Comments regarding Smith & Hawken - (Target Corporation)

VERY NEGATIVE

Their online catalog simply lost orders, showed merchandise as received by people to whom I was trying to give gifts when the merchandise was really on backorder, and otherwise was so inaccurate as to be almost fraudulent.

I called or emailed customer service six times to point out that items that the website showed as received hadn't been received by me or other folks. It took them two weeks and after Christmas to ask me to re-submit orders that they still showed online. No contrition. They ruined Christmas and several friends/clients went without presents.

I could never recommend that anyone rely on them or believe any promise that they might make.

I've been ordering from Smith and Hawken for several years and they have always been good. Their customer service on the phone is terrific. I love their products and I've never been disappointed in quality. Once we had a problem in shipping and it was cleared up immediately with no hassle, and I was extremely impressed. Also, their web specials are worth watching, there are some nice bargains to be had. Lastly, the photographs in their catalogs are exquisite, I use them as inspiration for garden design.

Great place to shop. The in-house nursery (at least in Berkeley CA) is well stocked; plants are healthy and REASONABLY PRICED. If you have the opportunity to visit the store in person -- check THE OUTLET! I've purchased some of the "seed gardens" for less than half price & planted the next year for great annual bloom. My favorite seed package was the Giverney Garden -- for older seed, the germination rate was terrific. They also have some garden equipment that simply isn't available at places like Lowes, Home Depot, etc.

Some may view S&H as expensive, but they are the Williams-Sonoma of the garden supply catalogues. The service is excellent, and the quality of the goods they offer is top drawer. I ordered two honeysuckle vines from this year, which were not as well packed as they might have been. One was broken, and, when I called to make constructive criticism about the packaging, they offered to replace the broken vine. I told them that it was not necessary, because the vine was coming back from a side shoot. They replaced it anyway.