In a message dated 96-06-25 18:31:46 EDT, you write:
 
>I'd like to get everyone's consensus on what is a reasonable amount of time
>to wait for a refund after an order for package bees is cancelled.
 
 
We would refund your money at the time of your request. No matter what you
should get you money with in 30 days. We would have refunded your money with
no hard feelings at all as it would allow us to catch up.
 
 
>May 9, expecting the packages to arrive, I called Smokey Mountain.  I was
>told by the women that answered that shipments of packages were at least 2
>weeks behind and that her husband and son were still in Florida.  She
>couldn't give me any additional information and advised that I call back in
>a few days.
 
>I called Smokey Mountain again on May 16 and 17, leaving messages each time
>on their answering machine asking that they call and provide me with
>information.  I also sent another e-mail on May 14 asking for a new ship
>date since I had plans to be away for a few days at the end of May.
 
>Brian G. Merrill
 
To all whom it may concern,
 
The Bussiness of raising Queens and Packages is a tough one, bad weather,
mites, and the stock desired, have made the queen and package bee bussiness
more unreliable as ever. I do not conduct bussiness with Smokey Mountian but
do conduct bussiness with many other Queen and package producers, I also run
a queen rearing and breeding facility, and guess what we all have problems
from time to time. I myself was set back this year when the United States
Postal Service Lost, then killed, 200 Queens. As we do not bank any queens
and only run about 500 five frame nucs, that loss was a two week delay for
about 20 customers untill we could catch up. We only book about 60% of what
we can produce.(when things go right we make people happy by having queens to
ship right away and we can ship some orders early) The main problem is, we
are dealing in a product that is not just sitting on the shelf.
 
Having said that, I will tell you that I would have done the same thing, as
you had I had the problems that you described.
 
Dean