So sorry you had bad/no luck, I have ordred from them for 3 or 4 years with no problems, either with violets or begonias. I wonder if this is a case of ' the kind of help you have to employ these days', no reputable dealer would ship over a holiday weekend, I agree with that. I'd order this year but they are not offereing B.'Skeezar' anymore, I hated to lose that one. It is good to go public about a bad experience, I hope they hear about yours.

Granted their plants are on the small side but with proper care (treat them as baby plants) they can grow into nice sized plants. Their packing is impeccable (a little too much packing for my likes) and their prices are low for very hard to find begonias. It would be nice if they had a bigger size to select from even if I had to pay extra.

Sorry, but... WHO are you? Did a search and you seem to have only 2 posts in your history, in 2 different forums (African violets and Begonias) bashing The Violet Barn.
Funny you left out the parts about what steps YOU took with Rob to try and get him to right the situation--Oh, probably because you didn't take any, you didn't give him a chance to try and fix it, you'd rather just go online and try to do damage to his business.

NOT COOL!

The only person who could damage Rob's business is Rob himself by sending plants with immature root systems. Sending immature rooted plants is unscrupulous.

He at first refused and then reluctantly sent out another package, with plants of lesser value on which I paid the expenses. This package arrived with plants with immature root systems already dying. I tented the plants, checked the mosture daily,then repotted them out of that hard soil.

I am not a newbie in plant cultivation. They did not survive because of their immaturity. I buy a lot online from reputable vendors. A small plant is one thing, immature root systems is another.
How do you bring back plants from the dead?

In other forums, members share this kind of information and it is appreciated.

This is what I want to know ahead of time so as to have a choice about buying if I then chose to do so. I lurk here but thought to help out others was important enough to post. This is what I get from other forums. I wanted to help other people. And other people want to know. What is the reason for your viciousness?

Killing the messenger is not cool.

I've never purchased their plants by mail-order so perhaps I shouldn't comment, but I did purchase several of their plants (episcias & rex begonias) in person at a Gesneriad Society sale a year ago; the plants were well-grown, well-rooted, and pest-free. The plants were individually sleeved and the foliage was nearly perfect. I don't recall any issues with the soil, although they were definitely underpotted and I had to repot them into my own mix soon after purchase anyway.

Violet Barn has a near-perfect rating on Garden Watchdog, so perhaps this was just a fluke. Unfortunately no matter how well the plants are packed, being shipped by USPS or UPS can be very damaging to plants, especially in hot or cold weather, so I mostly avoid purchasing plants by mail order.

I ordered African violets from the Violet Barn many times. And I am on the opposite side of the world, it takes 6 days to reach me. None of them is dead. Sorry to hear that.

I would NEVER buy from this guy again! I'm no novice at growing begonias, violets, orchids...ANYthing, but the plants from this vendor were pitiful. Had I known they'd need an incubator, I'd never have ordered. And when I dared to complain, this unpleasant little person was both rude and dismissive. I agree with the poster of this thread: Caveat emptor.

I wonder if this is a case of ' the kind of help you have to employ these days'

Usually the approach taken in all matters is dictated by the owner or a manager. Some quite large independent operations are micromanaged by owners who have their nose in everything. And even many large corporate structures have all their meetings and their memos to make sure everyone is towing the line.

Don't know anything about this particular place but this may be another small nursery that is really a hobby business, that got started to help pay for a personal collection - or has other reasons for being in operation besides developing a big money making venture. Point being, especially if you come at them with a certain tone they may not care to maintain a flawlessly "professional" image throughout the whole exchange - they are not trying to make the place into something with a highly commercial, handshakes and frozen smiles profile.

And they could have three other people standing there waiting for them to get off the line with you. If you got a replacement order that means they pretty much ate the whole thing in order try and appease you.