The Cannabis Breeder's Bible (22 page)

Before you pull your produce from the market you should always ask how the grower propagated the seeds. If the grower is new to growing then he may have done something wrong. You should not be held accountable for the grower’s mistakes but you should not immediately fire back that he messed up and claim that it is not your problem. Be nice and inform the customer that his germination method was not the best, if that’s the case, and maybe
recommend a good grower’s guide, for instance
,
The Cannabis Grow Bible,
which explains several propagation techniques for seed germination. If a grower refuses to acknowledge having made any mistakes because of being a first-time grower, then simply say you’re sorry and move on. Never get cross or try to defend yourself too adamantly because that will just look bad on you.

If the grower has some experience and seems to have been propagating the seeds correctly, then you should reconsider your harvest technique, or put it down to bad seeds. You should always reimburse the client by sending him another packet of free seeds of the same strain. Never give them a different strain, always give them the same one. If they continue to be pushy about getting different seeds, just terminate your communication, saying that you have already offered them new seeds of the same variety that they purchased.

Here are a number of complaints that you may come across, with suggestions from our experiences for how to deal with each one. Remember, choosing a seed bank to sell your stock will keep you out of the equation. The seed bank will have to deal with the client, not you. This is one of the better reasons to choose a seed bank. It will allow you to concentrate on your work rather than also having to deal directly with sales, marketing and complaints.

There are some things that you need to do before you engage in helping out your disgruntled clients.

1. Check to see that they actually bought your seeds.

Some people like to play games. If they have purchased seeds then you should be able to confirm this via a tracking order that you had for their purchase.

2. Ask them to resolve the dispute via emails or written communications, rather than using a public forum.

They should be under no obligation not to make this public but you do reserve the right to make this request. Tell them that you respond quicker to e-mails and letters than you do to public forums. If they make it public do not reply to the public debate. Resolve the matter in e-mails or letters.

3. Ask them for photographic evidence to support their case. Digital Cameras are popular among growers because they like to take pictures of their bud.

The grower is under no obligation to provide you with pictures. Pictures do help their case though, and you should inform them about that.

4. Ask them about any previous growing experience that they have had.

This will help you build up an idea of the skill level and experience behind the grower. The less grow experience growers have had the greater the chances are that they are not using the right germination techniques.

5. Ask them how they germinated the seeds.

This will help you identify whether the problem is with your stock or with their germination techniques.

ALWAYS BE POLITE. NEVER BE RUDE TO CUSTOMERS AND NEVER GET HOT-HEADED.

Here are some complaints that you may come across, with suggested solutions for you to reach a settlement with your clients. Make sure that you have first followed the previous steps.

Complaint:
My seeds did not germinate or I had bad germination rates.

Response:
Ask about their germination technique. Tell them that 80% and 90% germination rates are common in the industry. Tell them that nobody can guarantee 100% germination rates because you are dealing with a living organism. If they do not agree with this then you can always ask them to contact some seed-resellers to see if they will get guarantees on 100% germination rates. No one in the industry who is serious about his work will offer 100% germination rate guarantees on their stock. Once customers have found this out you can then go about examining their propagation techniques. If their technique does not seem sound then you may offer them an alternative solution. You should be able to help them to get better results next time round by recommending reading resources for them.

Complaint:
I have a good germination technique and my seeds did not germinate or I had bad germination rates.

Response:
Ask them about their grow, their history, and their germination technique. If it seems sound to you then you should offer them a new packet of seeds from the same strain. They may refuse to accept the packet of seeds and demand money. Do not give money back to them. Everyone should be aware that seeds are a living produce and you cannot guarantee success but you can help them to get more seeds.

If they still do not believe you then you should have a list of your clientele waiting to support your case. If you have given out free seeds then you should have had people give you feedback on your strain by posting their results on a public forum along with photographs. Supply the problematic client with proof that people are able to germinate and grow your seeds. The more people you have to back up your case the more it will seem to the client that he must not be doing it right. Never make your problem with the client public before he does. Always provide him with data using letter, e-mails or web URL links.

Complaint:
I ended up with all male plants or a high ratio of male to female plants.

Response:
Inform them that this is not under your control and that you cannot control the sex ratios in natural seeds. If they claim to have gotten all males, ask them for proof. You should in general send them out a new pack of seeds if they did get all males. You want to try and keep your clients, so at least try to help them see and smoke what your female produce is like. If they ask for money back, simply answer as above.

Complaint:
My seeds were crushed in the post.

Response:
Ask them to
send the seeds back
and replace their order. Your packaging should be better than to allow seeds to get crushed in the post. You must also examine the seeds to see if they were indeed from your batch (Your strain, if it’s an IBL or very stable, should have a common seed shape and pattern and a reference number for that seed batch) and if they look crushed. Make sure that you get the seed pack back unopened.

Complaint:
My yield was small and not like the picture on your advertisement.

Response:
Ask about their growing techniques. Tell them that your picture was done under optimal growing conditions and that in order to get the same results they need to try and reach the same growing conditions that you have. Recommend good growing material for them to read, and do your best to get them access to information that will help them to get better yields.

Complaint:
Some of my plants look a bit different from others. Why is this?

Response:
Tell them that all the best breeders release F1 produce onto the market. Tell them that F1 produce may have some variations in the pack. If they complain that there are lots of variations then ask them about their grow method. You should be able identify environmental reasons for the variations if your strains are stable.

Complaint:
My plants were not potent.

Response:
If you claimed that your seeds were potent then you will have to back up your case. Ask them about when they harvested, how they harvested and how they cured their bud. Also ask them what they have been smoking recently. Sometimes people build up a tolerance level if they have been smoking stronger weed. Again, steer them toward information on good harvesting and curing techniques.

Complaint:
My plants were hermaphrodite.

Response:
If you do not have hermie or Ruderalis plants in your breeding project then it should not be a genetic problem. Inform the grower that stress such as irregular photoperiods can lead to the hermaphrodite condition, and recommend some reference materials.

Some breeders even deliberately stress out their plants to see what conditions will promote the hermaphrodite condition and how the plants express that condition. If your plants are very uniform and stable then the hermaphrodite condition should be similar in all the plants, including where the hermaphrodite condition starts and how it develops. You should also know if the male pollen in the hermaphrodite is viable or not. You should stress your plants out in different controlled stressful conditions such as: over-pruning, bad cloning techniques, irregular photoperiods, heat, irregular pH, overwatering, overfeeding, different stressful soil types (sand + clay only), forced flowering and even pest attacks. All of these can cause hermies. Try to find out what causes hermaphrodites in your strain.

Complaint:
My plants do not clone well.

Response:
You provide plants in seed format and not clone format. You are not responsible for cloning success rates. Some strains do clone more easily than others. Refer them to good background material on the subject.

Complaint:
My plants became burnt after I fed them using the exact concentration levels written on the bottle.

Response:
You never recommend feeding seedlings. That will kill them. Also you never recommend feeding cannabis at 100% strengths. Inform them that cannabis does not require 100% feeding strengths.

This seedling has been fed. Note the burnt look on the tips of the leaves. These burnt areas eventually crumble like ash in your hand if left untreated. This seedling needs to be flushed with water to clear it of nutrients. Do not feed seedlings. Picture by Growmaster420.

Complaint:
I got busted because you sent seeds to me in the post and it got intercepted by customs.

Response:
Direct them to the disclaimer on your order form, which they filled out and signed.

Complaint:
I got busted because you sent seeds to me in the post and it got intercepted by customs. They called around to the addresses and found my plants. I am going to tell people about this.

Response:
Wait until they make the public announcement and tell them again to have a look at the disclaimer on your order form. Also tell them in the public forum that it is a stupid idea to have seeds sent to the same address where they are growing. Ninety-nine percent of the growing community will agree with you.

Complaint:
These plants are knock-offs. I have grown something similar before!

Response:
Ask where they got the other plants from. Maybe someone else is knocking off your produce and this client got to them before you. Also explain that you have a breeding history and part of being a good breeder is never engaging in such an activity.

Complaint:
I grew these plants outdoors (when it said indoors on your product information) and they did not perform well!

Response:
If you advertised these plants as indoor plants then they should have followed that advice. You do not recommend that indoor plants be grown outdoors or that outdoor plants be grown indoors. Tell them that cannabis plants can grow indoors and outdoors but they should only follow the product’s recommendations. You are not responsible for this problem but listen to their troubles and do your best to offer them good advice.

Complaint:
I bought your seeds and tried to smoke them. They did not get me high!

Response:
“You’re supposed to grow them, not smoke them!”