I appreciate everyone's comments and concern, thank you. However, some have replied to my original post with the idea that I was complaining about the Dektol not performing as it should. And of those, have pointed out they have used it with the resulting brown color and had been able to get adequate prints. I never got to the printing stage because my Dektol was so dense in color that I couldn't judge the print image as it was developing (see photos on previous thread for dark color). In short, you couldn't see the print through the Dektol. Everyone has their own method of print processing. Although I'm a "time and temperature" type, when it comes to printing, I like to be able at least to discern the first traces of an image. I'm also well aware that Dektol always mixed with a slight brown tone. To my knowledge no "in date" paper developer (powder or liquid) either past or present has had this dark a color immediately after it was mixed. Even exhusted Dektol never got this dark in color before I discarded it. I'll go back to my original post. It is the lack of communication on the part of Kodak Alaris or Sino Promise or whoever is responsible, to at least acknowledge with some kind of reply to a customer. They have yet to respond to my follow up inquiry of when I could expect delivery of the replacement Dektol.
The dark color and lack of quality control in addition to customer disengagement is unacceptable to me as a professional. My clients expect professional results from me, and rightfully so, and I expect professional products and behavoir from my vendors and manufacturers who guarantee their products from defects, Kodak included. My days of accepting mediocracy ended when I took the leap from amateur photographer to professional photographer nearly 45 years ago.
