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#16
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J. Parker Bulbs
"David Hill" wrote in message
... Phone them tomorrow, explain the problem and say you are not happy with the quality and condition of 3 of the roses, Offer to send them back (I'd take a couple of pictures of the said plants so you can email them to Parkers.) Chances are they will offer replacements and not want the damaged ones back. I've had replacements of dahlia tubers from them and never a quibble. Remember that most plants you buy from large mail order firms are probably grown in Ho;;and, shipped to some packing station where they are packed by someone who knows next to nothing about plants and who just packs what ever is in front of them, then they are put together as an order and shipped out possibly by some carrier that doesn't care how they handle packs as they just want to get them sent through asap. If you want the best quality roses then get them from a British rose grower. Well I already emailed them yesterday and sent with that a photo of the damaged one. The other 2 roses had spindly stems about 2mm thick. They are supposed to be at least 'pencil thickness'. They've agreed to replace them without my having to send back but how long will I wait and how many reminders is that going to take?? Only about half the roses I'd describe as good as expected. With a few which I decided to keep the top growth looked ok but in some cases they had clipped the roots back hard maybe when the roses were lifted, so I'm not really sure if they will be ok since I'm looking at 1" - 3" roots instead 4" - 8" roots as with the good ones. And no bloody invoice sent either, only a delivery note, so I can't claim VAT, until they send me one so now had to request an invoice as well. All in all, very disappointing and rather amateurish! |
#17
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J. Parker Bulbs
"Spider" wrote in message
... Oh dear, Frank, how disappointing! I'm very sorry to be proven right in this case, but I've had similar experience so I'm not that surprised. If I were you, I'd cut my losses and ask for my money back rather than replacements. Hope you can make a go of the better ones. As I said before, Parkers bulbs are not bad, especially if you order early. I still use them for bulbs because their prices are reasonable, but I would understand if you wanted no more to do with them. Actually I don't think Parker's prices for bulbs (Tulips and Narcissi) are that good at all. I looked at their bulb prices 3 months ago before the roses and thought...nah. The roses seemed good value but we all know the story about those now. The nursery where I get most of my bulbs from were half the price of Parkers, like £2.00 for 10 Tulips or Narcissi and in certain cases with the more popular varieties, £2.99 for 50 Tete A Tete or £1.69 for 10 Emperor Tulips. I find Lidl are also very good value for bulbs if you get in early (early Sept) before their bulbs are snapped up, eg £1.69 for 12 Red Riding Hood Tulips. (I'm looking at some of my dockets here). |
#18
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J. Parker Bulbs
On 01/12/2013 20:02, Frank Booth wrote:
"Spider" wrote in message ... Oh dear, Frank, how disappointing! I'm very sorry to be proven right in this case, but I've had similar experience so I'm not that surprised. If I were you, I'd cut my losses and ask for my money back rather than replacements. Hope you can make a go of the better ones. As I said before, Parkers bulbs are not bad, especially if you order early. I still use them for bulbs because their prices are reasonable, but I would understand if you wanted no more to do with them. Actually I don't think Parker's prices for bulbs (Tulips and Narcissi) are that good at all. I looked at their bulb prices 3 months ago before the roses and thought...nah. The roses seemed good value but we all know the story about those now. The nursery where I get most of my bulbs from were half the price of Parkers, like £2.00 for 10 Tulips or Narcissi and in certain cases with the more popular varieties, £2.99 for 50 Tete A Tete or £1.69 for 10 Emperor Tulips. I find Lidl are also very good value for bulbs if you get in early (early Sept) before their bulbs are snapped up, eg £1.69 for 12 Red Riding Hood Tulips. (I'm looking at some of my dockets here). You may be right about bulb prices. I get a few relatively cheaply from some supermarkets and large gcs. However, I can't get to either Aldi or Lidl (or indeed some gcs) without a lift, so I have to look at the catalogues. Parkers are certainly cheaper than some I've seen, hence my remark. I have also noticed that the cheap supermarket types are limited in variety so, again, I find it worthwhile looking at catalogues for particular bulbs. Another problem I've had when buying bulbs from nurseries is that, if they're sold loose, they end to get mixed up so I wait weeks to see something in bloom, only to find it's not what I wanted. -- Spider. On high ground in SE London gardening on heavy clay |
#19
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J. Parker Bulbs
On Sun, 01 Dec 2013 17:16:17 +0000, Spider wrote:
On 01/12/2013 16:55, Pam Moore wrote: On Sun, 1 Dec 2013 12:22:23 +0000, sacha wrote: On 2013-11-30 23:11:05 +0000, said: On Monday, 11 November 2013 22:37:54 UTC, Spider wrote: On 11/11/2013 22:08, Frank Booth wrote: Has anyome had any dealings with this company? I ordered a fair quantity of bare rooted roses from them in early October. They say in their blurb that plants will be delivered Oct/Nov, but so far there's been a diquietening silence from them despite them happily taking my money. http://www.jparkers.co.uk/plant-0001...rose-korresia/ I've used them many times. They've never failed to deliver, but I trust the quality of their bulbs more than I do of their plants. However, it was their herbaceous plants, rather than woody material, I had problems with. Woody material is less likely to collapse in transit. It may be that they will only send out roses when they are dormant and, since we've not really had a lasting cold snap to induce dormancy, I suspect they may be waiting for the right moment. Be patient a while longer. You may yet receive them in November. If it makes you feel better, prepare the planting hole in readiness. I've done this in the past. I then put a large pot or bucket in the hole to stop soil and detritus falling in. It makes the job so much easier when the rose comes and bad weather comes with it. Well the roses finally arrived today - last day of November. Had they arrived any later they would have been in breach of contract of their own terms. However 3 of the 9 roses delivered were either damaged or of very poor quality. Not good at all. They are going back. Not sure whether to ask for a part refund and buy the remaining 3 elsewhere, or have the damaged roses replaced (and no doubt I'll have a long wait again). I guess my early misgivings of this company turned out to be well founded and I won't be using them again. I'm really sorry to hear this, especially as some of us were reassuring as to their usual standards. They, like anyone who sells anything online, are at the mercy of couriers/post office though, so damage may not be their fault. Poor quality is another matter. I ordered some bulbs from their cheapie sale leaflet. All arrived OK apart from 5 cyclamen hederifolium corms which were so shrivelled I doubt they'll do anything. The bulbs, mini-daffs, iris and tulips, seemed healthy enough. I also ordered some astrantia and echinacea from them. These arrived last week, all bare-rooted in poly-bags. Time will tell..... I also ordered 5 "free" cyclamen plants from a firm in Guernsey. These also arrived on Saturday, each in a 2 1/2 inch square pot, in poly-bags. All growth had been cut to less than 1 inch above soil level. Somewhat of a challenge for me! Pam in Bristol Hi Pam, I don't know how well you know Cyclmen but, if you see no growth on them, don't throw them out until you've checked that the bulb is firm and healthy, as they show no signs of life above soil level in the dormant season. Many people have thrown out cyclmen (esp. outdoor types) because the tuber is very hard and looks somewhat like a pebble. A rotten tuber is very clearly that, so there should be no mistake! Thanks Spider, yes, I've grown cylamen many times before but was tempted by the cheapies! Cyclamen corms I've had before were plump and looking healthy; not these. I could barely see which way was up! I'm now worrying that they may be plundered from the wild. I will email Parker's, tell them my concern, and ask the question! Pam in Bristol |
#20
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J. Parker Bulbs
On 2013-12-01 22:25:41 +0000, Spider said:
On 01/12/2013 20:02, Frank Booth wrote: "Spider" wrote in message ... Oh dear, Frank, how disappointing! I'm very sorry to be proven right in this case, but I've had similar experience so I'm not that surprised. If I were you, I'd cut my losses and ask for my money back rather than replacements. Hope you can make a go of the better ones. As I said before, Parkers bulbs are not bad, especially if you order early. I still use them for bulbs because their prices are reasonable, but I would understand if you wanted no more to do with them. Actually I don't think Parker's prices for bulbs (Tulips and Narcissi) are that good at all. I looked at their bulb prices 3 months ago before the roses and thought...nah. The roses seemed good value but we all know the story about those now. The nursery where I get most of my bulbs from were half the price of Parkers, like £2.00 for 10 Tulips or Narcissi and in certain cases with the more popular varieties, £2.99 for 50 Tete A Tete or £1.69 for 10 Emperor Tulips. I find Lidl are also very good value for bulbs if you get in early (early Sept) before their bulbs are snapped up, eg £1.69 for 12 Red Riding Hood Tulips. (I'm looking at some of my dockets here). You may be right about bulb prices. I get a few relatively cheaply from some supermarkets and large gcs. However, I can't get to either Aldi or Lidl (or indeed some gcs) without a lift, so I have to look at the catalogues. Parkers are certainly cheaper than some I've seen, hence my remark. I have also noticed that the cheap supermarket types are limited in variety so, again, I find it worthwhile looking at catalogues for particular bulbs. Another problem I've had when buying bulbs from nurseries is that, if they're sold loose, they end to get mixed up so I wait weeks to see something in bloom, only to find it's not what I wanted. It's worth hunting around for British bulb growers. If their quantities are too large, you can always share the cost with friends. There are lots of bulb growers in Cornwall, for example and Istr David Hill saying he had bought early daffs from a grower there. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
#21
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J. Parker Bulbs
On 01/12/2013 22:54, Pam Moore wrote:
On Sun, 01 Dec 2013 17:16:17 +0000, Spider wrote: On 01/12/2013 16:55, Pam Moore wrote: On Sun, 1 Dec 2013 12:22:23 +0000, sacha wrote: On 2013-11-30 23:11:05 +0000, said: On Monday, 11 November 2013 22:37:54 UTC, Spider wrote: On 11/11/2013 22:08, Frank Booth wrote: Has anyome had any dealings with this company? I ordered a fair quantity of bare rooted roses from them in early October. They say in their blurb that plants will be delivered Oct/Nov, but so far there's been a diquietening silence from them despite them happily taking my money. http://www.jparkers.co.uk/plant-0001...rose-korresia/ I've used them many times. They've never failed to deliver, but I trust the quality of their bulbs more than I do of their plants. However, it was their herbaceous plants, rather than woody material, I had problems with. Woody material is less likely to collapse in transit. It may be that they will only send out roses when they are dormant and, since we've not really had a lasting cold snap to induce dormancy, I suspect they may be waiting for the right moment. Be patient a while longer. You may yet receive them in November. If it makes you feel better, prepare the planting hole in readiness. I've done this in the past. I then put a large pot or bucket in the hole to stop soil and detritus falling in. It makes the job so much easier when the rose comes and bad weather comes with it. Well the roses finally arrived today - last day of November. Had they arrived any later they would have been in breach of contract of their own terms. However 3 of the 9 roses delivered were either damaged or of very poor quality. Not good at all. They are going back. Not sure whether to ask for a part refund and buy the remaining 3 elsewhere, or have the damaged roses replaced (and no doubt I'll have a long wait again). I guess my early misgivings of this company turned out to be well founded and I won't be using them again. I'm really sorry to hear this, especially as some of us were reassuring as to their usual standards. They, like anyone who sells anything online, are at the mercy of couriers/post office though, so damage may not be their fault. Poor quality is another matter. I ordered some bulbs from their cheapie sale leaflet. All arrived OK apart from 5 cyclamen hederifolium corms which were so shrivelled I doubt they'll do anything. The bulbs, mini-daffs, iris and tulips, seemed healthy enough. I also ordered some astrantia and echinacea from them. These arrived last week, all bare-rooted in poly-bags. Time will tell..... I also ordered 5 "free" cyclamen plants from a firm in Guernsey. These also arrived on Saturday, each in a 2 1/2 inch square pot, in poly-bags. All growth had been cut to less than 1 inch above soil level. Somewhat of a challenge for me! Pam in Bristol Hi Pam, I don't know how well you know Cyclmen but, if you see no growth on them, don't throw them out until you've checked that the bulb is firm and healthy, as they show no signs of life above soil level in the dormant season. Many people have thrown out cyclmen (esp. outdoor types) because the tuber is very hard and looks somewhat like a pebble. A rotten tuber is very clearly that, so there should be no mistake! Thanks Spider, yes, I've grown cylamen many times before but was tempted by the cheapies! Cyclamen corms I've had before were plump and looking healthy; not these. I could barely see which way was up! I'm now worrying that they may be plundered from the wild. I will email Parker's, tell them my concern, and ask the question! Pam in Bristol They do sound like horrendously poor corms (think they're tubers?), so they may well have come from the wild. Whether or not you can soak them (except the tops, of course!) to improve their chances of taking, I don't know. Trouble is, if you can't see which way is up, it's hard to protect the crown. I think you're right to challenge Parkers over them, especially if they are wild harvested. Good luck with that. I confess that I have, on occasion, bought dry tubers, but I check each pack for plump looking ones. I do think poor storage is part of the problem, esp in hot, dry gc or supermarket sheds. I can highly recommend growing them from seed. I've used bought seed (which must be as fresh as poss) and good fresh seed from my own plants. I've had some great successes. In fact, I'm nurturing a batch of C.hederifolium at the moment. So exciting! I've never tried bringing on rare types from seed yet, but it would be a cheap way of doing it if one could find a reliable supplier. Do report back after your Parkers encounter (if you haven't already. I'll check below). -- Spider. On high ground in SE London gardening on heavy clay |
#22
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J. Parker Bulbs
On 02/12/2013 13:43, sacha wrote:
On 2013-12-01 22:25:41 +0000, Spider said: On 01/12/2013 20:02, Frank Booth wrote: "Spider" wrote in message ... Oh dear, Frank, how disappointing! I'm very sorry to be proven right in this case, but I've had similar experience so I'm not that surprised. If I were you, I'd cut my losses and ask for my money back rather than replacements. Hope you can make a go of the better ones. As I said before, Parkers bulbs are not bad, especially if you order early. I still use them for bulbs because their prices are reasonable, but I would understand if you wanted no more to do with them. Actually I don't think Parker's prices for bulbs (Tulips and Narcissi) are that good at all. I looked at their bulb prices 3 months ago before the roses and thought...nah. The roses seemed good value but we all know the story about those now. The nursery where I get most of my bulbs from were half the price of Parkers, like £2.00 for 10 Tulips or Narcissi and in certain cases with the more popular varieties, £2.99 for 50 Tete A Tete or £1.69 for 10 Emperor Tulips. I find Lidl are also very good value for bulbs if you get in early (early Sept) before their bulbs are snapped up, eg £1.69 for 12 Red Riding Hood Tulips. (I'm looking at some of my dockets here). You may be right about bulb prices. I get a few relatively cheaply from some supermarkets and large gcs. However, I can't get to either Aldi or Lidl (or indeed some gcs) without a lift, so I have to look at the catalogues. Parkers are certainly cheaper than some I've seen, hence my remark. I have also noticed that the cheap supermarket types are limited in variety so, again, I find it worthwhile looking at catalogues for particular bulbs. Another problem I've had when buying bulbs from nurseries is that, if they're sold loose, they end to get mixed up so I wait weeks to see something in bloom, only to find it's not what I wanted. It's worth hunting around for British bulb growers. If their quantities are too large, you can always share the cost with friends. There are lots of bulb growers in Cornwall, for example and Istr David Hill saying he had bought early daffs from a grower there. Thanks, Sacha, I'll check around. I do remember DH commenting on his early daffs, so can look back for his recommendation. I already buy in relatively large numbers and share with friends - sometimes spreading the cost, sometimes as presents. Probably I'm a bit lazy about it - I tend to wait for the catalogues to drop through my letterbox! I do buy from Bloms (rather pricey) because they sell Crocus 'Remembrance' which I buy to plant round pet graves and small memorial gardens here. I haven't been able to find it elsewhere. -- Spider. On high ground in SE London gardening on heavy clay |
#23
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J. Parker Bulbs
In article ,
says... I already buy in relatively large numbers and share with friends - sometimes spreading the cost, sometimes as presents. Probably I'm a bit lazy about it - I tend to wait for the catalogues to drop through my letterbox! I do buy from Bloms (rather pricey) because they sell Crocus 'Remembrance' which I buy to plant round pet graves and small memorial gardens here. I haven't been able to find it elsewhere. I recommend Peter Nyssens bulbs. At our last place I used to buy in bulk from there (25kg sacks).. great quality and great service. http://www.peternyssen.com/ (ooooh, gorgeous tulip book..) Janet |
#25
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J. Parker Bulbs
"Spider" wrote in message ... Well the roses finally arrived today - last day of November. Had they arrived any later they would have been in breach of contract of their own terms. However 3 of the 9 roses delivered were either damaged or of very poor quality. Not good at all. They are going back. Not sure whether to ask for a part refund and buy the remaining 3 elsewhere, or have the damaged roses replaced (and no doubt I'll have a long wait again). I guess my early misgivings of this company turned out to be well founded and I won't be using them again. Oh dear, Frank, how disappointing! I'm very sorry to be proven right in this case, but I've had similar experience so I'm not that surprised. If I were you, I'd cut my losses and ask for my money back rather than replacements. Hope you can make a go of the better ones. As I said before, Parkers bulbs are not bad, especially if you order early. I still use them for bulbs because their prices are reasonable, but I would understand if you wanted no more to do with them. On a brighter note, I asked Parkers to replace the the 3 damaged or poor quality roses (sent them photos). They agreed and the replacements arrived on Wedmesday - 4 days after as opposed to a 2 months wait from my original order. This time the quality of the replacements was A+. Pity they couldn't manage that first time. Didn't even need to send the poor ones back. So I'll have to wait and see whether those grow ok. On another issue, when the original delivery came there was no invoice. When requesting the replacement roses I poiinted out to them that I needed an invoice, but still none came. Today I made a second request for an invoice to be told that they don't normally do those for retail sales as it's not part of their system??? After firmly telling them I need one for tax purposes they agreed but would have to get one issued through their account department. All a bit amateurish really. Whenever I've bought anything online the goods always arrive with an invoice. Never had to request one until now. |
#26
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J. Parker Bulbs
On 06/12/2013 19:37, Frank Booth wrote:
On a brighter note, I asked Parkers to replace the the 3 damaged or poor quality roses (sent them photos). They agreed and the replacements arrived on Wedmesday - 4 days after as opposed to a 2 months wait from my original order. As has been pointed out they needed to be dormant to lift, that is why you had to wait two months initially. -- Phil Cook |
#27
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J. Parker Bulbs
On 06/12/2013 19:37, Frank Booth wrote:
"Spider" wrote in message ... Well the roses finally arrived today - last day of November. Had they arrived any later they would have been in breach of contract of their own terms. However 3 of the 9 roses delivered were either damaged or of very poor quality. Not good at all. They are going back. Not sure whether to ask for a part refund and buy the remaining 3 elsewhere, or have the damaged roses replaced (and no doubt I'll have a long wait again). I guess my early misgivings of this company turned out to be well founded and I won't be using them again. Oh dear, Frank, how disappointing! I'm very sorry to be proven right in this case, but I've had similar experience so I'm not that surprised. If I were you, I'd cut my losses and ask for my money back rather than replacements. Hope you can make a go of the better ones. As I said before, Parkers bulbs are not bad, especially if you order early. I still use them for bulbs because their prices are reasonable, but I would understand if you wanted no more to do with them. On a brighter note, I asked Parkers to replace the the 3 damaged or poor quality roses (sent them photos). They agreed and the replacements arrived on Wedmesday - 4 days after as opposed to a 2 months wait from my original order. This time the quality of the replacements was A+. Pity they couldn't manage that first time. Didn't even need to send the poor ones back. So I'll have to wait and see whether those grow ok. On another issue, when the original delivery came there was no invoice. When requesting the replacement roses I poiinted out to them that I needed an invoice, but still none came. Today I made a second request for an invoice to be told that they don't normally do those for retail sales as it's not part of their system??? After firmly telling them I need one for tax purposes they agreed but would have to get one issued through their account department. All a bit amateurish really. Whenever I've bought anything online the goods always arrive with an invoice. Never had to request one until now. You really have it in for Parkers don't you. You should have gone to a wholesale firm, but then you might not have got the small quantity you wanted. |
#28
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J. Parker Bulbs
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#29
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J. Parker Bulbs
On 2013-12-06 19:37:23 +0000, Frank Booth said:
"Spider" wrote in message ... Well the roses finally arrived today - last day of November. Had they arrived any later they would have been in breach of contract of their own terms. However 3 of the 9 roses delivered were either damaged or of very poor quality. Not good at all. They are going back. Not sure whether to ask for a part refund and buy the remaining 3 elsewhere, or have the damaged roses replaced (and no doubt I'll have a long wait again). I guess my early misgivings of this company turned out to be well founded and I won't be using them again. Oh dear, Frank, how disappointing! I'm very sorry to be proven right in this case, but I've had similar experience so I'm not that surprised. If I were you, I'd cut my losses and ask for my money back rather than replacements. Hope you can make a go of the better ones. As I said before, Parkers bulbs are not bad, especially if you order early. I still use them for bulbs because their prices are reasonable, but I would understand if you wanted no more to do with them. On a brighter note, I asked Parkers to replace the the 3 damaged or poor quality roses (sent them photos). They agreed and the replacements arrived on Wedmesday - 4 days after as opposed to a 2 months wait from my original order. This time the quality of the replacements was A+. Pity they couldn't manage that first time. Didn't even need to send the poor ones back. So I'll have to wait and see whether those grow ok. On another issue, when the original delivery came there was no invoice. When requesting the replacement roses I poiinted out to them that I needed an invoice, but still none came. Today I made a second request for an invoice to be told that they don't normally do those for retail sales as it's not part of their system??? After firmly telling them I need one for tax purposes they agreed but would have to get one issued through their account department. All a bit amateurish really. Whenever I've bought anything online the goods always arrive with an invoice. Never had to request one until now. Online sales are a tiny part of our business but we don't send an invoice unless asked to do so. That's never happened for a private client but understandably, has been requested by e.g. NT gardens, landscapers, or similar. As has been said before, you had to wait for your original order because bare root plants are ONLY sent out when the leaves have dropped. We get all sorts of bare root stuff here for e.g. hedging (not roses) and impatient customers often ask when it will be in. The only answer we can give is "when it's ready". This year, it's been on the late side. There is no fixed date for these things and as this has been a very mild autumn, many plants have held onto their leaves for a long time. Right now, I see a mosquito flying round the kitchen and we comment often on the amount of leaves still on oak and beech trees, even after a couple of frosts. As a matter of curiosity, if the damaged plants grow sturdily, along with their replacements, will you feel morally obliged to send Parkers a proportion of the cost of the new, freely and quickly replaced plants you have? -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
#30
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J. Parker Bulbs
"sacha" wrote in message ... As a matter of curiosity, if the damaged plants grow sturdily, along with their replacements, will you feel morally obliged to send Parkers a proportion of the cost of the new, freely and quickly replaced plants you have? Interesting poiint. It's not ultimately my decision, since I ordered on behalf of a gardening committee but initially paid out of my own pocket since the decision as to who to buy from was left up to me. If the damaged/poor quality roses grow ok it might encourage me to do further business with Parkers. But I feel overall the initial frustration and disappointment with the first batch of roses and chasing them up for an invoice kind of balances out the cost of reimbursing Parkers for the 'free' roses Incidentally a neighbour down the road from me also orderd roses from Parkers (on my recommendation) and he has also had to ask for a couple of replacements as the quality wasn't satifactory for the same reason as myself. |
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