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View Full Version : USPS vs. My second Black Thai


CoryS
07-16-2010, 06:47 PM
I ordered, and recieved, a Black Thai banana plant last month and it arrived totally broken up. The company said they would send a replacement and they did. It was shipped out June 27th, by "priority mail", and clearly labelled "perishable". It arrived today [July 16th]. All the leaves are dead and dried up but the stem is still very green, unbroken, and definitely alive!
This is strictly my opinion but I'm NEVER going to use USPS again... ever!
The package was crushed [mostly flat] and the ends were half torn open. Here is what everything looked like... before and after:

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=34289&size=1

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=34290&size=1

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=34292&size=1

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=34297&size=1

The stem is still green and isn't bent or broken. Do you think it can still grow all right?

LilRaverBoi
07-16-2010, 06:57 PM
Wow, that sucks man! You've had such aweful luck with your blach thai...really hope it lives!! That box is WAY messed up....wish I could see what actually happened to it. I swear, anything marked 'handle with care' or any variant gets TOTALLY DESTROYED. I guess that is postal carrier speak for STOMP ON ME. Maybe you can use reverse psychology and write 'handle carelessly' on packages. Ten bucks says they arrive perfect.

CoryS
07-16-2010, 07:01 PM
Wow, that sucks man! You've had such aweful luck with your blach thai...really hope it lives!! That box is WAY messed up....wish I could see what actually happened to it. I swear, anything marked 'handle with care' or any variant gets TOTALLY DESTROYED. I guess that is postal carrier speak for STOMP ON ME. Maybe you can use reverse psychology and write 'handle carelessly' on packages. Ten bucks says they arrive perfect.

LOL. I'll remember that if I ever use USPS again! :D I'm going to baby this one till it makes a new leaf. I am NOT giving up!

TommyMacLuckie
07-16-2010, 08:23 PM
And they're raising their rates again.

The USPS sucks.

kaczercat
07-16-2010, 08:55 PM
Ohh the poor plant :( im sorry to hear bout your previous one. This one doesn't look the greatest. they should take more care! just wondering who did you order it from? I just ordered a dwarf red from wellspring , i hear they are good ! keep up updated on it's growth:) I hope it makes it !

palmtree
07-16-2010, 09:06 PM
Ouch. It looks very bad. I think it might have a chance if you care for it well but I must admit that the chances arent high. I see some green on it. Post its progress (if it makes any at all). Sorry about the horrible way your plant was treated. For the price it costs to ship things, it would be nice if they handled packages with care if it says "fragile" or "handle with care"!

Good luck!

CoryS
07-16-2010, 09:08 PM
Ohh the poor plant :( im sorry to hear bout your previous one. This one doesn't look the greatest. they should take more care! just wondering who did you order it from? I just ordered a dwarf red from wellspring , i hear they are good ! keep up updated on it's growth:) I hope it makes it !

Thanks for the concern! :) I ordered it from a place in Cali called GreenEarth but I think it was the USPS's fault this time [and maybe the last time too]. But I will definitely check out wellspring! I just don't want to take many more chances.
Btw, I will definitely be using this thread to show my Black Thai banana plant's progress. I definitely intend to get this one growing... whatever that takes! :D

For my little Black Thai banana plant:
:goteam::woohoonaner::goteam:

Palmtree:
Thanks! If this one doesn't survive, I'm going to find a larger Black Thai banana plant pup since I've heard that the larger they are, the better chance they have to survive.

sunfish
07-16-2010, 09:21 PM
Banana Trees Banana Plants (http://www.greenhousebusiness.com/bananaplants.html)

This place is in Florida

CoryS
07-16-2010, 09:26 PM
Banana Trees Banana Plants (http://www.greenhousebusiness.com/bananaplants.html)

This place is in Florida

You're right. Sorry, I read it wrong. They're in Melbourne Florida [to be precise]. But like I said, I think this was more the fault of USPS.

Abnshrek
07-16-2010, 09:35 PM
You're right. Sorry, I read it wrong. They're in Melbourne Florida [to be precise]. But like I said, I think this was more the fault of USPS.

The last several months we've had various threads where members input wasn't so high of that place.

cherokee_greg
07-17-2010, 12:34 AM
wow not too good. Feel for ya bro

CoryS
07-17-2010, 12:49 AM
wow not too good. Feel for ya bro

Thanks! :) But not to worry. I will find a way and get a Black Thai growing before August - I'm very stubborn, lol! :D

rick2001
07-17-2010, 07:54 AM
Wow... that sucks.... and I thought that Italian Postal Service was the worst carrier in the world.....
To be honest I've bought frequently from US and 70% of shippings were with USPS and I had no problems, but I've never bought a living plant in US, so I'll remember about it, just in case....

bananimal
07-17-2010, 08:43 AM
Priority Mail Rules!!!!

Especially Flat Rate. It's the fastest and cheapest way to ship naner corms.

The problems arise due to rough handling in the sorting locations, at the sending and recieving ends, and the (sometimes clueless) Mail Carriers who deliver.

I just shipped a box of corms to a fellow B-dot Org member and the mail man left the box at the subdivision community mail drop instead of his house. It sat in the south Texas heat for an extra day and a half for no good reason. Luckily it was finally tracked down.

Dan

sunfish
07-17-2010, 09:11 AM
Same thing happened to me.Mine sat at the Post Office for 19 days. Twelve plants .

Clare_CA
07-17-2010, 11:36 AM
The reason that the leaves are dried out is that the very small plants that Greenearth sends out are greenhouse grown with very few roots and probably tissue-cultured. I bought a few plants from him, and two or three died right away when I planted them outside. You'll have to baby yours in a greenhouse for awhile. It looks like it became dehydrated in the heat.

The tiny plants that he gets away with selling are ridiculous. You might check with Jon from Encanto Farms or Tony here if you want nice sized plants. I only buy bananas from members here as I got burned from businesses like Greenearth.

The scoop on 'Greenearth Publishing Inc. (bananaplants.net)' (http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/3542/)

I hope your plant will be all right nonetheless.

kaczercat
07-17-2010, 12:26 PM
The reason that the leaves are dried out is that the very small plants that Greenearth sends out are greenhouse grown with very few roots and probably tissue-cultured. I bought a few plants from him, and two or three died right away when I planted them outside. You'll have to baby yours in a greenhouse for awhile. It looks like it became dehydrated in the heat.

The tiny plants that he gets away with selling are ridiculous. You might check with Jon from Encanto Farms or Tony here if you want nice sized plants. I only buy bananas from members here as I got burned from businesses like Greenearth.

The scoop on 'Greenearth Publishing Inc. (bananaplants.net)' (http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/3542/)

I hope your plant will be all right nonetheless.

those responses were crazy 24 possitive and 10 negitive the people at greenearth have so many buyers they should all be positive ! My honest oppinion of there products is, since they are tc plants atleast like you said let them have a better root system and let them get a tad stronger! gosh im glad i can't buy from them !

Bananaman88
07-17-2010, 01:39 PM
You're probably going to need to cut the dead and damaged growth off in order to allow new growth to emerge easier. I'd cut and inch or two below where the brown stops on the pseudostem and see if it will push out a new leaf.

CoryS
07-17-2010, 02:18 PM
The reason that the leaves are dried out is that the very small plants that Greenearth sends out are greenhouse grown with very few roots and probably tissue-cultured. I bought a few plants from him, and two or three died right away when I planted them outside. You'll have to baby yours in a greenhouse for awhile. It looks like it became dehydrated in the heat.

The tiny plants that he gets away with selling are ridiculous. You might check with Jon from Encanto Farms or Tony here if you want nice sized plants. I only buy bananas from members here as I got burned from businesses like Greenearth.

The scoop on 'Greenearth Publishing Inc. (bananaplants.net)' (http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/3542/)

I hope your plant will be all right nonetheless.

Thanks for the information and link! :) I had no idea the GreenEarth had such a nasty record. From now on, i will definitely check Encanto Farms or Tony for new banana plants. If I ever buy plants from another company, I'll definitely check that Dave's Garden watchdog list first! I already ordered a Rojo Zebrina banana plant before this disaster happened but it's a much larger banana plant that they'll be shipping so... time will tell.

Bananaman88: Thanks for that! I was leaving the dead leaves on but I think I will definitely cut them off now. I want to give it the best chance I can. The stem is moist and green and I'm keeping it in an indoor garden with good light, good heat, good humidity, and only very light water till I see some growth. :)

TommyMacLuckie
07-17-2010, 08:28 PM
I've had, as well as others I know, great success with Stokes.

CoryS
07-17-2010, 09:58 PM
You're probably going to need to cut the dead and damaged growth off in order to allow new growth to emerge easier. I'd cut and inch or two below where the brown stops on the pseudostem and see if it will push out a new leaf.

I should never try to ask questions when I'm in a hurry, lol!
[that's why I'm editing my post]
I'm getting ready to cut the stem but I needed to know - Is there anything I should put on the cut to keep it from getting infected?
Sorry, I'm very new at growing plants.

pitangadiego
07-18-2010, 09:36 AM
Did you ever wonder why Priority Mail gets handled so poorly, but "junk mail" always arrives in pristine condition? I have had 3 Priority mail shipments disappear into the great mail box in the sky, so far this year.

cheson74
07-18-2010, 11:03 AM
I had a bad experience with Greenearth Publishing. I ordered 3 Basjoos and when they arrived, I was like what the ....! All 3 were extremely tiny with weak root systems. 1 died and the other 2 are still tiny. They are around 12". On the flip side, I purchased 3 Basjoos from a local nursery and they're almost 4 feet tall and very healthy now (originally 12-16" tall when purchased).

timmko
07-18-2010, 11:17 AM
I have had 6 large and 4 small bananas,,large was 5ft...all shipped at different locations and different times of the year by usps and had no problems at all. 4 even shipped in January and were kept from freezing as the box was properly marked. I also called the local post office and had them keep them inside so I could pick them up and they wouldn't be in the delivery truck all day in the cold. I had absolutely no problems. It is gonna be hit or miss with anyone you ship with it all depends on the outsourced carriers that haul the long hauls as they sometimes don't care just load pallet after pallet of boxes and cramming them on top of one another. I would have taken that package and plant to the post office and gotten a refund and told them you were not happy. It isn't much but an angry customer can make a difference.

CoryS
07-18-2010, 11:56 AM
I just wasted my whole Saturday night trying to learn more about this problem. I even tried to get some information in the chatroom here, but the chatters left when I logged in [pretty typical since I tend to be a little mouthy, lol]. I also sent and recieved PM's and talked to other people here at home and this is what I learned:
The owner of a business that has hundreds of packages shipped every year said that UPS gave him the worst service, USPS gave him the second worst service, and FedEx gave him the best service. That's what he told me. The first package I got from GreenEarth got here in less than a week [priority mail] and the box was not damaged. A friend told me that the only way the plant could have got broken was if somebody shook the box really hard. GreenEarth was very nice about it and offered to give me a refund. I told him that I would rather have a replacement plant and they sent it the next day [I read the shipping date on the second package and even took photos]. The second package [priority mail which means 8-10 business days and costs more] was sent June 27th and got here July 16th. That's almost 21 days and the package was totally crushed.
My decision is that GreenEarth is not to blame. And even though the damage of the first plant might be a USPS fail, he still insisted that I get a refund or a new plant... He didn't argue about it at all. USPS always does argue... a lot [that's my experience]. But my friend, here, also said that it depends on who you talk to at the post office and that some are helpful. Anyway, I would not X-out GreenEarth for plants but I would try other companies and Bananas.org members too. The members here have been friendlier and more helpful than at any other site I've ever joined [and that's a LOT of sites]. :)
I just got some more great information from Abnshrek this morning and I'm going to cut the stem, now, and see if I can get it to make a new leaf. I'm also going to send GreenEarth photos of the package so they can see what happened. But I will not ask for any free replacements since it obviously was not their bad.

LilRaverBoi
07-18-2010, 03:40 PM
I'm just glad they don't treat baby chicks like your banana when they get shipped out (yes, they send baby chicks in the mail USPS from certain companies). In my experience they usually survive/arrive in great condition....but then again, the constant peeping/scurrying feet noise/beaks sticking out of holes in the box are an idicator that drop-kicking such a package is probably not wise. Guess bananas need to make more noise!

sunfish
07-18-2010, 03:56 PM
Priority mail is 2 to three business days.

LilRaverBoi
07-18-2010, 04:45 PM
I thought it was 3-5, but either way...should not be 8+

Edit...just checked the USPS website: express is overnight and priority is 2-3. +5 points to Tony.

CoryS
07-18-2010, 06:53 PM
Somebody [at the post office I think] said priority mail was 8-10 business days... They tricked me!

LilRaverBoi
07-18-2010, 08:23 PM
LOL....maybe 8-10 days is 'typical' but they are supposed to have it there in 2-3! Hell, isn't regular snail mail supposed to get there in 5 business days?? That's a copious quantity of bovine feces they're trying to feed you!

Abnshrek
07-18-2010, 10:21 PM
Like Bryan (with a Y... lol) said that isn't nothing but a load of BS, in an attempt to pass the buck on any responsibility. Ok it's Grade "A" USDA Choice BS in this case. :^)

Bananaman88
07-19-2010, 12:46 PM
I should never try to ask questions when I'm in a hurry, lol!
[that's why I'm editing my post]
I'm getting ready to cut the stem but I needed to know - Is there anything I should put on the cut to keep it from getting infected?
Sorry, I'm very new at growing plants.

Cory- sorry for the delay in responding. You've probably already made the cut but no, you shouldn't have to put anything on it. Just make a nice clean cut with a pair of hand pruners or scissors and it should be fine.

CoryS
07-19-2010, 01:03 PM
Cory- sorry for the delay in responding. You've probably already made the cut but no, you shouldn't have to put anything on it. Just make a nice clean cut with a pair of hand pruners or scissors and it should be fine.

No sweats & thanks! :) I made the cut and the stem is still very green and healthy. Now I'm just watching for a new leaf to start! In fact, it actually looks healthier than when it arrived! :D

Yuri
07-20-2010, 10:00 AM
Same thing happened to me. I ordered a banana from Germany, last time it took 6 days to arrive here from the same supplier. Well, I can't say I went smoothly this time as the plant have been enjoying the road, the post offices and 90F+ for 14 days. There's definately some green left inside and i can see some healthy roots (it was packed superb), so hope is still here.
Good luck with yours, Cory!

CoryS
07-20-2010, 11:34 AM
Same thing happened to me. I ordered a banana from Germany, last time it took 6 days to arrive here from the same supplier. Well, I can't say I went smoothly this time as the plant have been enjoying the road, the post offices and 90F+ for 14 days. There's definately some green left inside and i can see some healthy roots (it was packed superb), so hope is still here.
Good luck with yours, Cory!

Ow! I think post offices hate bananas, lol. Good luck with your banana, Yuri! :)
What kind of banana plant is it? I noticed you have Basjoo banana plants. They look very healthy [the outdoor one and the indoor one]! That's a banana plant I might get sometime this summer... if I can drive to a store and pick it up, lol! I'm allergic to post offices now.

Yuri
07-20-2010, 11:57 AM
Thanks Cory!
The plant in question is also Musa basjoo, but it's var. Sakhalin this time. Honestly, I don't expect the miracles of cold hardiness from this plant (to be exact I just expect it to survive at the time LOL), but I decided to check it out.
Well, the plant had some rotting smell besides dried leaves, so I stripped it down to the healthy tissue, applied some fungicide on the corm, and placed it in the pot. I guess if it's alive I'll see some progress in three days, if I don't - I'll wait some more.
Here's the picture of it (my apologies for the blurry shot)
http://s4.postimage.org/vZEy0.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVvZEy0)

CoryS
07-20-2010, 12:57 PM
Thanks Cory!
The plant in question is also Musa basjoo, but it's var. Sakhalin this time. Honestly, I don't expect the miracles of cold hardiness from this plant (to be exact I just expect it to survive at the time LOL), but I decided to check it out.
Well, the plant had some rotting smell besides dried leaves, so I stripped it down to the healthy tissue, applied some fungicide on the corm, and placed it in the pot. I guess if it's alive I'll see some progress in three days, if I don't - I'll wait some more.
Here's the picture of it (my apologies for the blurry shot)
http://s4.postimage.org/vZEy0.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVvZEy0)

Thanks for the photo! It looks bigger than mine so it should be all right [despite the post office]. We should rename this thread "The post office vs. banana plants", LOL! But definitely wait more than 3 days since I read that they can be growing underground and suddenly start growing above ground. Mine still looks green and healthy but it's only 1/4 inch wide... but I'll get it to grow, somehow!
Be sure and post more photos when it starts growing! I'll be posting photos of mine, too. :)

Yuri
07-20-2010, 01:17 PM
Cory, you are welcome, I hope both our plants will survive and show some nice growth this summer. If there's still a plant to take pictures of, it won't take long for me to take them. :ha:
Looking forward to see updates on your plant, too ;)