# My Take to Normans Orchids In Montclair CA



## pappipaph (Nov 9, 2009)

ok so,.


i happen to live about 15 minutes away from normans orchids.
now i may only be a novice grower but i am still well educated about general care and culture of the 30 i have which are in great shape. :clap: 

except for three. 

all three which have been purchased from normans orchids montclair ca!!!

For one no one deserves to be treated so rudely.
all i asked was if he had any vandas. He rudely replied "no they are not in bloom." 
i said i understood but i wanted a seedling or one that has not bloomed because i like to bloom them myself,

again, "i said there are none in bloom" 

what an ass! 

then i buy three phals. 

all three came home. and a day later, one lost all but one bloom, 
one just started to die completely of some kind of fungus. i cut off the infected leaves and cleaned the roots and leaves with fungicide and kept the plant alive. the third lost all but 2 flowers which give it that, are still on the plant and pretty. 

i have just never been so appalled at someones rudeness!

if it wasn't for the fact that i dont trust ordering an orchid online or want to go buy a crappy dyeing orchid from homedepot! i would never go there. 

alas i did how ever, get one orchid that is doing very well and its blooms are still splendidly growing bigger and almost ready to open. 
my Bulb. Elizabeth Ann "Buckleberry" :rollhappy:
which i am very happy to have found. 

truth be told i hate the man he's an ass. and the people who work there, 
well if they dont want your buisness than they shouldnt be open to the public.


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## biothanasis (Nov 9, 2009)

This really sounds dissapointing for a hobbyist orchid grower! 
Maybe it is time you found another nurcery, maybe furthere away but much better! I think it is worth it the plus meters/miles.  Good luck with the plants, hope they survive and bloom again...


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## SlipperKing (Nov 9, 2009)

You're not the first to of had a bad deal with Norman's and proable not the last. I refuse to deal with this firm. They have gotten a bad reputation for diseased plants, esp. viruses.


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## goldenrose (Nov 9, 2009)

That's too bad! I'll see if I can't search up a thread we have on vendors, it would be helpful to you & any others that have joined us recently. I was lucky, 2+ years ago, I didn't know any better at that time, I ordered 2 or 3 plants from them. All were nice, didn't have any disease, etc. They have a big selection, crosses that one doesn't commonly see, but there's NO EXCUSE for treating customers like that!


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## Candace (Nov 9, 2009)

http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/comments.php?compid=2472&type=3

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/orchids/msg03194421731.html


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## NYEric (Nov 9, 2009)

I ordered from Norman's because they have some Paph crosses that are hard to find. Luckily, [for them] I order on-line because I have no problem cancelling and returning items! BTW, one plant I got was fll of hidden mealie bugs so check carefully!


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## John M (Nov 9, 2009)

I've heard a lot about Norman's Orchids over the years and *NONE* of it has ever been good.


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## likespaphs (Nov 9, 2009)

John M said:


> I've heard a lot about Norman's Orchids over the years and *NONE* of it has ever been good.



ditto


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## PaphMadMan (Nov 9, 2009)

pappipaph said:


> if it wasn't for the fact that i dont trust ordering an orchid online or want to go buy a crappy dyeing orchid from homedepot! i would never go there.



There are many online sources that provide great plants and excellent service, and it sounds like it is almost impossible to be worse than Norman's so what have you got to lose? I know there are threads here about eBay vendor recommendations, and others too I presume. Or ask about specific vendors and I'm sure you will get plenty of honest feedback.


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## nikv (Nov 9, 2009)

There's this thread where we discuss various vendors on eBay:

http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4455


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## goldenrose (Nov 9, 2009)

Thanks Nik - that was the thread I was looking for!


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## Jimsox (Nov 9, 2009)

hmmm....wonder if he's hiring?


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## cnycharles (Nov 9, 2009)

i've had the extremes ordering from there. first time a plant died in a few days and I was stiffed when asked about 'so what now?' (by assistants, owner was sick then), then the next time I ordered one plant (or maybe two) and received an extra of one of the plants I ordered, gratis. so, I guess it evened out.


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## luvsorchids (Nov 10, 2009)

I had one order with Norman's and it wasn't too bad, but not great. The plants needed to be immediately repotted. I got a Catt that most of the roots were in bad shape, but it turned around quickly after repotting. The other plants seem really healthy. They screwed up the order initially and sent a wrong plant, but immediately sent the correct one and I got to keep the other as a bonus.

Susan


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## goldenrose (Nov 10, 2009)

Jimsox said:


> hmmm....wonder if he's hiring?


:rollhappy: :rollhappy: 
I'm really interested in hearing what that conversation would be like with the charming owner!


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## etex (Nov 10, 2009)

I recently had a bad experience with them. I had ordered plants and a bottle of Foli-Cal. Took the plants out of the box. I then took out the bottle and noticed it was damp. The packing media under the bottle was damp, too. The side of the bottle has graduated measurements , so I know very little had spilled. I immediately irrigated the plants and leaves several timesa. I also noted the Aer.biloba had black bumps on the underside of the leaves that I was unfamiliar with and had not mentioned in previous readings. So, I emailed them imediately to let them know of the spill in transit, what I did and if they had any recommendatios. Also, informed of the black bumps on the biloba. I waited a few days and emailed them again and get a reply from Service Dept. that she had forwarded to head grower, but that he had been out of town over weekend. Then i wait a few more days and get no response and email them again. A day later the service person emailes me that she spoke with the grower and he told her that I had done the right thing with copious irrigation. Thank goodness, the plants could have died waiting almost 2 weeks for a response from him.Also, service person told me the bumps were normal and that the grower showed her the bilobas at the nursery so she could see for herself and report this to me. I frequently order mail order from other vendors and have always have had a good experiencethough some get more WOW and happy dance than others. This is a wacky outfit that appears to care very little about their plants or customers. ( Next time I will tell you how I really feel-LOL)


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