Buyer Beware...Eastern Leaf Bonsai

rockm said:
This is silly. You have no idea that "Mr. Chan has lost control" of anything, period. That is, unless you have actually been to Chino and have witnessed this firsthand.

Look, this outfit OBVIOUSLY is a mass-production outfit. They're aiming AT VOLUME, not necessarily quality. That means they ship the next tree in the queue, not one hand selected for your enjoyment.
The bits and pieces of your experience with their customer service aren't all that remarkable either. Again, they're used to dealing with BEGINNERS. Tha
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The site cut this off.

I was going to suggest that experienced bonsaiists should know that looking for decent maple pre-bonsai on sites such as this is pretty futile. Much better sources around for the money:

Japanese Maples for Bonsai Archives

Japanese maples make wonderful plants for Bonsai. Plants are chosen with grafts that are low and/or very clean. Often these maples are seedling grown without grafting so there is no graft scar at all.
www.mendocinomaples.com www.mendocinomaples.com
www.mendocinomaples.com

Pre Bonsai Sharps Pygmy 2-3 yr. (#300)

This Acer palmatum Sharps Pygmy Japanese maple is ideal for Bonsai since the grafting scars are minimal and very low. The Sharps Pygmy has small leaves that make it ideal for bonsai. Summertime foliage is a pleasing green. Fall colors will range from yellow orange to finally red. This maple is a...
www.mendocinomaples.com www.mendocinomaples.com
 
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Yes....

This is quite like me buying a bunch of tools from harbor freight....

And complaining about their shittyness.

Or Going to Mcdonalds, and getting mad cuz there is no Steak on the menu.

Or expecting Egyptian Cotton in Wal-Mart.

Or bewildered by your itch after paying a meth whore.

Sorce
 
sorce said:
Yes....

This is quite like me buying a bunch of tools from harbor freight....

And complaining about their shittyness.

Or Going to Mcdonalds, and getting mad cuz there is no Steak on the menu.

Or expecting Egyptian Cotton in Wal-Mart.

Or bewildered by your itch after paying a meth whore.

Sorce
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…..a hot take you don't hear every day....nice!!! In Pete's defence, it's an old video and I believe he's done/on an apprenticeship, so maybe things could slip, here and there...... :)
 
LanceMac10 said:
Pete's
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Lol I was like....who is Pete?

I like his accent, and he seems genuine.

Maybe not (as old videos have it) fully Bonseducated...
But not a fly by night jag fuck either...

Maybe I was harsher than I should have been.

This is like.....

Speed Dating Muslim women for a good looking wife?

You just don't know what you'll get.Screen Shot 2012-12-08 at 21.12.52.png

Sorce
 
I just bought the $70 'Premium' pot Chinese elm, advertised 12-15inches, so I am hoping to at least get a living elm 12-15 inches high in a sweet brown/black pot. First time experience with buying bonsai sight unseen though.
 
choppychoppy said:
I run a long time small family business and wow do I see this behavior A LOT. This is classic bad customer not bad business. I'm sure they are happy to be rid of him.
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Agree, That kind of overexpectation, impossible to satisfy buyer is why some extremely talented bonsai stock sellers don't sell online. Some of my friends who make gorgeous entry-level bonsai refuse to sell online because online buyers tend to be extremely needy and willing to trash sellers. Online buyers also tend to be beginners who kill trees with bad care. My friends had a window of about eight weeks when they would get calls from customers expecting them to replace the "bad" tree they had sold, even though the buyer had killed it. They usually replaced the tree. That cost them $$ and time. Beginners also call with basic questions and kept them on the phone for hours. All that effort for a $50 beginner tree took its toll on business and peace of mind...

I hate to blame customers, though. At best they're trying to master a steep learning curve. The worst of them, however, are just pains in the ass and like to be treated like royalty for spending $50.

And to be clear, I am NOT saying beginners and buyers should not complain when they feel they've been shortchanged. What I am saying is that consider what you want to do carefully and be honest with yourself about your abilities and with the situation before you start making demands.
 
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rockm said:
Agree, That kind of overexpectation, impossible to satisfy buyer is why some extremely talented bonsai stock sellers don't sell online. Some of my friends who make gorgeous entry-level bonsai refuse to sell online because online buyers tend to be extremely needy and willing to trash sellers. Online buyers also tend to be beginners who kill trees with bad care. My friends had a window of about eight weeks when they would get calls from customers expecting them to replace the "bad" tree they had sold, even though the buyer had killed it. They usually replaced the tree. That cost them $$ and time. Beginners also call with basic questions and kept them on the phone for hours. All that effort for a $50 beginner tree took its toll on business and peace of mind...

I hate to blame customers, though. At best they're trying to master a steep learning curve. The worst of them, however, are just pains in the ass and like to be treated like royalty for spending $50.

And to be clear, I am NOT saying beginners and buyers should not complain when they feel they've been shortchanged. What I am saying is that consider what you want to do carefully and be honest with yourself about your abilities and with the situation before you start making demands.
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I've purchased from several online vendors as well as Ebay and I've learned that having good healthy stock before I get my hands on it goes a long way to keeping trees alive. Many things I've purchased on Ebay have gone downhill whereas things I've purchased from reputable online vendors like Evergreengardenworks took a little nosedive due to the change in environment, but then without fail have perked back up and started growing vigorously.
 
sorce said:
Yes....

This is quite like me buying a bunch of tools from harbor freight....

And complaining about their shittyness.

Or Going to Mcdonalds, and getting mad cuz there is no Steak on the menu.

Or expecting Egyptian Cotton in Wal-Mart.

Or bewildered by your itch after paying a meth whore.

Sorce
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That last line.... ROTFLMAO. Well played.
 
Bolero said:
BUYER BEWARE...BUYER BEWARE Eastern Leaf, Chino, CA near San Diego...
The company does not ship what it advertises ...Poor Form, Poor Shape,,,
Customer Support delivers Platitudes but no Support...
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I ordered a Chinese Elm from Eastern Leaf based on the description of the item and the picture associated with it. The picture showed a well formed tree, without massive wire scarring. what I received was a tree that will never be even a decent bonsai with deep wire scarring and wires still cutting deeply into the tissue of the tree. I was tremendously disappointed in the material I received from the company and when I asked for a replacement I was denied. I was told that I could return the tree on my own dime with postage for the original shipment and any discount subtracted from the refund amount. I am out over $100 for a terrible looking tree.
 
FranklinA said:
I ordered a Chinese Elm from Eastern Leaf based on the description of the item and the picture associated with it. The picture showed a well formed tree, without massive wire scarring. what I received was a tree that will never be even a decent bonsai with deep wire scarring and wires still cutting deeply into the tissue of the tree. I was tremendously disappointed in the material I received from the company and when I asked for a replacement I was denied. I was told that I could return the tree on my own dime with postage for the original shipment and any discount subtracted from the refund amount. I am out over $100 for a terrible looking tree.
Click to expand...
It might be helpful to post a picture of the tree you saw advertised, and a picture of what you actually received.
 
FranklinA said:
I ordered a Chinese Elm from Eastern Leaf based on the description of the item and the picture associated with it. The picture showed a well formed tree, without massive wire scarring. what I received was a tree that will never be even a decent bonsai with deep wire scarring and wires still cutting deeply into the tissue of the tree. I was tremendously disappointed in the material I received from the company and when I asked for a replacement I was denied. I was told that I could return the tree on my own dime with postage for the original shipment and any discount subtracted from the refund amount. I am out over $100 for a terrible looking tree.
Click to expand...
Generally, when you buy online, nursery stock, pre bonsai, you should be expecting to start from scratch. You'll maybe trunk chop, or remove branches, or air layer, or any number of other remedies to a new young, mass produced tree. Every tree I've ordered online looks nothing like what arrived in the mail because they're not bonsai. They're starter material. Unless of course you're explicitly buying a specimen tree, which isn't any of the cases here.
 
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