Owner is extremely rude and unhelpful. Was going to get some African cichlids but owner insisted we…read moreleave.

Yesterday I had the worse costumer service experience while buying RO water here. Something I have…read morebeen doing for years. Keith, I think he's the manager, was visibly annoyed to provide this service. He asked if I had larger containers than the 25 one gallon jugs I brought. When I said no he informed me that he would have to charge me more because it was so labor intensive, a dollar per instead of $0.75 each. I agreed even though I could buy distilled water for that price at any supermarket, in new, clean, dry, sealed jugs. When I got home I tested the water with my TDS meter and found that the total dissolved solids read between 8 and 12 parts per million in every gallon. Of course I called to complain and advise them to change their filters. This is when I got some real attitude from Keith. He thought he should talk over me, telling me about his RO system and that his meter disagreed. He eventually said I should come back in to get my money back and to please never buy water there again. You don't have to worry about that, I'll not be going back there. This is not the same store it was when they were in Scotia. They used to be hobbyist friendly. Whether you were shopping for fish, or equipment or just getting your jugs filled with RO, you could talk with the staff or other hobbyists about equipment, different species' needs or water chemistry. Now the staff will ignore you while you get bumped around by the mall gawkers in a narrow over crowded store. No, I don't feel any need to go back there. Not when there are other aquarium stores in the area that welcome enthusiasts.

The customer service is non existent if the plant and fish shipment is being unloaded…read more If they aren't busy and you want something they make you walk over and pull a ticket and wait for your number to be called. I was there today and it wasn't busy, but the shipment was being unloaded. I pulled my ticket but no one was calling out numbers. I finally asked a woman for help but she said "I don't work here but I'll let them know". At that point I just left. I've been ignored there for 25 years going back to the old Latham location. One positive experience I had was a few years ago. They had species plant I wanted but there was only a couple left. The salesman informed me that they had some that were yet to be unpacked in the back room. Long story short he was reprimanded for selling plants that weren't yet in the display case (in front of me while I was checking out). That ruined the experience and made me feel I did something wrong. So I guess I never had a positive experience, I just witnessed someone going above and beyond being treated like trash. It's sad to say, but I'm actually happier walking in and not seeing anything I want to buy. The stressful part is seeing something I want and having to jump through hoops to get someone's attention and get service. To sum things up it's not really worth the stress for me and I will go elsewhere from

My name is Jessica and I live in Boston, Massachusetts. As a marine biologist, during a recent…read morevisit my husband and I were disappointed to see Eddie's Aquarium Centre housing incompatible species together -- for example, Flagtail Porthole Catfish (Dianema urostriatum), Kribensis Cichlids (Pelvicachromis pulcher), Butterfly Plecos (Dekeyseria sp.), and Congo Tetras (Phenacogrammus interruptus) in the same tank. These fish require different water parameters and have very different temperaments, which creates stress and weakens their immune systems. Stressed fish are far more likely to develop ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, or "white spot disease"), and once one fish is infected, the entire tank is at risk. Unfortunately, stores that mix species like this often deny responsibility and may mislead customers to avoid refunds or replacements. For anyone buying fish from any store that displays mixed species, I strongly recommend quarantining and proactively treating for potential bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections before adding them to your main aquarium. This precaution protects both your tank and your fish.

The owner is very knowledgeable. His tanks are pristine. His selection of fish is remarkable. We…read moreloved this store and we found fish and aquarium products we could find nowhere else. Clearly this store is the owners labor of love.

Aquatics and Exotics is a wonderful little local fist store that is run by a sweet man who cares…read moreabout his fish and his kitties, who live in the shop. PLEASE NOTE: This shop is in NEW YORK, and it has nothing to do with the Aquatics and Exotics in Roanoke, Virginia where that awful assault of that woman happened. It is not affiliated with them in any way, shape, or form. Aquatics and Exotics is a name that both businesses just happened to choose, but they are not a franchise. THIS IS NOT THE RACIST PLACE. It makes me so sad to see someone who did nothing wrong get attacked for something that a stranger in another state did. OK! Now that that mess is out of the way, this little shop has what you need. So many beautiful driftwood and fancy stone options for hardscaping your aquascape. Do you want black and white stripey stones? You can find that here! Dragonstone for dramatic spires and cliffs? Yep! Cool aquamarine colored greenstone? Yeah, they have that, too! Do you like plants for your tank? Well, he grows his plants himself! Submerged, so they won't be nearly as likely to "melt" as the plants you mail order from big plant businesses that mostly grow their plans emersed (roots in water, leaves in the air) tend to. Leaves that grow in the air are not the same as leaves that grow underwater for aquatic plants, so if you buy a plant that has been grown out of water, it's gonna drop all those leaves and try to grow new ones, instead. I got some lovely plants here, and none of them died at all. They're also acclimated to the water we have around here, as are the fish! You WILL get snails if you don't treat the plants you get from here, but that really isn't a bad thing. The snails will eat algae and biofilm. They'll happily slide around like the little janitors they are. We got a brown ramshorn snail, and a grey one, as well as some bladder snails, in with our plants, and everyone in my household spends a bit of time each day trying to find the ramshorns. The fish are all quarantined before being put in to the main tanks. This is vital, and not something that happens at most big box pet stores. The fish you get here are much more likely to be healthy and stay healthy. They are far less likely to get your existing fish sick. It's a small shop, but he carries a nice variety of fish, snails, and shrimp. Do you have a favorite color? He probably has shrimp that come in that color. Do you love rainbow fish? He carries some really lovely ones. My tank is too small for them- they are schooling fish that can get to be 4 inches long- but if I had a bigger tank, I'd for sure get some from here. Mystery snails are excellent tank cleaners, and quite pretty. Lots of seachem and API products here, as well as high quality LED lights, nice filters, substrate, gravel, ETC. If you are an aquarium nerd, you can get your aquarium nerd on here, like I do. I drive over 40 minutes to go here instead of the closer big box pet stores. It is worth the drive!

Love love LOVE this company. All of their stores I give 5 stars…read more Best place for healthy food and treat selections for your pets. Staff super friendly. Benson's is my favorite pet store to shop. I really wish I lived closer, but then again if I did I'd probably spend my entire paycheck there.

this company does not care about you, they just want your money. the employees are wonderful…read morepeople, the upper management would appear to be the opposite of that. i have personally taken my business elsewhere after realizing how rude and unprofessional these people truly are. do research into better small owned business nearby, and take your business there instead.

We're new to fishkeeping, but we've been here 3 times in the past few months. Every time, they've…read morebeen great. They've helped troubleshoot issues with our tank, medication with a sick fish, and the fish and shrimp we've gotten here have all been really healthy (the sick one was last week and it was our fault; we've had him for a few months). They're always willing to take time to give suggestions or answer questions - haven't seen a single unfriendly employee. Their selection of everything from food to plants is pretty large. Highly recommend them!

Amazing costomer service provided great knowledge and helped me pick the tank right for meread more

went into the store to give my Doberman and wash and was greeted with a polite employe. Abbi did a…read morewonderful job with help me find a solution for all the pulling my dobie been doing on a leash. I'm able to go on walks now with no pulling. That's be going good for the both of us. Bensons is an amazing store and have fanatic staff that goes beyond the job description when it comes to customer service it's alway a pleasure going there.

Nicest people ever, who care about pets and their customers. Pets are allowed here, and they even…read morehave a full dog wash station you purchase entry to. The washing station includes aprons, shampoo/conditioner, a few tubs, towels, and a dryer. It was great!! They are very helpful and offer good recommendations for pet care and they have a parrot that is often in the store sitting and watching! Love supporting local businesses and bensons is our favorite

Disorganized and cluttered place. I don't recommend the grooming services whatsoever after my…read moreexperience. ​The cramped and back room where they attempt to groom multiple dogs is far from a clean or stressfree environment. Paperwork was not given prior to appointment and important questions were not asked at all. I had a feeling in my gut to hang around for my pups first grooming experience here and I'm glad I did. Watched the camera feed to see my dog in the back room just hanging around for 15 mins before they attempted to put him on the table. He didn't react well to being in a new unfamiliar place with strangers who barely acknowledged him. Both groomers were busy with other dogs so I'm confused as to why they took my pup back if they didn't have the time or attention for him. I was happy to walk out of here before they even got to grooming my pup. I'll make sure to do more research to find a groomer that can handle anxious pups. The owner of this establishment is extremely rude and should rethink their approach to handling customers. I'm not sure how this business has lasted with such poor customer service. I'll never come back here and would tell anyone I know to not bother.​​

Very cold , non personable environment. Prices are ok re: retail, but do NOT use the groomers! Not…read moreclean and crowded. I don't see how this place stays afloat as the service is not good at all. With so many options, don't waste your time with this business.

I am so fortunate to have found Albert and his company. Twice, he has gotten me out of aquarium…read more"messes" with other companies. Last year, the company who was managing my pond took over my aquarium, thus taking business away from Albert. He was understanding about it, and was very gracious to take me back when that turned out to be a stupid idea. Aquarium service is provided on an agreeable day and time. Very reliable! Even weekends. He is happy to let himself into your home, but like with us, understands if we would rather be home when he comes. Still, he is very trustworthy. He can get healthy fish and corals. In fact, when one of my fish seemed to be ill, he took it home with him and nursed it back to health. He truly cares about the fish, even though in a marine tank, they are much less expensive than corals. He doesn't try to sell you anything you don't need as far as supplies or equipment. He won't just try to sell you expensive corals that end up dying in a poorly managed tank, like my last aquarium company did. His service is very neat and organized on a consistent basis. He can sell you supplies, such as salt, filters, aquarium additives and food. He does not price gouge, which can be easily checked if you search on, for example Amazon, for the supply prices. Also, he takes care of freshwater tanks as well. My aquarium is serviced every two weeks. Albert will respond to aquarium concerns and emergencies with a call back, and a service call if needed off your usual schedule. If If your aquarium is like mine was: nothing special, not thriving, and plain dirty, you tend to get used to it. You start to question yourself. Stop now, call Albert at Marine Design and Service

Albert is awesome. Did a water change on my saltwater tank and is very reasonably priced. I am very…read morehappy I found him to do the maintenance on my tank. I would recommend him to my friends and family.

This store brings back such great memories of the Agway of my youth. For lawn and garden this is…read morethe place to go. The beautiful display of plants outside is just the start of how well the store displays are set and how clean it is. I found myself wanting to buy another set of clippers just because "they were calling my name". I don't need them of course but I wanted to buy everything. I now have some gift ideas as well. So many chimes, bird feeders and pet toys to choose from. They have a huge selection of bird food including a bin of mixed food that you can scoop to buy by the pound. There is always friendly staff around to ask questions and they seem to know just when to ask if you need help. They even invited to be browse as long as I want. They didn't know just what they were saying because I might never leave. I kept it brief this time but I will be going back again and again.

This is definitely a one-stop home and garden center. It has a good supply of just about everything…read moreyou might need for your yard, gardens, shrubs, pets, bird, projects, and more. It's a chain, but it's definitely not as "big boxy" as - well, you know who. Some of the things I like about this store include it selection of plants, bulbs and seeds (and there's more in their small garden center), the tools, the bulk bins for animal and bird foods, a good supply of tools, and some seasonal items. I've rarely had any problems here, and the staff have always been able to answer any questions I've had. Their barn/warehouse on the side has quite the supply of various bagged materials too.