Buyers beware

I placed an order with bonsai focus a couple of weeks ago and in the order I wanted some double red akadama.
Only when the delivery arrived it was some sort of substitute that was rock solid and was not akadama.
It was in customs bags as well and not the origanal ones.

So I emailed them at bonsai focus and they told me that they was out of stock and that they was sorry.
They said that they have given me a refund but I need to check the bank tomorrow and see if they have or not.
Fair enough they may have refunded me the money but to try and fob me off with this crap is very bad bussiness.

So please beware if ordering akadama from bonsai focus

Hope they don't want you to send the stuff back.


Try Dougie at Wattston Bonsai up my way. He may be able to send you some down.

customer service is a forgotten art. maybe it's because it takes extra effort? I think it's good that you have posted your displeasure. Perhaps it'll serve as a wake up call for a needed correction. Too bad tho, as it tarnishes the golden rule " to treat others like you'd like to be treated yourself......."

Just a thought , why did you buy it from them and not a UK supplier ?

The price was good and I also purchased an itoigawa juniper from them and bio gold which was a good price.
But I suppose when you add on the shipping it all weighs it self up in the end.

Tim has a point. There is one UK supplier (far be it from me to advertise but it begins with a K) who has never disappointed me in terms of delivery, price and customer service.

Yes I do know who you mean but they do not have double red akadama and I have found someone now which is
Giving me a very good deal.

Why bother with akadama? Sorry to be contrary, but buying imported soil ingredients seems strange to me.

I had a hard time getting 2 line akadama in the months after the tsunami in Japan.
When I eventually found a supplier, I stocked up a couple of bags just to be safe I have some next year as well. I did pay a little bit more than before, but I got it and was happy

It's always good to stock up if you have the chance, I learned

Same goes for the black lava I use for my soil (2 parts akadama, 1 part black lava). You can only get it when it starts snowing in Europe, because they use it in some countries to battle the snow on the roads and scoop it up after the snow melts and reuse it.
Next chance I get, I'm going to stock up on that as well, since you can't get it in the spring/summer for repotting purposes.

I'm still fearful of the day there is no more akadama to be bought, when it just runs out because they excavated it all

Well the imported soil is for my imported trees !

kingbean wrote:Well the imported soil is for my imported trees !

why does an imported tree need akadama ????

Oh no this thread is heading in the akadama no akadama direction once again.


Peter

landerloos wrote:Oh no this thread is heading in the akadama no akadama direction once again.


Peter

just want to know the reason for such expense

I'd like to know what the difference between double red and double line akadama is - struggling to find an online definition of either and the bags in the pictures I've found when googling both names seem the same to me.

I did'nt notice this fiona could one be a fake or what ?

fiona wrote:I'd like to know what the difference between double red and double line akadama is - struggling to find an online definition of either and the bags in the pictures I've found when googling both names seem the same to me.

Hi Fiona,
the double red is harder than the single red akadama is. The double red wont collapse as fast during long or extreme friezing temperatures and it keeps it's structure better and longer, so less repotting!
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.

Nice one Hans

Thanks, Hans. What you say I can understand. But what I actually asked was the difference between double red and double line - not double red and single red. There is, as usual, much confusion when I google as I have come across terms such as brown akadama (which seems also to go under the name single akadama), Double Red, Double Line and even more confusingly Double Red Line.

Do you see my point here? Since most of the sites that come up after googling are stockists, can we assume these are just brand names (in which case Kaizen do have the stuff) or are there other differences? Doesn't help when the bags all look similar and most of them have Japanese writing on them. I suspect sellers just call double akadama (which is what Hans described as harder) anything as they don't really know what it says on the bag.

I'm going to ask Graham Potter what he thinks.

fiona wrote:Thanks, Hans. What you say I can understand. But what I actually asked was the difference between double red and double line - not double red and single red. There is, as usual, much confusion when I google as I have come across terms such as brown akadama (which seems also to go under the name single akadama), Double Red, Double Line and even more confusingly Double Red Line.

Do you see my point here? Since most of the sites that come up after googling are stockists, can we assume these are just brand names (in which case Kaizen do have the stuff) or are there other differences? Doesn't help when the bags all look similar and most of them have Japanese writing on them. I suspect sellers just call double akadama (which is what Hans described as harder) anything as they don't really know what it says on the bag.

I'm going to ask Graham Potter what he thinks.

OK, sorry Fiona, I misread your question. I do understand what you mean now. That is confusing indeed. I have been buying the same brand for allmost 20 years and it comes in two variety: two red lines (hard) and one red line (softer). This brand is soled by most dealers in Holland and Belgium and I cant remember to have seen other brands of akadama over here. So thats why I thought you were revering to the two or one red line that I am used to. To be honest everybody that I know to use this brand of akadama will only use the hard (two red line) version. I cant onderstand why any body would want to use soft akadama in their soil mixture?!
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.

Edit note: Softer akadama will hold more water and holds one to it longer than the harder version! So in warmer climates with less rain than we have over here, the soft option would be the better choice! Reminds me of a song by the pet shop boys...I think that they probably would go for the hard option!
Being from England were it rains sometimes that is !
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.