SRGC 73rd Seed Exchange (2019-2020)

[DaveM]

Hi Diane and Anne

Yes, this can happen sometimes, we're not sure why but not everyone is affected. We would appreciate answers to a couple of questions to help us try to track down what is going on:

Can you confirm that you were trying to enter your numbers using the keyboard? Or did you select from the drop-down list (show/hide seedlist button)? Whichever method failed, did you try the other?

Refreshing the page or logging out and in again usually solves the problem, as you have found out. Pleased to see that you were able to complete orders satisfactorily in the end. Enjoy growing your seed when it arrives.

[Catwheazle]

For me, i can say, that some programs like kaspersky virus scanners or vpn programs (Steganos) cause such trouble with firefox. So i have deinstalled it.
Bernd

[Diane Whitehead]

Can you confirm that you were trying to enter your numbers using the keyboard? Or did you select from the drop-down list (show/hide seedlist button)? Whichever method failed, did you try the other?

I was using the keyboard and did not try the drop-down list.  I had no problem with the first-choices, just the alternatives.

Diane

[samsgarden]

I used the keyboard and not the drop down list as I had written my choices down.  It was a frustrating two and 1/2 hours with both some first choices and many alternatives not being accepted.  I put in down to a slow internet provider.
Sharon

[Adrian]

The paper copy of the Seed List arrived in my letter box in New Zealand yesterday (31st December)
Presume this was mailed late November and we normally count on about 10 days for UK postage.
Perhaps Royal Mail would like to comment!!
Adrian.

[Carolyn]

Adrian,

I hope that you will make your order online to ensure that we receive it on time. My personal experience of the postal service to NZ is that it takes anything from a few days to a month. Not good!
Our team  of order pickers find the online orders MUCH easier to deal with than handwritten orders. Often, we waste time trying to decipher handwriting.

[David Nicholson]

I think the Seed Ex. has at least two main purposes; the first to provide a service to Members and the second a means of producing another source of much-needed income for the Club. With the latter in mind is it really necessary to post a copy of the Distribution List to all Members given the extortionate charges our Postal system implants on us these days? Thanks to our well developed system for ordering (and thanks indeed to those who have  done the work necessary) a much more than adequate full Listing is available on the system's ordering process that even I can easily understand. I can understand that there will be some Members (and I hope there are decreasing numbers each year!) who do not own a Computer,  or fail to understand the ordering process, or even adopt an iconoclastic view to means of communication that don't include pens and paper, but times have moved on. 

I know that Christine Boulby (our Subscription Secretary) regularly asks that Members who are happy to provide the Club with email addresses etc. do so and therefore I assume that someone in the Club could maintains an appropriate record of which Members need not be posted a Seed Ex. Distribution List? For my own part I would happy to see the Club adopting a persecutionist approach to non-up-to-date methods of communication which might include a surcharge in Subscription Fees.
 

[Adrian]

Thanks Carolyn,
Yes I have ordered on line,the reason for my mail was just to let you know the arrival time of the seed list as if you are paying airmail prices to send you are not getting airmail service.
Cheers,
Adrian.

[fermi de Sousa]

Adrian beat me to it to it! The paper copy only arrived this week here in Australia but I use the on-line ordering system.
NARGS has an "opt in" system for the paper copy - you only get it if you ask for it.
Perhaps SRGC could consider doing something similar?
cheers
fermi

[Carolyn]

 I will raise this issue with the rest of the seed team. It is such a waste of money printing and sending out unnecessary copies.

[ChrisB]

Just to let you know, when I began this job seed lists were only sent out to donors, our overseas members and upon request to the UK members who were not donors.  This was because it was thought that most overseas members only benefit besides the mag was the seed exchange.  The seed team at that time were Edinburgh based. The job moved to the SW team and a decision was taken to send it to all members, I assume to make members more aware of the benefits of donating, increase take up of seed and to simplify the system?   So sending it out to everyone has been a relatively recent decision.  I would be interested to know whether that decision did increase take up or not and what percentage of total seed requests are still by post before the council votes to change the system yet again.  The reason the seed lists were later this year is Brexit - during elections printers go crazy trying to meet printing demands and mailing houses posting the print out.  The usual timetable was disrupted by these matters.   Printing small volumes is more expensive as we all know and it would mean moving back to manual systems for the distribution of the print copies no doubt.

[wooden shoe]

Although in a straight line, I live closer to Scotland then a Londoner, I only received the paper version of the seedlist this week. Of course I had done my online seed order already a long time ago.
With this bad postal service and high postage, I would surely support an opt-out/opt-in checkbox for the paper list.

[DaveM]

Please note that the seed exchange portal will be closed to orders at midnight on 13th January.

So, last orders please!!

[Carolyn]

I am pleased to report that the seed distribution process started today. We had an excellent turn out of volunteers - over 20 - for our first day. We finished all the setting up by lunchtime and spent the afternoon picking orders. None have been posted yet, so don't expect your order just yet.
We were so busy all day that I forgot to take photos! Maybe tomorrow.

[Carolyn]

Another busy day for the seed pickers.