Comments regarding Caladium Bulbs 4 Less

Just received a great surprise. Our daughter sent us 20 Grade 2 Moonlight Caladiums. We were impressed with the quality of the bulbs (and the price she paid.). They are now in the ground and we are anxiously waiting for them to come up. Of course we must lift them in the winter here in zone 7.

Placed an order for 4 varieties of #2 bulbs and requested early shipping. Received healthy bulbs, well packed and protected. Happy with the transaction, and will be placing a larger order for next spring.

Ordered from Caladiums Bulbs 4 Less last year and was very pleased with the size of bulbs, the timeliness of the shipment, and the incredible color of the caladiums. I have been checking the website, off and on, to see when I could make an order for this year. The website is "up" and I wanted to get my order in early to get the varieties I had my eye on. This is a great company with excellent products, service, and reliability. I made my order and arranged for the bulbs be shipped out to me in late April.

Posted on April 6, 2012, updated April 30, 2014
Posted on April 15, 2011, updated April 6, 2012
Posted on September 22, 2009, updated April 15, 2011
Wonderful bulbs! I'm extremely pleased with the colorful results. I'm over 200 feet off of our rural highway and people who have passed by on the road have commented on the caladiums that literally sparkle along my front walk.

"On Apr 7, 2012 12:37 AM, Caladium Bulbs 4 Less responded with:

Thank You for the kind words!! We take a great deal of pride in providing our customers with 1st Class Customer Service as we know our bulbs will speak for themselves!!"

Outstanding product and service! I've been remiss in not reviewing Caladiums 4 Less sooner, as I've been placing increasingly large orders over the past several years... larger each time as word has spread among family and friends who want to order with me!

Bill is passionate about caladiums and really enjoys providing top-notch service, from ordering to delivery. He'll answer questions any time. Every time I've dealt with him, I've felt he's gone "above and beyond" with my order. He's just one of the friendliest, sweetest people in the business.

The bulbs are always good-sized, often huge for the price, and they come nicely packaged, in paper bags with carefully folded tops... no "mystery varieties" because bulbs got jumbled during shipping!

This year, our local DGers did a bigger group buy from Bill, $500 worth of bulbs that we needed to have on hand for our seed swap gathering Feb. 15. That's pretty early for shipping tender bulbs, but Bill said, no problem, he'd double box them and insulate with rice hulls. He absorbed the extra shipping cost of doing it this way and even offered us a great deal on some jumbo bulbs that came in just before our box shipped.

The bulbs came yesterday, and the Fed Ex guy dropped them in front of the garage without ringing the doorbell. That could have been a big problem (it's cold!), but Bill called shortly afterward to check on them, as he'd seen the Fed Ex delivery confirmation. Whew! Disaster averted.

I haven't unpacked them yet, but I have no doubt about what I'll see when I do. :-)

FYI, for those who have wondered about "de-eyeing" bulbs for fuller plants but haven't quite worked up the nerve to do it... I noticed that Bill now offers de-eyeing as an add-on service. He also has an excellent description of the process on the website, for do-it-yourselfers.

Posted on May 4, 2012, updated August 14, 2013
Posted on March 8, 2012, updated May 4, 2012
I ordered in late October, and told Bill that I start indoors, so I'd like to get the bulbs early. He explained that he could not ship too early because the bulbs would not withstand cold temps during shipping.

He explained that he would carefully monitor regional temperatures before bulbs could be packed for safe shipment.

As most people know, the northeast has endured a strange winter weather experience with a scarcity of snow.
It was 66 degrees this morning when the box of bulbs arrived! It had been carefully packaged, arrived in perfect condition and contained extra bulbs. I could not be happier.

Not only does this company provide the largest, healthiest, and most beautiful-producing caladium bulbs possible, the customer service on which the company is based is outstanding.

I have purchased caladium bulbs from Bill since 2004. The bulbs are consistently packaged with care and shipped so fresh, his communication is excellent, and the level of personal care is over the top.

It would be enough to be completely impressed by the absolutely gorgeous caladiums that come up year after year, but it truly adds to the experience to know that they come from a grower for whom beautiful caladiums are a passion and complete professionalism and care is a way of business.

Caladium Bulbs 4 Less is a the best in every way, and I would give Bill and his company my very highest recommendation!

Posted on May 11, 2012, updated May 11, 2013
Posted on May 14, 2011, updated May 11, 2012
Posted on January 4, 2010, updated May 14, 2011
It's always a pleasure to deal with Bill as he has always sent the biggest and best bulbs. His bulbs are also true to name, which is a pleasure for me since I garden using the color harmony theory and many companies simply don't care if their bulbs are right or wrong.

You simply won't find better bulbs than Bill's.

I ordered 100 bulbs of three different varieties via phone in the morning for pick up by another person the next day. The bulbs were ready as promised.

The package sat on my kitchen table for one day. This evening I opened the large paper bag. Inside were three smaller paper bags, each labeled, with my bulbs. The bulbs are larger than I expect for number 2's. All very plump and healthy looking, thanks.

Bob

In Spring 2011 I ordered Purple Majesty Caladium and they grew fine but remained tiny, about 3 inches. I called Bill for advice and he spent time explaining the difficulty that new variety was proving to be. He said to call him this spring and he would take care of things. I called and he sent out 15 huge bulbs that I chose, at no cost. I have found Bill to be very helpful, friendly and he stands behind his products. I am 100% pleased with Caladium Bulbs 4 Less.

I was a little hesitant to order from this company, as there seemed to have been some unhappy customers in 2011. I was assured by the owner and other regular buyers that it was a trustworthy company with good products.

The bulbs arrived, very well packaged, during an early spring mini heat wave. It seems they were watching the news reports and knew that it would be safe to send them early in March.

The bulbs were started indoors and are already starting to leaf out. The bulbs were big, fat, and heavy for their size. The only issue I had was I had not idea which way was up! I wish a picture was included for a caladium newbie like myself.

I'll be updating this summer after they've been outside for awhile. So far I've been very impressed.

My Master Gardener Association tried to to use his company as a fundraising source and he turned out to be the most unreliable vendor we have ever dealt with. In January 2011, We had an agreement in place for caladiums to be ordered in March and delivered by April. When the time came to place the order, he stopped returning phone calls and emails. Very unprofessional. I had to desperately seek another source for the caladiums. It was now late in the ordering season and very few growers had caladiums left. I desperately was seeking a grower who could supply the types of Caladium I needed and at a cost similar to what I had agreed to with Caladiums 4 Less. If Bill Kurek would have been honest in the first place, I could have easily worked out an agreement with another company. Instead he left me in a huge bind. Bill Kurek will tell you whatever you need to hear but will not deliver on his promises. I later discovered that Caladiums 4 Less doesn't even grow all the things I was told. Thank goodness there are reputable growers in Lake Placid, Florida of which Caladiums 4 Less is not one.

"On Jan 21, 2012 7:22 AM, Caladium Bulbs 4 Less responded with:

We are sorry we weren't able to meet this group's needs, but we suffered a major crop loss as did everyone else in this area.

I have ordered bulbs from caladiumbulbs4less in 2009 and 2010 that grew very well. In 2011 I ordered $119 of bulbs of which only one bulb came up. I have been corresponding with them since May 2011 to receive a refund. They said they would send me a refund but I have have still not received it. I even returned the apparently defective bulbs and that cost me an additional $20. I am very disappointed.

I placed an order back in January and was charged in full at that time. A few weeks ago (mid-June in Zone 6 territory) I wondered, "hey, what ever happened to those caladium bulbs I ordered?" I emailed the company two weeks ago but have received no response. Very disappointing, especially since I've had mostly great experiences from vendors I've researched here on DGW. I've emailed again today and will update if this problem is resolved quickly; even so, I'm none too pleased to have been put out almost $60 for half a year.

Posted on May 22, 2008, updated July 5, 2011
I've received assorted caladiums from Caladium Bulbs 4 Less, first last year and again this year. The bulbs arrived large and healthy, and they grow beautifully. Kudos, Bill!

I decided to try growing caladium bulbs this year, and chose this company based on the reviews here on DG. I ordered 10 "Miss Muffet" and 10 Mixed Pink. They arrived on schedule and seemed very healthy. A month or two later, they sent the order again; when I asked about it, they said keep the bulbs, no charge- terrific! The bulbs are leafing out beautifully, and I'm sure I'll want to order from Caladium Bulbs 4 Less again!

We have purchased caladiums from Bill for the past 3 years and are absolutely thrilled with the product. I also speak from first hand experience when I say that talking with Bill has been a very positve and informative experience. We try to stop by the warehouse on our many trips to Key West from Orlando. Bill has always been willing to meet us there to make it easy for us to pick up some new plants. In fact he even met us on Monday (Memorial day) when we were returning from our recent trip) and we were fortunate enough to get some of his last plants of this season. My wife and I both deal with the public on a daily basis and know full well how demanding that can be. Too many times the public will think they can imtimidate shop owners into giving away the store because they come up with some crazy complaint. In the long run the stores that cave into these unreasonable demands just cause the rest of us to have to pay a little more. I for one like it when an owner will defend themselves and NOT be bullied into correcting something that wasn't wrong in the first place. The person that said the Customer is always right has not worked with the general public in the past 50 years. For those FEW of you whinning about this...find another company. Caladium Bulbs for Less is a great group of people. They have a superious product and customer service to match. Thanks SO MUCH! My yard is beautiful!

"On May 31, 2011 10:13 AM, Caladium Bulbs 4 Less responded with:

Thank You very much for the kind words!!"

Posted on May 12, 2011, updated May 13, 2011
The bulbs were very small compare to what I seen from other company and when I mentioned this to him, he was very rude to me. I will never buy from this guy again, too rude for my business. There are too many others that I would buy from and I can get much better quality bulbs somewhere else.

I placed an order for Moonlight caladiums and I was sent June Bride caladiums. If you know the difference between the two, Moonlight is much whiter than June Bride. I contacted Bill, who is the owner of this place. He was very rude and cocky and refused to do anything about it. I will never buy anything from this guy again. I recommend hightly that you look at Classic Caladiums and Happiness Farm, at least they grow their own bulbs, unlike this guy Bill who just buys from others and doesn't know how to grow his own.

"On Apr 28, 2011 10:25 PM, Caladium Bulbs 4 Less responded with:

This woman is NUTS!! She bought bulbs TWO years ago and waits until the beginning of this past March to tell me she received the wrong bulbs. Two Years!! She was shipped Moonlight but apparently she knows my business alot more than I do. After being called a liar, a thief and an A-hole, Yes, I did get a little rude. I flat out told her to call someone else!!!! I take alot of pride in what I do and Yes, I do grow some of my own Caladiums. Do I buy from other growers, Yes.
We ALL do!!! If anyone would like to see the emails I had to deal with please let me know and I will more than happily forward them to you. This woman needs to adjust her prozac because she's a flat out wack job!!!!

Ordered on the 29th of January. Still have not received anything ... sent d-mails as well as email from their website. Still no response. Having to file dispute with paypal to get my money back.

The most amazing selection of caladiums and very friendly staff. We have been ordering for 4 years and this just makes our spring each year. Bulbs are always in good conition with pretty much 100% success.

Absolutely the BEST place for Caladiums and Tuberoses. Further, the customer service is the BEST you'll find. I read the only negative review and it's a joke.

The bulbs I received from this company last year grew very well and then came back this year (I leave them in the ground - Jacksonville, Florida) nearly twice as big! I can't stop their growth - it's wonderful. The caladiums I received are very healthy and very colorful - some of the deepest reds and pinks I've seen - stunning.

The shipping method is perfectly fine for these bulbs - not sure why the one complainer had issues. "Carefully pick the (bulbs) out?" Give me a break - use your fingers and pick the bulbs out - they won't break LOL!!

Posted on March 20, 2007, updated May 20, 2010
i found this company by accident as i was cruising through the watchdog. i've always wanted Miss Muffet so i thought i would him (bill) a try.

wow! i'm so impressed. nice, big, fat bulbs and the fastest shipping i've ever seen. not only that, this is one heck of a nice guy you're going to be dealing with, folks! there were instructions included and a free pen too.

i'll be back!

I ordered 4 types of Caladiums, 10 #1 bulbs each, from a special they offered for DG members. They were shipped when promised and arrived in a day. (I live in FL not far from them.)
The first three types came up fine, but when the 4th came up they were clearly not the Florida Beauties I ordered but Fannie Munsons. As soon as I notified Bill, he replied that they were out of #1 Florida Beauties, so he sent 15 #2s. They arrived in a couple of days. Mistakes will happen, but the true test for me is how a company responds. Caladiums4Less was just great. There bulbs are first class, all came up, and everything is healthy. I'll purchase from them every year!

Posted on May 1, 2009, updated May 14, 2010
I was new to co-ops and didnt know what to expect.
Many DGers spoke so highly of Bill's business and showed pictures of the bulbs they recieved last year.
I took a chance, I wasnt dissapointed expectations were exceeded. 10 count bags with 11 bulbs? common Bill where's your math lol
The 5 pound assorted bag looks like 100 bulbs at least.
All bulbs are huge and well packed for shipping.
Kudos to you Bill and I'll be back next year.

Placed an order for 7 different varieties and each and everyone of those bulbs were much bigger and fatter than I had expected,some of the packages had even more bulbs than I had ordered. A wonderful company and will definitively do more business with Bill !!!

I ordered a large variety of bulbs. They were carefully packed and shipped quickly, nice large bulbs and every one looks healthy and firm. Planted them out and drew every raccoon within five miles by including some bone meal .... but soon they were re-planted, sans bone meal. I've just snapped off the first sprouts of the "red side of the bed" and very happy with the service from Caladium Bulbs 4 Less.

I ordered bulbs through a co-op, but also ordered on my own in addition to the co-op bulbs.

All the bulbs were fresh and healthy, and I had gorgeous planters full of caladiums this year. Still going strong. I'm going to hate when the frost gets them.

But I know where I can get more next year!

I purchased a box of Caladium bulbs from the 'DG Classifieds' here. A large flat rate box - very heavy - arrived. When I opened it my eyes almost popped out! It was just packed as full as can be with bulbs. It had to be hundreds...I planted about a month ago and it looks like every single one has come up. A huge mass of color. Just gorgeous. I would order again and again from here. I love this huge instant planting bed!

I ordered a medium box of mixed bulbs. Box filled to full capacity with really nice firm bulbs. Very pleased with communication and speed of delivery.

I ordered my Caladiums from Bill and this was the BEST ordering experience I ever had. My questions where answered right away, shipping was very fast, packaging was great, the bulbs looked very nice and were just as advertised, and ALL of them grew.FANTASTIC!!!! I WILL be back next year.

In March I ordered 30 #1 Florida Fantasy Caladiums to be sent to me on May 15th. A few days before they were to be shipped, Bill informed me that the #1 bulbs of that variety, were not up to their standards, so he was shipping me 60 #2 bulbs at the same price. They arrived on May 16 in great condition, and they look as large as #1 bulbs I have ordered in the past from other suppliers. I am very pleased.

Over the years I had bought a lot of Caladiums from various growers and I have to tell you that the ones I got from biLL were the most generous in size of all. I had ordered 400 mixed #2 bulbs and all bulbs were firm and healthy. Some of the early varieties had started to make a sprout, but that's OK, it's time for them since you can not stop Mother Nature. Packing was great and no bulbs were damaged in transit. I'll be back next year.

NEGATIVE! I ordered the 40lb mixed caladium rainbow mix. I was stunned to find a simple (damp) large box intermixed with just bulbs and styrene peanuts. It took hours to carefully pick the bulbs out of the packing material.

Most had shoots, so I had to very careful not to break any off. Do you realize how much care that takes? Maybe I should have just dumped the single large box into a trash barrel of water and scooped the styrene out first and then drained the barrel!

But I did it the careful way, one bulb at a time. Foolish me, I did expect the bulbs to come in plastic or mesh containers in some set quantity like daffodils or tulips.

I don't care how good the bulbs are (and they don't seem that impressive - many are soft), I will never order from Caladium Bulbs 4 Less again!

I've been stewing over this for 2 weeks since they arrived. They were planted immediately, but I don't have good hopes. I'm not posting a negative report happily.

Mostly, I just want to suggest that the shipping/packing is awful! But a lot of the bulbs seemed very soft and I assume that is not good. If I get 30% growing, I'll consider myself lucky.

"On Sep 18, 2009 10:51 AM, Caladium Bulbs 4 Less responded with:

I guarantee more then 30% came up!!!
There's absolutely no doubt in my mind.
As far as a simple damp box goes, I'm not sure what kind of box he would have preferred and the day I can control what Fed Ex or Mother Nature does is the day I retire! The old saying still applies,
"You can please everyone all the time"

I ordered Elephant Ears. They were lovely, big and firm. Quick delivery. Highly recomend this company.

Great product, fast shipping and great communication from Vendor. Would recommend them and will shop there again.

I received my order of Tuberose's from this company today. They sent beautiful big healthy bulbs. They were packaged well and they arrived in no time at all. I highly recommend this company and I will be ordering from them again. A+++++

I know very little about caladiums other then I bought 3 pretty red ones at a garden center that I've had for a while. I am doing some landscaping and I was asked if I could add some like mine into the patio scape. .".....well, sure I guess?"


Jumped online, found the closest mail order company and placed an order. Dave called me the next day, in person to tell me why he couldnt ship them, when he could, how to care for them and some great uses for the bulbs. He even said being so close in Florida he could cut me a deal on the shipping for a large shipment next year.

WOW

It had to be one of the best, most personal customer service experiences I've ever had. I can't wait for my bulbs to get here....I'll up date it then!

I have just received my second order from these guys, and I am very happy. The first ones i received are thriving, and shipping is fast, prices are good, great selection.
Will definitely order from them again!