Amazon really needs to take control of its sellers' platform. I am aware that a lot of small business people rely on Amazon for most (or all) of their sales. As a customer who doesn't drive and lives in the boonies (really nice boonies but still...) I rely on Amazon sellers and their products.
I rarely have really bad experiences with my Amazon purchases. I've gotten some subpar products (my fault, usually, for going cheap) and I've been disappointed by some misrepresented products. I hate when the product photos and descriptions make you think you're getting "the goods" when you're only getting "the joke".
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| Her expression tho! |
Recently though, I ordered something that was relatively inexpensive - just in general and not because I was being cheap. They are some green cardamom pods. I want to be able to grind and add the spice to my foods and non-Turkish coffees. I thought I'd get better quality of spice by getting pods. What a complete disappointment.
Here are the green cardamom pods from Haw that I ordered. The product photo they show looks good:
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| I enlarged part of the photo |
Another reviewer supplied a photo showing what a good seed should look like. They also said that they had mostly good seeds.
First of all, I didn't know what I was looking for when I got the pods and could still tell that something wasn't right. The first one I opened was okay. Not as beautiful as that other reviewer's but... The seeds were a rich, black color and I could smell them before I opened the pod.
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| The first one looks good, if a bit dryer than that other guy's |
The second one was... well, look:
I thought that maybe it was going to be one of my few bad ones. Nope. That's as good as it got. The rest of them - and I did sit and open almost all of them - were nothing as good as the one decent one. Most were like that one up there and the rest were worse.
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| I magnified some of the best ones |
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| The best out of THE ENTIRE BAG! |
Of course, I was confused. The worst ones had very little aroma and I think they had just absorbed the scent from the few good ones. An online source warned against eating any that looked "gray" or "fuzzy". Ugh! Don't have to tell me, sister. I kept aside the few that had some color and smell.
When I contacted the seller asking if these were supposed to be gray, they made it sound as if the black ones were bad. Huh?
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| Straight from their response letter |
I went back and looked at photos from happy customers. Uh, no ma'am. And I said exactly that to the seller. They went silent. I contacted Amazon. It's not about the 7 bucks; it's the principle. They straight up lied to me. Amazon refunded my money and I have ordered some pods from another seller. Please, Lord, let these be better.
So I don't know if there is a better way to order this kind of thing online.
Haw Traders (aka
Brooklyn Store, Haw, and Haw Inc.) has a 98% positive rating as a store on Amazon and over 400 reviews for this particular product with 4.6 out of 5 stars. So... it sounds like it's pretty hit and miss and I was not up for a good hit.
As always, I will make a note of the business and seller (yes, I do keep a list on my computer) so that I don't purchase from them again. I don't mind getting a lemon of a product, but I hate when a seller won't stand behind what they are selling.
I do wish that Amazon had a better way of dealing with these issues. I don't think that sellers are being held to a high enough standard. And I don't think that Amazon should always cover the refunds.
Whatever. Bezo's doesn't care. He doesn't have to shop on Amazon Just like Zukerberg isn't addicted to Facebook and Instagram. Smart peddlers never get addicted to their product.
Again, whatever.
I now have 7 names on my No Buy list - and, yes, I am serious. Lately, I have started checking if any products are available elsewhere and not made in China. Sounds unfair but the sellers are getting shoddy.
Okay, I am finished venting. For now. Let me go and make another cup of calming tea - minus the cardamom.
Peace
--Free
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