Be prepared to get blasted by the resident "experts" for this one......The last time I posted about someplace specific it got pretty bad.

I'm just sayin'

Dave

Thanks for the forewarning, Dave. Hopefully members realize we're here to share our experiences - both the good and the bad. Looking out for fellow GW'ers interests, and if people can't recognize that for what it is, it's their own handicap.

Hopefully you get your delivery on the 29th and all is good.

Paul

Kim,sorry to hear about your experience! That's one of the reasons I don't order online. I still like to see what I'm buying in person,and that's the other reason. Phil

Kim,

How did your experience with Hosta Patch go? I've had good service from them. I've avoided Plants Delight because of the reviews on Dave's.

Steve

Their catalog makes for fun reading, but perhaps they have been eating too many chocolates. It might get there before you leave, so you'll be ok. But if it sits on your doorstep for a week, you have a real beef! Don't open it.

I hope you used a charge card for this. If so you can dispute the charge and have it removed. You have all the documentation. Don't open the package. I think you can just write on it "refused" and give it to Fed Ex to deal with. (Not sure about that part,but heard that somewhere). Worth a local call to Fed Ex.

So many places sell mail order hostas, it is the Customer Service that makes the difference, and boy did they let you down this time.

Enjoy your vacation!

-Babka

I've only ever heard bad stuff about PDN.... both from the wholesale AND retail side.

Steve, I still haven't received my order from hosta patch, but I emailed them immediately after placing my order to let them know NOT to ship until after July 4th (there was no place on the order form to state specific instructions or requests). I asked for a confirmation receipt of my email request, but haven't heard back so I emailed them again today. Perhaps they are busy. I did receive a confirmation email as to my original order placement, however. I've heard good things about Hosta Patch, aside from the fact that they don't provide shipping information, if I remember correctly.

Paul, the delivery from PDN is SUPPOSED to be on the 30th - the day before I leave, which means I have to get them in the ground and hope for the best while I'm gone IF they arrive on that date.

I'd purchase locally, but the pickings are slim.

I'll watch the tracking info and give Fed Ex a call to find out what to do if they deliver while I'm gone. Maybe I can leave a note on my door to refuse the shipment. We'll see.

Thanks everyone for the support.

who orders plants.. in what is basically july.. from the deep south ... to mail them to the great white north????

let me guess .... the plants will be ratty looking also ..

i predict nothing will please you with the order ...

and should i guess.. that the President of the american hosta society [hosta patch].. who was at the convention last week.. will not get your order out this week ...

pshaw .. order plants at proper planting time in spring.. like the vast majority of us ...

or are you with that gang from the deep south who complain when northern field grown stock in frozen soil.. cant be shipped soon enough for them ...

ken

Definitely an under use of emoticons. ;D

I wear mine - lol.

**DW and I are hockey fans and she loves collecting fun jerseys. That's me after the deer hit my hostas.

Paul

What are you saying Ken? That I'm just a complainer? I'm not complaining about the time of year, nor anything related to the "condition" of plants. None of this is even relevant, considering it could have been, and likely would have been the same situation no matter what time of year I ordered. July, August, Sept, Oct...if I'm not here to retreive the package and tend to the plants because the retailer shipped in their own error, what difference does it make if it comes from north, south, east or west?

I'm not complaining if Hosta Patch doesn't get my order out this week. What I care about is that they don't deliver it when I specifically tell them that I will NOT be here. If it takes them two weeks, three weeks, a month to deliver, then so be it.

Who orders plants in July? I do. Who ships them? Many nurseries. I'm not holding them accountable for anything other than following my explicit shipping instructions based on my availability to be here when the package arrivdes. I don't think that's too much to ask.

I am not difficult to please, and if the hostas arrive alive and well, and look somewhat ratty, they will be planted and I will be happy next year. In fact, I don't expect any first year hosta to look pretty and perfect in my garden, mail order or not.

I didn't realize you were the "vast majority" living in a perfect world. Pshaw this and pshaw that. Perhaps we should all live by Ken's rules and NEVER this and NEVER that and NEVER order at this time of year. I don't want to live in your perfect world, nor do I pretend to be.

Your attitude is quite pretentious and condescending given that you are telling ME when I can or cannot order, when that's obviously quite irrelevant to my post or my complaint. May I refer you back to recent posts from other "newbies" about being slammed on this forum. Ahem.

PShaw...pshaw....back at you.

They should change the name of Garden Web hosta forum to the"I want everybody to listen to me complain because I had a bad experience"Forum.BEWARE...ALARM...BAD VENDOR...I had a small problem with a vendor so I have to tell all .Can we stop using this forum to bash vendors.Phil

Thanks for the heads up Kimcoco.... I appreciate you telling us about your experience with PDN and I think MOST others appreciate it also. Good Luck!

IMHO is is a breach of etiquette to enter a message blasting a nursery. I've ordered many times from PDN and have always been pleasantly pleased with the order.

Hey come on guys, every other post is someone praising Chris at Hallson's and what wonderful plants they received or someone showing photos of their recently received order that had or didn't have enough roots, was too small or something.

If we're going to post good things about nurserymen, then we should be open to the not so good things about nurserymen. Some have lousy customer service departments. Some don't communicate with their clients effectively, some sell lousy products, some overcharge for shipping and some aren't very saavy about diseases.

You live by the sword, you die by the sword. We mention vendors by name when it's positive, they should get mentioned when it's negative, too.

And those of us in the deep south who gripe about the vendors from the frozen north not shipping soon enough thought it made perfect sense to ship to the warmer zones first, since we get hot so soon. But alas, I know nothing. I really did order my hosta to arrive in the spring, but it was summer before they got here.

bkay

bkay,

In general I agree with you. I think we should be able to post detailed negative as well as positive reviews of online sources of nurseries. But I don't like Kim's post. To me it reads as if Kim got off the phone with customer service and posted while she was still angry. I think a better approach would have been for her to wait to see what happened with both the Hosta Patch orders and the Plants Delight orders and then write a post contrasting the two after she got back from vacation. I just think you need some time before you hit the submit button. A post after some time had gone by would have been much more effective than the one she submitted. Just my $.02

Steve

Steve, you could be right. She may have the cart before the horse. On the other hand, you know how infuriating it is to deal with a company that won't accept responsibility. And at the same time, nothing bad has really happened yet.

After your very reasoned argument, and my rambling re-hash, I'll give you that. Sometimes, it's better to wait before you hit submit.

bkay

Please please please everybody this is usually a really good forum. Please do not make this into another "gotta have the last word" post. pleeeeease? This person has a very valid point (as did the last post that went "sour") whether you agree how or when she posted EVERYONE is entitled to their opinion. You have to really remember what the problem IS- she CALLED and SPOKE to customer service, was TREATED very RUDELY by said customer service after EXPLICIT instructions both WRITTEN and VOCALLY. She is not complaining about shipping TIME so much as someone DOING THEIR JOB. There is a HUGE difference between complaining about NON-COMMUNICATION and absolute DISREGARD of ones SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS and RUDENESS!

On a side note to Kimcoco just a suggestion (been there done that) I don't know exactly how you wrote it to them but tell them not to post until after a certain date instead of saying you will be gone on a certain date. Although also if you used Paypal or a credit card and you don't receive before you leave I would open a dispute file before you go on vacation if customer service is a dud again. Is there another person you can talk to at their customer service? Maybe explain how rude Virginia was and what is going on. MOST people or companies I have had issues with generally try to resolve the issues rather than let them snowball(but not all) Do you have a tracking number? There might be nothing you can do for this package but you can either get your money back or try to get them to send another package out at the right time. I just read their"WELCOME" and it sounds like they would have an actual "customer service" like a whole bunch of people just on the phones. I would suggest calling in the am and talking to Virginia's supervisor. I hope (and I might bet maybe) that it will be taken care of. Just keep telling them you have it in written form and you talked to them TWICE! I really hope this works out for you. Sorry about this mess

I had an experience with a MAJOR company that in the past was AWESOME. But this past Feb my daughters b-day almost was a bust because of weather and they shipped it out too late. I spent almost $40 on shipping to make sure it would be on time and they sent it WAAAY too late after SEVERAL ANGRY but LEVEL HEADED phone calls I ended getting all my shipping money back- I could have had the money back too for the stuff I got if I sent it back but I figured with 3 girls I would end up using it eventually so I kept it. (Luckily I always buy extras with each b-day order so I had exactly what I really needed for the b-day! Although the day before the party I couldn't remember that-I only remembered after I calmed down a bit)

At stake at getting in over my head I really wonder if Ken was being mean spirited or just a plain smart @ss?? on SOME of his post it could be read differently from a different perspective. Maybe he was saying you won't be pleased with the order because it is mid summer NOT because YOU won't be pleased at all, just because the plants might look like @ss and maybe when he mentioned about the hosta patch maybe he was giving you a heads up in his own weird way--------yes yes I know Ken can defend himself I just don't like it when everyone gets upset

Paul I love the jersey!

Personally, I appreciate reviews, good or bad, and from there I make my own decisions on if I want to take their advice.
In this case I don't plan to ever order from PD, mainly because I don't need the stress in my life to listen to an employee who obviously has issues.
What ever happened to "the customer is always right?"
In the past, I warned others on this forum of a couple nurseries in Ohio that were KNOWINGLY selling diseased hosta, I even included pics of the plants. Was I wrong to do that? I think not if it saved one person from purchasing a diseased plant that could of ruined their whole garden or at least caused them a lot of grief.
Kimcoco, I thank you for taking the time to give us your opinion. This is one hosta lover that is going to take heed of your warning.
~Sassy~

Thank you, Kimcoco, for relating your experience. You were treated badly by Plant Delights' customer service people. As Sassy says, "good or bad, and from there I make my own decisions on if I want to take their advice.

Most of us are interested in the good, bad and ugly. You have every right to express your experiences here, as does the person who is very pleased with their service...

Sometimes vendors have bad days, and sometimes it is a regularly occurrence and I like to hear ALL about it, and make up my own mind.

And Yes, Ken is a smart A$$ who cannot locate his shift key, but what a boring place this would be w/o him. He has a wealth of knowledge, and a wry sense of humor.

For Hostapumpkinman-
"They should change the name of Garden Web hosta forum to the"I want everybody to listen to me complain because I had a bad experience"Forum.BEWARE...ALARM...BAD VENDOR...I had a small problem with a vendor so I have to tell all .Can we stop using this forum to bash vendors.Phil "

ABSOLUTELY NOT!! WE be the customers here. Most of us, I believe, are the ones who pay the bucks for those newly introduced jewels. Take heed if you are a vendor. Keep in mind that you have a voice here too to refute any discussions about you. Most of us are reasonable people, but we do not expect to be treated as Kimcoco was.

-Babka

I agree with most of whats been said here. Thanks for sharing your experience. That's what thses forums are for. I have no place to buy good Hosta's close to me and have to do it all online. Thanks to post like these for helping me find Chris and Hallson Gardens. Thanks,

Owen

I'm a long time member here and after reading a couple of these threads I want to add my opinion.

We have so many new members that some may not be familiar with a garden site where they can post their experience with a vendor whether good or bad.
I can remember when if you were dissafisfied with a seller you did not post it on the hosta forum, that was frowned upon, someone would helpfully direct you to gardenwatchdog where you could vent your displeasures and leave your bad feedback. You can also leave positive feedback for the vendors you are pleased with. When I was new to ordering online I always checked the reviews there first. I still do for companies I'm not familiar with. It is a good resource for new and old gardeners alike.

Thank you for all the support, including the multitude of private messages I've received as well.

Why anyone would fathom that this is a forum to share only good and ignore the not so good experiences with vendors just baffles me. My post is not slanderous, I'm not here to "bash" the company, I'm here to share the facts based on my firsthand experience.

I'm the customer who goes out of their way to praise employees to their superiors after they have performed an outstanding job, even when mishaps have occurred. So for those of you who want to label me as "angry" or a "complainer" --- your perception is your reality, but the facts speak for themselves.

Someone suggested this was merely a PDN "mishap" - a mishap implies there was an unfortunate accident; a mistake. If this were a simple matter of a shipping "mistake", I wouldn't be posting here. This goes way beyond a "mishap". The rudeness of the staff is downright unacceptable. In response to the comment about my posting in the 'heat of the moment', what does it matter if I posted now or waited until I receive my shipment? It's irrelevant, given that it's not about the shipping, it's about the lack of regard for the customer and for that simple fact, I'd never give this company my business again.

There is no semblence of decency towards PAYING customers, and I'm not the only customer on the receiving end. Read the emails on Dave's website whereby another employee of PDN to yet another former paying customer demonstrates their lack of emphasis on customer service. I was blown away after reading it. The first sentence from a PDN employee in response to the customer's complaint was, "You sound like someone who has an axe to grind..." This is not a business I care to give my money to.

I won't comment on every response to my post, as many of the anti-truth groupies have baseless complaints to begin with. You can choose to go through life with blinders on, or you can wake up to the reality that the rest of us are living in.

What a world it must be to live in believing that one never has to take accountability for one's own actions. Blame everyone else, eh?

Wikipedia:

Narcissism is the personality trait of egotism, vanity, conceit, or simple selfishness. Applied to a social group, it is sometimes used to denote elitism or an indifference to the plight of others.

WOW..... I'd love to type something that was inciteful or helpful ..... but neither is likely.......hope this discussion dies quickly.....

Paul

I sent you an email. They are on my no order list for a very good reason!
Jen

Kimcoco, I appreciate your post. (I would also suggest posting it at Dave's Garden where they have the Garden Watchdog.)

On another note, I'm really saddened to see how this thread degraded. There's a simple rule that some forum communities use (I know, I moderate them for a living) called TWYWALTR--Take What You Want And Leave The Rest. The premise is simple--glean what you can from any forum post but don't take it as gospel unless it resonates with you for some reason. So why lay into a person for expressing an opinion or sharing a bad experience?

Kimcoco said, very simply: "BEWARE." And then she provided her reasons. She didn't say, "Never buy from PDN!", she shared her experience and left us to make up our own minds from there. I, for one, appreciate such feedback, whether positive or negative.

I read reviews frequently on Amazon.com when I'm looking to invest in a certain item (most recently a fairly expensive new camera). I generally take the most glowing and the most derisive with a grain of salt and read all the balanced input in between, which gives me the pros and cons. From reading Kimcoco's review, I know that she had a negative experience. Others seem to have done okay with PDN. So my final judgment is: Proceed with caution and watch for potential delivery issues. Don't buy when there's a chance you won't be around to receive the plants.

What's the harm in that?

I decided long ago that I would not purchase from Plant Delights. Has nothing to do with their feedback, it's their prices and overpriced shipping.
I put one plant (of anything) in my cart and shipping to Ohio is $18.75. That is ludicrous. Plus, nearly anything you want you can find cheaper elsewhere. Plant prices too high, shipping too high, no thanks.
$22 for Guacamole, $20 for June, $22 for S and S? Unless they ship massive plants, c'mon, that's just nuts.
While Hallson's (this is not an advertisement for Hallson's, I have never purchased from them)...has June for $10 and S and S for $8.50.
You can get at least twice as many hostas for your money at many other fine nurseries, IMHO.

Well said KaylyRed. You read my email the way I intended it to be read by others.

Did you get your hostas?

Paul

Did they ever arrive?

Holy Boiling Water Batman ! This was almost 5 years ago ...

Me likey Hallson Gardens...

Hallson Gardens, Naylor Creek, Green Mountain all top notch suppliers.

Jon

green mountain in maine or thereabouts is back in business?

Babka... I am assuming someone didn't realize it was an old post, when they asked if they arrived after all these years. (I would hope they arrived by now, lolz!) I have almost done the same thing myself, when I do a search on something, and catch myself going to comment to find it is a very old post.

On an interesting but somewhat unrelated note, there is a pretty cool drone video flying through the PD nursery display botanical gardens. It gives you a human's eye view as it flies down the shady paths. Very pretty gardens! I found it by searching youtube for drone garden tours, I think.

I would never buy any plants or seeds from PDN. I found out they have an ongoing problem with mold spores.

Sarah- Please substantiate your claim. What have you purchased from them and what problems did you have? What did they say when you contacted them? You won't have much credence if you only make an accusation with nothing substantial to back it up.

And then perhaps start a new thread, as this one addresses old old OLD issues!

-Babka

Garden Web has a separate Rate & Review Vendors forum.