Comments regarding Kartuz Greenhouses

I ordered two Solanum Wendlandii plants at $15.95 a piece plus $12.00 shipping; because I have ordered these elsewhere for $7.00 a piece (they were out) I assumed these were reasonably nice size plants. When I received them they were cuttings in a hand full of dirt. I was livid so I contacted him and he told me he could do without the scarcasm and return them. If I had done that I would also be out another shipping charge. This man could care less about his customers and as far as I am concerned he is a cheat and should be ashamed of himself. I could have taken cuttings off the vine I have, Beware of him and his nursery.

I know that kartuz has been around for years and has generally good reviews so I expected much more than what I received. I ordered 3 cane begonias (kartuz choice of varieties) and an iochroma. With shipping I paid nearly $50 to the east coast for these 4 plants and what i received was abysmal. First, the begonias were so severely underpotted, stunted and woody , had I seen them in person I would have passed them by. These were old knarly plants that were screaming for larger pots. These plants clearly looked neglected and were not the young, fresh and vigorous healthy rooted cuttings that I expected. Upon transplanting them to larger pots I found the rootballs to be so compacted that it was almost impossible to pry the roots apart. It has been a few weeks now and there is no new growth, and in fact one of them appears to have mildew and has dropped all of its leaves. The rest are just sulking and have yet to produce any new growth.

The iochroma was tiny but at least appeared healthy however the new leaves are curled and distorted which indicates mites, whitefly or aphids. I will need to spray it and hope for the best.

I emailed kartuz about a week ago and to date I have received no response. Not even an "I'm sorry, here's a $5 coupon off your next order." So I gave kartuz a chance to respond and they chose not to, so fine. I'm left with no option to give a negative review and to say that I will not order from kartuz again. I'm really dissapointed with kartuz.

Wish it wasn't so, but I have to post negative. I bought 2 Brugmansia's Only 1 has lived. Let me explain why I feel the need to post as negative.
I placed the order 6/30, no problem. $12.00 for 2 day shipping. Did not see anything mentioned on the order pages about there being any tracking numbers, though these days I believe there should be, or at the least a option. I inquired (email) if there would be any tracking number (never received a response to that).
7/5 receive a email saying my order had shipped, nothing else no response to my question, and no tracking info.
7/8 (friday) still hadn't arrived, I emailed again asking for a tracking number as I was getting concerned. No response. It arrived finally Monday 7/11
Nicely packed yes, 1 plant had leaves, though yellow and wilted, other plant had only a couple very small ones to begin with (now fallen off dead in the packaging), neither very big plants. The one that had the wilted leaves has perked up and tentatively will survive the other is obviously completely dead (I have followed their included instructions), the stem is discoloring more day by day, and has no leaves or any buds where leaves might form.
I know they're not a large organization or anything but having been the entire customer service department myself for a small (and busy) internet retail startup I know it's possible to have alot better customer service then this. The box did have a tracking number on it that should have just plain been sent.
I was so excited about getting 2 more Brugmansias to add to the 1 I already have. This has been a disappointing experience. I will have to look for some other source for another "brug" or 2 (3)

I placed an order of four plants(Sinningias) from this company and two of them were barely seedlings. The other two were O.K. When I called to inform them, the person in charge(Michael), curtly informed me that I needed to wait for the plants to grow. If I had wanted to do that I could have purchased some seeds and started them myself.

I was asked to send an email requesting a refund, for which I got no response. When I called again, I was told to ship the plants back at my expense to get the refund and then he hung up on me. I called again and then he said he would send me similar replacements and hung up on me again. I am not hopeful of getting anything from this company and hence the complaint.

This is a WARNING to anyone who may want to visit Kartuz in person. This is a very small operation so be sure to check the web site for hours of operation (they are closed Sun-Tue). You may also want to call and let them know you are coming so that the appropriate person (evidently Michael) will be there to help you.

When I visited, the place looked abandonded. I eventually came across someone tagging plants who said he was not an owner or an employee, but 'he lived there'. They had some wonderfully unique plants and I would have gladly made a large purchase, but the guy was strangely quiet and not very helpful so I left without a single purchase.

I can understand why there the ratings on this company are all over the map. My guess is that the owner keeps the place running and without him, they're lost.

"

This letter is in response to TLeaves of San Diego, Ca. We are very sorry that TLeaves had an unfortunate experience while visiting our nursery. We express our sincerest apology.

However, we do need to explain our operation. Kartuz Greenhouses is a mail-order nursery (for over 45 years) and not setup as a retail nursery. Although we welcome visitors, we are open to walk in business as a courtesy. Our website and our phone message states that it is advisable to make an appointment prior to visiting. Since many days often pass between such visits, there may be times when no one is on hand to help. If we had known ahead of time, a staff member would have been available. The person who lives on the premises, that TLeaves met, does not know what plants are for sale or is authorized to make sales.

We believe that giving us a negative rating because of this experience is totally unfounded.

The comment that the nursery is only able to function without the presence of Mr. Kartuz is wrong. We have a dedicated staff of 6 employees who work very hard in the propagating, growing, packing, and shipping of over a thousand different plant varieties.

And, the comment that the ratings are all over the map needs to be addressed.

As soon as we became aware of the negative reviews on this page last year, we expressed our apology to those customers and either replaced their plants or refunded their money. Unfortunately, they didn't bother to update their comments.

With thousands of orders each year, there is bound to be the rare problem, such as plants being damaged in shipping, etc. We do want our customers to be happy and we do our uppermost to correct any problems to their satisfaction. And, please give us a call before visiting. Thank you.

Bill B.
Spokesman for Kartuz Greenhouses
Propagations, WebMaster"

I ordered 5 passiflora from Kartuz. They came in the following condition: most of the leaves have dropped, and all were yellowing. I e-mailed this concern to them, and they promptly replied: "Michael says this is normal due to the stress of shipping. Please provide them with ample light and humidity and they should recover." To my surprise, I noticed that all of the plants I recieved were also crawling with dark mites and webbing ( of course they take the needed steps to control parisites like all reputable nurseries should). This was after a day I sent my first e-mail. I quickly separated them in my greenhouse away from my other prized plants. I was NOT happy: I know several methods of mite control and have been dealing with diseases and plant recovery methods before. I just did not feel that I was to be responsible to take care of 5 newly purchached plants ( and not cheap ) in this manner. I promptly e-mailed them...than again after 5 days...then called them directly after no response. Only after calling THEM did I find out that they do not refund. OK fine, Michael said that he would replace them. To be fair to them, I will give them ample time to deliver. I will wait and see the result and post a follow up here.

I made a gift order from Kartuz back 5 mos. ago and the bad feellings it generated haven't abated.
I made an order for my sister's birthday gift. She lives in Albuquerque and my best supplier(Gary Mikita) didn't ship in winter. So I figured a seller out west probably would cover that area with no problem.

Through garden watchdog I thought I had the perfect answer -Kartuz. I selected 3 strep plants and told them I would like them delivered end of Dec. or January depending on their weather conditions.

I emailed them several times and always stated it was a "Gift Order,". My sister loves plants and I thought I would turn her on to streps(which I adore). Mike answered me back promptly, I thought this was a real "go.".

To cut to the chase my sister got her order the third week in Jan.2006. When I asked her about it she didn't have much to say except they were very small and only one I ordered was sent. The other two weren't even on my sub list. No one had mentioned them being "out" and their web site listed plants that were sold out, so I thought everything would be fine.

She wanted to know if they should be repotted so I asked her to email me photos. Well they were the ickiest looking plants you can imagine. Two tiny ones with ragged, browned leaves and brown holes in some leaves that looked like cigarette holes. I can only imagine what could be lurking in the potting mix.

I was very upset and told her to dump them and I would replace them as soon as our area was shipping in spring.

She refused and said she would wait and see how they did.
She ended up tossing the two smallest and the one almost decent looking one still hasn't bloomed or shown any appreciable growth as of this writing..My sister used to grow blooming orchids so she isn't a total novice, just never had streps.

Of course I had immediately emailed Kartuz and told them how unhappy I was and totally embarassed that THIS was the gift order I kept telling my sister she would be receiving.

The reply I got from them was that the streps were grown outdoors and this was the worst time of year to be ordering them. In other words "what did I expect for my money."

Not once did they ever advise that streps were grown outdoors. I figured California, greenhouse, warm, sunny, grow all year round. My streps bloom all winter. Ignorance is certainly not bliss.

If they had good customer relations, they should have advised me at the start and suggested a gift certificate or ordering in spring, whatever. No one enlightened me about this being the "worst time" for them . They just told me to send in the check which I had done promptly.

After reading how the positive comments on them on Garden watchdog, I thought surely they would make good, either replace the plants in spring, or send a gift certificate.
They made no attempt to right this situation, or admit any part of wrongdoing.

This was an expensive lesson.

Even if the company is rated highly, buyer beware. I'm out $32.50 and I know my sister was very unhappy . I will never buy from them again, this was a very unpleasant experience

I guess its a coin's toss whether you get treated well or not because some people luck ed out buying them them but not me.

I buy a good deal of plants and supplies from various
suppliers and they lost a chance for what could have been a
profitable relationship. They did not stand behind their plants, or advise me not to buy at that time. How would I know it was illadvised?

Ok my Kartuz experience was NOT good.
I emailed them and asked if I should wait to order. They said in an email that is was not neccessary for me to wait since they ship to southern states year round.
Well I get my order today (after 5 weeks)....one of the most expensive plants is NOT well....a variegated episcia.
On the invoice...hand written it says "It is too cold to ship episcia this time of year. This is shipped at your risk"
So I call them..I tell them I got my order..and I tell them what I was told in email.
He says he didn't say that...someone else at his greenhouse must have....I said, "well aren't you responsible for you employees?"
I told him that a couple of the plants didn't look to good from the trip and that I could send him the email that said it was fine.
He came back with ..You should have known better!
Not to mention 2 of the items I ordered were not even in stock!
I will NEVER, NEVER order from them again
and this is the FIRST time I have ever left a negative feedback

I sent an order for $108. The plants were small with very little root systems. None of the plants made it. I've sent two e-mails that remain unanswered.

May 13, 2004
Dear Customer Service

I just received my order and am pleased with the CONDITION of the plants. However, I am extremely disappointed that three of the items ordered were out of stock.

I had placed this order on March 2 and received an email that the items were in stock and reserved. It is hard to believe that three of the items were already out of stock. Yet, even if they were, it seems unfair to wait until May 13 for me to find out that they were not available. Had you known in March, and had I been told, I would have found these items elsewhere. It is now too late in the season to start looking and ordering elsewhere.

The purpose of placing pre-season orders is to guarantee availability. If this cannot be done, there is no reason to ever order early - especially since it took two months and two weeks for the plants to be sent.

As stated originally, I am pleased with the quality of your items and having just received them a half hour ago, hope they take properly.

xxxxxxxxx
From Kartuz on March 3, 2004
Thank you for your order. We have most of your selections and will
substitute the "outs" with similar plants according to your specifications.
We plan on shipping in the spring when the weather in your area warms up.
Thanks again.

After waiting 8 WEEKS for my order of 4 plants I finally gave up and notified the company by email that I would like to cancel due to the lateness and end of our growing season. I did NOT receive a response, however a shipment arrived in 2 days (what a coincidence) and included 3 very small plants; one was a substitute which I did not agree to. Of course I was promptly billed. I can't believe someone would risk their reputation and business for $33.00.
Definitely wouldn't order from this company again.

I emailed them a simple question. "What is the size of container your Bougainvilleas come in because I didn't see a size listed."

That was 2 weeks ago. I had written them back on June 7th via email at 10am to inform them that I never received a response upon my question.

I told them what the question was, then let them know that I was disappointed for not receiving a response. I informed them that I rate companies on customer service. I let them know how important customer service is to me. Whether it is on the phone, via email, or in person. I also expect responses from companies at least in 2 business days.

In that email, June 7th, (not from their website-I like to have my own personal copy) I let them know that I purchased 2 Bougainvilleas elsewhere online. I informed them that they lost a possible sale. If they would have responded to my emails I might have decided to purchase from them.

I even decided to give them a deadline to respond to my emails. I let them know that I would expect an answer to my question no later than Wednesday, June 11th, or I will shop elsewhere.

Well today is the 11th of June and I never received a response. Therefore I forwarded my old email with today's current letter (so both emails will be together for proof) I informed them again about the question, I repeated the question, and informed them I would shop elsewhere.

I received my order in early June. The plants were very small and the leaves very yellow. I emailed the seller to tell him of their condition and that I was unsure if they would make it. Evidently, he felt he had no obligation to me to be even courteous for he did not even respond. Interesting how fast they respond when you are placing an order but once they have your money they seem to have no interest any more. Luckily, after repotting and some TLC all have made it but his total lack of interest in my complaint still irks me though I guess he already knew the condition of the plants he sent me and I think had he any concern for me he would not have sent them in the first place!