Comments regarding Dutch Gardens

I ordered 5 plants. They shipped on Saturday April 18 and arrived on Monday April 26. I knew 9 days in transit would be an issue. It was. Three of the 5 plants were in very rough shape (mostly yellow and brown leaves). Good customer service would have been to apologize and offer an immediate replacement or refund. I did not get good customer service. I was encouraged to plant them and give them a chance. It reminded my of the Monty Python dead parrot skit. I sent them a photo of my dead plant and gave them permission to use it in their promotional materials.

Buy local! Don’t waste your money with this company. I ordered $187 worth of plants and bulbs on 9/5/2020. Everything in the order was designated on their website as ‘fall delivery’. On 10/22/2020 I contacted them via their website requesting a refund. By that time we had experienced several hard freezes, temperatures were regularly below freezing at night, and planting the live plants and bulbs was no longer possible. Other than their standard automated responses I heard nothing so contacted them again via their website on 10/30/2020 restating my request for a refund. On 11/2/2020 I received an email from them requesting all previous correspondence regarding the issue. Up to that email, my only correspondence from them had been their automated replies, but I put my two requests and their automated responses together in chronological order and sent it back to them via email. After more automated responses, on 11/6/2020 I receive a shipping notification for my order. Note that I did NOT request the order be shipped, I requested a refund. I contact them again pointing out that I can’t plant either the live plants or the bulbs when they arrive since the ground is frozen. Even if I could dig a hole, the temperatures are below freezing at night so the live plants would die. I’m told, via email, that the live plants and bulbs can be “stored in a cool, dry, and dark place or planted in pots and kept inside until more optimal planting”. These are plants and bulbs that should be planted in the fall. They are expecting me to store them or keep them in pots for almost a year? That’s ridiculous! Now on 12/3/2020 the live plants (half the cost of the order) are dead. The bulbs have been stored in a ‘cool, dry, dark place’ but I seriously doubt they will be viable when I’m finally able to plant them next fall. I would have been far better off spending my money locally and getting quality plants, bulbs AND good customer service. I wish I would have read the reviews before ordering from this company. I hope someone else can learn from my mistake and avoid doing business with this company.

Dear fellow gardeners,
Do not order from this company. If you get the catalog, throw it out as I should have done. they charge you and do not send your merchandise.

I ordered some perennials for Fall planting on September 7, 2020.
3 Cheyenne spirit coneflowers
1 Supeme Cantalope coneflower
1 Glowing ember coneflower
40 Glory of the snow
With tax and shipping 129.43 I was charged on 9/11/2020. On the email confirmation of the order it states to allow 1-2 weeks for processing of the order. I expected with the Fall coming I would get the plants by end of September, early October. When the second week of October came and still no plants, I emailed asking for an update as I had not received a shipping update. No response. I just called today, October 24, nearly 7 weeks after placing my order. I live on LI and it is starting to get chilly here at night. We may ride out a warm November but who knows really? I would like the plants to be in the ground and established before we get a frost otherwise, dead plants. I asked the woman who answered the phone if she could advise me when the plants will be shipped as it is getting late in the season. I went to give her my order number and she said she doesn't have access to order numbers or their contents. Okay. That makes perfect sense. She asks for zip, last name and then first name. Her response is they have no information as to when order will be shipped. Okay.... How about putting me through to someone who is a bit more informed? Her response. No. No one has access to that information. Cracker jack customer service team and system!

What also disturbed me was how disinterested and unhelpful this person was. I have contacted other companies with questions or concerns and the people who answered the phone were pleasant, helpful and seemed alive. And we even shared nice conversations or a laugh. This person sounded bored and disinterested. Sorry honey, it is your job to be helpful. Furthermore, what kind of system is this? You can't access individual order information? You can't give a paying customer an estimated date or any information regarding an order they placed? Unheard of. I remained as polite as I could but I had to ask about cancellation. She said I could send a letter with a copy of the orginal order which I just finished typing and it will go out on Monday. I also called my credit card company and started a dispute. How can you charge people before you send out the merchandise? That burn me. Charge me when you send it. And to have no idea when you are going to send the merchandise is even worse.

I ordered from another company around the same time, High Country Gardens, and I received regular updates on shipping and it arrived when they said it would. They are all happily in the ground thriving.

Dutch Gardens. Worst company ever. I should have checked here before ordering and I would have seen the same stories repeated from all over the country. Avoid at all costs.

AVOID! It has been OVER 90 DAYS since they notified me that they were unable to fill my order placed on June 8th for Chocolate Vine, of over $100. I cancelled my order August 1st, 49 days ago. To date, I have not received a credit back to my credit card for the charges.

They have auto-respond on their email; there is no excuse other than this is a sham operation that should be shut down immediately.

I ordered about a dozen rose bushes from this company. All were in poor shape when arrived. I planted all and 4 of the bushes never showed any growth. I notified the company. They initially told me they would be replacing the bushes. Now following numerous emails exchanges where they would ask for information, they informed me that I needed to have sent the shipping label within 14 days. I did not even know that the bushes would not put on growth since their correspondence said wait a few weeks for growth to appear. I believe they engaged in a delay tactic to make certain the 14 days expired and that I would no longer have the shipping label. This is a horrible company and I will not waste further money ordering from them again.

Ordered a plant (Bleeding Heart) on May 8, 2020, expecting quick delivery. Was not informed otherwise, but was charged for the order. As of July 22, no delivery and no response to my email requesting a refund.

Based on other's experience it appears I have been scammed by this company.

Will complain to the Illinois AG if they do not respond to my latest email and I would urge others to do the same.

If I could give no stars I would, overall terrible customer service and your likely time get ripped off. I placed an order with three items, it stated my order would be shipped in 2-3 weeks. I was being extra understanding when that time came and went with Covid, but it would have been nice if they would have emailed me to tell me they were running behind. After seven weeks without an email to be found they finally shipped my order. That took a week to receive, with a $12.99 shipping fee I would have expected faster shipping. Upon receiving my order there were two plants and one of them wasn't one I ordered. There was a note on the item I didn't order saying they didn't want me to be disappointed, but they ran out of what I ordered and substituted it for another item. Basically they didn't want to refund my money. After emailing them back and forth several times, they have yet to address my missing item and I told them I didn't want what they sent me. They stated that they can substitute the item if they sell out because I didn't tell them not to substitute, there is nowhere in the online ordering for me to op out of a substitute. In order for me to receive a refund I have to send back the item I never ordered at my cost with a written letter explaining why I'm returning the item. I seriously doubt that if I sent it back I would ever see my money, I'm sure they would come up with some loop hole to get out of refunding my money. Don't waste your time and money. STAY AWAY!

I am very disappointed with Dutch Gardens.
I placed an order for dahlias on 4/9. They shipped on 5/9 and when I opened the package they were all dead, some of them crumbling to pieces. To be absolutely sure I planted them but none of them sprouted. I requested replacements and received a confirmation on 5/18. The replacements finally shipped on 7/2. Out of the five replacement dahlias one of them was alive. I will not order from them again.

Posted on June 27, 2020, updated July 8, 2020
Dear Dutch Gardens, you are not very good at your job.
I ordered a Blue Crown passion flower and 3 packages of crocosmia corms. I spent $65 including tax. I order from many nurseries. They were all able to deliver my products except in one case they notified me in a timely manner that the order would not be filled. You on the other hand have still not managed to get this order placed May 1st into my hands. I can only imagine that the crocosmia corms if they ever existed in your inventory are now hard little dead pebbles. I will not speculate on the passion flower vine. At any rate after hearing nothing from you, I inquired via email and received a reply on June 16 that the order had been "processed". I suppose that meant that someone walked over to the shipping room and yelled at someone to throw something in box and mail it. As of June 27- ten days later -I am still without product. Frankly I do not expect product. And if by some miracle I get the plant materials I expect them to be dead. I believe at some past time this nursery used be a respected business. I will not speculate as to what unfortunate decisions and mismanagement have led to its current state. Please learn from my experience and order elsewhere. I will do the same.

I placed an order of over $185 with Dutch Gardens on May 11, 2020. It is now July 3, 2020, and I have heard nothing from them.

Same experience as others. Placed an order in April. Credit card charged early May. I'm nearing the end of June with no plants. 5 emails with wishy-washy replies. The last one I asked for my money back and I haven't received a reply. Reading another person's post has given me the idea also that maybe I can work with my credit card company to get the money refunded. I will never buy from them again. Their catalogs will line the bottom of the kitty-litter box.

This is the second year I've ordered Great Queen Elizabeth gladiolus from Dutch Gardens, and it's the second year they've sent me something completely different. Both years, the glads arrived in sealed bags with labels saying "Great Queen Elizabeth," which they weren't. According to the photos and description of Queen Elizabeth, it is a peach-pink color. Last year, the glads were an unfortunate muddy pink, and this year they are a deep purple with a white stippling that makes them look diseased. Between last year and this, Dutch Gardens has sent me 70 gladiolus bulbs that were incorrectly labeled. At best, this is incompetence; at worst, it's fraud. I'll never do business with Dutch Gardens again.

This company is absolutely horrible. I placed an order with them on April 26, 2020. This was for $296.24. The email I received indicated that it would be 2-3 weeks before my items would be shipped and then I would be billed at that time. When mid-May arrived and I still had not received anything I started to wonder what was going on. I waited until May 18th to email them and I also called them on this date to inquire about the status of my order. I was informed that it was in shipping and should be sent out shortly. I asked when I could expect it and the woman on the phone said she was not able to give me an exact date.
A couple weeks passed and I still did not receive anything. In the meantime, my credit card was billed for the entire amount on May 21st. At this time I started to get a bad feeling about this business so I called again and their phone number continued to be busy for several hours. I finally reached someone and was once again told my product was in shipping and that they could not give me any more information than that. They said I needed to email customer service to address this. When I had emailed customer service before, I had not received an email back but I agreed to email them again.
I sent emails to customer service inquiring about my order on June 8th, 13th, 16th and 17th. I also called during these times and was either met with a busy signal or when someone answered they continued to say they could not help me or give me any update on my order. The emails that came back from customer service were one-liners basically saying my order was still active. I asked multiple times about cancelling my order since they could not give me any update and were unprofessional in their exchanges with me due to not giving any information on my order and basically blowing me off on the calls and just sending me back to customer service.
At this time, they have taken my money and I have not received any product and there is no indication of when or if I ever will. My last call was today to them in which I informed them that I had filed a fraud claim with my credit card due to the charge they made on it and that I would be reporting them to the Better Business Bureau. I asked to speak to a supervisor and again about the status of my order. The woman on the phone said, once again, my order was in shipping and that her supervisor was on the phone and could not speak to me. I told her I would wait as I was concerned I would not receive a call back. The woman on the phone said that was correct that they do not do callbacks, which also raised red flags for me as to why they would not reach out to a customer who was extremely dissatisfied. She also said there really was no one there that could help me and she was not going to allow me to wait for her supervisor to get off the phone. Thus, there was no one I could speak to on the phone, customer service does not respond, this company refuses to refund my money, and I never received anything. Therefore, they have stolen my money at this point and there are multiple red flags regarding the ethical operations of this company.
I have informed my credit card of this charge and they have put it into dispute. I think it is important for others to know the shady and fraudulent practices of this company. It seems they are using the COVID situation to not fulfill their orders and yet they are more than willing to still take the money of their customers. It is shameful and horrendous when businesses operate like this in good times, but to do this when times are hard is even more despicable. My hope is that my money will be refunded at some point and that I can wipe my hands of this company as it has been an extremely stressful and negative experience.

I placed an order with Dutch Gardens on 04/29/20. I received a confirmation email indicating shipping time was 3-4 weeks. On 05/27/20 my credit card was charged and the order was not shipped. I emailed the company on 06/02/20, and 06/03/20 asking when the order would be shipped. I received a reply indicating they were shipping orders from the week of 04/23/20 and wouldn’t have an answer for 5-7 days. I replied on 06/05/20 and 06/08/20 asking for a refund. On 06/10/20 I received a response indicating they could not locate a record of my order. As per the FTC, all online, phone, or mail orders must be shipped within 30 days of receiving the order or by the timeframe provided by the merchant, whichever is longer, in this case 4 weeks. If a merchant is unable to ship within the timeframe they stated or the 30 day rule, the merchant must inform the customer in writing or by phone of the delay and allow the customer the choice to agree to the delayed shipping or a prompt refund. Dutch Gardens did not do this. Since Dutch Gardens has no record of the order but charged my credit card, I can only assume this is a fraudulent charge and have reported it to the credit card company as such. I have also filed complaints with the NY AG (state in which I reside and the purchase was made), the IL AG (state in which Dutch Gardens is located), the FTC for violation of the 30 day rule and not issuing a refund as directed on 3 separate occasions, and the BBB. Please read the reviews on google and yelp and all other available resources if you are considering ordering from this company. My story is the same is all the others. Billed. Charged. Order sent ridiculously late if at all. Read their responses to complaints on BBB. That alone is telling of how this company operates. The customer service shouldn’t even be rated one star. If I could give it negative stars, I would. Worst company ever! DO NOT purchase from this company it will only lead to filing complaints with every possible avenue possible and writing negative reviews on every platform. Just don’t.

Posted on June 11, 2020, updated June 13, 2020
Posted on June 9, 2020, updated June 11, 2020
Posted on May 14, 2020, updated June 9, 2020
Posted on May 13, 2020, updated May 14, 2020
Posted on April 23, 2020, updated May 13, 2020
Posted on April 23, 2020, updated April 23, 2020
Posted on November 21, 2019, updated April 23, 2020
Posted on October 24, 2019, updated November 21, 2019
Dutch Gardens has come through with nice quality plants again, that were very well packed.

I appreciate that they were delivered right to my door this time, so I could open the box immediately and begin taking care of them.

I have planted them all, and they are doing well.

While I had initially requested a later shipping date, due to the erratic nature of our early Spring weather, their early arrival has worked out well, since it has warmed up much earlier than usual and is staying warm.

I ordered Coral Honeysuckle, two species of Foxglove and Golden Ball Coreopsis. The coreopsis is already blooming.

I am very happy, and again, I thank Dutch Gardens for having this order delivered directly to my home instead of languishing in the Post Office where I might not have been able to immediately retrieve it.

Good work, Dutch Gardens!

I placed an order on April 25,2020 totaling $112 and change. Never received an update. DG charged my card a month later. Nothing. I emailed them on 05/31 to request an update.

On 06/02/20, they informed me that the last memo had them shipping through 04/20. So, my question is, if you know on 05/25 that your last ship date was 04/20, WHY did you charge me on 05/25 for merchandise you had no intention of shipping?

I emailed them back on 06/02 and told them that the planting/growing season for these bulbs was almost over by the time they DID get around to shipping- so could they issue a refund?

Then they responded that the order is now in the shipping department. How so? When?

As of tonight , 06/10/20, I have yet to receive a shipping message or any other correspondence.

Essentially they have taken my money and never shipped the merchandise. Incredibly unprofessional.

I ordered something from Dutch Gardens on April 17th. I still have not received anything but the most annoying part is that I have sent 3 emails with no reply and their phone goes directly to a busy signal. I'm not so concerned about the delay (tho I would like to receive them soon) but I have to change the delivery address and I need confirmation from them them that they have received that request. Is anyone working there? Are they still in business? If they don't reply by tomorrow, I will have my credit company cancel the order. And it goes without saying, that I will never use them again.
cruggieri61

On 4/27/20, I ordered about $100 worth of cannas. Ok, not a huge order, but I’m a believer in reward-over-time. At that time during the Coronavirus crisis, their website said allow for 2 weeks to process the order. A week later, it said to allow for 2-3 weeks. A week later, it said to allow for 2-4 weeks. At the 3 week mark, I sent an email to the company requesting an update on my order. Just before the 4 week mark (8 days ago) after no email response, I called to inquire about the status of my order. Automated message after automated message about coved-19 and call back later (couldn’t even leave a message), I kept repeatedly calling (now my blood pressure was up). Finally someone answered the phone, and told me my order was “in process” and would be shipping within days. 8 days later, it’s still in the same status and has not shipped. We are now 31 days after I placed my order - I live in zone 6b, so by the time they bloom (I’m assuming they will?), it will be time to dig them up! I can’t comment in the quality of their product because this was the first time I ordered from them (and the last), but I can tell you that I have ordered from many, many small businesses during the pandemic to try and support them, and none have disappointed me like this. Sure, a delay is expected at this time, but nothing like this. I will not order from them again, and unless they can get their processing & shipping process up to par, I wouldn’t refer anyone to them. Again, I want to emphasize that I understand these times are unusual, but I have never experienced a purchase so disappointing.

I ordered Denim and Lace Sage from Dutch Gardens before April 15. Today (May 15), I have yet to see any shipment. They won't answer their phones ever. I have emailed several times and only one response was tailored to my specific question. The canned email responses always state that the order is "in processing" [whatever that means] and once I asked for the order t to be canceled and a refund issued, they tell me they can't cancel because it is "in shipping"-- for over two weeks now. I am disappointed and discouraged that I will never get my order.

After several attempts to get a ship date out of them and done with their "vague" we don't know responses I went back and forth multiple times to get them to cancel the order to which they said once it's in "process" they cannot guarantee cancellation, even though it was 2 weeks in and they would not ship for another 1 1/2 weeks. I told them repeatedly via email to NOT ship and surprise! All of a sudden they shipped after I told them I'd give them until that Friday to cancel the order. There are NO RMA instructions inside the box. On their website if you send the items back within 14 days you will get a refund of purchase which means you paid for shipping HIGH shipping I might add both ways!! This is not a REAL company. They have a P.O. box, they have a 800# that is a call center, the warehouse at the address given is for a Virtual World experience business, so they don't have a physical address. Which I figured out, far too late, means they are a DISTRIBUTOR only of said plants. They don't plant, nor harvest the plants, nor do they box and ship them. I'm not really sure who they do distribute for but if you think you are dealing with Dutch Gardens that has been in business for 100 years, as they advertise that's a lie. DO NOT buy from these unscrupulous people. Report them everywhere you can and try to keep others from giving them any of their money. Places like this should be driven out of business for the deception.

Posted on April 22, 2019, updated May 4, 2019
I ordered 3 Starfighter Lilies from Dutch Gardens on February 27 for $11.99. The shipping was $12.99, more than the lilies but they are the only site listing Starfighter this year. I ordered Lilies, other bulbs and plants from other sites around the same time.

About a month later I had received my orders from other sites but had heard nothing from Dutch Gardens. I called Dutch Gardens on March 23 about the order and was told they are shipping to my zone but she had no visibility into the shipping schedule.

I called Dutch Gardens again on April 8. The lady put me on hold for a while and then said the bulbs had just came in from their supplier. They are in the process of shipping them.

I still have not received the bulbs as of today, April 22. I have tried to call them many times but only get a busy signal.

OK, I know I have been scammed, like so many other people. I will leave similar comments on every review site.

DO NOT do business with Dutch Gardens. There are plenty of reputable online retailers who are much easier to work with and won't try to extort money from you.

2 of 3 live plants they sent were dead or not as described (a bare root specimen was sent instead of a 4" potted plant).

Unlike other reputable online plant and bulb retailers, Dutch Gardens is unwilling to accept their mistakes without customers paying to return merchandise. It took a credit card dispute to get the money back, but even then Dutch Gardens has, 11 months later, threatened legal action to collect monies they were charged back as part of the dispute they lost.

Dutch Gardens, since you will apparently receive this feedback, please know that the attorney general's office for consumer affairs will be in touch.

Dutch Gardens has an extremely poor customer service. Plus they do not honor their guarantees. Beware, do not order from this site. I have been ignored for my issues for over a year.

I ordered a couple 3 in 1 angel trumpets from Dutch gardens and received them back around 1st of sept and didnt think much about it and went ahead and planted them not expecting them to do anything till spring ..to our surprise they started growing and bloomed they're first flowers right after New years 2019 ..so beautiful thank you Dutch gardens

I find it very disturbing that a so called reputable company would publish their telephone number, but after many attempts were not answered. When emailing get the same discourteous service. No reputable company would process your credit card before shipping a product. After finally speaking with someone, they tell you that they are not sure when it will ship and could not find the items I have ordered. Yet they processed my credit card in advance of shipping. I also contacted them yet another time to cancel my order and they would not permit the cancellation. This falls in the category of a scam. I have now filed a grievance with my credit card company and will be notifying the BBB along with completing a Google Review.

My very first order with them and I wish I had found this forum first! The impression I am left with is that they are masters of bait and switch.

I ordered 3 Sonia Rose plants when I found them available on their site as I’ve been searching for quite awhile. They have sentimental value for me. When my order arrived I found 3 plants with a generic name that they claim are “similar” since they were unable to get the Sonia’s. No information at all on what they actually are, and searched the provided name on their website returns 0 results. Likewise, the gift with purchase, a gorgeous and unusual lily bulb was substituted with some common bulbs that I can get right now at 80% off from our local WalMart.

I called their number, getting a call center of course. I was offered the option of a refund or being placed on a waiting list. I opted to wait list until I could attempt to contact the company directly. Emailed, and got no response.

The Sonya roses are still being offered for sale on their website. I will attempt one more email, try the call center again for a refund if I get no response, and as a last resort contact my credit card company to resolve as these were not inexpensive plants. Extremely disappointed.

"On Apr 30, 2018 11:00 AM, Dutch Gardens responded with:

We are sorry to hear of this customer’s experience as we do take pride in our customer care. We do have both a refund and a replacement guarantee which is clearly posted on our website and we stand behind them. We are sorry to hear that the customer received a substitute for this item and, of course, we would be happy to issue a refund.

A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. We do hope to hear back from the customer as we would like to help resolve this problem
"

Stay away from this company!

I ordered and paid full price for Pink Ruffles Oriental Poppies. They turned out to be solid red, not ruffled. Because the plants came in the fall and bloomed in the spring, it was not possible to tell the company about the problem within 14 days as they demand if one is to get a refund.

I complained. I asked for a replacement. I was told they no longer carry Pink Ruffles, but I could have a credit voucher. They never sent a credit voucher.

Now, at last, I have found something I want to buy from them. I have tried. There is no way on their online order form to tell them I have a credit. The woman I spoke with on Friday said she couldn't look anything up, so I should call on Monday. The woman I spoke with today is at a call center, and she said that she knows nothing. She actually said that she could place an order for me and charge me for the plants. She also said that there is no telephone number for the company, that I should write an email or send a letter. I have been writing emails, and I get nowhere.

I am being cheated out of $27.97.

"On Nov 28, 2017 9:01 AM, Dutch Gardens responded with:

A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. We do hope to hear back from the customer as we would like to help resolve this problem"

Bulbs took 6 weeks to ship though they indicated they would ship in 1-2 weeks. It snowing today so we had 1 weekend to plant the bulbs before the ground becomes frozen. Three bulbs were rotten. It's impossible to actually talk to someone on the phone and they do not respond promptly to email. I will never buy from them again.

"On Nov 6, 2017 2:29 PM, Dutch Gardens responded with:

A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. We do hope to hear back from the customer as we would like to help resolve this problem.

"

I received their fall catalog today, 8/26/17. I thumbed through it and it looks great but I vaguely remembered problems with this company so I checked here. Boy! am I glad I did. Thanks for all you comments and warnings. I'm going to go see what Bluestone is offering.

I ordered cannas and begonias and wanted to start them earlier in the greenhouse for better summer displays. The company refuses to send them earlier. It has been well above freezing for awhile and there is no reason they couldn't have been shipped a month ago. Plenty of companies will accommodate that request and I will not be ordering from this place again.

"On Apr 12, 2017 10:21 AM, Dutch Gardens responded with:

We are sorry to hear of this customer’s experience as we do take pride in our customer care. As many know the weather this year has been very unpredictable this year. While it may be warm in your location we have to take into consideration the transit. We want to make sure the plants reach our customers in the best condition possible.

A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. We do hope to hear back from the customer as we would like to help resolve this problem
"

WARNING: If you close the account you paid with,
EVEN AFTER RETURNING ALL MERCHANDISE,
you will not get a refund.

THIS COMPANY IS HEARTLESS! Flowers are a symbol of love and life, and this company has taken the death of my mother in law as an opportunity to benefit their bottom line.

My mother in law placed a $600+ dollar order the week before her death. When the first box arrived a few days after she passed away I returned the box and contacted the company to let them know it was being returned and why. I asked them to please cancel any remaining shipments and was informed that 5 other boxes had just shipped. I told the representative that those boxes would be returned as well once they arrived.

Dutch Gardens refunded the contents of the first box, but when I called to find out why the other 5 boxes hadn't been refunded, the representative confirmed that all the merchandise had been returned, but told me that the company would only refund to the debit card that paid and since the debit card was no longer valid (checking account had been closed due to death) they had no way to refund the orders. I requested they issue a check to the estate, or simply give store credit for the remaining amount. I was told that the request would be forwarded on the the appropriate person.

It has now been 9 months, I have called several times, and each time I am told the request for refund has been made, but the company stands by their policy of not refunding returned orders if they are unable to refund to the card that placed the order.

Basically, this company does not dispute the fact that they received this entire order back. They simply refuse to issue a refund in any form other than to credit a debit card that is not valid, and won't accept a charge or credit.

I wish I had kept the plants and spread them around to her many gardener friends and planted some of them with my girls in our own garden to remember their grandma by. I was just so overwhelmed by the unexpected death that anything other than returning the boxes seemed more than I could manage.

The death of a loved one is a very emotional and exhausting time, and this company has made what should have been very easy, a difficult and enduring challenge.

"On Apr 12, 2017 10:19 AM, Dutch Gardens responded with:

A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. We do hope to hear back from the customer as we would like to help resolve this problem."

Their catalog offers a variety of "free gifts" if you order, but the on-line order form will not accept the catalog code for the free gifts. They're also somewhat overpriced, though the selection is excellent.

I'll update this later when I receive my order. However, since so many others here have complained about their customer service (and since I just wrote a letter to them explaining my frustration about their on-line order form refusing to accept the codes they give for the free plants with each order, in hopes I get a prompter response. If I do and if this is fixed, I'll change my review.

"On Mar 2, 2017 12:24 PM, Dutch Gardens responded with:

A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. We do hope to hear back from the customer as we would like to help resolve this problem
"

I ordered a rose from this company and it arrived bare root in the heat of summer; it was brown with broken roots - no sign of life. I tried to coax it along for two months and there was no green just brown twigs that snapped. I told them of the problem and asked them to replace it, which they did. However the second one was exactly the same; bare broken roots and a dry brown stalk. Now they will only give me credit and not return my cost. Why would I want to take a chance on anything else?

"On Jan 20, 2017 8:39 AM, Dutch Gardens responded with:

A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. We do hope to hear back from the customer as we would like to help resolve this problem"

BE FORWARNED OF THE DUTCH GARDENS REFUND/RETURN POLICIES IF YOU ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY! YOU WILL END UP PAYING FOR THEIR MISTAKES. I ordered three Christmas cactus plants and they waited almost a month to send these to me. The plants arrived at my door mushy and dying. These were supposed to be Christmas gifts, so I immediately called the company to find out if there is any way to revive the plants, and was told to send an email to cusomter service. Three days go by without a response to my email so I called again. The rep told me that I could wait and see if the plants survive (doubtful) otherwise, my other options were to 1) get replacement plants next year because they were done shipping for the year, or 2) I could send the plants back to them AT MY EXPENSE and they would refund my money LESS MY ORIGINAL SHIPPING CHARGES! This is the most ridiculous policy I have ever heard of. So tell me what company sends you a defective product and expects you to eat the cost? I asked if I could speak with a surpervisor, but "gee, there was no supervisor working today". I asked if they could have a supervisor call me when they are available, and was told "that's not how it works, you have to call them". I asked for the name of the supervisor so I could call tomorrow, but, "gee, they don't know who might be working tomorrow, I just have to call, that is how it works". I have never been so FRUSTRATED with a company. I have purchased from several online companies and found Bluestone Perrennials has not only high quality products but excellent customer service and satisfaction. Stay away from Dutch Gardens!

"On Dec 16, 2016 7:57 AM, Dutch Gardens responded with:

A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. We do hope to hear back from the customer as we would like to help resolve this problem."

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THE FOLLOWING SCAMMERS!!!

Burgess
Honeycreek
Summerstone
Royal Dutch Gardens
Four Seasons
Exciting Gardens

They will take your money and rip you off...they are ALL from Bloomington, Indiana. Just look at a catalog - they all have the SAME PHOTOGRAPHS for the SAME PLANTS. IF you order, you will get something DEAD or DYING. AND, it is up to YOU to send it back at YOUR EXPENSE....this is awful!!!!! They are KILLING the plants!!!!!

Everyone should INSIST on either getting a replacement plant at THEIR EXPENSE, or GET THEIR MONEY BACK!!! MAKE THEM....even if you have to threaten them with Small Claims Court. Otherwise, this will continue - what a travesty!!!!

"On Aug 4, 2016 10:58 AM, Dutch Gardens responded with:

We are sorry to hear of this customer’s experience.. We do have both a refund and a replacement guarantee which is clearly posted on our website/catalogs and we stand behind them. We do not require that you return anything to get a replacement of an item that has died.

We are affiliated with some of the other companies listed but these are separate companies.

A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. We do hope to hear back from the customer as we would like to help resolve this problem
"

I have ordered bulbs from Dutch Gardens since back in the early 90's before they had a website, just a catalogue.
This spring I ordered tubers and 1 Eternal Fragrance Daphne. The Daphne was listed as being in a quart pot, price was $29.99
What I received was a 3 inch, 3 1/2 inch diameter pot with a 3 inch tall twig that had 1 small limb on it and 1 leaf.
I contacted them and explained what they had sent. I got a small message back saying "sorry you are not happy. send it back and we will make an adjustment".
I have to pay for shipping, on top of the $30.00 cost of the plant. This was their fault, not mine.

I will not order any more. I usually order twice per year, and definitely will not be recommending them to my friends.
Especially not, since they are an affiliate of Burgess Gardens.
I think the people who are pulling website orders must have pulled the wrong one and I also think they hired some very inexperienced workers who didn''t know what they are doing.

"On Apr 21, 2016 2:15 PM, Dutch Gardens responded with:

A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. We do hope to hear back from the customer as we would like to help resolve this problem. We, of course, would not ask the customer to return this item if it was our mistake.

"

I ordered 200 Sorbet tulips last July. I dutifully put them in the refrigerator for 6 weeks (since I live in California where it does not freeze) and planted them in early November. They are coming up now, and they are the wrong three colors. This is such a huge disappointment, and I obviously can't do anything to correct it this season. I can, however, make sure I never order tulips from Dutch Gardens again. I have been purchasing bulbs from them for many many years, so this is quite disappointing, and unacceptable.

"On Mar 2, 2016 2:13 PM, Dutch Gardens responded with:

A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. We do hope to hear back from the customer as we would like to help resolve this problem"

Short review: Late delivery, unhealthy plants, substituted unreasonable plant, and refusal to help resolve problem.

I ordered several items in mid-August. Nothing arrived until earlier this week; that package had a sedum in bad shape and a bare roots climatis instead of the potted plant I ordered. The climatis had a note saying "we don't have what you ordered. We're sending this so as not to disappoint you." I called to tell them about the sedum and that I didn't want the bare roots plant. I offered to send a photo to show the problem with the sedum, explaining it would cost me more time and money to send it back than it would to throw it away.
When they declined, I confirmed the balance had not been shipped and canceled my order.

A few days later, they emailed that they were sending out the rest of the order! My efforts to explain my cancellation were met by rote responses, so I called today to talk to a supervisor (Amy).

I suggested we try to resolve this to avoid more aggravation to both sides of this dispute. She said she has no authority to resolve anything; I would have to send a regular letter to Emily Watkins, Office Manager, and that Ms. Watkins does not accept phone calls or emails! My explanation that I would not be able to send a letter due to circumstances I explained was met with the same rote response.

I have had great success with every other company I've dealt with by mail. But Dutch Gardens-- bad plants, late delivery, in appropriate substitution, not consumer friendly--I'll never do business with them again.

I've ordered several times from Dutch Gardens. They have good bulbs at a reasonable price. The plants I've received are just OK. My biggest complaint is there they don't have a zone on every plant in their catalog and their web sight is difficult- only will put up 10 plants at a time, which makes comparisons difficult. Also the cart does not have pictures of the order. I order tulip bulbs from several sights, because I'm picky, but I like to make sure that I haven't ordered 10 peach colored tulips. Other sights have a picture of the order in the cart to make that easier. I decided to only order from them if I cant find it somewhere else and I have to have it.