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Comments regarding Flora Exotica

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  Feedback History and Summary  
152 positives
7 neutrals
10 negatives

Comments:

RatingAuthorContent
Negative Jackal1988
(1 review)
On Jun 10, 2022, Jackal1988 Weare, NH wrote:

Been very slow to respond Via Email, never sent seeds, now will miss out on planting cool varieties this year.

Negative cluckabout
(1 review)
On Jul 24, 2013, cluckabout Roseneath,
Canada wrote:

On May 15th I placed an order for 2 Pandan plants and made the payment of $65 through PayPal to Flora Exotica. Right up till today, I have yet to hear anything from the company about my order. I am terribly disappointed.


On Jul 24, 2013, Flora Exotica responded with:

"On Jul 27, 2013 9:52 PM, Flora Exotica responded with:

Wish you had contacted us earlier . The last email we received from you is on May 13 (below), stating that you would send a cheque. We did not receive your cheque. Did you send payment by some other methods ?



Hi Perry,

Thank you for your response below.
Please reserve for me the following ...

I will send out the cheque once I received your reply.

Thank you.


On Jul 28, 2013 12:27 AM, Flora Exotica added:

Found your payment in PayPal . The email notice that PayPal normally sent out somehow did not reach us. Will process your order next week.

Thanks."


Negative flora123123
(1 review)
On May 18, 2011, flora123123 Minnedosa,
Canada wrote:

Posted on May 8, 2011, updated May 18, 2011
I e-mailed Perry on March 24, 2011 asking him if he had an Amazon Lily, a Cybidium Orchid and a Clivia plant available and what the shipping would be. He promptly e-mailed me back on March 25, 2011 saying that they where all available, what each plant costs and what the shipping would be. I sent my payment for all three plants on March 28, 2011 by paypal. I e-mailed Perry on March 28th and on the 29th to see if he received my payment. I got no reply from him. I e-mailed him again on April 2, 2011 asking if he got my payment and when I could expect shipment of my plants. I finally got an e-mail in reply. He said that he received my payment and that they where watching the temperature in their area, the temperature in my area and the temperatures along the truck route. It is now May. I e-mailed him on the 3rd of May asking when I could expect my shipment . I did not receive a reply. I e-mailed again on May 5th and still no reply. I've noticed he's shipped plants to Yarmouth Canada (April 8, 2011), The UK (March 17, 2011) and to Oregon (March 28, 2011). Wondering when I'm going to get the plants I paid for and the condition they'll arive in. I'm tired of getting no response to my enquires.


On May 18th, 2011, flora123123 added the following:

I ended up phoning Perry on May 8th. He said he could ship two of the three plants out the next day. The Clivia plant would have to wait because they were treating it for a bug infestations. (I was okay with this). The Amazon Lily and the Cymbidium Orchid arrived on the 15 of May. The box was smaller than I expected. The plants were alive, but the Amazon Lily's leaves were mangled and broken. The plant looks like it went thru a wind storm. The Cymbidium Orchid arrived with leaf spot and it has scale bugs. It was smaller than expected and most of the big bulbs in the plant are black and dead. Only two main stems in the plant remain and both are badly infected with leaf spot. Can't wait to see what the Clivia plant looks like when it arrives.
Negative edkravcik
(1 review)
On Sep 2, 2010, edkravcik St. Catharines,
Canada wrote:

Plant ordered was virtually dead. I attempted to nurse it to health.I have over 40 years experience in exotics. It died despite my efforts and clearly the roots were decayed and slimy right from the start.

Owner would not reply to my emails requests for a replacement or refund UNTIL 2 days after the PayPal guarantee period expired.

Then he wrote back. No refund. No replacement. Not even an apology.

Clearly this is not a reputable businessman. I hope all take heed of this warning---find your plants elsewhere even if you pay more.


On Sep 2, 2010, Flora Exotica responded with:

"On Sep 3, 2010 8:22 PM, Flora Exotica responded with:

Hi Ed,

Followings are email correspondances we sent you to explain why we cannot be responsible for the plant that died in your hands. They also explain why PayPal and credit card companies will not refund you for merchandise that you accepted (regardless of when you file the claim).

Your order of 3 plants were shipped July 17. On August 25, more than a month later, you wrote to say that 2 plants were doing well while the third one has died. We have sent you emails to explain things and to suggest what to do in the future.


from Perry Nguyen
to Dianne and Ed

dateTue, Aug 31, 2010 at 7:43 PM
subjectRe: dead order

We do offer refunds for plants that are dead on arrival. For plants that die while being taken care of by customers, we can not be held responsible.

PayPal and credit card companies protect buyers who refuse merchandise within a reasonable period of time. If the customer accept the merchandise (like seeds and plants), then request a refund, they will not be able to help.

We regret that your first try on the Chocolate plant did not work out. We hope that you understand the high cost of getting these plants from the other side of the globe to make them available to customers who like to experience with new species.

Thanks.

fromPerry Nguyen
toDianne and Ed

dateTue, Aug 31, 2010 at 8:28 PM
subjectRe: dead order

Ed,

I understand your frustration when plants die after all the efforts and time spent on caring for it. This happens to us sometimes, and we do not go back to our suppliers to ask for refunds. We appreciate their work to make these rare plants available to us.

It is possible to kill plants without doing any thing wrong. Plants are living things and they respond to a set of conditions required for them to grow. Many of us do not have the conditions required for certain plants.

May I suggest, in the future, that you return plants that are almost dead so that sellers will be able to nurse them back to health and sell them to other customers. That way, the sellers will be able to have money to refund you."


Negative PeggyFriday
(2 reviews)
On Aug 14, 2009, PeggyFriday t,
Canada wrote:

I ordered a plant and a package of seeds from this company. It took a lot longer for my plant to arrive than I had anticipated. I even emailed in advance to check for availabilty as the website directed. I was told it was in stock, but after I ordered I was told (after emailing several times to find out the status of my order) that the plant was in fact not in stock and I'd have to wait a few weeks. The plant, when I finally got it, was in good condition and I'm happy with it. The seeds were not included in the shipment, though. I emailed them a couple of times and told them so, and asked them to send the seeds. It's been two months, and so far no reply and no seeds.


On Aug 14, 2009, Flora Exotica responded with:

"On Sep 7, 2009 4:56 PM, Flora Exotica responded with:

Peggy,

Please send us some info (like your email ID or transaction ID or your full name) so we can investigate. Maybe your emails did not reach us, or our reply did not get through your spam filter ! Thanks."


Negative tranneke
(1 review)
On Jun 18, 2009, tranneke Toronto,
Canada wrote:

I ordered seeds including miracle berry seeds on April 4th. After many emails to Perry (some he ignored and some he responded to with empty promises). I got some of my seeds on May 5th and still have not received my miracle berries. He responded quickly to my emails before I placed the order, but once he had my money he no longer bothered. It's been 2 1/2 months and I'm still waiting. Very frustrating dealing with him.

Negative Ambernash1229
(1 review)
On Jun 18, 2009, Ambernash1229 Stonewall, LA wrote:

May 22, 2009, I purchased a Miracle Berry plant from this company. It was suppose to be a big plant, which was described as follows:
* Big plant in 8 or 10 inch pot,
10 inch to 2 ft high, ready to bear fruits:

The plant I received was a 6 inch tall plant in a 8 inch pot. It was very sparsely, had few leaves, no blooms, no fruit, and nearly dead. The leaves were brown, it only took 3 days to ship from the company( I do not believe that kind of damage can occur over a 3 day period).

The Site also said ready to bear fruit. This plant is no where close to even having blooms, much less bear fruit. The product sent to me, was not even comparible to the description displayed on the website.

I payed $80.00 USD plus $30.00 shipping for a plant that was not what was displayed on their website, http://www.miraberry.ca. (pictures of the plants beside the plant sizes have now been removed from the plant tab on the website.)

I will not use this company again.

Negative passifloracrazy
(1 review)
On Jul 10, 2007, passifloracrazy Ottawa,
Canada wrote:

I ordered two plants from this company in January. The plants eventually arrived here in Ottawa in June by expedited mail. The tibouchina looked as though it was freshly dug and put into a pot. The mimosa was small and thin. Both plants were poorly packaged and had fallen out their pots and were crushed. The tibouchina is dead. There were no other packaging materials in the box. I asked for a replacement, but was told that they do not replace plants or refund the money but that I could place a new order. WARNING. Be careful when mail ordering from this company. He does not appear to stand by his plants or his shipping methods.


On Jul 10, 2007, Flora Exotica responded with:

"


On Jul 10, 2007 11:13 PM, Flora Exotica added:

Dear passifloracrazy,

Please verify your record to see if you actually ordered these plants from us. We did not receive any Email asking for replacement for a Tibouchina and a Mimosa plant.

If you can find any proof that these are our plants (previous Emails, tracking number sent by Canada Post, ...), please let us know to verify and to rectify the situation.

Thanks.


On Aug 3, 2007 11:02 AM, Flora Exotica added:

It has been 3 weeks and there was no reply from the customer to confirm where he/she ordered these plants from. We are posotive that these plants were not from us for these reasons:

1. We did not ship any Tibouchina and Mimosa to Ottawa in June. We even went back to our records in May and April.
2. We did not receive any Email or D-mail asking for replacement for a Tibouchina and a Mimosa plant.
3. The customer's statement "The tibouchina looked as though it was freshly dug and put into a pot" probably refers to a vendor out West. In our location (Eastern Canada), Tibouchina plants are not hardy enough to plant in the ground.

I have sent an Email to Dave to find a way to prevent these faulty comments in future. "


Negative stressbaby
(3 reviews)
On Jun 17, 2006, stressbaby Fulton, MO wrote:

After reading the above comments, I had high hopes for this company. I was disappointed.

I ordered seven plants, mostly tropical trees, in mid March. They were not shipped until mid May. The reason given for the delay was that the Dwarf Ylang Ylang was "slow to come out of dormancy."

The plants were shipped loosely in a box packed with, no kidding, four pieces of wadded up newspaper. The plants were not rooted in at all. Most appeared to have been bare-root or in smaller containers, then were placed in the larger container filled with peat just prior to shipping. The 3" Carambola had two withered leaves which soon dropped and it did not recover. The Dwarf Ylang Ylang arrived with 4 leaves but within a day dropped three. I do have one emerging leaf, I am hopeful that it will recover.

I received an email notice that the plants were shipped. I replied that the Carambola arrived "virtually leafless" and I got no reply.

The Jaboticaba I received is a nice little tree, it exceeded expectations. But overall the quality of the plants and the packaging/shipping were substandard.


On Jun 17, 2006, Flora Exotica responded with:

"


On Jun 19, 2006 12:02 AM, Flora Exotica added:

These are the items in this order:

Dragon fruit plant in 6-inch pot
Carambola (Star Fruit plant) in 4-inch pot
Jaboticaba (Small plant in 4-inch pot)
Sweetsop (Small plant in 4-inch pot)
Aus. Brush Cherry (Small plant in 4-inch pot)
Banana Shrub (Small plants in 4-inch pot)
Dwarf Ylang (Plant in 6-inch pot)

The majority of these order items are small plants in 4-inch pots, as stated on our Web pages. And the fact that they all arrived in one piece with no broken stems speaks for the quality of packaging. As usual, plants are shipped in carton boxes with wadded up newspaper between them to avoid shifting.

These small plants do have less roots compared to those in bigger size (6-inch pot or 8-inch pot), but they are not bare-roots.

Withered leaves and dropping leaves are expected during shipping because there is little ventilation and light in these shipping boxes.

We provide excellent after-sale support to all customers. But in this case. the Email stating that the plants had arrived did not sound like the customer is in need of information or advice. We would have been able to reply and to offer information on reviving the plants if the Email had specifically asked for it."


Negative brugpuppy
(2 reviews)
On Apr 27, 2005, brugpuppy Keremeos,
Canada wrote:

This spring I ordered loquat, star fruit, blue butterfly and alocasia from this company. The service was outstanding, as the company had excellent correspondence from the time I placed the order to follow through after the plants were delivered. Even a note typed with the order to give information on care of the plants! The plants were large and very healthy, well packed, and mailed with expedited mail so tracking with Canada Post was easy.
I originally ordered the taro, so when the package was ready for mailing, I realized that I ordered the wrong one, but this company offered to exchange the common taro for the more ornamental Alocasia at no extra charge. Thank you for the service and I will surely order from them again.


On June 16th, 2007, brugpuppy changed the rating from positive to negative and added the following:

************Previously I have been happy with ordering from Perry. However, this spring (2007) I ordered two hardy orchids. After a long delay a several emails, I finally received the package. I was shocked! I kid you not, these two orchids were loose in the box, no soil in the pots, one orchid crushed and bruised the other in stress and dying back from the top. The roots dry. Absolutely no care was taken to package these plants. Just tossed into a box with a little stick. I quickly scraped up soil and tried to repot the two little plants. To no avail. The crushed and broken orchid was dead that same day, the other dead within 3 days. It died back, shrivelled and black.

I photographed these two plants and sent them to Perry. He answered that if I order more plants he will replace one of the orchids. I sent an email informing him that I did not want to order more plants, as I do not want to throw good money after bad. I am out a lot of money, and I do not think it is my responsibility for his non-packaging. Why should I pay shipping twice? If he had taken time out to package these plants properly, they would have arrived safe and intact.. Instead he just threw these plants in a box without any care whatsoever. ''

I received the following from him: "The plants arrived at your post office on May 19, and were not picked up until May 23. This delay is beyond my control. I have no problems with sending you replacement, but shipping cost is not free (we have to pay the Post Office for each shipment). As for packaging, you have received plants from us before, and certainly know the quality of packaging."

May 19th is a Saturday. Post offices are closed. I have no tracking number anyway, as he never sent it to me. I still do not think I should pay for his bad packaging, and I am sure, regardless of the shipping dates and pick-up, these plants would have survived had they not been crushed and the soil shaken out of their pots.

I ship plants out almost every day. I stuff the tops of the pots with styro peanuts and tape them there to stop the soil from shaking loose, and the plant remains firm. The pots are then put in plastic bags or wrapped in cling wrap to retain moisture. The pots are taped to the box so that they are firm and not shaken around in the package. If I can take this extra care to plants I ship, I fully expect the same care to be taken for plants I have ordered.

I wanted these orchids so very badly and I am very sad that not only am I out a lot of cash, but these orchids were treated badly and arrived here in such a bad shape, that they could not recover. I suggest that Perry reship these plants in the spring of 2008. And I hope that he takes a little care with the packaging to ensure that they do not lose their soil and get damaged and crushed.







On June 17th, 2007, brugpuppy added the following:

This morning I received a note from Perry.

< Hope you will find plants to make an order so that your replacement plants can be shipped with the new order. As mentioned, we do not provide free shipping.
Will send your replacement plants as soon as the shipping cost ($20) is received, or a new order is received.
Thank you for your understanding.>>

So, what to do? He is asking that I spend another $20, but there is no guarantee that the replacement plants will be packed safely this time. He is also asking that I order MORE plants. So a minimum of another $50 so that I can get my two lady slipper orchids. I cringe at the thought of more plants tossed loose into a box and shipped. This is very unfair. I trusted him with a lot a lot of money
to safely ship plants to me, yet he broke that trust, and then not only demands more money, but that I order more plants as well. Be warned everyone.



On June 22nd, 2007, brugpuppy added the following:

June 19th I sent Perry an email offering to pay the shipping if I receive two healthy slipper orchids in the mail. He has not replied.
I cannot see why I should order more plants just so that I can get the orchids I paid for.


On June 29th, 2007, brugpuppy added the following:


These plants were not packed at all. There was no tape, no crumpled newsprint, no styro peanuts, no plastic bags to hold the soil in, no cling wrap, nothing. Just loose plants that fell out of their pots and were crushed in the shipping. No care had been taken at all.
I will never order from this man again. Nor should you. He cannot stand by his plants. He owes me, and I think I have been very patient. He wants me to order more plants and I will not throw good money after bad.
I will let the entire garden community know that this has happened and warn them to be careful with mail ordering from him, as he does not replace plants he damaged, nor does he refund, when he is to blame for poor shipping.

On Apr 27, 2005, Flora Exotica responded with:

"


On Jun 24, 2007 10:59 PM, Flora Exotica added:

I received several Emails from the customer and replied several times that we cannot replace plants nor provide free shipping. We ship healthy plants and pack them carefully. Once the plants leave our hands, we cannot assume the responsibility.

Once in a while, things do go wrong during shipping and we do make exceptions to replace those plants at our discretion. However, we cannot provide free shipping. Most customers do understand and will wait to receive the free replacement plants in their next order. Some cannot wait and will chip in with the shipping cost for their free replacement plants.

We do not 'treat plants badly' , and do not 'toss plants in a box with a stick' . Many customers have shown their satisfaction with our packaging. Almost all customers pick up their plants the day they arrive, as tracking number is automatically sent to the customer as part of Canada Post's online shipping services.

Hope this will clear up any misunderstanding and hope our offer of the free replacement plants are reasonable enough to allow us to continue to serve our much-valued customers."