Houstonherp
Send in the Clones
I feel there are a few things that need to be clarified here...I had originally typed this reply days ago, and then deicded not to justify the misinformation with a reply. However, even though the name of the company was not mentioned in the thread, we here at PetFlyTrap.com still stand behind our plants. For that reason, I will clarify the misconceptions some of you have regarding this transaction:
1) We grade our plants by the same sizing standards that Borneo Exotics (and many US CP retailers as well) use. That is, Small Nepenthes are up to 3 inches in diameter, Medium are 3 to 6 inches, Large are 6 to 12 inches, and Extra Large are over 12 inches. Leaf tip to leaf tip. This is stated on our web site, and lets our customers know exactly what to expect; however, we often send plants that are oversized as a thank you to our valued customers. More about how that relates to this order to follow.
2) Josh (Swords) ordered two SMALL potted N. boschiana. By the standard size grading, these plants would be up to 3 inches across. That means that the smaller of the two plants is what he paid for, and the LARGER of the two is easily a Medium, if not Large, plant...one if not two sizes larger than what was paid for.
3) Josh ordered one N. alata - Clone (t) Medium Hanging Basket. This means the plant should be 3 to 6 inches in diameter. But the pictures he took clearly show a plant that is easily double the size of the six-inch hanging basket that the plant is in. That would classify it as an Extra Large plant, which is two sizes larger than he paid for again.
4) The same holds for the ventricosa x merrilliana. Josh ordered a Medium Potted plant, but as the pictures he took demonstrate, the plant is easily over a foot across...an Extra Large plant, and two sizes larger than what he paid for once again. Lots of nice pitchers as well, which were not really shown in the pictures he took.
5) Josh was sent these oversized plants because we had already taken cuttings from these plants, so that we can continue to propagate them and have more plants for our future customers. This is a standard procedure that all Nepenthes nurseries use. However, the cuttings were too recent to be assured of them having acceptable roots developed; and thus our decision was to send Josh our PARENT plants with several YEARS worth of growth and roots, rather than send the actual Medium-sized plants he paid for and take a chance of the cuttings not doing well. We believe this was a smart business decision to make, one which we would make again given the need, and one which Josh should have been pleased with. After all, he now has our parent plants, and they will send out new growth from the node just below the cut end in the near future! Even so, we replied to Josh and offered him a full refund in return for the plants being returned to us, and we have yet to receive a reply.
6) We will continue to offer the best possible plants, and the most IN STOCK diversity of any carnivorous plant nursery in the U.S. We have over 10,000 plants in stock and ready for shipment, and if it shows up on our web site, its AVAILABLE, not an OUT OF STOCK item.
We are fully aware that Andrew will most likely remove this reply once it is noticed as a reply from a competitor, but felt the need to reply fully to Josh's claims. We do not hide behind a thread that talks of "a US supplier" without mentioning who it is. We are proud of what we have done with PetFlyTrap.com over the past three years, developing a carnivorous plant product line that is second to none and standing behind our products; and we have offered Josh a full refund if he wishes.
Anyone is welcome to e-mail me to discuss PetFlyTrap.com or this particular thread further; however, to show our respect for this being Andrew's forum, we will not be replying further here. People tend to distort things radically in the forums, and this is why we do not usually participate in them.
Good Growing everyone!
Mike Howlett
PetFlyTrap.com
orders(at)petflytrap(dot)com
1) We grade our plants by the same sizing standards that Borneo Exotics (and many US CP retailers as well) use. That is, Small Nepenthes are up to 3 inches in diameter, Medium are 3 to 6 inches, Large are 6 to 12 inches, and Extra Large are over 12 inches. Leaf tip to leaf tip. This is stated on our web site, and lets our customers know exactly what to expect; however, we often send plants that are oversized as a thank you to our valued customers. More about how that relates to this order to follow.
2) Josh (Swords) ordered two SMALL potted N. boschiana. By the standard size grading, these plants would be up to 3 inches across. That means that the smaller of the two plants is what he paid for, and the LARGER of the two is easily a Medium, if not Large, plant...one if not two sizes larger than what was paid for.
3) Josh ordered one N. alata - Clone (t) Medium Hanging Basket. This means the plant should be 3 to 6 inches in diameter. But the pictures he took clearly show a plant that is easily double the size of the six-inch hanging basket that the plant is in. That would classify it as an Extra Large plant, which is two sizes larger than he paid for again.
4) The same holds for the ventricosa x merrilliana. Josh ordered a Medium Potted plant, but as the pictures he took demonstrate, the plant is easily over a foot across...an Extra Large plant, and two sizes larger than what he paid for once again. Lots of nice pitchers as well, which were not really shown in the pictures he took.
5) Josh was sent these oversized plants because we had already taken cuttings from these plants, so that we can continue to propagate them and have more plants for our future customers. This is a standard procedure that all Nepenthes nurseries use. However, the cuttings were too recent to be assured of them having acceptable roots developed; and thus our decision was to send Josh our PARENT plants with several YEARS worth of growth and roots, rather than send the actual Medium-sized plants he paid for and take a chance of the cuttings not doing well. We believe this was a smart business decision to make, one which we would make again given the need, and one which Josh should have been pleased with. After all, he now has our parent plants, and they will send out new growth from the node just below the cut end in the near future! Even so, we replied to Josh and offered him a full refund in return for the plants being returned to us, and we have yet to receive a reply.
6) We will continue to offer the best possible plants, and the most IN STOCK diversity of any carnivorous plant nursery in the U.S. We have over 10,000 plants in stock and ready for shipment, and if it shows up on our web site, its AVAILABLE, not an OUT OF STOCK item.
We are fully aware that Andrew will most likely remove this reply once it is noticed as a reply from a competitor, but felt the need to reply fully to Josh's claims. We do not hide behind a thread that talks of "a US supplier" without mentioning who it is. We are proud of what we have done with PetFlyTrap.com over the past three years, developing a carnivorous plant product line that is second to none and standing behind our products; and we have offered Josh a full refund if he wishes.
Anyone is welcome to e-mail me to discuss PetFlyTrap.com or this particular thread further; however, to show our respect for this being Andrew's forum, we will not be replying further here. People tend to distort things radically in the forums, and this is why we do not usually participate in them.
Good Growing everyone!
Mike Howlett
PetFlyTrap.com
orders(at)petflytrap(dot)com
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