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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.
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.
On Jul 19, 2009, amnesiadream Oklahoma City, OK (Zone 7b) wrote:
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.
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.
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
On May 18, 2009, neptunia2 Hayward, CA (Zone 10a) wrote:
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.
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!!
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.
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
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.
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
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.
.
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,
On Apr 21, 2007, Royal Dutch responded with:
"
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."
On Mar 30, 2007, Aimee_ Walnut Creek, CA (Zone 9a) wrote:
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.
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
On Aug 9, 2006, Royal Dutch responded with:
"
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."
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.
On Jul 8, 2006, Royal Dutch responded with:
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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.
"
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.
On Jun 12, 2006, Royal Dutch responded with:
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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."
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!!
On Jun 1, 2006, Royal Dutch responded with:
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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."
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.
On Jun 1, 2006, Royal Dutch responded with:
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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."
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.
On Feb 12, 2006, Royal Dutch responded with:
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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."
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.
On Feb 5, 2006, Royal Dutch responded with:
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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."
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.
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.
On Sep 10, 2005, ecrane3 Dublin, CA (Zone 9a) wrote:
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.
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!
On Jun 20, 2005, jkramer Saint Charles, IL (Zone 5a) wrote:
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.
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.
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.
If it sounds too good to be true; it usually is!! I was also swayed by the great prices. I placed an order on 2/21/05. I have emailed with no reply. Right now I would be happy with a response, even better a refund! (order # 31402938)
The Garden Watchdog is such a great resource, I should have checked here first.
I was very disappointed to see the flimsy packaging of my rather large fragile purchase (the rock bottom prices were enticing). I feared opening a bunch of crushed dead looking specimens, but things actually looked like they were in decent shape ("dormant", but the lavendar had some healthy sprouts). Sadly, I found this complaint page after receiving the order.
I can only hope that the company has taken customer complaints to heart and improved their offerings -- even if only as a result of legal force. I will hope for the best, but will bookmark this site and save the follow up contacts in my address book.
It's difficult to imagine how they make their money to stay in business unless their slim profit margin hinges such a large volume after settling complaints.
I ordered about $70 of assorted bulbs on July 1. I recieved them in a green plaastic bag, when the bag was open I was hit by a stench similar to rotted potatos.
I was told to send te original shipping label back and the bulbs would be replaced. I also sent an extra $9 for UPS shipping. I recieved the bulbs yesterday, when I opened them I recieved that familiar stench and sure enough most the bulbs had turned to a slime consistancy.
I called and asked for a reimbursement, to which I was told they couldnt do. I now have filed a dispute of payment with my credit card. If I were to follow the same directions again, by the time I got the bulbs,if they werent rotted, it would be too late to plant.
Within a 1 block radius of my house I've run into 2 other people that have had similar experience.
The customer service reps are rude and short, and leave you with no alternative but to keep sending shipping labels. Now they have my original (I took a copy) so if something else dosent come up Im just screwed.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!
I should have known better.... I ordered 18 robin hood roses from this company (bare root) in mid-July. They insisted that even though it was mid summer, I'd receive healthy dormant plants, and I'd have no problem with planting and with the results. I received 18 DEAD- I mean falling apart, stinking, DRIED OUT plants. My options? Repackage this mess and send it back (at MY cost) or plant them (yeah sure) and let them know how they do after 6 weeks. I guess I'll "plant them" and call them after 6 weeks. I'll report the results in 6 weeks.
Ordered nice looking creepers and moss. They arrived 6 weeks later (!) and dead. I called the company and was told they were "dormant" and I should plant them and wait 6 weeks for them to sprout up. I did that, using standard gardening practices for those plants. Two tried hard to make themselves live, but were not successful. I lost $47. When I called the company today, they told me their policy was that I could have replacement plants. I explained that it is too late and would like a refund. No-go. They said I can send in the labels for replacements (I was told this at least 15 times, in very pleasant tones.) I called Visa and was given my money back. A happy ending to a sad story. I'd never use Royal Dutch Gardens for anything ever again.
w0w- sure wish I'd seen this earlier- but i was one of the lucky ones- my order from Royal Dutch did not ship and did not ship and did not ship and they kept promising so on the 59th day, I filed a complaint with my credit card company and finally got the credit- BUT, stupid me, I'd also placed an order with Direct Gardening which did ship and everything was scuzzy, moldy and/or dead so I sealed everything backup and went down to the post office and mailed it back insured. And they said they didn't get it etc for nearly three months until I finally faxed them a copy of the insurance form from the USPS. I told them if I didn't get a credit in 5 days on my account, they could fight it out with the US government and... the credit was issued
Hi everyone. I guess I am pretty much in the same boat regarding Royal Dutch's bad business practices. I ordered hostas, snow on the mountain, vinca minor, three rose bushes and one climbing rose...the results? Well the vinca minor was nothing more than a mass of black slimy leaves and dead vines, the snow on the mountain was brown and *crackly*, only one rose bush is producing any leaves (Red Treasure), the other two are black and show no green when nicked, the climbing rose (Blaze) is dead as a doornail. This was the first time that I ever ordered from this company and it will be the last. I'm not a rich person, so I put a lot of thought into what I want to order each year- this year has been the pits. Thanks to Royal Dutch. I am sorry that everyone else had losses too. I hope your next ordering experience is much better.
Warm Regards,
elizabeth
On June 16th, 2004, mote added the following:
Out of all of the plants that were dead, I only asked for two rose replacements and they haven't even responded to that request. Don't bother with this company unless you want to throw your money away and receive dead plants...
I ordered from Royal Dutch twice last year and couldn't be more dissapointed. The shipping was fine and all my plants did arrive.
I ordered three types of tulips, two bushes, a lenten rose, snowdrops, feather hyacinths, and a Pride of Ireland Iris. But out of nine items, only three survived. The bushes looked ill from the start and promptly withered away to nothing despite having good care.
The feather hyacinths and snowdrops never came up, which is funny considering I raise over 300 bulbs and know what I'm doing. I should after a decade of gardening.
The iris rotted, which is also a first. But I'm not surprised as it arived slimy and foul-smelling.
The tulips survived and look healthy, but even there I was let down. The Miranda was shipped as ordered, but my Double Beauty of Apeldoorn are singles. And the Blue Lagoon tulips are fire engine red, with no hint of turning into true blue or even the purpilish blue the catalog showed.
As for the free bulbs I earned, they all either rotted in transit to me, or were empty husks at arrival. I'd love to believe the snowdrops and hyacinths will show up and surprise me, but even if they did, I'd still avoid this company.
Royal Dutch is nothing but a scam. My card was charged in August (for stuff I didn't order) and I'm not sure how this company got my PERSONAL information. I have tried numerous times to tell these dingbats that I didn't order $198.01 worth of merchandise (stuff that looks dead, by the way), and they have refused to respond UNTIL I threated them with legal action. Here is their email to me:
"Our refund guarantee states that the Original shipping label, the items along with a letter requesting a refund need to be returned within 14 days of receipt. You will need to send the Original shipping label (s), the
items along with a letter requesting a refund for these items. Be sure to state in the letter that you did not order this and that someone else used your Debit Card without your knowledge. The shipping charges are
non-refundable, however, you can state in the letter that you are requesting that the shipping charges be refunded as well."
So now I have to spend MY hard-earned money to send back I didn't order to a shady company. BUYER BEWARE!!!!
On December 10th, 2003, nancyl56 added the following:
Well, it's now December 10, and I'm STILL fighting with these idiots regarding I didn't order! They insist I did! I have had to cancel my credit card because of this. The company sent me an email telling me I ordered the stuff and too bad, I have to keep it. Hmmm, I smell a rat. I have filed a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General's office.On March 26th, 2004, nancyl56 added the following:
Here it is, almost April 2004, and I'm STILL fighting with these people. I've gotten nowhere with the Illinois Attorney General's Office, either - that was a big waste of my time, energy and money (for postage). I have had to cancel the credit card that was used to purchase the products (I don't know what they are because I didn't open the packages). I have sent several emails to Royal Dutch asking them to accept the items as a return and give me back my money - they flatly refuse telling me that I ordered the stuff! I don't know what else to do. I tried disputing the charge with my credit card company, and I was told I had to cancel the card. I'm out $198.00 because of these people, and they have the audacity to send me catalogs for this year! Ugh!
I placed an order with Royal Dutch Gardens to be sent as a gift to an experienced gardener in northern New York. When I visited her this summer, I learned that the plants arrived in very poor shape and ultimately died after they were planted. I did not receive the package or mailing label and the recipient of my gift did not keep the package or mailing label. I asked for and was denied a refund by Royal Dutch Gardens and they refused to replace the plants because I could not produce the mailing label which never came to me. Surely Royal Dutch Gardens has a record of this order and my payment by check. I have sent my complaint to the Central Illinois Better Business Bureau, 413 SW Washington Street, Peoria, Illinois 61602 and to the Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Protection Bureau, 500 south Second Street, Springfield, Illinois 62706
