Hi all: Sorry for not getting back with you sooner-I ate something on Monday that did not like me and was sick all week. My stomach is still a bit delicate but I'm now ready to get back into the fray.
So. here is the content of his last two messages to me through PayPal:
Beverly, I don't have any set supplier for these large Cattleyas. They came from a member of our local orchid society. I am keeping a few and selling a few. You got the exact plant you paid for, its just the bloom color that you don't like. The tag read Lc. Marcia Foster 'Dixie' and I have no way of knowing that the bloom color would be darker than the bloom color I showed in the auction. Maybe it is 'Dixie', or maybe it is 'Dark Waters'. I can't say for sure. I do not have another Lc. Marcia Foster plant nor do I have any idea where to get one, especially that size. I am offering to give you a full refund for the plant, plus the shipping you paid. You expect me to give you the plant for free? I would not be in business very long if I gave away $50.00 plants for free. You paid $31.00 and that was a very good price. But its not a good price to you if you don't like it, so that's why I am offering to take it back. I work very hard to keep my rating at 100%. I've sold over 10,000 plants on Ebay and 99.9998% of those transactions have been good. I feel I am doing the right thing and also being generous by offering you a refund even though it is 3 weeks past the deadline for returns. My policy is stated in each auction saying items should be returned in 7 days and the buyer pays the shipping back to me.
Note to Paypal: The item in dispute here is only item 260783651526. My offer to still accept the plant back is good, but if you decide the buyer has to keep it, that is fine with me too.
From Seller - David Konkol
6/19/2011 15:55 PDT
I was thinking about this plant and auction again and went back and looked at the Ebay listing. Here is the first paragraph of the auctions description: "You are bidding on a large Lc. Marcia Foster 'Dixie' orchid plant in bud. The picture of the plant is the actual plant on which you are bidding. The other picture shows what the blooms will look like, or will be similar. The blooms pictured are from another Marcia Foster clone." It clearly states that the blooms from this plant may not be exactly the same, but similar to the bloom pictured. It also states that the bloom pictured in the auction is from another Marcia Foster clone. Bloom color varies from clone to clone. I wish I had pointed this out before, but I forgot about it until just now; so I went back and checked the auction listing. That makes this sale/auction a closed case.
Ah, whaaat? Or is it just me. Are we going around in circles here? The flowers were not just not similar, they were entirely different. No similarity whatsoever and I can provide pictures to prove it. I did send him a picture of the plant's flowers to prove my point but somehow I'm not getting through here, am I? Additionally, although I have not mentioned this before either to him or you all, I live a 30 mile round trip from FedEx and a 40 mile round trip from UPS + the packing hassle and expense. Don't need that either.
Again, thanks for your shoulder to cry on.
Beverly A.