Tamang again

[Paul Christian]

Ellen, all,

>But Paul, aren't you perhaps being *too* kind about mixups from Indian
>suppliers?
>I think a lot of us have had some experience with these by now
>- the worst (certainly most flagrant) being the supplying of sauromatums
>in place of arisaemas (this happened to me indirectly when a former
>correspondent was reselling imported tubers - I don't think he's around
>anymore -?).

Good point, I was hoping to just let the group know what was happening.  I
think he is basically a sound source, there are, as you say FAR worse out there.

>What you write about Tamang still raises two questions for me:  first,
>doesn't a responsible dealer verify his sources;

Yes should do but a degree of trust is always needed.  It is a chance we
take I suppose.

>and second, doesn't a responsible dealer make good on his mixups?

Yes you must

>I have no doubt, after all,
>that if you found yourself selling something that wasn't properly ID'd,
>you'd want to remedy the mistake immediately

I always do, or try to when I know or suspect that things have gone wrong.
The other side of the coin of course is the rogue customer.

>(and judging from how carefully you grow everything on, this wouldn't
happen in the >first place).

Thanks for the faith but sadly some of it has, to grow on you have to get
them, to finance some of the aquisitions you have to sell some.
Establishing the stock is the expensive bit as you know, there is a degree
of calculated risk the first year.

>So the final question becomes: what has been Tamang's response to
>complaints about misidentification?
I have not as yet approached him.  I want all of the plants to flower so
that I can send a full and fair appraisal.  I will post they jist of the reply.

>Lastly, I'd be curious to hear from other list members what they think the
>retailer's responsibility is when they find they've distributed wrongly
>identified material.  As I write, several purported A. griffithii from a
>west-coast supplier are unfurling into intermediums in my shadehouse...not
>what the doctor ordered......

As an individual I would expect the proper plant.  I am quite prepared to
send the duff one back at the dealers cost.  As a delaer I say the same, but
I usually give the duff plant to the customer, apologise and replace. Hope
that the customer is reasonable, and then try to make sure that it doesn't
happen again.

Must go and polish my halo ;-)
Paul :-))
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Paul Christian   - Rare Plants
Internet Site    - http://rareplants.co.uk
e-mail           - paul at rareplants.co.uk
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