rclock - Thanks for the e-mail address.

Some of the URLs here link to other URLs, including the Better Business Bureau. That may be a resource for dissatisfied customers. AO resolved some of the complaints to the customer's satisfaction, although they failed to respond to several complaints.

It begins:
"Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau due to a pattern of complaints.
"Complaints are concerning product quality, delivery and service issues. Complaints allege that consumers did not receive their order or shipped the wrong orchid of inferior quality. Consumers also indicate difficulties in contacting the business to report problems."

It's baffling that they think this is a profitable way to conduct business.

Whitecat8

Here is a link that might be useful: Hawaii BBB

Hausermann seemed not to respond on emails much. In my case, I sent email to them asking for tracking number, never got a response. Called them, they could not find it (it turned out my order was not shipped yet when I called). When the plant got rot, I emailed them with status of the plant when received and the rotten plant, still got no answer. When I called them, they immediately promise to send me a replacement without asking any question and I got it one week later. I had found quite a few of these orchid vendors are not responding to emails.

Hausermann answered the first time and said they were looking into it. That they didn't follow up and respond to my second e-mail is their loss. I am not going to chase people to get them to treat me right. They knew about the problem from the first e-mail. There are lots of other dealers I have dealt with for years without hassles.

I used to order frequently from them years ago and only got one wrong plant. But the last 2 orders I placed I was really unhappy with. Mislabeled plants, one where they just grabbed a plant and wrote PART of the name of the plant I ordered on it by hand. Supposed to be orange, bloomed green. Quality on the last 2 shipments was hit and miss, some good, some very poor. No response to emails. I believe they moved their base of operations recently, so maybe that accounts for it, but I seriously doubt I'll order from them again. Really sad.

Sharon

I just received an order from Normans which I will have to contact. I paid for a mature (in spike or bud) plant and it's a seedling with no prospect of flowering for another year. I'm annoyed as it was a gift. I also forgot how they plant in sphag blocks which is almost impossible to water.
I've had a problem with EOom a few years ago which they eventually resolved. But it took quite a while and many phone calls. Emails didn't work.

Jane

Jane - That's too bad about your plant, esp. because it was a gift. I hope you get it resolved easily.

Norman's tempts me mightily - those pix and that variety - oooooo. However, I got a Phal from them @ a show that failed a few weeks later. I was even newer to orchids than I am now and may have had a hand in it. Regardless, they never responded to my pleas for suggestions.

If you search the archives here, you'll find mixed reviews on Norman's.

Hope you get your mature plant - Whitecat8

I ordered 3 of the "Plants in Bloom" as a trial run just to see how the plants really looked. I planned to order about 70 different blooming orchids for decoration at my wedding if they were nice. Thank goodness I checked before the wedding!!
When the plants arrived, I was shocked at the condition of the order. Only 2 of the 3 orchids I ordered were blooming and at that the blooms were of very small size. The third plant was not only NOT blooming, it was practically DEAD! The leaves were brown and yellow with mold growing on them and the roots of the white phalaenopsis orchid were a mass of brittle, brown dead twigs. Since the time these plants arrived only one is still living. I have other orchids that I have had for years, so I am not a novice with their care.
When I called the company immediately and told them the situation, they told me to take a digital picture and email it to them for their review. This was a month ago. While I have sent them numerous emails since that time asking what the status of this claim is I have yet to hear ANYTHING from them.

Their customer service is TERRIBLE and I doubt I will get my money back or any living replacements as I requested.

I've read other reviews and maybe they are good for some businesses, but I would NOT recommend them if you plan to use these " in bloom" plants for any special event where the plants need to look good; you are very likely be disappointed.
*** Follow Up****
A few weeks ago they did email me back and said that this mold condition was "normal" for Orchids and I should just spray them with a fungus spray. They completely ignored the fact that I told them already the plants had died in the mean time. Again, HORRIBLE customer service and the plants were in a disgraceful state when they arrived. I would caution anyone away from this company's products.

*snort* "Mold condition is normal." That cracks me up. Sorry, I don't mean to make light of it, but its one of those things that is so ridiculous I have to laugh.

msacroa: Were you describing troubles with Aloha or one of the other nurseries that has been mentioned in this thread?

I'm betting it was Aloha. I have had mostly good--or great--experiences with the other two. I guess things can go wrong with any order from any grower, but only Aloha seems to have a deliberate policy of evasion and untruths following suspiciously common mistakes with orders.

Strangely, the plants I received from them were very nice and beautifully packed. It seems that Aloha could be a good orchid resource if they somehow had a major revelation on how to treat their customers.

I also had a bad experience with Aloha Orchid. I ordered 2 plants in bloom and recieved an order confirmation but no shipping info. After 2 weeks with no delivery and no word, I emailed them numerous times and got no response. I started calling 3x daily and always got their answering machine. I finally was fed up and called my credit card company and got them to cancel the payment to AO. That got their attention because I finally was able to get an answer! I eventually recieved the plants a month late. They were in bloom but one was past peak and they were also recently repotted VERY POORLY. I had to repot them bc the conditions were totally wrong for the roots. One of the plants was a vanda, and it was potted in fine pine bark! I was extremely unhappy with the whole experience. DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM unless they completely change their customer service!

I was curious as to whether anyone had emailed this thread to Aloha Orchids? And maybe to the Hawaii BBB!

Aloha will reply by feigning innocent incredulity, and the BBB will want officially filed reports--Aloha already has a poor rating with the Hawaiian BBB. Been there, done that.

You can see the BBB record via the link below.

It takes some time to file a report, but the more documented complaints there are, the worse they look to those who check them out before ordering.

Whitecat8

Here is a link that might be useful: Da Little Coffee Shack, BBB

Here is a last reply from Aloha Orchid. This is why I will NEVER buy from them again.

Tue, 22 Feb 2005 09:04:41 -0800 (PST)
From: "AD" Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
Subject: Re: Aloha Orchid Nursery Order Confirmation
To: sales@alohaorchid.com
Dear Aloha Orchid,

Attached are three photos of Blc. Hillary Rodham Clinton 'First Lady' showing scale insects infestation. I have not done any closer inspection on other plants but they seem to be fine under the first inspection. I understand that you have guaranty on the plants.
Please let me know how to proceed.

Alan

Here is the link to see the Boisduva scales infestation of a plant Aloha Orchids sent to me.

http://photos.yahoo.com/surferboi

--- Mahealani Vakauta wrote:
> Aloha,
>
> The orchid pictures received reveal the outer covering of the mature
> leaf. Some nurseries peel this outer covering to reveal the leaf
> completely. It is commonly found on certain cattleya grown here in
> Hawaii. We see no signs of scale infestation among your plant.

Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2005 09:04:29 -0800 (PST)
From: "AD" Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
Subject: RE: Aloha Orchid Nursery Order Confirmation
To: "Mahealani Vakauta"
Out of all the 21 plants you sent me only one has scale infestation. With all due respect, I've been growing orchid since 1991. I do know what scales look like. I am sorry that you are not willing to fix this problem. I guess you might want to check you stock of Lc. Hillary Clinton. I am sure the plant you sent me is not the only one. I am sadden that after $627.25 I spent with you and I get this kind of customer service. I guess the GUARANTEE & TERM of SALE "We DO guarantee that you will only receive the biggest and healthiest orchid plant that we have, and the orchid plant will bloom for you again and again with proper care." "WE DO NOT SELL SICK ORCHIDS," just doesn't mean anything. Please do not try to remedie this problem anymore. You've just lost a customer and I will tell all my orchid friends about the kind of customer service I get from you.
Alan

I would not buy from them. Carmela Orchids or H & R and other ones in Hawaii are much better with customer services

Here is a link that might be useful: Boisduva Scales infestation of a plant from Aloha Orchids

Not only are they dishonest; they insult the intelligence of their customers with their lies.

Whitecat8

Well, you may have scale on that plant, but the pictures are too small to tell. You should have sent them a much larger picture of which ever shows the scale best in a quality level 7 from Photo Shop or 75 in Microsoft Photo Editor to reduce the file size for emailing. What they said was that your picture did not show scale, and at that size, I have to agree. Cynthia, Prescott, AZ

As you may notice on the emails. It took almost 2 weeks for them to reply to me. The fact that I summitted such a large order would not matter to them. At that point I knew they would not send me a replacement or refund if they think I will tried to cheat them out 5% of my total order. It would not matter to them If I paid for shipping to send that one plant back. They would say I glued those scales on the plant. It's called customer services! I never understand how you can run a business that way.

I really can't make out scale either, but after an order that size, they should have refunded your money or at least sent you a new plant. Frankly, after spending that amount of money, they should not be arguing with you about one plant.

Jane

I wanted to add to the list of bad experiences mine from Wilks Orchids....You know, I have ordered for years - I got smallish plants, plants with no roots...sucked it all in and cared for the plant.
Scale, on the other hand, is the biggest no-no : I do not want to have scale, Hawaiian, or you name it, on the plant I buy. Neither do I want to deal with the scale once the plant arrives, and worry about it spreading...

Anyway...Ordered $100 something worth of plants from Wilks - more than half of them came with scale :(.
This is the first time I ever complained to a grower...Wilks did respond, something along the lines: "oh, no....OMG...we are so sorry...how can we make it up to you?!"

Now, I honestly do not have the guts to email the guy back and say: I want some of my money back...The purchase was not worth it at all...I clearly do not want more plants from him (they might also come in scale, besides being very small)...

Sent another super-polite email, never heard back. A grower knows better than that how to make it up to the customer for the plants with scale you send...(I sent pics, and one could see the scale...)

Now, I just needed to vent....Was reading this thread and could not help it - the Wilks experience is fresh in my mind :)

Darn scale ..
Olya

If you double click on the picture it will enlarge . Looks like scale to me .
At least Wilks did not try and dodge the issue , I would tell them you want a refund , partial refund or free bug spray ..As for Aloha %^$% them .
Send them a link to this thread.... I would . Gin

I e-mail them to ask them about some items they have on their website. They reply after 4-5 weeks. That gave me a hint on their customer service. I did not place the order, and I don't intend to.

Ginge, the biggest picture I could get was 480 x 360. That just is not a respectable size. Yes, it kind of looks like scale, but kind of? A large sharp immage, which would have left no doubt, should have been sent directly to Aloha. However, I suspect from the other complaints, they would have found some other out or just ignored the complaint. BUT, we will never know what kind of response they would have had since the opportunity to find out is gone, once given this fuzzy picture chance to evade their responsibility. Cynthia

Have to agree with Cynthia. I looked at those pictures and would never have guessed scale had it not already been stated.

Kevin

You guys are missing the point. Boisduva scales are extremely hard to eradicate. Aloha knows if they have scales. All they have to do to confirm this is go back to their growing area where this plant was from and inspect those plants. They know that these scales would not infest only on one plant that is growing in that closed environment. Besides, it shouldn't have taken them 2 weeks to respond to me. By this time, there is no point of me trying to prove that the plant they sent have scales by sending more pictures to show them. They know what Boisduva scales look like. Almost all nurseries that grow orchids have this problem. I don't consider myself to be a beginner. 15 years experience of buying orchids I know which vendor sell good plants and which one is not. Aloha Orchid is my first and last place I will buy orchids from.

No, I'm not missing any point. If you want to prove something via photos, then send photos that are clear and show what you want to show. Those don't.

I don't see why I need to prove my point if it takes them 2 weeks to get back to me. I understood that they didn't want or care to remedy this problem. It's fine, I still have that plant that is now healthy and growing. They can do what they want. I just won't order from them again. You be the judge if you feel comfortable ordering from them. It's your money. I surely won't.

I think your pictures are great. They blow up well with good detail. What they don't do is show scale. For comparison follow the link.

Joe T

Here is a link that might be useful: Scales

I think the photos are irrelevant. A grower with a customer service attitude should simply honor the word of a $600 customer that ONE of the plants in the order needs replaced. It's not unusual for growers to tuck a "freebie" plant into an order just for goodwill. Aloha won't even replace a plant to keep a proven good customer. Their "guarantee" is laughable.

What a stupid way to do business.

I had an overall positive experience with Aloha several months back. I ordered from them four times in the space of two weeks (three gifts) and it was all good. But from what I've read here and elsewhere, my experience may have been a fluke. And some people have reported multiple charges on their credit card.

Searching for a gripe of my won: Communication was poor -- when I tried to follow up on the web order and make sure the gifts would arrive in time, I got no response. They did arrive in time, though. But I don't have any gripes about the dens I received and they didn't have scale.

HOWEVER, I ordered dens by name, not the specials. The labels were correct! The specials I sent to my daughter and son-inlaw arrived without labels, which was disheartening.

Like olyagrove, I thought the Wilks Orchids plants were small for the money, but the people were nice and the plants healthy.

I recently ordered from Jewell based on recommendations here but I don't know yet. I can wholeheartedly recommend Calorchid, Andy's, SBOE primarily. For special somethings, Petite Plaisance and New World Orchids(pricey yes, but you get what you pay for and more).

Andy's even does a follow up phone call to ensure you are satisfied and answer any questions. SBOE and New World Orchids both offered to send me replacements if something died. They didn't add caveats about why it died, figuring I was doing my best. Some replacing is part of the cost of doing business.

I received the wrong plant from EOoM a few years ago. The label was correct, but the plant was not. I emailed them regarding the plant and told them I would send a photo if necessary. They did not ask for the plant back, apologized and sent the correct plant.
They don't always have the biggest selection of orchids, but I have found them to be very reliable and their customer service is excellent. When they offer free shipping, I always look at their plants.

Jane

I just had a bad exerience with Aloha Orchid nursery as well. The shipment was on time. The packing was hideous. All the plants were in spike and had ultra- flimsy containers with no medium. (which of course forced me to repot while in bloom, shortening the life of the blooming period) . The Sharry Baby SB's were shrivelled and there was fungus on the leaves! 3 tropical Phap hybrids had been over sunned and many of the leaves were broken at the stem.

I called and spoke to someone there. This man was giving a lot of excuses that made no sense. I pressed as I spent $140 with shipping. He asked me to send digital snaps of the problems. I never heard back from him. I am seriously thinking of disputing the charges... STEER CLEAR OF ALOHA NURSERIES. THEY ARE A RISK! I wouldn't want to risk buying from a place that had so many negative posts. I only wish I had seen this before I bought

I too have had a experiance like yours.Broken and diseased plants which all were dead within a month while trying to get Aloha Orchids to get off their butt and do something about this.I even took the plants to the local State University lab for testing and they gave me a print out and order to destroy all plants that they have been in contact with due to infectious virus.I sent the letter and order to Aloha Orchids along with the list of all orchids that were destroyed by the University Bottany lab. Of course they never replied by phonong me, emailing me, or by snail mail. I got robbed of the orchids I had purchased from them and my collection that the ALOHA ORCHIDS PLANTS had comeincontact with. That was last year and I have still not recieved any reply from them. STAY AWAY they caused me to lose a collection that had been in my family for about 40 years with no major problems.

For what it's worth, I have had EXCELLENT success ordering from Hausermann's, Carmela Orchids and Oak Hill.

I just got an order from Carmela today 5 plants and one was in bud! A nice surprise, wasn't expecting that at all. They're gorgeous.

Hope this helps,
Erica

I ordered from them before seeing all these complaints and the ones all over the web. I ordered a yellow shell plumeria. Arrived in perfect condition even has 3 tips. Just won;t know until it blooms of it truly is a yellow shell.

I ordered a Sharry baby last week. No notice of shipment yet. Tried emailing them numerous times but it bounces back as "Over email Quota"

?????

This will probably be my first and last order from them.

Tom

Update!

Got my order today. I was surprised but it was well packed and this Sharry baby looks in great shape with 2 spikes. The pot is small but the plant looks healthy. It'll be repotted after blooming.

They should however get a new email server or something as emails to them bounce back as "over Quota".

Whew!

Tom

Well, I already posted this a few weeks ago, but I had a great experience with them. Ordered 7 orchids and all were bigger than expected, very good experience. YMMV I guess....

Clay

Why post again ? Or are you telling us it took several weeks to receive your order? That would be a believeable addition to this thread.

Smacks of the recent weekly post-bumping advertising for Aloha.

Aloha is inconsistent at their best. If your order was bigger than you expected, you have low expectations, Brother.

Let's bump this puppy, shall we?
Mike

I just posted again because Aloha receives so much bad press. The order was actually right on time. Not sure if you're accusing me of being a spy for Aloha or something, lol, but rest assured I'm not.
By bigger I simply meant each plant, not that there were more than 7, and my expectations are that if I order 7 orchids I'll get 7 healthy orchids, which is what I got. Not sure what else my expectations should be brother. What are your expectations? And maybe next time ease up on the insulting tone. I didn't mean anything offensive by my post, so come sans the paranoia next time ehh? ;)

Clay

I just received an order from Aloha this morning and have to say I am pretty impressed! 2 Cyc. chlorochilums-4" pots but 24" tall and in excellent shape. 1 Trichopilia suavis-4"pots 2 mature pbulbs, also in excellent shape. 1 Vuyl. Aloha Passion- 4" pot, about 20" tall 2 nice spikes arrived in great shape. And, finally, 1 Oncda. Chaculatum "Golden Pacific" again 4"pot about 18" tall with a nice spike developing. Plants were shipped on Wed,FedEx 2nd day and arrived Saturday. Plants were well packed and the box arrived intact. Nedless to say, I can't add any complaints to this thread.

Dave
Milwaukee

Just ordered a Mucuna bennetii(I know not an orchid) from them 2 weeks or so ago and had no particular problems. The plant came today and is a bit small for 29.95 but seems healthy. Maybe the size and price are due to the rarity of the plant in this case?

Never, NEVER order from Aloha Orchid Nursery. The Better Business Bureau says "this company has an unsatisfactory record. . . . Company failed to respond to the BBB to resolve or address the complaint issues. . . . Unpursuable - The company cannot be located or is out of business."

Yet they're still selling stuff.

My sister sent me "4 Blooming Dendrobium Orchid Plants" for my birthday. When I received them, they weren't blooming, and in fact two appeared to be dying. I called and spoke to Mahehalani.

First she told me that there was absolutely no guarantee for orchid plants, even if they're already dying when they're mailed and further damaged by lousy packing.

I told her the plants clearly weren't "blooming," and she claimed "budding"
was the same thing.

Realizing I was going nowhere fast, I pointed her to the "Tropical Flower Guarantee" on their website (http://www.alohaorchid.com/flower_guarantee.aspx) stating "We offer 100% unconditional guarantee on all of our tropical flowers." She claimed that this doesn't apply to orchids -- which are clearly tropical flowers -- and in fact ONLY applies to anthuriums, WHICH THEY NO LONGER SELL.

Apparently, then, the guarantee doesn't apply to ANYTHING they sell.

I emailed the sales department and they confirmed what Mahehalani said: that I was stuck with ugly, dying plants.

See photos at my website and decide for yourself if I've been defrauded. But please, please don't give these people your business.

Here is a link that might be useful: My website

Welcome to the Forum, Romanhans,

Yep, Aloha's Web site states they're shipping blooming plants. Coupled with the picture on their site of blooming plants, I'd expect the plants to arrive with flowers open, too.

Do you have close-up shots of your plants? They appear fine in your picture - other than not being in bloom. The woman @ Aloha could be right, in that Dendrobiums with canes lose leaves during the year. Others here could tell you if leaf loss on your plants is normal.

Rather than trashing them, maybe you can give them to someone without the bad experience w/ Aloha.

Whitecat8

Whitecat, thanks for the welcome!

Yes, I agree that the plants will live: however, I don't particularly WANT living plants. The other orchids my sister sent me haven't bloomed since I got them. One got so big I had to break it into three, and it STILL refuses to bloom. So basically I'm thinking if they're not blooming now, they're not going to.

Which doesn't exactly make a great gift.

Even if I knew what was wrong with them, I'm not sure I could do anything about it. I have exactly one window in my apartment and it's facing west.

In fact, if an expert here will tell me just to toss them all out, I'll be forever in your debt!

They need more light. For buds to open needs about the same light level as for bud initiation. For this type of Dendrobium it is bright enough to cast a shadow with fuzzy edges. A south window with a white nylon sheer is about right.

The plants look ok, although one can never be sure without seeing the roots.

Thanks very much Richard! Your advice worked like a charm. I washed the
affected leaves with mild soapy water, then dabbed with isopropyl alcohol.
The affliction stopped growing, and the leaves didn't even drop off.

Meanwhile, you're a very lucky guy! Napa is one of my favorite places on
earth. Looove that weird little olive oiil company, and the petrified
forest, and the underground sparkling wine manufacturer. And the skyway
buckets at Sterling, and the art collection at Hess, and the Sonoma Mission
Inn and Spa, and . . . .

Next time you are in the valley stop by. My e-mail is Richard on the website below. Put the word "ORCHIDS" in the subject so it will go into the right mailbox and not be overlooked. I love to show off my greenhouse.

That invitation goes for any of you on the forum as well. Napa is a great week-end destination.

Here is a link that might be useful: Me

Wow, can't believe there's that many complaints. Add me to the list and I live here in Hawaii although in another island.

They're in the big island and I've ordered twice from them. But this time there's no delivery and no response inspite of having emailed them twice and called once (no answer).

My next step is to contact the Attorney General's office on the big Island and Consumer Affairs. If it will do any good.

Too bad we can't shut these people down or have the law put them away for a while.

Please know that I do not usually submit any reviews. However, in this case, the experience with Aloha Nursery is beyond my understanding. I ordered orchids for Mother's Day a week ahead of time on 5/5. There were two orders; one for my mom, one for my mother-in-law. The ones to my mother-in-law were never delivered. I tried to call; voicemail was full. I sent an email. Someone called during the week after Mother's Day, apologizing and saying they will get to it right away. Again, a good week passed and my mother-in-law never saw the orchids. I tried to call, no answer. I emailed. No response. Then, on 5/24 I got a cryptic email informing me that they went ahead and, without my authorization, charged my credit card for an extra $ 24 delivery fees! It does not end there - the order they referenced was the order to my mom, and not the one I was trying to get to my mother- in-law . On 5/25 I tried to contact them again: nobody at the phone, no response to another email. Today, nobody at the phones, either.
PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS MERCHANT!

Kasia, contact your credit card company right away and put the charge(s) into dispute. That is the terminology you want to use; tell the credit card company that you would like to "dispute the charges from Aloha Orchid Nursery".