Trade Winds Aquarium & Pet Ctr

I have gotten many pets from this store (specifically many fish, 2 lizards, and my cat) all with great results. Their animals have been healthy (the kitten had fleas and worms, but vet told me that this is very common) and the staff, although difficult to communicate with (because of their broken english), are very knowledgeable and friendly. It sound like the other reviewers here are not willing to overlook the language gap. Personally, I give them props for opening a successful business in our country and I am patient with them. I also don't blame them for coming across as rude or not caring - it is probably only in response to how they are treated by the customer. Also with regards to the store being ""dirty,"" - yeah it is not spotless and bright and open like the big chains - it's a mom and pop store in West Philadelphia. Who cares if there's some dirt on the floor - that isn't what counts at all. It's about local, personal service. Every time I walk in, they know me by name. They are also willing to haggle in price to an extent - moreso on the animals themselves than supplies. Pros: Knowledgeable staff, great animals Cons: Staff can be difficult - they only speak broken english more

I bought my cat at the store. She just turned 1 year old, and she is very healthy. Staffs are always helpful and friendly. In addition, prices are much cheaper than other stores. I buy my pet supplies only from this store. more

I have been a regular customer of Tradewinds for a while. My experiences have only been very positive. The owner and the employees are very friendly and know much about pets. I get my fish and reptiles only from Tradewinds. They offer a great selection of pets and pet products at competitive prices. I love going there and my children love it, too. Pros: Clean, friendly. Cons: None I can think of more

Ok, this place hasn't gotten any good reviews thus far but I still went to check it out. Considering the small size of the shop, it crams alot of creatures within. Not good for all the animals that live there. I went to purchase a rabbit and I managed to pick out 2 healthy happy rabbits (I stood there for almost an hour watching it and investigating its physical and social apperance).\r the staff was not helpful when it came to precise questions regarding the animals. As a potential buyer, arm yourself with knowledge of the animal or item you wish to purchase so that you can make the smart choice. I am a happy owner of two healthy rabbits.\r \r Later I find out that they're not big on customer service.\r Okay, so I requested a special order of a rabbit and I was told that they do indeed do special orders. So I gave them a list of possible breeds that I wanted and they said they'd look into it. So I did followups every week to see how the progress was going. I think because of the communication barrier (the manger of the petshop speaks broken english for the most part) there was a misunderstanding for some reason, they couldn't understand that I wanted them to order a rabbit and bring it to the petshop so I could buy it there. Instead they kept giving me the run around saying that they only order what they needed (dispite the fact that earlier they said that they did special orders). So in the end the manager pratcially yells at me over the phone saying ""I give you number and you tell them what you want!"" and gave me the number to their distributer so that I could call them and make the request. That was a dead end. It wouldn't be fair to say that the owner of the pet shop is in it only for the money because they don't go out of their way to get your money (i.e. have great customer service and a friendly knowledgable staff). So yeah, this place is very unprofessional. The humane society ought to be informed of this place. Pros: Pro? None that I could come up with. Cons: lacks customer service. more

I recently went to this ""pet store"" to look at their rabbits. I had my doubts about any pet store selling them, but thought I would have a look. When I arrived at the store, it seemed reasonable enough until I looked on the ground by the front door to see two small cages housing crying kittens. I then began to walk around the store looking for the rabbits. Not seeing them, I asked an employee if they had any and he said yes. He then led me through a back room into another back room with a hand written ""Employees Only"" sign. Upon entering the tiny room, the first thing I noticed was a large refrigerator. I swear I thought he was going to open the door to show me ""the rabbits"". Instead he points to a stack of cages next to the fridge. Inside I see a couple of visibly terrified rabbits who are soaked with their own urine. This was amazing to me considering the cages had wire mesh floors (a bunny no-no) with no bedding. Regardless, I asked if I could hold one of the rabbits. The employee opened the cage and tried to catch the obviously frightened bunny. He managed to grab the rabbit, pulling it out of the cage and holding it at arm's length in a very inappropriate manner. Asking again if I could hold the rabbit, he said ""it will scratch you"". I thought to myself... How do you expect to sell a rabbit in this condition? As I was getting sick to my stomach, I said thanks, but no thanks and left the store. Even treating these poor animals as just another product, they cant even do that well. Please avoid this store at all costs. Pros: What pros? Cons: Dark, dirty store. Unknowledgeable staff. more

This is ABSOLUTELY the WORST pet store I have ever been to! I wanted to purchase a pet rat. The staff was handling the animals with giant tweezers, so was curious if I could handle the rat AT ALL, or if it would attack me every time I put my hand near it. I asked if I could touch the rat (I did NOT try to touch). The staff member screamed NO, and got his boss. The boss ran in shouting. He asked if I could catch the rat if it jumped on the ground. When I said yes, he told me to leave. I never did touch the animal or even TRY to touch the animal! It was senseless drama. I didn't yell back or react at all! I couldn't believe how unprofessional the entire experience was! I highly recommend finding another pet store. Pros: Clean Cons: Unprofessional more