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I wish I had found this site before ordering from CFF 2 months ago! It would have saved me a lot of hassle. She states her husband was "under the impression he had closed the buy links down", yet here we almost a year later and he still hasn't done it! No, I haven't received any plants either. No reply to my emails to various addresses or to voice-mail.
On Oct 23, 2009, bdanwood College Station, TX wrote:
Posted on October 08, 2009, updated October 23, 2009
Regardless of the last report, which I suspect to be from someone affiliated (look at the address), this company is still at it's scamming. I ordered two kiwi plants and am continuing to get the story that they have been shipped. I'm dubious that I will ever receive them. I've paid through paypal and will be checking my alternatives there, given that the 45 days has expired. I'll also be looking into the Florida Attorney General suggestion. Also, since this shipment is in interstate commerce, the U.S. attorney general is a possibility, as well as the Office of Consumer Protection of the Federal Trade Commission. Chalk it up to bad judgment on my part in not checking them out beforehand.
On October 9th, 2009, bdanwood added the following:
I contacted the Florida Attorney General's Office about these folks. Their response is below. So far I've followed their first two suggestions and may follow others. Perhaps if more people who were scammed complain we can shut down this illegal operation.
*****************************************
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum received your email regarding your concerns with Central Florida Farms. Attorney General McCollum asked that I respond on his behalf.
Attorney General McCollum is concerned as well with potentially unfair and deceptive trade practices that mislead consumers. By law, this office exercises statutory authority to address consumer fraud under Chapter 501, Part II, Florida Statutes, known as Florida's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Our office focuses its enforcement efforts on business practices by companies which harm numerous consumers in more than one judicial circuit. We use complaints to develop information about patterns
of business activity which may indicate the need for formal investigation or action by our office to protect the broad public interest. Please note that our office does not mediate individual consumer complaints.
Please contact the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Consumer Services (DACS) to file a complaint. The DACS is the state clearinghouse for consumer complaints and has a
voluntary mediation program to assist individual consumers. You may contact DACS at:
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Division of Consumer Services
2005 Apalachee Parkway
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
Telephone: (850) 488-2221
Toll-free within FL: (800) 435-7352
Website: http://www.800helpfla.com/
You may also wish to contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a combined effort of the National White Collar Crime Center and the FBI to combat Internet fraud, by telephone at (800) 251-7581, or visit that agency's website at:
http://myfloridalegal.com
(follow the path at Consumer Protection/Protecting Yourself Against Consumer Fraud)
In addition, you may contact the following consumer agencies as you seek to resolve your individual complaint:
Federal Trade Commission
Toll-free: (877) 382-4357
Internet: http://www.ftc.gov
Better Business Bureau of Central Florida (serving Winter Park, Orlando, Altamonte Springs areas)
Telephone: (407) 621-3300
(800) 275-6614 (toll-free in FL only)
Internet: http://www.orlando.bbb.org
Finally, Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act provides individuals with a private remedy to bring an action for damages, attorney's fees and court costs. If you need help finding a lawyer, The Florida Bar offers a Lawyer Referral Service which you may contact toll-free at (800) 342-8060. If you cannot afford to hire an attorney, you may be eligible for low cost or pro bono assistance through a local
legal aid office. The Florida Bar can assist you with this process.
Thank you for contacting Attorney General McCollum's Office. I hope this information proves to be helpful.
Sincerely,
Travis Dudley
Office of Citizen Services
On October 23rd, 2009, bdanwood added the following:
Paypal refunded my money even though the 45 days had passed. I was hoping they would shut this scam operation down, but I see that it is still possible to pay with Paypal on their website. More people need to complain about this operation.
I was excited about ordering plants and waited anxiously for the arrival. Ha what a joke they have never arrived and from reading these comments I will never receive them. I should have checked them out first. A linch mob would be too good for these crooks. If you can not deliver then stop letting people place orders. You are fully aware of what you are doing. My claim is in and the attorney general is next as well as the BBB.
I ordered 2 banana plants in march and now it is July and I haven't
received anything but Lies.
I Don't like to be told, IT IS ON ITS WAY and find out they never shipped it,
time and time again.
SAVE YOUR SELF DON'T BUY FROM THEM!!!!!!!!!!!
I too have ordered plants from Central Florida Farms and have not received the product as promised. My correspondence with the seller was answered only when I threatened to complain to PayPal. I have now filed a dispute through PayPal and the bank that issued the credit card that I used.
On May 20, 2009, chapharper Hot Springs National Park, AR wrote:
I just completed a formal complaint with the Attorney General of Florida. However it was lacking an address since it was not listed anywhere. I was in told in March(2009) that a horrible freeze had occured there and the Borneo elephant ears were not large enough to ship yet. She would contact me in May and ship them then(over 45 days so I couldn't get a refund from Pay Pal). I tried to get through to them for the last three days with email and no answer. I called them and the answering machine is full. If you try to order plants they say they are not taking orders now, but they will be back soon. I say only if they can take orders from prison! There are so many good companies out there like Eldon's for instance that I guess I trusted the wrong people without doing due diligence. My bad!
On May 16, 2009, tonyatthebeach Orange Beach, AL wrote:
I ordered from this (company) and paid for a Musa Basa through paypal and wrote an email to them to confirm they had recieved it. Angel emailed my back stating that they were running behind but that they would get my order sent later that week with an extra plant for my trouble...It's been 3 weeks since then and still NO PLANTS! Can't get a reply from them now and wish I'd never heard of Central Florida Farms. Do Not Do Business with these Scam Artists!!!!!!
I ordered 6 Borneo Alocasia Giant Bulbs and 2 Red Siam banana trees on 3-22-09. I've received nothing. Rec'd an e'mail from Angel promising shipment the next week, that was 3 weeks ago. Filed a complaint with PayPal, then rec'd another e-mail from Angel that my order was shipped she would give me a tracking # the next day. Still have no tracking # and still no plants. I may have lost my 300.00, but I gained a lot of experience. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH CENTRAL FLORIDA FARMS. TOO BAD I WOULD HAVE BEEN A REPEAT CUSTOMER.
On Apr 24, 2009, RYBOYER Greenwell Springs, LA wrote:
CAUTION "VERY BAD WEBSITE"
I ordered 2 Hua Moa banana plants on 3/14/09 for 59.00 and paid through pay pal. I still have not recieved my plants. I emailed Angel on 4/09/09 she said she would mail them out the following Monday. She said she delayed shipping do to freezing tempertures. That I know is B.S. Because I live in Louisiana and we had no freezes since the first week of March and she is located further south. After about 1 week I emailed her again on 4/17/09 stating I knew I only had 45 days to file a complaint with pay pal so please send my order or refund my money. Well I did not get my plants or a refund from Angel. I filed a complaint with pay pal this morning. I Just want my money back now.
I ordered my plants on July 3rd and just got them today (oct 1st). They claim to have email trouble. Do they live in Iraq? Come on! Give me a break. My plants showed up totally thrashed too. I'm betting they don't survive. Never do business with them! You will regret it!
I am just the latest person to be taken advantage of in exactly the same way as described in other comments. Even got the same email response buying time and then nothing... I am quite upset that they have been getting away with this for so long and paypal or BBB or anyone has done nothing...
I have put this off as long as I can... I tried to give Central Florida Farms the benefit of the doubt and I waited patiently for them to do the right thing. However, like everyone else here, I've been taken advantage of by these people!
On June 10th (my birthday), I ordered a couple of plants for my courtyard. Immediately after I placed the order, I sent them an e-mail wanting to confirm what I had ordered and I never got a response. And while **normally** I check out a business before I buy from them on the web, I chose (subconsciously) to forgo that process due to the elaborate website and so many plant offerings. I noted they also had some really cool palms that I was also planning to purchase in the future!! These people COULD HAVE had my business over & over!
NOW I KNOW IT'S A COMPLETE SCAM! AND, THEY SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES... THEY TALK ABOUT CHURCH & GOD AND THE PROBLEMS WITH THEIR SON CORBIN... yes, I read it all. I would say it's the PERFECT set up.
I too wrote to Angel who "promised to send the plants and an additional plant for my inconvenience"... HOWEVER, I know now that that was just to buy time in hopes that the 45 days would elapse before I had the chance to dispute the charges through PayPal. I have now done just that (thanks to this website!! and all the derogatory comments) and am currently awaiting a response from Dave Mattocks by July 30th. I am not holding my breath!
Another member here, 'flionti', mentions that people should file a complaint with the Florida Attorney General's website (scroll down for the link in their post of July 16, 2008). I suggest everyone do just that! Afterall, if they're having problems filling orders, then WHY NOT TAKE THE WEBSITE DOWN? WHY CONTINUE TO TAKE INNOCENT PEOPLE'S MONEY?
DAVID AND ANGEL MATTOCKS ARE THIEVES AND SCAMMERS!!!!!!
They will not answer any emails or phone calls.
Call them 1-386-299-3605 and God will bless you in the form of Angels voice saying they can't take your calls :ONLY your MONEY!!I
We ordered from them a month ago via paypal thinking that they were a legitimate business WHAT a mistake!!
They have scammed everyone they have dealt with.
I too placed an order from this company, waited the 14 business days and nothing. I contacted them, they promised to ship it out the next week and nothing. They now won't return my phone calls or emails. I was attracted by the beautiful plants and free shipping. (Easy to offer free shipping when you aren't shipping anything out.) All you have to do is visit the Better Business Bureau for Central Florida to see that these complaints are not isolated incidents and that this company has a significant history of taking people's money without providing the service that was paid for. This is a standard mode of operation for them.
On Jul 14, 2008, pego1200 Lake Mary, FL (Zone 9b) wrote:
Unfortunately I can confirm the negative comments of the members below. I was attracted by the rare palm trees they had on their web page and I ordered 3 of them on July 3rd via PayPal, but I heard nothing back from them. I tried several times to contact under the different e-mails and via phone, but nothing; no reply, no confirmation. I am out $123 and I fear about my funds now.
I should have read the comments on this page before I made the order.
I had three orders over a short time. I continued to order plants before I received first shipment. My stupidity in getting excited about the different plants they had available. I never received any plants. They claimed they shipped my plants but they were lost. They continued to claim they would send my plants. I asked for a refund and never received a reply. I asked for a refund from Paypal. But only received 2 of 3 payments back due to the timeline. They said I would receive my plants even though I was asking for a refund. But of course I received nothing and I am out $187.
*** THEY WILL TAKE YOUR MONEY AND YOU GET NOTHING IN RETURN!! ***
*** FRAUD ALERT!! ***
I sent them a paypal payment on April 27 2008 of this year for two large Alocasia Bulbs and still have never received anything from them! I asked several times for a refund and got nothing, not even a response. I waited too long to file a dispute with paypal and now I am at a loss.
*** AVOID THIS SELLER LIKE THE PLAGUE !!! ***
My paypal payment was in total of $59.90, transaction ID 7HH73604BN7672533 and still has never been refunded!!! I am posting here in hopes they will do the right thing and refund my money!! If they do i will gladly post here stating they have done so. If not then flame on!
I recently ordered a Red Banana plant from these people. It was paid for through Paypal. They sent me a confirmation of my order, and claimed it would be shipped out in a few days. Never happened. I emailed. No response. I called and left a message. No response. I contacted Paypal, and Paypal tried to get them to respond. They never responded to Paypal so, hopefully, I will now get a refund. DO NOT ORDER FROM THESE PEOPLE!! Read all the negative comments, and save your money.
I ordered a plant from this company in Feb 08 and after not receiving it in the time period stated of 2 weeks I contacted them. They sent an email saying that they had marked it as sent and would correct the error and send it. I waited and have not received anything after the prescribed time which unfortunately puts me over the 45 day limit with Pay Pal.
I now get no response from there email address.
DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY and IF YOU USE PAY PAL YOU ARE ONLY PROTECTED for 45 days.
On May 15th, 2008, sattolico added the following:
After contacting CFF with the help of information I got on this site. They did send my order and also sent two extra plants as a way of saying sorry for the delay. The plants arrived in very good shape and are in the ground, one has a new leaf already. I am happy they took care of thei issue.
On about 6/20/07, I ordered online $104 of elephant ears and paid with pay pal. After 2months I tried to get a refund but Pay Pal had a 45 day limit. Since I had missed this, I tried to get in contact with Central Florida Farms. I happened to see angels reply on Dave's Garden website in January, 2008. So I tried the email. I got an answer that said they were going to send my order--nine months late. They said I would get my order by that Friday. Three weeks later, nothing. She even called and told me I would get the order. Still nothing---save your money. Mike Bookwalter
July 12, 2007 I paid for two ginger plants via PayPal; the plants have never arrived. I have had no response from my emails and have now begun the process of filing a report with PayPal in hopes of recovering my cost. This is a company that is scamming buyers.
On Aug 17, 2007, Caladiums4Less Lake Placid, FL (Zone 9b) wrote:
Buyers Beware!!
Bought two Black Magic plants for my personal collection. Plants were NEVER received though. Thankfully I paid via PayPal and got my money back after a short wait. They didn't respond to any emails in regards to order. I wouldn't buy from this company again, that's for sure!!!
On Aug 16, 2007, kathy_ann Judsonia, AR (Zone 7b) wrote:
Placed an order 4 weeks ago, and they don't reply to their emails . There is definitely some trouble with this nursery. From all the other negative comments. I gave them my credit card info, they haven't charged my account but I did call my credit card company and had them block any charges from this company.
On Aug 13, 2007, flionti Jacksonville Beach, FL wrote:
David Mattocks is a rip-off artist. I sent him money for plants, and PayPal took the money immediately. I paid for the plants in April 2007. It is now August 2007, and I have not received any plants. He has no phone number or address on his website, so you cannot contact him. I've sent a dozen emails requesting my plants with no response except an automatic reply. Don't buy from Central Florida Farms! I filed a complaint with the Florida Consumer Affairs. You can do that online at:http://myfloridalegal.com/ In his bio he mentions that he lived in Daytona Beach near his grandmother.
On July 16th, 2008, flionti added the following:
I called Angel at the number given. I emailed them again several times. It is now July 16th, 2008, and I gave them my order and they took my money on April 2007. Their phone mailbox is full (no wonder). They have ripped off a lot of people I suppose. Dear Angel has not returned any phone calls, emails, or my money, of course. Everyone should go to the web site at http://myfloridalegal.com and file a complaint against these people. That apology that they wrote at the top of the page and their promise to make amends is obviously more "fertilizer" from Central Florida Farms.
I ordered $85.00 of plants from Central Florida Farms in January and have not received them as of August. I also e-mailed them to request a refund (four times) and they will not even acknowledge my mail. I recommend that you DO NOT order from these people.
I have joined the group of people who have ordered from this company and haven’t heard anything from them since. I’ve had no response to any attempted inquiry except an automated response saying they would get right back to me (or an error message saying their mailbox was full). I have filed a dispute with PayPal. An interesting point about their policy (click on “terms & agreements” at the bottom of their homepage, then see the section “PayPal claims & buyer disputes”) is that they state that if a dispute is filed with PayPal, they will not ship unless the claim is canceled. However, once a dispute is canceled, it cannot be re-filed.
More contact info can be found by Googling "Florida Nursery and Growers Association” "central florida farms" .
The owner of the company, David, says in his website that medical problems with his wife and child have interfered with his business. That is certainly understandable. But, according to him, this has been going on for at least a year and a half and he does not appear to have done anything of consequence to let buyers know what will happen (or not happen) after they order.
On May 11, 2007 I ordered an aroid from CFF and as of June 16 I haven't received anything. I went through paypal and I have esculated my account to a claim. I do not think that CFF is in business any more. Hopefully I can get some of my money back.
I placed an order on April 30th, my card was promptly charged, however it is now June 13th and they have not sent any plant material or responded to any of my E-mails. According to 411, they do not exist in the State of Florida's phone book. This appears to be more of a scam than a reputable buisness. Steer clear of this operation.
I ordered banana trees about a month ago, my credit card was charged and no banana plants or explainations! I did not receive any confirmation from the web-site which made me nervous, just a confirmtion from pay-pal that they are taking my money. I have tried to send e-mails to the ONLY contact informtion provided on the website, which is an e-mail address and my e-mails keep being returned "the receipant's mail box is full, try to contact this person by phone." There is no phone number or address anywhere on the website to contact anyone. This is a huge disappointment but I guess we all learn the hard way sometimes.
On April 23,2007, I ordered two imperialis vriesea plants. AI paid by credit card using PAYPAL. I have never received the plants, nor any word from the company, this, in spite, of several e-mails to Mr. Mattocks and a recent complaint filed with PayPal and one filed today with the Florida Dept. of Consumer Affairs.
I bought something off of their web site with paypal. I got basically no message from them other than a thank you for paying, and never received any goods. I have emailed them several times and never heard back. I cannot locate a phone number for this company. I am going to have to get paypal to refund my payment.
Seems like I had the same experience as the others...
I made a order back in april and have not got any plants yet. Try to email but have not got a responce back. I have been charge on credit card. The comany has no phone number or address to get on website. This is a rip-off website.
On May 26th, 2006, garryrice added the following:
Still can not contact Dave about my order for $59.97. He will not write me back. He is a rip-off. Please do not buy from him.
Extremely bad experience. Bought 2 Black Velvet Alocasia's ($35 each for 4-12 inch plants) and never got an acknowledgment of the order, notice of shipping or a reply to what was going on. Many weeks later some tiny 2 to 4 inch plants arived--not anywhere near what was advertised.
If you don't believe me just check the forum on Dave's website, it is filled with dissatisfied customers--this guy should be out of business.
