Gardener's Choice


P.O. Box 8000
Hartford, Michigan 49057-8000 (United States)
(269) 621-2481

Reviews:

positives
neutrals
negatives

Displaying the 50 most recent reviews

RatingContent
Negative
On Jun 12, 2015, 4RealFood (7 reviews) from Mount Orab, OH (Zone 6a)

I placed a sizable order with these guys in 2014 because I wanted to try some of the unusual varieties offered. It was a blunder of problems. First, months after ordering and never receiving the order, I checked tracking and it said it had shipped... a few days prior. So I waited.. and waited. Nothing. I email the company 2 weeks later and they give me the run around... tell me it shipped. I raise the point that if they in fact shipped it, it shipped weeks ago and nothing was likely to be alive still. They finally give and "resend my order". When I get the order... everything looks terrible. Plants are covered in dry, brown leaves... some items had bagged roots and were torn open and all the packaging material was all over the place. It actually looked like this could've been the weeks old order and not a replacement. If I had to guess, it was packaged and either returned to them or sat there and was discovered and resent to me. I contacted them again and once again had to argue about the order.... I planted everything any way and to no surprise, it did not recover. (Except the free gifts, my order qualified for free gifts because of how much I spent and oddly enough this was the only part of the order that survived.) After I contacted the BBB, I received an email from the company saying they were giving me a partial refund. What a joke. Gardener's Choice? Not this gardener!

Positive
On Feb 15, 2013, juhur7 (9 reviews) from Anderson, IN (Zone 6a)

I have used super grow from this company for as long as I can remember , when I have had a chance garden . Never any problem , Bare root Black Hawk raspberry looked fine also (free gift) that came with the super grow , they sent me two instead of one , as promised , Grandma always use to grow their big rainbow tomato plants back when they offered them (seed box tray today) 9 FT,Coneflower , 30 inch crown bloom on sunflower using super grow , grandma's 3 pd, 51/2 pd , and 7 pd big rainbow tomato were delightful , My memories here are nothing but good ,thank you ,,,,

Positive
On Oct 16, 2011, dragoonusa (1 reviews) from Grand Junction, CO

This is the second year in a row I have ordered from this company. The first year I ordered Strawberries and Blueberries, the second year I ordered some Cherry Bushes out of all of them only the Blueberries did not survive -- This was because I did not adjust the PH to assist the berries to grow in my High Alkaline soil. I have nothing but praise for this company. I found Soil Prep is one of the keys to successful gardening. 1. augment your soil 2. check your PH 3. water regularly

Negative
On Sep 4, 2011, lighthouse2010 (4 reviews) from King, NC

Posted on June 5, 2011, updated September 4, 2011 I ordered a Hummingbird garden, whick was fine, a oder control plan which was heahthy, but the sweet leaf plant wasn't, it was already dead when it arrived. They did send me two more to replace it, but they were almost dead and finished dying, I tried everything I knew to get them to live, but they wouldn't. I will not order from them again. I don't like bare rotted plants, most of them just are either dead or dying.


On September 4th, 2011, lighthouse2010 changed the rating from neutral to negative and added the following: humingbird pot did grow flowers like they said it it would.It was a total lost of money. I hate these people. Please don't wast your money on them.

Negative
On Jun 23, 2011, MollyMcR (2 reviews) from Gettysburg, SD

Even though everything I ordered from them last year was shipped either dead or close to it, and I was not able to revive anything during the season, I gave them a second chance. Lesson learned. The few items I ordered this year were dead on arrival, and despite my efforts could not be saved. It isn't my green thumb, because items ordered from other places are all thriving. Stay away from this outfit!

Negative
On Jun 17, 2011, jjdw (1 reviews) from Knoxville, TN

Posted on May 21, 2011, updated June 17, 2011 Posted on May 21, 2011, updated May 21, 2011 Posted on May 21, 2011, updated May 21, 2011 This message doesn't surprise me.........This note is to let you know that your message did not reach its intended recipient; unfortunately, we are unable to forward messages. We apologize for the inconvenience and encourage you to attempt to send your message directly to the company. I had a $10 order (blueberries) and about $7 s&h....you charged me $123.70. You don't answer the phone (269) 621-2481. One option they give says the mail box is full and one of them you never answer. As a result, I consulted the internet and of the 4 affiliates listed with daves garden I learned I had problems with all 4 of them before....I just didn't know they were affiliated with one another. You neglected to send me an invoice but a record exists, the automated voice that I placed the tv ad order with. Look it up. As a matter of fact, after I did everything for the order and was ready to hang up the automated voice tried to sell me strawberry plants.....and tried and tried till I got ANNOYED and hung up (oh, btw, one of their affiliates was a company I had trouble with before on strawberries, but I digress). A real live person called me back a couple of hours later to confirm my order and then she tried to sell me strawberries...you can guess my response. I am a stroke victim and live in an apartment....what am I going to do with $123.70 worth of blueberries. I was much surprised to learn I had been charged $123.70 after talking to a real live person. My mistake for not getting her name. You have my email if you would pass this on to the company and encourage you to attempt to send your message directly to the company. I am not having any luck with contacting any one with the company. This letter serves a dual purpose, one to post to the internet and one to say high to you scumbags. Hey scumbags, hi from one of your many dissatisfied ex-customers.


On May 21st, 2011, jjdw added the following: This company is affiliated with Lipenwald Inc. This company is affiliated with 4 companies: •Spring River Nurseries Inc •TomatoGiant.com •GardeningTouch.com (Giant Tomatoes) •Little Giant Blueberries Folks, don't these folks....I have experiece with each one of them (except for Lipenwald Inc.) and I have had a negative with each one of them.
On May 21st, 2011, jjdw added the following:
On June 17th, 2011, jjdw added the following: Hey folks, just a quick note to say I'd take it with a grain of salt anyone that gives these people a positive rating. I responded to a $17 order but was charged $123.70. I have since received a credit $106.70 on my credit card. Simply put, it took that amount to make it worthwhile for me to post on the internet and pursue the credit amount totalling $106.70. I have had various amounts with each company listed as an affiliate, but each time the amount was small, like this time. But they fooled me, this time they charged me an extra $106.70...just because, they felt like overcharging me. I use that to say, I think that most people that have a good experience just go on about their business...they don't bother saying they had a positive experience. There are some positives to be sure, but when was the last time you had occasion to brag on the internet about a small grocery or shoe purchase? Buyer beware!!!

Negative
On Jun 13, 2011, Carol_H (1 reviews) from KRYPTON,
United States

Shady. That's the only word that comes to mind when dealing with this company. I ordered the Giant Tree Tomato and Big Early. The next day, I received a phone call from a woman who said she was calling in regards to my order for the Magic Tomato tree. She told me that IN the shipment, I would receive a $2 collectors bill for some colorized collectors item for currency. I said I didn't order that. She said it would be sent free of charge and another I would need to send back if I didn't want it. I balked. I didn't order that.. I told her that I didn't want it no less than three times on the phone. She still sent it, but it arrived in a separate package from the trees. The envelope she had assured me would be in it for easy return (while i was telling her I didn't WANT it in the first place, much less be required to return it) wasn't there... just two Two dollar bills that had been colored and put in a protective sleeve. I sighed.. and was annoyed at having to send this back, but I didn't get upset until I looked at my bill and saw my transaction to GCTOMAT for $25.90 for the tree.. AND $26.90 to NEW ENGLAND MINT for the things I didn't order. I've called both customer service numbers and have spoke to one live person.. who told me that I needed to send the one back and THEN i would be refunded.. which I informed him I wanted to speak to his manager to discuss the charge as fraudulent.. hung up on.. And the other times, I have not gotten through. Now I have to send this thing back.. which will take a manilla envelope and a trip to the post office to return.. and then hope for a refund. Very, very shady indeed. I wish I had done my homework and read the reviews prior to ordering. I've learned a valuable lesson from dealing with this company.. be overly cautious from now on. As for the tomatos that were received.... they still haven't germinated. So yeah... negative review. Buyer most certainly should beware!

Positive
On Jun 10, 2011, nickgarden (2 reviews) from Portnorris, NJ (Zone 7a)

Posted on March 30, 2011, updated June 10, 2011 I have been buying products from this company for three years,this will be my forth ,,I have found this to be a good company,,If I had a problem,they resolved it,,I have purchased there tomato plants,,egg tree,banana tree,,and they were all living and strong,,This yr I have ordered there tomato plants and there lemon grass plants,,Have not received them yet but have no reason not to believe they will be fine..


On June 10th, 2011, nickgarden added the following: My order arrived about 1 month ago,,in good condition,,I planted the 12 tomato plants right away,,1 week after i planted them 2 did not make it,,contacted customer service,,they sent me 6 at no charge,,the plants are very big and flowering right now,,the lemon grass was small and thin but alive and strong is also growing very well,,I am very happy with this company,I place my orders very early to avoid the extreme heat,,,

Negative
On May 31, 2011, lion14484 (1 reviews) from Beaumont, CA

Firstly, I wanted to say that I wasn't a copycat troll. I did read the advertisements, and they did make me greedy. It took a long time for my bank account to be debited, which made it somewhat difficult for me to budget. I got my order, in several pieces, over several weeks. The pouch of No Mow grass was disappointingly small. I don't know whether it will grow, yet. The plants would not be salable, if they had photographed what you would find in the box. In each case, these were not particularly plants, but might be called plantlets, all green, but so small that there was no margin for error - either on my part, or on that of the shippers. Titan raspberries were more like small root crowns, with 1/4" green buds at the very bottom of 4" brown sticks. Sticks were brittle, all the way to the base. Roots just on the verge of totally dry. Little Giant blueberries were about 2" brown sticks. 3-4" whitish stems growing out of the sticks. Lots of roots, still moist. Climbing strawberries were thick, curly-cue sprouts, about 1" tall. Plenty of roots, still moist. One of these sprouts was completely detached. Roots were not incorporated into the dirt, loosely bagged around the plants. I've grown some of these plants from seed, before. I'm confident that they are certainly viable, but they won't produce fruit for many years. When I buy these things from nurseries, I do it to save the time it would have taken me to grow them to useful size. No such luck with Gardener's Choice. Almost nothing to work with, here. Had there been any delay, whatsoever, it would have been a total loss. If I'm going to get the promised, free sample, it's still on the way. That would be a total of 4 different shipments, for 5 varieties of plantlets. Can you expect to be at the door, every time?

Negative
On May 21, 2011, tesa1999 (1 reviews) from Calhan, CO

Ordered 16 Royal Empress Paulownia trees from an email I got from Gardener's Choice - "the quickest growing tree" www.royaltreedeal.com www.royaltreetv.com We understood from talking to the people that we were getting 2-3' trees. More than 6 weeks later we called, $40 for trees, $40 for shipping. NO trees arrived. No refund given they said, no tracking - but we can reship (no thanks that might take months again). BBB Complaint resulted in refund. Weeks later 2" seedlings came - not 2' trees! returning to sender not worth dealing with them & tiny seedlings not worth $80

Negative
On May 21, 2011, barbara810cats (1 reviews) from Pickens, SC

I bought Tomato trees,they have not grown 5-6 ft,strawberry plants dead on delivery,told to send receipt for refund,this company should be put out of business and it outlets also.I bought the tomato plants by same company at cvs,in same box.What a scam they are,where are the people who are supposed to protect us from crooks.

Negative
On May 17, 2011, QueenBeeUno (1 reviews) from Rio Linda, CA

I ordered the special "Tomato Tree" 3 for $10.00. When the box arrived the "potting soil" was spilling out of the box on the counter at the post office. I opened the box and the 3 peat containers(originally they are sealed in shrink wrap, the wrap had a 1" gap at the seam) the peat pots were crushed and the soil was almost entirely gone. I immediately called the customer service phone number. The first 3 calls said that due to circumstances beyond their control my call could not be completed. When my call finally went through, after hours, I was told they were closed. I began calling the next day. I got the same message... I have placed 12 calls total and never talked to a soul. I have tried several times to email them, the emails will not go through. I am not really as upset about the $10.00 as I amwith the terrible lack of customer service/care. This is a awful company to deal with. I am sorry I ever placed an order with them. I wish I had checked them out first...

Negative
On May 11, 2011, caratigger (1 reviews) from Middletown, OH

Posted on May 11, 2011, updated May 11, 2011 I should have found and read these reviews before I ordered! I placed an order in Feb for plants to ship this spring. I needed to change the credit card information on this order due to fraudulent activity on my account. When I called customer service (and waited on hold for 20 minutes) I was told that customer service couldn't help me and that someone from corporate would need to call me back. I left my information did not receive a call back. Rather than wait on hold for another 20 minutes, I used the customer service email. I did finally receive a call back but the woman was rude and told me that most people pay by check and that is why I was having problems. What?! So after all of that I was told my plants would arrive in 5-7 business days later. 11 business days later I sent another email to customer service because I still hadn't received my items! I was told that because there was a problem with my order it would ship in 5-7 days. I've asked why it's already taken 11 business days and I can't wait to receive the response. And this is before I even know what the plant quality will be!!! Save yourself the hassle and don't order from them!


On May 11th, 2011, caratigger added the following: Oh, and by the way....their customer service number is not an 800 number. You have to call them in Michigan!!! So enjoy paying the charges on your wait time! Or plan to use your cell phone.

Positive
On May 4, 2011, gracesplants (13 reviews) from Howell, MI

Posted on March 20, 2011, updated May 4, 2011 This year I placed an order from Gardener's Choice as a way of supporting anyone in this state fortunate enough to have a job. In fact, the plants I ordered (tomatoes and peppers) are a gift for an unemployed friend. The plant supplies I ordered arrived VERY quickly. I can only hope that the plants I receive are healthy, strong and of good size so that I may post all POSITIVE ratings when I update upon arrival.


On May 4th, 2011, gracesplants added the following: VERY NICE!! I just received my order for 30 various tomato and 5 pepper plants. These plant plugs are 15 inches tall with many, many stems. Due to cold weather, I am potting and putting the plants under lights. These garden starts are going to make EXCELLENT gifts for unemployed friends. Thank you Gardener's Choice.

Negative
On May 1, 2011, patriciakeen (1 reviews) from Henderson, TX

I recieved plants that looked like wilted lettuce had out of 80.00 dollars worth 4 plants able to save

Negative
On Apr 29, 2011, ssggbroot (2 reviews) from Auburn, CA

This company is flat out lousy, I've ordered plants from this company twice and I should have learned from the first time. The plants arrive in a box with no packing, so they roll around and the stems get broken. or they arrive dried out and dead. They ship the plants in a plastic baggy, so the dirt beaks away from the roots, and of course they die. Do not order from this company if you want live plants!

Negative
On Apr 27, 2011, thomboone (1 reviews) from Frederick, MD

This company is a complete out and out fraud. They charge you an enormous amount for shipping; they do not give you a chance to review or confirm an order; they send you seeds, not plants; the seeds do not germinate. Their stuff is total garbage. You can return it but they are only going to refund the $10.00. Oh, and you can't return it if you tried to grow the seeds and they didn't germinate. Beware. Completely fraudulent seller.

Positive
On Apr 21, 2011, GGlynnD (1 reviews) from Minden, LA

I ordered about 20 tomato plants from this company. 19 arrived in good shape and ONE was dead. I e-mailed them, telling them the variety of the dead plant and within 24 hours I got an e-mail reply. They stated they were sending a replacement. In approximately a week, my replacement arrived. They only owed me ONE plant, but they sent me FOUR. I am very pleased with my experience with this company .

Neutral
On Apr 18, 2011, sseiber6 (3 reviews) from West End, NC (Zone 7b)

Last year I decided to order some of the Giant Ruffled Petunias. They came on time, and I had nothing but compliments. They were very large and beautiful! I agree that the shipping was too much, but couldn't complain, as the flowers were lovely. Everyone who came to the house, was very impressed, as the petunias from the local gardening places, are very small. I ordered again, this year, and they just got here. All alive and looking good. I doubled my order, as I have not been able to find these any other place. I am NOT going to order any trees or shrubs from them, however, due to the feedback here.

Negative
On Apr 12, 2011, katzdad1962 (1 reviews) from Pineville, LA

this has to be the worst company i have ever delt with ....i ordered the blueberry bushes last yr, never recieved ... i tried again this yralso orderd bell pepper plant , ordered on 2/14 , after 3 weeks ,no plants. i called , was told they were on back order , should recieve by mid april , then i found the shipping info page and it said i would recieve by may 31...when i still didn't recieve anything , i called on 3/7 and cancelled order . friday afternoon the payment shows up on my bank acc. i called again was told it would correct monday .. i recieved an email monday saying my order had been sent .. i have been calling several times a day an either get hung up on or they will not answer .....they are crooks , I WILL NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THEM AGAIN . when they advertised on TV i thought they would be a good co. I WAS WRONGE...........BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!

Negative
On Mar 28, 2011, srgardnerinsc (1 reviews) from Elgin, SC

In 2008, I ordered several items from Gardner's Choice one item of which was their Super Sweet Peach Tree. I paid for two (2) trees and only received one tree. I called them, and nobody answered. After one week of calling, I sent them a letter with a copy of my invoice and still no response. I have done some research since and provide the following information: Small plant and seed companies sub-contract their items, which are sent directly from their vendor, so they (Gardner's Choice) has no way of knowing the quality of the shiipment. Also, if you order in late Spring, you will more than likely end up with bad products. The State Attorney General's Office has a complaint office located at : www.michigan.gov/ag. Your can also file a complaint with the BBB. For information purposes for filling out the complaint form with the Michigan Attorney General's Office, the "street" address for Gardner's Choice is: 81961 County Rd. 687 (PO Box 8000), Hartford, MI 40957-08000. You can not make accusations you can not prove, so take pictures, and get witnesses as to the status of the plant(s) as you take them out of their shipping container. Also, you can get better response with honey than with pepper, so remember to be kind to the people who do answer the phone. Put youself in their position. That is why some people get results by telephone and other do not. It is better to write to them, and include a copy of your invoice. Send the correspondence by Certified Mail, Return Receipt, so that you will can show that someone at that address, signed for your correspondence. There is an old saying. If the price is too good to be true, it usually is. If you want to purchase large quantities of any garden product, buy your plants locally. You may pay a little more, but they are grown for your region and climate and are easier to deal with if they come with a guarantee. Also, if you know the seed, flower, plant or groundcover by name, look it up on the internet and see if anyone else sells it. Gardern's Choice is not the only company in the US that sells their type plants, seeds, etc., but you have to do your homework. Good luck and happy gardening! P.S.: Each item in the Gardener's Choice catalog has the name of the plant, seed, flowers, or trees, so all you need to due is copy the name and look it up on the internet and see who else sells it.

Negative
On Feb 14, 2011, TLynnK (2 reviews) from (Zone 7b)

Apparently, the only thing related to Gardener's Choice that grows is their bank account. I purchased a dozen plant items from this company last year - all but one item died. I thought I was just a very bad gardener until I read the rest of these reviews. Thanks for posting the warnings, y'all - appreciate it!

Negative
On Feb 12, 2011, voyagergreg (8 reviews) from Lakeside Marblehead, OH

Just received their latest catalog today...It's a nice catalog but BEWARE...Do NOT order from this Company or you will be sorry.. In the garbage goes the catalog!

Positive
On Jan 1, 2011, rudafia (1 reviews) from Berkeley, CA

My mother sent the hanging strawberries as a gift. She thought that they would arrive as a complete hanging basket. They came as bare root strawberries with a basket to put them in. I planted them in the ground though. A few weeks later I had slightly larger than a golf-ball sized strawberries that were super sweet. The plant produced well for me for the entire summer, and has just started putting out more berries for this season. (As a side note, I am in California and have a good climate for strawberries.) We had no problems with billing/shipping/plants, and I will be ordering more strawberries from them to expand my patch.

Neutral
On Sep 10, 2010, exintrovert (1 reviews) from Renton, WA

I bought the Giant Tree Tomato seeded pots. They are right when they say in their instructions to water VERY gently, because the seeds are just on the surface of the loose dry potting mix. I placed them on a tray in my kitchen window and waited WEEKS watching nothing happen. I am new to gardening, so I really didn't know how long was a reasonable germination time. But I grew impatient and bought some seeds from the grocery store. I planted the other seeds, and when I watered them I just kept watering the tree tomato pots as well. I thought "what the heck, may as well." I must have had those things for two months, looking barren and pathetic. Then all of a sudden, there was a little green leaf coming up. Then two, then four... After waiting a ridiculous amount of time, I had a total of 17 tomato plants growing from those little peat pots, out of the six I expected. I think the last one that popped up came about 3 months after the initial watering. Right now, they are between 4 and 11 inches tall. But it is September. I will try to grow them in a large indoor planter, but am not too hopeful about ever getting fruit from these plants - they were just way too late. Having read so many comments about non-germinating seeds, I felt I should add my experience on here. If you buy seeds, start them indoors WAY way early, and don't throw them out if a month goes by before germination. I wish I could give a review about whether or not these tomatoes live up to the hype. We shall see...

Negative
On Aug 1, 2010, oldhomestead (1 reviews) from South Plymouth, NY

Posted on May 26, 2010, updated August 1, 2010 I, like to many others read the description and had a dream in the middle of winter and ordered from this bogus company. I have gardened for 30 years and have ordered hundreds of plants, seeds, trees, shrubs, through the mail. I have never recieved anything that compars to this order. dead plants, trees with totally dried out roots,canalope plants put in a baggie that were broken in two. I made several calls and could not get anyone.( Had no problem when I called to place the order) I'm sure it's because their lines are jammed with complaints! Gardeners BEWARE if you want plants pay the extra and order from a respectable company because anything you pay to these crooks is all lost. They should be shut down!


On August 1st, 2010, oldhomestead added the following: What a time! as busy as planting time is to have to spend forever on the phone trying to be done right by this crooked company. I have a great idea-- instead of the false pictures they put on the catolog they should have a spot that says" check my feedback". Well 3 dawn redwoods 16.98 everyone of them died, 6 athena canalopes --- out of 6 not 1 made it , not even one ! They were D.O.A !Again 4 gaint blueberry plants 13.98 ( the gaints were the size of a blade of grass and about as strong) 1 died. the 3 that made it are holding on for dear life! The gaint blue daisies were not blue, not gaints, and they have fizzled out by the end of june 6 purchased 5 made it 10.98 for 5 annuals. And also 6 black russian tomatoes and like the rest all were dead or half dead when they arrived out of 6 ,4 lived. And now the biggest joke of all to make sure all these plants were GAINTS I also bought SUPER GROW! 16.98 -just 2 applications will ZOOM YOUR PLANTS 3 TIMES BIGGER AND 5 TIMES FASTER ... YEP ITS NOW AUG.1ST AND THE GAINT BLUEBERRY PLANTS ARE HOLDING ON FOR DEAR LIFE, THE DAISIES HAVE BIT THE DUST. THE TOMATOES ARE JUST TOMATOES same as we started from seed. and everything else we bought is dead Just beware if it sounds to good to be true IT IS! WHEN WILL WE EVER LEARN THIS. They sure took me. I never would have believed it if it had happened to someone else. I'll let you know how the blueberry plants do but to have any chance at all they'll have to stay in the house all winter.Now that'll be fun come christmas!!!!!

Negative
On Jun 26, 2010, countryboy4u (1 reviews) from Xenia, IL

Just like all the rest, I made an order and got all dead sticks...I tried to call the company with no avail...All I got was the answering machine never a human. I made numerous reports of the bad stick problem and they would never answer the email. I called the state police in their little town and made a complaint they said I would have to come up there and make a report in person and then come back for court. I called the states attorney they said make a police report in my county and have them send it up there to paw paw states att...Then I called the sister company and to my supprise got a human to talk to.. I was told they cant do nothing cause they are the sister co and to call gardners choice directly, I told them I did and all I got was answering machine and they wouldnt answer any emails that I sent.I told them since you are the sister co then YOU have to handle their problems also. They listened to what I had to say and pulled up my order on their computer and aggreed to a refund..I didnt have to mail the dead sticks back to them They did put the money back into my account,which is why the refund. I told them that is was false advertisement,fraud,mail fraud, and internet fraud and that I was going to sue.Class action lawsuit!!! no problems getting my refund. So I would suggest all of yall that have been ripped off do the same thing I did!! Good luck everyone and keep your thumb Green!!

Negative
On Jun 24, 2010, Penny214 (1 reviews) from Southington, CT

I wish I had reviewed for feed back on ordering from Gardener's Choice which was recommended by my sister-in-law in 2009. Who is still my favorite despite the HORRIBLE service from this company. When the story begins.... I ordered 3-12qty of Creeping Thyme and 2-100 qty of Blue Star Vinca. They claimed the boxed shipped contained all of the plants. Although my receipt only shows the Blue Star Vinca and the 3 Creeping Thyme crossed off and on the website (which I wished I had printed) said it was in pending status and would be shipped at a later date in June of 2009. I never called because the 200 Blue Star Vinca were delivered half dead. Confirmed that the Creeping Thyme were on back order. The Rep stated they would said 100 more Blue Star Vinca. I looked at the website for confirmation a few days later and Yes they were shipping 100 more and Creeping Thyme on the same time. The date came and went. A new date was assigned again bumped and again bumped and now we were into fall. Still NO PLANTS. So, when the date came in the fall and went in the fall I got a NEW estimated date of delivery in May of 2010. Then June of this week 2010. I decided today to review my status so if it definitely was coming in this week I would be able to have time reserved to plant this weekend. Well, the estimated date was changed again to July 12, 2010. So, I called. First Call to Customer Service... Rep told me that there are NO NOTES on file of my previous calls and my ordered has been satisfied. I said so you basically are ripping me off. She rudely commented and then hung up on me. Second Call I was advised The Creeping Thyme were refunded and yet the system shows they are still pending. When I told her that I never received the refund she said that's your problem. She started over talking me telling me WHAT my attitude problem was. Basically calling me a liar and stupid for waiting a year for an order. Guess What she hung up on me too! Third Call I called and asked to speak only to the Manager. After a few minutes explaining to Deborah (no last name given) who sounded just like the two previous callers. Didn't give her my name she already had it. She advised me that I did receive my refund on 5/28/2009 for $35.94, and that my order was complete. Again she over talked me. Not letting me finish a sentence. Accused me of lying about the calls that her Reps would note the system, would not say this or that. That their internet was malfunctioning and I should never have relied on that. The Customer Service were advised NEVER to advise customers to check their status of their order on line. She would not allow that to happen. That I did not deserve the Blue Star Vinca. That I am very disturbed and need to seek counseling. WOW, I was in shock. Supposedly I was speaking to the Manager of Customer Service. NO WONDER her staff is so RUDE. I asked for the Better Business Number or a complaint dept. Your speaking to them. WHAT? So, I said in a very calm voice obviously this is going no where's and your attitude sucks and Yes I did hang up. I made a mental note NEVER to order from them or their Affiliates which can be easily goggled on the web. A lesson I will learn from and from this moment forgive those reps since they are the one who obviously need counseling and I do feel sorry for them. I would not want to work in such a HOSTILE environment. A good leader would probably do the trick. In these economic times they are lucky they even have a JOB!

Negative
On Jun 24, 2010, instinctive1 (1 reviews) from Kenosha, WI

Tried purchasing a single order of Giant Blueberry plants by phone on 6-6-10. Couldn't end the call and finnally hung up after 15 minutes of additional offers of which I did not participate in. Recieved 4 orders of Blueberry plants in a 3x5 inch box to the tune of $68 bucks and change. Wrote refused and return to sender. Was shipped back on the 10th by the same postal service and they claim they haven't received the package back and cannot refund my money. Its been 3 weeks.Time for the BBB to get involved in this company. Now I have to file a dispute with my bank.

Negative
On Jun 23, 2010, cargeo (1 reviews) from Sorento, IL

My 80 year old mother order from this company what a pain. Called them about dead plants, plants not shipped, and the refund they were supposed to give her. she was called a lier,screamed at her. Do Not Order From This Company

Negative
On Jun 11, 2010, TFALLSTRIO (1 reviews) from Thompson Falls, MT

can you say "class action" boyss and girlss? my story is reflected in ALL your forums posts. we need a lawman/woman to get ahold of the short hairs here,,, and pull. AVOID THIS COMPANY !!!!

Negative
On Jun 4, 2010, sinister09 (1 reviews) from Greenville, SC

Talk about a rip off I never thought it would happen to me but it did. Wife wanted to surprize me with a b-day gift because she knows how I love blueberrys. I have seen the adds and like they say if it sounds to good to be true it is. But she had already ordered and could not back out what we where told. So 3 weeks later we get are so called Giant Blueberry bushes, I think they are if your as tall as an ant or any other bug. Lets not forget the extra awesome shipping they do so we get them heatlhy, the cost for shipping well done had my hand in my socks on that one. I need to be in there shipping business .87 cents for it to ship me and we paid $8. - 10. for it dam. Hell they keep this up the nation could make it out debt sooner, but back to my awesome giant blueberry trees, I called them and asked why do you ship such crap and expect people to deal with this out of 6 plants and we really only order 3 but they said no your order shows 2 orders. They did credit ( haven't seen it yet ) for the second order and ask me if I would like 3 more. Not for what you charge me last time, they said no no I'll ship them free, and I asked him that if so please make sure there real one's not more dead stuff. WE all need to hammer this company into the center of the earth. I know I'm doing my part by taking pictures and linking there web site to it explaning to everyone I know STOP DON'T DO IT save your money. Glad I found this website and sorry to see how many more got the happy burn too, but with a little more help maybe just maybe we can stop them. Money isn't easy now a day ( thanks MR Pres ) so lets do our best to kick them where it hurts. Ps I wounder how many of there employee's have bought in to this scam.

Negative
On Jun 4, 2010, baever (1 reviews) from Seattle, WA

I ordered 3 blueberry plants for a total of $21.90 on May 23, 2010. After 8 days I received 3 dead twigs about 6 inches tall. A single dead leaf was on 2 of the plants. An email to customer service has gone unanswered. In contrast, the 2 blueberry bushes I purchased from Home Depot are a good 16 inches tall, have several branches, hundreds of leaves, blossomed and were ~ $16 for the pair.

Negative
On May 31, 2010, BYRONIUM (1 reviews) from South Jordan, UT

I ordered 3 tree tomatoes and 3 big earlies. Total cost $10 for the plants and $15.00 for s&h. They ( 6 small cardboard boxes filled with dirt) arrived 2 weeks later but after 3 weeks of care never sprouted or germinated. I broke one apart and there were not any seeds even in the dirt. I have tried to reach them by email but they have not responded after a week. I think it is a total scam. We have been growing gardens for years. This is the first time I have ordered online and the the first time I have been ripped off. Byron and Jane Kump South Jordan, Utah

Negative
On May 27, 2010, GCHOICESUCKS (1 reviews) from Englishtown, NJ

For quick review of quality see order summary below ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Based on a recommendation from a friend in LA that had ordered several fruit trees a couple of years ago we decided to give these folks a go and placed an extensive order on March 15th - I should have realized with the dubious cart management that there would be issues especially after the hot pepper wax spray shipped, one bottle was broken and we couldn't contact them by phone - email did work and they replaced the broken bottle. Also, they couldn't confirm when things would ship or the size of the plants. The packaging of plants was a cardboard box with news paper and the 'plants' (or in some cases rotten slime) were stuffed into plastic bags! All my plants (for NJ) were on a Friday, sat in a sauna (truck) over the weekend to arrive terribly wilted the Monday! We have ordered many trees and plants before online, never have they arrived in such a poor state. The largest part of the order was for 100 evergreen windbreaks, we received 100 evergreen saplings of 2" inches high! vs the expect 1-2 feet. I raised this issue via email with customers service along with several other problems. They responded and arranged for a replenishment. From the evergreens were received 50 at 1-2ft in height - much better - all the other plants we rotten moldy slime. I recontacted customer services about this shipment (including another previous shipment where other plants were dead) and was told that the warranty policy doesn't cover replenishment and that I was not being truthful about the size of the first trees shipped as she's seen them, and if I send them back they may - just may if they feel like it replace them! As for the other problem items she refused to discuss them! - I told her that if she wished I'd send the pictures at which point she hung up the call. A summary of the order is below: Hotel Giant Blueberries (2 Plants) 4 Plants - initially (1) received (looked dead), replenished with 4 plants about 1 inch high Part#: N28085-4 Manufacturer Part#: N28085 FRUIT COCKTAIL HEDGE 9 Plants... - looked like stick 3 didn't produce foliage - refusing to rectify Part#: XN21002-3 Manufacturer Part#: XN21002 Asparagus Combo Special (12 Plants) 24 Plants (12 green, 12 purple) - had mold on the routes however all are growing! Part#: XV70010-2 Manufacturer Part#: XV70010 Big Jim Chili Peppers (5 Plants) 5 Plants - a bit wilted but survived Part#: V70050-5 Manufacturer Part#: V70050 Rainbow Tomatoes 6 Plants - a bit wilted but seem to be surviving Part#: V30020-6 Manufacturer Part#: V30020 Richgreen Zucchini (6 Plants) 12 Plants - quite wilted, 9 have survived Part#: V17784-12 Manufacturer Part#: V17784 Everbearing CLIMBING SPINACH 6 Plants - original plants (two tiny seedlings) squashed replaced by healthy plants Part#: V21006-6 Manufacturer Part#: V21006 Giant Skyscraper Sweet Corn (10 Seeds) 10 Seeds Part#: V16125-1 Manufacturer Part#: V16125 Moonflower Vine 4 Plants - wilted on arrival - all dead, refusing to do anything about this Part#: A13542-4 Manufacturer Part#: A13542 Pampas Plume 6 Plants - tiny but fine Part#: A20704-6 Manufacturer Part#: A20704 Humming Bird Garden 3 Gardens .......--WARNING SEEDS WITH CHEAP PLASTIC PLANTERS! Part#: A20702-3 Manufacturer Part#: A20702 Sunflower Mat Large, Covers 13 1/2 sq. ft. garden missing originally, now replaced Part#: A20708-2 Manufacturer Part#: A20708 Sweet Leaf Plant 2 Plants - first plants very wilted, replaced by dried-up dead ones! Part#: H50010-2 Manufacturer Part#: H50010 Super-Hardy Lavender 24 plants - all moldy! out of first batch on survived, replenished with plastic bags of rotting slime expect nothing to survive - now out of warranty Part#: P13455-24 Manufacturer Part#: P13455 3-in-1 Cherry Tree 1 Tree DOA - refusing to replace Part#: N80010-1 Manufacturer Part#: N80010 Fruit Salad Tree 1 Tree DOA - refusing to replace Part#: T31010-1 Manufacturer Part#: T31010 Yellow Banana 2 Trees - tiny shoots but seem to be doing ok now and growing well Part#: H13269-2 Manufacturer Part#: H13269 Star Headliner Cantaloupe (6 Plants) 6 Plants - DOA, replaced by 1 bag of rotting slime - now out of warranty Part#: V17110-6 Manufacturer Part#: V17110 Dawn Redwood 3 Trees - three dead sticks! Part#: T80010-3 Manufacturer Part#: T80010 Empress (Royal) Paulownia Tree 3 Trees 2xDOA, 1 very wilted and didn't survive (don't know how they killed these we already have some!) - refusing to replace Part#: T40030-3 Manufacturer Part#: T40030 Year Round Weeping Pink Cherry Tree 3 Trees - 3 thing sticks, 1 not producing foliage - refusing to replenish Part#: T80020-3 Manufacturer Part#: T80020 Evergreen Windbreak 50 Plants x 2 Received 100 (equivalent of 4 ziplock bags full) of 2" gopher snack size saplings! Replenished with 50 1-2ft plants - refusing to believe me the original plants were so small and replenish the other 50. If anyone wants pictures drop me a line!! Part#: T28220-50 Manufacturer Part#: T28220 Hot Pepper Wax Spray - (22 oz Bottle) - one bottle broken, replaced Two - 22 oz Ready to use Spray Bottles for $24.98 Part#: G40020-2 Manufacturer Part#: G40020 It's hit and miss with these folks, like I said some stuff OK, the sizes are not well published and whoever does the packaging needs overseeing because fragile plants arrive as mush. If the price is right it may be worth the change but they are very rude, hard to get hold off and basically box shifting crooks! I have sent an escalation email and am contesting the charge with my Credit Card company to put some pressure on and at least get the trees themselves replaced. Gardeners choice my order number is - 5167030

Negative
On May 22, 2010, macsurvey1 (1 reviews) from Burnt Hills, NY

Ordered Blue Berry Planes, received plants I did not order, Cherry Hedge and charged $31.89 for them, emails, etc. to the Company not returned, still have not gotten what I really wanted, the blueberry plants. NEVER AGAIN WILL I USE GARDENERS' CHOICE macsurvey1@aol.com Robert Mac Farlane

Negative
On May 20, 2010, beinghad (1 reviews) from Calabash, NC

What a sucker I was. This company is a rip-off. Please do not order these items. Here is what I wrote to the company 1. Items were not as reported and/or described per commercial and customer representative when I called in. 2. Stems were broke, many of the leaves were off the stem 3. There were plots of dirt with no plant in the dirt. 4. Some of the stems were rotten or dead. 5. The rubber band had cut through some of the stems because the stems were so small. 6. Some of the plants were nothing but a stem with what looked like no root. I have returned the product. But, I will only get back a third of what I paid for which was nothing. There should be something we could do to stop thid deceptive practice.

Negative
On May 12, 2010, mudly (1 reviews) from Boise, ID

Shipping and handling = $8.95. Postage $.85; box, 7' x 14" x 3.5". 4 plant "remains" found , (5 ordered); 3/4 broadsheet newsprint used to buffer fragile plants packed "like a BB in a box-car". Ordered two, and charged for two; but only rec'd evidence of only one "passion vine", (I should have been alerted when the site doesn't use Linnean x-reference), barely rooted "root-ball". The one out of two I might It seems they "aeroponically", root cuttings from vines, but strip the roots from the net-pots, then sprinkle commercial potting mix sprinkled on the stripped roots, then use plastic wrap and a rubber-band to tie some media to the vegetation. I ordered 3 dwarf Musa / banana plants. One might survive, (there's just enough corm that might provide a new shoot. (The rest seem to have been cut too far from the mother corm ). I'll have to baby the plant material, because it was shipped and handled so poorly, (at a10x's premium to me). I hope this vendor has employees it can blame what I see as a "failure". (No, I don't.). MIchigan is a recent "medical" state. (Are they expanding too quickly and not providing training? I see a "corrupt capitalist stoner", expanding far too quickly, "imagining a get rich quick scheme". Vendor can't even package uncontroversial plants w/ success. I've been growing Musa spp, banana's for over 3 decades just for hobby/fun as some local Chamber of Commerce "nic-named" the local area as a "Banana/ Musa" belt" above the 45'th. It was fun then, because corms were so rarely traded. The fool vendor, seems to have unsupervised employees slice off barely if formed daughter shoots or corms from unknown dwarf Musa genetics.(some State AG's might have to sue this "business iteration", as it was advertised to flower and produce fruit, (9 months twist flower and another before fruit) Gardeners choice has no clue to propagate genetics, or how to collect or how to ship. Ebay "wanabes"provide better service. I'll remove this negative post if I hear anything from "Gardener's Chose.com, Their packaging is worthless,and they failed to even send evidence of a billed order Maybe you've seen the website that offers such plants for sale.I would suggest avoiding this vendor and partners,until I live above the 45th, and play often. This company has no idea of how to send plant material. Yet they charge over 10x's the postage. I've had considerably better satisfaction just buying from amateur E-bay vendors. If this commercial vendor of plant material was anticipating MI's medicalization and re-focus of business plan to ascertain the tops are separated so that the customer

Negative
On May 10, 2010, havehadenough (1 reviews) from Sparta, WI

Posted on May 10, 2010, updated May 10, 2010 I had a belly full of this company and its lousy business practices, along with its mediocre products LAST YEAR, but what they pulled on me THIS YEAR really takes the cake! If you are purchasing anything from this company using a CREDIT CARD, buyer beware! If you "ordered" something last year (whether intentionally or via their deceptive and concealatory order processing system) and you DIDN'T RECEIVE IT, they, having kept your credit card information on file, can duplicate that order (or parts of it) and bill it to you, ship it to you, and VOILA, successfully charge you for something you may or may not still want. And GOOD LUCK getting a refund. Last year I ordered two large, hanging strawberry baskets which turned out to be tiny little sprouts and little 6 or 8 inch baskets. They were in plastic lunch bags, virtually unprotected, struggling to stay alive. I planted them with very little hope of them surviving, much less flourishing, tended them, nurtured them, coddled them all I could, and, as expected, they never really took off. The blueberry plants I ordered were WORSE. Tiny, little, 3 or 4 inch stems with a leaf or two, two of which were dead, one of which lost its leaves within two days and died in short order, the last of which remained just a stick with two leaves on it and never grew a lick. I contacted customer service a total of four times in regards to securing either quality replacements or a refund. My calls and emails went unanswered. HERE'S THE KICKER: I received three emails advising my raspberry plants were forthcoming, each time with new ship dates. They never did. Fortunately, I hadn't been charged for them, so I let it go. I also finally gave up on ever getting any kind of satisfaction for the poor quality of the plants I did receive. When spring of 2010 rolled around, I didn't even CONSIDER buying from Gardeners Choice. Then, lo and behold, I get a letter from Gardeners Choice advising me that they had a problem with my most recent credit card order and that credit for payment of said order was denied. My first question was...WHAT ORDER? I went to their website and checked. They apparently tried to fill my order from the previous year without my authorization. CAN YOU IMAGINE?! After the multiple complaints I filed with their customer service department, including a statement that I WOULD NEVER USE THEIR PRODUCTS AGAIN, they had the audacity to ship me more product without my authorization or permission, and, naturally, charge me for it! Then when I tried to talk to them about it, they were rude and confrontational and accusatory, like I was the one in the wrong. They told me it was the CUSTOMER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO CANCEL ANY UNFULFILLED ORDERS and until they did, Gardeners Choice considered those orders OPEN AND PENDING. Well, let me tell you...I was having none of it. My order was for the 2009 GROWING SEASON, which has long since come and gone. They were supposed to ship me my plants DURING THE PERIOD IN WHICH IT WAS APPROPRIATE TO PLANT THEM. They didn't. Thank goodness the card they had on file expired at the end of March, and they were unable to process their FRAUDULENT ORDER. Want to know what you can do about Gardeners Choice and their unscrupulous business practices? CHECK OUT MY NEXT BLOG.


On May 10th, 2010, havehadenough added the following: First and foremost, IF YOU PAY FOR ANYTHING WITH A CREDIT CARD and the product or services you receive are SUBSTANDARD in any way, go straight to your bank or the credit card company and DISPUTE THE CHARGES. The charges will be temporarily suspended during which time the vendor will be given the opportunity to satisfactorily settle the dispute. If they can't (or won't) YOU WILL PAY FOR NOTHING. Secondly, if ANYONE sends you something in the mail THAT YOU DID NOT ORDER, the law clearly states that you may keep it FOR FREE. This is to prevent unscrupulous vendors from creating bogus orders and charging the consumer for them. These laws have been in existence since the 1970's. Again, contact your bank or credit card company to dispute the charges. Also, if you wish to return said unordered shipment, you may do so AT THE VENDOR'S EXPENSE. You are not obligated to pay for return shipping, nor can they refund only the purchase price of the products shipped. They are obligated BY LAW to refund the shipping charges, as well. If you have not opened the package, then simply write "REFUSED" across the face of it and tender it to the postal service or carrier that delivered it. If you HAVE opened it, reseal it, and wait for the vendor to notify you whether they want it RETURNED or DESTROYED. Oftentimes, they will instruct you to destroy it (throw it away) rather than pay for the return shipping. If you disputed the charges through your bank or credit card company, they will advise you how long the vendor has to comply. If that deadline passes without resolution, discard the item(s) in question. Thirdly; when you place an order for something that is TIME SENSITIVE, such as, in my case, plants that are supposed to be shipped at the appropriate time for planting in THIS PLANTING SEASON, the vendor does NOT have the right to carry that order over to the NEXT planting season and then, at their own discretion, CHARGE YOUR CREDIT CARD and duplicate the order or any part thereof, and ship it to you. If they are unable to fill your order within a reasonable amount of time (in my case, during the current planting season) the order becomes null and void. To ship it to you and, consequently, charge you for it, without your expressed consent/permission/authorization, is simply fraudulent. ***Gardener's Choice tried to pull that on me. Last year they failed to provide me with the raspberry plants I ordered. One year later, they tried to bill me for them and send me this year's. Not only was I not contacted to authorize the shipment nor the billing to my credit card, I had filed FOUR COMPLAINTS with them last year and, receiving no response and therefore no satisfaction, advised them I would NEVER PURCHASE THEIR PRODUCTS EVER AGAIN. And yet they tried to slip me a new order, an order which I didn't want and wouldn't have accepted, yet would have forced me to spend my valuable time disputing with the help of my bank.*** These types of transactions are simply unacceptable. And to top it all off, the customer service rep., the customer service supervisor, and the head of the customer service department all told me THAT IT WAS THE CUSTOMER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO CANCEL ANY UNFULFILLED ORDERS, OR THEY WOULD KEEP THEM OPEN AND PENDING INDEFINITELY, AND THEN FILL THEM AT THEIR DISCRETION WITHOUT CONTACTING THE CUSTOMER. My advice to anyone who has ordered from Gardeners Choice and not received their orders or any parts thereof, go onto their website, pull up your order history, and CANCEL anything they failed to send you. This will save you a lot of time and trouble. Fourthly; When dealing with Gardeners Choice, always, ALWAYS, record your phone calls and/or save all of your incoming and outgoing emails as proof of what has transpired.

Negative
On May 8, 2010, ck1 (1 reviews) from Auburn, IL

Just want to thank all of you who posted about this company. I WAS going to order the blueberry plants, but your insightful feedback has taught me better. Thank you to those who took the time to share your experiences. Your feedback has probably saved many a new gardner an exasperrating experience. Sorry the majority of you had to suffer with the expense and bad service of this company, but you have made sure they didn't earn a buck from me;-)

Negative
On Apr 27, 2010, LaurelJ (1 reviews) from Union City, CA

Waited over 4 weeks to receive Blueberry plants. Received partial shipment of 4 very small barely alive plants Three phone calls later, finally received another partial shipment, plants were all dead. Each plant was only one small dead bare root about an inch long BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!! Also at this point can't get through to their customer service, have been on hold for 15 minutes. Paid $46.15 for 10 plants 6 of which were DOA. DO NOT buy from this company. They should be shut down!!!!!

Negative
On Apr 27, 2010, tmblair (1 reviews) from Potlatch, ID

I only wanted the by three get three free and hit a 2 on the first screen which I thought was for the 2 I wanted. All the sudden the order was complete. I did not get to review and then submit my order. I called them asap and was told to wait 24 -48 hours as the order was not in the system. I waited 24 hours and the order has been processed (funny on the website it says in processing). They will not cancel the order. I was told to refuse the order. How long will it take to get my money back? The shipping came to $35.80 that is crazy I would like them to prove to me it cost that much to ship this. The two extra tomato packs were $60.00 for a total order of $105.80 and I was only going to spend around $26.00. DO NOT GO TO THEIR WEBSITE!!

Negative
On Apr 26, 2010, gordonwhynot (1 reviews) from De Kalb, MS

BUYERS BEWARE !! GARDENERS CHOICE IS NOTHING MORE THAN A SCAM TO GET YOUR MONEY. THEY ADVERTISE THESE GREAT PLANTS AND WHEN YOU RECEIVE THEM THEIR EITHER DEAD, SEED, NOT PLANTS AND ITS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTACT THEM. I ORDERED 2 TREE TOMATOES, 2 POPLAR TREES, 2 EMPRESS PAULOWNIA TREES AND A BANANA TREE. I RECEIVED A BOX 4 FEET LONG BY 4 INCHES WIDE AND WHEN I OPENED IT THERE WAS 2 -3 INCH ROOTS IN IT. THE POPLAR TREES!! A WEEK LATER I RECEIVED A BOX 1 FOOT LONG AND 6 INCHES WIDE THAT CONTAINED 3 SQUARE TUBES. 1 TUBE HELD MY 2 DEAD TREE TOMATOE PLANTS AND THE OTHER 2 TUBES CONTAINED MY EMPRESS PAULOWNIA TREES. THEY ARE ACTUALLY ALIVE! NO BANANA TREE YET BUT I'M STILL HOPING. I PAID $7.95 FOR SHIPPING AND HANDLING SO I COULDN'T HELP BUT NOTICE THE POSTAGE ON THE BOXES. THE 4 FOOT BOX WITH THE 3 INCH ROOTS COST $1.50 AND THE 1 FOOT BOX COST .87 CENTS SO THAT MEANS THEY CHARGED $5.58 TO PACK 2 ROOTS IN A 4 FOOT BOX AND 2 DEAD PLANTS AND 2 LIVE PLANTS IN A 1 FOOT BOX. IT SEEMS THEIR MORE INTERESTED IN SHIPPING AND HANDLING CHARGES THAN THEY ARE ABOUT THE ACTUAL PLANTS.

Negative
On Apr 19, 2010, LouisW2431 (1 reviews) from San Antonio, TX

Have I ever been duped. Ordered the Tree Tomato and bonus on 2 Feb. April 5 I got a box with what looked like peat moss planters, but turned out to be paper mache. three each packed in plastic wrap. One of the sets were up-side-down. Somehow I had expected to be getting something other than seeds. I went back to the website and found that seeds were only mentioned in the "optional" video, and was nowhere in the printed material. I have germinated many seeds, so I moved ahead. I have a nice little incubator and use it all the time. At 78 F and high humidity, I expect tomatoes to sprout in 5-10 days. One of the planters sprouted two seeds, the other five sprouted nothing. After fifteen days, I decided to see what the problem might be. I sifting through the vermiculite starter soil, with a tooth pick, pushing grain by grain aside. I found no seeds, and no evidence of any growth anywhere in the starter packs. They got my $21 and I have two little sprouts, and I'm not ever sure what they are, since the packages are not individually marked. I feel like such a looser. That is compounded by another order I made with the company, also on Feb 2. That order has been delayed and delayed and delayed and now is scheduled for May 5 shipping (they say--and I have every confidence that that will change too). This company has answered none of my emails and every phone call I have tried to make I get the usual "your call is very valuable to us" intro to an apocalyptic wait and eventual disconnect. This seems more than inefficiency. It appears to be fraud.

Negative
On Apr 10, 2010, barkway (1 reviews) from Hollywood, FL

Like others here, I too waited for weeks for "plants" to arrive (tomato/blueberry). I called twie and was told each time that plants had been shipped & that I just had to wait longer. They finally arrived today (April 10th. Ordered March 6th, they claim was sipped March 17th) and plants are dead. Not even worth trying to argue with them. Chalk it up to a "buyer beware" lesson.

Negative
On Apr 8, 2010, sandy112277 (1 reviews) from Sun City West, AZ

Still waiting for my order. I have e-mailed them twice but no response. I'm in Arizona. We plant year round. I have just about begged them to go ahead and send my order as other gardens are WAY ahead of me. (they stated it would be sent at "proper" planting time). I tried to phone and found the phone busy all the time. I had ordered 2 trees which promptly died last year. They appear on my order on their website as "pending". I did not request a refund---thought it was the heat here. After reading the heavy preponderence of negatives on this company I don;'t know what to expect if my order ever arrives. I do know I will definitely NOT order from them again. Very poor service ---no customer service and no communication. happy to have found Dave's Garden website and know I'm not alone in dealing with this unreliable company.

Negative
On Apr 8, 2010, dannypryor (1 reviews) from Bean Station, TN

First off , I ordered the " Giant Tree Tomato " plants . When I first ordered the plants , I purchased the best deal , 8 for $18.98 . (shipping & handling was right at $25.00) The ad stated : " Plants Not Seeds ! " In a little flower pot , just as their brochure shows on the same Item . Well , I waited , and waited for delivery . Even checked the Growing season chart per state , and showed that my planting should have began already so I didn't quite understand what was taking so long . I allowed about 6 weeks , about 8 weeks later they show up In my mailbox , In about a 3" x 6" cardboard box ( I believe that little china men packed the brochure , plants and paper in this tiny little box ) . In the box were the plants ; every 2 , bio-degradable seed pod sucked in a plastic wrap . With It , was a single paper giving instructions , the instructions were of utmost interest as they told how to water the SEEDS and to be extremely careful to not wash the seeds away . I have tried to call their number : 1-269-621-2481 , over and over , option #2 Is always busy and option #1 just seems to hang me up from the call . So the plants are guaranteed to bare fruit In 3 months , I assume It will be several more months instead. I'm leaving a Negative review based on several key points; 1> False advertisement ; ref: Seeds Not Plants instead. 2> Poor customer service ; eg. Phone Line #1 is busy from 0830-1630 Those are some very high dollar seeds , you see there's less cost involved In selling seeds and the plants were worth the high price had they of been starters as assumed according to their advertisement. That's higher than buying seeds off of E-Bay !

Negative
On Mar 29, 2010, tavita (1 reviews) from Jacksonville, OR

Ordered blueberry plants advertised on TV. Six plants received were sent in a 3"X7"X4 1/2" box, that isn't a big box. The plants are nothing but 1" rooted cuttings. When I spoke to their Customer Service I was told that I could expect production in three to four years. I can get a refund, minus shipping and handling which was $35.70. Part of the shipping and handling was for 3 FREE plants. When ordering, which was a neat attomated but confusing system, there was no way to change the order once you got past a certain point. When I asked about the shipping charges I was told that it was what it was because they are live plants and require special handling. I believe the shipping charges are high because the plants are of such poor quality that they would still make a killing even if ever order was returned. I would never order from them again. I was stupid to have placed the first order. A RIP OFF.

Negative
On Feb 26, 2010, lorikeith (1 reviews) from Menasha, WI

I dont normally take the time to complain about such things but I hate to see others waste their money on this company. I ordered the tomato trees that were supposed to produce hoards of tomatoes. i had them right along side all of my seedlings so it was not my care, every single other plant i started grew just great. When i made several attempts to contact the company they did not even acknowlege me or have the courtesy to respond

Neutral
On Feb 11, 2010, jim1961 (6 reviews) from Tyrone, PA

I'm very glad I read this before I ordered from this company. Thank You all and thank you Daves Garden Watchdog!

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