ComplaintsforHolland Bulb Farms

• Initial Complaint

  05/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Plant was dead on arrival. Ive contacted Holland ************ 3 times regarding this and to date not a single reply. I sent a picture of the dead plant on the day I received it. No response.

  Business response

  05/22/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  I'm sorry the Honeysuckle arrived in poor condition.  After reviewing your account, I am only showing one email from you with the images of the Honeysuckle that was sent on 5/21/24.  It can take us a few days to reply to emails during our peak season as we do reply in the order they were received.  If other emails were sent prior to this, we did not receive them.  If communication was sent via text, we do not accept text messages, just emails.  I did review the item and it does not appear to be viable.  I will go ahead and issue you a refund for that item back to your original form of payment.  Please allow 1-2 business days for that refund to post to your account.

  Thank you,

• Initial Complaint

  05/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered Two 6 piece variety hosta bundles a total of 12 pieces of hosta,2 of each variety,I received only 9 pieces and they are all the same type of hosta and not in very good shape I called the company I was told to send them pictures,I sent pictures so they could look into the situation They said the plants look fine to them I have not received the other 3 plants, they did not address the fact all the plants are the same type hosta, I emailed the company to find out how to return the plants and have not received any information/responds

  Business response

  05/17/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you so much for reaching out to us.  I'm sorry to hear there is some confusion with the order of Hosta.  You did order a collection which did include 2 of each variety of Hosta.  You did provide an image of the roots as received, all of which were very healthy but many of them didn't have sprouts on them.  The ones that did were very small with little color or variegation formed yet which is normal when they first emerge.  We did reply that the items were very healthy and should be planted.  Once planted and new sprouts continue to grow, you will see the variation in the varieties. We are not able to tell the variety just by looking at the roots.  Unfortunately after reviewing your previous conversations you did not mention that any of the roots were missing from the packages.  I can have someone follow up with an email with a resolution for those 3 missing roots.  Again, the roots are very healthy and it is impossible to know what the varieties are until they grow which is why we recommended to plant them and give them 6 weeks to sprout and show enough growth for the different varieties to start to grow.  I do apologize but we cannot offer a refund for items that are in very good healthy condition and once packages are open, we are no longer able to send returns our Grow Guarantee.  Again, plant the roots, allow them enough time to grow and if you are still concerned with the varieties all being the same once they grow, send us updated images then and we'd be happy to find a solution.

• Initial Complaint

  05/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Bought 20 peonies bulbs and I was told that there was guarantee, but it would only be for the first season got the bulbs 6/22/23 and planted them as in a few days - no plants grew and knowing peonies ( have 6 others plants from bulbs ) know that they can take time and have it till spring only 3 grew and asked them about the guarantee - was send links on how to plant them and that in October 23 the Guarantee expired - not my first time planting peonies and in the picks the plants / flowers looked beautiful- and would be the last time I but with them - should have done better research and not worth the money

  Business response

  05/13/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us regarding your Spring 2023 order.  I do apologize the peonies didn't perform as expected.  The items were shipped to you in mid-June when there was plenty of time for the items to grow and sprout foliage.  You likely would not have seen blooms the first year which is expected with ******* the first growing season.  We do have a 100% Grow Guarantee on our bulbs and bare roots for the first growing season.  We have the Guarantee on our website to view at any time during the purchasing process and again also on the back of all of our packing slips in every package we ship.  The Grow Guarantee does state items are covered the first growing season and what the expiration dates for those growing seasons are.  Please see below:

  100% Grow Guarantee
  Here at Holland Bulb Farms, we pride ourselves on our strong commitment to premium products and excellent customer service. Therefore, it is our goal to treat all of our valued customers with the utmost respect and consideration while providing them with accurate quality control on all of the products we ship.
  All customer comments regarding our products should be directed to our *************************** either by way of telephone ***************) or email us within the first growing season as defined below*. As our gardening community understands, there are many environmental factors that are needed for a plant to successfully grow. These factors, including but not limited to, poor weather, planting outside of recommended growing conditions, improper planting techniques, moisture/sunlight needs, location, timing, etc. are out of our control and therefore cannot be covered under our Guarantee. We recommend all items be planted immediately after arrival. We are not able to guarantee the viability of the items if they are not planted upon arrival and stored. Please keep in mind, every plant is individual and unique and, just as in Mother Nature, perfection is not guaranteed. However, we can guarantee that you will receive the highest quality available in a timely manner.

  FAILURE TO GROW
  Holland Bulb Farms provides planting instructions and requirements needed for each item on our website. Please refer to each items page to ensure the item(s) purchased are best suited to your individual growing conditions and climate. If an item fails to grow, please contact our customer service department during the first growing season*.
  Our representatives will work with the customer to help determine the cause of failure. This investigation may require the submission of images and/or the unearthing of the items. If the failure to grow is due to poor quality control, merchandise credit will be issued in the amount paid for the item less shipping costs.
  If an item that fails to grow is part of a collection or bulk item, a merchandise credit will be issued for the same portion of the amount paid for the item.
  Seeds are not covered under our Grow Guarantee.
  We do not offer refunds for items with failure to grow.

  *The first growing season for Spring- and Summer-planted items is defined as March through October of the first year they are planted. After October, Spring- and Summer-planted items are no longer covered under our guarantee. The first growing season for ***** and Winter-planted items is defined as September through June of the first year they are planted. After ***** ***** and Winter-planted items are no longer covered under our guarantee.

  Again, I do apologize the items didn't perform for as expected but unfortunately the Grow Guarantee had expired when you reached out in late April 2024 and we are no longer able to find a solution for you.  I would recommend for future to please review and understand our Guarantee before a purchase is made.  There are several opportunities on our site to view it and again, it is also on the back of your packing slip.  We do need to be made aware if items fail to grow within that first season in case further investigation is needed to help determine what caused the failure.  After the first growing season, it's very difficult to review planting techniques and also images of unearthed items if necessary.  I do apologize but since the Grow Guarantee was available for you to view at any time, we cannot offer a solution as it has expired.

  Customer response

  05/13/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [Please type your response here.]
  Maybe making it clear its only a three month guarantee. It said multiple places 1 st growing season - but the definition of the growing season was vague and saying if by this date in October you do not see plants call us
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  05/17/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  It's very clear in multiple places on our site and it's not a 3 month guarantee, it's the entire first season.  The timeline left on the Guarantee is determined when the items are purchased.  We have The Grow Guarantee in it's entirety on our website to view at any time by clicking on the multiple places  it states we have a Grow Guarantee.  Right on the homepage we have the following statement:

  100% GROW GUARANTEE!
  If you ever have concerns regarding any of our products within the first growing season, we encourage you to contact our Customer ******************* Our representatives are happy to work with you in an attempt to resolve any concern and find a suitable solution based upon each circumstance.
  Read more about our Product Guarantee >

  It states in the first line the items are Guaranteed for the first growing season and asks you to click for more details.  When clicking on the link provided in multiple places, we have a highlighted note stating the parameters of our  Grow Guarantee:

  *The first growing season for Spring- and Summer-planted items is defined as March through October of the first year they are planted. After October, Spring- and Summer-planted items are no longer covered under our guarantee. The first growing season for ***** and Winter-planted items is defined as September through June of the first year they are planted. After ***** ***** and Winter-planted items are no longer covered under our guarantee.

  We also have the timeline of our Grow Guarantee printed right on your packing slips.  We do everything we can to make the Grow Guarantee available in multiple places on our website to view at any time with very clear policies and procedures as well as the expiration dates.  Unfortunately we cannot be liable if the Grow Guarantee is not read and understood.  We encourage all of our customers to read the Guarantee before purchasing and reference the guarantee is any concerns arise so we can better assist everyone throughout the first growing season.  Again, I do apologize the Guarantee was not understood but unfortunately since we have it clearly stated in multiple places, we are not able to find a solution.

• Initial Complaint

  05/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The tulip bulbs I received on 11/06/23 were moldy, deformed and shriveled with a hard sap-like substance oozing from them. I contacted the business and they shipped replacement bulbs for those they deemed sub-standard. The replacement bulbs were very small and a few had the same issues. I planted them anyway. This Spring only 4-5 tulips bloomed of the 40 I planted and those blooms were less than 1.5. I contacted Holland Bulb Farm and after 2 emails and sending pictures twice (it was the same with the bad bulbs- multiple pictures requested twice) the representative said the plants looked healthy and tulips get better as they age. Some never appeared at all, no leaves, no flowers, and of the 5 that bloomed the flowers were tiny. Ive gardened for many years, you plant tulips in the fall and enjoy flowers in the Spring. I didnt spend the money and take the time to plant to look at leaves. In my experience tulips go the opposite way. The best blooms are the first few years.

  Business response

  05/08/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us. We are sorry to hear you are not satisfied with your experience with our company.  Reviewing your previous orders, you did contact us regarding items that arrived in poor condition last Fall when they were shipped.  We immediately remedied the situation at that time by issuing refunds for items no longer available and sending replacements for the rest.  This Spring you did reach out to us that the bulbs grew but they were not the size you expected and wanted a refund.  We did ask you to send images to us which you did comply.  After reviewing the images, we have responded multiple times the bulbs are very healthy and growing very nicely.  We further explained that weather conditions can cause bulbs to not grow as big as expected, especially during warmer ******* when not enough cool time is provided.  We also explained the first year bulbs are planted, they can be a bit smaller in stature due to their young age.  As with most plants, they do need a time period, generally 2-3 years to reach maturity.  These tulips will continue to grow larger the next 1-2 years if weather conditions are perfect during the Winter months.  Below are the emails we sent in response to your concerns:

  On Fri, Apr 26, 2024 at 10:44?AM Holland Bulb Farms <*******************************> wrote:
  Hello,
  Thank you for reaching out to us regarding your order #*******.  Im sorry to hear the items didnt bloom as expected.  As in nature, bulbs will not always be perfect and it is possible the first season, tulips may not reach their full potential, especially if the weather conditions were a bit warmer than usual.  Please include an image of the items you purchased from us in bloom so we can review and find any necessary solution needed.  Once we receive the images, we will reply with our findings.
  On Fri, Apr 26, 2024 at 10:44?AM Holland Bulb Farms <*******************************>wrote
  

  Hello,
  Thank you for reaching out to us regarding your order #*******.  Im sorry to hear the items didnt bloom as expected.  As in nature, bulbs will not always be perfect and it is possible the first season, tulips may not reach their full potential, especially if the weather conditions were a bit warmer than usual.  Please include an image of the items you purchased from us in bloom so we can review and find any necessary solution needed.  Once we receive the images, we will reply with our findings.
  Thank you,

   

  On Fri, May 3, 2024 at 12:11 PM Holland Bulb Farms <*******************************> wrote:
  Hi, 
  Thank you for the images. The tulips do look healthy. As mentioned previously, tulips do not always reach their maturity the first year they are planted. The weather conditions over the winter do play a big role in if they will reach their mature size. It is possible that the tulips you purchased in a store were prechilled or cold treated. Unfortunately, we do not provide a cold period to our items as they are to receive this in the ground. If the tulips are hardy for your zone, they should come back next year and get a bit closer to their mature size especially if the winter is on the colder side. The country did experience a milder winter and we are seeing stunted tulips here in *********, ** as well.  Because they are growing and do look healthy, we are not able to offer a solution. I do apologize.  
  Please let us know if we can further assist you! 

   

  Since we did refund and replace the items that were initially delivered in poor condition there is no need for any further solution for these items.  Since the items you did plant are growing beautifully and how they should, there is no need for any further action regarding your concern.  I would like to just reiterate again the items will take time to mature and if ******'s are more mild, you can expect any Fall planted item to be smaller in stature.  Thank you again but we have addressed your concerns multiple times and have remedied any issues that were needed on your previous order.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On March 4, I purchased 2 amaryllis packs (5 each) for $54.38. 5 of the 10 arrived with signs of rot and red blotch. They sent me diseased bulbs. But because they grew they are giving me the run around. I sent two emails with multiple pictures of all the bulbs but they want even more pictures. Red blotch in amaryllis is expensive to treat, and can spread to your healthy plants. I am asking for half of my money back or replacement.

  Business response

  05/01/2024

  Thank you so much for reaching out and sending images.  I do see you did reach out to our customer service team with some images and it appear the images you sent were not clear for us to be able to see what was actually going on with the bulbs.  An email was sent to you yesterday asking for more clear images.  I did review the images you attached here and can see that some of the bulbs are rotting at the base.  It does appear the soil is pretty wet in these images which is likely the cause of the rotting.  Per our Grow Guarantee, we do require images for any item that arrives in poor condition to be sent within 5 days to issue replacements or a refund.  Unfortunately we didn't receive any communication regarding the condition of the bulbs until you had them in your possession for several weeks, on 4/25/24.  The package arrived to you on 3/11/24.  The images do not appear to be rust at all but just the color coming through from the rotten spots on the bulbs.  We aren't able to issue you a refund for the items since we didn't receive images for 6+ weeks after they arrived to you and we aren't able to say for sure they arrived that way which is why we require images to be sent within the 5 days of arrival.  I will go ahead and issue you a store credit for 1 package of 5.  You will receive a separate email directly from us regarding the credit on your account.  For future reference, if you are ever concerned about the condition of an item you receive from us, send us the images right away and we would be happy to find a solution for you right away.

  Customer response

  05/01/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  I first emailed Holland Bulb farms April 1st with pictures letting you know my concern with rotting/red blotch on some of the bulbs I received. I was told to wait and that I could follow up later. The rot continued to advance. I had watered the plants prior to the pictures, but I have been making sure the soil totally dries out before watering them again. I have not been overwatering them.  The plants already had rot when I received them and it continued to get worse. Please refund half of what I paid or replace the 5 out of the ten that show rot. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************

  Business response

  05/01/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us again.  I do see the images you provided on April 1 and unfortunately they were blurry and we could not decipher  the condition they were in.  We did request more clear images which we did not receive again for a few weeks after.  We did then go ahead and issue the store credit per our Grow Guarantee at that time since it had been quite a while after they were received that we received clear images.  The credit has already been issued and sent to the email on your account.  The credit can be used on any item and does not expire.  You can certainly use the credit issued to replace the 5 bulbs that didn't grow for you.

  Thank you.

  Customer response

  05/02/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Hollandbulb farm sent damaged bulbs and have stopped responding to complaints all together. I purchased bulbs from Hollandbulb farm : order # ******* paid $110.82 and order # ******* paid $112.83 for Dahlia ********* bulbs arrived two weeks ago. Unfortunately, half of the bulbs in this order were damaged and a few items were missing. I sent an instant response to the Hollandbulb farm support team but their responses have been very opaque and they are not able to resolve this situation on their end despite providing pictures of the damaged shipment and bulbs. I'd like 100% refund for this order.

  Business response

  05/01/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  I'm sorry to hear some of the items arrived in poor condition.  I do see you did send emails with the images to our customer service team on 4/19/24.  During our peak season, it can take us a few days to reply since we are a family owned company with limited staff and we do reply to all email inquiries in the order they were received.  I do see our initial reply was sent on 4/23 asking for clarification as to which varieties were included in the images you had supplied since you had several on your orders.  After we received clarification, we did reply on 4/29/24 informing you that were able to send replacements for some of the varieties that were still in stock.  Unfortunately some of the items you received in poor condition are sold out for the season so we did go ahead and issue a refund for those.  Please refer to our email response from 4/29/24 regarding which items were are sending to you free of charge and also the refund information.  Thank you again and I do apologize some of the items did arrive damaged.  We do appreciate patience as we work though all customer inquiries as quickly as possible during our peak season.  It does appear this concern has been resolved.

   

  Customer response

  05/01/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  Thank you for your help.
  
  Regards,
  
  Alok B
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered some bulbs from this company it got taken out of my account the first of April and still have not received them. Call the company they kept on giving me the runaround then they tell me that they haven't printed up the labels and they don't know when the bulbs will be shipped out

  Business response

  04/25/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us regarding your recent order.  When the order was placed it was part of our Spring pre-order sale.  We ship  Spring items out according to planting zone when it's the appropriate temperatures to plant in specific areas.  When you placed the order, we had just begun shipping to your zone.  We do ship in the order they were received beginning with orders placed in early September when our preorder sale began.  We do prioritize the orders that have waited the longest since it was placed.  Due to the large volumes of orders placed prior to yours, it did take a bit of time for it to ship.  When contacting us for an order status, we try to provide as much information as we can but we generally aren't able to provide an exact ship date since that depends on the number of orders before yours and also the size of those orders that need to ship.  It does look like your order did ship earlier today at which time you did receive an email with tracking information.  The tracking number is not updated as of right now, that occurs once the carrier scans the package at their facility.  You will see updates within that tracking link we sent once the carrier has an opportunity to scan it.  We thank you for your patience while we continue to ship and recommend if you would like your order sent earlier, you are welcome to place a Spring order earlier during our preorder sale even.

   

• Initial Complaint

  04/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Business collected money and did not provide goods ordered.

  Business response

  04/22/2024

  Your order was paid for on 4/12/24.  Per our shipping schedule provided to you on our website, we are currently shipping out all orders to your zone in the order they were received starting with orders placed in early September when our preorder sale began.  When you chatted with one of our representatives on 4/19/24, you were given the same information and was informed your order would ship as soon as possible, once we got through the rest of the preorders placed before yours.  You replied with the following statement, "Cunt.  Get cancer and die your f****** ****."  Since you decided to use extremely inappropriate and vulgar language with our representative when she was just trying to help you, we then cancelled your order and issued a full refund.  You were also sent an email confirming the cancellation as well as informing you that we will no longer accept orders from you in the future.

• Initial Complaint

  04/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have ordered 8 Boston Ivy Plants on 3/05/24. I was told they would be shipped by Mid March. It is now Mid April. No one will return my calls, nobody answers the phone, voice mails, or e mails. I would just like to re responded to and to receive the items I purchased last month.

  Business response

  04/09/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  Your order was made as a preorder to be shipped by zone when the plants are ready.  Per the schedule in your confirmation email and on our website, we begin shipping to your zone 7 in late March to early April.  We do ship all orders in the order they were received starting with orders placed in early September when our preorder sale began.  Based off when your order was placed, it will likely ship closer to mid-April.  The pre-potted items also have established roots and tender sprouts already growing that are much more susceptible to cold damage if shipped too early.  We do watch the weather conditions for each zone carefully and will delay shipping if temperatures are not conducive to shipping or planting safely.  We do our best to ship during a time that allows for as much success with our items as possible.  Once your order does ship you will receive an email with tracking information.  If you are not able to wait for this item to ship during the appropriate time, please contact us directly and we would be happy to cancel the order if you choose.  

  Thank you for your patience and we continue to ship all orders safely and as quickly as possible.

• Initial Complaint

  03/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They sent the wrong item. When I contacted them, thet claimed it was "mislabeled", but refused to send a return label insisting it was the correct bulbs, just mislabeled.

  Business response

  03/18/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  I do apologize for any confusion.  After reviewing your order and the item in question, I do see you purchased the Fun Time Gladiolus and the package stated Stereo Gladiolus.  ************* ********* has recently replaced the Stereo variety as a new, improved version of the Stereo Gladiolus. Since this is a recent change in the industry, not all packaging and labeling technology has been updated quite yet.  We do have listed in the description of the ********* Gladiolus website, as indicated in our emails to you, the Old variety name is Stereo.  Please see below:

  DESCRIPTION
  Wild and tropical, this Fun Time Gladiolus is as flamboyant as they come! The brilliant sunshine yellow centers are surrounded by the vibrant red at the edges of each petal. Reaching up to 4' tall, these gladiolus will tower over the rest of your garden but will not topple in the wind.
  **Old variety name Stereo**.

  We understand the confusion but knowing it can take a bit of time for the packaging companies to update the varieties when labeling the items in Holland for shipping, we did put that information on our website so our customers understood they are the same item, ********* if just a new, improved version.  Although the packaging states they are the Stereo version, we can assure you they are the ********* Gladiolus variety in the package as the Stereo variety is no longer available to us since ********* has come onto the market.  If you are still unsure, you can certainly return the package to us for a refund but since we do have it stated on that items page of our site that the Stereo is the old variety, we are not able to provide a return label.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩