Well i bought what was called a "platinum balloon severum" which turned out to be a platinum convict. Which I'm assuming didn't come from an actual fish supplier and probably a rookie fish breeder who didn't know what they had bred.That's a brilliant summary. And yes, the amount of threads started by hobbyists who want an ID on a drab little juvenile are numerous. It's not until they develop and colour up that you can usually get a positive ID. And in some cases, like you allude to, they don't develop into anything like they were supposed to do, because they are indeed mutts. It's hardly surprising purists such as yourself pour scorn upon such breeding activity.
I bought a 2" chocolate cichlid recently, very drab and a million miles away from the spectacular adult he/she will develop into....that's assuming i've got a true bred chocolate cichlid! All you can do is hope your LFS have a reputable supplier.