Good Plants, Poor Customer Service
Violet Barn offers some quality plants and a large selection of African violet varieties. If you live within driving distance, it’s worth checking out. Just be aware that customer service here can be downright appalling. The co-owner, Rob, probably shouldn’t be in charge of this role at Violet Barn, but he is.
I’d heard about this problem in African violet show circles, but for awhile, I didn’t worry about it because I hadn’t had to deal with Rob personally. I’d placed several orders with Violet Barn and was pleased with the quality of their plants and their excellent packaging. His website contains some glowing reviews of mine.
Then, two of my orders were messed up. After spending $40 (twice) for Express shipping on these two orders, both orders were sent out late, and the African violets I received were stressed from being too long in a shipping box and spending the weekend locked in a postal facility. I shared with him why this was problematic and requested that Express orders, being shipped all the way to Montana, be sent out on time (Monday or Tuesday, as with past orders, not Wednesday). Did he offer any kind of apology? None. Did he look into why these orders had been sent out late? Not to my knowledge. How did he handle it? He “banned” me from buying from him again! If something goes wrong, even when it’s his fault, this is how you can expect to be treated.
I used to be one of Violet Barn’s biggest fans. I recommended them to so many African violet lovers, growers, and showmen. But I will never do business with them again. You may have a good experience; I’m not saying don’t buy your plants here. But do understand that issues are not always handled with integrity.
When I learned about Violet Barn’s infestation of INSV, during which time the company continued to sell infected plants to the public, I paid my local Agriculture Extension Office to test all of my African violets, because they had all come from Violet Barn. It was a large and expensive project. Hopefully this issue doesn’t happen again. Not only can it devastate people’s plant collections, but it broke a lot of customers’ trust, mine included.