My worst nightmare would be to operate an Orchid Nursery. Why? Because once the orchids leave the orchid nursery there can be no guarantee that the orchids will be treated with TLC by the company doing the freight bit. Similar by the customers once the orchids are received.

Of course, people will tell you how easy orchids are to grow. Perhaps easy for me with forty years of trial and error. I am looking at a large white Phalaenopsis sitting behind the computer screen. It has been blooming for three months and is still going. Purchased for $15 at a grocery store. How many times have I watered it? Four!

Most are killed with kindness!

Having said that, over the years there have been lots of complaints and a few compliments about Normans Orchids. If they are so useless, how come they are still in business?

I agree with the complaints above. this vendor does not believe in customer service. I ordered three plants as a gift, and they managed to send TWO wrong plants. one was flat out the wrong item and they did credit this. the other bloomed out wrong (this was a mericlone, not the seed grown variability stuff and wasn't even close - supposed to be a harlequin phal and turned out like a cheap pink grocery store noID). they never returned an email or phone call. they have many plants, I get it, things get mislabelled, but if you get photos of this and don't refund the item then you are just a flat out fraudulent vendor. I'm guessing they stay in business because of all the cheap plants they move. Doesn't hurt when you can send whatever you want and have no commitment to your product I suppose.

UPDATE

"gift" plants as in mericlones purchased as a gift for a family member. look, I'm sure sometimes you may get great plants here. but if you get unhealthy or flat out incorrect plants, you sure cannot count on them to rectify the problem. I'm not the only disgruntled customer here, just take a look at the other complaints. I've been growing and purchasing orchids for 30 years and 99.5% of vendors are committed to their product. this one is obviously not.

I ordered a Phal aphrodite, a BS Phal schilleriana and a Phal. japonica from Normans recently. The aphrodite arrived with two beautiful, mostly in-flower spikes. and it's still gorgeous. How they can package a flowering phal so that it arrives almost perfectly I will never know. The japonica is healthy and growing. The BS schilleriana has continued to grow as if uninterrupted, sending out new roots and beginning two spikes since it arrived. Just sayin' I've never had a problem with Normans, but I don't buy "gift plants" from them.

I've bought from them for a long time. Not a lot of plants, but sometimes I see something I can't get anywhere else.

I've had mixed results, but I lived in NY then. I have chased the mail truck and UPS in the winter months to get the plants off the truck in 20 degree weather.

A few of my most beautiful, unusual plants came from Normans. I only bought one Phal, many years ago which is still the most spectacular Phal I've every grown or seen. Its old now and fading.

I never called for refund or replacement for any of their plants, but I've never sent any as gifts. I've had a few which didn't look like they would make it but they did and I nursed them back to health.

Shipping is so tricky. Best way is to track the package, and either pick it up at the loading dock for the mail trucks for try to catch the truck on route.

I still look at their website occasionally, to see if anything catches my fancy. I have too many plants now and really don't need another.

Jane

i was the nursery manager for the Huntington library for 12 years i had extensive dealings with Norman's and NEVER had any issues. I purchased several hundreds of all types of orchids without a problem.

I have been buying all of mine from them recently.

I am torn. They have been very rude and even cut my account down for asking to many questions about shipping because I was confused on their system. If I wanted to add a few more plants that I didn't catch the first time around onto my order that was still pending, they thought I was a pain. They would never call me back and never hold to their two day delivery when I paid for it, and would not help me to understand how to order correctly. So their shipping practics, lack of comminication and calls stinks to put it mildly.

I just ordered three which cost me over 300 dollars for a two day delivery because I was warmer than usual last week. I ordered on Monday last week and should of gotten them before the week was over because it was in the 50's for me by weeks end. Still nothing. NO e-mail, no call, and my order still says pending.

As for instructions? They have a field which allows you to write 'order notes' and that's a waste of time and should not even be offered. . When I do they don't respond. When I ask to write on the package for them to say "deliver to side door", they don't so they are left on my sidewalk in front of my house and my girlfriend has to keep watching the front steps to make sure they are not left there to freeze over night! They do not even send me a notice as to when they are shipped or tracking. They fail at comminiction and can be very unforgiving if you ask questions they don't like, or ask for a call back in which they never do. And you can never reach them when you do reach out. So that part of their buisiness stinks.

As for their plants, they are the BEST ones I ever get, healthy, healthy roots, unique and hard to find. So therefore I try to over look their way of conducting business just to get the plants I've always wanted in great shape. No complaints from me on their plants. But their customer service is something less to be desired. Their promise of delivery when paying for two day or one day is not worth the price if they don't bother to give you the service you paid for. You have to choose whether you are willing to over look their customer service in order to get the plants you really want. I usuallay over look that part.

I've never ordered from this company but it's my experience that most orchid companies are not good at returning calls. I've been told by a friend who was a commercial orchid grower for 30 years that they simply don't have the time. The profit from selling is not very high so they keep the staff at whatever minimum they can afford.

I keep this in mind and only order from a handful of well-known growers I trust.

As a member of a local club, a benefit is I get various and frequent opportunities to get interesting plants. Early March is our annual show. We have around 10 vendors from around the state all competing. Most of our meetings we have commercial growers as speakers and they bring plants for sale. That is how I add to my collection for local opportunities.

Then there are non local things that gets me more orchids too. Another story...

Harvey that's how I too add to my collection because I don't particularly like buying plants online without having seen them. And this year I have a shopping list for the Redlands show. Are you going?

I might go to the redlands. I'll look for you if I go...

I also ordered from Norman. The orchids I received were tiny compact type. This is not what was shown in the picture. There is a flower but there is no spike. So I will only get the one flower. Very disappointing.

EXCELLENT SELLER NORMANS ORCHIDS! Nothing but great service and excellent orchids. I HAVE BEEN BUYING FROM THEM FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND THEY ARE THE BEST ORCHID GROWERS I BUY FROM

Nothing questionable about THAT post. lol

tj

Yes thats right LOVE NORMANS ORCHIDS 💖

Response time by Norman's Orchids to complaints is apparently 4 years. lol

Howdy, I wouldn't buy generic phals from Normans. I've read lots of complaints about those. Go to Home Depot and save yourself some money. Buy gift plants from other vendors. (Check out garden watchdog.)

I've bought from their "hobbyist" list several times and the quality of the plants I've received have been inconsistent. A few needed life support on arrival. That said, I'd buy again from them in a heartbeat. They offer lots of cool things that you'll never find anywhere else. Steve H

Why does everyone have against these people????/

Every vendor and every greenhouse has their faults and good sides...

I have had the same issues at many more places and I have gotten some of the best orchids from Normans.

Yes their communication skills can be lacking at times, I have personally experienced that , but their product is not to be found any where else\.

I had issues with many orchids with pests, they get delivered with diseased roots, and half dead from many others. It's the risk many take when ordering online.

Meyermike, this old thread had other posts on it, that were removed for reasons I don't understand. I know, 4 years ago, I posted about Norman's being a source for a huge assortment of orchid offerings that were not available from usual venders. Nothing I'd written was negative, because I'd only purchased from Normans at shows, where I could see the plant; never purchased anything mail order from them, so could not even comment on that. I don't know why it was removed, even if at Norman's request.

There were quite a few comments made over the years, because I still got notifications of new posts, even before my kidding post last month. But since not just negative ones got removed, the remaining ones may be giving an incorrect impression of what was said closer to the original post date.

Agree. Don't buy from them unless you want to destroy your whole collection. they are full of aphids!

Weird Gyr. This post never disappears.
Mike