Medlock Valley Orchids

[Alex]

Does anyone have any experience with this nursery? I had a problem with a plant they sent (the only one I've ever ordered from them),  which arrived very poorly packed, and which they consequently offered to replace before Christmas. Since then, I've heard nothing, and it has been literally impossible to contact them in any way - all the contact details on the website are either defunct or being ignored. Can anyone offer a ray of hope in the form of a good experience, or better still a contact email that might work? Btw, I am using the address given and not the contact form, which they say not to....

Alex

[mark smyth]

I'm sure you've seen the message on their web site
ANYONE WHO HAS EMAILED IN THE LAST 10 DAYS PLEASE SEND YOUR MESSAGE AGAIN TO UKHARDYORCHIDS@GMAIL.COM AS WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY MESSAGES

[Alex]

Thanks, Mark, yes, that's the address I've been using....and I've sent *many* emails to it, at various different times up to the present. The original problem which prompted that post from them was before Christmas, and I've had at least one email get through since then. The problem should have been fixed a while ago, but regardless of their IT woes, it isn't acceptable to have no means of contact at all - the phone number they give doesn't work either

[Sempervivum]

Hallo Alex,
I also have problems with that nursery: I ordered a Pleione Confirmation which did not arrive. After four weeks I mailed them and he answered and promised to care for my issue. Then I didn't receive any further messages. Mailed again twice but didn't receive an answer.

[Alex]

Hi Ulrich,

Oh dear, not great. How long ago was that?

Alex

[Sempervivum]

On Oct 22, 2013 I received a message stating that the plant was shipped. On Nov 21 I wrote that it had not arrived and the same day he answered and promised to email me and send a replacement if the plant was lost. But I didn't receive neither an email nor a shipment.  One week later I mailed him again and did not get an answer. After I read on the website about the problem with his email account I mailed a second time to the alternative email address but didn't get an answer.
Is anyone here who knows the owner of that nursery?

[Alex]

Thanks, Ulrich - well, that's not good at all. I was also wondering whether anyone here might know Stuart Pointon (the owner I think), as the website suggests that the owner(s) are pretty enthusiastic hobbyists as well.

Alex

[Maggi Young]

It appears this man also owns this website  : http://www.plumeria2u.co.uk/contact_us.html - and they have the same message re contact- Not very hopeful news.


Registered Office
145-157 St. John Street
London
EC1V 4PW
United Kingdom
PLUMERIA2U LTD is registered in England Number: 08360084

[MR GRUMPY]

Thanks, Ulrich - well, that's not good at all. I was also wondering whether anyone here might know Stuart Pointon (the owner I think), as the website suggests that the owner(s) are pretty enthusiastic hobbyists as well.

Alex

Alex,I've had a completely opposite experience.Bought seven Cyps from them,and with every order(four in total)was really pleased.The packaging wasn't the strongest,but the plants were always safe.
    Just wondering if the e-mail address should be in small letters,rather than capitals?.

[Alex]

Thank you, good to hear something better, although I am not convinced it will happen to me....I've tried many different ways of writing that address, including caps and lower case, although ordinarily email addresses are not case-sensitive

Alex

[Steve Garvie]

The guy who owns Medlock Valley Orchids (which recently changed its name from "HardyOrchids" but retains the same web address) is a man called Stuart Pointon. He also has another online shop which sells certain tropical plants such as Plumeria and Adenium called "Plumeria2U".

It is not entirely obvious that the two businesses are related as the Plumeria2U website no longer has a linking Manchester address. However check out the reviews of Plumeria2U on this website: http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/7577/  -note the address.
Now check out Medlock Valley Orchids' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Medlock-Valley-Orchids/533845820042537  -click the map to the right of the (38) likes tab and note the address.

Read the reviews on the "Davesgarden" website but be wary as there is a suggestion that some of the positive reviews may have been written by the owner of Plumeria2U.
Now check out this: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/adenium/msg050439401654.html

Does it all sound familiar?

I was very impressed by the Medlock Valley Orchids website when I first saw it. There was a remarkable range of plants -all on a very professional looking website offering a Paypal payment facility and an indicator of available stock (which would immediately deduct one's plant from the stock order after the order was placed). There were orchids listed that I had previously lusted after and though the prices weren't cheap neither were they over the top. Furthermore the website advertised the sources of its stock which includes German, Dutch and Belgian companies well-known for their cultivation of orchids from seed as well as other sources such as Holger Perner's Huanglong nursery in Sichuan. I couldn't help myself -I had to place an order for some unusual Cyps. The order was accepted and I was advised that the plants were still in growth and wouldn't be sent out until dormant which was likely to be late autumn. I subsequently placed another order as new plants appeared, then another order .....followed by an additional small order. On each occasion I was advised that there would be a slight delay before delivery as all that I had ordered was still in growth (except for some Amitostigma and Eleorchis -the delivery of which was delayed by the Japanese nursery that was the source of these plants). I was signed up for the Medlock Valley Orchids newsletter and in November I received an email advising that they had managed to get their hands on three genuine Pleione albiflora of cultivated stock the provenance of which (according to the Medlock Valley Orchids website) had been confirmed by Paul Cumbleton.     .....I couldn't help myself, I had some money to burn and so placed an order for one of the plants (all three sold in under a day). Then shortly after I received an email advising of a bargain weekend clearance of Cyps -most with a few noses and at bargain prices -so again I placed an order. By this point I had a number of different orders with Medlock Valley Orchids representing a significant amount of money -all paid for in advance through Paypal -though I had yet to receive a single plant.

I then saw a Pleione albiflora for sale on eBay at a very high price. The anonymous vendor had a number of other orchids for sale that mirrored the stock listed by Medlock Valley Orchids. I began to feel a little nervous. The information included in the Medlock Valley orchids purchase details for the Pl. albiflora and the "bargain Cyps" stated they would be sent out the following week  .....but they weren't! I sent a polite email enquiring as to delivery and received an apologetic reply that stated the delivery would be delayed by a week as Stuart had broken a bone in his foot whilst erecting a new greenhouse. I felt bad for pestering the guy! However the new delivery date came and went with no signs of any plants. I sent another email, then another, then another .....but there was no reply! I bought a small order from the mysterious eBay vendor and was able to confirm that the seller resided at the same address as Medlock Valley Orchids. At this point I became quite angry!

I therefore decided to raise a grievance with Medlock Valley Orchids through Paypal. Unfortunately my first order was beyond the Paypal window for raising a dispute but the numerous other orders were not and I tagged the details of my first order into the free text of one of the other grievances so that it was all visible for Paypal  adjudication. The first stage in a Paypal grievance process is that Paypal encourage the customer and seller to start up a dialogue in the hope that the dispute can be sorted amicably prior to Paypal becoming formally involved. As I had raised disputes for all of my transactions Paypal decided to freeze my payments in a holding account (it would appear that the funds are claimed back from the seller's account) and would seem to have also put a block on Medlock Valley Orchids receiving any Paypal payments. As a result Stuart Pointon was very quickly in touch. He stated that he was very disappointed that I had resorted to raising a Paypal dispute and that I should simply have gotten in touch with him. Indeed the communication suggested that he was the injured party! He insisted that he had tried to get in touch with me at my work only to find that I was on a week's holiday (which was true) and that my plants would be sent out over the subsequent days -and they were. I received the orders in a number of consignments and currently now only have one single plant outstanding. At this same time I noted that this appeared on the Medlock Valley Orchids website: "ANYONE WHO HAS EMAILED IN THE LAST 10 DAYS PLEASE SEND YOUR MESSAGE AGAIN TO UKHARDYORCHIDS@GMAIL.COM AS WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY MESSAGES"

The plants I received were of generally good quality but as all are dormant I am currently unable to confirm whether all are true to name. I mention this as the Pleione albiflora pseudobulb I received was very large but somewhat squat in shape -I had expected a pseudobulb of similar appearance to humilis. I raised this concern with Stuart of Medlock Valley Orchids and he re-assured me that if any of the plants I had received from him were not true to name he would without hesitation offer a complete refund. I hope not to have the need to put this to the test!

[Transvaal]

Hi all
This is my first post on here, though I have been reading this very informative forum for over a year. I have had three orders from Medlock valley, the first two were very efficiently delivered and good quality plants. HOWEVER I ordered 4 further cyps 21th November and I am still waiting for them. about half a dozen emails have only elicited one reply on 14th December "plants packed - will send tomorrow" - they have not.  I have recently told them to cancel the order and refund , but I have heard nothing. Doesen't look great.
Phil

[Steve Garvie]

I suggest that anyone with an outstanding order(s) with this company review their order details. If you are not satisfied with the way your order is being handled and you made payment through Paypal then you should log into your Paypal account, identify the appropriate transactions and raise a dispute (assuming your are still within the Paypal time frame (I think it is 60 days -but you should check)).

If a few buyers simultaneously raise a dispute against the same retailer it is likely that the retailer's Paypal account will be frozen or suspended pending resolution (or otherwise) of the dispute. This is then likely to induce a response from Medlock Valley Orchids.

[Alex]

At this point (and also bearing in mind some of the correspondence I've had via PM on this), the best that can be said is that this nursery is EXTREMELY unreliable; if you are lucky, you'll get good material (fresh from the original grower), if not, you'll waste weeks emailing to be mostly ignored, and *may* get your money back eventually. You'll also probably be lied to along the way. Most of the stuff on offer is available elsewhere these days, direct from the same sources as Mr. Pointon seems to be getting it from, or from actual growers like Jan Moors at Albiflora/Crustacare (to name but one) who reliably send out great plants, so who on Earth needs this c***? I hope details of this thread and the level of dissatisfaction feed back to Mr. Pointon somehow, whether he'd care I don't know.

[mark smyth]

Looking at Google street view and Google earth this person isn't a grower but simply buys in and sells on