Order from ROC arrived - your opinion?

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Hello everyone
This was my first time ever ordering from Royal Orchid Club. I did miss their shipping cycle by one day in July, so I had to wait for a month. My order was suppose to arrive by 30th August, however till yesterday there was not even shipping notification. I shoot them few emails on Monday and yesterday, and finally got shipping email yesterday evening. I did receive package today. It was promo buy 3 get one free. Since I was ordering all vandaceous orchids, I did ask in the message and also over the phone if the free piece could be any one of these. They said they will try and send what they have available at the time of shipping. I just opened the package, and I must say, the first time in 3 months of constant ordering I am kinda unhappy. Vasco Pine River and Renanthera plants are pretty decent and no complains there, however my Aerides Houlletiana looks kinda bad to me. I am attaching pics. The roots are totally dry, some of them black, most of them dead in my opinion, only maybe 2 or 3 good ones. also, the 4 or 5 bottom leaves are kinda wrinkled and not looking good as well. Big bummer to me. On the top, free plant is Dendrobium of some kind, but the only tag it has says SD45, which when researched on their website says Dendro 10packg combo, so I do not know what dendro it is - I guess GO FIGURE. That dendrobium has totally dry roots as well. So funny, when this package was shipped just yesterday! I just wanted to ask your opinion about the Aerides before I write them email how I feel, this was definitely my last time ordering from that website.

[kindrag23]

I am no expert but the roots do look a little on the dried out side, as well as dead. But honestly that could just be me.

[sweetjblue]

Tommy so sorry you received plants with roots like that, but it is a common complaint from many people who have bought from Royal Orchid / Orchid Master, I know I have. Ordered once , thought it was maybe a fluke, ordered a second time and received the same thing and that was the last time. Never again. Others do say they've had good luck using them. IDK

You may want to make use of the Vendor Feedback Dscussion threads in the future. If someone isn't listed there,you can always ask if anyone has done dealings with a particular seller. Might save you some trouble.

Good luck getting any kind of resolution with a bad plant,
Bill is notorious for bad customer service.


Again sorry, wish I had something good to say!

Judi

[TOMMYMIAMI]

That's the thing, I am not expert also but I actually know that most of them is dead, not dry, plus all 4 bottom leaves are looking weird as well, and I am not sure what to think. I am not person that returns plants back to the seller, I was waiting for this over a month, but I must say, after this first order from them, I am never ever ordering from that website again. I would like to hear from someone else here maybe what do they think and how to treat the Aerides, I am about to cut all the dead roots and I am thinking if it would do better mounted, tree fern or cork slab, or in the small plastic or wooden basket, I have all home, just can't decide.

[orchidsarefun]

I believe the orchids are shipped from Malaysia. The website has instructions on how to "plump" up the roots - soak them in a vitamin solution etc. They may ask you to try this first before any kind of replacement talk.

NB - not saying whether the vendor is good or bad, but I know that ROC is not at all liked by many on this board.
I bought 2 seedlings about 2 years ago and they are fine - but arrived in worse condition than yours.

[kindrag23]

Hopefully they will be salvageable I did see some decent roots I thought. I would make sure to let people know not to order from them again...Sorry for the awful experience.

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Thank you all so so much guys! I know, I should have research better, I do not know why I did not, normally I do read and search for hours!
I d have a feeling that this is horrible company, especially after the communication I did have so far. I truly think they totally forgot about my order at first, and after I sent some 3 emails 1st few days where are the plants ordered on July 30th, they shipped me yesterday package with the crab in it. LESSON LEARNED, and as I said, this was the firs bed order ever. I need help with the Aerides, I wanna save it. It is soaking now in seaweed, and I have many options - mount on cork slab or tree fern, or plastic or wooden basket, or I am more thinking HYDROTON marbles, what do you guys thing? Maybe in this condition hydroton would be much better before it establish some new roots???

[Orchidgirl83]

I would send them an email now telling them that the roots all look bad. I think they say that you have 24 hours after receipt of your order to let them know about any problem. I too ordered from them earlier this year, and the plants were not bad per say, but the seedlings were A LOT smaller than expected. And I did have a kind of hard time getting in contact with them when the delivery date came, and went, then they finally contacted me saying the order was delayed by a week.
All in all, I would not order from them again, even though their prices were pretty darn good.

[Leafmite]

The aerides should be fine. This summer has been cold, especially earlier this summer. My aerides was accidently left out one very cold night and while the top was fine, the bottom was frozen...including every root. It didn't look promising. I just left it hanging there...now I have new roots, new leaves. I will have to remove the bottom and replant to make it look nice but....

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Thanks Orchidgirl
I did send them detailed email, telling them about NO ID Dendro, about very bad Aerides, attached the pictures as well. After hearing from you guys, and doing TOO LATE research online, founding they have many complains and F on BBB website, I do not expect anything. Yes communication was bad, and I truly believe if I would not bomb them with my emails in last 2 days I would not even have them shipped and delivered right now:-( Lesson learned, as I said, I do not ship plants back, it is too much hassle and I have no time for that, so I will just do my best to save them. At the end, Dendro is in special dendro mix I have, and if they ever answer with ID i might re pot it to something else - I have some nobiles in Aussie Gold and they do great. Aerides - at the end I went for Hydroton and clear pot, so I can see roots. I will wait for some new roots t shoot out and keep it under the lower sun, and than mount it into the basket and hang on bright side of the balcony, will hope to make it thrive.