New Orchid Arrvied with Brown Scale - Should I Ask to Replace Plant?
Login
User Name
Password   


Registration is FREE. Click to become a member of OrchidBoard community
(You're NOT logged in)

menu menu

Sponsor
Donate Now
and become
Forum Supporter.

New Orchid Arrvied with Brown Scale - Should I Ask to Replace Plant?
Many perks!
<...more...>


Sponsor
 

Google


Fauna Top Sites
LOG IN/REGISTER TO CLOSE THIS ADVERTISEMENT
Go Back   Orchid Board - Most Complete Orchid Forum on the web ! > >
Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 08-12-2016, 08:49 AM
Joseia Joseia is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Mar 2013
Zone: 6b
Member of:AOS
Location: Vienna, Virginia
Posts: 600
New Orchid Arrvied with Brown Scale - Should I Ask to Replace Plant? Male
Default New Orchid Arrvied with Brown Scale - Should I Ask to Replace Plant?

the question: What should I do and what do you think the vendor should do?

The problem: Yesterday, I received a new orchid from a very long-established and reputable vendor that had about a dozen brown scale on the undersides of four or five leaves. I've purchased 6 orchids from them over the past three years and their plants were always perfect - free of disease and absolutely no insect pests - so I don't want to mention the name of the vendor since I think this is probably just a fluke. The vendor has a great reputation here on OB.

I removed the scale I could see with q-tips and rubbing alcohol and blasted the plant with my biggest gun - a solution of Bayer 3 in 1. Sprayed the plant thoroughly and drenched the media, and I will repot it this weekend into a new pot and fresh media. I will keep re-applying the Bayer every week for the next 3 or 4 weeks. It is quarantined, far away from my other plants.

Other than the scale, the plant looks very healthy and is more mature than I expected - it has already flowered and I was expecting to get a juvenile plant a year or two away from flowering, so I am happy about that.

I emailed the vendor last night and explained what I had found. My email was polite and non-threatening and not demanding any particular action. It just stated what I had found to warn them they may have a problem in the greenhouse that they are not ware of.

I am curious to see what the members here think I should do: keep the plant and keep treating it and hope I can get rid of these nasty buggers? Should I just toss the plant and ask them to send me another one? What would you expect the vendor to do - offer to replace the plant with a new one? Issue a refund?
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 08-12-2016, 09:04 AM
orchidsarefun orchidsarefun is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Oct 2011
Zone: 5b
Location: Chicagoland
Posts: 3,402
New Orchid Arrvied with Brown Scale - Should I Ask to Replace Plant? Male
Default

You did the right thing by advising the vendor.
As to vendor response - after a bit of negotiation I would recommend settling for a 25-50% discount on your next plant purchase. You are otherwise happy with the plant...
Hope you took photos of the scale as proof if it comes down to it.
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 3 Likes
Likes jcec1, Orchid Whisperer, Joseia liked this post
  #3  
Old 08-12-2016, 03:17 PM
Ray's Avatar
Ray Ray is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: May 2005
Member of:AOS
Location: Oak Island NC
Posts: 14,790
New Orchid Arrvied with Brown Scale - Should I Ask to Replace Plant? Male
Default

In such a circumstance, if I cannot place a plant, I 1) apologize, 2) refund the entire purchase price, 3) make some curing suggestions, and 4) wish them well.
Fortunately, such a circumstance only happened 2 or 3 times in 23 years.
__________________
Ray Barkalow, Orchid Iconoclast
FIRSTRAYS.COM
Try Kelpak - you won't be sorry!
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likes
Likes Joseia liked this post
  #4  
Old 08-12-2016, 04:17 PM
Leafmite's Avatar
Leafmite Leafmite is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Sep 2010
Zone: 5b
Location: Ohio
Posts: 10,847
New Orchid Arrvied with Brown Scale - Should I Ask to Replace Plant?
Default

In defense of the vendor, scale is one of those things that can take a person by surprise. I grow quite many plants and I have had plants that looked perfectly clean and a week later, were covered with either scale or mealy bugs. I hate these little sucking bugs!

---------- Post added at 04:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:08 PM ----------

Quote:
Originally Posted by orchidsarefun View Post
You did the right thing by advising the vendor.
As to vendor response - after a bit of negotiation I would recommend settling for a 25-50% discount on your next plant purchase. You are otherwise happy with the plant...
Hope you took photos of the scale as proof if it comes down to it.
I agree with this. They did send you a larger than expected orchid when you probably paid for a seedling. That was very nice.

We do need to keep in mind that orchids are quite expensive to grow, especially in the North when the costs of running a greenhouse in the winter can be prohibitive. I keep hearing of so many orchid vendors who are closing, selling or transitioning to other plants. I loved Oak Hill Gardens and then they sold their business and I loved them again...they are gone. I love J&L and they tried to sell but it looks as though they will close. I think Hausermann's is transitioning...they opened a garden center. There are many others in the process....

---------- Post added at 04:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:15 PM ----------

I would treat the orchid. I get scale and mealy bugs on my orchids and other plants and I treat them. Why pitch a perfectly good plant?
__________________
I decorate in green!
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 2 Likes
Likes estación seca, Joseia liked this post
  #5  
Old 08-12-2016, 09:31 PM
bethmarie bethmarie is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jul 2012
Zone: 7b
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,351
New Orchid Arrvied with Brown Scale - Should I Ask to Replace Plant? Female
Default

I vote for a refund. It's part of the cost of doing business as a vendor and keeping a clean reputation.
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likes
Likes Joseia liked this post
  #6  
Old 08-13-2016, 12:13 PM
u bada u bada is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Feb 2016
Zone: 10b
Location: los angeles
Posts: 685
New Orchid Arrvied with Brown Scale - Should I Ask to Replace Plant? Male
Default

I agree with leafmite with all she said.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
plant, vendor, scale, media, brown, plants, orchid, bayer, found, replace, flowering, happy, emailed, healthy, mature, quarantined, expected, juvenile, expecting, flowered, nasty, buggers, rid, treating, hope


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
An Orchid Buyer's Guide for Beginners King_of_orchid_growing:) Beginner Discussion 54 08-02-2023 06:49 PM
We Need More Orchid Celebrities epiphyte78 Advanced Discussion 1 01-03-2014 06:25 AM
really new plant questions=>Oncidium Sweet Ears "The Orchid Works" ElenaMarie Oncidium/Odontoglossum Alliance 4 12-10-2012 10:07 PM
Royal Orchid Club (Bill) - Just the Facts seabead22 Vendor Feedback 7 08-02-2011 07:14 AM
I Can See Some Brown Mushy Looking Roots In My Phalaenopsis Orchid Kirstin Beginner Discussion 20 07-07-2011 11:10 AM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:35 AM.

© 2007 OrchidBoard.com
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.37 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.

Clubs vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.