The short story: Orchids.com aka Norman's Orchids sent me an orchid that was the wrong color and also of a lower price. When I called to ask if this was a mistake and to see if they would exchange/replace/refund the purchase, both the customer service representative and the box filler at Orchids.com aka Norman's Orchids refused to admit there was a problem, yelled at me for asking questions, refused to answer these questions, and then hung up on me.
The long story: On February 20th, my friend went to Orchids.com aka Norman's Orchids and purchased what was supposed to be a pink phalaenopsis orchid (product ID 810051), valued at $45, but sale priced at $39.95.
The picture for this item shows a deep pink, almost purple orchid, which is my favorite color. I have always loved orchids, but never had a potted one, so it was supposed to be a special gift for me.
When it arrived, I was willing to accept that many of the blooms and buds had broken off, which Orchids.com aka Norman's Orchids denies responsibility for if these are damaged in transit. I even accepted that the pot was split.
What I found strange was that Orchids.com aka Norman's Orchids had sent me a white phalaenopsis orchid with a pale pinkish blush in the center, not the dark pink that was ordered. I work with a florist doing customer service, so I understand the time-sensitive nature of perishible plants and that sometimes a substitution has to be made. But to not even attempt to contact the customer before making a substitution that changes the whole look of an arrangement is considered very bad customer service indeed.
Still, I was willing to accept this disappointment and just enjoy my orchid. I went on to their site to see if my orchid had a name, and when I finally found it, I was surprised to see that my "Nippon" orchid (product id MC729) was ten dollars less than the value of the orchid which was ordered.
So I called their customer "service" number, thinking for sure that the wrong orchid had been delivered. I was bounced from one customer service rep to another, and finally ended up speaking to a man who apparently puts orchids in the box for Orchids.com aka Norman's Orchids.
He said that yes, I was sent a different orchid, but argued that the two were interchangeable and that if I count the (broken) pot, I was only out a "couple of dollars." Apparently, if my friend was an "orchid person" I would have received the correct orchid from Orchids.com aka Norman's Orchids, but because he ordered a gift item, it didn't matter what I got, it was a "gift." Not that it mattered, since he state that they do not currently offer the orchid pictured on their website, Orchids.com. At this point, I told him what I had read on their website about substitutions:
"All offerings are subject to prior sale. We reserve the right to withdrawal any offering from sale and to limit quantities. We guarantee all plants to be true to identity." — Orchids.com aka Norman's Orchids
I suggested that my orchid was not in fact "true to identity, " since my item was identified as a "pink" orchid and not a white one, and they had not withdrawn the "offering from sale" since it was still up on their site. After fifteen minutes of Mr. Box-Filler denying there was a problem, shouting at me for wasting his time, and refusing to offer any alternative besides having me pay to ship the orchid back to Orchids.com aka Norman's Orchids and hoping they could get their act together enough to issue a refund, he put the phone down and a customer service rep picked up.
The customer service rep proceeded to yell at me, saying they had already told me there was no mistake, that I was wasting his time, and then hung up on me.
Personally, my friend and I will never shop at Orchids.com aka Norman's Orchids again. Competitors of Orchids.com, appear to have much better customer service, and I have already given an order for another orchid. I just wish that Orchids.com aka Norman's Orchids had simply apologized and explained that they were out of the orchid I had ordered. If I had received better customer service, I would have kept this orchid and asked them to let me know when I could order the other.instead, I am ordering from a competitor, and have written this report so that any future potential customers will know to go somewhere else.
Gail
Aliso Viejo, California
U.S.A.
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