We ship out thousands of orders, and tens of thousands of plants, each
year. We take pride in the fact that we send healthy, well-grown and
groomed, plants. These are carefully wrapped and boxed and shipped out as
soon as possible--more than 90% of orders are shipped within a matter of days of
our receiving them.
We guarantee safe delivery of all orders, and healthy, properly labeled, and
true-blooming plants. On occasion (about 1 in every 100 orders), we'll
have to make good on our guarantee. Sometimes, plants perish in weather
that's too hot or cold, sometimes the post office "squashes" a box
and, sometimes, we're to blame for poor packaging or clerical mistakes. In
such cases, we'll reship plants, issue a credit, or refund money (we need to do
this on about 1 in every 200 or so orders). In any event, we always try to
please and look for ways to improve our growing, shipping, or service.
From Jack, in SC
My columnea arrived so well packed March 12th and have doubled in size
and the 'Goldilocks' had a pretty yellow bloom today. Well pleased.
April 4, 2008
From Albus, in OH
Plants came Thursday and I love them!! Thanks so much.
April 4, 2008
From Fran, in England
Just a quick note to say that all the streps arrived safe and well
today. I'm absolutely delighted with them. I'm so glad that I
got all the ones I wanted and some are even flowering already. I also
can't believe they arrived so promptly. I'll be back later on to get
some av's too! April 4, 2008
From Endo, in Japan
The day before yesterday, the plants which you sent arrived safely.
The state of the plants is perfect and has made the still beautiful flower
bloom. A appreciate your kindness. Thank you. April 9,
2008
From Beverly, in FL
I received my violets today. I am very pleased with them.
There was not one leaf bruised or broken, and not one grain of soil out of
place. I hope they thrive. April 10, 2008
From James, in TX
Just wanted to let you know that I received the package today. All
of the plants are in great condition! I was shocked to see how many
were either in bud or had blooms on them...it'll be hard to buy off ebay
with plants like this available! Thanks. April 10, 2008
From Mary, in IL
Thank you so much for my order. You did as promised and gave me
many varieties. Thank you. They were packaged extremely well and
arrived safely. Thank you so much, these little plants are just what I
was looking for. April 12, 2008
From Vikki, in OK
I recieved my 20 beautiful violets Saturday. Not one of them lost
a leaf or even had a bent leaf. I am so impressed with you I am making
out another order to send off the end of the week. No more e-Bay
violets for me. Thanks so much, you're all amazing. April 14,
2008
From Anne, in NC
All my 'bitty begonias' and the petrocosmea arrived in fine shape and
look wonderful. Thank you for quick shipment and world-famous
protective packaging--I would mind traveling all cuddled up like that!
April 17, 2008
From Deborah, in CA
All the plants arrived in great shape. I'm really excited to get
them potted up and blooming! I'm very pleased with everything.
Thanks so much for a smooth and pleasant transaction! April 23,
2008
From Alicia, in NJ
I received my order today. I just LOVE ordering from you!
Both plants arrived absolutely beautifully, not one broken or damaged leaf!
I am overjoyed with the plants and the condition of these plants! I
can't wait to see blooms. Many thanks and I will definitely order from
you again in the future! April 24, 2008
From Gregory, in IN
Very, very impressed with my shipment of violets. They are worth
every penny I paid. They were packed and shipped better than ANY mail
order nursery I've ever dealt with. Anyone who is hesitant to buy
plants through the mail need not worry. You are sure to receive
carefully packed and quickly shipped plants that will definitely become the
highlights of your collection! I just can't say enough good things!
April 26, 2008
From Ed, in IL
I have ordered a few plants a year from you over several years.
The plants received were always healthy and arrive promptly in good
condition. I would recommend ordering from you to all of my growing
friends. Be well and good growing. April 30, 2008
From Dawn, in NY
Thank you! Plants arrive like someone hand carried them from next
door! Not a broken leaf or a sign of distress anywhere. All
plants look healthy and well cared for. I am looking forward to
watching them all grow and bloom! Also looking forward to setting up
the dish garden. Once the pots arrive, I will be set! May 9,
2008
From Mary, in GA
Thank you again! I received my second order from you this year.
This time, I was ordering all growing supplies for the many plants I ordered
from you about a year ago. All of my violets are growing and blooming
in profusion. You picked all the varieties for me, as per my request,
and I could not be happier with them. I have used the articles on your
site to help me grow and care for my violets and I really, really,
appreciate the wealth of info on the site. I also became a member of
AVSA with my original order and that has spurred my interest and violet
"skills" as well. I am proud to say that I completed repotting all my
minis and semis as per your article instructions here, and they are all
doing wonderfully. Thank you for being instrumental in adding so much
beauty and enjoyment to my home and life! May 17, 2008
From anonymous
Even though my order was delayed due to a mistake on my part, after the
situation was cleared up, I received my plants very quickly. They
arrived in good condition and are so healthy. I am very satisfied with
your service and the quality of the plant material. I will be a repeat
customer. May 31, 2008
From David, in British Columbia
Just to let you know my Canadian order arrived in 8 days--not too bad
considering our record here. Because of your excellent packing there
was no damage at all, not even any wilt. I love the episcias and will
get much pleasure out of them. Again, many thanks from a happy
customer. June 5, 2008
From Darryl, in GA
Thanks to your careful wrapping and packing, our violets arrived today
in great shape. Not a single broken leaf. We have already placed
them in a lamp designed for three of your little darlings. We are very
pleased with our new additions and are excited to see them continue to grow.
Thanks again for you prompt response. June 12, 2008
From Laura, in FL
I just wanted to let you know that the violets arrived in absolutely
beautiful condition. Packed perfectly, they look great. I am so
happy and will be back for more. Thank you so much! June 16,
2008
From Ileana, in ID
I am thrilled to have my hoyas at home. They arrived today in mint
condition. I would spread around your great business. Thank you
very much. June 19, 2008
From Debbie, in FL
I received my first order from you today and the plants look great.
So here I go again. I also like the way you offer so much information
on the care of plants. I am very pleased and satisfied. Thank
you. June 26, 2008
From Jeff, in GA
I received the order today. While I haven't gone through, flower
by flower, to make sure the order is 100% correct--I do know I received the
correct number of items. I am so impressed with the packaging...and
the condition of the product--not only will I not bother checking the
accuracy, I just had to let you guys know that I am tempted to cancel open
orders from two other vendors...and deal exclusively with you. I will
at least give them the chance to equally impress me (fat chance). WAY
TO GO!! This is the level of excellence I aspire to. Thanks.
June 26, 2008
...and some "constructive" criticism: Yes, we
sometimes get complaints--we guarantee safe delivery on all orders and
occasionally need to process a refund or send a replacement plant (our average
is about 1 in every 100 orders). We haven't printed these. These are
the more specific complaints/comments that customers have made--we reprint them
so that we have a chance to explain, improve our work and, perhaps, avoid
similar problems in the future.....
From Barbara, in NY
I just ordered 3 plants from you, one of which was 'Tomahawk',
standard violet. When I clicked on 'Tomahawk', the violet I saw was
not what I got for the name. The picture shows a bright red flower with
deep green leaves with a hint of yellow in them. I got a deep burgandy
flower with dark green leaves. It is blooming now. The picture of
the full blooming plant is what I wanted.
Our reply: Unfortunately, this is the
best we can do. African violets do not exist in "true" (fire-engine)
red--'Tomahawk' is typical of the reddest varieties that currently exist.
It's not possible, genetically, for them to be "redder". To most, this
passes for "red", though it will look "burgundy" to many. Also remember,
that the appearance of the plant will be greatly affected by culture and
light--colors are deeper when grown in cooler (i.e. but still above 62f degrees)
rather than warm temperatures. Also, light can make a plant "appear" to be
more or less colorful--every window and light-bulb is different in the color
spectrum produced. As for the web-site, this is also the best we can
do--the colors shown there are representative (some better, some worse) of the
varieties we grow. Nearly all the plants pictured were grown by us under
our conditions--what you see is what we have, given our care and conditions....
From another customer in NY
The 'Party Girl' strep I purchased last fall at your store, when you
were rushed packing for a show,...has no pink streaking. I suggest that
you close to visitors on your packing days, as we found the staff too busy to be
polite.
Our reply: We're including another 'Bristol's
Party Girl' in your order, at no charge. We try to be as polite as we can
at all times but, admittedly, this is less likely to be the case when busy
packing for a show. Unfortunately, our primary function is producing
(growing) plants--this means that visitors to our shop are sometimes unhappy
when we cannot allow them unrestricted access to all the plants that they see,
or to our staff's time...sometimes you'll catch us in the "middle of something",
like watering, shipping or, in this case, packing for a show. For this
reason, we always suggest that people plan to visit when we are least busy--i.e.
in winter (mid November thru mid February) when we are least busy and more
plants can be seen in bloom. Though our shop is open even while we are
away at shows, this is not the best time to visit, simply because the staff left
behind have more work to do with fewer people and sometimes cannot devote the
time and attention to visitors that would otherwise be the case. We post
our show dates on the "upcoming events" page of this site.
From Dan
I have been scouring you web site looking for the quote from "Deedee",
"Lucy", and "Gus" to include with an order for a free plant. I am
convinced that the three corgis are not available for quotes at this time.
How often are they updated and/or moved? I will keep looking and place an
order when I find them.
Our reply: They're there--just received
an order minutes ago with the "secret words". We do hide them, though.
The idea is to keep people looking through our entire site, instead of just
going to the couple of pages that immediately interest them. They won't be
buried on a totally obscure page, yet they won't be immediately seen, either.
We update the location and words every couple of weeks or so. By the way,
these three are our three dogs and are all important members of the "Violet
Barn" staff--they let us know when we have visitors, greet customers, and their
always-smiling faces makes this an enjoyable place to work in.
Have a question? Problem with an order or with our
service?
If you'd like an immediate response, please call us during business hours
(12-5 pm EST), since we don't always have the time to deal with letters or
e-mails promptly. We aim to please.
For questions regarding culture and care of your plants, we ask that you
review the web-site first, since most problems and commonly asked questions are
addressed here. If you need a personal response, please call us (again
during business hours) since we may need information you hadn't thought of
providing concerning your plant's condition. Again, we haven't the time nor
staff to personally reply to all letters and e-mails.
Have any comments of your own on our plants or our service? Both
constructive criticism as well as complements are welcome. All will
be read, but we haven't the time to reply to each.
