Update-2 of the 5 that I thought were duds popped! Finally! After I posted this little rant, I went and dug them out of the rapid rooters that they were in for 5 days, they were a little darker and softer, but still closed.
So, what the hell. I stuck them in my mouth and rolled them around on the backs of my teeth, and then scuffed the shells with a hydroton pellet,until the thin, transparent skin fell off the husk, and stuck them into Jiffy pellets sitting in yogurt cups and coco.
Yay! it worked.
But still, after participating in this thread, I decided to try their customer service out. I called, their voice mail boxes aren't set up, and they don't answer their phones. So I emailed, and received the following automated reply:
"Unfortunately due to the nature of our business, we are unable to discuss, guarantee or promote germination due to legality issues. All germination and cultivation inquiries will be ignored. As noted on our website under the legal disclaimer, “By purchasing from True North Seed Bank (
www.truenorthseedbank.com) you accept our Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy and Legal Disclaimer.†“True North Seed Bank does not accept any product-liability and we do not give any guarantees.†This can be found here:
http://truenorthseedbank.com/legal-disclaimer
As germination rates can be affected by many variables that we cannot control, including but not limited to: proper storage of the souvenirs, method date of order etc., most breeders cannot and will not guarantee germination, including in countries where it is legal to germinate souvenirs. We do record and relay all complaints and reviews regarding our products back to the breeders and would like to thank you for your feedback."
So, not helpful. I doubt I will order from them again.