Luke writes that he bought some aquatic plant bulbs that failed to sprout. He was sad, but then he saw the company’s promise of replacement bulbs on the back of the box. He sent the dud bulbs back to the company, and was surprised to receive back twice as many bulbs as he sent in. They even replaced bulbs for which he hadn’t saved the receipt.

There’s a company called “Sea Life” out of Sioux Falls, SD which sells
dry plant bulbs for use in aquariums. You can find them in most pet
shops and even in the occasional Walmart nowdays. Because they are a
cheap alternative to live plants, I bought a few boxes of the bulbs. I
didn’t hold out much hope for them, because aquatic plants usually
don’t last long in aquariums, and I wasn’t surprised when only one
bulb out of all three packages managed to sprout.

On the back of the package, they claimed that if you sent them your
unsprouted bulbs and a copy of your receipt, they’d send you
replacements. I didn’t buy my boxes at the same time and I only had a
receipt for the last box, but I figured I might as well send in the
bulbs which didn’t sprout, along with a letter explaining my purchases
and the fact I didn’t expect them to honor their agreement but I
wanted to find out anyway.

In my mailbox today was a bubble mailer that had no less than 14 plant
bulbs in it, well over twice what I’d purchased. There was no note
inside, no explanation, and the bulbs were from both species of plants
they offer, not just the ones I’d bought.

So if you buy aquarium bulbs from Sea Life, save your receipt, and if
they don’t sprout, send them in. Because you get a surprisingly large
amount back.

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