Comments regarding A.M. Leonard's Gardeners Edge

Posted on October 30, 2013, updated November 1, 2013
On Oct 17, I placed an order for Poly Film with A.M. Leonard. Despite their claim to ship in stock items the same day, the employee stated it would take a couple of days to ship. This would be completely fine, as I would still have a week before our first frost. Ended up calling customer service on Sat the 26th, asking if there were any issues because I placed the order over the phone and never received any conformation over e-mail. I was told that everything was fine and my order would ship on the following Monday.(11 days after ordering!) I e-mailed customer support, explaining the issue, with no responses. Hoping my order shipped on Monday, and knowing how dependable UPS is, I stayed home from work today. I have to get my half dead plants and Aquaponics covered ASAP. So, I fix a cup of coffee and give A.M. Leonard call today on Oct, 30. I was told the same thing as last time I called, but they were very sorry. Still hasn't shipped, but it may ship by Nov 1.(half a month after ordering) I don't normally get irritated, but right now I am watching my hard work die because a company can't seem get their act together. I am irritated to the bone.

A.M. Leonard sends out a number of smaller catalogs during the year, in addition to their larger, more complete catalog. One of these small catalogs had a special offer of 10% off their regular prices until sometime in November or December. It did not state anywhere that the 10% only applied to items in that particular catalog. In fact, the offer was addressed specifically to me, and looked like a new customer-type offer.

I placed an order that included a few items from this catalog, as well as some from the bigger catalog I'd received a few months before. They charged me properly for all of the items except one - they charged me $7.73 (with the 10% discount) for a hose saver - which is currently listed on their web site and also in their earlier catalogs for $3.80. When I complained, the customer service representative refused to adjust the price. She told me that the price you're charged is the price from the catalog you order from - though this particular catalog did NOT contain that item. She also told me that the prices listed on their web site are the "professional prices" and do not apply to me. Their pricing system seems unethical to me. I will not order from them ever again.

Shipping was fast and price was great, but I was still a little disappointed overall. No packing material was used so the items just rattled around in the box. They were okay but could have been damaged during shipping. The box was not well sealed and could have come open. My address was correct when I submitted the order and it was correct in the e-mail confirmation I was sent, but it was butchered on the shipping label and I'm amazed it got here at all. The thing that irks me the most though is they did not respond to a very simple e-mail request. If a company is going to do business on the Internet then they need to have someone actually behind the e-mail addresses they put on their site. There is no excuse for ignoring e-mail, especially from someone who is inquiring about an order they recently made. I was happy with the items I ordered and the price was great, but I'll pay more next time to a company that offers better service and has a half way decent shipping department.

Overall, this is a great place to order tools, supplies, etc. The staff is friendly, shipments are prompt, products are good quality. One area that is not up to the task is the packaging department. Every carton I receive seems to be really beaten up and contents seem to just be thrown into the box. I recently ordered 50 plastic planters that were packed loose in a carton. 26 of the 50 were broken. They were happy to give me credit for the broken ones. Come on AML, let's get the packaging up to par with your other services!