tanks start falling apart, you'll see a big IM SORRY JIM on ur wall hhehehehe ..

[MrChrisDilly]

If your services cost $25, there is no reason a Doctor shouldnt have paid the bill. No doubt he is just flaky. Really a shame you lost a customer but its better to have only loyal and faithful customers rather than unreliable ones.

[ignateus]

Screw that Doc Jim. I own a small beer distributor and i have bar owners trying to dodge me for bills all the time.. i know how it feels lol. When that doctor calls you up because he couldnt find another service man.. tell him to F**k off :)

[viclizarraga]

Jim your a great business man, keep positive in tough times.

Hopefully I can get my Reef Tank soon so you can school me through.

P.S. Don't give this human being a position of grandeur, you are also a Professional in your own right!!!

Hang in there buddy there's light at the end of the tunnel.

[XGCPR3D4T0R]

totally agree here!

[hugo2x]

cut your loses, that's just the down side of business. If you really need the funds, take him to judge Judy. It would make some good Youtube videos at least.

[lafishguy]

hey H, hmmmm, thats an interesting idea :)

[Shanejulien]

Sorry to hear that Jim...his loss for sure...in my experiences when people like the Doctor are under considerable financial stress they become emotional and overreact to things..

[LordoftheReef]

Playing devil's advocate here, but I know I have NOT gotten a TON of mail here in Iowa. Never had an issue when living in Cali, but Iowa is terrible generally speaking. In any case, sorry for your loss and best of luck as always!

[subxz]

Sorry to hear about your customer. Hope you get your money soon and best of luck in the future.

[NoChikenStrips]

there are many f'd up people these days. I feel you and i think you've made a good decision. May better luck come your way soon!

[benboarder09]

will do. keep up the good videos

[Redbull357]

It will all make sense later. I have found in my young life that everything happens for a reason. I'm convinced of this.

[jakeisadane]

Hey Jim you are not the only one to suffer what about the poor fish that have no care taker now loose loose for every one maybe they call back and give a im sorry and make it right.

[lafishguy]

hey J, i have always felt bad for the fish when I loose an account.

[gregdubroca]

people who have money get it from not paying up. I work in a service field myself. Give me a middel class customer any day LOL

[benboarder09]

man i feel bad for the wife and he will soon be like im sorry i would like you back to clean my tanks. the times are hard over here in New Hampshire as well. ive been looking for a new job for 4 months no with no luck. My 10 gallon tank is up and running with some help from my friend who gave me half the stuff for 5 dollers im really sorry for the loss or the customer. you should get some new ones soon i have fath in you.

[lafishguy]

hey B, keep your head up... and just keep moving forward  :)

[jay733]

No offense but man, makes me wonder what kind of husband he is, and that poor woman that lives with him, he's probably a woman beater that's just my hunch I don't know, sounds like it.

[Redbull357]

In a few days you will realize that he did you a favor by not continuing service... The same thing happened to me last year and it makes you feel like crap. Trust me, you will forget about it soon.

[lafishguy]

hey B, aside from the possible loss of $800 I already feel better about things.

[bodybag101]

good luck man !!!!!!

[Eulogy68]

Good story teller...

[moparnut19]

I know all about the problem..When i was cleanin aquariums i found the customers with money were the hard ones to get money from..

[mussedeq]

try collecting the money from those cheap bastards

[mussedeq]

i mean by going over there or even through a lawyer

[APoirier594]

sorry about all if that, my dad is a real-estate appraiser and doesn't always get paid on appraisals, well for this year people owe him 7k and he will probably never get the money from them

[crossdemond]

always keeping your cool. way to go!! i hope the doc watches this episode and realized how big of a fool he is

[lafishguy]

hey C, i am sure he already realizes he made a mistake.

[DraccoDragonSlayer]

Jim, first time ever I post a comment on your videos. Let me tell you that I've learned a lot with them. Anyhow, best of luck and just forget this event, that kind of persons are really annoying and I totally see your point.

[tashagotjunk99]

You did the right thing,,there is ONLY so much you can do.

[tashagotjunk99]

A big RED "FLAG",,, when "doc" says " You called my wife and complained about it to her"....All that means is she is CLUELESS,,coming unglued like he did he is going through STRESS and what do most do BLAME SOMEONE ELSE.

[lafishguy]

hey T, i think you are definately correct, he has other issues and took it out on me. oh well, they both just lost a reliable and quality aquarium service guy.

[epinkerton108]

I know people like that. It's easier to forget about them. Nice license plate by the way.

[jillianmarquett]

Glad that you always keep your cool Jim. Keep on keeping on!!

[elchamo000]

Jim. you are litterally an inspiration to me.

[ZZMann33]

Well said. I have a similar business Property Management but I get paid. I can see why your upset though.

[coooooollllle]

you need to let us know if they pay you.

great video as always

[seel1990]

thats the way to do it jim of course if it was me i'd go and kick his f****** head in:)

[quaqa88]

Hey Jim, I bet if you got a big sign painted onto your van that said "LA FISHGUYS" with the service phone number, people would see it on the road and you could get some business back. Just a thought!

[lafishguy]

hey Q, you are 100% correct. the reason I dont have signs on the van is ... I am an agressive driver and I dont need someone being able to call me after I cut them off :)

[ZurichONE95]

HAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! so funny jim, that made me almost cry!!!!! HAAHAHAHHA

[MrTvshowuploader4]

I really want to buy more fake corals for my reef tank and they are must easier to start with but the fake corals doesn't need light but the live corals need light to survive and medium flow too. the fake corals have a nice design as well.

[emisarre]

Which episode was the small claims court episode?

[lafishguy]

hey E, they are part of the original 35 shows that are waiting to have their music re-done.

[Jamesbed85]

Hey Jim

You'll be fine you one cool job and its so cool that you do what you love :) you are doing well for yourself look what you got!! you have the business and this kick ass show and i love watching them!! Head up buddy :D

Regards James

[U2ForNow]

People do bizarre things when they are having financial problems.

[NeWbOy103]

Hey Jim. I'm sure business will pick up soon. I know a customer is a customer and money is money but when they start to mess you about like that you are better off without them.