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On Jan 17, 2007, mmd1218 Cary, NC (Zone 7b) wrote:
This company (and their sister company Van Bourgondien) sells cut rate junk (if you get what you order!) and has horrible customer service people who actually lie to you.
I ordered a large amount (100 bulbs) of mixed naturalizing daffodils from this company in the fall of 2006. I received about a half dozen pink ruffled daffodils. I called to report the mistake and was told they only had one package of 50 bulbs left and couldn't fulfil my order of 100. I asked for my credit card to be refunded as they shipped everything so late I really couldn't order anything else for fall planting. I asked for a confirmation number and the woman said she had to run the transaction and would do so, no problem. Well, I blame myself for not being insistent and demanding and have her run it then and there and provide a confirmation number. I received a letter in the mail saying I have a MERCHANDISE credit. I was not very happy with what I received from their sister company (Van Bourgondien) so I have been reluctant in deciding how to spend this credit. After reading this website's comments and realizing I'm not the only one EXTREMELY DISSAPOINTED with my experience I called to see if I could indeed get my money back. The man on the line looked up my order number and said I would have had to return what I got. So I said if I dug those 6 up and mailed them back I can get my money refunded? He said I would have had to do so within 30 days. I then asked him what about the Customer service woman telling me my credit card would be refunded - did she actually LIE TO ME? Well, she sure did. I do remember asking her if I needed to send back those six undersized bulbs in order to get my full refund. She said I did not.
So now I'm out $57 bucks and just frustrated. I'll have to see what junk I get from them for spring since I might as well. I'm not giving them my money for nothing.
I ordered several types of bulbs from this company for planting this fall. When I received the order, I was disappointed. In comparison to bulbs that I purchased from other nurseries, these bulbs were smaller. Additionally, there were no planting instructions on the package--instead you have to refer to a "planting guide" which isn't always as specific as it needs to be for your particular variety.
Perhaps next spring I'll be writing to eat my words if the plants happen to do well, but comparing them to the health of other bulbs I've planted, I some how doubt that scenario will present itself.
Bottom line: I get better bulbs from nurseries who don't claim to specialize in Dutch bulbs. Don't be duped.
I have had several disappointing plant mail orders but none worse than Van Dyck's. The perennials I ordered were bare root and the roots were as dry and brittle as twigs. I didn’t get much satisfaction when I called to complain. They offered to send me replacements – why would I want more dead sticks – so I ordered bulbs as replacements. The bulbs were small and I could have gotten better at Wal-Mart or K-Mart. I am SO GLAD I found this site since I almost just made the mistake of placing an order with Van Bourgondien. Now that I know they are affiliated, I’ll look elsewhere.
On May 6, 2006, Michael_Ronayne Nutley, NJ (Zone 6b) wrote:
When it comes to Van Dyck’s I do not know where to start. So let’s start with a list of issues I have with the company:
1. Some roots/rhizomes which were shipped were rotten and had to be reshipped several times.
2. Many rhizomes were of poor quality and did not survive the first or second winter.
3. Numerous undocumented substitutions were made for Isis and Daylily rhizomes with verities of inferior quality with no documentation of the changes; in most cases the replacements were similar to the advertised plant and it would be difficult to detect the subterfuge for several years.
4. In one case an undocumented substitution was made for an Isis and the replace was superior to the original, but I had no idea what the name of the Iris was.
The forth case was the most infuriating. I had order Navajo Jewel ( J.Weiler, 1984) Iris but the plant which was delivered was not that cultivate. The problem was that the Faux Navajo Jewel was the second most reliable re-bloomer in my collection. While searching the Internet in my quest to identify the unknown Iris, I found another former Van Dycks’ customer who was identifying many of the Van Dyck’s substitutions. Here is the web site: http://www.txgimgim.com/garden.html
My unknown Iris was Clarence (L.Zurbrigg, 1991) (http://txgimgim.com/flower/NavajoJewel.html) which is an absolutely fantastic re-bloomer. If anyone from Van Dyck’s reads this post, review the above web site and remember to never get a woman from Texas mad at you.
Since I catalog and track all of the plants in my garden and I can’t trust the plants from Van Dyck’s, I have no intention of purchasing plans from Van Dyck’s ever again. If they just documented the substitutes, my reaction would not be so negative.
I received confirmation of an order with Van Dycks which was not placed by me today. It looks like someone from VanDycks copied portions of my original order and then placed another ordered with different quatities than the original.
When I called to check on what this order I was told by a CSR named "Karen" that (though I definitely know I did not place the order) that I had to have placed the order and started rudely blaming me for the error telling me loudly that "I need to know who's using my credit card, etc". When I asked for her name, she abruptly hung up on me. When I called back, I got her once again and she raised her voice and started yelling that it was not Van Dyck's fault this order was placed and that she had cancelled it as I requested. I asked her again for her name and her response was, "Both times when you called, I answered with my name. I don't have to tell you again." And when I asked for a manager, she told me one was not available and then, told me her name was Karen. She was extremely stressed, frustrated and only provided me with the information on the status of my other orders after my second call and asking her repeated if she could tell me if and when the two original orders would be shipped. I learned on a subsequent call to "Takshia" who was helpful, that "Karen" had not cancelled anything.
This was my very first time to use Van Dyck's. I promptly cancelled my other two orders which still had not been shipped after 7 days. My concerns with this company are:
1.Orders are placed or 'doctored' after a consumer has entered the information in a secure site; maybe because products originally ordered are not available?
2.CSR reps are not properly trained to respond to customer inquiry;
3.Orders are not promptly entered, filled and shipped.
On November 11th, 2005, tgw318 added the following:
On a positive note, an Ops Manager named Ron has tried to contact me to talk about this incident as he actively monitors this site. Unfortunately I can't reach him as the number he left is 'garbled'.
However, I do have another concern. The idea that a company would monitor this site and post positive or neutral comments in an attempt to mislead consumers does not speak well at all. Therefore, considering my experience with Van Dyck, I'm better off using other nurseries which have 'delivered' quality products and services. Life's too short and I want to spend it enjoying my garden!
On Feb 11, 2005, coogansbluff Watertown, WI wrote:
I ordered multiple rose packages in the Spring of 2004. They arrived jammed into two small boxes, showing indication of some cane and root breakage. They were planted according to their directions. 6 never leafed out let alone bloomed. I called CS they assured me they would send replacements in the spring. I received a credit memo for 15.95 with the notation that the roses were no longer available. I e-mailed them and received no reply. A couple of days later another credit memo for 61.45 shows up with the same notation.
I really don't want credit memos I want a refund or replacement roses sent this spring. They are right on the edge of consumer fraud. On a scale of 10 this company is just this side of ZERO!
I placed an order with Van Dyke's in early August and was told in late September the plants would be shipped in October, too late for the poppies, etc. to get a good start. So I cancelled the order promptly, found later that the Customer Service rep. cancelled but never passed on the refund info. I got that straightened out with the 2nd call, but had to place another three---total=5---calls to customer service (and they were pleasant people but helpless to do anything but pass on my rantings) to finally get my $50 refund in mid-January. It turns out the owner wants to o.k. each refund and she in in NO hurry. I am positive that if I had been naive enough to accept the order in October there would have been no replacements or refunds when the plants failed. Never again!
2 YEARS AGO, I CALLED THIS COMPANY, TALKED TO A REAL PERSON AND ASKED THEM IF THEY WOULD MAIL ME A CATALOG.THEY SAID, YOU WILL BE RECIEVING IT IN ABOUT 2 WEEKS.IN 3 WEEKS I CALLED THEM BACK TO ASK THEM IF THEY SENT IT AND GOT A MACHINE.I LEFT A MESSAGE TELLING THEM I WANTED TO ORDER SOME ITEMS AND DIDN'T RECIEVE THIER CATALOG I ORDERED 3 WEEKS AGO, WOULD THEY PLEASE SEND ONE AND LEFT MY COMPLETE ADDRESS.AFTER ANOTHER WEEK I CALLED AGAIN,LEFT ANOTHER MESSAGE AND MY PHONE # AND ASKED THEM TO CALL ME CONFIRMING THEY HAD SENT IT.NOTHING!!!
On January 29th, 2005, GardeninBunny added the following:
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ? JAN. 2005, A LITTLE OVER 2 YEARS LATER ,THEY FINALLY SEND ME A CATALOG. SOME OF THE ITEMS I WANTED TO ORDER, THEY NO LONGER HAVE IN IT ... THAT'S O.K., I PURCHASED THEM THROUGH SOMEONE ELSE AND THEY ARE GROWING LIKE WEEDS...
Hmmmmmmmmm. Something seems to be going on at VanDyck's this year. So far I am unable to determine what. When I called them about crediting me for what conked out from last Fall's orders, their Customer Service Reps told me that VD's is switching Customer Service from one company to another and there is a turnover lapse because of it. They were very pleasant and took my info about what did not make it. I expected an e-mail acknowledging this transaction as a credit, but I never received one.
After waiting a month I called back. Got a different CSR, again very helpful, again telling me that VD's is mid transfer of services and it is causing some problems. They said they had just mailed Fall catalogs. They took my casualty list (again) and I waited for catalog.
After waiting another month... NO CATALOG... I E-MAILED them my fatality list (and had to add a deceased tree peony to it!). Asked for a catalog.
Zip. Zilch. Nada. No reply, no correspondence, nothing.
I have never experienced this treatment from VanDyck's before and so am very concerned.
When I wrote VanDyck's via e-mail I expressed my concern that they were going to be tarnished by their association with Van Bourdigan's (oh, however you spell it!)...
Now VanDyck's customer satisfaction percentage rate here is also headed in the same direction as VB's. NOT GOOD.
I have been waiting to see what they do.... Guess I have to keep waiting. Will call them again TOMORROW to see what they have to say... AGAIN. Will let you know what they said sometime after that. I am hoping they pull out of this.
On August 10th, 2004, ValzWorld added the following:
TODAY... NO GOOD NEWZ ON THE VAN DYCK'S FRONT
I just got off the telephone with DeBorah or DeVorah at their customer service number. While she tried to maintain a pleasant attitude while dealing with me she was unable to give me ANY information on what is happening beyond what the other two reps told me... One of whom's name I did not get and another George that I spoke to on 6/22/2004. Between those first two calls to Customer Service and today's call I also e-mailed them. I have never heard a thing about a credit, a replacement or anything else. Today I am given the same runaround (yes, I am sorry to say I have come to the conclusion that it is a runaround)"We are in transition", "Our records have not been transferred", "Our office doesn't handle that", "They have to look up your order over there", "We can't do that from here", "I have taken your information and sent it over to THEM, now THEY will have to look it up and process it".
BOO HOO. On their Internet Special page today they are taking orders for the same iris collection that I lost more than half of last year. The site says that they will begin shipping these "in early August". IT IS EARLY AUGUST, but I guess it is not early enough. Today I was told that early August means August 11th.
I e-mailed them and I posted here. I have heard nothing. Today I have asked that they have Customer Service Supervisor Lisa call me about this.... Will see what happens. For right now I am going to put it in writing here on this post what I lost of last Fall's order...
Siberian Iris Caesar's Brother Lost 4/12 22.50/12
Siberian Iris SnowQueen Lost 3/12 33.95/12
Oriental Poppy Collection Lost 6/6 29.95/ 6
Tree Peony Collection Lost 1/4 47.95/ 4
Tall Bearded Iris Collections Lost 24/48 53.90/48
-----------------------------------------------------
$188.25
S&H NOT KNOWN _____
Someone had better get back to me on this....
I SHALL RETURN TO REPORT WHATEVER DOES OR DOES NOT HAPPEN On August 16th, 2004, ValzWorld added the following:
WOW....
Now THIS is more like the VanDyck's Customer Service I have come to expect. After my last entry here, the very next morning, August 11th, 2004, I got a call from Lisa, the Customer Service Supervisor for VanDyck's.
Lisa took quite a bit of time with me, discussing all of the above. She assured me that replacements will be ordered and delivered for last Fall's losses.
Lisa says that VanDyck's values their customers and they know there are some kinks during this switch-over process right now
BUT they are working diligently to resolve these problems and hope to get back on track as fast as they can.
I BELIEVE HER.
I would have written this entry that same day, but I had to urgently leave town and could only get to it now.On January 3rd, 2005, ValzWorld changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
OMIGOSH!
I thought I had come back on here and posted the update....
Guess it did not happen... ?????????
VanDyck's sent me EVERYTHING I had lost. All was wonderfully packaged. All was in EXCELLENT condition.
Really strange that my update to this posting is not showing up here????????? On January 15th, 2006, ValzWorld changed the rating from positive to negative and added the following:
Yesterday I received the new "VanDyke's catalog".
HOWEVER: Only the paper cover was VanDyke's and inside that was VanBourdigan's (spelled however) catalog.
WHY VanDyke's continues to choose to affiliate itself with a company with such a poor reputation is beyond my understanding.
In my opinion it is bad business sense for VanDyke's to continue this affiliation; because of it, I do not plan to continue my affiliation with THEM.
For me, this was the last straw: I am now done with VanDyke's.
Customer service was good: they said they would replace the two roses that failed to break dormancy of the three I ordered. I was disappointed that the planting will be delayed a year as a result. It takes too long to plant a rose to risk such a high failure rate. I don't expect to re-order
On June 27th, 2005, garyon added the following:
The promise of replacement failed to materialize. A letter arrived earlier this spring notifying me that the roses I had ordered were no longer available: included was a credit slip for around $20. Replacement is what I expected, refund acceptable.
With only the promise of the rose replacement I purchased three iris, expecting the company to stand by their products. None of the rhizomes grew.
I purchased perennials and bulbs from this company back on May 2nd. I finally received my much anticipated package 3 weeks later and only after numerous phone calls. The dormant roots were rotted and moldy and the bulbs were soggy and also rotted.
After waiting many wasted minutes to speak to a human, and after many days passing...I still have not received credit.
They have assured me it would only take 4-5 business days and that was weeks ago. Called again last week and they "reissued" the same credit. No refund yet! Just beware...wouldn't anyone else to get into the same situation.
On May 25, 2004, Janna Mahwah, NJ (Zone 6a) wrote:
I don't know what happened to them this year - it is definitely the WORST customer service ever! I used to order from them, and was somewhat happy with quality and selection, but this year... They didn't ship a part of my order, no further notification whether or not they are going to ship it and when, and then I tried to contact them - e-mails, calls -many, many times! No one replies to e-mails, and with calling they designed a nice trick - leave us your number and we'll call back. You know how many times I left my number and then waited for a call? And all this just to locate my bulbs. I am so frustrated with them, to me it is the worst when customer service ignores you. Learn from my experience and avoid frustration! There are plenty of GREAT companies out there, as inexpensive, with great customer service, such as Bluestone perennials, Brent and Becky's (their lilies are FANTASTIC quality!) and of course John Scheppers. Forget Van Dycks.
On February 26th, 2005, Janna changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following:
About 3 weeks ago a customer service representative e-mailed me, and we had a nice e-mail conversation. After my angry post, my lilies finally arrived, got planted, didn't bloom nicely though - was too late, but hopefully - next year. I also learned, that I won the garden contest on their website, and was given $100 gift certificate, which I gladly spent on more autumn bulbs and plants! They arrived in a timely manner, and were planted, but I cannot tell you the final results. We'll see in spring.
In general, the quality of plants from this company is spotty - sometimes you get great healthy stuff, and sometimes - tiny and mouldy, but I get too tempted by all the novelties. Staring again at their new catalog...Must have couple things...On May 13th, 2005, Janna changed the rating from neutral to negative and added the following:
I am really getting tired of this company. More than half of my autumn order didn't grow - NONE of the 4 tree peonies, no Arum, no phlox, 3 out of 6 oriental poppies (one may die soon - looks so weak!), no cyclamen... And no response from customer service! What else is new...
Spring order arrived recently, and there is a bag with tiny disjointed pieces, called tradescantia Blushing bride, will it grow??? Another bag with a tiny half-mouldy root of Arum Mouse plant... Lilies, which look worse than Home Depot end-of-season sale ones, mouldy and lifeless...
Why or why I waste my money with this company? I keep giving them another chance, and keep getting disappointed every time! And they are NOT CHEAP, not at all! Novelties are tempting, and look so good on the pictures in their catalog! And half or more of the order dies, because of poor plant quality. My order from Green Mountain transplants just arrived - and what a pleasure! Healthy, huge plants for PENNIES!!! Bluestone order arrived - pleasure again. Logees plants are simply marvelous. And here comes tiny box from Van Dycks, tightly packed with bags of peat moss with decomposed root fragments. Paid top price for! Shameful.
Don't waste your time and money. It's just not worth it! Great companies are out there, and Van Dycks is NOT one of them. For perennials, look at Bluestone, Green Mountain Transplants, Logees. For bulbs - John Scheepers, Brent abd Becky's (the best largest and healthiest lilies I've ever seen), Tulipworld, Dutch Gardens. Van Dycks just doesn't have it all together.
I hate to say it, but don't bother with Van Dyck's unless you don't mind replacing your bulbs every fall. The bulbs they sent were so small that I knew that they didn't have a prayer of lasting more than one season, but I planted them anyways. Sure enough, the flowers were great last year, but this year only one tulip came back out of all the bulbs (probably 40 or so) that I ordered from them. Maybe I was just unlucky, seems like others have not had this problem from reading here, but I won't be ordering from them again. It's too bad, because they have some really interesting and unusual varieties that no one else has, but I'm not wasting my money again.
On May 25th, 2004, kyrabear added the following:
After I posted my negative rating here, I received a rather condesending e-mail from the "Bulb Lady" at Van Dyck's. She basically said I didn't know anything about growing tulips and that I shouldn't expect tulips to come back. Well, I've been growing tulips a long time and have never had such a problem with the bulbs not returning as I did with these. She also went on to say that after I learned more about growing tulips I should come back here and change my rating so the company doesn't look bad. That takes some serious nerve if you ask me. All they did was reinforce my negative view of this company.
On Mar 11, 2004, JulieBW Geneseo, NY (Zone 5a) wrote:
I ordered from them in fall 2002, plants and bulbs. The bulbs were OK. They did not provide any labels with the plants, the kind I put next to the plant so I remember what I planted where. I emailed them, and it is not their practice to provide labels, it was not an oversight. In the spring I did not find the plants, I think most did not survive.
Customer service leaves much to be desired. I made a large order from their 50% sale from the spring catalog. Four days later I e-mailed asking when the plants would ship. I received an e-mail a day later with a curt response: "We are out of stock and your order has been cancelled." One week after that I received a letter in the mail to the same effect. Number one, if you are sold out of an item get your web cronies to update your page immediately. Number two, have the courtesy to notify the customer within a couple days if you are out of stock of an item. Number three, show some courtesy...a simple "I'm sorry, but..." is the correct way to tell someone bad news. I wrote an e-mail to them with these very comments and, to their credit, I received two e-mail apologies two days later. Still, my money goes elsewhere next season.
On Jun 17, 2003, jbush Bordentown, NJ (Zone 6a) wrote:
I first ordered in early spring, dodecatheon, bears breeches, and Louisiana Iris. I thought when the dodecatheon arrived that they were too immature.but I planted them anyway. Neither they nor the other 2 plants came up. I notified the company. Their reply was that they only had the bears breeches but they would send me a credit for the other two plants. The bears breeches arrived in woeful condition. No credit for the other two plants has arrived. I contacted the company almost a week ago but so farI have not received a reply.
On June 22nd, 2003, jbush added the following:
I received a credit for the out of stock items in the mail today, but I still am responsible for the shipping charges if I order new merchancise.
On Feb 22, 2003, elfeik Near Kansas City, MO (Zone 6a) wrote:
If you need a replacement and they don't have it they won't send a different one or refund the money. Rather they send a credit voucher, forcing you to pay another shipping charge.
I ordered 4 tree peonies and a Japanese anemone in the spring. One of the tree peonies was obviously dead on arrival. I requested a replacement and received it. As of August, none of the plants made it. I requested a replacement for all four of the tree peonies via e-mail. I have been promised replacements this fall. I will update.
I too had to wait an incredibly long time for my bulbs. I ordered in mid-September and did not get them until the first part of November. I emailed them twice during this time before I finally got an answer. I really thought six weeks was a long time to just ship miniature daffodils and anemone! In fact the only reason I ordered them thru the mail was because I waited to long to get the mini daffodils locally.
I ordered from Van Dyck's 2 or 3 times a few years ago and was thrilled---told all my gardening friends how great the prices and bulbquality were. I didn't order for a couple of years because of a move to a new town and building a new house, but I placed an order with them this year (along with orders to 4 other companies). I noticed that the catalog format and pricing structure were different (and not as good, in my opinion) but I had such good experiences with them in the past that I ordered anyway. Mistake! The order arrived a full 6 weeks after every other order--almost too late to plant--and the quality was VERY mixed. Some bulbs were as good as expected, some were very small for the type and some were even mushy.Also, although the order was much later than expected it was incomplete, with 3 items on backorder. 2 of the 3 FINALLY arrived the first week of December--they are still waiting for a break in the weather to get in the ground. The other item is on backorder until Fall '98. Who needs it?? There are plenty of companies who still give good bulbs at a fair price. I'll order from them next year.
