Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/10/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I place an order on October 30, 2023. It was supposed to ship immediately. It has not shipped and I have called and emailed many times. The customer service number goes to voicemail 99% of the time. The one time I got through to someone they could not answer my question. When I asked to speak to someone else, they hung up on me. The order is for fall bulbs which need to be planted very soon. This isn't something that can wait for weeks and weeks.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/13/2023

  Hello,
  Thank you for reaching out to us.  I do apologize for the delay in responding to your inquiries.  We are a small, family owned business with a small staff.  Unforutnately we are not able to answer every call during our peak season.  We do reply to all voicemails within 1 business day and emails within 1-3.  Again, I do apologize for the delay.  I also apologize for the confusion with our shipping schedule.  Per the email confirmation you received when you placed the order, the only items that are shipping in 1-3 business days are the Indoor  Bulb Gardens and the Houseplants.  The fall shipping items, as are on your order, are currently shipping in ***** business days.  Your order is scheduled to ship early this week, within the ***** business days of it being placed.  Again, I apologize for the delays.  We are shipping all orders in the order they were received and due to high volumes, our current shipping schedule is ***** business days after an order is placed.

  We appreciate your patience as we continue to ship as quickly as possible.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/06/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Six of the tulip bulbs I received were rotted and will not grow. I took a picture of four of them to illustrate the problem. Most of the bulb tops are withered, though otherwise healthy in appearance. I dont know if that will impact growth for the rest of the lot.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/06/2023

  Hello,
  Thank you for reaching out to us and providing us with the images of the 6 bulbs that arrived that aren't viable.  After reviewing your order, I do see you ordered a total of 61 Tulip Bulbs.  I do apologize that a portion of those were in poor condition.  We do state in our Grow Guarantee on our website and also on the back of your packing slip, we do require images to be sent to our email of any item that arrives in poor condition.  Unfortunately I am not finding any images in our email history under the email address you have provided.  Since you did share the images here, we would be more than happy to help find a solution for you.  Unfortunately since you ordered 3 different varieties, we do need you to reach out to our customer service department direclty and clarify which variety or varieties the 6 bulbs were so we can accurately compensate you.

  For future, please reach out to us directly with any concerns as our customer service team is available to help with any inquiries and find solutions per our Grow Guarantee.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/30/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered multiple fall bulbs on October 25, 2023. These need to be planted in Zone 5 where I live as soon as possible due to temperature. The company has not shipped them in a timely manner and will not give me a ship date. I need the bulbs to arrive in the next few days otherwise they are useless to me. This company offers no customer support. I do not recommend this company.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/01/2023

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  I do apologize for the delay in shipping your order.  We do begin our Fall preorder sale in early March and all orders do ship in the order they were received, prioritizing colder climates.  Since you did place your order later in the season, orders placed prior to yours were still shipping.  Our current ship time on newly placed orders is ***** business days as there are still high volumes of preorders awaiting shipment.  I do see that the order has been cancelled per your request and a full refund has been issued.  

  For future reference, since you are in a colder climate, we do recommend placing an order earlier during our preorder sale.  Orders do start shipping to your zone in mid to late September and earlier placed orders will always ship first.  

  Thank you again and I do apologize the order wasn't shipped in the timeframe in which you expected.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/27/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered bulbs and plants and have yet to receive anything. I got my confirmation email, my credit card was charged and now nothing. I was supposed to get my order mid October. Do not use this supplier!!

  Business Response

  Date: 10/27/2023

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  I'm sorry you have not received your order as of yet. We do have a shiping schedule on our website as well as in your confirmation email regarding when we ship orders to different planting zones.  We do begin shipping to your zone 7 in early to mid-October as well as continue to ship orders to colder climates in zones 1-6.  There were also 3 items on your order, Phlox, that do have the following statement included in the description of each of these items on our website:

  * Please note: Due to the life cycle of this item it is harvested in late summer by our suppliers and do not arrive to us from Holland until early to mid-October. Therefore, all orders containing this item will begin shipping in mid to late October, according to the hardiness zone.

  ********* did arrive to us in mid-October.  Once they arrive, we ship again in the order they were placed starting with orders placed in early March when our preorder sale began, prioritizing colder climates.  Your order was placed on 9/14/23 which means all orders placed for zones 1-6 starting March 1 were shipped prior to your order.  I do see your order did ship on 10/25/23 via FedEx.  We did send an email with tracking to the email address on the order.  It is scheduled for delivery on November 1.  Luckily you have plenty of time to still plant these items as it is safe to plant until the ground is completely frozen.  It does take at least 3 weeks of temperatures below freezing during the day and night for the ground to freeze.  You are still receiving daytime temperatures in the 50's and 60's, which is the perfect time to plant.

  Thank you and let us know if you need any further assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/05/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In July, I ordered ***** worth of bulbs. I have not received them. And this is the time of the year that they need to be planted. I have called them three times about this and each time its a different person giving me a poor excuse. One said that the bulbs should be shipped in the spring. The kind of bulbs that I ordered, like tulips, crocuses and others are suppose to be planted now before it gets cold. I have emailed them a couple of times saying that I want a refund, but am hearing nothing back. I have read their reviews and a lot of people are upset because they either never received their bulbs or that they received damaged and broken bulbs that never grew. I suspect that any positive reviews are from the scammers themselves.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/06/2023

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  I do apologize for any confusion regarding when your orders would ship.  We do start accepting Fall preorders in early March and start shipping to colder climates in mid to late September in the order they were placed.  After reveiwing your orders, all 2 of them do contain items that are listed on our website as late arrivals due to the time they can be safely harvested in Holland.  Please see the note below copied directly from the description of those items on our site:

  * Please note: Due to the life cycle of this item it is harvested in late summer by our suppliers and do not arrive to us from Holland until early to mid-October. Therefore, all orders containing this item will begin shipping in mid to late October, according to the hardiness zone.

  Those items are currently in route from Holland and expected to arrive soon.  Once those arrived, your order would have been one of the first to ship since you are in a colder climate.  

  I do not see any phone calls from you in recent days but we did recieve multiple emails from you on 10/4/23 and 10/5/23 asking to cancel the orders.  All 3 orders were cancelled and refunded in full on 10/5/23.  An email notification for each order was sent whent hey were cancelled.  Please allow 1-2 business days for those refunds to post back to your original form of payment.  

  Again, we apologize for any confusion regarding when the items were shipped.  We do our best to indicate late shipments on the items that do arrive later in the season to us directly on each of those items pages on our site.  For future reference, we just ask that you do please review all the information for each item we sell regarding when they will ship.  

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/10/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered from the companies website, 10 Meadow Sage Plants, I planted as directed. It's been 3 weeks and out of 10 planting not 1 sprig of green.My first issue is: On their website, the show beautiful mature plants. Of course, I wasn't expecting that, but what they deliver is a bag of dirt, with some roots in it. When I initially complained to the company regarding the dirt and roots, they dismissed my concern saying they only sell roots and bulbs.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/11/2023

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us and I do apologize for any confusion.  We are a bulb and bare root company, we do only sell roots, bare roots and seeds, we do not offer mature plants.  We do have images of the mature plants on our site so customers can see what the plant will look like when it is mature.  I do apologize you felt we were dismissing your email.  After reviewing the response from our customer service representative, we were simply explaining that our site does only sell roots and what you received is what was to be expected.  The roots are packaged in peat **** to **** moisture from the root to prevent moisture buildup which would cause the root to rot.  All of the individual item pages on our site does show what is included in the package you are purchasing in bold font right under the price.  For the items you purchased it states:  1 Root per Package.  The first line on the About Us page of our site also explains the following:  

  Holland Bulb Farms is a family-owned, online supplier of flower bulbs, dormant bare root perennials, seeds, garden accessories and plant starts. 

  Again, we do not offer established plants on our site but do provide images so our customer know what the plants will grow into in a short amount of time.  You are certainly welcome to return the item to us for a refund as long as they have not been removed from the packaging and/or already planted. 

  Thank you again and if you need any additional information, please reach out to us directly.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/11/2023

  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'm not trying to get out of paying, I just want what I paid for. If the company wants to send me 10 GOOD roots with green as they've done in the past apparently, I'm good with that.
  
  PLEASE SEE ATTACHED FROM COMPANIES WEB SITE:
  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.
  Regards,

  AS WELL,
  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.

  IF YOU LOOK AT THE REVIEWS FOR THE MAY NIGHT SALVIA, on their Website, They mention the green on the roots, mine arrived with none, as mentioned in my first email to company. I've grown these before with great success. 

  *********************

  Business Response

  Date: 07/12/2023

  Hello,

  Thank you for  your response.  Roots may begin sprouting in the packages but that is never a guarantee or mentioned on our website that the roots will have growth. If a customer left a review their roots did have some growth, this does not mean all roots will have growth upon arrival, but this does not affect the viability.  As mentioned before, we sell roots as indicated on our website but there we do not mention the roots are guaranteed to have any growth on them.  Occasionally items will arrive with some growth on them to customers as this can happen during transit in warmer temperatures with certain items.  Roots with or without growth are still viable when they arrive.  Per our Grow Guarantee, if you are ever concerned with the viability of a root upon arrival, we do require images to be sent to our email within 5 business days of them being delivered.  Please see that portion of the Grow Guarantee below:

  SHIPPING & DELIVERY
  If there are any concerns or discrepancies with an order upon receipt, please contact our customer service department within 5 business days of delivery.
  If you are concerned with the condition of any of the items you received, we require images of the item(s) to be provided via email. Once the images are reviewed, a replacement will be automatically sent if the item is not viable. If the item is no longer available, a refund will be issued in the amount paid for the item.

  Your original email does not mention they were in poor condition nor did we receive images of the items.  The email only mentioned you were disappointed they weren't established plants.  In response to the email as well as the complaint filed, we did mention this item on our site indicates each package will contain 1 root, not an established plant.  Since you did receive roots, what our website sells, there is no reason for further action on our part.  You are more than welcome to return the  items to our facility for a refund if they are not what you expected.  However, our company will not offer a return label since you did receive what we advertise on our site.  

  Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/12/2023

  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.
  

  As per your reply I will be returning the 10 packets of roots and dirt for a refund.

  Please qdvise as to address.

  Thank you
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

  Business Response

  Date: 07/17/2023

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  Once we receive the roots back to our facility we will issue the refund and email the confirmation they were returned.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/17/2023

  [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

  Date:07/06/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Holland bulb farms website proclaims a "100% grow guarantee"Half of one product did NOT grow and they refuse to honor their own guarantee.I have exchanged multiple emails with with outfit and they continue to refuse to honor their guarantee. Now they are ignoring communications and deleting reviews about the defective product which do *not* violate guidelines.I want a refund for the 3 77531Forever ****************** **** bulbs which have not grown despite being cared for the same as the 3 bulbs which *did* grow.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/10/2023

  Hello ******,

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  I'm sorry to hear only part of your Lilies have grown successfully for you.  We do certainly honor our 100% Grow Guarantee during the first growing season.  The screenshot you shared was the email we sent you on 5/10/23 letting you know the order shipped.  It looks like you reached out to us on 6/8/23 letting us know the 3 lilies failed to grow.  We replied on 6/13/23 letting you know that items can take 6-8 weeks to come out of dormancy and we asked that you give it them a bit more time.  The email exchange is below:

  On Tue, Jun 13, 2023, 10:32 AM Holland Bulb Farms <*******************************>wrote:
  Hi ******,
  
  Thank you so much for reaching out regarding your order #*******.  I'm sorry to hear you haven't seen any growth yet on some plants. Since we do send everything in a dormant state, they can take 6-8 weeks to sprout.  Please allow another 2 weeks to allow proper growing time.  If after that time you still dont see any new sprouts, please contact us and we would be more than happy to find a solution per our 100% Grow Guarantee.
  
  Please let us know if you have questions or concerns.
  
  
  Thank you!
  
  ******************
  
  From: ******************************* <*******************************>
  Sent: Thursday, June 8, 2023 11:42 AM
  To: Holland Bulb Farms <*******************************>
  Subject: [HBF - Website Contact Form]
  
  Your Name: * :
  ***************************
  
  Your Email Address: * :
  ******************
  
  Subject: * :
  [Failure To Grow]
  
  Your Order # (if available): :
  *******
  
  Your Comments: * :
  Hi,
  I planted 6 Forever ****************** **** ***** in this plot but only 3 have grown.
  
  I left a phone message some time ago but never got a call back.
  
  Thanks,
  ******
  
  Upload Image (not required): :
  **************************************************************************************************

   

  We recently received another email from you on 7/5/23.  Unfortunately it doesn't look like we've been able to reply yet.  We were closed on July 4th for the Holiday and we are a small, family owned business.  During our peak season, it can take a bit longer for us to reply.  Since the 3 lilies still haven't grown for you after you did allow enough time, we are happy to find a solution.  Per our Grow Guarantee on our website and also on the back of your packing slip, we will go ahead and issue you a store credit for the 3 that failed to grow along with a free shipping coupon code you can use on any one order in the future.  You will receive an email sent to you directly regarding the credit information.  Please also see the portion of our Grow Guarantee below regarding our policy on items that Fail to Grow:

  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 *** 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.

  As you can see from the last line, we do not offer refunds on items that fail to grow.  they were delivered in viable condition, and since there are a number of environmental factors out of our control that can cause an item to grow unsuccessfully, we instead issue a store credit.  You can use this to try the same item again or an item that *** be better suited to your growing needs.  

  Thank you.
  
  

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/23/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered ****** in 2022, #****** for Lollypop, Casa ******, Stargazer lilies. Being unable to contact the company with and email showing that the Stargazer picture are not correct. They were planted as instructed and came ** in 2022 but no blooms which is okay. But this year they did bloom and they are huge and are Yellow. A person wouldn't think much of this, but my wife hates yellow flowers. Now she is deceased but I'm keeping her wishes intact with ******************. All I need is to have the proper stargazer bulbs sent to me, but can't send them an email with the pictures.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/23/2023

  ********************,

  Thank you so much for reaching out to us and I'm so sorry the Stargazer Lilies didn't grow the correct variety.  Although uncommon, human error does sometimes occur when our suppliers are packaging out items for us.  We do state we require images to be sent so we can forward them to our supplier to correct ************* issues in the future.  I understand you are not able to provide the images and we would certainly still like to find a solution for you.  I will create some replacements to be sent to you this Fall when it will be a more appropriate time to plant in your climate.  Once they ship to you this Fall you will receive an email with the tracking information.

  Again, I do apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused and please reach out to us directly if you need any further assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/13/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I placed an order with the company on 3/23/2023. I received 9 bare roots plants that I ordered around April 23nd and planted them on April 24th. By May 25th, only 3 out of 9 plants grew. Since the company has 100% Grow Guarantee, I emailed them on that same day with the issue. I also called their phone number numerous times but could not get anyone. On May 28th I pulled out 6 roots that did not grow, and there was no sign of life (i have pics). On June 6th I sent another email detailing order # and problems and requested the refund. On that same day I left a negative review on their site but it has not appeared as of yet (pending admin review, which seems a way to not post negative reviews). I also no longer can log on to my account on their web site - password incorrect and it won't send me a password reset request to my email when I request it (did this at least 4-5 times)Since company has a 100% Grow guarantee I request refund for 6 non-viable plants in the amount of $37.38. I do not want a replacement of the item or credit so that I don't have to deal with this again and again. 100% Grow Guarantee -- *****************************************************

  Business Response

  Date: 06/15/2023

  Hello,

  Thank you so much for reaching out to us.  I'm sorry a portion of the items didn't perform well for you this season.  The first communication we received from you was on 4/8/23 regarding wanting to add to the order before it shipped.  We responded on 4/10/23 letting you know we'd be happy to add to the order but we did need you to reach out via phone so we could take payment information for any additions.  After reviewing your order, I do see that you were sent the shipment on 4/17/23.  On 4/19/23 we received a second email from you letting ** know that you were missing 1 package of the peonies and the Toadlilies were in poor condition.  We resent the missing items and the items in poor condition to you on 4/21/23 and it was delivered on 4/24/23 via USPS.  Unfortunately after that we do not have any emails, chats or phone calls from you.  If you did sent ** an email regarding items failing to grow, we would be happy to reply to your concerns with a solution for you.  Since we don't have any further communication regarding exactly which items failed, we would ask that you reach out to us directly with clarification regarding specifically what items failed and how many.  Per our Grow Guarantee, we only offer store credit for items that fail to grow.  If the items were in viable condition upon delivery, there are multiple environmental factors including but not limited to lighting, planting techniques, watering, temperature, humidity, etc that can affect the success of the plant growing.  Since these factors are out of our control, we do not issue refunds.  The credit allow the customer to try to same item again if they choose or try a different item that *** be more suited to their environment.  Please see the portion of our Grow Guarantee regarding our failure to grow.  The Grow Guarantee can be found right on our website or a condensed version on the back of your packing slip:

  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 *** 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.

  Again, please forward us the emails you had previously sent that we didn't receive regarding specifically the items that failed. Once we have that information, we would be more than happy to find a solution.

  Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/15/2023

  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.

  As you can see, I did send them 2 emails (attaching copy of it again) and if they did not receive it I have no way of communicating with them. So, please inform them of this - maybe their zen email system is not working? Also, if you would please forward this message to them with the info on plants that did not grow - they are: item SKU ***** (pack of 3 plants)  and item ***** (pack of 3 plants). Given all the issues I had with this company I would like to receive the refund of $37.38 since I have no faith that whatever they would send me would grow and I apparently cannot get in touch with them. 
  
  [Please type your response here.]
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************

  Business Response

  Date: 06/15/2023

  I do apologize.  The emails you provided were not sent received on our end for some reason.  I will certainly have our IT look into any issues we are having.  Per our Grow Guarantee mentioned in my first message, we are not able to refund items that fail to grow if they arrived viable since factors outside of our control are what determine their success rate.  I would be happy to issue you a store credit for the 1 package of Peonies and the Toadlilies that failed for you.  As previously mentioned, you can use the credit to find items that *** be better suited for your environment.  Please see the portion of our  Grow Guarantee below regarding our failure to grow policy.  You will see the last line does mention we do not offer refunds for failure to grow, only a store credit.  

  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 *** 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.

  I will go ahead and create that store credit for you for the 3 plants that failed to grow from your order.

  Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/16/2023

  [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 and HBF:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Since I can no longer access my account on HBF (won't recognize my password and won't send email to reset password after multiple attempts) please have your IT department take care of this so that I can use the credit issued. Looks like I cannot email you (you don't receive my emails) and I have not been able to reach you on the phone. I can be reached at ********************** or ************ (cell). I will confirm once I am able to access my account again. Thank you!
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************
  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/16/2023

  Hello,

  Thank you for your response.  We would be happy to reach out to you today and temporarily reset your password so you can access your account and your credit.  I will also make sure to forward the trouble you are having to our IT department so we can correct any issues on our end.  

  Thank you again and you can expect to hear from us today.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/16/2023

  [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 (if credit is issued and the account password is reset and communicated to me).
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/08/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  4/27/2023 6 ****** bulbs, quality was poor, unplantable, I am embarrassed for Holland bulb. I sent in pictures and was insulted at their response. I called and called and left messages as I wanted to return my order for a refund, but got an answering machine and no return call. What can I do? Unbelievable! Bulbs were mushy, broken and should never have been sent.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/09/2023

  Thank you so much for reaching out to us.  I'm sorry to hear you received items in poor condition.  After reviewing the images again, I don't feel these items are viable and have issued a full refund back to your original form of payment.  Please allow 1-2 business days for that refund to post back to your account.  I do also see you did leave a voicemail message after our office was closed last night.  Once we receive an email or voicemail, it generally does take ** 1-2 business days to reply during our peak Spring season.  

  Thank you again and please let ** know if you need any further assistance.