On May 2, 2008, I ordered 2 orchid plants with overnight shipping to my Mom for delivery on May 7. She was going to be out of town at the end of the week and I wanted her to see them at her office before she left, for Mother's Day.

I placed the order, with overnight shipping, for a total of $224.73.

I received a shipping notification from UPS that the plants had been submitted for shipping. On May 7th. Not for delivery on May 7th. Also, the products were shipped UPS Ground, not Overnight, as I ordered (and paid $29.95 for).

I called at 4:15am upon receipt of this shipping notification and spoke to Philip. I was concerned to say the least. I asked why no one had bothered to call me to tell me the shipment would be late, and asked why it was. Philip said, "We're really busy. Sorry."

I asked where the plants were shipping from. He told me they were shipping from Vista, CA. I thought that was pretty funny (NOT REALLY), that I had paid $29.95 for Overnight shipping & delivery (and ON-TIME SHIPPING & DELIVERY), to the same city. I asked if they could just DELIVER THE PLANTS (ie: drive them over to my Mom's office, since they screwed up, and also since the address I now see listed on their website is less than 6 miles away from my Mom's company). Philip said no, but he would credit the shipping.

It's now May 8th, and I have not received a shipping credit.

My Mom also received her shipment today - ONE PLANT, NOT TWO, AS ORDERED.

I called these jerks several times before their posted closing time of 6pm - their voicemail picked up. Surprise, their voicemail box is FULL (I imagine it's full of complaints). I emailed them and have not received a response yet.

I am now going down to Vista tomorrow specifically to see what made its way to my Mom's office. Although she will not be there, I will inspect the one plant she did receive. I have already spoken to someone at the office who said it is substandard at best.

These people are going to have to issue a call tag to pick this plant up, as a start, because I am not paying for their terrible attitude toward me as a customer, nor for their crappy service.

I am issuing a chargeback through my bank tomorrow, first thing. This will not stand with me, as I am an avid orchid buyer, both for myself and as gifts for those I love.

I am disabled and this undertaking to Vista tomorrow is a real inconvenience, and I am furious that these people have been allowed to be in business as long as they have with all the horror stories about them.

I n addition to initiating the chargeback tomorrow, I will be contacting the Better Business Bureau, as well as seeking steps to contact the Merchant Account for 1888Orchids.com since I believe I have been defrauded at the very least, and that it is a common practice for these people, and that they have no intention of keeping their word to me as a valued customer, which is not only exhibited by their heinous actions, but also by their lie of crediting my account.

Do yourself a favor - stay far away from this company and everyone who works for it.

This is very interesting. I took a drive to their "headquarters" on Crescent Drive in Vista, CA. That is a residence. The other address listed on Lonnie St. in Oceanside is also a residence.

The BBB says they have 7 employees. I say they hire a call center and no actual employees. I would also venture to say this is a scam and to contact the CA Attorney General's Office. The BBB has given them an unsatisfactory rating. I guess if you get screwed badly enough, you could also go to one or both of the residences and demand your cash back. Something just ain't right here and their ratings indicate that.

I ordered a 3 month orchid package from 1888orchids in January.
The January plant came dying, but they were nice enough to say they would send a new plant with the one they were sending in Feb. I thought this was great customer service, but I was proven wrong.

Feb came, they sent that month's plant only, without the replacement. We tried to call, but got no answer, and the answering machine said the mailbox was full. Ended up hoping it would arrive with the March orchid.

Well, March came along and that month's plant was never even sent (and the replacement one never came either). When we called them back to ask what happened, they said there was a mix up and yes, the March one was never sent out, and that they saw the replacement one was to be sent, which never went out either.

At this point, I already knew there was a problem with these people, that they didn't actually care about the customer, once they got your money. When the guy said he would send out the 2 plants I was annoyed that he didn't seem to care that I had paid a lot of money for a birthday present for someone who at this point has only received one good plant out of 3. When I said something about this, he tried to placate me with saying he would send a box of chocolates too. I said that wasn't good enough and that I wanted them to now send 3 plants. He agreed to send out, the next week, 3 plants.
I was all set to say these guys were OK in the end, but the saga doesn't end there. The 3 plants were not sent out when they said, so I called again (last Wed, if you are keeping track). The guy told me this time that there was a shipping issue and that they would ship out in the next couple days for sure... to look for a tracking number on my account by Monday (yesterday). Of course there was no tracking number. I decided to even give them an extra day in case tracking numbers don't update right away. Today there was still no number so I called back.
This time the guy told me that they had shipped, but the number just hadn't come up yet. I asked him for the number but he said he would have to go get it. I told him I wanted it tonight, so I gave him my phone number to call back when he gets the tracking number. That was an hour ago, it is now 15 minutes before they close. I called back to get the tracking number - no one answered, and I got a message that their mailbox was full, so I couldn't even leave a message.
According to that last guy I spoke to, the orchids are supposed to arrive either tomorrow or the next day. At this point I have zero faith that they will actually come.

Please be careful if you are considering buying from 1888orchids.com...

I only wish this website would either condense, move, or remove the giant listing from the company of all their "happy" customers, as many people probably don't think to scroll very far down a page, see all those good reviews, and miss the bad ones.

As one last point of interest, I visited the Better Business Bureau site, and found the listing for them under another site run by the same people (1-800-pointsettias.com). The BBB has them listed with an unsatisfactory rating. I won't go into what they say there myself, go read it, and then make up your own mind on if you want to use this company.

I purchased a cattleya orchid from 1888Orchids Lc. Drumbet "Taida" that I could not find anywhere else online. The orchid arrived fast and the orchid was sent in a 5" inch pot. I am very please with the size and beauty of this orchid and will buy from 1888Orchids.com again. I will recommend your company too.
Thank You,
Jesus

Note from the Garden Watchdog editors...

I ordered flowers for a special occasion dinner. when i checked my order status via their website, it showed the status as "processing" 2 days later, although my credit card had already been charged. I called and was told i would receive an email with tracking information. I never received the email or the flowers. I called again and was told there was a "problem with yesterday shipments". I would never have been notified i wasn't going to receive my flowers if i hadn't called. Now I have a dinner to go to tonight and no flowers. I'll end up with carnations from the grocery store.

I ordered a nice orchid for my sister's birthday last Jul 30 and paid for an overnight charge of $20. My sister's birthday was July 31. After 8 days, the orchid is still not delivered to my sister's house. If I had seen this website before I ordered from 1888orchids, I would have never had gone through this ordeal. DO NOT ORDER from 1888orchids. I left several voice mails and emails to their customer service I finally received a reply on Aug 1st that they will deliver the orchid on August 3 and would throw in a box of chocolates as if that would make up for the "surprise" gift for my sister. When I ask what kind of chocolates, all I got from Steve was a rude reply asking me if I ever seen a box of chocolates before. I was tempted to cancel the order then but I thought I would give them another chance but HUGE MISTAKE, not only they did not deliver last Friday, it is now Wednesday, still no orchids delivered to my sister. THIS IS THE WORST COMPANY I ever dealt with. There has to be something that can be done to close this website!!!!!

alls I want to know is how in the world this company is still in business after all these years with nothing but negative reviews??!! DO NOT USE THEM. If only i had seen these posts before my order.

How disappointing - I ordered a basket of orchids for my mother's 75th birthday and three days after the date they were to be delivered, not only have they not yet arrived as promised but the voice mail box is full at 1 888 orchids. What a horrible outfit.

How I wished I'd read these reviews before making a purchase at 1-888orchids!!!
I needed some orchid bark and thought it would be easiest to purchase a bag online and have it delivered. The shipping was expensive, so I purchased two bags thinking it would be more cost effective that way. Unfortunately, they charged the same shipping per item. Makes sense for a living plant, not so much for a bag of bark. I quickly tried to call this company to modify my order and guess what? The voicemail was full. It was full all that day, the next day, and the day after that. I tried emailing the company by copying and pasting the link provided on their site. I figured that would do to cancel that order and so, like an idiot, I posted another order for just one bag ( I really needed to repot). The email bounced back!!! I finally googled reviews of this company and found less than savory feedback. I found another email link and tried to cancel both orders and have not heard a peep from this company since then.
However, I am in posession of the most expensive unwanted bark on the planet.
If you feel okay dealing with a company that's quick to charge your credit card but has NO customer service - feel free. Although I will still order plants and supplies online I will NEVER deal with this company again and will be more hesitant when dealing with new companies.

Unprofessional & Rude!! I ordered an orchid plant from this website, and paid for a two day delivery. The plant came two days late, and when I contacted Steve, he was the rudest man I have ever spoken to. I was given a false tracking number, and he did not return my phone call as he said he would. He hung up on me, and kept telling me to "relax dude you'll get your plant." He would not give any information about the actual owner, or anyone else that I could talk to about my problem. I felt like I was being taken advantage of. The plant was very nice, but the delievery, and customer service were horrible.

I ordered a very expensive basket of 3 orchids on 2/12 and paid extra shipping cost to guarantee Valentines Day delivery. Not only did it not arrive when promised, I received a tracking email with an invalid tracking number. Over the next couple of days, I called and emailed with no response, and to add insult to injury, they have no toll free number so every time you reach the machine it is a toll charge. I finally reached someone by phone on Friday, 2/16 and was told that the order had never left their greenhouse, someone should have contacted me, etc. They promised to refund my shipping cost and overnight it on Monday 2/19. It is now Monday, 2/26 and I have not received the product, my emails have gone unanswered and the telephone # goes into voice mail with a mailbox full message. I have appealed the charge and initiated an investigation with my credit card company and through them found out that not only didn't they credit my card for the shipping refund, they actually charged me an additional $10 charge after the non-delivery. I am a very frequent internet shopper and have never had such a bad experience. Stay away from this company!

I don't know if these people are criminal or just incompetent. Unfortunately, I really like their stuff; the orchid pots, in particular, are beautiful and I have not found anything similar elsewhere. I intend to look harder, however. I have ordered from them on 5 or 6 occasions. The second time, back in 2004, a pot arrived broken and they immediately replaced it following my notifying them of the problem by phone. However, the last two times they have not done as well. In April of 2006, I ordered some pots and did not receive them until I reminded them in June. After reminding them of the order, I received the shipment within a week. The last time has been much worse. In November 2006, I ordered several pots, potting bark, and moss. My credit card was charged immediately. After numerous emails and promises that "it will ship Friday" or "it will ship this week," by the end of I have only received the bark and the moss. And now they ignore my emails.

I have dealt with this company for two years, my last order was over $1,500.00 and got everything on time and in perfect condition. the staff was more than helpful. I have recommended this company to many of my staff, and they all love the products. Thank you Mr.Peralta for all your helpfullness in choosing the products I ordered.

Note from the Garden Watchdog editors...

I ordered an orchid for my boyfriend and was charged on May 5, 2006. On May 9th, I cancelled the order because my bf and I broke up. Their internet was down so I had to call back to confirm the cancellation. Fortunately, the order never was shipped. However, I never received credit back on my card. I emailed and 2 published addresses, bounced back and 2 looked it it went through - To date, I have not received any email correspondences or confirmation of any kind!

I called 1888Orchids.com on 5/16 and they said they would process the credit immediately. After checking my account, I called back on 5/18 and they apologized that they had not processed the credit and would do so in two minutes. Again, after waiting and checking my account, I ended up disputing the charge through the bank on 5/22 at 5:00pm.

How dishonest and unprofessional! I would never order from this company again - what a waste of time and energy!

There are many places on the web to buy orchids. Do NOT use this one. I could describe my experience in detail, but this is a short summary:
- I purchased an orchid online, and was given an arrival date (my credit card was charged immediately)
- 2 days AFTER it was supposed to have arrived, I called and was told it was sold out. I cancelled the order.
- The next day, they sent something anyway, which was completely different (and much cheaper) than what I had originally ordered.
- They claimed on the phone three times over the next two weeks that they would refund my account. They did not.
- I finally emailed them with all documentation, again requesting a refund. I received a rude, abrupt email back from Steve Peralta (the owner) stating simply "we have decided not to issue a credit for this order".

So, they feel they can just disregard a request to cancel an order, send something completely different (and cheaper), refuse to provide instructions for returning it, and refuse to provide any refund. No wonder this company has an unsatisfactory record with the BBB, with MANY unresolved complaints. Add mine to the list!

I have been using the internet and catalogs to order items for many years, and I have never had anything close to such a negative experience. I ordered two items from this company on the same day. One was a Mother's Day orchid set up for a two-day delivery, and the other was a lei for my daughter's college graduation, set up for overnight delivery to Ohio. I received an email from the company saying the Mother's Day orchid shipped, but the Fed Ex number was left blank. The company did not respond to either my phone call or my email requesting a tracking number. The Mother's Day flowers did arrive on time, but were not as described. The plant was much smaller than expected and was not in bloom as promised.

The experience with the lei was really horrendous, however. I arrived in Ohio Friday night to discover that I had not received an email confirmation that the lei went out Friday for Saturday delivery. I started calling Saturday morning, but kept getting a "mailbox is full message". I finally reached someone who told me they were having trouble finding the shipping record and that they would check on it right away and send me an email. After 1/2 an hour, I started calling again as I now had less than three hours to find other flowers if the lei was not going to arrive. I once again got a series of "mailbox full" messages, so I kept calling until I finally reached a person. This person was unbelieveably rude. I have never experienced anything like it in over 40 years of dealing with retail businesses. He yelled at me for calling repeatedly, and told me "sorry, but it's not coming" in a way that indicated he wasn't sorry at all. Worst of all, he would not even let me finish my sentence as I tried to explain that I kept redialing because the answering machine was full and wouldn't allow me to leave a message. I was never able to finish that sentence, never heard back as promised regarding what happened, and never received a geninuine apology. A prompt, simple, and polite response that the flowers were definitely not coming would have been disappointing but acceptable. To be yelled at for trying to discover the status of my order and to not be allowed to ask a question or finish a sentence is beyond the retailing pale, however.

I ordered cut flowers to be delivered within 2 days to a relative at a hospital. When the flowers did not arrive, I called 1888Orchids and they said the problem is with FedEx, not them. So I then contacted Fedex and they said 1888Orchids did not give them the shipment on time. I then called them back and they said "we've been really busy so it went out a day later". They never thought to notify me of the delay. Meanwhile, my relative is waiting all day for flowers that didn't arrive. They were eventually delivered, but I don't understand why 1888Orchid didn't have the sense to at least tell me about the delay so I could let my relative know. It is just irresponsible and unprofessional.

I placed an order for several orchids and a couple of gift baskets from 1888Orchids to celebrate a great month for my company. The rather large order was received on time and the product was exactly what I expected. The day the packages arrived I received a call from Steve Peralta to confirm everything was OK. I was impressed by the level of service and overall professionalism.

I will order again and hope to have the same pleasant experience.

Juan

Note from the Garden Watchdog editors...

I ordered an orchid for my grandmother's 78th birthday & scheduled it to arrive via FedEx overnight on February 8th. I received an email from 1888orchids on January 31, the day I ordered the orchid, saying I would receive a FedEx # shortly. In the next email, on February 5th, it said my FedEx # was included, but instead there was a blank space. I tried calling 1888orchids, but kept getting a "voicemail is full" message. I emailed them asking for help & also noted there was a typo in their original FedEx email. I got a response back regarding the typo, but no FedEx information.

I then called again on February 8th & spoke to a representative (who refused to give me his name) & he said he'd call me back shortly. He never did. I called again on February 11th, as no orchid had been delivered. Again, the customer service rep didn't give me his name, but promised to call me back. He didn't.

I tried calling again on February 13th, but again I got a full voicemail box. I also emailed them again. On the 14th, I tried calling again, but continued to be transfered to a "voicemail is full" message. I have also faxed them, but did not receive a response.

Mid-day, I finally got ahold of someone at 1888orchids. She told me that there was no tracking info in the computer related to my order, & it appeared that my orchid was actually out of stock. I told her that I requested a refund, as the orchid did not arrive even close to the request arrival date, & now I would need to "rush" something to my grandmother just for her to receive anything near her birthday. She told me she couldn't do that, but would call me back "soon." I told her that I needed that information ASAP, as if there was no orchid, I would need to get something else for my grandmother. She insisted she would call me back. I waited 4 hours & finally ordered a flower bouqet from another vendor so as not to disappoint my grandmother. Late that afternoon, I received an email (which I actually didn't even see until that evening because they didn't call me, but emailed me!) from Steve Peralta, saying that my orchid was delivered that afternoon. He included a FedEx tracking #, which confirmed that a package was indeed delivered to my grandmother. I tried calling 1888orchids, but couldn't get through, so I emailed and asked for a full refund b/c of their tardiness and lack of support.

The orchid arriving anytime after the 13th would be too late, and in fact, it's too late already. The orchid arrived 6 days late, missing her birthday & the date I requested it to be delivered.1888orchids did not seem to want to help me, & I was left with two options: do nothing or order something else.As this is my grandmother and not some business acquaintance, I obviously ordered something, but I feel as though 1888orchids took me for a ride. I have since filed a claim with the BBB asking for a complete refund, as Steve Peralta has emailed me saying that because an orchid was delivered (and he didn't seem to care that it was extremely late) that should be the end of story.

Dealing with 1888Orchids is an experience not to be believed. I ordered an expensive orchid which was to have come completely potted and all set to be displayed in a prominent location for everyone to notice. The plant was due to arrive via Fed Ex on a Wednesday. Needless to say Wed. came and went. So I called and spoke to someone named Philip who said there was a problem but he didn't know what it was but the orchid was to arrive on Thursday. Well as you might guess by Thursday I was on the phone again to Phillip who checked on the order and told me it was in the Fed Ex facility in San Diago but would be to me by Friday and was worth the delay. Ok, so Friday comes and so does the orchid. I opened the box and to my suprise it wasn't what I ordered. I had a giant orchid, no pot, roots all over the place and so on. Well I called up my pal Philip again and explained that my order was incorrect and that although the orchid was nice and big and alive I couldn't use it and it wasn't what I ordered. My pal Philip was shocked and couldn't understand why I didn't like it. I told him it wasn't what I ordered but I don't think he really cared about that part.He still insisted that I hang it somewhere since it didn't have a pot!I tried to explain that in most businesses they usually ship what the customer orders. Not with 888 Orchids , he told me it was a beautiful plant and hung up the phone on me!! This guy is a classic! So I called back and got my pal again and told him that he should arrange to call Fed Ex and have this plant picked up and returned to him. He sort of agreed, "I think" and told me it probably be four or five day's before he could arrange for this to happen. Don't ask me, it's anyones guess what might happen next. Anyway for those who like being tortured in an amuseing sort of way by all means call this crazy orchid place, but if your serious about getting what you ordered I suggest you keep shopping elsewhere!

I really wish I came across this site prior to ordering from this company. The orchid was for mother's day, my mother received it with a fungus. She took it to another florist she deals with all the time and they said that the fungus was extremely contagious to other plants and that it would eventually die. I called the company, spoke to Steve Perula (the owner) and he said that this fungus was normal for this type of orchid. ANY fungus isn't normal! After about 4 phone calls, I finally got their fedex number, shipped back the plant, and got a refund.

Do NOT use this service. I ordered orchids for a 1 day delivery and it didnt ship out until the following day, even though their own invoice and associated charges were for 1 day. They did not bother to inform me that they could not deliver the service that I paid for.

I contacted the "dis-"service department where a snippity girl gleefully tells me that its not their policy to guarantee delivery. It would be nice for them to post this on their website "1 DAY DELIVERY $20.00--but not guaranteed".

So I asked her why did the order go through and why wasnt I contacted if they knew they couldnt deliver on time. She again says we dont have that policy. So in essence they are in the business of defrauding by offering a service that they might fulfill...but if not...oh well...its not policy to inform the purchaser.

She started telling me her problems: "Well, its not my fault we didnt contact you and didnt get the shipment out...4 or 5 workers called in sick and Im the only one in customer service...also the orchids we ordered didnt come in...besides you werent the only one who didnt get your order. I didnt have the time to call the 10 other people who also paid for overnight and didnt get it."

She concludes "its policy...cant help you". Funny, you figure it is her company's problem that they dont have adequate manpower; HOWEVER, they do have a very inept, indifferent, apathetic customer service girl.

I ordered a large, white phalaenopsis from 1888Orchids.com on a Saturday and chose to have it delivered on the following Monday via the less expensive 2 day air method. When I submitted the order, I realized it had defaulted to Overnight, which was more expensive, but probably better for the plant and perhaps the only method that was available to get it to me for Monday. Plant did not arrive as scheduled, and when I tracked it via FedEx, I realized it had shipped on Monday for delivery Tuesday. When I called, the woman who handled my questions was poliet, informative, and even apologized for the confusion, hitting all the key customer service points. When my orchid arrived, I was impressed with its size and the fancy stem support clips. Lovely little dragon flies instead of the ugly, boring twisty-ties another orchid site had sent me were a nice surprise. I was surprised that only one bloom was damaged in shipping, since an orchid I ordered from a competitor arrived with several broken flowers. I was, however, slightly disappointed to discover their bamboo support had stained one of the petals -- a waterproof dye or a natural finish would be something for the company to consider. But it was the professionalism of their customer support rep which made ordering from 1888Orchids worth it. Although I am somewhat worried because of the other feedback 1888Orchids.com has received, I will order from them again.

I've been trying for over a month to receive a promised credit from this company over a mishandled order. I've called three times and sent two emails. No one seems to particualry care. However, the incident that sent me over the edge occurred today when I called once again. As I was describing my dilemma to a customer service representative, who sounded like a young woman, she interrupted me with the comment "Let's make this short." When I told her this was a very poor customer relations attitude she hung up on me! Bam! Never in my forty years as a consumer have I ever had someone in customer relations hang up on me. Even more aggravating was the fact I wasn't being rude -- she was! A little research later turned up the information that this was probably the daughter of the owner. I have no tolerance for a company that places nepotism above the welfare of the customer. And nepotism or no, this is an outrageous and unacceptable response to a now former customer.

Plant ordered for Christmas arrived dead.
I made seven phone calls and sent 12 emails - recd only one response...a canned reply from Steve, the owner, when I addressed email to Investor Relations address. It said - we'll get back to you. Finally, I reached some "supervisor" named Phillip who simply told me I was rude and what did I expect them to do about the problem. Then he hung up on me. He called back, said he found my order and laughed because "it was so small...and why would anyone care..."
DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY - read all the other comments on this site and believe them. These people also opporate 1800poinsettias.com in exactly the same way.

Horrendous Customer Service. On Thursday, 8/7/03, I ordered a $90 collector's/rare orchid, along with a history of orchids book for our boss's birthday present. The total including shipping came to $162.75.

I called after placing the order to speak to someone about ensuring it would arrive Monday the 11th. They assured me it would ship out that Saturday for Monday's delivery. Well it didn't, so I called and left a message on their answering machine. I didn't get a return call, so I had to call them again in which this time I spoke to Phillip. He said he'd have to check on it and call me back. I again stressed how important it was, because it was for our boss's birthday. An hour later, no call back. I called again and he promised to make sure it would ship out for tomorrow's delivery. He didn't know why it didn't ship as promised.

I asked him to double check on the book and that I needed tracking numbers and asked him to call me back with all the new info. He said he would and never did.

At 7pm EST, I called AGAIN and spoke to Crystal. She was very polite and checked on the order. It had just been scanned and was leaving their building. However, the book would arrive in a seperate box because it was being drop shipped from a book vendor.

Today, I get the orchid, but no book. I called and left a message on the answering machine for someone to call me back as soon as they opened (10AM EST). No call..

I have gone way above and beyond my duty as a customer. My frustration level rising immensely, I called AGAIN and this time spoke to Madalyn. I expressed my dissatisfaction with the lack of customer service I had received and again inquired on the book. She looked it up and spoke to someone in the back ground who stated "she called yesterday'. Yes, I did call yesterday and NO, I was never told, not one time that it would be 3 - 8 business days for the book to arrive. I inquired why I was charged $9.95 for 2 day Fed Ex shipping (there was a seperate $9.95 shipping charge for the orchid). The reply I received was that was the lowest shipping charge they offer. My advise? Charge 1/2 of that and inform the customer that it may not be delivered for a while.

As I told the first person, the second person and the third person with this company, that this was for a birthday present, why could no one, until I called several times (long distance to boot) tell me this little piece of valuable information?

I conduct internet business on a regular basis for orders much, much larger than this and have honestly never had a problem. I do not expect the world on silver platter, but I DO expect good customer service and for their telephone associates to be knowledgeable about their practices. I do expect that when there is a problem, they at least act as if they care and try to fix it. When I am promised a call back, I expect a call back.

Bad customer service will ruin a company. I wish I had read the 7 other negative postings on this web site before placing my order. If I had, I would have never used this company.

I have learned my lesson and I will never do business with this company again.

I wish there was a rating worse than 'negative' that I could give this company. I ordered an orchid and a bonsai plant to the tune of $90 (for the plants and 2-day FEDEX). I received the orchid and a ziploc bag containing a pile of twigs and bush. I thought it was the bonsai but I didn't know for sure because, other than a generic pamphlet on orchid care, the package didn't contain any correspondence from the company.

I immediately sent an email to the company on Tuesday saying that I had received the orchid and some "bush" but no bonsai. Thursday night, a gentleman left a voicemail that he had received a package from Jardinera.com (who? I didn't order from them) with my name and phone number on it. The package was addressed to 25 F____ Street and he walked around the block looking for my house. Well, that number doesn't exist (I live at 26 F_____ Street) so FEDEX just dumped the package on his doorstep (which is 31 F____ Street).

On Friday, I picked up the package which turned out to be the bonsai. I was irate that I had paid $20 in shipping charges for 2 day delivery and had to rely on the kindness of a stranger to receive my plant a week after it was shipped! So I fired another email informing the company that I had received the bonsai but the package was labeled with a non-existent address and dumped on a random doorstep. In addition, I advised that if they were sending an order in separate shipments, they should tell customers to look for separate boxes. In closing, I wrote: "Overall, while I was pleased with the quality and the packaging of the plants (both were excellent), I am bothered by the shipping issues and the lack of communication on your part. Since I emailed my complaint on Tuesday, I haven't heard anything from your company. Had this stranger not called me to tell me that he was holding my package, I would have had to chalk up the bonsai as a loss. Unfortunately, I am an avid gardener and orchid lover and in light of this experience, I would not recommend your services."

A week after I sent the email to 1888orchids.com, someone responded to my first email saying that they were happy to send a replacement bonsai. They never addressed or seemed to have read the second email.

As far as I'm concerned, they shot themselves in the foot. I am an avid online shopper and have accounts with a select number of companies. I have had shipping/product mishaps with some of the companies but they have always resolved the problem quickly and efficiently. A two minute phone call has always resulted in an apology, a credit and/or overnight replacement. For such courteous and prompt service, they get my business for life.

Had I checked with Garden Watchdog, I would not have purchased from this company. I'm sorry to discuss my negativity at length but I would like to spare someone the trouble of dealing with this company.

This is the worst company ever. I ordered an orchid last week to be delivered overnight. Like the comments above, the orchid never arrived. I called, emailed, and called again. They sent me fake FedEx tracking number and then finally said the order took so long because it was rare. Another lie. Luckily they finally sent it a week later.

Please, don't order from this company! I called weeks ago for $160.00 of Orchids. When I spoke with Madeline a few days after my orchids were supposed to get to my home I found out they went to Alabama instead of Colorado. Then she sent me 3 Orchids the next week that I didn't order. I sent them back and called the next day asking for my money back because I no longer wanted the orchids. She said I would get my money back. My lawyer has even called and still there is no money in my account! This organization will take your money but they don't give it back. I will go to the BBB too and hope everyone gets their flowers elsewhere.

I have ordered from this company twice because it's in Southern California, close to the intended recipients' addresses. Both times, after the orchids were sent, I was advised that they sent plants different from the ones I ordered because the ones I ordered weren't in stock. I wasn't given a refund of any type, possibly because I didn't insist they do it. But I (stupidly) decided to give them another chance. I called today to order a plant I saw on their website. I was assured that it was definitely in stock (a yellow cymbidium). When I pressed the customer service person to check to be sure, she left the line for a while, then came back to tell me that the orchid I had asked for actually WASN't in stock! Would I like another?
Luckily, this time I didn't order directly off their site or on their first telephone assurance. What is the problem? I could have been an excellent customer, but they have shot themselves in the foot on this one. I love orchids, but will not use 1888orchids.com again! All they need to do is be sure they don't offer plants that they can't deliver. I can't possibly be the only person who's had this experience with them.
Thank you.

On Saturday, Nov.23, 2002, I placed an order and was told it would go out Monday am and arrive by Tues. Nov. 25. I did not receive any acknowledgement by Nov. 26 so I emailed the company, and followed up by leaving a phone message inquiring into the status of my order the next day. Sunday, December 1, I had not gotten any response so I phoned the company again. I was told that my order was still not sent out, and that it would go out on December 2. When I asked what had happened I was told the order had been misplaced. I asked why I was not contacted no answer was given. I asked the owner's name and was told Steve, but the employee refused to give a last name. I would have been satisfied if an apology was issued but none was forthcoming. The employee offered to send the order out Monday, standard shipping at no charge. I cancelled the order, and am now determined to take legal action and hold the company accountable. I called back and explained I wanted to write a letter of complaint and was then told that the owner's name is Steve Peralta.

Worst experience I have ever had with a company I have dealt with. I ordered a product with next day delivery, 5 days later still I wait. I can't get a return message from their customer service e-mail. I can't get them to answer their telephone I still haven't received an order ship verification and FedEx says they can't find or track them. Not a good start or customer service.