Bananaman88

I would think they would/should honor whatever price they were when you put your order in. If they went up in price after that, then whoever orders past that point would have to pay the higher price. That only seems fair to those who ordered before the price hike.

PT DUffy

Not really. They're a business, not a botanical non-profit. If you didn't pay anything, they have no responsibility to give you the product at the old price, ESP. after a yr or more! Most vendors don't even have waiting lists anymore, they expect you to check back repeatedly. Those that do oft have you give downpayments.
All this has proven to me is that they're too nice to folks, since being more liberal in their business policies has encouraged folks to feel entitled to a "Free Lunch". I sure glad I closed my business twenty yrs ago. I couldn't deal with modern customers....

PT DUffy

And Spring here in the Florida Panhandle is a bit earlier! I made the 1st of two orders to them before Last Frost so I could have been on the list as early as January-February. Since I'm not a bit "anal" and tend to think of things by planting season I checked back about the same time this yr and learned about the TC disaster so I really didn't expect to even SEE one this yr.
Personally? Compared to a heckovalot of vendors of esp. subtropical plants, 'GB' is in my top companies for price and quality. And maybe since I've been dealing with hobbiest nurseries since the 70's(and ran one as well...) I know that Real Life can really interfere with things, even when well planned. Heck, last yr I had to wait a couple months for starts of heirloom crops since the vendor lived in the area hit by all those floods in the Central States. I also remember folks on some of my lists complaining that their orders were being ignored or "late" form vendors that were hit by 'Katrina' and 'Rita'. I guess having you home and business flattened isn't a good excuse to some mannerless persons...

austinl01

I waited about 5 months for my VC last year. The price increased after I had paid for the plant, and I was required to send in an additional $5 to cover the price increase. They went ahead and shipped my order before I paid so I didn't have to wait any longer. Of course, I sent them the extra $5 since I'm an honest dude!

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Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

PT DUffy

And here I am on SSI with a monthly disposable income of $40.00 at best(depending on the last month's weather and illnesses) and not complaining about the cost. Compared to other things that have gone up in the last yr this order was the slightest. Personally, I'm wondering if I belong here....

harveyc

I've paid about $4,000 out of pocket for medical expenses for my son this year, so the $35.95 I paid for the VC and the time I had to wait is near the bottom of my list of concerns.

Scot, check your e-mail. I spoke to Katie a while ago while waiting for lunch and the phone number she has for you is not a valid number and she does not have your e-mail address. She's looking forward to hearing from you!

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chong

Thanks. I needed that!

I am constantly bemused by how people can have great or bad opinions on something or someone based on hearsay and/or multiple allegations, but diminish other people’s account of their personal experience. I am happy to hear that someone has a flawless experience with GB. Being a regular customer at GB probably helps. So, to some, if not many, GB must be really great to them. Even to some new customers. I wish I could have afforded their prices in the past, and maybe I could have avoided the recent experience I had with them.

Still, I am reading many comments that are based on perception rather than experience. I, too, experienced delays and even cancellations because of various disasters from other Vendors. And I graciously accepted the Vendor's explanations, and was grateful for being given one especially because they weren't necessary. And these experiences were before I went on the heels of various disasters from hurricanes Charley-Frances-Ivan-Jeanne to CA Mudslides, through Katrina and Rita on FEMA assignments. I even have greater appreciation of the Vendor's plight after this.

But my experience with Going Bananas was not the same as with those other vendors, and nothing to do with disasters. But probably has to do with a period of absence, for vacation or whatever, when my order was received. Instead of telling me that they wanted an additional $25 because that's the going price, they had to tell me that the current price in late July, 2008 was the price it's always been since the 1st of January. Harvey and Austin just confirmed today that that statement is false. Like Austin, I sent a payment with my order. That didn't seem to matter in either case. And why they never informed me of the shortage after they received my order in February, they would not explain. Because they kept my order and deposited my check, was I supposed to know that I owed them additional funds?

Then I learned that another member who had ordered a lot of plants with 2 VCs in late April, reported on this BB that he got his VCs in late July. It was only then, after I contacted them about it, that they acknowledged my order and informed me of the shortage. They could not explain why I was by-passed, either. As if that weren't enough, they had to create a ploy to by-pass me again in September. Telling me that I could get the 3 VCs anytime in the Spring. When Spring finally came, and I did ask for them, they sent me the order I placed at the time I asked for the VCs, but took another 2 weeks before I received the VCs. And they were **Small. Based on this, they obviously misled me when they told me that they were going "to hold and tag the 3 VCs in my name until the Spring" because if these were the same pups, they would be bigger. Wish I had called their bluff. But then, based on the accolades that a lot of people here are showing them, I had no idea that they were bluffing. So there, I put my faith on someone based on other people's perception, and they treated me like a fool.

I realize that to some, perception trumps experience. Kinda like politics. They vote for whom they like, not for what they know about them.

(** I sent the 2 of the largest VC pups to a couple of members here, and they both told me that the pups should do well. Thanks guys, they're in your hands now.)

austinl01

Chong, yes, I confirm that when I placed my order for VC, the price on their website was $20. I sent in my check for this amount along with shipping costs. After promising me my pup would be ready in March last year, it wasn't and I was a bit saddened. I told them I wanted to test it out in my climate and do some research. I wanted to see its growth habits and rate and wanted to see if I could get it to fruit in the same time period as Dr. Wallace's research showed. My findings would be reported to Dr. Wallace in Savannah, GA. My pup was sent shortly afterwards. When they were getting ready to mail the plants, I was informed that the price increased to $25 and that an additional $5 was needed to cover the cost of VC, not shipping. Unfortunately, my VC never produced bananas last year and was very slow to start growing. It seems to require a lot more heat. I reported the growth to Dr. Wallace and tried to overwinter it in the garage. The plant rotted by spring and now I'm VC-less! Oh well, I was happy to give it a try for science! I'm done with VC for now unless I can figure out a way to overwinter it in a warm place.

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Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

chong

Thanks, Austin!
I look at your VC photos all the time, so I can still remember that you received a TC, albeit a well developed 2-foot plant. The succeeding summer pictures were quite stunning and encouraging. Although I am so disappointed to hear of the demise of your plant, I find it not altogether so surprising for a first year TC plant planted outside not to survive a first winter. It probably was too much of a shock. Not that I would overwinter my VC pup outside during the first or second winter either. Even if, as alleged in USDA Zone Maps, Seattle area is in Zone 8b. If I am blessed with pups from my VCs, I can offer one of them to you.

I don't remember, did you dig out your VC and store them inside for the winter? Was it sitting right on a concrete slab in an unheated space?

Thanks again.

Chong

BIGDAWG69

Take another Centrum Silver and chill out! I wasnt complaining - just saying the price went up.

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austinl01

Hey, Chong. I was disappointed as well. I dug it in late fall, probably too late, and potted it in a 30 gallon container with well draining bark. I placed it in the garage with no heat. I'd estimate the temp stayed above 32 degrees, however. It looked good and the pstem was firm all winter and even during the spring. When I moved it outside when warm temps arrived, that's when the pstem started turning brown and rot ensued. I tried to save it by cutting back the stem, but it just wasn't enough. Too much rot down to the corm. I offer anyone growing VC advise: OVERWINTER IT IN A WARM PLACE AND DON'T ALLOW IT TO GO DORMANT FOR TOO LONG! Orinoco, Raja puri, and Ice Cream all store better than VC by a long shot. For now, I'm focusing back on Dwarf Orinoco and Raja puri as my best chances to get edible fruit. I just wish there was an edible banana as robust as Musa basjoo! I wish everyone success with their VC and hope you learned something about this banana.

P.S. Thanks, Chong, for the offer. Please let me know if one becomes available. Next time, I will take it up to my work place and overwinter it next to a south facing window.

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Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

harveyc

Austin said he waited for his VC for 5 months last year and I don't see where he said he indicated when he ordered. I know that Katie has indicates she leaves the country for part of the year and it seems that the web site was not updated to show that they were out of stock early in 2008. The fact that they offer such a wide variety of cultivars makes it even more difficult to keep their web site current.

I did not confirm anything in my earlier statement; I made a statement on what I thought I remembered finding in a cached copy of their prices at one point last year. I e-mailed that to you last year (or sent it via PM) so that's not like it's new information.

Many small company's find it hard to keep their web sites updated with current inventories. Going Bananas probably should have contacted people before depositing checks to see if they still wanted the plants at the higher prices. The logistics in mailing back checks and canceling orders because they are out of stock on something can also upset people. Opinions on the best way to handle such situations can go many different ways.

Why are you saying some folks are basing their comments on perceptions? As far as I know, everyone who has made a positive comment about Going Bananas has had prior purchasing experiences with them. Does your negative experience trump the positive experience of everyone who has been pleased with their service?

I bought a few plants from them a couple of years ago and Don was very helpful in deciding what to order and my order was handled well and I received nice plants. And I thought they did a better job in packaging than the majority of folks who have shipped me banana plants. Katie and Don are always a pleasure when I've called them in the past year (even when I forgot about the time difference and called Don at 6pm once).



On another note, do you have a waiting list for the Veinte Cohol pups you're working on getting? Can I get on your list? I'd like to be trying 4-5 of these at one time.

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Bananaman88

This has certainly been an interesting topic. All I can say is good luck to all of you who have received one! Please keep us updated on how they grow for you this summer.

bigdog

Hey Chong, it's only $5.00, LOL! It's called supply and demand, my friend. Demand went up, supply went down...price went up. Pretty understandable, and seeing as how it is a luxury item, nobody HAS to buy it. You could just say "no thank you" if $25 was too high.

I really don't think that there was a vast conspiracy against you here. I think that Going Bananas is a small company, run by a husband and wife team, and that they do the best they can. You weren't misled on them "holding and tagging" your bananas either. You know as well as most on this forum the growth rate of bananas. If they had held the same pups 7 months for you, they would probably have all flowered and fruited by then (they are in South Florida). Are they actually expected to pot them up and hope they don't grow? Of course not! They are a business. So, they sent those pups to the next people in line! What they did was held and tagged your place in line, so when you were ready for yours you could get them. I sure wouldn't expect somebody to hold a pup for 7 months for me and expect it to be the same size.

It sounds like you got your VC plants, and they were in good condition when you received them. Why all the drama? Lots of folks still waiting for one of these.

austinl01

Frank, how is your flowering VC doing? I haven't heard any updates lately.

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Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

harveyc

I'm curious how Veinte Cohol would have been doing for me this spring if I had over-wintered one in my greenhouse. The weather has been quite cool here in NorCal except for a couple of unusually hot days about a month ago. We would usually have upper 80s and 90s at this time of year (maybe a couple of days over 100) but we haven't hit 80 yet in June. We're forecasted to have a couple of days in the upper 80s next week but then cool back down again. All of my in-ground bananas are putting out leaves pretty slowly.

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Bob

Same over here Harvey, last year we had a week of 90* weather at the end of April, this year.......not even close ,although it's been up around 80. Rained all week and next week's supposed to be the same. Though the sun just came out here and is quickly warming. I picked a great year to collect naners!

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harveyc

I keep wondering why Al Gore isn't around to explain how it's actually much warmer than our thermometers are telling us!

I'm sure we'll get hot before long and I'll wish for this weather to return!

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Bananaman88

I'll trade our 98 degree temps for some rain.

harveyc

You've got a deal, Brent. Come get it!!! My first two cuttings of my alfalfa have been rained on, costing me about $15,000 in damage. I don't want any more rain until late October!

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