Terms and Policies
Privacy
What customer data is collected and tracked? Is my information shared?
Is there an alternative to online orders?
Vermont Flower Farm (VFF) has a history of over thirty years of growing and selling perennials. We accept orders for plants from our website for mail order delivery and sell plants in person at our nursery. Data in the form of online orders requires standard information including name and address of the customer as well as the ship-to address. It requires the name and quantity of the desired plants, the credit card type, the account name and card number, the card security number, the card expiration date, and a contact telephone number and e-mail address. VFF maintains that information for a period of one year from the date of plant shipment after which the records are destroyed. At no time does VFF use those records for any purpose other than completing an order. No customer records ever leave the confines of the VFF business and they are never shared with or outright given to any other source. Customers making purchases at VFF will receive a handwritten sales receipt for their purchases as well as a copy of their credit card charge if that is their preferred payment type.
Customers making online orders who do not wish to use our online ordering system can call us by telephone to place an order or can mail us their order with a return telephone number and we will call them and take the order and payment information. Payment by check mailed to VFF is also an acceptable method of payment but the shipment will not be made from VFF until the check clears.
Refunds, Returns, Cancellations
During the growing season, May through October, we try to complete online orders within one week of the order being placed and received by VFF. During July which is our busiest month, we require a bit more time. When we receive orders during the months of November through April we hold the orders until an appropriate shipping time. That has to consider weather conditions here and in the state the plants are shipping to. Orders are shipped out via the United States Postal Service, Marshfield, Vermont 05658 on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of each week to ensure that no order will be carried over the weekend. The USPS Tracking Number is forwarded by email to the customer within one day of shipping. Cancellations in full or part must be made prior to shipping. Claims must be made with USPS for any packages which are delivered damaged. All plants are guaranteed to be true to name and will be replaced one-for-one after review of a color photo of the plant in question emailed to VFF at vermontflowerfarm@outlook.com. If VFF has further questions about a plant, they may request that it be returned via USPS at the customer’s expense, and then VFF will replace it, and refund a check for the shipping expense. VFF will not honor any returns or refunds for plants that are not the size, shape or bloom color you expected. Soil composition, moisture levels, sunlight each can influence plant size and bloom color. Almost all our plants are grown and sold at above industry size.
Shipping/Delivery
We have always used the United States Postal Service as our shipping carrier. We hand-carry all shipments to the Marshfield Vt 05658 Post Office and wait while the packages are weighed and posted. We receive a Tracking Number on each package coming your way and we will email that number within 24 hours of the time USPS has the package. Our other two carriers are FedEx and UPS, and on occasion DHL. We have received requests from customers asking that we not use them. Our personal good experience with USPS included a few years back when a package of daylilies was received by the customer in Anchorage, Alaska in a few hours less than 48 hours from the time we left it at the post office here. With problems arising in the delivery business due to Covid, it seems prudent to us to stick with what has worked. Maybe the Alaska story was an anomaly but it really happened!
If you are traveling through the area and wish to have an order prepared for you in advance, you can provide an order to us via phone 802-426-3506 or email us and we’ll have it ready. If you are on vacation or business and time and space in your vehicle are limited we can pack and ship your plants to arrive back home at the time you prescribe. Just a thought!
Security
George spent years as a prison administrator so he knows quite a bit about security. The first part of security is understanding what is important and why. With websites and money, there are several parts to maintain as secure. We have a website that employs Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (https) so data is shared on a secure network. Our computers have anti-viral and anti-malware software that are automatically updated but also manually checked regularly. Heartland Payment Systems is our choice for a credit card reader at the flower farm and our office, and they also are our choice of managing our webpage shopping cart. They have an excellent reputation for keeping security in mind 24 hours per day. The final part is personal security of those who work at Vermont Flower Farm. We are a small business, there are three of us, and we keep a tight handle on orders, $$$$, and your property. Our 4.3 acre nursery is located at 2263 US 2, Marshfield Vermont. Our phone there is 802-426-3506, seven days a week mid-April through October. We can also be reached at 802-426-3505. If you have any concerns, stop by and share them with us. If not there, then email or telephone us. We want to be “your” nursery and we want you to feel comfortable with how we manage and continue to be with us as we grow.
Many thanks!
George, Gail and Alex
