Bad experience with Andy's

I am sorry if you do not agree with my reasoning and you are free to question my credibility. Of course, i am free to form an opinion of you too.

 

I will repeat the circumstances for you information. I did not select the plant. I pre-ordered the plant, therefore, Andy selected the plant. The only other vendor with a mislabeling problem is Ecuagenera. I have purchased numerous plants from J&L, Oak Hill, Tropical Orchid Farm, Botanica, Marni Turkel, Parkside... and many others.
I am not upset about receiving a mislabeled plant. Stuff happens. What upset me is the demand that I make another purchase in order to receive the plant I originally purchased at no charge. I replied that that was not satisfactory. I do not have any plan to purchase anything for a while. Winter is approaching and it is not a good time for me to add to my collection. And seriously, with over 300 plants, I really can't accommodate many more.
I do not believe I have any responsibility in this. Disagree if you want, but you should really read what I have written before you express you opinion. I particularly object to your implication that I cannot be trusted. If Andy does not feel he can trust me after several years of doing business, fine. But who really has reason to be mistrustful in this situation? And I never said I didn't trust him. I am first of all disappointed, and then a little perplexed. I may be naive, but I have a hard time believing that quality orchid providers like those I mentioned, would handle this in the same way. What did I expect? I expected an embarrassed apology and a promise to send the correct plant or issue a refund. I got none of those.

 

I am not in the orchid business, so I do not send plants. I notified Andy's as soon as the flower opened. Purchase date of 9/17 and flower opened 10/7. Where does Andy's web site explain what to do when they provide you with the wrong plant, i.e. not my fault? I don't know that dissatisfied is the right term for this. To me that implies that you don't like what you ordered, which is not the case here. Not getting what you paid for and not liking something does not equate. (And no, I do not care for the plant I received. It is not one that I would have purchased.)
I had a similar incident with another vendor who accidently shipped the same order twice, and almost did it a third time. When I called to report the error, the response was: "Sorry, just keep the plants we sent by mistake." I was able to contact them (after more than one phone call) when I received a notice they were planning to ship the order for the third time. They were, however, the right plants.

 

I was expecting an outcome where I get what I paid for without having to spend more money. Crazy me! I would suggest you try the vendors I mentioned. I have ordered dozens and dozens of plants without a single problem, with the exception of Ecuagenera. When I order from Ecuagenera, I know that there is a risk of not getting the correct plant. At those prices, it isn't a big deal, but most important is that I am aware that I am taking that risk. A great number of my plants would fall into the "obscure and uncommon" species category. I accept that mistakes occur. It is how the mistakes are handled that is in question. Furthermore, it is not the quality of the "wrong" plant. It is typical of the quality I expect from Andy, it just is not what I paid for. I paid for the "right" plant because I wanted it.
I have explained my reasoning and you think your way is better. Fine. Had I expected anything other than an honest response, I probably would have called. At this point, I think I will just go on keeping a record.

I am sorry if I implied that Ecuagenera has sent me a lot of plants that were mislabeled. It has been one or two, but this is the only vendor with whom this has happened was what I wanted to say. I like Ecuagenera for their extensive collection. I have received some very nice plants that I could not find anywhere else.

 

Alright already. I have tried to stay on topic because too often these discussion get side-tracked and the original topic is forgotten. But I think this topic has been pretty much exhausted, and I am almost ashamed to admit, I was having a little fun. Thanks, Chris. That is just perfect! I really enjoyed that.

The plant that I wanted and requested by email (got a record) to pick up at the event is Masdevallia reichenbachiana. The "wrong" plant, I believe is M. calura.

 

Really. I just re-read the email responses and not one word of apology or acknowledgment of responsibility. I can understand paying for shipping a plant that has a problem. That can be very subjective. The problem in this case is not subjective: Andy made a mistake. I did not make a mistake. Why would I pay to correct his error? Would he pay for my error? But there was no offer to reimburse shipping charges or to issue a refund or any mention of even returning the plant. Harry asked for a photo. I sent the photo. Andy replied, essentially, send me more money or you will never see your precious plant.
I do not dislike Andy. He is a charming guy who is usually very attentive to customers. It is clear that he really loves what he does and he does it well. I just think he has been very busy and just didn't give this much thought. In any case, there should be a written policy. What would it say? "We do not guarantee accuracy."

 

I don't understand what you mean. I currently have at least 90 Masdevallias and I am pretty sure which plants I want to add to my collection.

 

I am not interested in knowing what an ass you are. I was trying to learn how others have dealt with this kind of situation, since it is new to me.