Like George, I consider my word and handshake as important as a written and signed contract. Others don't and I am now forced to "reduce to writing". It is just good business and I have learned the hard way.
Bobs post speaks volumes and his credibility is not in question with me. I doubt that Dunns would really respond here. Being in the business, I expect they are well aware of this Forum and shy away from it. I can only conclude that doing so is not in their best interest.
I have to continually remind myself when looking to make a purchase that "Just because they say it, don't make it so". Caveat Emptor.
I've bought off fish trucks and been happy. Other times, I've shown up and found that they were only hauling and selling, crappie, HBG and one pound LMB. No thanks. Not everyone was walking away. I have also found trucks showing up in Texas during the summer. Tough to acclimate a fish that comes out of cold water without a lot of preparation. I certainly don't have those kinds of facilities.
It may be hard to tell just where fish were raised and their background. I recently talked to a guy from Arkansas. He now lives in Fort Worth and went home to visit. He was surprised to find that some of his relatives were raising fish for dealers. It has become a cottage industry and growing fast. His statement was something like "up and down the road, people are raising fish". I didn't question him about his relatives knowledge, handling, diseases, etc. of fish. My impression is that they are aquatic incubators and we know the fish may or may not have problems.
Years ago, while hunting in Colorado, I talked to a farmer that was raising hops for Coors Beer. He had to meet very exacting standards or Coors refused the crop. They paid a premium for a quality product, regularly visited during the growing season, and had a lot of growers. As this thread points out, the fish business is premature and has neither those standards nor market leadership. Thus, the old adage of getting what you pay for doesn't yet hold here.
