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My daughter bought me three orchids for Mother's Day. I'm pretty good with orchids: they've always survived! One of the three looked semi-dead when I got it, and it's been getting worse.
When I called their "customer service," the rep was so rude that it was actually funny. Talk about being in the wrong line of work! She must be the saddest, most frustrated woman around.
From the many, many, negative reviews here, I'd say try ANYONE else first.
On May 26, 2009, Orchids.com (Norman's Orchids) responded with:
Her daughter purchased her 3 orchids from our general catalog. On our website, it clearly states that they are not recommended for gifts. The reason being, the items in our general catalog vary from the typical phalaenopsis to different species that are for serious hobby growers. Her daughter purchased 3 Mature Size orchids (2 dendrobiums and 1 nodosa), capable to bloom within one year.
When she called, her first words were my orchids are not doing anything. After checking to see what was purchased she was notified that they would not be doing anything for quite some time because it was one year away from blooming. I do not think she was aware of this. Then she said, well their leaves are turning yellow and dropping. She was then informed that 2 of the items that was purchased for her were dendrobiums. They are decidous plants, it is normal for their leaves to turn yellow and drop off. This means that it is actually getting ready to form buds and they will flower soon. Dendrobium leaves also have a habit of looking wrinkled. This is normal. She also did not believe this.
We do try to please and help our customer's the best we can; however, sometimes there is only so much we can do. We send out emails or make phone calls when an item from the general catalog is purchased for a gift letting the buyer know that it is not recommended for gifts. We do this because we know that some gift recipients are not very familiar with plants aside from the typical phalaenopsis and they do get upset when they receive these types of plants, especially when they are not in flower.
The problem is their frustration with their gift falls on the company and the Customer Service Reps and we are blamed for sending out a product that they do not like when we are only sending out exactly what was chosen for them. If the buyer tells the company that they still want the item sent out regardless, what is our company to do except to follow those instructions?"
You know the old saying about customers. If they're happy, they'll tell 3 people, but if they're unhappy, they'll tell 10.
After a week of trying to get a response from someone at Norman's, sending emails, leaving messages, etc, I have gotten nowhere, and no response. I am VERY frustrated at the time I have spent trying to resolve the issue.
I have ordered 3 times from Norman's/Orchids.com. I have been overall pretty happy, really. I called one time about an issue, but was satisfied with the answer I got.
This time, I spent a good amount of money (for a hobby grower), and was happy with 4 out of 5 plants.
The plant I was not happy about arrived with roots that were disintegrating, and scarring on the backs of the leaves. In addition, one leaf was trimmed to cut off what was probably a brown or yellow tip.
The leaf trimming I would not be upset about on an otherwise healthy plant. However, this plant was so obviously unhealthy the day I received it, I called within 5 minutes of opening my package (I was home when I heard the driver drop it off at the door).
I contacted them the day I got my order, and sent 3 photos. I was told that it was forwarded to the grower and they would get back to me. I emailed 5 days later for an update. No response. I called 8 days after receiving my order and left a message - no response. I called again today, and again got nowhere, leaving a message that was not returned. I called a second time, apparently after the customer service people had left, and got someone on the phone who was rude, and said to call back tomorrow to speak to customer service.
I am tired of calling, emailing, sending photos, and getting nowhere. The plant is yellow, and dropping leaves, and is basically dead, despite my best efforts to save it.
I have had my good feelings about this company ruined by this bad experience with lousy customer service. It would have been so simple to help me. If there had even been an email to say "We're working on it," or to let me in on what the status of my issue is, I would be more understanding, and not writing this comment now.
However, at this point, I am tired of this game, and I am disputing the charge. They have wasted too much of my time, and they have not made me whole - by a refund, or a new plant.
I will not order from Normans/Orchids/com again, after spending over $500 over the past 2 years. I guess they don't need the business or my money.
On March 4th, 2009, jal123 added the following:
I've purchased about 20 orchids from Normans over the past 2-3 years. I was always happy with my order. However, the one time I called them with an issue, it was a very, very difficult process. It wasn't even an expensive orchid! I just won the chargeback, so the bank and the card associations agreed with my dispute.
I would have certaintly given Norman's the benefit of the doubt, if they had just reponded to my concerns. I spent a LOT of time gathering the information, taking pictures and documenting the entire thing, at their request, and following up. I always loved the product I got. However, I think that they should stand behind that product, and respond. I called, I emailed, I did everything that was reasonable, and was very patient until I was still not getting any response, over a week later. It's basic customer service.
Maybe I didn't order enough product from them, as Roxanne above does. However, I don't feel that my total should make me less of a customer, since I'm building a greenhouse and I planned on spending a lot more money there over the next few years. It's a real shame. I still have not heard anything from them - not one email saying we apologize, not a phone call, nothing. If they would, I would think of ordering again, but the aweful follow-up has left a really bad taste in my mouth.. On Nov 25, 2008, Orchids.com (Norman's Orchids) responded with:
A customer once said that people who posts on these websites to bad mouth and complain about companies can get away with it because readers do not know who they are. If what they are saying is the complete and honest truth that they would post their real name for everyone to see.
Our company knows exactly who this person is. She is a customer from Yardley, PA who after she was notified that she was being given a $28.00 credit for a plant that she was unsatisfied with filed a chargeback with her credit card company for the entire order of $265.00.
I guess she was so unhappy with one plant that she did not want to pay for any of the plants that she received. Not only is it dishonest but also against the law. When people file chargebacks, they have to sign a statement that goes something like this, "I declare under the penalty of perjury that the information stated is correct." Obviously, what she told her credit card company to try to get her money back was not all true.
We do keep records of every order, emails, notes, chargebacks and etc."
On Aug 7, 2008, WestTexasMom Carrollton, TX wrote:
Last month I ordered three orchids from Orchids.com (Norman's Orchids), two phals and a paph. When they arrived, there was no packing slip or invoice. The paph did not arrive, presumably out of stock. The phals were diseased, and as the web site instructs, I sent photographs of the plants in question right away. (This tells me they have lots of experience with such claims.) The Customer Support person, otherwise not identified, said their grower said the blemishes on the leaves were 'age spots.' I know the difference between a healthy leaf and a diseased one, and these were diseased. Then I inquired about why the phal as pictured was coral and the one I received was light violet. Again I sent a picture. This time she said the grower said that they lose their color during the summer heat. I have never heard of an orchid 'losing' color from an intense coral to violet! Now the phals' blooms are dropping, since they were fully opened out upon shipment, not in spike/bud as advertised. It is clear Norman's will do nothing to rectify the issue, and I must chalk this up to an expensive lesson - never purchase anything from Norman's again.
On August 18th, 2008, WestTexasMom added the following:
Last week my 'age spots' turned into mealybugs! It's a good thing I isolated those orchids!
Every year for Mother's day my son sends me an Orchid from Norman's, usually in good condition and they last for a long time. This year the orchid arrived looking wilted but according to directions, I watered the next morning. By the second week blooms were falling, by the third week, blooms were gone and stem is brown. When I called the company the company rep. said "The box sat in the hot Texas sun all day, Not OUR Fault", can't help and hung up on me. It happened to be on a shady carport with temps in the low 80's that day, the roses I received from my other son, in a box also, were still fresh and lasted nearly 3 weeks. I do not think weather was a factor. Either they weren't healthy when they left Norman's or rough packing or shipping.
I will not order, nor will my son, or recommend Norman's again. The service was terrible and the staff was rude.
On Jun 5, 2008, Orchids.com (Norman's Orchids) responded with:
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On Jun 5, 2008 1:53 PM, Orchids.com (Norman's Orchids) added:
Our company always sends out the best orchids. It is true that sometimes orchids get damaged in shipment; however, we always send out replacements as long as we are notified of the problem within 7 days. There are some facts missing from this post. The recipient neglected to mention that she claims she was home to receive the box when it was delivered at 4:00 pm. Upon doing some researh with Fedex, the box was left at the side door at 9:36 am. This means that the box was sitting outside in 90 degree weather for possibly 7 hours or more. Extreme heat or cold can cause orchid flowers to wilt. Rough packing or handling will cause the actual bloooms to drop off prematurely, not wilt. The method used to deliver the orchids was priority overnight and was delivered the next morning! The orchid would have been replaced if we were notified within 7 days. We were notified one whole month after it was delivered. Unfortunately, we cannot honor her request for a replacement due to the nature of live orchid plants. She was told that there was nothing we can do."
I recently purchased 6 phals from Norman's. I tested them for virus as soon as they arrived and discovered 3 of the 6 were infected. This prompted me to test the previous shipment of 3 orchids and I discovered that 2 of the 3 were virused. I got in touch with Norman's and was told that they do not guarantee their plants to be virus free. Norman's policy is to refund money for plants only if notified within 7 days. The customer has to pay shipping. By the time I send these diseased plants back, I'll be out about $140 ($80 plants and $60 shipping). I have the capability to test for viruses, but most people don't. Norman's has the potential to single handedly destroy tens of thousands of orchid collections with their careless quality control.
On Mar 31, 2008, Orchids.com (Norman's Orchids) responded with:
"
On Apr 2, 2008 12:12 PM, Orchids.com (Norman's Orchids) added:
We are not in the business of selling unhealthy plants, we would not ship diseased plants. However, we do not guarantee all our plants to be virus free. No orchid nursery in the US does this. Plants can be perfectly healthy and may test positive for the presence of a virus from tests that may or may not be accurate. As an analogy, 99.99% of the population in the US would test positive for some form of cold virus -- we do not conclude from this that the whole US population is diseased and quarantine this country from the rest of the world.
Our plants are constantly inspected by plant experts at the federal and state level and have always been found disease free. If a customer wishes, we can arrange a phyto sanitary certificate to be issued , this requires an inspection of the plants by an expert from the California Department of Agriculture and provides certification that they are pest and disease free. We often do this for our clients in Puerto Rico and Hawaii, areas that require such certification before plants are allowed to be brought in.
In this particular case, we offered the customer a full refund for any plants that he didn't want as long as he returned them to us. The customer had requested a full refund without returning the plants. We understand he is filing a chargebacck with the credit card company and auctioning off the "diseased" plants on E-bay.
"
I am writing to express my disappointment and dissatisfaction in my experience on Orchids.com. I recently purchased two orchids to have shipped to my mother for her 62nd birthday (March 9th). When the orchids arrived, my mother called to notify me that one of the plants was infected with melee bugs (Fire Cracker / Blue Martini). She and I were obviously disappointed and needless to say, I was quite embarrassed.
I called the customer service number and spoke with Michelle – I was looking for assistance and interested to see how Orchids.com would remedy the situation. Michelle was quite rude and indicated that it was company policy to require photographs of any bugs be submitted to Orchids.com for review. Basically she called me a liar and was not at all helpful in accommodating a frustrated customer. I was not about to call my mother, several days after her plants arrived, to ask her to take photos of the plant with the bugs – SHE HAD ALREADY SPEND TWO PAINSTAKING HOURS CLEANING THE PLANT OF THE BUGS IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE IT!!
I will never use Orchids.com or Normans Orchids ever again!
A very dissatisfied customer!
On Mar 13, 2008, Orchids.com (Norman's Orchids) responded with:
"
On Mar 13, 2008 12:05 PM, Orchids.com (Norman's Orchids) added:
Normans orchids/orchids.com does have a Company Policy that if there are any problems with any shipments, we have to ask for a photograph. This is something that we require of our customers if we need to send any replacements or give credits. We do not ask for any plants to be returned. The customer refused to send photos. We cannot remedy a situation if the customer is not willing to meet us halfway.
In April, 2004, I had 2 months experience with orchids and made sure the Norman's staff person at an orchid show knew this. The person said that a Phal lindenii would be easy for a beginner, and I bought the plant.
Soon after, the plant was looking bad and had one good root when I unpotted it. I e-mailed Norman's twice and left 3 voice mail messages, asking them what to do.
No one from Norman's responded, and the plant died. Later, two other growers said they wouldn't have sold a beginner that plant - hard to grow.
Norman's online catalogue has beautiful plants, and many aren't found anywhere else. Its hard to keep from ordering them.
So I was going to pre-order before a show this winter. Norman's Web site didn't seem to have a list of shows they'd be attending, so I e-mailed, asking for a schedule.
It's been over a month with no reply. Probably a favor because pre-ordering doesn't guarantee the right plant.
I used to buy some nice plants from this company. Such is no longer the case.
Quite recently I bought a plant from them which had a very, very poor root system. Within an hour of receiving the plant, I emailed them a photo of the plant, along with a statement of my dissatifaction. I asked them for a replacement.
I was told that the plant was dormant. I was also told that there was no use in replacing the plant, because all the others would look the same way. In order to receive credit for the plant, I was instructed to return the plant to them by 2-day mail. At my expense.
I did not find this an acceptable customer courtesy. I asked them for written proof that a dormancy period would or could cause such a massive loss of root integrity. I have yet to hear from them, and it has been a week or more since last contact.
I had become a satisfied customer of http://www.Orchids.com until recently. I ordered yet another group of 5 advertised orchids for a display. I received very small and non-flowering orchids without any blooms or spikes. I could have gotten better ones at Home Depot! None of them flowering as their add promised and as the photos showed. My first order, for the same price, had been wonderful, as was my second and third order. I thought I had found a superb supplier. Was I wrong! This last order made me feel as if I had been robbed! And worse yet, their customer relations took some time to respond. And worse yet, they did not offer to make it right. They said I could mail it back at my cost, and added that they would charge me a restocking fee. I will never buy from them again and recommend that no one else buy from Norman's or Orchids.com. Their product is very uneven and they do not send what they advertise. I am a frequent orchid buyer now and will never ever buy from Norman's or http://www.orchids.com. It is the same company. Be careful. DO not get robbed like I did. Lari in Arlington VA
On Oct 10, 2005, Orchids.com (Norman's Orchids) responded with:
"I work for Orchids.com as a Customer Service Representative. Mr. Hilarion was disappointed with the October AOS Special that he had just gotten from our company. He mentioned that it was nothing like the first order that he purchased which was the April AOS Special. He complained that only one orchid was in bloom and one particular one was very small. He complained that the package was supposed to consist of 5 flowering orchids. This is where the problem starts.
The October AOS Special does consist of 5 orchids. It does not say anywhere in the advertisement that they will be in bloom when they arrive. Here are some descriptions taken from the advertisement:
MC193 - In spike/buds
MC814 - Mature Size
MC701 - Near Mature Size
MC810 very compact spike - Near Mature Size
MC731 - In spike/buds
These following definitions are also cleary stated on every page of our general catalog.
In bud/in spike � not recommended for gifts, can be short spike (4-6 weeks to bloom) or already fully bloomed.
Mature Size � Capable to bloom within a year when in season.
Near Mature Size � Needs 12-18 months to bloom.
Mr. Hilarion must have assumed that since his April AOS Special came in bloom, that his October AOS Special would come in bloom as well. The fact of the matter is that each AOS Special consists of different specials and different plants. Each advertisement clearly specifies what maturity level the orchids are in. He must not have read the descriptions of each plant. The photos of orchids are showed on the advertisement so that the buyer can see what they will look like when they bloom. We never promised that they will arrive with flowers. I am not saying that we never make mistakes because nobody is perfect but in this case, we really did send him what he purchased. He was not at all robbed!
It is hard for us to make something right when we did not do anything wrong to begin with. He was sent exactly what he ordered in a timely manner. The comment that our product is very uneven and we do not send what we advertise is simply false. We have thousands of different types of orchids with different maturity level and sizes. Sometimes, a customer for whatever reason does not read carefully before they purchase an item. We truly cannot help this and feel that it is unfair for us to be blamed because of this.
Here is proof that we send exactly what we advertise: In April, Mr. Hilarion ordered the April AOS Special, all 5 orchids in that special were advertised as in bud/in spike or first bloom. That is exactly what he received. Our October AOS Special which he recently received consisted of 5 orchids with different maturity. His description of what he received sounds like the October AOS Special, he even mentioned one being small which would be the compact spiking plant in the special.
We value our customer's and always try to make things right as much as possible but it does have to be within reason."
On Aug 22, 2005, bobmarley Milledgeville, GA wrote:
I had saved my pennies for quite a while to be able to afford a particular plant, which was for sale at $50. The plant arrived, a 4-bulb division, the second-from-the-back bulb of which had obviously died and had been removed. That left 3 pseudobulbs, neither of which had a viable eye. Now I have three pseudobulbs which are essentially eunuchs with no hope of any life to come. DEFINITELY not worth the price!
In the Spring 2005 - I e-mailed orchids.com to inquire as to the availability of a certain species -- (not listed on the website) -- time passes - -no answer - I re-send with original attached -- still no answer - I figure - they're not in business anymore, or what ?? nother week or two goes by --
I send ANOTHER E-mail -- it says' I'm INTERESTED in placing an order, but before I do, I have some questions,
could you please contact me (via-e-mail) . This was to
know that they are even in business -- There doesn't seem to be any address or phone number on the web. pages - not that I could find . and at the time I didn't know about THIS site. So....no answer - even when I said I wanted to place an order !!! So I don't think I will.
A friend gave me an orchid which he had ordered from Norman's Orchids (Orchids.com) as part of a test run of potential vendors for a floral website. The orchid I received was not the one that had been pictured, and when I called to report the mistake, I was treated rudely (shouted at and hung up on), told that I was wasting their time, and the only solution they had to offer was that I ship the orchid back at my cost and hope they would refund my friend's purchase. No one offered an apology, and my suggestion that their policies were unclear was ignored. Then, when I reported their poor customer service on a consumer watchdog site, they had the nerve to respond that I was a part of some vast conspiracy at my friend's company to harass them and get a free plant. Shopping at Orchids.com / Norman's Orchids wasn't worth the headache. The plant itself was slightly damaged in shipping, which is understandable with such a delicate item, but appears to be of good health and is in fact quite lovely, as orchids always are. This is my first orchid, but now I will be ordering many more, just not from Orchids.com / Norman's Orchids. Life is too short to deal with such terrible cutomer service.
I ordered two Cattleyas in January. Waited a few weeks; they never showed up. I e-mailed the company and was told that the orchids were beyond their peak bloom period so they did not want to ship them. That's fine, I just wonder if I had not e-mailed them, would I ever have been contacted. They asked if I would like a refund or a replacement. So, I orderd to phal. to replace them. Waited another two weeks--nothing. I called last week and was told my order would ship--and both plants would have spikes. They arrived today, in good shape, but the Sara Gold Peach did not have any spikes! I called today to let them know, and MIchelle, said that she instructed the growers to ship only plants with spikes. Could I please use my digital camera to take a picture and she would show it to the growers! I just think that is totally inappropriate customer service--to put the burden of proof on the customer! I stated this and she said she would go ahead and check with the growers. She also offered me $10 credit--the difference between a mature plant and one with buds. I said I would wait. Right now, I am reserving judgment and will update this forum when the problem is resolved.
On March 2nd, 2005, ElizabethK added the following:
MARCH 3, 2005 NOTE: I DID AS NORMAN'S REQUESTED AND SENT THEM PHOTOS OF THE PLANT W/O SPIKE. IT HAS BEEN OVER A WEEK AND NO ONE FROM THE COMPANY HAS CONTACTED ME. On March 13th, 2005, ElizabethK added the following:
After two weeks, I had to call to find out if this company received the photos of the orchid that I sent to them. I sent the photos at least three times over a period of a week! I was told that they did receive the photos and that they needed a signature from someone who was at a Miami orchid show in order to replace my plant. I was told he would return that same day and sign-off on the replacement. I was also told that I would receive an e-mail (that day) to confirm that my orchid would be replaced. Of course, I have not heard a word and have not received an e-mail of any sort. Also, the orchid that I did receive in bud, Phal. Stars, has begun to bloom nicely. It, however, has NO fragrance. The only reason that I bought it was because it was a Phal. WITH a fragrance. Based on my experience, I would not recommend this company. I placed my original order on January 12th. Here it is March 13th, and the matter is still not resolved.
I have ordered from this company twice, once retail and once wholesale. Not happy---my order arrived frozen, and the replacement plants (sent five months later) were disgusting. One was rotted and I called to complain, was told I would recieve a phone call from the owner-never did. Oh-by the way, I was talked down to on the phone by someone who automatically assumed that I knew nothing about repotting. two phals on the wholesale order got bacterial spots within a couple of days.
