The scoop on 'Royal Dutch'

Company Profile   Royal Dutch Mailing Address: 905 Four Seasons Road Bloomington, Illinois 61701 (United States) Phone: (309) 663-2350 Catalog Order Page: Hyperlink Paper Catalog Cost: Free » E-Mail them » Visit their website Recent reviews: Past month Past 6 Months Past 12 Months Positive 0 0 1 Neutral 0 1 1 Negative 1 7 7 This company is affiliated with Burgess Seed This company specializes in: Bulbs: Spring-blooming

Feedback History and Summary   9 positives 8 neutrals 43 negatives

Comments:

Rating Author Content Negative twodie Gadsden, AL (1 review) October 19, 2009 I can't believe this company is still in business. My daylillies were rotten, molded and broken apart. I asked for replacements, no problem. When the replacements came, same thing. Now, however, you cant get a refund, only a credit. What am I going to do with $156.00 worth credit if the company cant even ship out good products the first time. Can't something be done? Do the management know what kind of garbage is being shipped? How do we get in touch with a manager? If you get a bad shipment from these people, get the money back the first time. Don't give them another shot. Negative flowerbeauty Lynnwood, WA (3 reviews) October 05, 2009 Four Regal Blue hostas, which I received from Royal Dutch, have just been confirmed to have Hosta Virus X, and will need to be destroyed. Negative Laura67 Powers, OR (1 review) July 26, 2009 I orderd some ground cover lilies, I got them several weeks earlier than I had expected as I do not plant my bulbs till the start of fall. When I received the package and opened it, the ground cover lilies that I had ordered where moldy. I put them in anyway and will see what happens. They state on their label to keep just in case I have a problem, well as much as I spent and the bulbs do not sprout next spring I will diffently email them and expect a refund of my money spent. Negative amnesiadream Oklahoma City, OK (Zone 7b) (3 reviews) July 19, 2009 I placed an order on June 23rd 2008 and waited and waited and waited for my order to arrive. I didn't receive anything so I contacted the customer service department and they said that my order would be shipped. They forgot to tell me that the order wasn't in stock and that I'd have to wait months for it to be shipped. Since I didn't receive anything, by May 7th 2009 I requested a refund and they bounced me around from department to department and no one would issue a refund. My credit card was charged on June 27th 2008 and I tried communicating with the company several times only to be given the run around so I notified them that I'd contact the better business bureau and post negative reviews. I didn't get a refund until June 18th 2009... almost a year after the original order was placed. I will NEVER order from them again. The only reason I got a refund was probably because I kept writing them so many emails. Neutral cynypo Escanaba, MI (1 review) June 30, 2009 I would just like to thank all of you who have taken the time to write and save other gardners the trouble of ordering from companies that do not deliver what they advertise. I wouldn't order from this company after reading these reviews. Even the positive ones! You should not have to send anything back. A note to Royal Dutch- If you are going to respond to the reviews you should hire someone with a professional mannerism, most of the customer service responses sounded snide and that is one of the reasons I wouldn't order from you. Negative jrtealjr Harvest, AL (1 review) May 28, 2009 I ordered 12 Strawberry Candy Daylilys and 2 Hardy Red Fuschias. Two of the Daylilys and both Fuschias looked bad and dead when I took them out of the bag. The bag also contained two extra daylilys, no name or color given. The two Daylilys and both fuschias did not grow even after tender loving care. I called today and was told to send the shipping label and a list of the dead plants in and they would replace them. By the time the mail goes both ways and they send the plants, if they have them, it will be too hot to plant in Alabama. I learned a lesson. Never order from these folks again. Negative mmack Monroeville, PA (2 reviews) May 19, 2009 I ordered an assortment of plants from Royal dutch. I planted then within a few days. Nothing from the bunch came up. I was a little disapointed because it took me hours to plant this stuff. Called and they said no problem and mailed out a duplicate order. Two items grew really nice. the 24 creeping red sedium didn't grow again. These were planted on a steep hill in my back yard. I wanted something there to stop erosion.The beautiful trumpet humming bird vines never grew either. Well I called them today and went as far to talk to the supervisor and too bad they did not grow.Only a 1 yr warranty. I'm done with catalog orders. Do not order from Burgess seed, Four season nursery or Royal dutch they send poor quality seedlings, and some were dead on arrival with slime and mold. I've learned my lesson. The magazines will go straight to the garbage.I lost money and time with all of thes nurseries. NEVER AGAIN. Marie Mack Negative neptunia2 Hayward, CA (Zone 10a) (2 reviews) May 18, 2009 I placed my order March 23rd, 2009. My Creditcard was charged March 29th. I figured my order was shipped. April 18th I called Customer Service about my order, very rude, I was told it's in the mail. April 23rd I received a partly shipment. I ordered Hostas, Gladiolus, a Fern, Walk on Me Plant. The Hostas were fine, they all came back, the Walk on Me plant was all dried up and never recovered, the Glads were a partial shipment and all covered with mildew. March 27th I called for the rest of my order, and found out it was never mailed. This time I got a helpful customer service. She told me she will have it shipped out that same day. I received the rest of my order May 8th. They give you a free Lily with any order, it was all mushy, didn't even plant it, the Fern was only wrapped in cardboard and all dried up. I planted it anyway, maybe it comes back. I won't find out until later how the Glads are and if I got the right colors. It took from March 23rd until May 8th to get my order. They have a return policy if the plant dies they send you a new one. I will try that, just to see what kind of response I get. Positive JMKM1976 Hornell, NY (5 reviews) April 06, 2009 I placed my first order with this company this year, before reading these reviews. I'm now very nervous because even though there are some positive reviews, there are plenty negatives as well and, it seems as if the company hasn't been addressing the negative issues since May 1, 2007 (here on Dave's Garden) which gives the impression that they have given up on customer satisfaction. I placed my order over 2 weeks ago and have not received it yet (but it is not planting time in my zone yet either, so allowing the benefit of the doubt to prevail). What I ordered: 1- Caladium, Elephant Ear $1.47 10- Gladiola, Orchid Hardy $2.17 10- Hardy Glads $1.99 2- Lily Collection, Fan 5 Oriental $29.98 50- Liatris, Blazing Stars $3.49 100- Shamrock, Flowering $5.00 Shipping Chrage: $9.99 Total Charge $54.09 I'll be back to change my rating to (hopefully) positive or negative when my order is received or by May 1st, whichever comes first. On April 16th, 2009, JMKM1976 added the following: Sent an email on 4/13 asking when my order would be shipped. An email arrived on 4/15 saying my order had been shipped and should be delivered in 1-2 weeks. Seems like a long time to have live bulbs in route... getting more worried about what I will (or possibly won't) arrive. On April 20th, 2009, JMKM1976 changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following: 4/20/2009 I recieved my order from Royal Dutch today and will go over each individually: 1- Caladium, Elephant Ear $1.47, small bulb, half the size of those I have seen in WalMart for $3.00 (but half the price too) The bulb is firm and should grow well. I don't mind the small size since I will pot it anyway, since Elephant Ears are not hardy in my zone and will need to come inside for half the year. 10- Gladiola, Orchid Hardy $2.17 bulbs are firm and are sprouting. They are small bulbs, but these bulbs don't run very large anyway, about 3.4 the size that I would get buying bulk at the local greenhouse and well below half the price. 10- Hardy Glads $1.99 great bulbs, firm and well formed, same size as those I purchased from the local nursery 2- Lily Collection, Fan 5 Oriental $29.98 Siz bulbs from these two collections appear to have been damaged in shipping. 3 Lovely Girl and 3 Dizzy bulbs seem to have been crushed in route. These 6 bulbs don't appear as if they will survive, 2 are completely smashed up and 4 have lost more than half the "cloves" that form the bulb. The Stargazers are on the small size, about 3/4 the size of other stargazers purchased this year but firm and showing life signs. The rest are good sized bulbs, firm and alive. I have my original shipping label and will request replacement of the damaged Lovely Girl and Dizzy bulbs (will let you know how that goes too). 50- Liatris, Blazing Stars $3.49 Not bad sized bulbs, again about 3/4 the size from other companies but at half the cost. All are firm and beginning to sprout. 100- Shamrock, Flowering $5.00 Very small bulbs, about half the size of those purchased from the local nursery but I know from experience that these bulbs are very vigorous and fast growing and will even spread quickly, so I am not discouraged by the size. 100 bulbs at the local nursery would have cost me over $25, so a huge bargain there! 2 free hybrid daylilies- very small roots and a little sick looking, this discourages me from buying plants rather than bulbs from Royal Dutch. But, these were free and I will plant them and see what happens anyway. So far, I am very pleased with my order to Royal Dutch. If replacements for 3 Lovely Girl and 3 Dizzy bulbs come through safely, I'll be 100% satisfied. Damaged bulbs aside, I feel confident in ordering bulbs from them again (probably not plants though). On April 21st, 2009, JMKM1976 added the following: I was so excited and relived to see a lot of healthy bulbs, I failed to inspect my order completely. I discovered while planting that I am missing oriental lily bulbs and that some of the Hardy orchid glads and flowering shamrock bulbs were DOA, after taking my elephant ear from the package, it felt slick and slimy and moosy on the tip (where the foliage should shrout from). I won't change my rating yet, not unless Royal Dutch fails to supply replacements for missing and dead bulbs. On June 2nd, 2009, JMKM1976 added the following: I sent my original shipping label and list of missing/dead plants with a written request for replacement and a little over two weeks after received replacements. The bulbs were not as fresh and well conditioned as the first ones I received but were unbroken and appeared to be alive. I've planted everything and am keeping track of what comes up and what does not. It dawned on me that there is an unfortunate aspect to sending that original shipping label when things are missing and damaged in transit... it is now gone, so if things happen to die and do not live past the first year, I will have lost my money because I won't have that label to send, only a label for replacement items (which I have saved, especially because some of the bulbs looked stressed). Anyway, I am sticking with the positive review, they have, thus far, done everything that they promised and so far, I have an entirely live order (minus the two free daylilies, they weren't replaced but I am not exactly concerned because they weren't something I paid for). I think the key to getting the best possible BULBS from this company is to order EARLY. I think perhaps, all their stock it pre-packed and slightly cooled to prevent growth before shipping and the later you order, the longer the bulbs are being kept in plastic bags without soil or much packing material and the less effect their cooling system has as the temperatures rise. So, I will be certain to always order my bulb choices in March. I still do not recommend ordering any of their bare root items or plants... only bulbs as the plants tend to be tiny and obviously will resent the packing and storing techniques much more than bulbs. Positive muttmomma Atlantic Highlands, NJ (1 review) September 30, 2008 I think this company may have improved recently. Have never had a problem with them, and they have allowed me to do mass plantings on a budget. I would especially recommend their shrubs and bushes: hydrangeas, lilacs, and hibiscus. Make sure to soak the woody plants for 2-24 hours, as they suggest. The plant may look dead at first, but I was patient and now have a beautiful hibiscus for under $5. I do agree that the company could do a better job of letting people know, via email, that they've received or shipped an order and that the rest of the order is pending. But all my bulbs and roots look good too, so that's two seasons worth of successful shipments. Had terrible problems with Spring Hill, who refused to answer my emails and letters about replacements. Keep the shipping label at Royal Dutch and you should be okay. Plus you can't beat the prices. Negative BeaHive Silverton, OR (3 reviews) September 17, 2008 Just recive some Iris and daylily or shall I say bags of mush. They were rotten and smelled horrific! Calling to cancel the rest of my pending order and hopefully can get a full refund! On November 28th, 2008, BeaHive added the following: Received a replacement and it was just as bad as the original order. Per their instructions I returned product, sent a letter with original mailing label and requested a refund. I recived a post card from them saying they will re ship in spring 2009. Called today to tell them I do not want replacement and expect a refund. Now they tell me they can only issue replacement product or company credit. I told them I do not want either one of those options!! Will be filing with the BBB. Stay away from this company!! On March 27th, 2009, BeaHive added the following: The Saga continues..Called today to see when replacement products will ship as they will not refund my money and have sent a post card stating that they will be replaced in the spring. First they tell me that these will be replaced in the fall. I mentioned that the post card says spring. After they put me on hold for a long time, they stated they could ship the DLs in april but the iris had to wait until fall. This is just nuts!! I told them this is the time most companies ship both plants!! She said for my zone she could not ship the Iris till fall. She was arguing that my zone is 5. My zone is 7!! We have Iris growers in my town and the time is now for shipping. This is the worst company I have ever dealt with. On April 12th, 2009, BeaHive added the following: Well the third set of replacement on the DL's arrived and the minute i opened my mail box i knew who the package was from. P.U! This batch was mushy and so smelly again and it is just the beginning of the DL season. I do not know what the problem with this company. Do not do business with them. There is no point to complain to them anymore. They will not give a refund and keep sending rotten plants. I will be chucking this one up to experience and will never order from them again and will advise others of such!! Negative jues98 North Olmsted, OH (1 review) July 08, 2008 NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY. I ordered 3 Japanese Lilies back in June and when I called and told them they shorted me by one. I was told put it in writing. Well I did and still having nothing. I even sent emails and have heard nothing. I called and got nothing but the run around. Oh call us back because our computers are down. They won't make any effort to contact you. EXCUSES EXCUSES EXCUSES. The few plants I have gotten from them I am not happy with. I will shop with Park seed and Pine tree, for now on. I was told by a supervisor that they are inbound calls only, fine, then i told her you call me back. She can't. what a crock. Then when i asked for the headquarters telephone number they don't have one. When a company doesn't even have a 800 number I should have been wary. I wish i would have seen this website before i ever did business with them. I am turning them over to my Attorney General's office and the BBB of Illinois. BEWARE, STAY AWAY FROM THE COMPANY. Negative AWCRAP La Vergne, TN (1 review) May 30, 2008 I PURCHASED 63.10 DOLLARS WORTH OF PLANTS FROM THIS COMPANY . I AM A DISABLED VIETNAM VETERAN ON A FIXED INCOME .. GARDENING IS A FORM OF THERAPY FOR ME .. DEALING WITH ROYAL DUTCH BULBS HAS BEEN A HUGH DISAPPOINTMENT TO SAY THE LEAST .. MY ADVICE IS THAT YOU GO TO YOUR LOCAL CO-OP TO BUY PLANTS AND NEVER TRUST THIS COMPANY TO SUPPLY YOUR GARDENING NEEDS . I RETURNED THE PACKING LIST TODAY.. ADVISING THEM THAT PRAYING OVER DEAD PLANTS DOESN`T WORK DEAD MEANS NOT ALIVE.. THATS HOW THEY ARRIVED.... DEAD Positive kaariellen Springfield, MO (2 reviews) March 18, 2008 I have ordered from this company several times in the last few years. I have about half of the plants I order die, but I still say my experiences with them are positive. They are true to their word, just sent the packing label with a letter and they replace your items. It is a pain to have to do so much work for plants that you'll have to re-start, but at least with me they honored their guarantee without any sort of grumbling. Of course I never spoke to anyone on the phone, I just corrosponded by mail. I still plan on ordering from them in the future because you just can't beat their prices! Negative outdoorman Ventura, CA (1 review) March 17, 2008 As a professional horticulturist and having ordered garden plants from many different companies, including from Holland exporters (Dutch) the products that I recieved are the smallest, poor condition items that I have ever recieved. In addition, plant were broken, there were items not recieved and my expection are that a majority will never survive planting, no matter what I do. Having spend 30 years as a college professor in horticulture, I am totally surprised that this company is in business. If I were anyone receving their merchandise I would immediately request a refund, rather than waiting and getting a credit to which you will never use. Hopefully, I reveive a positive response to not only the posting but my request for replacement of the items that were damaged and not shipped. If not, the entire order will be sent back for a refund. Negative juliechmiel Florence, KY (4 reviews) November 09, 2007 DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY!!! How I wish I had seen this as well before placing an order with them. After weeks of trying to get some data - tracking information - anything at all... I am still getting run around and no plants - now they tell me they are "done shipping" for the season and I might get my plants next year!!! I just filed a complaint with the BBB - I felt I had to - even if I never get a resolution I am happy with, other consumers need to be protected from such horrible business practices and theft. I ordered items on 9-2-07 - the company charged my card and never delivered anything except one item. It has been 2 months and I still have no tracking information or plants and it is now past planting season. I want refund and they are telling me they will ship my items in 2008 which is unacceptable. Items were not received and I want my funds returned. I am filing with my credit card company as well but this appears to be a regular method of "doing business" for this company and I would be errant to let it go unaddressed and allow them to victimize other consumers. Total Charge $55.58 On November 29th, 2007, juliechmiel added the following: After filing a claim with the BBB they sent me a credit voucher - of course I have to get products from them - fearful of the same experience I do not find this the perfect solution but I appear to have no other choice. I do find this interesting - I asked for tracking numbers for both packages as the tracking information I received from them gave no indication that it was indeed for the items they claim they shipped but that never arrived - I wanted proof two were sent and that both were delivered... they refused to provide that information which leads me to believe they gave me tracking information for the item I did get and that in reality they never shipped the other materials... I tried to get the post office to help but only the initiator ofd the shipment can trace a package when no number is provided... alas I will follow up again after I attempt to use my voucher... wish me luck Negative citylady Currie, MN (1 review) August 29, 2007 I placed an order with Royal Dutch in August of 2006 to the tune of around $45.00. Well, come spring 3/4 of the mdse did not grow. I contacted the company and sent them my shipping label ~~ thank GOD I made a copy of the shipping label. I never did receive the mdse to replace the things that did not grow. After making another long distance phone call ~~ Now I find they have issued a credit. There is no way that I can get my money returned. I could not agree more with the posts that I have seen about customer service. Before I had placed the order ~~ I wish I had read the comments that other people had written. . Negative mggsr Springfield, OH (1 review) April 21, 2007 Please Do Not Purchase Anything From This Company The following is what I wrote to this company dated April 15, 2006 AS PER THE SHIPPING LABEL, (attached) I ORDERED 20 PINK GIANT DAFFODILS #01295 YOU SENT REGULAR YELLOW AND WHITE DAFFODILS. (See pictures of what you actually sent on the other side of this letter) THIS IS VERY FUSTRATING AS I PLANTED THESE WHEN RECEIVED IN THE FALL IN 2005, I ANXIOUSLY WAITED UNTIL THIS SPRING TO SEE THE DAFFODILS I ORDERED, AND WHAT DO I GET? A VERY BIG DISAPPOINTMENT. WILL YOU PLEASE SEND THE DAFFODILS I ORDERED? (PINK GIANT DAFFODILS) OR RETURN MY MONEY. I’LL JUST HAVE TO KEEP MY FINGERS CROSSED AND WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR AND JUST MAYBE YOU WILL SEND WHAT I ORDERED. Sincerely, DISAPPOINTED Well, I followed there procedures, sent the label and pictures as noted and in return, they sent this card stating they well send a replacement during the proper time period sometime in early fall 2006. I thought, "OK, that's find, I'll wait " Sure enough my replacement finally came in. While hurriedly planting the bulbs, I was so excited thinking I'm really going to have some beautiful Giant Pink Daffodils in my front yard come next spring. So I waited and waited all through this horrible winter until Spring finally came. (bout time!) Wellllllll!! that's right! you guessed it! The same old yellow and white daffodils! That replacement this so-called company sent the fall of 2006 Ladies and Gentleman, two years I have waited for the right product from this company and they simply can't get it right! This is now early Spring 2007 I'll send there label back along with a nasty letter in which I hate doing this necessary evil but what else is there to do? Now I'll have to wait another year THIS IS CRAZY! Can't this company see the importance of QUAILTY ASSURANCE? Sincerely, I hope this helps somebody. don't be fooled by there beautiful annual sales brochures or online advertisements. This Company has serious issues and I would not recommend anyone purchasing anything from this Company Sincerely Disappointed AGAIN, Company representative comment on May 01, 2007: On May 1, 2007 4:00 PM, Royal Dutch added: We think this customer may have confused our company with a different one. The item # he lists above is not our item # for pink daffodils or any other item that we carry. In addition, we are not aware of any complaints regarding the pink daffodils being the wrong color. We did plant a large selection of the pink daffodil mixture ourselves last year and they made a beautiful display this spring. Negative Aimee_ Walnut Creek, CA (Zone 9a) (4 reviews) March 30, 2007 DO NOT ORDER anything from this company!!! Rude customer service, given the run-around, my order took 3 months to recieve. After the 1st order was "lost" (after I had to wait a rediculous amount of time to even claim that something was wrong with my order and "call back then") they finally sent out a new batch of plants that arrived a month later. Needless to say, everything was dead. Due to such punk customer service, I gave up and took the loss. Neutral duece4life West Orange, NJ (4 reviews) October 28, 2006 I purchased plants from Royal Dutch last Spring. I had a very Horrible experience in the fact that I had a very disappointing experience with them. My climbing 9 climbing rose bushes were a disapppoint. Only 4 of 9 grew. I only got 1 rose out of the bunch. I asked for and was given a merchandise credit. You have to send them the original shipping label and send a letter with it to ge t proper credit. I ordered all my Tulip bulbs for next year and, lo and behold, they sent some really nice bulbs!! I also ordered their Hosta Garden and they look okay. I will update this posting next spring. Even though Customer Service is not that BRIGHT (MORE TRAINING NEEDED), at least, with a LOT of nagging and demanding, this company does come through. We'll see next spring. Negative billfunk Foley, AL (1 review) August 09, 2006 I ordered 24 Sand Cherry Hedge plants and 24 periwinkle plants, six weeks later I received the order, the plants were smaller than advertised and dead looking. I was optimistic, so I plant them. 20 of the Sand Cherry plants are dead and 21 of the Periwinkles are dead. I contacted Royal Dutch and was told that I would have to return the shipping label and then it would take 6 weeks to process my claim and another 6 weeks before shipping. I asked them why they needed my shipping label, they generated it so they must have of copy of it. To make a long story short, after a whole lot of discussion, I was constantly reminded of their policies. This company is an affiliate of the House of Wesley and they do business under numerous names (I now understand why) I registered a complaint with the Bloomington, IL BBB, they were very familiar with them. I also called my credit card issuer and disputed the charge . The charge has been credited. My advice, be tenacious, don't accept no for an answer. They obviously knew they were wrong since they didn't dispute the chargeback. They are dealing in numbers, but they dealt with the wrong this time Regards, billfunk35@yahoo.com Company representative comment on December 20, 2006: On Dec 20, 2006 4:28 PM, Royal Dutch added: Our guarantee clearly states that for a replacement the original shipping label simply needs to be returned to us along with a note explaining how many of each item died within one year of receipt for a free replacement on our merchandise. This policy was clearly explained to the customer and he acknowledged that while he was in possession of the labels, he refused to comply. The customer did contact the BBB regarding the situation. When we explained our position to them they responsed that we "had made a reasonable effort in an attempt to resolve this issue; therefore we are closing the case at this time." In addition, we did dispute the chargeback and it was reversed. Negative virhinia Bryan, TX (1 review) July 08, 2006 My expereince with Royal Dutch was horrible at best. I ordered 71.06 worth of plants. When they did not arrive after 4 weeks I began calling their very rude customer service associates who are not trained properly. I got the run around and they waved their gaurentee all over the place but their gurantee isn't worth the paper it's printed on. My plants finally arrived DEAD or mushy (bulbs). I called yet again and was given the "dormant" line and how I should give it a try and plant them but save that packing label! I called again when nothing came up and was told wait some more they may need more time. I then found this website and IMMEDIATELY called my credit card company who dishonored their charge. I gave them this website as proof of this compnaies dishonest business practices and I am pleased I got my money back but not after spending tons on ld phonecalls to this AWFUL company. STAY AWAY. I've never had a company be so slimey before and I think it is deplorable they way they treat their customer's. If the planting season has passed, how is replacement plants going to help and shipping them by mail is STUPID! ONe of the rude cs people told me point blank what do you expect we're a discount bulb company! YOu get what you pay for which isn't much. Well said, and they can't pay well either as management probably is making all the money us poor smucks give them! PLEASE, PLEASE stay away. Company representative comment on September 07, 2006: On Sep 7, 2006 2:05 PM, Royal Dutch added: This customer placed her order 3/2/06. The majority of her order shipped 3/14. Two tender plants were shipped in April when the weather for delivery transit was safe for them. The package sent to her on 3/14 was sent through APX, the largest mail consolidator in the U.S. at the time and more than twice as large as its next closest competitor. We had used APX for 2 years (after it purchased the company we were formerly using) without incident. We would venture to say that every mail order company of any size uses a mail consolidator. Unfortunately without warning, APX contacted us on 3/15 saying that they were filing for bankruptcy and would no longer accept packages. As you can imagine, this left us (as well as many other mail order companies) in a scramble for a new shipping company that could handle our number of packages. While we had initially been assured that all of our packages that APX had taken in their last few days of regular operation would be handled normally, it became apparent weeks later that delivery of these packages had been significantly delayed. We are sorry that the customer chose not utilize our guarantee. It certainly would have been fine to plant the items later in the season. We would also like to say that we do consider ourselves to be a discount bulb company--passing along product at money-saving prices to our customer. Despite the low prices, all of our product is guaranteed. Positive Mistchf El Dorado, CA (1 review) June 30, 2006 Well I'm putting a neutral at this time because, after spending over 300 on plants and bulbs the majority of them came a mess and I still planted them, no survivors. And several of them that appeared they were going to survive (one peony tree had a teeny green leaf on the stem after a year), have since died since I returned the shipping labels. Since it was such a large order I started checking around and found this site and I've just contacted them via email from this site and sincerely hope that I don't experience what a lot of others have. Should I receive my replacement plants I will definitely be saving the dead/dying ones for refund. This was my first order with this company, hope it's not my last!! On June 30th, 2006, Mistchf changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following: Having just posted this today, I wanted to return ASAP in fairness to the company...I went to the PO Box just now and my first replacement order had arrived!!! Additionally, the plants are NOTHING like the last batch, in fact the Silver Lace Vine is full with green leaves...a tad wilted but very evident that they will come back up with some water and that the plant was shipped as a great plant. Whether it was this site or what, it seems that this company may be responding to the posts and trying to up their service. My other thought is this; we live in a day and age where a lot of businesses will try to take advantage of the fact that people won't call them on their poor products. I saw that was the case here with quite a few people ie "Too much bother, I'll just never order from them again". Seeing as how my replacement plants are in 100% better shape than the original, this may be the case...sad but true..and hopefully anyone reading this that is thinking about replacing their plants will do so. As with the government, sometimes you have to make people do what they got paid to do in the first place... And thanks to Dutch for the great plants..I hope my next 5 batches will be similiar. Negative candide8 Sayville, NY (1 review) June 12, 2006 This has to be the worst company I have ever dealt with. My plants were 4 weeks late - and arrived brown and dead. The company customer service is hostile at best and they wanted me to wait 6 weeks or to send everything back at my expense. They are scammers and porr business people. I will never spend another cent there again - but they do not seem to care that they have lost a potential customer, not at all. My advice is to stay away from this company. Company representative comment on July 07, 2006: On Jul 7, 2006 3:39 PM, Royal Dutch added: Our guarantee is clearly stated in all of our catalogs and on our website: If any item you purchased from us does not live, for a FREE REPLACEMENT just RETURN THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL along with your written request within 1 year of receipt. Replacement guarantee is VOID unless the ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL is returned. For a REFUND of the purchase price, RETURN THE ITEM AND THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL, with correct postage affixed, within 14 days of receipt. We will be happy to make an adjustment on the customer's order under our guarantee. Negative EJM1027 Urbanna, VA (1 review) June 01, 2006 No response to a missing order of mine. Placed order on 4/27/06. Cleared my bank on 5/3/06 and they have apparently "lost the order". I won't be a return customer!! Company representative comment on July 07, 2006: On Jul 7, 2006 2:06 PM, Royal Dutch added: A d-mail was sent to this customer requesting information regarding the "missing order." The customer replied with the name and address the order was shipping to and the items that were ordered. We responded that we had no record of the order, nor do we carry the items that were ordered. We have not yet received a response from the cusotmer and believe the order was placed with a different company. Negative kik72 Glenview, IL (1 review) June 01, 2006 Last fall, ignoring the warnings here, I ordered, planted and mulched 20 daylilies. While the plants seemed in poor condition, I assumed it was the dormant state. However, not one of them survived the relatively mild winter. When I contacted the company, they did offer to send replacements, but I did not want to plant another 20 daylilies! That was the last I heard from them. Company representative comment on June 12, 2006: On Jun 12, 2006 4:07 PM, Royal Dutch added: We are sorry that the customer does not want us to send a replacement to her as per our guarantee. We could also send a different item of her choosing for the credit of the daylily if she wishes. Positive orville Madison, WI (3 reviews) April 30, 2006 i ordered 18 robinhood roses 50 lillies hybrid willows and the astilbe sampler not only were they a great deal money wise but they were huge the astilbes were large healthy root systems the roses all have survived and are doing well thw willows wow are the best everything they said they are and more I'll definitely buy again. this is my fourth order from these people then I found this site. cannot be the same people i have had great luck everytime my yard looks fab!!! Positive carol_lyn Brentwood, TN (1 review) April 26, 2006 This is an email sent to Royal Dutch 4/26/06. I copied the Mailorder Gardening Association (they are members) and the BBB of Central Illinois (bbb@heart.net). In the spring of 2005, well within the 1 year warranty period, we returned the original label for replacement of the stock, all of which was of inferior quality. First we got a phone call from your customer service department. They asked my wife what had died, and she said "all of it." Apparently the woman didn't believe her, because next the label was returned to us with a note asking what had died, instructing us to specify and return the shipping label--again. By this time, the warranty period had expired, but I assumed you had kept records of when the label was originally submitted. So after the holidays, on January 8, 2006, I sent the label back with a note telling exactly what had died, and after 3 months passed with no word from you, I emailed customer service on April 20th and got the reply below. (saying the guarantee expired in 8/05) You obviously have lost the shipping label and any record of when it was originally returned. All this seems like stalling tactics designed to make the warranty period expire, which it now has. You basically have taken our $59.09, sent us unhealthy plants, then refused to honor your warranty. What kind of business are you running? By the way, have you seen the customer comments at Davesgarden.com? Your company has developed quite a bad reputation. On May 12th, 2006, carol_lyn added the following: I got a detailed reply from Royal Dutch (2-3 times the length of what they posted here) making it clear they had no intention of making this right. They were upset I decided to report them to the BBB--which is still pending. Never did hear anything from the Mailorder Gardening Assn.; that tells you something, doesn't it? I also find it interesting that with a rating of 17/100, they monitor the Garden Watchdog but do nothing to improve their service. They are right about one thing: I confused the phone call with Dutch Gardens. On June 6th, 2006, carol_lyn changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following: As stated above, a complaint was filed with the BBB, and Royal Dutch cooperated fully with a detailed reply. After some thought, I acknowledged my part in responding too long after the warranty period ended. Through the BBB, I asked Royal Dutch if they would agree to a compromise, and they wrote "...(since) there is now an understanding regarding the situation with your order, we are willing to process a replacement of the plants." So we are happy with this outcome and look forward to receiving our order. Company representative comment on May 12, 2006: On May 4, 2006 10:32 AM, Royal Dutch added: This customer's order was originally placed 7/8/04 and shipped in August of 2004. The warranty extended to August 2005. In July of 2005, the customer wrote to us requesting replacements, but did not specify what needed to be replaced. We wrote back to the customer in July 2005 for further clarification. We never phoned his household as he states. In January 2006, six months later, the customer responded. If the customer had responded within a reasonable length of time, even a couple of months, the fact that the warranty had expired in between would not have been an issue. However, the warranty cannot be extended indefinitely. We do stand behind our printed guarantee. This guarantee is printed in all of our advertisements as well as posted on the home page of our website. One year is more than enough time to know if items will survive transplanting. On May 12, 2006 4:30 PM, Royal Dutch added: We monitor Garden Watchdog in an attempt to service customers who might have complaints we can help resolve. We are certainly are not concerned that the customer contacted the BBB and look forward to the chance to explain our position to them. Negative linn1456 Owasso, OK (1 review) February 12, 2006 I received supposedly live plants that had absolutely no packaging; they were placed loose in an oversized shiping container with no protection whatsoever (e.g. no pots, no plastic bags, no packing/stuffing, etc.). Needless to say, the plants were dried out and broken beyond recognition when they finally arrived (did I mention my order was shipped well after the promised date?). I called customer sdervice immediately and was reminded that the return policy required that I ship the defective order back. I argued that it was stupid to make me pay shipping when it was their poor processes that caused the problem in the first place. The customer service rep agreed and told me to send a letter describing the incident (and include the shipping labels) and that they would replace the plants. Imagine my surprise when I received a credit off my next order for the value of the plants minus shipping! The company's letter derided me for not sending the plants back in in conflict with what I was told to do by their customer service. I called customer service several times but the lack of responsiveness was overwhelming. My order included all manner of plants, bulbs, etc. I would describe the entire order as worthless, undersized, unhealthy, poorly packaged junk. I feel I was screwed; I doubt I will even bother to utilize my credit as the trouble is just not worth it. My advice? Stay away and make your orders from companies that are proven to provide quality for your $$$, e.g. Wild Seed Farms, Oakes Daylilies, etc. Company representative comment on February 28, 2006: On Feb 28, 2006 3:57 PM, Royal Dutch added: A D-mail was sent to this customer via Garden Watchdog on 2/14, but the customer has not responded to date. Unfortunately when dealing with perishable items and shipping, problems can happen. This is however covered by our guarantee. For a refund of the plants, the customer would have needed to return the plants as is explained in our guarantee, but the voucher was for the full amount of the items ordered and may be used to purchase ANY item we carry. Shipping, packing and processing will not be charged on the replacement order when the voucher is used. (This is also explained on the voucher itself.) We hope the customer will use the voucher and receive the free replacements they are entitled to under our guarantee. Negative WhiteSpruce Madison, WI (1 review) February 05, 2006 I wish I'd found this resource earlier. I got burned by Royal Dutch too. What started as a positive experience with Royal Dutch/Burgess has ended up as an overwhelmingly negative experience. Two years ago (2004) I placed an order for 20 Robin Hood Roses with them. I received what I ordered and all was well. Last Spring (2005) I placed a larger order for Robin Hood Roses, et al, with them. Upon receipt, I promptly planted them according to instructions using good-quality commercial topsoil and manure/mulch. Imagine my surprise when the flowers I planted last year (the half that lived) began blooming as an entirely different rose than I had ordered three months earlier! Three days’ worth of work, $15 dollars of soil and amendments, and an entire growing season wasted! I was not a happy camper. And of the 50 roses I ordered, only 3 survived the summer. And, again, they were the wrong kind. When I called the company to report this error in filling my order, I was told that, as I no longer have the shipping label (and what rational person would 3 months after receipt?), that I had to obtain a copy of the credit card invoice to send to them (a 6-week process to get this from the CC company). Why they required this, I don’t know, as they clearly had much more information about this sale than the CC company did; the Royal Dutch telephone salesman was able, in precise detail, to recite my order back to me. I sent a copy of the invoice, samples of the blooms of the wrong flowers they sent (their requirement), and a letter detailing all of this to them last July (2005). When I never received replacement flowers last year, I called and talked with a customer service rep. She claimed that they had never received my letter and flower samples, and that I would have to repeat the whole process all over again. (When was the last time you had a postal letter fail to arrive? It happens, but only rarely.) Therefore, I sent the information again in Jan 2006. This time, I sent the information by certified letter so I had proof of delivery. So far, I've had absolutely no response. I will never conduct business with this company, or it's affiliates, again. I'd rather pay more for fewer plants and have something live (and good customer service), than pay less, have nothing live, and receive lousy service in the bargain. Company representative comment on February 22, 2006: On Feb 22, 2006 4:10 PM, Royal Dutch added: An e-mail was sent to "WhiteSpruce" on 2/9/06, but we have not yet received a response. The posting indicates that the customer complied with our guarantee by returning the original shipping label. Therefore, we are assuming that a replacement has already been processed for Spring 2006 shipment, but are unable to verify since "WhiteSpruce" has not yet responded to our inquiries. Negative weibou Dry Fork, VA (1 review) November 05, 2005 I ordered several items from Royal Dutch. They arrived way before they were expected, but I thought that was because I had ordered a Butterfly bush that needed to get going before the weather got cold. The product I received was dead looking and squishy, BUT I thought I could revive it. NO WAY. The christmas rose looked like it might make it so I planted it in the perfect spot, only to see NOTHING after 4 weeks. I didn't expect to see much from the Clematis but I fear all is in vain. Negative dankearth Mineral, VA (6 reviews) October 31, 2005 When I opened the package, a terrible smell came out. The bulbs were all rotten! When I attempted to claim a refund, I got a spectacular run-around. Finally I gave up. Negative ecrane3 Dublin, CA (Zone 9a) (28 reviews) September 10, 2005 I ordered some bulbs and a couple plants from them this spring before I discovered this website--needless to say, I had the same experience many others have had as well. None of the bulbs grew, and although one of the plants was still alive when it arrived it didn't survive very long. I didn't bother contacting them to try and fix the situation because I had seen the comments here and figured it wasn't worth it. Negative patckat Riverside, CA (1 review) August 14, 2005 Unfortunately, I came across this forum much, much too late. I too ordered "plants" from Royal Dutch. Well over half of the "dormant" plants did not survive. Many others are still struggling 5 months later. I did not try to request a replacement as the bareroot planting season in my area has long since past. It is much too hot now to try to plant anything bareroot. I spent over $200 on my order and patted myself on the back for getting such a good deal as I am trying to landscape a rather large area. So much for cutting costs! I still had to go out and buy replacement plants for the ones that didn't make it and I am now redesigning my landscape on the fly as the local nurseries don't have what I originally planned on using from Royal Dutch. Be assured I won't order from them again. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Positive amberyl26 Morrisdale, PA (3 reviews) July 06, 2005 I've only ordered from them once, but the bulbs I received were immaculate and are blooming magnificently. I ordered tiger lilies, which came as beautiful, huge, firm bulbs and callas which again, were beautifully sized and firm. I appear to be the exception rather than the rule, but I do have to admit I'd be tempted to give them another try...Especially since what they sent me are doing so well. Negative jkramer Saint Charles, IL (Zone 5a) (2 reviews) June 20, 2005 In 2004 I ordered a daylily assortment, and when the bulbs arrived, almost all were obviously rotting -- mushy and falling apart. Sure enough, none of them grew. I sent my shipping label, plus a letter, to Royal Dutch and in a few weeks received a full replacement. This time the bulbs were firm and appeared viable. Most of these did grow. While I must say that Royal Dutch honored their guarantee, they should never have shipped the original poor quality stock in the first place. I do not intend to purchase from them again. Negative beblue3333 Madison, WI (8 reviews) May 05, 2005 Of course I didn’t listen to the warnings on here. I went ahead and ordered the daylilies because of the cheap prices. Most of my order looked OK except for 2 items that looked dead upon arrival. They were shriveled up in their packages. Why in the world would they send out something that looked dead for awhile. (They probably have packers that couldn't care less if something is dead or alive.) I contacted them and I was pissed off. Of course they said replacements would be sent. I sent back the packing slip and a letter about the replacements and asked that they would confirm via email or phone. That was on April 6 and now it is May 6 and I have yet to hear anything from them. For the prices, I did not expect huge plants, but I did expect them to be alive when they get here. Probably will not order from them again. Their customer service sucks and they don't seem to care so why should I do business with them. On May 17th, 2005, beblue3333 changed the rating from neutral to negative and added the following: Here's my follow up: I got the 3 replacements, 1 order of crocosmia, 2 daylilies. The crocosmia are OK, one has mold on it. 1 daylily was mushy and the other is totally dried up dead I called them back and they told me to resend the packaging. I was totally shocked. I already sent the packaging back once and I'm not going to waste my time sending back stuff when they keep on sending me dead replacements. DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY! They don't care about what they send out and customer satisfaction is not their priority. I will definitely report them to consumer protection. Neutral droughtlover Igo, CA (3 reviews) April 20, 2005 I orderred Sedums and hybrid poplar. The bareroot Sedums were in mediocre to poor shape; time will tell if they grow. 75% of the poplars appeared to be in good condition (and I delayed planting longer than I should have), and are currently sending out nice shoots. 25% of the trees were either broken, or lacked roots, or looked obviously dead. Cheap prices, poor packaging. I'm happy enough with the trees to give them a try once again. Negative GardenMouse Mahomet, IL (13 reviews) April 12, 2005 While I'm glad for those who have had a positive experience with these companies, I have to say that my experience with the Plantron empire was horrible. I work in Bloomington, and one of my students worked in the fields for this greenhouse and was full of admiration for how knowledgeable her bosses were--so, despite all of the negative comments about this company, I drove on over, hoping that maybe the products and service would be better for a local who visited in person. Sadly, that was not the case. The service was rude and unhelpful, not one thing I purchased actually grew, and when I got home I discovered that they had not included any of the "free bulbs and plants" that were supposed to be included with every purchase (despite the fact that I reminded the salesman at least three times). I didn't try to get get a refund, since I kind of felt like I knew what I was getting into before I bought anything from them, and I didn't spend enough there for it to be worth the hassle. But if it makes anyone feel better, I sneer in Royal Dutch Garden's general direction whenever I drive by. Positive MiaVaga Huntersville, NC (1 review) April 11, 2005 For those who have found this website AFTER placing an order, I must make you feel better in noting that I have had 3 great experiences ordering first from four seasons, then direct gardening and finally royal dutch. Infact, I lost my magazine and could not remember the website so I typed in Royal Dutch and this complaint site popped up first. I feel aweful for everyone that had a bad experience and wish you the best of luck in fixing your order, but I must point out to those who are waiting on their order. The assortment and pricing is unbeatable. When people are content or happy with a product or service they don't normally seek out ways to give the company free marketing. It is only when one is very disappointed that you vent to everyone that will listen. Thus perhaps there are many people like myself that have only good things to say about their Royal Dutch experience. Best of luck...

Read the rest of the comments

Return to the Garden Watchdog homepage

Learn how to link to this page