Norman's Nursery

In mid-November 2014 an order was placed for a total of 25 trees (three different varieties) to be delivered to Ohlone College.  Norman’s Nursery delivered a total of 25 healthy trees to the College on December 5th, 2014 without any reported issues or complaints. Beginning  late January...

and into early February 2015, our sales representatives, Jason and Jay started receiving phone calls from the representatives of the College regarding the decline of the 10-36”  Schinus Molle (California Pepper) trees. According to both sales representatives they treated the phone calls from the college seriously did ask specific questions about the condition and onsite care of the trees. Photos were requested from the college and once they arrived in early February, they were shared with the Norman’s production manager and myself. The existing block in the field that the original trees were pulled from was inspected by the production manager  for health and vitality and it was determined that there were no issues with the remaining trees. I was consulted on the findings and reviewing the photos and the notes from the production manager, it was determined that Normans Nursery did in fact deliver viable, healthy trees that should have had been long-lived. Due to the fact that Normans Nursery has no control over onsite care of plants (watering, planting depth, soil texture) after delivery, we have a non-warrantee policy that only guarantees delivery of a healthy plant to the jobsite. This is typical of the larger wholesale nurseries that regularly deliver to landscape professionals rather than sell to the general public. This information was conveyed to representatives of the college along with the fact that it appeared to be an issue with proper watering of the Schinus molle that led to their decline. We would like to make you aware of the following points: ·         Normans Nursery has a policy of accepting returns on plants up to seven (7) days after delivery. If there were a defective or damaged plant, this would give the customer enough time to observe any issues or decline of the plant. We did not hear back from the college until over a month and a half later.·         From the photos provided (please see attached)it appears that the trees in question are still in the original box with the packing cloth to prevent soil from escaping during delivery still covering the root ball. This cloth should have been removed upon delivery so that water could properly percolate through the top of the root ball. Trees that are in a container, out of the ground, must be watered more frequently and directly through the top of the root ball.·         There are no existing issues with the remaining Schinus molle trees at Normans Nursery and our nursery is open to inspection. At no time did any of our representatives say that we no longer want to do business with Ohlone College. They did attempt answer questions, provide information on what the possible issue would be with the trees and I am told that the representatives at the College were not interested in our explanation, just whether or not were going to replace the trees. It is our opinion that the staff onsite did not properly care for or water the Schinus molle. It is possible that if they were watering directly on top of the packing cloth that water ran down the sides of the root ball rather than through the top. Normans Nursery does not feel the need to reimburse or compensate Ohlone College for these trees since we performed as requested and delivered a healthy and viable product. Sincerely, [redacted]

Review: An order was placed for 25 trees from Normans Nursery on November 14, 2014. The order consisted of three types of treesCalifornia Pepper, Olive and Southern Live Oak. The trees were delivered in mid-December. All of the California Pepper trees were dead by mid-January. The Olive and Southern Live Oak are still alive and appear to be healthy.On January 30, Normans Nursery was contacted regarding the dead trees. They were initially contacted to find out more information about why the trees died. The company stressed that under watering was the likely culprit. Again, the other trees that were delivered at the same time are alive and appear to be healthy. All trees were watered in a similar pattern. On February 2, photos of the trees were provided via email to Normans Nursery. Correspondence over the next three days consisted of Normans Nurserys explanation of why the trees were dead. All their reasons implied the care the trees received on site at our facility was to blame. On February 5, contact information was requested for the Norman representative (supervisor) who could assist in the replacement of the trees. On February 6, contact was made requesting the replacement of the trees. The request was not only denied, but the supervisor shared that the company was not interested in any future business with the College.Desired Settlement: The College would appreciate being refunded for the cost of the 10 trees.

Business

Response:

In mid-November 2014 an order was placed for a total of 25 trees (three different varieties) to be delivered to Ohlone College. Norman’s Nursery delivered a total of 25 healthy trees to the College on December 5th, 2014 without any reported issues or complaints. Beginning late January and into early February 2015, our sales representatives, Jason and Jay started receiving phone calls from the representatives of the College regarding the decline of the 10-36” Schinus Molle (California Pepper) trees. According to both sales representatives they treated the phone calls from the college seriously did ask specific questions about the condition and onsite care of the trees. Photos were requested from the college and once they arrived in early February, they were shared with the Norman’s production manager and myself. The existing block in the field that the original trees were pulled from was inspected by the production manager for health and vitality and it was determined that there were no issues with the remaining trees. I was consulted on the findings and reviewing the photos and the notes from the production manager, it was determined that Normans Nursery did in fact deliver viable, healthy trees that should have had been long-lived. Due to the fact that Normans Nursery has no control over onsite care of plants (watering, planting depth, soil texture) after delivery, we have a non-warrantee policy that only guarantees delivery of a healthy plant to the jobsite. This is typical of the larger wholesale nurseries that regularly deliver to landscape professionals rather than sell to the general public. This information was conveyed to representatives of the college along with the fact that it appeared to be an issue with proper watering of the Schinus molle that led to their decline. We would like to make you aware of the following points: · Normans Nursery has a policy of accepting returns on plants up to seven (7) days after delivery. If there were a defective or damaged plant, this would give the customer enough time to observe any issues or decline of the plant. We did not hear back from the college until over a month and a half later.· From the photos provided (please see attached)it appears that the trees in question are still in the original box with the packing cloth to prevent soil from escaping during delivery still covering the root ball. This cloth should have been removed upon delivery so that water could properly percolate through the top of the root ball. Trees that are in a container, out of the ground, must be watered more frequently and directly through the top of the root ball.· There are no existing issues with the remaining Schinus molle trees at Normans Nursery and our nursery is open to inspection. At no time did any of our representatives say that we no longer want to do business with Ohlone College. They did attempt answer questions, provide information on what the possible issue would be with the trees and I am told that the representatives at the College were not interested in our explanation, just whether or not were going to replace the trees. It is our opinion that the staff onsite did not properly care for or water the Schinus molle. It is possible that if they were watering directly on top of the packing cloth that water ran down the sides of the root ball rather than through the top. Normans Nursery does not feel the need to reimburse or compensate Ohlone College for these trees since we performed as requested and delivered a healthy and viable product. Sincerely, [redacted]