Russell Apiaries

[seal62]

There is no doubt RA knows and practices genetics and has for a long time. No doubt anyone can get in over their heads farming and when changing their markets.

Many RA supporters know business the way RA knows bees. I have no doubt that business advice would be freely given if it would be accepted.

Continuing to take orders without fair notice of delivery may be a matter of poor luck or business planning in the short term, in the long term it becomes a matter of ethics. Maintaining high ethical standards is harder and harder as the pressure mounts, easy when things are easy.

Leaving your friends and supporters in an uncomfortable position for so long is at best grossly oblivious of them.

It is sad for RA, his supporters, Beesource and the community as a whole.

Myself, if I ever receive queens or a refund I will consider it found money.

Salty ...very well said . The simple biz advice is as it was last year , hire someone to pick up the phone . Taking orders with out delivery is criminal. This thread just wont die , i really wish it would . Sadly a couple times a week someone adds to it , no bees . My order was for early May , payed for last June for all that are late on this topic . My advice is this , if ya need a queen check to see if they have them ready to ship . My dealings with Zia, http://ziaqueenbees.com/ . Kelleys https://kelleybees.com/Products/#cat...35363536653733 . Ask for the hygienics . Furgesons http://www.fergusonapiaries.on.ca/index.php .. OK ,,,ordering a couple queens off this guy is worth the call . He will talk your ear off , he digs talking about bees . Then theres this guy http://www.beesource.com/forums/show...118-Vsh-queens . He picks up the phone too . Im pretty happy with the queens i got off of him , and everybody i listed . Drama free . Every one backs up their bees , they pick up the phone ,,,or return e mail. Just as i was gonna add fuel about Bob selling Canadian Buckfest when hes in Ms i go to pull a link and his page is down . Just me or is Russells page down ? Yea im real shocked.

[Diogenes]

....<snip>.... Just as i was gonna add fuel about Bob selling Canadian Buckfest when hes in Ms i go to pull a link and his page is down . Just me or is Russells page down ? Yea im real shocked.

I don't see an issue with Russell selling Canadian Buckfast. If you follow the link you posted, Ferguson does ship to the US.

I'm pretty sure that of the multitude of State-Level satellite Russell Apiaries being set-up, their New York state operation has been in operation for a while, so acclimatization shouldn't be an issue. Think about it, send the best queens from their northern operations south for the winter, and hey-presto, early season, acclimatized stock from Mississippi.

Your point about business advice is spot on. What Russell Apiaries needs is someone who has some experience doing retail sales to handle the folks who go nuts 3 weeks after their order was placed and is 2 days past the requested ship date. Russell Apiaries doesn't seem able to handle people like that.

[Diogenes]

The Russell Apiaries website is back.

Given that I got a Webs.com page first, then later the full web site, I'm betting the problem was with their hosting provider. Nothings seems to have changed since I last looked.

Update: Ah, on the other hand, I spoke too soon. Webs.com is still having problems. I guess

You can collect your links now, be a shame to let that fuel go to waste.

[Birdman]

Good to see I'm not the only one having problems. Thought I might have gotten baned. lol Not like I have any need to go back.

[beeker]

This was posted yesterday on their forum in response to someone that has been waiting for several months for a refund. It sounds like they may not even be checking their email right now due to "training". Another post from yesterday says they are running at about 60% of their normal production levels right now. WHY are they still accepting orders on their web site???

I checked your name on the commercial schedule since I can't get into the big computer system because the girls (ladies. My bad) are at a training course. Your on the schedule but there is no date and the note says "wasn't ready when his splits were. Wants to receive in summer or fall for splits." Don't know if you saw my message on here about no one is seeing the emails right now or not. They have moved into a new building and are training new ladies so they are only getting into the emails every once in a while to use them for training. They probably haven't seen you ask for a refund or they didn't get it to Doc when he was in town so I put your name on my list to ask them about.

[Saltybee]

Another RA post says that most orders are declined during the processing with commercial orders being accepted. Have not tried myself. RA is trying to organize for refunds or next year delivery at customer choice. There is more communication going on on the Ra site than there has been recently.
Not perfect or even good yet but some positive signs after the vacuum of information.
Some progress on the State sites with some limited queen availability from what I read.

[jones]

After I ordered queens in late Dec, got a refund in March, and Victoria (employed there) told me they had gotten behind because of a storm and power outages. (?) Now that I need queens again and am finding out others continue to have issues, I guess I will look elsewhere. Sad because I like the ease of just ordering online and not having to take off work to drive an hour & whatnot.

[Keth Comollo]

Sad because I like the ease of just ordering online

Full Bloom Apiaries in CT has a good reputation for queens and you can order them online.

[jones]

thanks for the tip!

[Skinner Apiaries]

They just sent me an email, and a shipping label was created, so that's going to make them 2 for 2 if they get here ok. Let's see if as a professional, I have better luck installing them, no attendents, and on top of other cordovan bees.

[Keth Comollo]

I installed a Moonbeam on June 27th under a push in introduction cage. Released her on July 1. Have 5 frames of solid capped brood wall to wall on the frames and she has layed in 4 more frames. I am impressed so far.

[Saltybee]

Careful, your going to kick off another case of queen envy in me and I haven't completely cured the last episode.

[Beezly]

Ordered my queens, got them today within the 45 day period they state on website. alive and healthy. I had Patience with the communications. I would order from them again without hesitation and will, just now it will have to be from the offshoots they are starting. Looking forward to seeing them in action. Even if it had been 90 or 180 days, i would still respond the same way. Faith always pays off.

[rookie beekeeper john]

im 63 days past the date i ordered them for. I'm still waiting.

[julysun]

In cases where folk have paid for a product and never received it, here we have a small claims court that handle those problems. I think going there, to a small claims court, would be more effective than repeatedly posting here. IMHO

[broodhead]

When RA first showed up here I ordered a few queens and it was like pulling eye teeth to get my queens. They finally arrived and I did as I usually do and evaluated these queens as I do others. My results concluded that my RA queens were not performing as well as they were stated by RA. My wife and I also invested with Madoff, looks like we had the same results!! Remember, most science is theory based and we all know what a theory is.

[Lauri]

I emailed Russells last week. Here is a copy of that email:

VIctoria, I have refrained from endlessly emailing you, but really, my order is well beyond receiving now. I ordered in early March and my delivery date came and went with no contact from your company.

Someone who worked at your business contacted you for me and you sent me some virgins instead, Problem was, they were mostly not the variety I ordered. Here is your email:


In a message dated 5/22/2012 8:09:08 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, russellapiaries@yahoo.com writes:
Hey Lauri,
We are sending you 12 SunKist Northern Selection and 8 English Buckfast virgins. The SunKist Cordovans won't be available until later in the week, I will send some of those as well if you would like. Thanks!
Tracking no: EI110291711US


Here is my return email to Victoria:

I got your email about the virgins being shipped. The Cordovan Sunkists
were the ones I ordered, so yes later in the week when they are available I
would appreciate it if you would send them. I've been making mini mating nuc
box's like crazy all day and will be ready when they arrive. Thanks again.
Lauri Miller

Here is my only email to them-sent on 5-30-12..a friendly reminder they were still supposed to ship some queens:

Victoria, I would like to at least pay for shipping on the second box of virgins. Please let me know what I owe you. And no sense in shipping a half empty box-so please let me know how much it would be to fill it, if there are enough cordovans to spare.
Hope you're making progress and can have a day off soon

Lauri Miller



The Cordovans were the variety I ordered the most of and I have been waiting ever since May 22 for their arrival.

It is now almost August and I have not heard anything. No information, no excuses, no explanations.

Virgin queens will not work for me now, and I would appreciate some kind of refund.

As usual, I have had absolutly no response. As I said in an earlier post, it is like this company dosen't even exist.


I would prefer they send any refund they feel is fair to a local food bank. With such a frustrating experience with Russells, I don't even want my money back, but darn it, I don't want them to just be able to keep it ether. I paid a bit over $200.00. That would help out a needy family.

I see several people posting about placing orders recently and getting queens shipped almost immediatly??? It makes no sense.

I should also add that in June, I sent Robherc all my email correspondence to and from Russells and Pay Pal info. He presented my case, along with others, to Dr. Russell in a single email. It took Dr. Russell two weeeks to read that email. That was a month ago and I have heard nothing from anyone.

I hate this thread, but it is hard to keep quiet.

[joshk]

I am too on the not happy list. I know I will be ganged up by supporters but if I can help make someone elses decision to order easier I will do it. I ordered my queens last december for early may delivery, before all these problems were really started and the positive reviews out weighed the negative. I did receive the queens I ordered with one substitution, "upgrade" as they put it, at the end of May. No complaints really about shipping late, this is a ag based business and things happen, I thought I was fortunate to get my queens. However, once they were released it was obvious they were not as good of quality that everyone chimed in about. These queens were very small, they looked liked virgins or banked queens. I checked them over and two of the three flew off the frame. I knew I had been had at that point. Even the virgin queens I have ordered in the past never flew the frame like these did. Fast forward two months, one queen doing o.k. (definately not laying up a storm), two others are dead. One laid eggs for awhile then was superseded and that queen never made it back to the hive. I understand that he owes me nothing technically, but he is quick to point out that he pulls queens the day they are shipped (not banked). As far as I can tell he is false advertising, the queens I have ordered in the past never had problems like this. I have emailed them several times and no response. I am out $60, not much by most peoples standard, but it is a lot to me and my family who are trying to start a small side business since we are a single income family. Lesson learned, buy from a well established queen breeder or raise my own.

[VolunteerK9]

This was on their website this morning:

robhughesMember
Posts: 45 Big changes are coming tonight. The website is getting a facelift tonight by the computer guy in Australia. The forum is part of the changes so don't be mad if your postings are gone when you wake up it's nothing personal he just told me that he may lose some of the stuff that's here while he's doing what he does. Doc says he will be tryin to make some postings on here too when he gets back but he says he will only be posting on educational stuff so send messages to me if you need something looked into. There is gonna be a page where you can go to get to all of the local operations and the items in the store will be changed too. Post here if you need help using the new website so we can be lost and confused together. Lmao.

It seems as if RA doesnt have time to sort through emails or invoices looking for lost orders but they have time to communicate with an Australian site developer to revamp the website which might, just might remove some peoples postings. How convienent when the majority of the most current postings start off with "wheres my order". And even the Doc himself may make an appearance to bestow some more educational words of bee wisdom!

It was stated yesterday on their forum that all refunds or cancellations were at the sole discretion of RR (which I admit, I never read before so it was stupid on my part to place an order in the first place) and second than when I ordered in December of 2011, I was placed on a list. Now I realize that dates are tentative, but I am more than curious to find out how orders placed in March/April were filled before mine.

[brushmouth]

This was on their website this morning:

robhughesMember
Posts: 45 Big changes are coming tonight. The website is getting a facelift tonight by the computer guy in Australia. The forum is part of the changes so don't be mad if your postings are gone when you wake up it's nothing personal he just told me that he may lose some of the stuff that's here while he's doing what he does. Doc says he will be tryin to make some postings on here too when he gets back but he says he will only be posting on educational stuff so send messages to me if you need something looked into. There is gonna be a page where you can go to get to all of the local operations and the items in the store will be changed too. Post here if you need help using the new website so we can be lost and confused together. Lmao.

It seems as if RA doesnt have time to sort through emails or invoices looking for lost orders but they have time to communicate with an Australian site developer to revamp the website which might, just might remove some peoples postings. How convienent when the majority of the most current postings start off with "wheres my order". And even the Doc himself may make an appearance to bestow some more educational words of bee wisdom!

It was stated yesterday on their forum that all refunds or cancellations were at the sole discretion of RR (which I admit, I never read before so it was stupid on my part to place an order in the first place) and second than when I ordered in December of 2011, I was placed on a list. Now I realize that dates are tentative, but I am more than curious to find out how orders placed in March/April were filled before mine.

As a youth I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Farrar from the University of WI, he left me with a positive
outlook on beekeeping which has followed me thru life.
When Dr. Russell came known to me I foolishly figured that these guys had something in common.
I believe they do, both men share a lot of knowledge in their chosen field, however that simple trust and mistaken belief has since been tainted by Dr. Russell.
A refund of $237.50 (Sept 2011 payment)which was promised me by Victoria in an email in May/June of 2012, has never been made.
Almost daily calls only reach a full voice mail and emails remain unanswered.
Paypal and Visa tell me that it's been too long ago to take action
(works well under "guidelines"as an excuse allowing continued abuse, while everyone profits)

I apologize to the board for defending Dr. Russell earlier, but at the time looked like it was unfair.
My earlier experience in 2010 was favorable and I had no reason to doubt the trust I had placed in the
good doctor.

I and other innocent victims of your own misfortune, do not deserve to share the pain, shame on you.
Dr. Russell, your fathers legacy is at risk and your status as a mentor is in grave peril, you need to make it right. Please respond and send my refund.

Fellow beekeepers, be advised that you order from Dr. Russell at YOUR OWN RISK
In fact you are on your own.....LITERALLY !
All IMO
BM