Comments regarding Royal Dutch

Just got off the phone with their customer service department. I was told that even though I paid $9.99 for shipping & handling and my bulbs were squished & some rotted, I needed to have the label from the plastic wrap shipping envelop. I wish I had read your reviews. The bulbs were of poor quality, shipped cheaply, and poor customer service. They told me everyone knew that they had to have the label to get a replacement.

Ordered Hanging Begonias, Hollyhock, glads, dahlias, cannas.

All items were of inferior quality and very small. Cannas and dahlias were in plastic bags and beginning to rot. None of the cannas and dahlias have broken the ground, nor do I have much hope that they ever will. Gladiolus corms were about the size of my thumbnail ( and I don't have large thumbs).

Called today to get money back. Was advised no money back, only substitution of product, but have to have mailing list on box, which of course I have recycled. Informed that had to send a copy of my credit card bill even though I explained to them I had my printout from my Internet order with order number and shipping information.

Talked to supervisor who was just as unhelpful as the person who answered the phone. Asked to speak to supervisor's manager. I was given the manager's name but informed that only responds to written requests and does not take phone calls.

Very shoddy product and shoddier service. Expect customer to jump through hoops to even get a replacement (of some more inferior product) and cannot get money refunded. NEVER BUY FROM THIS COMPANY!

First, when I first ordered I knew there would be a 1 or 2 week processing time. I figured it would be 3 weeks at the most to receive the plants and bulbs. It took a little more then 5 weeks before I actually got the order. Ordered about March 24, received May 8.

Second, the Rose of Sharon plants looked like sticks with a lot of roots. I'm hoping that they will grow once they are settled in. The summer daffodil bulbs seem to be a decent size, so no problem there. The Mexican shell flowers seemed ok, since I'm not sure of bulb sizes with those. Then the magnolia plants, not very big but were in small container. looks like they started some green growing on them. Hopefully they will grow ok.

Third the packaging wasn't that great. It was a big green plastic bag. Somewhat moist when opened. Probably ok for things like the plants.. Not so good for bulbs. Fortunately, once it had been shipped it arrived fairly quickly. So, I think they were out of the bag before the moisture started causing problems.

Finally, I probably won't order from them again. Partly, because of the length of time it took before I finally got the order, and the quality of plants isn't that great.

I hope this review will be helpful.

Posted on April 19, 2010, updated May 6, 2010
I am very disappointed. I placed my order for Anastasia and regal lilies back in late February, which here in Seattle is a good time to plant lily bulbs. It is now nearly too late, and after three inquiring emails, all I have received back is three generic form emails. The products I ordered from another company are in the ground, growing.

I ordered from Royal Dutch back in February. I received my first shipment on April 30th. Firstly, I am impressed that I got this shipment just at the right time to begin planting in my area - a week earlier would have been too soon, and any later and I would have exploded from anticipation. I admit I was pretty nervous after reading all these reviews.

The first plants to arrive were the Angel Trumpet collection, and 3 Bonfire Euphorbia. Everything was wrapped individually in plastic, and each plant had only a cell-sized plug. Most of the leaves had fallen off the Angel Trumpets in transit, but each plant is alive and should recover with some TLC. The Euphorbia are tiny (3-4" tall), but in fine condition. Everything was sort of root-bound, but I'm used to buying plants like that on the cheap.

Between their prices and their selection, Royal Dutch is ok in my book. I could find much better quality plants locally, but at 3 times the price and up. I'm alright with working a little harder to raise my plants if it saves me money.

I will update my review as the rest of my plants arrive.

I ordered a collection of gladioli bulbs and a bi-color butterfly bush from them this spring...received some of the tiniest corms I've ever seen ( short of growing them myself) and a stick with two buds on it for the butterfly bush ( my own cutting grown buddleia were twice the size, and far healthier). The "free" bonus plants, two daylily roots were completely rotten.....I wish I had seen this "review" of this company before I ever ordered, but rest assured I will never order from them again.

I ordered 2 sets of dahlia tubers from Royal Dutch. They were interesting varieties and the prices were very reasonable. I was honestly skeptical after reading the reviews but went ahead. The tubers I received were large, firm and healthy, and are beginning to sprout. All in all I am pleased with my order.

Some order status information or update along the lines would be appreciated though. There is a lag between ordering and shipping (which they do disclose from the outset) that causes some nervousness. It seems that this could relatively easily be alleviated.

I feel compelled to defend Royal Dutch since my order of canna bulbs, butterfly bush, azalia, and a dozen burning bush plants (which looked to me like dead sticks with a root attached) are all thriving and growing. Even after being sent through the mail in a bag to Idaho and feeling a little sick after reading all the negative stories prior to arrival, I must say I am very pleased with my purchase. I have ordered from three different catalog companies and have been pleased with all of my purchases. These purchases certainly are money saving compared to our local greenhouses. The plants are small, but I have nothing but time on my hands and love in my heart for flowers!!

Looks like a lot of customers, judging from their comments, are just a bit overly picky. I was pleased with the prompt shipping, for one thing. The lilies were nicely just sprouted also. I would shop here again with no problem.--Tom Camfield, Port Townsend, Wash.

I received my shipment from Royal dutch and upon inspection I found that the quality of bulbs were very inferior. Among all my online orders from different suppliers throughout the years, this was the worst!
1. all items were in a plastic bag and not in a box, damaging small lilly bulbs.
2. Bulbs were bad quality and so small, contrary to the size listed in your catalog.
3. Lily, Oriental and Asiatic were damaged and I don't think they will grow.

This company's reputation depends on quality product and service. I give them a grade of "F-" Please never buy from this company.

I can't believe this company is still in business. My daylillies were rotten, molded and broken apart. I asked for replacements, no problem. When the replacements came, same thing. Now, however, you cant get a refund, only a credit. What am I going to do with $156.00 worth credit if the company cant even ship out good products the first time. Can't something be done? Do the management know what kind of garbage is being shipped? How do we get in touch with a manager? If you get a bad shipment from these people, get the money back the first time. Don't give them another shot.

Four Regal Blue hostas, which I received from Royal Dutch, have just been confirmed to have Hosta Virus X, and will need to be destroyed.

I orderd some ground cover lilies, I got them several weeks earlier than I had expected as I do not plant my bulbs till the start of fall.
When I received the package and opened it, the ground cover lilies that I had ordered where moldy. I put them in anyway and will see what happens.
They state on their label to keep just in case I have a problem, well as much as I spent and the bulbs do not sprout next spring I will diffently email them and expect a refund of my money spent.

I placed an order on June 23rd 2008 and waited and waited and waited for my order to arrive. I didn't receive anything so I contacted the customer service department and they said that my order would be shipped. They forgot to tell me that the order wasn't in stock and that I'd have to wait months for it to be shipped. Since I didn't receive anything, by May 7th 2009 I requested a refund and they bounced me around from department to department and no one would issue a refund. My credit card was charged on June 27th 2008 and I tried communicating with the company several times only to be given the run around so I notified them that I'd contact the better business bureau and post negative reviews. I didn't get a refund until June 18th 2009... almost a year after the original order was placed. I will NEVER order from them again. The only reason I got a refund was probably because I kept writing them so many emails.

I ordered 12 Strawberry Candy Daylilys and 2 Hardy Red Fuschias. Two of the Daylilys and both Fuschias looked bad and dead when I took them out of the bag. The bag also contained two extra daylilys, no name or color given. The two Daylilys and both fuschias did not grow even after tender loving care. I called today and was told to send the shipping label and a list of the dead plants in and they would replace them. By the time the mail goes both ways and they send the plants, if they have them, it will be too hot to plant in Alabama. I learned a lesson. Never order from these folks again.

I ordered an assortment of plants from Royal dutch. I planted then within a few days. Nothing from the bunch came up. I was a little disapointed because it took me hours to plant this stuff. Called and they said no problem and mailed out a duplicate order. Two items grew really nice. the 24 creeping red sedium didn't grow again. These were planted on a steep hill in my back yard. I wanted something there to stop erosion.The beautiful trumpet humming bird vines never grew either.
Well I called them today and went as far to talk to the supervisor and too bad they did not grow.Only a 1 yr warranty. I'm done with catalog orders. Do not order from Burgess seed, Four season nursery or Royal dutch they send poor quality seedlings, and some were dead on arrival with slime and mold. I've learned my lesson. The magazines will go straight to the garbage.I lost money and time with all of thes nurseries. NEVER AGAIN.
Marie Mack

I placed my order March 23rd, 2009. My Creditcard was charged March 29th. I figured my order was shipped.
April 18th I called Customer Service about my order, very rude, I was told it's in the mail. April 23rd I received a partly shipment. I ordered Hostas, Gladiolus, a Fern, Walk on Me Plant. The Hostas were fine, they all came back, the Walk on Me plant was all dried up and never recovered, the Glads were a partial shipment and all covered with mildew. March 27th I called for the rest of my order, and found out it was never mailed. This time I got a helpful customer service. She told me she will have it shipped out that same day. I received the rest of my order May 8th. They give you a free Lily with any order, it was all mushy, didn't even plant it, the Fern was only wrapped in cardboard and all dried up. I planted it anyway, maybe it comes back. I won't find out until later how the Glads are and if I got the right colors.
It took from March 23rd until May 8th to get my order.
They have a return policy if the plant dies they send you a new one. I will try that, just to see what kind of response I get.

I placed my first order with this company this year, before reading these reviews. I'm now very nervous because even though there are some positive reviews, there are plenty negatives as well and, it seems as if the company hasn't been addressing the negative issues since May 1, 2007 (here on Dave's Garden) which gives the impression that they have given up on customer satisfaction.

I placed my order over 2 weeks ago and have not received it yet (but it is not planting time in my zone yet either, so allowing the benefit of the doubt to prevail).

What I ordered:


1- Caladium, Elephant Ear $1.47
10- Gladiola, Orchid Hardy $2.17
10- Hardy Glads $1.99
2- Lily Collection, Fan 5 Oriental $29.98
50- Liatris, Blazing Stars $3.49
100- Shamrock, Flowering $5.00
Shipping Chrage: $9.99
Total Charge $54.09

I'll be back to change my rating to (hopefully) positive or negative when my order is received or by May 1st, whichever comes first.

I think this company may have improved recently. Have never had a problem with them, and they have allowed me to do mass plantings on a budget. I would especially recommend their shrubs and bushes: hydrangeas, lilacs, and hibiscus. Make sure to soak the woody plants for 2-24 hours, as they suggest. The plant may look dead at first, but I was patient and now have a beautiful hibiscus for under $5. I do agree that the company could do a better job of letting people know, via email, that they've received or shipped an order and that the rest of the order is pending. But all my bulbs and roots look good too, so that's two seasons worth of successful shipments. Had terrible problems with Spring Hill, who refused to answer my emails and letters about replacements. Keep the shipping label at Royal Dutch and you should be okay. Plus you can't beat the prices.

Just recive some Iris and daylily or shall I say bags of mush. They were rotten and smelled horrific! Calling to cancel the rest of my pending order and hopefully can get a full refund!

NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY. I ordered 3 Japanese Lilies back in June and when I called and told them they shorted me by one. I was told put it in writing. Well I did and still having nothing. I even sent emails and have heard nothing. I called and got nothing but the run around. Oh call us back because our computers are down. They won't make any effort to contact you. EXCUSES EXCUSES EXCUSES. The few plants I have gotten from them I am not happy with. I will shop with Park seed and Pine tree, for now on. I was told by a supervisor that they are inbound calls only, fine, then i told her you call me back. She can't. what a crock. Then when i asked for the headquarters telephone number they don't have one. When a company doesn't even have a 800 number I should have been wary. I wish i would have seen this website before i ever did business with them. I am turning them over to my Attorney General's office and the BBB of Illinois. BEWARE, STAY AWAY FROM THE COMPANY.

I PURCHASED 63.10 DOLLARS WORTH OF PLANTS FROM THIS COMPANY . I AM A DISABLED VIETNAM VETERAN ON A FIXED INCOME .. GARDENING IS A FORM OF THERAPY FOR ME .. DEALING WITH ROYAL DUTCH BULBS HAS BEEN A HUGH DISAPPOINTMENT TO SAY THE LEAST .. MY ADVICE IS THAT YOU GO TO YOUR LOCAL CO-OP TO BUY PLANTS AND NEVER TRUST THIS COMPANY TO SUPPLY YOUR GARDENING NEEDS . I RETURNED THE PACKING LIST TODAY.. ADVISING THEM THAT PRAYING OVER DEAD PLANTS DOESN`T WORK DEAD MEANS NOT ALIVE.. THATS HOW THEY ARRIVED.... DEAD

I have ordered from this company several times in the last few years. I have about half of the plants I order die, but I still say my experiences with them are positive. They are true to their word, just sent the packing label with a letter and they replace your items. It is a pain to have to do so much work for plants that you'll have to re-start, but at least with me they honored their guarantee without any sort of grumbling. Of course I never spoke to anyone on the phone, I just corrosponded by mail. I still plan on ordering from them in the future because you just can't beat their prices!

As a professional horticulturist and having ordered garden plants from many different companies, including from Holland exporters (Dutch) the products that I recieved are the smallest, poor condition items that I have ever recieved. In addition, plant were broken, there were items not recieved and my expection are that a majority will never survive planting, no matter what I do. Having spend 30 years as a college professor in horticulture, I am totally surprised that this company is in business. If I were anyone receving their merchandise I would immediately request a refund, rather than waiting and getting a credit to which you will never use.
Hopefully, I reveive a positive response to not only the posting but my request for replacement of the items that were damaged and not shipped. If not, the entire order will be sent back for a refund.

DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY!!!
How I wish I had seen this as well before placing an order with them. After weeks of trying to get some data - tracking information - anything at all... I am still getting run around and no plants - now they tell me they are "done shipping" for the season and I might get my plants next year!!! I just filed a complaint with the BBB - I felt I had to - even if I never get a resolution I am happy with, other consumers need to be protected from such horrible business practices and theft.

I ordered items on 9-2-07 - the company charged my card and never delivered anything except one item. It has been 2 months and I still have no tracking information or plants and it is now past planting season. I want refund and they are telling me they will ship my items in 2008 which is unacceptable. Items were not received and I want my funds returned. I am filing with my credit card company as well but this appears to be a regular method of "doing business" for this company and I would be errant to let it go unaddressed and allow them to victimize other consumers. Total Charge $55.58

I placed an order with Royal Dutch in August of 2006 to the tune of around $45.00. Well, come spring 3/4 of the mdse did not grow. I contacted the company and sent them my shipping label ~~ thank GOD I made a copy of the shipping label. I never did receive the mdse to replace the things that did not grow. After making another long distance phone call ~~ Now I find they have issued a credit. There is no way that I can get my money returned. I could not agree more with the posts that I have seen about customer service. Before I had placed the order ~~ I wish I had read the comments that other people had written.
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Please Do Not Purchase Anything From This Company

The following is what I wrote to this company dated April 15, 2006

AS PER THE SHIPPING LABEL, (attached) I ORDERED 20 PINK GIANT DAFFODILS #01295 YOU SENT REGULAR YELLOW AND WHITE DAFFODILS. (See pictures of what you actually sent on the other side of this letter) THIS IS VERY FUSTRATING AS I PLANTED THESE WHEN RECEIVED IN THE FALL IN 2005, I ANXIOUSLY WAITED UNTIL THIS SPRING TO SEE THE DAFFODILS I ORDERED, AND WHAT DO I GET? A VERY BIG DISAPPOINTMENT. WILL YOU PLEASE SEND THE DAFFODILS I ORDERED? (PINK GIANT DAFFODILS) OR RETURN MY MONEY. I’LL JUST HAVE TO KEEP MY FINGERS CROSSED AND WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR AND JUST MAYBE YOU WILL SEND WHAT I ORDERED.
Sincerely, DISAPPOINTED

Well, I followed there procedures, sent the label and pictures as noted and in return, they sent this card stating they well send a replacement during the proper time period sometime in early fall 2006. I thought, "OK, that's find, I'll wait " Sure enough my replacement finally came in. While hurriedly planting the bulbs, I was so excited thinking I'm really going to have some beautiful Giant Pink Daffodils in my front yard come next spring. So I waited and waited all through this horrible winter until Spring finally came. (bout time!)

Wellllllll!! that's right! you guessed it! The same old yellow and white daffodils! That replacement this so-called company sent the fall of 2006 Ladies and Gentleman, two years I have waited for the right product from this company and they simply can't get it right! This is now early Spring 2007 I'll send there label back along with a nasty letter in which I hate doing this necessary evil but what else is there to do? Now I'll have to wait another year THIS IS CRAZY! Can't this company see the importance of QUAILTY ASSURANCE? Sincerely, I hope this helps somebody. don't be fooled by there beautiful annual sales brochures or online advertisements. This Company has serious issues and I would not recommend anyone purchasing anything from this Company
Sincerely Disappointed AGAIN,

"

We think this customer may have confused our company with a different one. The item # he lists above is not our item # for pink daffodils or any other item that we carry. In addition, we are not aware of any complaints regarding the pink daffodils being the wrong color. We did plant a large selection of the pink daffodil mixture ourselves last year and they made a beautiful display this spring."

DO NOT ORDER anything from this company!!! Rude customer service, given the run-around, my order took 3 months to recieve. After the 1st order was "lost" (after I had to wait a rediculous amount of time to even claim that something was wrong with my order and "call back then") they finally sent out a new batch of plants that arrived a month later. Needless to say, everything was dead. Due to such punk customer service, I gave up and took the loss.

I purchased plants from Royal Dutch last Spring. I had a very Horrible experience in the fact that I had a very disappointing experience with them. My climbing 9 climbing rose bushes were a disapppoint. Only 4 of 9 grew. I only got 1 rose out of the bunch. I asked for and was given a merchandise credit. You have to send them the original shipping label and send a letter with it to ge t proper credit.
I ordered all my Tulip bulbs for next year and, lo and behold, they sent some really nice bulbs!! I also ordered their Hosta Garden and they look okay. I will update this posting next spring. Even though Customer Service is not that BRIGHT (MORE TRAINING NEEDED), at least, with a LOT of nagging and demanding, this company does come through. We'll see next spring.

I ordered 24 Sand Cherry Hedge plants and 24 periwinkle plants, six weeks later I received the order, the plants were smaller than advertised and dead looking. I was optimistic, so I plant them. 20 of the Sand Cherry plants are dead and 21 of the Periwinkles are dead. I contacted Royal Dutch and was told that I would have to return the shipping label and then it would take 6 weeks to process my claim and another 6 weeks before shipping. I asked them why they needed my shipping label, they generated it so they must have of copy of it. To make a long story short, after a whole lot of discussion, I was constantly reminded of their policies.
This company is an affiliate of the House of Wesley and they do business under numerous names (I now understand why)
I registered a complaint with the Bloomington, IL BBB, they were very familiar with them. I also called my credit card issuer and disputed the charge . The charge has been credited.
My advice, be tenacious, don't accept no for an answer. They obviously knew they were wrong since they didn't dispute the chargeback. They are dealing in numbers, but they dealt with the wrong this time
Regards,
billfunk35@yahoo.com

"

Our guarantee clearly states that for a replacement the original shipping label simply needs to be returned to us along with a note explaining how many of each item died within one year of receipt for a free replacement on our merchandise. This policy was clearly explained to the customer and he acknowledged that while he was in possession of the labels, he refused to comply. The customer did contact the BBB regarding the situation. When we explained our position to them they responsed that we "had made a reasonable effort in an attempt to resolve this issue; therefore we are closing the case at this time." In addition, we did dispute the chargeback and it was reversed."

My expereince with Royal Dutch was horrible at best. I ordered 71.06 worth of plants. When they did not arrive after 4 weeks I began calling their very rude customer service associates who are not trained properly. I got the run around and they waved their gaurentee all over the place but their gurantee isn't worth the paper it's printed on. My plants finally arrived DEAD or mushy (bulbs). I called yet again and was given the "dormant" line and how I should give it a try and plant them but save that packing label! I called again when nothing came up and was told wait some more they may need more time. I then found this website and IMMEDIATELY called my credit card company who dishonored their charge. I gave them this website as proof of this compnaies dishonest business practices and I am pleased I got my money back but not after spending tons on ld phonecalls to this AWFUL company. STAY AWAY. I've never had a company be so slimey before and I think it is deplorable they way they treat their customer's. If the planting season has passed, how is replacement plants going to help and shipping them by mail is STUPID! ONe of the rude cs people told me point blank what do you expect we're a discount bulb company! YOu get what you pay for which isn't much. Well said, and they can't pay well either as management probably is making all the money us poor smucks give them! PLEASE, PLEASE stay away.

"

This customer placed her order 3/2/06. The majority of her order shipped 3/14. Two tender plants were shipped in April when the weather for delivery transit was safe for them. The package sent to her on 3/14 was sent through APX, the largest mail consolidator in the U.S. at the time and more than twice as large as its next closest competitor. We had used APX for 2 years (after it purchased the company we were formerly using) without incident. We would venture to say that every mail order company of any size uses a mail consolidator. Unfortunately without warning, APX contacted us on 3/15 saying that they were filing for bankruptcy and would no longer accept packages. As you can imagine, this left us (as well as many other mail order companies) in a scramble for a new shipping company that could handle our number of packages. While we had initially been assured that all of our packages that APX had taken in their last few days of regular operation would be handled normally, it became apparent weeks later that delivery of these packages had been significantly delayed.

We are sorry that the customer chose not utilize our guarantee. It certainly would have been fine to plant the items later in the season. We would also like to say that we do consider ourselves to be a discount bulb company--passing along product at money-saving prices to our customer. Despite the low prices, all of our product is guaranteed.
"

Well I'm putting a neutral at this time because, after spending over 300 on plants and bulbs the majority of them came a mess and I still planted them, no survivors. And several of them that appeared they were going to survive (one peony tree had a teeny green leaf on the stem after a year), have since died since I returned the shipping labels. Since it was such a large order I started checking around and found this site and I've just contacted them via email from this site and sincerely hope that I don't experience what a lot of others have. Should I receive my replacement plants I will definitely be saving the dead/dying ones for refund. This was my first order with this company, hope it's not my last!!

This has to be the worst company I have ever dealt with.

My plants were 4 weeks late - and arrived brown and dead.

The company customer service is hostile at best and they wanted me to wait 6 weeks or to send everything back at my expense.

They are scammers and porr business people.
I will never spend another cent there again - but they do not seem to care that they have lost a potential customer, not at all.

My advice is to stay away from this company.

"

Our guarantee is clearly stated in all of our catalogs and on our website:

If any item you purchased from us does not live, for a FREE REPLACEMENT just RETURN THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL along with your written request within 1 year of receipt. Replacement guarantee is VOID unless the ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL is returned. For a REFUND of the purchase price, RETURN THE ITEM AND THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL, with correct postage affixed, within 14 days of receipt.

We will be happy to make an adjustment on the customer's order under our guarantee."

No response to a missing order of mine. Placed order on 4/27/06. Cleared my bank on 5/3/06 and they have apparently "lost the order".

I won't be a return customer!!

"

A d-mail was sent to this customer requesting information regarding the "missing order." The customer replied with the name and address the order was shipping to and the items that were ordered. We responded that we had no record of the order, nor do we carry the items that were ordered. We have not yet received a response from the cusotmer and believe the order was placed with a different company."

Last fall, ignoring the warnings here, I ordered, planted and mulched 20 daylilies. While the plants seemed in poor condition, I assumed it was the dormant state. However, not one of them survived the relatively mild winter. When I contacted the company, they did offer to send replacements, but I did not want to plant another 20 daylilies! That was the last I heard from them.

"

We are sorry that the customer does not want us to send a replacement to her as per our guarantee. We could also send a different item of her choosing for the credit of the daylily if she wishes."

i ordered 18 robinhood roses 50 lillies hybrid willows and the astilbe sampler not only were they a great deal money wise but they were huge the astilbes were large healthy root systems the roses all have survived and are doing well thw willows wow are the best everything they said they are and more I'll definitely buy again. this is my fourth order from these people then I found this site. cannot be the same people i have had great luck everytime my yard looks fab!!!

This is an email sent to Royal Dutch 4/26/06. I copied the Mailorder Gardening Association (they are members) and the BBB of Central Illinois (bbb@heart.net).

In the spring of 2005, well within the 1 year warranty period, we returned the original label for replacement of the stock, all of which was of inferior quality. First we got a phone call from your customer service department. They asked my wife what had died, and she said "all of it." Apparently the woman didn't believe her, because next the label was returned to us with a note asking what had died, instructing us to specify and return the shipping label--again. By this time, the warranty period had expired, but I assumed you had kept records of when the label was originally submitted. So after the holidays, on January 8, 2006, I sent the label back with a note telling exactly what had died, and after 3 months passed with no word from you, I emailed customer service on April 20th and got the reply below. (saying the guarantee expired in 8/05)

You obviously have lost the shipping label and any record of when it was originally returned. All this seems like stalling tactics designed to make the warranty period expire, which it now has. You basically have taken our $59.09, sent us unhealthy plants, then refused to honor your warranty. What kind of business are you running? By the way, have you seen the customer comments at Davesgarden.com? Your company has developed quite a bad reputation.

"

This customer's order was originally placed 7/8/04 and shipped in August of 2004. The warranty extended to August 2005. In July of 2005, the customer wrote to us requesting replacements, but did not specify what needed to be replaced. We wrote back to the customer in July 2005 for further clarification. We never phoned his household as he states. In January 2006, six months later, the customer responded. If the customer had responded within a reasonable length of time, even a couple of months, the fact that the warranty had expired in between would not have been an issue. However, the warranty cannot be extended indefinitely.

We do stand behind our printed guarantee. This guarantee is printed in all of our advertisements as well as posted on the home page of our website. One year is more than enough time to know if items will survive transplanting.

We monitor Garden Watchdog in an attempt to service customers who might have complaints we can help resolve. We are certainly are not concerned that the customer contacted the BBB and look forward to the chance to explain our position to them."

I received supposedly live plants that had absolutely no packaging; they were placed loose in an oversized shiping container with no protection whatsoever (e.g. no pots, no plastic bags, no packing/stuffing, etc.). Needless to say, the plants were dried out and broken beyond recognition when they finally arrived (did I mention my order was shipped well after the promised date?). I called customer sdervice immediately and was reminded that the return policy required that I ship the defective order back. I argued that it was stupid to make me pay shipping when it was their poor processes that caused the problem in the first place. The customer service rep agreed and told me to send a letter describing the incident (and include the shipping labels) and that they would replace the plants. Imagine my surprise when I received a credit off my next order for the value of the plants minus shipping! The company's letter derided me for not sending the plants back in in conflict with what I was told to do by their customer service. I called customer service several times but the lack of responsiveness was overwhelming.

My order included all manner of plants, bulbs, etc. I would describe the entire order as worthless, undersized, unhealthy, poorly packaged junk. I feel I was screwed; I doubt I will even bother to utilize my credit as the trouble is just not worth it. My advice? Stay away and make your orders from companies that are proven to provide quality for your $$$, e.g. Wild Seed Farms, Oakes Daylilies, etc.

"

A D-mail was sent to this customer via Garden Watchdog on 2/14, but the customer has not responded to date. Unfortunately when dealing with perishable items and shipping, problems can happen. This is however covered by our guarantee. For a refund of the plants, the customer would have needed to return the plants as is explained in our guarantee, but the voucher was for the full amount of the items ordered and may be used to purchase ANY item we carry. Shipping, packing and processing will not be charged on the replacement order when the voucher is used. (This is also explained on the voucher itself.) We hope the customer will use the voucher and receive the free replacements they are entitled to under our guarantee."

I wish I'd found this resource earlier. I got burned by Royal Dutch too.

What started as a positive experience with Royal Dutch/Burgess has ended up as an overwhelmingly negative experience.

Two years ago (2004) I placed an order for 20 Robin Hood Roses with them. I received what I ordered and all was well.

Last Spring (2005) I placed a larger order for Robin Hood Roses, et al, with them. Upon receipt, I promptly planted them according to instructions using good-quality commercial topsoil and manure/mulch.

Imagine my surprise when the flowers I planted last year (the half that lived) began blooming as an entirely different rose than I had ordered three months earlier! Three days’ worth of work, $15 dollars of soil and amendments, and an entire growing season wasted! I was not a happy camper. And of the 50 roses I ordered, only 3 survived the summer. And, again, they were the wrong kind.

When I called the company to report this error in filling my order, I was told that, as I no longer have the shipping label (and what rational person would 3 months after receipt?), that I had to obtain a copy of the credit card invoice to send to them (a 6-week process to get this from the CC company). Why they required this, I don’t know, as they clearly had much more information about this sale than the CC company did; the Royal Dutch telephone salesman was able, in precise detail, to recite my order back to me. I sent a copy of the invoice, samples of the blooms of the wrong flowers they sent (their requirement), and a letter detailing all of this to them last July (2005).

When I never received replacement flowers last year, I called and talked with a customer service rep. She claimed that they had never received my letter and flower samples, and that I would have to repeat the whole process all over again. (When was the last time you had a postal letter fail to arrive? It happens, but only rarely.)

Therefore, I sent the information again in Jan 2006. This time, I sent the information by certified letter so I had proof of delivery. So far, I've had absolutely no response.

I will never conduct business with this company, or it's affiliates, again.

I'd rather pay more for fewer plants and have something live (and good customer service), than pay less, have nothing live, and receive lousy service in the bargain.

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An e-mail was sent to "WhiteSpruce" on 2/9/06, but we have not yet received a response. The posting indicates that the customer complied with our guarantee by returning the original shipping label. Therefore, we are assuming that a replacement has already been processed for Spring 2006 shipment, but are unable to verify since "WhiteSpruce" has not yet responded to our inquiries."