Mealies on a new purchase…

[Dalachin]

I got an order today from a well known vendor. One of the plants was a very small mounted plant (kingidium phillipiense). It came with an active mealy bug family. At least one clearly visible adult female, and a lively adults male with his recently hatched pupae displayed prominently on an exposed root. The female had a nicely spun webbing nest on the back of one tiny leaf. Quite an educational display on the life cycle of a favorite orchid pest. I wish I had taken a picture but my phone was across the room and I was actively trying to catch that male mealy.

This is rather a large pest population for such a tiny orchid (two tiny leaves, the largest less than an inch, and two active roots less than a cm in length, several longer shriveled ones). Would it be bullish if me to ask for a replacement or refund? The small size of the orchid was clear from the description, but I worry that we are off to a bad start.

The others in the order look fine, but I sprayed the lot of them and have them sequestered in a clear storage bin.

[Ray]

If you got one plant with mealies, why would you expect a replacement - likely grown right along side that one - to be insect-free?

Personally, I’d email the vendor and inform them that they sold you an infested plant, so they might want to take some action in the greenhouse.

Then, if they are decent, they’ll either offer a replacement or refund your money.

[dbarron]

And maybe this is bad form, but I'd like to know who sent you prominently pestified plants. I know...especially in a mass setting, some pests are gonna be there..and it's not the end of the world and it's why we quarantine new plants.
But still...it scares me..*lol*

[Dalachin]

Thanks, I’ll give them a call after the holiday and see what they say. Probably better not to name names… I have gotten wonderful plants from this vendor, and I can definitely see the impossibility of a totally pest free greenhouse.

[estación seca]

I think the vendor would want to know about this. I would have called or written on arrival.

[Dimples]

The sooner you let them know the more seriously they’ll take your report and, assuming they’re a quality vendor, the sooner they can address the issue in their stock. If you wait a couple weeks they won’t be able to tell if the MBs originated with them or if it got infested after it arrived at your location. Someone will be at the greenhouse today (Thanksgiving). Even highly automated grow houses have someone around during the day. Email them and follow up with a call later if you need to.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Dimples

The sooner you let them know the more seriously they’ll take your report and, assuming they’re a quality vendor, the sooner they can address the issue in their stock.

100% agreed.

I once had a customer email me, complaining that a plant I sold him was infested with something (I don’t recall what it was). I was confused, as I hadn’t ever seen that pest in my greenhouse. I looked back through my records, and learned he had purchased the plant some 6 months prior.

I passed on both pieces of info and never heard another thing about it.

At the other end of the spectrum, whenever a plant left me and was discovered by the customer to have issues, I immediately refunded the cost, and if possible, sent a replacement.

[Dalachin]

Good points. I wrote to them today, they responded right away offering an apology and a replacement or refund.

[realoldbeachbum]

I have had 100% success with refunds/replacements by immediately upon arrival, taking pictures of infected plants, packing boxes, and invoices then sending an email with photos to the vendor. Good luck & happy growing.