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Comments regarding Pernell Gerver

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  Feedback History and Summary  
10 positives
4 neutrals
33 negatives

Comments:

RatingAuthorContent
Negative Bacchus36
(1 review)
On Jul 29, 2021, Bacchus36 Columbus, OH wrote:

I should have read all the negative reviews before ordering from this nursery. He has not changed how he deceives customers. I ordered a dwarf lilac in early May and suggested a shipping date. I never received the order or any kind of reply. About one month ago I sent an email asking for an explaination and a refund. Again, no reply. I don't understand how he has been able to continue with his online business
I recommend using extreme caution before placing an order with him.

Negative nanx0006
(1 review)
On Oct 2, 2018, nanx0006 Pittsburgh, PA wrote:

I placed an order with him at May 10, 2018. But I never receive my order. At beginning, he responded to my email and told me that his grower had no update regarding the availability of the plants, and tole me the plants should be available couple weeks.

After a month, I contacted him again. He stopped responding to my inquiry. I sent him several email since then, no response!!!!

Negative florakc
(1 review)
On Jun 28, 2018, florakc Kansas City, MO wrote:

Ah Pernell Gerver, where do I begin? I buy a lot of rare plants online. I've had a few experiences where I received really, really small plants and once I received a pretty unhealthy plant, but Pernell is the first experience I've had where I did not receive the plant at all. I ordered a plant and didn't receive it after about a month, so after a few attempts to get him to respond, he finally wrote back and said the weather had been bad and that the plants weren't going to be ready for a few weeks. That was more than two months ago. Luckily, I only ordered one plant, so I'm not out a bunch of money, and feel a lot of compassion for the others here who have lost more. I've requested a refund and encouraged him to stop taking money for plants he doesn't have, and will probably never have. I would definitely avoid this seller, and give your money to businesses that have their act together like NSE Tropicals, Logee's, Hirt's, and Kartuz.

Negative donaldbyrd
(1 review)
On Jun 18, 2018, donaldbyrd Lakeland, FL wrote:

received part of my order 3-30-18 was told the rest was on back order with his growers. sent an email 6-4 and 6-11 today is 6-18 have not heard anything from him

Negative gdatt
(1 review)
On Jun 5, 2018, gdatt East Lyme, CT wrote:

Avoid this company. My experience is the same as the previous 2 reviewers. I placed an order on 2 May 2018 for a couple of Blue mist Dauphines ($95 order). On 24 May I requested information on the shipment and was told they couldn’t ship yet because the shrubs had not flowered out yet. On 30 May again queried the order status and received no response. Have asked for the order to be cancelled but no response.

Negative rosecloud
(1 review)
On May 29, 2018, rosecloud Oshkosh, WI wrote:

Posted on May 29, 2018, updated May 29, 2018
I placed an order on May 1, 2018 for 6 plants. The total was over $70 and I was thrilled about the possibility of finally crossing off some plants from my wishlist. After not hearing any updates for 1.5-2 weeks, I emailed Pernell and got no reply about my order. I waited a few days and then started a claim with PayPal (please pay this way if you're going to buy anything from him since that way there's some protection). He finally replied, saying that he emailed me before to let me know some of the plants weren't in stock - "strange" that I somehow got this reply from him and not the previous one (I'm suspecting he never even emailed me in the first place). He said that in a few days he would have updates about when the plant would be ready to be shipped. About another 8-9 days passed, no updates, I emailed him again asking about my order. He said I would have to wait a few weeks for the plant/my order to be ready to be shipped...so it would probably be 6-8 weeks that I would MAYBE have my order (if at all). I told him that I would like my refund and to cancel my order since nothing on his godawful website says anything about having to wait months for an order, nothing about plants being out of stock, etc. Just a horrible experience, but at least I got my money back. I will continue shopping at Logees and other reputable online sources and skip Pernell Gerver altogether.


On May 29th, 2018, rosecloud added the following:

I would like to add that you might have better luck if you buy only one or two plants from him - preferably plants that aren't rare or hard to come by as I'm sure he does not actually have those in stock (speaking from experience). But in that case, the cost and shipping for one plant might outweigh the benefit, so just be mindful of that.
Negative Sunshinedogma
(1 review)
On May 26, 2018, Sunshinedogma Washington, DC wrote:

I’m sorry I did not see these reviews before I ordered several plants from Pernell Gerver’s online store. Like the others who have posted here, I did not receive the plants. As others have noted, he does not respond to email queries. I was able to find a phone number through internet sleuthing, and left several messages, none were returned. I contested the sale through PayPal and they refunded my money. I kind of think that this is a dormant business that just collects people’s money from the website and does not actually deliver plants. Complaints are pending with the BBB but the site is still live. Steer clear.

Negative MariettaMike
(1 review)
On Aug 30, 2016, MariettaMike Marietta, GA wrote:

Placed online order June 26, 2016. Have sent 3 email follow-ups and no response. His website nor the email order acknowledgement has a phone number to contact him. Have not received the plant I ordered and paid for, thus I am filing a complaint of non-delivery with the payment processing service.

Negative debviolet
(1 review)
On Aug 15, 2016, debviolet Amherst, MA wrote:

Like many others report, I have received no follow-up information about the 6 plants I ordered several weeks ago. Multiple email enquiries have produced no response. I hope I have not just been duped out of $76 dollars. I plan to talk to Paypal and the Better Business Bureau tomorrow.

Negative coloradokind
(1 review)
On Jun 27, 2016, coloradokind Denver, CO wrote:

Yikes...wish I also would have read these reviews before ordering. I am having the same experience that all the other negative reviewers had. Despite the horrific eye-sore of a site, I ordered anyway. He charged my card immediately. It's been 10 days and I have not received one confirmation email that he got my order, let alone any sign that it's shipped. No response to my follow-up emails (I even sent one thru the press room page thinking he at least checks THAT email) The weather is just fine, there is no excuse for such poor customer service. Good thing mine was only around $30, not like some other unlucky people in this string. I will be disputing this charge on my Amex today. I still can't find the plant I wanted anywhere else, so I'm double-bummed.

Negative Pebbles70733
(1 review)
On May 4, 2016, Pebbles70733 French Settlement, LA wrote:

I placed a $90.00 order over a year ago, and have yet to receive anything. There has to be something people can do to prosecute this creep that is ripping everyone off. If anyone has had success getting their order, please let me know how you did it.

Negative gerverripoff
(1 review)
On Oct 5, 2015, gerverripoff Washington, DC wrote:

DO NOT PURCHASE!!!!!!!!!!!

As above and below. He stole my money. Never sent the prducts. Never responds to emails. CRIMINAL.

Negative aspenhill
(1 review)
On Sep 6, 2015, aspenhill Lucketts, VA (Zone 7a) wrote:

I did not check the Garden Watchdog before ordering from the online store. My experience is the same as most of the others who have posted on here. My Paypal account was debited the same day that I placed the order, but I have never received the plants, nor have I been able to contact Pernell. There is no phone number to call and the online contact form is not working. I will try to dispute via Paypal and hope to get my money back.

Negative Paquicuba
(1 review)
On Jul 29, 2015, Paquicuba Weston, FL wrote:

Placed an order for a single plant three weeks ago and after the second week, since I have not heard anything from this thief, I decided to emailed him. Never got a response to my email, so I decided to send him a note using his online contact form and got no answer either. Today, I initiated a dispute thru Paypal to get my money back.
I wished I had done my research before ordering from this scam of a person.
Stay away from this slag.

Negative Hammer77
(2 reviews)
On Jul 3, 2015, Hammer77 Potomac, MD wrote:

Posted on June 23, 2015, updated July 3, 2015
Posted on April 6, 2015, updated June 23, 2015
Order Date: 02/10/2015
Invoice No.: 112539
Order No.: 264316829

I placed a $250 order before reading these reviews. I experienced the same thing as everyone else. No response to my inquiries and no products received 2 months later.

I will gladly change this rating to neutral or positive if the company ever contacts me to explain or if I finally receive the products in adequate condition.


On June 23rd, 2015, Hammer77 added the following:

update: I did receive a response in April regarding non-delivery of my February order. He said it was too cold to ship and the order would go out with warmer weather. It's now end of June and still no plants delivered. The only response I've ever received was when I emailed through Daves Garden - never when I emailed him directly.

My experience seems to be mirroring everyone else's bad experience. I would love to be able to leave a positive review after receiving my products. However, it seems the only happy customers are those who go through their credit card or the Attorney Genenral to get a refund.

I will update if anything changes.

Still a negative review. Waiting to hear from him.
On July 3rd, 2015, Hammer77 added the following:

On June 23rd Pernell responded:
"I shipped your order in early May so I'm surprised to hear you didn't
receive it. I just checked the tracking information and there is no
information beyond the label creation stage. I will call the Postal
Service tomorrow to see if they can get any further information for your package."

I still haven't heard back from him.

Still a negative experience and review.

Negative smokey15
(1 review)
On Jun 22, 2015, smokey15 Ellenville, NY wrote:

I have been purchasing plants on-line and had no problems until I bought at Pernell Gerver's site. When I hadn't gotten an update on my order after about a month I went to his site to find a telephone number to contact and couldn't find one. I was immediately suspicious and e-mailed his company. I waited and got no reply so I googled him and came to Dave's site, seeing all the negatives, I e-mailed him again and no reply. Now it has been over two months. I contacted the BBB and filed a complaint, then called the Mass District Attorneys Ofc and filed a complaint...still no word from Pernell. The District Attorneys Ofc contacted me and said that hey had gotten in touch with Pernell and a refund check was coming. This is three months now. I also filed a complaint with the US IC3.gov as this is internet fraud and a federal offense. Best of luck to all thos who have been swindled by this guy.

Negative motherteresa
(1 review)
On Jun 19, 2015, motherteresa Milford, MI wrote:

I ordered well over $100 in plants in February. Most nurseries don't charge your card until the plants ship, but I noted that this company charged my account immediately. Initially the company responded to my emails of concern in which I asked why I had not yet received my plants. At first they said that the plants would come in April, then they said they would come in May due to unexpected cold temperatures, and now it is the middle of June and still no plants. And now I am not getting a reply from Pernell. I filed a complaint with my credit card company and got a full refund. I will never order from this company again.

Negative jojowood
(1 review)
On Jun 16, 2015, jojowood Sterling, IL wrote:

I ordered over $60 of plants on May 27, 2015 and it has been more than long enough to deliver and no word from Pernell Gerver as of today, June 16 and no plants! They deducted the money immediately the same day as the order but I am getting upset because my planting season is going to pass me by. I just get the idea that they are going to keep my money and I will end up paying them for nothing. Totally unprofessional. If I get my money or the plants I will be surprised but I want one or the other. I have emailed the site without a reply. GRRRRRRR!

Negative chickweedmmm
(1 review)
On Jun 3, 2015, chickweedmmm Cincinnati, OH wrote:

invoice number 112826
order number 267778496

I placed an order from Pernell Gerver on 3/30/15, my credit card was charged, and I have received no plants as of today, 6/3/15. I have used the Pernell contact page to email the company two times and have received no replies. I would be delighted to update this post if I receive my order in healthy condition or receive a refund of $40.72.

Negative salviagirl
(3 reviews)
On May 19, 2015, salviagirl Emerald Lake Hills, CA wrote:

I placed an order in March 2015, and Pernell sent an email confirming it, and that is the last time that I heard from him. I finally had to open a case with my bank, as I was obviously scammed by Pernell Gerver. If I had found this forum, I would never have placed the order. To date, he has not contacted my bank re this matter, so I received a refund to my credit card from my bank, and now my bank will go after him through his bank, I believe.

Negative Bossiemom
(1 review)
On Jun 9, 2014, Bossiemom Bad Axe, MI wrote:

I ordered from this business in March 2014 thinking that I would have a good experience. Boy was I ever wrong! I did get some plants crammed in a box and my very sensitive china dolls on the bottom. They came in a smaller size than I ordered plus the plants were in horrible shape. Barely ready to be out of the nursery, the root systems were not sufficant enough to be considered healthy. 3of the plants died! I tried to contact them with no luck, they would not answer my emails. I expected much more for the money I spent there. Very disappointed! Please look around before you settle for this scam artist, I'm sure you will find what your looking for.
I'm still waiting for the rest of my order though I don't expect to get them, as they have not responded to my number of emails concerning my order. I did fill out a complaint at the BBB, and I hope they will shut this business down. It's a total SCAM, so please BEWARE, this is NOT a great place for your hard earned dollars.

Negative carobel
(2 reviews)
On Jun 7, 2014, carobel Scotts Corners, NY wrote:

I took advantage of the winter sale in December, and paid
by Paypal. I received the receipt from Paypal and my credit card was charged $104. To date I have not received my order.
I emailed Mr. Garver several times. There has been no response, and there is no telephone number for contact.
I gave him the benefit of the doubt thinking he was waiting
for better weather, but weather has been fine for two months.
No more business for Pernell Garver from me.

Negative greenshiphack
(1 review)
On May 26, 2014, greenshiphack Kettering, OH wrote:

I ordered 3 minature roses ('Seattle Scentsation')
from this business on March 3, 2014. The total price with shipping was $71.25. As of today (5-26-2014), I have not received the items.
I hope maybe it was backordered, but this business makes no effort to communicate with their customers. I am too late for Paypal, they will not resolve problems past 45 days from sale. I tried to communicate with Pernell Gerver by email, but so far no answer. Please stop and think before you do business with this website, I think maybe he know gardening, but has little business sense? He has no telephone or customer service. If I receive communication or information from this business in the future, I will consider changing my experience rating.

Negative gwguger
(1 review)
On May 8, 2014, gwguger Washington D.C.,
United States wrote:

I ordered a number of plants and extended my order to qualify for the free shipping. Most of my plants arrived.

The ones that arrived were mostly disappointing as they were tiny plants. One had almost no leaves, but Pernell provided instructions to revive it, which worked, and which I appreciated.

The main complaint is that the most expensive of the plants never arrived. Pernell said the plant was out of stock and that he would ship it as soon as he got it. That was 6 months ago. Six months without a product is not acceptable regardless of the reason. I now see this is standard operating procedure for the website, as the BBB website is rife with complaints about ordering.

I hope Pernell will contact me (I have tried to contact him several times, to no avail), and offer a refund - at which point I would update this review.

Negative Dawna55
(1 review)
On Jul 19, 2013, Dawna55 Troy, OH wrote:

I have looked at Pernell's website for years before I decided I was ready to buy. I ordered 3 plants 1 Pencil Plant 1 Chinese Perfume Plant and 1 Yellow Gardena Plant. I didn't spend enough for free shipping. So I added fertilizer. Very excited I couldn't wait for my shipment. It was ordered around the 26th of June. I did email to check the status and he responded due to the holiday he didn't want my plants to dry out during transit. The big day came the week of July 8th. I opened the box and 2 of the 3 were tiny little babies amounting to over 50 dollars in price. I was so disappointed, I emailed Pernell and he did respond, " That was the only size his vendor had and he didn't want to not ship, so I could get 25 dollars on MY NEXT order. REALLY???? l told him, I would never order again and he could at least give some growing ideas instead of sticks asking for more of your business . Yeah, not a great experience at all.

Negative janet99
(1 review)
On May 3, 2013, janet99 Pittsburgh, PA wrote:

I ordered four houseplants from this company and a week later received them stuffed in a small box. The peace lily seemed to be a normal size but the three other plants looked more like starter plants. The philodendron was one long vine that had been curled back on itself. One of the leaves on the golden pothos was broken. The cast iron hardly deserved to be called a plant because it was two shoots barely open. I paid $48 for these four plants and was really shocked to receive them. I wrote an email of complaint to the company and have received no reply a week later. What kind of amazed me was that the little plastic tags in the plants showed the plant name on one side, but on the other was an offer of 10% off on the next order. Nothing about plant care. It just seemed to underscore the lacking of "caring" in the company. Who would be stupid enough to go back and buy more plants from this company is beyond me.

Negative Calvinjcj
(1 review)
On Oct 14, 2012, Calvinjcj Palm Valley, FL wrote:

Extremely disappointed with the price, quality, packaging and shipping cost. I purchased (3) plants from this vendor each arriving with 3 leaves one leaf broken on each tiny plant. The shipping did not break the leaves, the packaging clearly did as the lost portions were not in the box meaning they were cut at the vendor. The shipping cost was a complete rip-off charging 3x the priority mail charge. I have paid $60 all in now for these three tiny plants and I feel totally ripped off by this company. I WILL NEVER ORDER FROM THE, AGAIN !!

Negative jhumphrey
(2 reviews)
On Jun 18, 2012, jhumphrey Whispering Pines, NC wrote:

I ordered three houseplants on June 1, 2012 and paid through Paypal. I have not yet received the plants and cannot get any information from Gerver's online store about shipping confirmation. I have emailed several times and have gotten no response. I would never order from this company again. Terrible customer service and I'm doubting I'll ever receive my plants. I wish I would have read these reviews before submitting my order. I think this site is a scam. There is also no telephone number available. I'm very dissapointed!

Negative JaneSully
(1 review)
On Jul 18, 2011, JaneSully Saint Louis, MO wrote:

Posted on July 18, 2011, updated July 18, 2011
July 15, 2011 I received a Nightblooming Cereus that I had ordered from Pernell Gerver. I chose and was charged for UPS Ground shipping for $13.33 and was contacted by Pernell saying he was upgrading the shipping to USPS Priority Mail (that should have been a red flag) since the hot weather could be an issue. Priority Mail was not an upgrade, as the cost was $9.35. When I received the plant, it was damaged, there were three leaves on the plant, one leaf was bent and creased in half and another 1/4 of a leaf was bent and creased. Upon unpacking, the leaf that was bent and creased 1/2 way, totally became detached. I emailed Pernell, and it took several days for him to respond. I even sent him pictures of the plant, requesting he either reimburse me or send me another plant. He told me to take the leaf that was detached and stick it in the soil and it would root and the other leaf that was bent, to cut it off and stick that portion in the soil. I told him that was unacceptable and that I felt that I didn't receive what I had ordered and paid for. So, he said that he couldn't send me another plant unless I returned the damaged plant I received. I sent him another email and told him I expected him to pay the return shipping charges. So far, I have not heard from him.
But, one thing for sure..."I will never order from this company again!" And you would be wise to do the same.


On July 18th, 2011, JaneSully added the following:

I also might add, in my opinion, this was not a shipping issue by the carrier, but a packing issue where the plant was damaged by Pernell Gerver.
Negative combien
(8 reviews)
On Sep 5, 2010, combien Seattle, WA wrote:

Prior to orderning Butterfly Gardenia from Logee's, I ordered one from Pernell Gerver @ $25.00 each. It was supposed to come in a 1 qt pot. What arrived was a lot smaller than the 2.5" pot plant I later received from Logee's. Not only was it small, the leaves were covered with miniscule white spots that ate the leaves and ultimately killed the whole plant. When I described the problem to Pernell he claimed that it were slugs. Well, I believe I know what slugs look like, and as this was a houseplant, and I live in a condo on the 3rd floor, I am not sure what kind of idiot he thought I was. The second one he sent me (and charge me another $25.00), was even tinier than the first. Enough said, NEVER EVER ORDER FROM THIS I....!

Negative daldrich
(1 review)
On Oct 2, 2008, daldrich South Windsor, CT wrote:

This guy had the audacity to charge our garden club $150 to come in and hawk his products under the guise of a presentation on organic lawn care. He lined up his products and just walked down the table selling his wares. Some of the information was just outright wrong(applying pre-emergent corn gluten in the fall). I am just furious.

Negative naunion
(1 review)
On Sep 27, 2007, naunion Charlottesville, VA wrote:

ordered european ginger in1 quart pots.
recieved 3"pots with one little leaf in each pot.
I could have ordered smaller pots cheaper elsewhere.
Totally unsatisfactory plant for the price

Negative Pondguppy
(1 review)
On May 11, 2006, Pondguppy Amanda, OH wrote:

Sorry to say I'm not having a very pleasant experience with this firm/person. I placed an order for a couple of houseplants a week before Mother's Day....and it looks like I'm going to have do something else for Mom.

Seems like a great "personality" on his web-site. I guess not such a good business person.

Does not respond to customer inquiries via E-mail. Has no customer service. No listed phone number. Accepts orders (and funds) electronically for items they obviously don't have in stock or are unable to ship.


On May 31st, 2006, Pondguppy added the following:

Was finally contacted today. After three weeks of waiting for a response.
Pernell Gerver has refunded my funds.