Dallas North Aquarium

Great company! James was very knowledgeable and was very passionate about his job!!!

If I could sum it up , poor customer service and support. Poor communication and attitude of the general manager of stores. I paid $2000 for my new salt water tank and didn’t get what I wanted. I was willing to pay the difference of the cost but wanted them to wave the second install cost but instead of working with me the GM simple wrote an email that he doesn’t want to deal with me and their are other aquarium store in town that I can contact .
He got his payment but I didn’t get the product I was expecting due to his poor communication skills. You think it is easy to walk away with my money after providing what I didn’t order and I will just sit quite while you rip off other people . I will not let you do this to other people and to my self. Get ready .....

I have just recently gotten into the hobby of Freshwater Aquariums. All the times I've been there, all of the fish have looked happy and healthy, and all the fish I have bought have been doing fantastic in my tank. The staff is very friendly, and mostly knowledgeable.
I am taking one star away due to the fact that I was slightly misinformed about a Columbian Catfish I bought. (Although should be only half a star as half of it was my fault.) I was told about the size which I'm fine with, but I was also told it was a freshwater fish. When I got home I found out that it needs brackish water when it matures. They did tell me they will buy it back, so when it gets to a little larger, I will bring it back to hopefully trade for another type of catfish.

Our company has had a relationship with DNA for at least 15 years and during that time any issues that we have had were very amicably resolved. We have always been able to involve the owner John, who is very intelligent, in any strategic decisions concerning purchases whether it was simply food , chemicals or even high end purchases like aquariums or fish. We own two 200 gal. plus tanks, both installed and maintained by DNA. We definitely give Dallas North Aquarium a thumbs up....



Benji

I have been a customer for around 20 years, I completely disagree with the poster who commented about the age of the service technicians. My service “kid” is over 40 and I think he has been doing this since he was 15. They do drop by to check on the tank regularly, but I don’t mind as it keeps it looking good for my customers. I have met Charley more than once at the store, and if he is too busy to come out, I am escorted to his office. I never run out of things I need because they always bring out more things than I am out of, but I only pay for the things I keep.







Utay Jewelry Center

6025 Berkshire Lane

Dallas , TX 75225

Office: 214-363-6591

Fax: 214-363-5090



Tuesday through Friday 10-5:30



Saturday 10-5

I have a 175-gallon bow front reef at my practice as well as a 225-gallon reef in my home. I also have a 575-gallon pond at the entrance to my practice. If you want to see how well Dallas North Aquarium takes care of their customers, come see me! My tanks and pond always look outstanding, and my 47-year old service guy busts his behind to make sure it stays that way. As a professional who strives for 100% customer satisfaction, I can assure you I would not be using them if my tanks did not shine like my client’s teeth. I use many of the latest additives in my tank to make my corals grow, and just recently purchased some LED lighting at the office to add more pop to the tank. Come see the wall mounted bow front at my Plano office Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. We are also on the web at caranodds. I look forward to seeing you!



Terry L. Carano, DDS

5938 West Parker Road

Plano Texas 75093

972-608-1811

As some others have indicated on their recent reviews, Dallas North Aquarium's service is a complete joke! The first several years with them were pretty positive from both a livestock and service perspective. We probably spent over $10,000 with these clowns over the years. The following is a synopsis of what we learned and what happened to us over a 6 year period of time. So before you spend a bunch of money with them and get screwed read the following VERY CAREFULLY.

1) Service kids showing up without an appointment - Over the first few years, it didn't seem that big of a deal. But over time a pattern of behavior emerges that makes is very obvious there is no mistake. It is a simple unabashed, covert smoke and mirrors routine to increase revenue. As they "just happen to be in the area" they thought they would stop by and see if we needed service or "we had you down for an appointment routine." The net of it is the service department is run by a guy named Charlie who will try every trick in the book, to get you, the consumer, to buy service and/or product you do not need. While Dallas North Aquarium calls their service guys "technicians", nothing could be further from the truth which is why in this review they are referred to as kids.

2) Service kids pedaling unwanted or unneeded product - Over the first few years, it appeared the service guys were simply trying to be helpful. But over time a pattern of behavior emerges that makes it very obvious there is no mistake. It is a simple unabashed, covert smoke and mirrors routine to increase revenue. I cannot enumerate the number of times over the years where unwanted fish, coral, brine shrimp, etc. would arrive with a service kid. Then the utter audacity of these kids would be demonstrated through such comments as "oh, well it was on your service order. Sorry about that, we don't write the orders, we just follow the order and bring out what we are told". THIS IS A COMPLETE FABRICATION OF THE TRUTH. SEE NUMBER 3 BELOW.

3) Service kids are on a commission plan - As you read number 1 and 2 above, it becomes painfully obvious there are no "mistakes" being made by anyone in the "service" department. After doing some digging, I was told the reason why number 1 and 2 above occur is because the service kids are on commission. Here is the deal. They get paid by the hour when simply performing service. However, they make some kind of a commission when they sell product on a service call.

4) Charlie, the faceless service manager - at first glance, it is beyond one's level of cognitive understanding or reasoning why anyone would let a moron like Charlie run the service department. But when you think about the product sales Charlie generates through his service kids, it is really a cashcow!!! I refer to him as faceless as anytime we asked to talk to him while in the store, we were always told "he is too busy".

We purchased a 200 gallon DAS tank from D.N.A. The initial instillation was poorly planned by the designer and required a great deal of post installation modification. One of the most difficult aspects had to do with failure of the instillation team to adequately prepare and adjacent wall for splashing. Another component had to do with the lighting. The lighting that came with the tank generated considerable heat requiring the installation of a chiller. Mounting of the chiller prevented easy access to system filters and electrical plugs. The end result was an unsightly setup that have been difficult to work. We have had an overall unsatisfactory experience. Our greatest mistake was in not thoroughly researching both the equipment and wildlife sold to us.

This place is great. They have the largest selection of used top condition aquariums and equipment. The prices are better than Craigs list.

Huge selection of freshwater as well as salts. The salespeople were great. Know their stuff and don't insult you trying to sell you stuff that wont work for you. The fish are very good quality and health.

I will do business with them again.

Store has what you need for both salt and fresh water needs. Some of the sales people are very knowledgeable. Getting waiting on can be a problem. Not uncommon on many visits to the store to be ignored. I don't know if they are too busy or just are not service orientated.

I think that you store is great. My question is why do your employee's leave people standing around and don't ask if they need help. Some of your employee's have an attitude,which I don't understand,they don't even know me and act as if they are better then me. I am only in your store to buy what I need and don't have an attitude,would just like to buy what I need. Shawn is one of the employee's that I'm talking about.

You have a wonderful store and I would hate to go else where to do my business.