I found Daves Garden looking for GARDENERS CHOICE

I am semi-computer illeterate. I just found out how to find old emails that I sent. Anybody reading this should read from the bottom up starting with my ripoff order of $623.61. to Gardeners Choice up until they finally responded to my complaint




I have been to the source several times and it appears that the only reason that you responded to this one of many emails is because I did mention disputing the charges and you are now using that as a reason for not helping me. Maybe you should try getting another phone line for customer service as the only phone lines you can ever get through on are the ones to order more of your dead or dying stuff which is handled by people who say that they can not help me because they onlyl handle new orders but that they will pass a mesage with my phone number for someone to call me but that that was all that they could do. Thanks for finally responding and confirming that you do not intend to help me, especially the way you switched the blaim on me for mentioning dispute as the reason for not trying to help me. As far as Daves garden, they handle feedback from gardeners for other companys too, good and bad experiences and they appear to be sincere gardeners like myself. I was not even looking for that site when I found it, as I said in my email, I was looking for another phone number for your company at the time that I found it, but you might also look at the reports on garden companys on these web sites, and I found their sites by typing in gardenerschoice also, ripoffreport.com or complaints.com >From: >Reply-To:

>To: " >>Subject: Re: 84502 and lack of customer service and inferior products>Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 08:30:05 -0400>>I have read this letter completely. All of your order will not ship>together. You may still have shipments coming. We are noting your account>that you are disbuting the charges and we will deal with your credit card>complany.> As for the Dave's Garden - if I have a complaint - I go to the source - not>to a site that can't help me at all.> I would have been more than happy to take care of this for you but, once a>dispute in mentioned we can't do anything because the dispute will come>faster than anything wecan do for you.> We do not go out to sites looking for people who are complaining as we are>here to serve our customers.> Alot of those complaints are false and are from our competitors who are>trying to ruin our name.> We answer every email that we receive and if you did not receive a response>this means that we did not receive the email.> We have been in business almost 30 years and we are here to make sure that>are customers are happy - but, we will not go to slam sites to look for>people that are complaining - when they coould come to us> I hope this will help you understand our side of the story.>Thanks>>----- Original Message -----

>From: >To: >Cc: >Sent: Monday, May 01, 2006 12:06 AM>Subject: RE: 84502 and lack of customer service and inferior products>>> > Hi, it is me again, I will probably be the only one to ever read this as> > nobody has ever responded to any of my other emails and the phone is> > constantly busy. My latest shipment had a bunch of twig looking things>that> > I guess were suppossed to be trees and three suppossed 3-n-1 cherry trees> > that had been topped, which I do not consider a good thing besides the>fact> > that I did not see any obvious graff's which I would expect to see on a> > 3-n-1. The fruit salad twigs/trees had no apparrant graff's either and it> > would be nice to talk to someone who careds. The order did not have any> > apple trees as was stated in the invoice, which were suppossed to be three> > 5-n-1 apple trees. The grass seeds are in bags with a made up label saying> > for 500', but when you pull the made up label sticker, you see that the> > manufacturer says each bag is only good for seeding 200' which doing the> > math shows that I only got 40% of what I thought that I was getting by>your> > add. I guess I will just dispute the charges on my credit card. Thanks> > again, Mike> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > >

From: " >> > >To: customerservice@gardenerschoice.net> > >CC: excelrealty@hotmail.com> > >Subject: 84502 and lack of customer service> > >Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2006 18:18:16 -0500> > >> > >> > >Hi, I am not very happy with the plants that I got today, or the kiwi>that> > >I recieved a couple of days ago. I have sent several emails and tried to> > >call several times to find out when to expect to recieve my plants,> > >particular my grass. I have got no response and now that I have recieved>a> > >few plants, I am not at all happy with the quality of the ones that might> > >be able to survive. I called the ordering number and they said they do>not> > >handle complaints and do not know of another number to call besides> > >269-621-2481 or that I might try faxing you at 269-621-2449. I will try> > >when I get by a fax. While looking for another way of contacting you, I> > >came upon a site called Dave's garden that features a garden watchdog>where> > >gardeners can rate garden stores. You have a rating of 12 out of 100 with> > >16 positives, 21 neutrals, and 154 negatives. Some of the negatives give> > >you phone numbers to complain to such as the BBB and the Michigan>Attorney> > >General. I am losing hope of getting anything of quality from you and> > >actually expect for whoever works in customer service, if anyone, to>trash> > >this as soon as they realize that this is not another order. Please> > >surprise me and prove me wrong by responding to this and my other emails,> > >along with the two messages I sent via your ordering number. Thanks, Mike> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >>

From: "Live Plants, Flowers, Vegetables, Trees and Shrubs" > > >>To: excelrealty@hotmail.com> > >>Subject: About Your Order: 84502> > >>Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 22:45:22 -0600> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>Thank You For Your Order Mike Boyd> > >>Your Order Number Is: 84502> > >>Date Of Order: 3/28/2006 1:45:00 AM> > >>> > >>Billing Information:> > >>> > >> > > >>US> > >>> > >>Shipping Information:> > >>Shipping Method: USPS/UPS Shipping> > >>> > >>Shipping Information Is Same As Billing.> > >>> > >>Product Information:> > >>> > >>Super Giant Sunflower Seeds - Free Sample Pack> > >>Part#: SGSS-1> > >>Manufacturer Part#: SGSS> > >>(Qty: 1 x $0.00)> > >>> > >>Little Giant Finger Carrot Seeds - Free Sample> > >>Part#: LGFC-1> > >>Manufacturer Part#: LGFC> > >>(Qty: 1 x $0.00)> > >>> > >>Superbig Patch Pumpkin Seeds - Free Sample Pack> > >>Part#: SPPS-1> > >>Manufacturer Part#: SPPS> > >>(Qty: 1 x $0.00)> > >>> > >>Fruit Salad Tree (1 tree)> > >>4 Trees for $65.98> > >>Part#: T31010-4> > >>Manufacturer Part#: T31010> > >>(Qty: 1 x $65.98)> > >>> > >>Giant Tree Tomato> > >>8 Plants for $18.98> > >>Part#: V30010-8> > >>Manufacturer Part#: V30010> > >>(Qty: 1 x $18.98)> > >>> > >>Berry Barrel Collection (6 Plants and 1 Barrel)> > >>3 Collections for $16.98> > >>Part#: G80010-3> > >>Manufacturer Part#: G80010> > >>(Qty: 1 x $16.98)> > >>> > >>Five-In-One Apple Tree (1 Tree)> > >>3 Trees for $49.98> > >>Part#: T30010-3> > >>Manufacturer Part#: T30010> > >>(Qty: 1 x $49.98)> > >>> > >>3-in-1 Cherry Tree> > >>4 Trees for $65.98> > >>Part#: N80010-3> > >>Manufacturer Part#: N80010> > >>(Qty: 1 x $69.98)> > >>> > >>Strawberry Tree> > >>12 Trees for only $29.98> > >>Part#: T20501-12> > >>Manufacturer Part#: T20501> > >>(Qty: 1 x $29.98)> > >>> > >>Towering Walnut Tree (1 Tree)> > >>3 Trees for only $11.98> > >>Part#: T40010-3> > >>Manufacturer Part#: T40010> > >>(Qty: 1 x $11.98)> > >>> > >>Sugar Bush Watermelon (6 Plants)> > >>24 Plants for $19.98> > >>Part#: V17904-24> > >>Manufacturer Part#: V17904> > >>(Qty: 1 x $19.98)> > >>> > >>Quicklawn (Pkg. Covers 500 SQ. FT)> > >>Cover 25,000 Sq. Feet for $198.98> > >>Part#: E26288-50> > >>Manufacturer Part#: E26288> > >>(Qty: 1 x $198.98)> > >>> > >>Yard N' Garden Boots> > >>LARGE (9-11)> > >>Part#: G20609-1> > >>Manufacturer Part#: B5603> > >>(Qty: 2 x $7.98)> > >>> > >>Odor Control Plant (1 Plant)> > >>8 Plants for $14.98> > >>Part#: H13165-8> > >>Manufacturer Part#: H13165> > >>(Qty: 1 x $14.98)> > >>> > >>Amazing Tomato-Potato> > >>4 Grafts Only $14.98> > >>Part#: V13832-4> > >>Manufacturer Part#: V13832> > >>(Qty: 1 x $14.98)> > >>> > >>Giant Skyscraper Sweet Corn (10 Seeds)> > >>40 Seeds for $9.98> > >>Part#: V16125-4> > >>Manufacturer Part#: V16125> > >>(Qty: 1 x $9.98)> > >>> > >>Rainbow Bell Peppers (5 Plants)> > >>15 Plants for $18.98> > >>Part#: V17638-15> > >>Manufacturer Part#: V17638> > >>(Qty: 1 x $18.98)> > >>> > >>Siberian Tomato (3 Plants)> > >>24 Plants for $24.98> > >>Part#: V13841-24> > >>Manufacturer Part#: V13841> > >>(Qty: 1 x $24.98)> > >>> > >>Hardy Kiwi Vine (1 Plant)> > >>4 Plants for $39.98> > >>Part#: F23425-4> > >>Manufacturer Part#: F23425> > >>(Qty: 1 x $39.98)> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>Subtotal: $622.66> > >>Tax: $0.00> > >>Shipping: $0.00> > >>Priority Handling$0.95> > >>> > >>Final Total: $623.61> > >> > >

Actually, it is true that once you file a dispute with your credit card company, a merchant can't and won't help you. The credit card processor at that point will not allow any refunding to go on, and the merchant isn't going to send you anymore products, since they know that they are going to be out the money for the entire order plus a hefty fee. So a dispute on your credit card should be only a last-ditch effort on your part, when you are getting absolutely no response from the merchant.

You could have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. They contact the company and try to get some sort of resolution. But if you have filed a dispute with your credit card company, they aren't going to do anything, because you've already gotten your money back.

Instead of posting this here, you should post it in the GardenWatchdog section, where you will see a lot of other complaints about this company.

This message was edited May 23, 2008 7:18 AM

Mike,

Sorry to hear about this. Don't worry, the benefit to a slowing economy is it will weed out the really bad companies. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I only use the top rated on watchdog, and have been very pleased!!

Thanks for the heads up about this company. I hope you get your money back!
good luck!

Wow, it is so sad to see companies not give a darn. And all those plants you'd ordered wasted by incompetance! Please do post this on GardenWatchdog. And welcome to Dave's!

I do hope your bank settles this for you. However, I can't imagine why you would order over $600 worth of plants from a company you never ordered from before. Or had you? If you had a successful experience, I would understand. But that's a lot of trust to extend to people you've never met.

I also note that you're in TX and GC is in Michigan! A thousand miles or more away. I'm not normally a confrontational person, but if I'm going to give somebody that much money - and if they don't live up to their end of the bargain - I want to be able to go in and face those people down. Surely there are nurseries closer to you.

And my last point: This 'nursery' website is filled with hype and cockamamie info - and no info at all. For instance:

*Roses - doesn't say if they're bareroot or potted

*"Odor control plant" - there is no such thing and the plant in question is never
identified

*Flowers - no zone info is given at all

*Tomatoes - just click though this and tell me if you seriously can believe this c**p: http://www.gardenerschoice.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=224

*Fruits - the "Amazing Strawberry Tree" http://www.gardenerschoice.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=110 Again, no info on what this plant really is or where it might be expected to grow. ??!!

Folks, this site is run by some modern-day P.T. Barnum's. Get a grip. Caveat emptor!!

Totally sleazy graphix say Run Away!

Here http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/928/ is where to post your complaint about this place.

I reread the msg, I see it's from way back in 2006 but you are posting in 2008. Has it been resolved?

No, never resolved. After about my fourth unanswered email and probably my 10th attempt at calling, I mentioned in my last email that I was going to dispute with credit card, but do not think that my wife ever did, and that was when I recieved their one and only response. It was my first mail order and my first garden on my own. I posted on the watchdog the same day that I posted this. I look at the watchdog before I order now. When I made this order, I did not know about the watchdog or Davesgarden.
By time I joined Daves and figured out how to use the watchdog, I could not find my reciept to remember what all I had ordered. I am not very good on computers and just figured out that stuff you sent out by email is still accessible by clicking the sent button. So two years later I find a email version of my reciept. Now I post this here and a negative on the Watchdog. Here is a quote from their response to me from above.
"Alot of those complaints are false and are from our competitors who are>trying to ruin our name.>"
Some of the people who have complained about Gardeners Choice have given me good advice over the last two years and have not tried to sell me anything. I believe that most if not all of those complaints are from customers and not competitors. I am still fuming over buying the grass seed:
"Quicklawn (Pkg. Covers 500 SQ. FT)> > >>Cover 25,000 Sq. Feet for $198.98>"
Each very small bag had a white peel sticker with a 500' on it stuck on the bag. I peeled off some stickers revealing the 200' that is actually stamped into the bag by the manufacturer. There was no way that 50 of those little bags was going to cover a half acre front yard. I actually recieved enough to cover 10,000' according to the manufacturer, not 25,000 that was falsely advertised.
One of the reasons that I wanted to post here and not just on the watchdog is that my order was so large and I wanted to be able to show their full response.

Something you might consider please is trying your local BBB website and filing a complaint there. It took me a LONG time to resolve one issue with Gold's Gym charging a canceled account but man oh man it steamed them enough to finally refund my card once I made the BBB complaint.

I will add though, some BB bureaus are better and more efficient that others. Some in some areas I've filed never turn results---and another I use even though not my local is out of Austin Texas and they are the BEST, they mail me updates and also notices of my complaint to the company plus ask me what the resolution was and if I am satisfied.

Keep in mind that you have six months to do a chargeback. After that, you can't do one, and it doesn't matter if you never got what you ordered or it wasn't as described. Likewise, once that six months is up, the merchant can't refund you--the credit card companies won't allow it. I think this is supposed to cut down on fraud, but I am not sure exactly how. I just know that credit card companies are wiggy about credits. They don't like to see big credits.

I agree with Tir-na-gog that different BBBs are different. I have dealt with them twice and have found them to be very helpful. But in this case I do not believe anything could be done for you, because you waited too long. I would not place a $600 order with a company I was not familiar with. I would place a smaller order first and see how things went.

Well I've placed a $400 online order for baby items just recently. I've never bought from the online company either. So depends....for my instance I went with this online baby co because they had the BEST price online. And we'll see how things go.

I am not trying to get my money back at this time. I filed a compaint with a BBB one time on something else along time ago. It was a joke. The merchant just lied and the BBB just kept going back from me to them about what I said, what they said. I finally let it go. Unntil reading some of the comments about some being better than others, I thought they were a joke, but maybe not. That is good to know for the future.

Oh yes, don't give up on the BBB. It really does depend on the branch. I've had no status reports from some and then like I say hit the jackpot on one that actually WORKS!

I just found the previous 4 emails starting on 4/6/2006 starting with just a question about when my order, particularly my grass seed would be sent. After 26 days from the first email and after a total of 7 emails, they finally responded only after the one saying that I would dispute. So much for them (would have been happy to take care of this for me if I would have gone to them)


order #84502‏
From: Mike
Sent: Thu 4/06/06 3:48 PM
To: customerservice@gardenerschoice.net

1st email
I would like to know when to expect my grass seeds and the rest of my order. Thank you, Mike Boyd
>To:
>Subject: About Your Order: 84502
>Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 22:45:22 -0600
Order number 84502‏
From: Mike
Sent: Mon 4/10/06 1:56 PM
To: customerservice@gardenerschoice.net

4th email
Order number 84502 March 28 2005 214-+++-++++ or 940- - I have been trying to find out when my order will be sent. I have sent numerous emails and tried calling alot, only getting busy signal during day or answering service after hours. No return calls or emails. Please respond. Thanks, Mike

I bought all my kitchen cabinets online, $3300, and never did business with the company before. Some things are like that. It was a bit worrisome, but it all worked out well and my cabinets cost me about a third of what they would have.

It's good you found DG, Mike and if not your money back, a place where a lot of people heard you.

Thanks for the encouraging words!

I thought that I would re-paste the one and only email response to my 7 emailed inquires/complaints. I find it funny that they suggested I go to the source after I did 7 times. It is also funny that now that they "would have been more than happy to take care of this for you but ..." after several phone calls and emails and about a month after my first inquiry. There feedback speaks for itself and I do not believe that alot of those complaints are from their competitors who are trying to ruin their name. Their customer service can do that fine without any help from competitors.lol


>To: " >>Subject: Re: 84502 and lack of customer service and inferior products>Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 08:30:05 -0400>>I have read this letter completely. All of your order will not ship>together. You may still have shipments coming. We are noting your account>that you are disbuting the charges and we will deal with your credit card>complany.> As for the Dave's Garden - if I have a complaint - I go to the source - not>to a site that can't help me at all.> I would have been more than happy to take care of this for you but, once a>dispute in mentioned we can't do anything because the dispute will come>faster than anything wecan do for you.> We do not go out to sites looking for people who are complaining as we are>here to serve our customers.> Alot of those complaints are false and are from our competitors who are>trying to ruin our name.> We answer every email that we receive and if you did not receive a response>this means that we did not receive the email.> We have been in business almost 30 years and we are here to make sure that>are customers are happy - but, we will not go to slam sites to look for>people that are complaining - when they coould come to us> I hope this will help you understand our side of the story.>Thanks>>----- Original Message -----

That would ruffle my feathers more.
Live and learn, eh? Tuition is expensive, in my experience!

When I was a new gardener I had many disappointing experiences ordering from those MI and OH nurseries that have the ads in the Sunday paper and also send out millions of catalogs. Everything is wonderful, cheap and one size fits all because zones are not important. I have paid dearly for my education, including a whole shelf of gardening books. My best tool has been the internet and Dg.

Thanks to the Watchdog, it is now possible to find a source in your zone. If you can't find it for sale in your zone, it probably won't grow there. Practically none of the fruits and grasses that work for MI will work for us in the South.

the voice of experience

edited to add that the same zone on the west coast will be radically different due to humidity. There are many pitfalls to watch out for and the absolute safest way to go is lots of research.


This message was edited Jun 23, 2008 2:13 PM

Yep, or accept failures as part of the learning curve.

>>Final Total: $623.61> > >> > > That was my tuition. Education well recieved. lol

That is rough. Been there, though - not quite the same - but been there!

Enjoy Dave's and someday, when you are one of the experts, you'll look back and share the story with a chuckle. (I hope).