Buy local! Don't waste your money with this company. I ordered $187 worth of plants and bulbs on 9/5/2020. Everything in the order was designated on their website as 'fall delivery'. On 10/22/2020 I contacted them via their website requesting a refund. By that time we had experienced several hard freezes, temperatures were regularly below freezing at night, and planting the live plants and bulbs was no longer possible. Other than their standard automated responses I heard nothing so contacted them again via their website on 10/30/2020 restating my request for a refund. On 11/2/2020 I received an email from them requesting all previous correspondence regarding the issue. Up to that email, my only correspondence from them had been their automated replies, but I put my two requests and their automated responses together in chronological order and sent it back to them via email. After more automated responses, on 11/6/2020 I receive a shipping notification for my order. Note that I did NOT request the order be shipped, I requested a refund. I contact them again pointing out that I can't plant either the live plants or the bulbs when they arrive since the ground is frozen. Even if I could dig a hole, the temperatures are below freezing at night so the live plants would die. I'm told, via email, that the live plants and bulbs can be "stored in a cool, dry, and dark place or planted in pots and kept inside until more optimal planting". These are plants and bulbs that should be planted in the fall. They are expecting me to store them or keep them in pots for almost a year? That's ridiculous! Now on 12/3/2020 the live plants (half the cost of the order) are dead. The bulbs have been stored in a 'cool, dry, dark place' but I seriously doubt they will be viable when I'm finally able to plant them next fall. I would have been far better off spending my money locally and getting quality plants, bulbs AND good customer service. I wish I would have read the reviews before ordering from this company. I hope someone else can learn from my mistake and avoid doing business with this company.
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/05/06) */ We have received your inquiry regarding an order you recently placed We have checked our records and find that we received your order January 22, and it was Scheduled to ship in two packageSaPackage was shipped April and package 2, which contained Always & Forever Rose, has been cancelled, per your requestA credit to charge of $is being issued to your credit card our gaurantee, as shown in the catalog from which you ordered states, Your purchase price will be refunded on orders returned with proper postage affixed within daysIf, for any reason, your merchandise does not live, please notify us within one (1) year of receipt and we will replace the product free of charge We will watch for the package you said you returned Very truly yours, DUTCH GARDENS Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2015/05/14) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) no payment Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 9, 2015/05/21) */ We do not understand the customers response "No Payment"The customers charge card was credited $on May 1, as specified in our April email In addition, we received back package and issued a credit to charge of $on [redacted] for the value of the contentsPlease note the shipping and processing fee is not part of the purchase price and therefore not refundable Very truly yours, DUTCH GARDENS
Dear Mrs [redacted] :As stated in our catalogs and on our website, our cancellation policy is: "We can only guarantee cancellation of an order if it is requested the same day the order is placedAll other cancellation requests must come to us I writingOnce we have begun shipping for the season, it is difficult to cancel an order." Customer approval of these terms is part of the checkout process.Once we have received an order from merchandise, we immediately make arrangements for preparation and shipmenteach order is individually evaluated and nursery stock reserved so that the order will be shipped and arrive at the proper planting time for your geographical area.After the processing of an order has begun and we have relied to our detriment upon the order, it becomes a binding agreement between usIt is next to impossible to reverse the procedure once it has begun.Based upon the above it is almost impossible to cancel an orderGood business practices require an order processing procedure that insures that the nursery stock will be promptly delivered to the customer in good healthy condition and ready for planting.Tracking for this order shows that the delivery was accepted on 10/26/However, if you n longer desire the merchandise, you many return it per the terms of our warranty, along with the original shipping label, for a refund.Very Truly Yours,Dutch Gardens [redacted] Custoemr Service
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/07/12) */ Dear Mr [redacted] , Your original order was processed on 3/31/and shipped on 4/11/Our guarantee is for one-yearEven though your order is past the one-year guarantee time period, we are issuing a credit to your credit card in the amount of $23.99, for the items you complained about Very Truly Yours, Dutch Gardens Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2015/07/15) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) The full order amount was $107.92, this is what I am looking for a refund ofI have had to rip out their defective product twice, once due to their mistake and the second time do to the product not growingI would actually like reimbursement of my time which would be approximately $but will accept the original purchase price Thank you
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/05/06) */ We have received your inquiry regarding an order you recently placed We have checked our records and find that we received your order January 22, and it was Scheduled to ship in two packageSaPackage was shipped April and package 2, which contained Always & Forever Rose, has been cancelled, per your requestA credit to charge of $is being issued to your credit card our gaurantee, as shown in the catalog from which you ordered states, Your purchase price will be refunded on orders returned with proper postage affixed within daysIf, for any reason, your merchandise does not live, please notify us within one (1) year of receipt and we will replace the product free of charge We will watch for the package you said you returned Very truly yours, DUTCH GARDENS Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2015/05/14) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) no payment Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 9, 2015/05/21) */ We do not understand the customers response "No Payment"The customers charge card was credited $on May 1, as specified in our April email In addition, we received back package and issued a credit to charge of $on [redacted] for the value of the contentsPlease note the shipping and processing fee is not part of the purchase price and therefore not refundable Very truly yours, DUTCH GARDENS
Dear Mrs [redacted] :As stated in our catalogs and on our website, our cancellation policy is: "We can only guarantee cancellation of an order if it is requested the same day the order is placedAll other cancellation requests must come to us I writingOnce we have begun shipping for the season, it is difficult to cancel an order." Customer approval of these terms is part of the checkout process.Once we have received an order from merchandise, we immediately make arrangements for preparation and shipmenteach order is individually evaluated and nursery stock reserved so that the order will be shipped and arrive at the proper planting time for your geographical area.After the processing of an order has begun and we have relied to our detriment upon the order, it becomes a binding agreement between usIt is next to impossible to reverse the procedure once it has begun.Based upon the above it is almost impossible to cancel an orderGood business practices require an order processing procedure that insures that the nursery stock will be promptly delivered to the customer in good healthy condition and ready for planting.Tracking for this order shows that the delivery was accepted on 10/26/However, if you n longer desire the merchandise, you many return it per the terms of our warranty, along with the original shipping label, for a refund.Very Truly Yours,Dutch Gardens [redacted] Custoemr Service
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/07/12) */ Dear Mr [redacted] , Your original order was processed on 3/31/and shipped on 4/11/Our guarantee is for one-yearEven though your order is past the one-year guarantee time period, we are issuing a credit to your credit card in the amount of $23.99, for the items you complained about Very Truly Yours, Dutch Gardens Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2015/07/15) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) The full order amount was $107.92, this is what I am looking for a refund ofI have had to rip out their defective product twice, once due to their mistake and the second time do to the product not growingI would actually like reimbursement of my time which would be approximately $but will accept the original purchase price Thank you