Comments regarding Van Engelen, Inc.
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Comments:
Rating | Author | Content |
Negative | zipwoman54 (2 reviews) | On Apr 27, 2024, zipwoman54 Lewes, DE (Zone 7b) wrote: BEWARE! HEARTBREAK! For 2 years I have been trying to get the daffodil bulbs I wanted from Van Engelen but this year was a calamitous heartbreaker! I ordered 350 ‘Fortissimo’ daffodils on 8/1/23 intending for my garden to be included on a garden tour. My order was marked no substitutions. I received 350 healthy bulbs marked ‘Fortissimo’ and was thrilled. The bulbs were planted throughout my yard. This Spring much to my dismay and shock, the daffodils that came up were NOT what I ordered! The daffs I ordered are yellow with orange trumpets. These were solid yellow and blooming at the wrong time. My garden tour participation canceled. I called the customer svc line on 2/12/24 and was told YES, THAT CAN AND DOES HAPPEN. It was explained they don’t pack the bulbs, they just market and sell the bulbs. No attempt to ensure what you order is what you’re going to get. The rep requested pics, said she would send a report to the owner’s daughter and that the owner’s daughter would call me. I sent pics also with video on 2/16/24. I heard nothing from the owners daughter. After placing more calls, on 2/21/24 a rep finally called to say they would issue a refund. No apology or attempt at explanation or reparation. NEVER buy anything from van Engelen unless you want to spend money to go thru waiting and planting only to be shocked in the end! |
Neutral | GardenBits (5 reviews) | On Oct 2, 2023, GardenBits (Zone 7b) wrote: There's a lot I like about Van Engelen...they have a lot of interesting bulbs and the the ones I've ordered have grown well for me. When I've specified when I'd liked the bulbs shipped (which I think is earlier than their typical shipping for this area), they've mostly been able to oblige (with the exception of a few bulbs which just weren't ready to send out when I would have liked to plant them). |
Neutral | seagardener (42 reviews) | On Dec 28, 2021, seagardener Southport, ME wrote: Well, I’ve done business w/this company for maybe 20 years or so, regularly submitting orders for high-end clients in the many $1,000’s of dollars. I admit to being a bit dismayed by their handling of shipping delays this year. I kept checking their website for updates (Colorblends had excellent communication & updates on delays, less than 2 weeks later than usual). Van Engelen kept kicking the can down the road by extolling the virtues of *late planting* of bulbs in cold weather on their website & that all orders would be fulfilled by Nov. 1, 2021. Unfortunately, in northern New England, the ground freezes & temperatures in the 20’s w/the wind blowing is not conducive to working outdoors. We usually receive our bulbs (often over 10,000 bulbs) by the 10th of October. I kept calling & getting scripted answers about the bulbs coming soon. Finally, I called in early November to CANCEL our order & they *assured* me they would be shipped “next week”. Customer Service stated that one variety in a collection was backordered. I asked “Well, if even SOME of the bulbs are ready to ship, can you ship them NOW & we’ll agree to pay for extra shipping charges??”. CS stated: “yes”. Ugh! The ‘thought’ that we could have been planting weeks earlier; crazy! I can only assume that (according to the news reports) that the bulbs were sitting on a barge off the New Jersey coastline waiting to be unloaded w/the shipping backlog, etc. Anyway, we *finally* got our bulbs. We were able to plant ‘most’ of them & did the rest in pots at a local greenhouse w/the hope we can transplant them into the gardens in the spring. We’ll see. I’d have preferred that they had weekly updates on their website to let customers know what was really going on. I suspect it was a CYA situation to avoid a flood of order cancellations & minimize their $$ losses. I used to keep track of rotten bulbs & ask for credits but the time involved didn’t justify the minimal compensation so I’ve skipped that in recent years & just tossed the rotten bulbs out. Overall, Van Engelen has been reliable w/good quality fall planted spring bulbs & excellent garden performance. I concur w/some of the Fritillaria quality comments from other clients of VE/Scheepers. Fritillaries are a bit of a crap shoot & the bulbs are tricky to keep in pristine condition between harvest & planting; they dry out fast. Haven’t noted too many issues w/Alliums. My only real reason for submitting a ‘Neutral’ rating is due to management decision to keep clients in the dark when more honest & up front weekly updates on their website would have been advantageous (& minimized the 30 minute wait times on their customer service lines; I felt bad for the CS reps who were stuck trying to console hundreds of upset & agitated customers). That could’ve been avoided especially w/worker shortages. |
Positive | DonnaMack (69 reviews) | On Dec 26, 2021, DonnaMack Elgin, IL (Zone 5a) wrote: Posted on November 12, 2019, updated December 26, 2021 On December 26th, 2021, DonnaMack added the following: For the second year in a row I planted a collection from Van Engelen and was very pleased. This was a camassia leichtlini collection consisting of 10 Alba, 10 Caerulea, 10 Blue Heaven and 3 Pink. Fantastic, large, healthy bulbs. I also ordered 5 Lilium African Queen and was similarly pleased. I have always avoided collection because I was concerned about the quality. Van Engelen has turned me around on this, and I plan on doing it every year. |
Neutral | fern4 (14 reviews) | On Nov 20, 2021, fern4 Portland, OR wrote: I bought a variety of bulbs in 2020 and I had good results with one exception. The fritillaria meleagris bulbs were of poor quality (dried, broken, and sort of spongey) and, as could have been predicted based on the quality, only about 10 of 50 came up. I admit that I did not contact the company to complain about those at the time or later during the growing season, so I cannot say anything about their customer service. But I was disappointed that they sent bulbs that were so clearly inferior. I've purchased these several times from other sources without any problem. |
Positive | gardenertom (2 reviews) | On Apr 18, 2021, gardenertom Felton, CA (Zone 9a) wrote: Very happy with my experience. Ordered 200 tulip bulbs last fall. Bulb size was larger than I was expecting and only a few of nonviable bulbs. Bloom rate and size was fantastic. Would definitely recommend. |
Positive | ngreenla (4 reviews) | On Oct 2, 2020, ngreenla Lisle, IL wrote: Just received and planted a large order (++1,000 bulbs) of narcissi and muscari bulbs. Well packaged bulbs, shipped on time. I am very pleased with the size and quality of the bulbs. I as also impressed with the website, which provides detailed horticultural information for each species. WiIll definitely order from them again and will recommend to others. |
Positive | Jadwin59 (15 reviews) | On May 5, 2020, Jadwin59 Rochester, NY (Zone 6a) wrote: I've bought many bulbs from VE and their sister company, John Scheepers, over the years. |
Positive | mcsnail (9 reviews) | On Nov 19, 2019, mcsnail Chicago, IL wrote: I started ordering amaryllises from this company when Easy to Grow Bulbs became more interested in promoting their products than actually supplying them. I am just a home gardener--but Van Engelen offers amaryllises in quantities that are appropriate for me (I like to give them as presents). For the last 3 years or so I have received very large and healthy bulbs at an amazing price point. All of the bulbs have flowered prolifically and as expected (no surprises). I am a little intimidated by the reports of rather surly customer service--but -thankfully--I have never had occasion to complain. |
Positive | brahmabantam (8 reviews) | On Nov 12, 2019, brahmabantam Rimrock, WA (Zone 5b) wrote: I ordered from Van Engelen for the first time this year, and also from John Scheepers their sister company. I mostly ordered spring blooming bulbs from John Scheepers and will add a review of that company next year once I've seen the blooms. From Van Engelen I ordered ~$100 worth of spring bulbs plus 5 amaryllis for christmas blooming and 50 paperwhites. All the amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs are large and great quality. The first set of paperwhites I set in water and they bloomed within 4 weeks (first flowers stared after about three weeks) plus they've been blooming for 1 month in a bowl of water, which exceeded my expectations (the first batch of flowers I cut and put in a vase, and maybe that helped induce the second flush of flowers?). I started one of my Merry Christmas amaryllis as soon as it arrived (couldn't wait until Christmas, LOL!) and it is blooming now with 2 thick flower stalks. The first stalk right now has 3 flowers and the second hasn't opened yet but looks promising - I think it has 3 flowers also. |
Positive | tomspeak (12 reviews) | On Oct 20, 2019, tomspeak Vashon, WA wrote: I've ordered bulbs Van Engelen for years, and with every shipment I delight in the quality of the bulbs and the care of packaging and shipping. Spring at my farm includes a glorious show of gold, white, salmon and blue, the drifts of blooms brought to me by Van Engelen. I could not be happier with my purchases. |
Negative | flowerpowerca (1 review) | On Jul 27, 2019, flowerpowerca Santa Clara, CA wrote: This week I placed an order for 100 paperwhite and 12 Amaryllis bulbs for a total of $169. Yesterday I received a call (in a very rude tone of voice) from a woman in customer service. She said that they were cancelling my order, by instruction from "upper management", and that I should take my business elsewhere! |
Positive | zomer (1 review) | On May 27, 2019, zomer East Troy, WI wrote: First time ordering from this company, not the last though. They are going to be my go to company from now on. Every allium bulb this fall is coming up as planned and the lilies are all nicely started. I've never had this good of luck with KVB or Michigan Bulb and the prices are great, I've compared them with everyone. Thank you Van Engelen! |
Positive | SanJoseFool (21 reviews) | On Feb 10, 2019, SanJoseFool Canton, GA (Zone 7b) wrote: First time ordering fall bulbs anywhere. They held my order until they felt the correct planting time to ensure best chance of success. That was nice so I didn't have to think about it. I had lots of bulbs to plant, maybe 900 or so, daffodils, alliums, muscari, and crocus (tommies). Bulbs were in excellent condition just a handful of bad ones out of 900. I can see most of them are putting up stalks now, the tommies are starting to flower. Would order again but I hope I don't have to and that these guys like my Georgia clay and come back next year. I know the daffodils will I see them everywhere around here. |
Positive | MacGupta (1 review) | On Nov 13, 2018, MacGupta Englishtown, NJ wrote: First time orderer from vanengelen.com. I was irritated at first because I didn't receive an email notifying me of the shipment; and then when I received it, at first glance it appeared to be the wrong stuff and incomplete, and I wrote them an irritated email. On careful examination though, all proved fine, and the bulbs all appear fine and healthy. So my sincerest apologies to them, and no excuses for my irritation. I'm looking forward to seeing how the blooms come out next spring. |
Positive | CooDeeFoo (15 reviews) | On Sep 29, 2018, CooDeeFoo Central, SC wrote: I have ordered from this company over many years with excellent results. I have even ordered discounted bulbs at the end of the planting season when a person might expect to get bulbs at the end of their viability; I have never received a bad bulb. They have grown, looked beautiful, and most perennialized for several years afterwards. I was surprised negative feedback on your website. They also sell to anyone; no wholesale tax number is needed. They just offer bulbs in larger lots. Their sister company, John Scheepers, has the same bulbs in smaller lots, but at a slightly higher price. I have already ordered $200 worth of bulbs that I expect to arrive in October. |
Positive | collectorpalms (15 reviews) | On Dec 8, 2017, collectorpalms College Station, TX wrote: Posted on November 22, 2016, updated December 8, 2017 On January 21st, 2016, collectorpalms changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following: Linda with customer services contacted me after my review. She asked for pictures of the bulbs. She offered a replacement next Fall of the 200 Parrot Tulips that arrived in question and the 100 Synaeda Blue that became moldy in the Refridge. Thank you Linda, looking forward to the bulbs next fall. On November 22nd, 2016, collectorpalms added the following: True to their word, I did receive 300 replacement bulbs in October without having to send out any reminders. They did show up in good condition and have not molded this year in the fridge so far. Hoping I can plant soon, come on cold weather! On December 8th, 2017, collectorpalms added the following: I placed one order this late fall season and the daffodil and tulip bulbs were healthy. Only complaint is the use of UPS as it takes 7 days while if using Fedex it would be 3. |
Positive | macdogdaddy (1 review) | On Nov 2, 2017, macdogdaddy Happy Valley, OR wrote: This was my first order with Van Engelen so I checked them out here at DG before ordering. Historically they have many positive reviews, however, the most recent several reviews (fall 2015) are solidly negative. So I took a chance ordering from them (fall 2017) hoping they'd gotten their act together, and I'm glad I did. Here's my experience. |
Negative | DayPlanter123 (3 reviews) | On Apr 15, 2017, DayPlanter123 Chehalis, WA wrote: BEWARE, fall 2015 customer service was at a low point, will not be ordering from again. Ordered 3 bulb types well in advance (July of 2015). In Nov was sent notice that two of the types ordered where not available and were being cancelled by the company. At that late date was unable to locate and reorder from another company. Then found I had to write and complain to get the third type ordered bulbs sent and to get a check for the bulbs that were not available. These bulbs arrived in mid Nov., the quality was in question. Second complaint sent but was never responded to, nor was an adjustment made for the price when these same bulbs sent where at the time on sale on their website at the end of year clearance for about $10.00 less. |
Negative | cyanna (1 review) | On Dec 10, 2016, cyanna Waynesboro, VA wrote: Posted on December 10, 2016, updated December 11, 2016 On December 10th, 2016, cyanna added the following: I would like to provide my initial email to this company to show how none of my concerns were taken seriously. -----Original Message----- Sent: Wed, Oct Subject: Attn Linda Hello Linda, I called about my shipment. I was not happy with the condition of the Pink Diamond Tulip bulbs. I have attached 2 photos One showing the whole group out of the box. The other photo shows the ones that are small and with multiple offsets making the main bulb even smaller. " Offsets forming on a tulip bulb eventually weaken that bulb and cause the plant it produces to stop flowering" Some of the bulbs are also soft probably due to a poor main bulb.. I found 40 of the 100 unacceptable. The other 60 are Ok. The entire group is not as nice as the other bulbs I ordered and what most quality bulbs look like at purchase. Please let me know a s soon as possible what your companies intentions are for replacement. . My order # is ######## The bulbs are pink diamond. Thank you for your attention |
Positive | Madisonwigarden (10 reviews) | On Jun 7, 2016, Madisonwigarden Madison, WI (Zone 5b) wrote: Love this company. I've ordered from Van Engelen for years. They have a great selection, great prices, and great bulbs. I have no clue why anyone would order bulbs from anywhere else. |
Neutral | flowermaiden2 (19 reviews) | On Jun 6, 2016, flowermaiden2 Saint Maries, ID wrote: Their print catalog has NO color photos of any of the plants they're selling. It only has line drawings in blue. While the descriptions tell what colors are in the mixes, etc., there's nothing like actually seeing those colors to know what shades they're supposed to be. "Lavender" can be visualized as different tints of purple to different people, for example. |
Negative | Plantcrazylady (5 reviews) | On Nov 13, 2015, Plantcrazylady Santa Cruz, CA wrote: Posted on October 31, 2015, updated November 13, 2015 On November 13th, 2015, Plantcrazylady added the following: Update: I was reimbursed for the bad bulbs. My county ag department wanted a sample of the insect infestation, so I submitted one. Oddly, after posting this negative review I received spam e-mail in Dutch, which has never happened before (they were those "help me, I need money" kinds of e-mails). Interesting, and disturbing. |
Neutral | AS (46 reviews) | On Nov 4, 2015, AS (Zone 7a) wrote: Posted on November 4, 2015, updated November 4, 2015 On November 18th, 2013, AS added the following: Mostly fine bulbs, this year, but at least 1/10 of the bulbs in their muscari mix arrived with long sprouts (up to 2") this year. Single colors of muscari were unsprouted. On November 4th, 2015, AS changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following: I just received my fall order - 2 weeks later than from Colorblends and Old House Gardens, in spite of trying to get Van Engelen to send it a little earlier by claiming that I'm planting in one zone warmer. (Never have to do that nonsense with other bulb companies, but lately Van Engelen always sends bulbs to us very late, well after fall foliage has peaked. ) The species crocus were mostly sprouted - about half an inch, which is a nuisance - I always feel I have to handle sprouted bulbs extra carefully, plus dash out quickly and plant before the sprouts get any longer. The Allium cernuum had very long, whitish sprouts. And when I planted the hyacinths, even some of those were starting to sprout. (Sprouted hyacinths are a definite first in my experience). Plus there was some sort of sticky substance on a few of the bulb bags. Had to wear gloves to handle them, though whatever it is did wash off my hands easily. The lilies and tulips looked OK. But between the late shipments and sprouted bulbs I keep getting from these people, and their customer services responses to me and to other people lately, I'm starting to get fed up. If I wanted to get end-of-season, substandard bulbs, I could order from bulb sales and get them cheaper. On November 4th, 2015, AS added the following: I just wanted to add that the rest of my experiences - including my customer service experiences - are under John Scheepers, which sells smaller numbers of bulbs but is the same company. |
Positive | deforestliz (9 reviews) | On Mar 14, 2015, deforestliz Sandy, UT wrote: I waited to review until I saw my bulbs come up. My early bulbs are up and way better than I expected. They were advertised as second quality naturalizing bulbs and I planted 1,000 of them. The called them floriferous, but I did not expect 9 flowers from one bulb of a second quality. I have 1,000 in front which are just poking up because they are a later variety so I can't speak to them, but these have a quality making me wonder what first quality looks like. I got them because I wanted a mass planting and they were very cheap. It also looks like I will have over a month of blooms because the bulbs don't send up all the flower spikes at once, possible 6 weeks of flowers or more since it has already been 2 weeks and they are just hitting their stride. They got snowed on and frozen and it did not phase them. |
Positive | Azurel (11 reviews) | On Dec 18, 2014, Azurel Youngsville, NC wrote: I ordered some end of season daffodil collections & lilies. The price was great, the order came promptly. (UPS had busted the box but the bulbs were in good condition). The box was VERY heavy for 115 bulbs. It turned out that they had given a very generous bonus either in number or quality (one bag had double-nosed, triple-nosed & even a few quadruple-nosed bulbs;the other bag was mostly singles but good sized and lots of extras. I could not be happier with my order. |
Positive | Kat6778 (1 review) | On Nov 26, 2014, Kat6778 Newry, SC wrote: I placed my order with Van Engelen on November 21 2014. It was confirmed on November 22 2014 and I recieved the order today, on November 26 2014. I'm very impressed with the quick shipment. All the bulbs look healthy. The lilium bulbs are huge. Great experience. Will definitely order again. |
Positive | quiltjean (3 reviews) | On Oct 29, 2014, quiltjean North Chelmsford, MA (Zone 6b) wrote: VE and JS are great. I have ordered bulbs for our condo a couple of times, and they arrived in good shape. This last order had one moldy tulip out of 250 assorted bulbs. They're good sized, too. |
Positive | coriaceous (18 reviews) | On Feb 1, 2014, coriaceous ROSLINDALE, MA wrote: I've placed orders with this company many times. Their selection is good, mistakes are rare, and we've gotten way fewer bad bulbs than the industry standard. Customer service has been good. |
Positive | Patty57 (27 reviews) | On Oct 25, 2013, Patty57 Wake Forest, NC (Zone 7b) wrote: Just rec'd my fall shipment of bulbs!! Was very satisfied all around!! Customer Service was a positive experience as well. |
Positive | nikesamothrace (2 reviews) | On Jul 31, 2013, nikesamothrace Houston, TX wrote: This is my first use of Watchdog and my first post. I have ordered bulbs from Van Engelen since 1990. I have bought 1000's of bulbs and spent 100's of dollars. I have never had a bad experience. I was thinking about finding another supplier. I checked Watchdog results for other suppliers and was surprised to see so many negative comments for the other suppliers. So, I checked VE's ratings. I was not surprised to see such excellent ratings. |
Positive | jacintac (3 reviews) | On Apr 4, 2013, jacintac Fairfield, CT wrote: Top size bulbs (unless described as landscape size) at great prices. I've purchased from them for years and they have yet to mess up the order or skim me on quantity or quality. Love this company! |
Positive | pokerino (4 reviews) | On Feb 7, 2013, pokerino Little Rock, AR wrote: I placed an order during their end of season sale for crocus, tulip, and lily bulbs. The bulbs I received were fresher and healthier than an earlier mid-season order I placed with another popular and highly rated bulb company. They appear to have superior storage facilities and I found the tiered boxes used in shipping quite ingenious. |
Positive | carolmo (23 reviews) | On Dec 1, 2012, carolmo Olathe, KS (Zone 5a) wrote: Ordered lilies late. The bulbs arrived in a few days. Bulbs were great. Very pleased. |
Positive | Joseph_Cincy (13 reviews) | On Nov 3, 2012, Joseph_Cincy Cincinnati, OH (Zone 6a) wrote: Last month, I ordered 1,310 bulbs from Van Engelen. It was my first time ordering bulbs in bulk. I found their web site easy to use and their prices very competitive. I requested that the bulbs be delivered during a small window, and they arrived on time as instructed. One of the other reviews complained about the packaging, but I found the bulbs smartly packaged in different internal boxes with sawdust cushioning. The bulbs themselves looked fine. I have no complaints, and I'll certainly order from Van Engelen again next year (obsession cannot be stopped). I'm looking forward to seeing hundreds of new flowers in the spring! |
Negative | Someonelse (1 review) | On Nov 2, 2012, Someonelse Providence, RI wrote: I am too exhausted by speaking to the supervisor of a supervisor of the customer service representative to go into too much depth here. In short there is no customer service here. When I called to report that I received the wrong bulbs (the ones I received were less than half the correct size) I was told that I received the correct bulbs. When I asked how they could be so sure that I received the correct bulbs when I still had them I was told that they were packed in the Netherlands at a plant that has a conveyer belt with holes that were sized to the right size. When I proposed that they were missed labelled, the customer service representative and her supervisor and her supervisor 's supervisor told me that they weren't. when I asked how she could be so sure of all this, the answer was that they checked the bulbs they had on their stock shelves and they were all correctly labelled. When I pointed out that maybe the bulbs I received were mislabeled they all said they weren't etc. etc. like a broken record that went on for a half hour of rudeness. DO NOT USE VAN ENGELEN. |
Neutral | naomiZ5b (2 reviews) | On Oct 28, 2012, naomiZ5b Bangor, ME wrote: Van Engelen provides a good product, if not quite as good as Colorblends. I found the packaging inconvenient (individual cardboard box for each variety or mix -- awkward to work with 100 bulbs packed this way). The prices were slightly higher than at Colorblends, and six bulbs of 100 in the viridiflora tulip mix were shrivelled and moldy. It didn't seem worth the trouble to request a refund of just a few dollars so I didn't follow up with the company. I do like their selection so will probably order from them again when there's something not offered by Colorblends. |
Positive | pamichen (2 reviews) | On Oct 23, 2012, pamichen Huntington Woods, MI wrote: Have ordered bulbs from this company for years-always wonderful. They arrive at the correct time for planting, are large and firm and grow beautifully. My bulb plants are much admired in spring, and now neighbors are ordering, also. I've never had any problem with this company. Helpful on the telephone with technical questions, also. I highly recommend them. |
Negative | Floralisa (1 review) | On Dec 4, 2011, Floralisa Greenville, NC wrote: I'm giving this company a BIG NEGATIVE for their customer service. The bulbs were fine except for the one that was left out. Their response: our bulbs are packed in the Netherlands so it's not our fault. They offered a credit on my next order, but with that attitude, I'm not about to order from these people again. |