# TGM



## Frederick (5 Mar 2012)

Hi there.... After looking at ghe replies to my last top ic I have been looking at the online plant suppliers and I have the following observations..... 
1)...How on earth can TGM justify their very high prices... most times four times other prices.
2)..why is it that plants quoted in most suppliers cannot be found in any of the books that I have (5)...are thesde plants wrongly named or are my books wrong.

The reason I ask this, is because I wish gto know what the plant is and all the details and if someone asks me what a plant is I can tell them correctly.

Is this too much to ask....Frederick


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## alzak (5 Mar 2012)

Hi

if You order plants from TGM on day when they arrive You find out why is their price above different retailers as quality of plants is second to none ...


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## GHNelson (5 Mar 2012)

alzak said:
			
		

> Hi
> 
> if You order plants from TGM on day when they arrive You find out why is their price above different retailers as quality of plants is second to none ...


And 3 times the size


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## Themuleous (5 Mar 2012)

Its a free country, buy from who you want to!  But you do get what you pay for.

Tropica spend a lot of money looking for new plants and bring 5-6 (if not more) new plants to the hobby every year.  Books take years to write and publish so will never be fully up-to-date on all the latest species available.

The internet (and Tropica's website especially) is the best place for up-to-date information.

Sam


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## Viv (5 Mar 2012)

alzak said:
			
		

> Hi
> 
> if You order plants from TGM on day when they arrive You find out why is their price above different retailers as quality of plants is second to none ...



I'm afraid I didn't find this  I ordered a plant from TGM that I had trouble getting elsewhere. When it arrived - a week after the despatch date - it was quite big but its condition could have been better. I dare say this was atypical judging by all the recommnedations I've read on here but it was my first experience of the company so was a bit offputting.

Viv


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## awtong (5 Mar 2012)

I have had nothing but quality from TGM.  I had a package not arrive from them and it turned out the post office had it and not left me a notification card.  I rung TGM and they got back to me immediately to sort it out let me know where the package was and the tracking number so I could go and complain at the post office.

Nothing but praise from me.  

Andy


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## George Farmer (5 Mar 2012)

Frederick said:
			
		

> Hi there.... After looking at ghe replies to my last top ic I have been looking at the online plant suppliers and I have the following observations.....
> 1)...How on earth can TGM justify their very high prices... most times four times other prices.
> 2)..why is it that plants quoted in most suppliers cannot be found in any of the books that I have (5)...are thesde plants wrongly named or are my books wrong.
> 
> ...


Hello Frederick and welcome to the UKAPS Forum.

Please acquaint yourself with the UKAPS Rules & Guidelines. They are located at the top of every sub-forum.

If you wish to question a sponsor's pricing policy then please contact the retailer directly or use the relevant sponsor's forum to do so. Otherwise the sponsor cannot reply to you in public. This is made clear in the aforementioned Rules and Guidelines.

Regards,
George


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## Antipofish (5 Mar 2012)

Viv said:
			
		

> alzak said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hi Viv, completely atypical.  Did you contact them regarding this too ?  I would put money on Jim or any of his staff being mortified that you were not happy with the plant.


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## Antipofish (5 Mar 2012)

Frederick said:
			
		

> Hi there.... After looking at ghe replies to my last top ic I have been looking at the online plant suppliers and I have the following observations.....
> 1)...How on earth can TGM justify their very high prices... most times four times other prices.
> 2)..why is it that plants quoted in most suppliers cannot be found in any of the books that I have (5)...are thesde plants wrongly named or are my books wrong.
> 
> ...



Easy to answer..
1) Their plants are exceptional.  Both in size (and therefore value for money) and in quality.  This is because they know how to look after plants unlike many retailers who just chuck them in a dirty cascade tank and leave them to rot until they sell or get thrown out.  You are not just buying a plant you are buying their expertise and advice too.  I have received a good few hours of free advice from them over the phone.  I would be surprised if they are four times the price of a proper aquatic plant retailer based in the UK but concede you may get the same plants from someone on ebay who posts their plants over from Asia and you get them two weeks later in a right state.  You do get what you pay for.

I can also recommend Aqua Essentials.  They have great plants too.  Again, they are not the cheapest around, but I would buy from TGM or AE any day.  

2) How old are the books ? The planted aquarium industry is fast moving and there are new plants becoming available all the time.  Do you books have Staurogyne Repens in them ? What about Hygrophila Corymbosa Siamensis 53b ? Or hygrophila Araguaia ?  All new and unlikely to be in most books as yet.  Text books in this hobby become outdated as soon as they are printed quite often.  The best place to find out about the plants you buy is from the retailer.  TGM have details about the plants they sell on their website, along with info about what water, lighting, CO2 requirements etc relate to the plant. At the end of the day, knowing about the plants you have and being able to answer questions on it is not too much to ask, no.  But you have to do a little footwork and research and not expect just to find it in a book


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## darren636 (6 Mar 2012)

plants and indeed animals are being reclassified on a daily basis. Any book more than a couple of years old will be out of date.


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## darren636 (6 Mar 2012)

also. Gotta say this. Tgm really are the best of the best in this country.


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## Viv (6 Mar 2012)

Antipofish said:
			
		

> Hi Viv, completely atypical.  Did you contact them regarding this too ?  I would put money on Jim or any of his staff being mortified that you were not happy with the plant.



No I didn't contact them about it. By the time it got here I'd already had enough of dealing with them.

Viv


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## Antipofish (6 Mar 2012)

Viv said:
			
		

> Antipofish said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I always think its best to give people a chance if they have not lived up to my expectations rather than writing them off.  Usually, the result is better than my original expectations.  As I said, had you contacted them I am sure Jim in particular would have been mortified.


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## darren636 (6 Mar 2012)

why did the plant take a week to arrive?  that long in a dark box will stress anything.


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## Viv (6 Mar 2012)

I had been in contact with them about the delivery date and the replies I got were not very friendly and gave me conflicting information. Darren, as it turned out the plant had not been shipped on the posted date. As far as I can make out it was actually posted on the Tuesday or Wednesday after I ordered it. I don't know why it didn't look too good when it got here but it definitely didn't look like it was worth over £13. 

I haven't written TGM off, but at the time I would not have been able to talk calmly with them. I decided to just let that matter go and will give them another try in the future and see what happens. If all goes well then great, if not thats probably when I'll decide to never go back. I'm sure that won't happen though 

Viv


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## darren636 (6 Mar 2012)

ultimately you have to go by your experiences. Which is fair enough.


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## Viv (6 Mar 2012)

True, but I take other peoples experiences into account as well, which is one reason why TGM will get more custom from me. One exception doesn't make the rule and all that 

Viv


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## Antipofish (6 Mar 2012)

Viv said:
			
		

> I had been in contact with them about the delivery date and the replies I got were not very friendly and gave me conflicting information. Darren, as it turned out the plant had not been shipped on the posted date. As far as I can make out it was actually posted on the Tuesday or Wednesday after I ordered it. I don't know why it didn't look too good when it got here but it definitely didn't look like it was worth over £13.
> 
> I haven't written TGM off, but at the time I would not have been able to talk calmly with them. I decided to just let that matter go and will give them another try in the future and see what happens. If all goes well then great, if not thats probably when I'll decide to never go back. I'm sure that won't happen though
> 
> Viv



Hi Viv, I hope your next experience with them is a good one.  I have spent several conversations on the phone with Jim and Gaz gaining advice.  They must have spent a few hours chatting with me and were unbelievably helpful.  Make a call to a chain retailer and you are lucky to get someone that understands the words PLANT and CARBON DIOXIDE haha.  

Today I ordered something with them which I paid for with gift vouchers. The value was just short of the total, and they waived the difference !  

I guess as Ady says, you go with your experience, and if you had been talking to them about this delivery already I can understand more why you did not want to talk to them.  I guess even the best of the best have their off days.  Give 'em another chance though, I reckon they are worth that.


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