Comments regarding Gardens Alive!

It began in January when I ordered my seeds at a pretty good price. Turns out price is not so good when stuck on the phone with someone from India. Any how, I payed with my credit card and most of my seeds showed within 2 weeks the rest is Garlic which is shipped later. About a month later I had more money come out of my account through Gurneys with no explanation. I called India for an explanation & it turned out that they didnt charge me for the garlic at that time. Another thing that really ticks me off is that gurneys has me listed as zone 5. USDA, Burpees and everyone else has me listed as zone 7. All my other garlic is up except for what I ordered from gurneys because they refuse to ship before the date they have listed. I am canceling my garlic and re-ordering from burpee which I should have done in the first place. Absolutely will not order from Gurneys ever again. Because of this experience my friends will no longer order from them either. 2 have canceled orders and have been refunded. Sorry Gurney but I hope you lose alot more than just the six of us. Extremely poor customer service.

"On Mar 31, 2010 1:34 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with:

We appreciate you taking the time to post this. We are always here to assist in any way we can. A customer service representative will be contacting you. Our zones are set according to the USDA and we can always change the ship date on orders if a customer request it."

all I have to say is I was an impatient gardner....but for the price and the fact that everything is life time gauranteed i cant beat it. If something is wrong its fixed no questions asked no hassels. In gardening I have learned patients and all its rewards!!! Thanks Michigan Bulb. My yard gets more beautiful by the year!

"On Mar 18, 2010 10:41 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with:

Thank you for providing testimony on our plants. And, we do pride our selves on our lifetime guarantee "If you are not happy with any item you order from us, or any item does not grow and flourish to your complete satisfaction notify us anytime for a reship, replacement certificate or refund, whichever you prefer. Feel free to send pictures of your garden - we would love to see!
"

I have done business with this company for years - no problems - love their products. Last week, I placed a large order (14 items) with them, including a membership fee to receive a 10% discount on all future orders - clearly intending to continue purchasing from them. Several days later, I had not recieved a confirmation, so I emailed to inquire and included a screenshot that I had saved of my order with the order number on it. Yep, you guessed it. They had lost my order, and wanted me to call or mail them a copy of my order! I sent a second email asking that they initiate the order from the screenshot and just got a canned response telling me to call or mail my order. Unbelievable - any company that wants to keep their customers would have been all over getting my order in their system. I'm taking my business elsewhere. Now, how much you want to bet they reply to this with another canned response about "striving to provide 100% customer service"?

"On Mar 15, 2010 11:41 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with:

We appreciate you taking the time to post this. We are always here to assist in any way we can. A customer service representative will be contacting you to help locate your order and have it shipped to you right away."

I have attempted to order twice from this company's website. The first time was using the account number from the catalog sent to my PO Box. I wanted the shipment to come to the house, so I changed the address to my home. After not receiving any confirmation email, I was told that it was my fault because I changed the address and now the order couldn't 'find' my name (? um, ok). And then I was told to call back in a few days, which I did, and after speaking to the nice lady in India, I was told to put another order in. OK, so I did, and I started without a catalog number, used my home address, and again, I have not received a confirmation email, I can't get anyone to answer my emails, and no one can tell me where these orders are going to. And they aren't small orders.

I ordered from here because of Mike McGrath and NPR - what a disappointment.

"On Mar 12, 2010 8:25 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with:

We appreciate you taking the time to post this. We strive for 100% Customer Satisfaction. We are always here to answer any questions you may have or assist in any way we can. A customer service representative will be contacting you to help with your order."

After receiving a $25 coupon in the mail, I placed an order with Gardens Alive! over the phone since the web site did not respond to the coupon sucessfully. I reached a pleasant customer service agent that had a strong, clipped accent. When I asked where he was located, he responded, "in India." I told him I thought so (from his accent). I went ahead with my order, hating to waste a $25 coupon, and only had to pay for shipping. The order arrived quickly and was well-packaged. Since I have not yet tried the products, I can't elaborate on their performance. However, I am posting this to let everyone know that Gardens Alive! has outsourced customer service to India, and because of that, I will NEVER purchase from this company again. The outsourcing of American jobs is a huge problem in this country; we have many Americans here that need the work. Buyers, support American companies that keep the jobs here!!! Also, a note to Gardens Alive!: at the end of my order, your customer service rep was giving me the spiel to try and sell me something else before closing the order. Due to his heavy, clipped accent, I could not even understand what he was trying to sell me. I later finally figured out that he was trying to say vegetable, but pronouncing it in a very hurried, strongly clipped way as "ve-ge-TAY-bul." Hard to sell someone something when they don't understand your sellsperson. Sometimes it really pays in the long run to keeps the jobs at home.

"On Feb 26, 2010 10:52 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with:

Gardens Alives strives to provide 100% customer service. We want to be available 24 hours a day for our customers therefore we do have call centers outside of the US."

i decided to try gardens alive in spite of negative reviews. my order was placed online jan.15'th and was received within a week, packaged very well and received in excellent shape. the $25.00 coupon was easily honored and made for a nicer, cheaper shopping experience. as i ordered seed starting kits, i will update my post as to how well they function. was very pleasantly surprised with the service received.

"On Feb 26, 2010 10:41 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with:

We greatly appreciate you taking the time to post this. We strive for 100% Customer Satisfaction. We are always here to answer any questions you may have or assist in any way we can. We look forward to serving you in the future. Happy Gardening!"

I purchased a 40lb bag of WOW for our lawn from Gardens Alive. I ordered the product at 11:30 a.m. on Wed. and it arrived the next afternoon! They gave me a $25.00 coupon, also. I work in retail, and couldn't have asked for better service. The Cust. Serv. rep was very helpful and polite. I rate Gardens Alive an A1 company, and will shop with them again.

Buying from this company was one of the worst on-line purchasing experiences I've had, not just once but twice. Their Web site has technical problems, which can be frustrating. Their order system "looses" order information. Telephone support was inconsistent, some were rude others polite. I received no email replies, despite their claim "we'll respond in 24 hours". On both occasion, the products ordered did not ship "the next day", contrary to their published statement. I had to contact them about problems they caused. Their products may be good, but their sales and service are poor.

"On Sep 17, 2009 8:03 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with:

I apologize for the inconvenience. One of our Customer Service Representatives will be contacting you to rectify the problem with your order."

Early in July I ordered a couple of items from GA. One was sent promptly and they said the other would be sent when it was time to plant. Well, it is time to plant but no shrubs!!! I e-mailed them and was told they didn't have anymore. The e-mail was rather "flip", sort of tough luck, teehee attitude. I am unable to find this same item now from any of the RELIABLE companies so will have to do with out until next year.
Lousy customer service from a company that was once very good. Too bad.

"On Sep 17, 2009 8:01 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with:

Thank you for your inquiry. I apologize for all the trouble. We will be contacting you directly with a resolution. "

I ordered several different things from them, and they were shipped in 3 different shipments. They kept me notified of all shipments, which arrived here in 2 business days from notification, and all were as described. The prices were not high and neither was shipping amount considering the number of shipments. I would recommend!

"On Aug 24, 2009 2:12 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with:

Thank you for your kind words; we greatly appreciate you taking the time to post this. We strive for 100% Customer Satisfaction. We are always here to answer any questions you may have or assist in any way we can. We look forward to serving you in the future. Happy Gardening!"

It was with great trepidation that I placed an order with Gardens Alive. I had used their product for years when they first started, but it's been at least 7years since I ordered anything. (NOT becaue of product but changes in my life.)

I have to say I'm quite content. I ordered Japanese Beetle Traps, Roses Alive #3, and Liquid Rotenone/Pyrethrin on July 25. The box arrive today, July 28, standart shipping, plus I got to use a $25 off coupon. I was just getting ready to go to the local nursery to buy traps, as I thought it would be next week before delivery!
Perhaps they are tuning in to DG? Regardless, I am both relieved and pleased. Hopefully I can again rely on them for their excellant product line as I have in the past.

"On Aug 6, 2009 1:56 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with:

Valued Customer:

Thank you for your kind words; it is greatly appreciated. Our company is based on 100% Customer Service; if you are not satisfied, then we have not done our job. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance. We look forward to serving you in the future."

1.) I placed an order for 3 species of beneficial insects from GardensAlive.com on 6/17/2009.

2.) I paid an additional fee for expedited shipping, so as to stem the tide of insects that were destroying my south plot.

3.) After watching the order status intently for several days, I noticed the date to ship kept moving out again and again.

4.) The estimated delivery date moved out a total of approximately 5 times.

5.) The delivery date will now be just shy of 1 month after I placed the order, DESPITE the fact that I paid an expedited shipping fee.

6.) There was NO information on the website about insects being backordered.

7.) After discovering that it was going to take A MONTH to receive the insects I ordered, I tried to cancel my order. I was told that it would be impossible, as the order had already shipped and my credit card had already been charged. This is suspicious, because my bank’s website posts pending debits against my account as soon as they are received, as far as I have ever seen in the past.

8.) It was another week before the shipment finally arrived.

9.) I again attempted to cancel the remainder of my order and was once again told it would be impossible, that the order had been shipped, and the subsequent emails I sent on the same subject were ignored.

10.) The reason I ordered these insects was to fight the harmful insects that were destroying my crops. This late after ordering them, my crops are all but destroyed.

11.) Despite the expedited shipping charge, I have not received but 1/3 of the insects I ordered. Nothing told me that these insects were on backorder, or I wouldn’t have ordered them.

12.) I have ordered from PlanetNatural.com in the past, and the shipping was quick and responsive. In addition, when they were sold out of lady bug beetles, they prominently displayed that they were and wouldn’t have any more until mid June.

13.) The company finally offered to cancel my order after I had to get EXTREMELY rude with the customer service representative over the telephone. I will say, however, that the customer representative I spoke to was polite and helpful once he understood how upset I was with the service I had received theretofore.

14.) Mike McGrath and GardensAlive.com are running a shoddy operation in my opinion, and I would highly suggest ANYONE looking for the type of products they sell look to other sources before ordering anything from them.

"On Jul 8, 2009 8:52 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with:

Thank you for your inquiry. Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvenience we may have caused. Our Customer Service Team is checking into the issue you had with your order and will do our best to rectify the problem in a timely manner. We will be contacting you directly with a resolution. "

This company buys email spam lists, sends unsolicited email spam, and tries to scam customers with fake "your order is being processed" emails when nothing has been ordered.

Avoid them at all costs.

"On Jul 8, 2009 8:13 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with:

Thank you for your inquiry. Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvenience we may have caused. Our Customer Service Team is checking into the issue you had with your order and will do our best to rectify the problem in a timely manner. We will be contacting you directly with a resolution. "

I have bought many things from Gardens Alive and love their products. But their customer (no) service is so horrible I don't know what to do.

Their customer (no) service is in India, you can't talk to real people that know what is going on, and you can't ever resolve anything. There is a problem - they don't tell you. You have to wait and wonder - why did that order never show up - trace the order back to find out that there is a problem and then you are stuck in customer (no) service hell - and can't ever resolve the problem!

The bottom line is - I want to find other retailers to buy the same stuff from because Gardens Alive customer (no) service is so bad.

Can anyone suggest other online retailers that sell the same things?

Thanks!

"On Jul 8, 2009 8:11 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with:

Thank you for your inquiry. Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvenience we may have caused. Our Customer Service Team is checking into the issue you had with your order and will do our best to rectify the problem in a timely manner. We will be contacting you directly with a resolution. "

I have ordered from this company several times over the years, most recently last month, and have never had any trouble. They've honored the $25 off coupons, and my order has come within a week. With the coupon, the WOW (corn gluten) is cheaper than any other place I've found (factoring in shipping). Without the coupon, it is comparable. I have never ordered plants or live products from them, only gardening supplies, and have been very happy with the products, and the results.

I had a bad experience with the company two years ago regarding the free $25 coupon. They tried to bill me for products they refused to send, but we finally got it fixed.

I am trying them again today and we will see if they get this order correct and in a timely way. I am not using a coupon, by the way. I think there is a reason there is so much hassle using them.

I will post back my experience with this order. If there is any problem, they have lost me for good, and I will be sure to let DG know.

I've ordered from GA several times, and so far so good. Shipping was promt. Items arrived in good shape, and I like that they use compostable packing peanuts.

They would not honor my coupon for $25 free with no minimum order. Earlier I cut out the coupon and threw the book away. Can you say TOO-MANY-CATALOGS coming to your house???

Most coupons have all the information one needs on the coupon. Theirs does not and not even a warning on it to refer back to keycode. Even with my account number (from an old catalog), they would not provide me my keycode.

The are happy to offer me a different (less valuable) coupon but not the coupon that is sitting in front of me on my desk. Do they think I am making it up???

Not suprised to come here and see so many negative ratings!!!

You get what you pay for!!

"On Apr 28, 2009 4:13 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with:

I offered the customer the $25.00 coupon on 4/14 and also explained how to use it on our site. No reply."

First time customer this year, ordered 4 bags of Wow pre-emergent. Order came quickly and was well packaged. Still too early to tell how the product is working.

This was our second (and last) year ordering from Garden's Alive. I was very specific regarding the order of 3 "sets" of lady beetles when I called them, then placed the order on-line. We needed them inside our greenhouse to help control a small aphid outbreak. I was assured that if I put in the comments the request for an earlier ship date than is usual for our zone they would ship out.

After they didn't ship as requested I e-mailed them. A week later I received a response that they were shipping, however the order showed another week before they shipped. I called and was told that the date on the order status was when they "processed" the order (which to me was two weeks before) and they would ship in another week.

When they didn't ship I called, then e-mailed a couple days later specifically asking if the lady bugs were back-ordered and was finally told that they were. When I called to cancel them (my other item arrived fine) the rep on the phone just about argued with me that they couldn't ship because of our zone, then finally admitted they were back-ordered anyways and refunded my money.

While I got my money back I think it's pretty poor service not to tell the customer up front when an item is back ordered. I had to ordered my lady bugs from another vender (Hirt's) yesterday with 2 day shipping to get them here. Their website shows you right away if something is in stock or not and they have already processed and shipped the order.

Sorry to read of some of the negative posts regarding Gardens Alive. Maybe I've been one of the lucky ones; am elated that I've been "lucky" for over 15 years of doing business with them!

Once again I've ordered from them this year, and will place a second order in a few weeks. Products rec'd always arrive in good condition with very fast shipping. (I tend to lean towards buying some of their pest products as well as TomtoesAlive.)

I received, via e-mail, a coupon for $25.00 off an order of any price. I ordered about $20.00 worth of product, and they used the remaining $5.00 toward shipping. I paid only 2.13 for the whole order. Both were soil amenders which I am very big into, and could no tbe happier! If this offer ever happenes again, I will definitely be taking part.

The items I ordered seem to be having a positive effect. I have 2 pots of the same plants, and the one that I used the products in are greener and bushier.

Jennifer

I phone ordered 3 of the topsy turvy tomatoe planters on a friday night (3/13/09). Minutes later they were advertised on TV 2 for the same price. The catalog said any orders taken after 5pm on friday would be shipped the next working day. I called Customer service on Saturday morning only to be told that my order had already shipped. When I received my order I followed up on the UPS tracking number and found that it didn't get picked up By UPS until Monday afternoon.
Customer service told me after complaining again that once my order is taken, it can't be stopped. I think they just make up an excuse and try to push the order or are too lazy to make an effort and change it. With computers today, a few short key strokes should take care of it.

I ordered from their catalog in March 2009 that had a buy $25 get $25 free coupon. I ordered their "Flow" natural drain cleaner, some seeds, and some tomato plants. I explained that though I live in zone 6 I have a greenhouse and could accept delivery of the plants now.I was told after giving my info twice to their rep, that it all would arrive in a few days. It did except for the plants,which had a ship date of mid-April. When I called back their rep said they would enter an earlier ship date into their system but had no way of determining when the plants would actually be ready, since they were coming from a different location. Let me repeat that--they had no way of determining when the plants would actually be ready. I could check their web site on my order status in a few days to find out if the shipping date had been changed.I did so and it still said April.So I called again and after the rep checked with a manager I was told that the plants would not be ready until April.I canceled the plants and ordered something else.

I remain amazed that the person taking my order did not know when an item could be shipped.We'll see how their "Flow" works on my drain.

I have had two occassions in the past week to deal with the customer service of Garden's Alive. Regretfully, I recently lost my father. I found an invoice that was serveral months old amongst his paperwork. It showed that he had paid for a subscription to a newsletter or something there. I called to have the subscription stopped and to request a refund. At first I was told that he hadn't paid for a subscription, I said that it was clearly stated on the invoice that he had, after research on their part they realized that it had been paid...he then said he would put a credit on the account. I then had to again explain to him that my father had passed away, therefore it would be highly unlikely that he would be able to use a credit on his account. After speaking with a supervisor, I was told that they would in fact be able to issue a refund. From the same invoice, I found products that my father had purchased and due to his illness had never even opened them. I was told that it had been too long since the order had been placed to return these items and that there was nothing they could do. I understand that it has been several months since the order, but my father was not in good health at the time he placed the order and just put the product in the closet. It is truly not the money, it is the fact that this company is unwilling to work with people in extenuating circumstances. If I sold a product that I believed to be an excellent product, I would certainly in a case such as this accept a return of unopened product. It does not have any expiration codes....for me, I have lost my father and now I have the unfortunate task of dealing with his affairs. I have been in contact with many companies that have gone above and beyond to make these things easier on my family, regretfully, I can not add this company to that list.

I've ordered from them several times in the past with no issues. Just love WOW! for controlling the crabgrass, etc. I bet I got rid of 80% of the weeds in the last double I lived in .

The last time I ordered from GA was back in the late 90's. I have heard that they are now outsourcing their customer service, though, and I don't like that idea. I want to deal with American people. I was also surprised and dismayed to see so many negative ratings on here. Not sure if I will order from them again despite the $25/$50 coupon on the catalog they just sent me.

2/11/09.....Received their catalog in January....Sent an order in mid January that had a $25.00 off cost of products
ordered....I was after a product called Knock-Out Gnats
Granules....Also ordered Bulbs Alive......Order came quickly;
the Bulbs Alive, but not the more expensive product that I
really needed, the Knock-Out Gnats Granules.....
The invoice stated that the product was not available; and
the catalog just came out....no offer to send it later....was
quickly given a refund check for this....not sure what to think
about their inventory situation......Maryanne, zone 5, Ohio

i hate eveything about this whole place

Have ordered from Gardens Alive 2 or 3 times each year for the past 2 years. Always positive experience. Love their seed starting mix and the veggie fertilizer. Last order one bag of powder was busted in box, they promptly sent me another. They always honor the coupons, have quick shipping and great quality products.

Here is a response to roflcopters (a former employee of Gardens Alive) message below. I happen to be one of their customers who had their account frozen not so much for business with Gardens Alive but for their sister companies BBrecks, Springhill etc. These companies say they offer a lifetime guarantee so I put them to the test and I told them so. They advertise that if I am not satisfied for any reason with their plants for as long as I garden I can get a refund. I take this to mean that I can order plants also for as long as I garden--especially since I am a lifetime member of one of their affiliated organizations. Shortly after I sent a list of all the plants I wanted a refund for I could not order again nor could I reach their websites on my computers nor even contact them by e-mail. These companies have this great advertising but they do not live up to it. As for Gardens alive I found their products to be a bad joke-- I tried one of the pest repellents and it was like nothing at all. I tried the mosquito repellents in the USA and Japan in a variety of situations and it was better NOT having anything to repell the pests--I would have saved money.
Companies should find ways to be sure their products arrive safely. If they cannot they should not be in the business of shipping products. Simple fact. Of course it is profitable for greedy companies to take their chances and replace some of the products that get damaged but it is such a bad business practice to not package them securely, then blame customers for complaining makes customers even more angry. Again, what about the 'for any reason' guarantee that these companies are advertising? Although if you think these companies are bad you should try ordering from ones in Bloomington, Ill. You are lucky if the plants arrive alive.
As for Gardens Alive's guarantee the customer should get the product replaced if satisfaction is the guarantee. You may be an ex-employee but a customer sees these advertisements and believes them If Gardens Alive does not want to fulfill this promise they should not advertise it. You admit the company needs improvements. The replacements should be hassle free--after all the company made the policy to replace things. I never bought plants from GA but for the products I did try I would want the company to respect its own policy and there should be no reason that I should be stopped from trying other plants (which is my case with the other affiliated companies) except bad business practices. Telling customers to go to another company is ridiculous--I can understand why you are mo longer there. If Gardens Alive and the others were doing what they were supposed (promised) to do, everything would be fine. I guess you give customers reason to complain.
If people who answer the phone cannot help customers they should be in the fields and someone who can help customers should be answering the phones. Even I know this and I am a simple person. Again how ridiculous to say no one in the company can do anything about the shipping on one of the company's products. Why does the company even exist then if cannot help customers?Oh I know--profit!!
I wonder if the company coupons clearly state only one can be used at a time. I have seen this on some coupons and offers but not always. Another company trick!!! If it is not clearly and openly stated a customer is lead (purposely?) to believe: Wow! A double deal!' The customers excitement seems only natural and companies should know this although many still play tricks anyway so do NOT tell the customers to stop complaining. Stop giving them reasons to complain--oh you can't you do not work there anymore. How brave to write when you are out of the picture!
Good advise to keep the keycodes.
Whether the company messes up royally or not so royally, guarantees that the company brags about should be followed through without former employees ranting him/herself about customers' behaviors. Decency as you speak of goes both ways.
Gardens Alive not only sends plants that do badly but repellents as I mentioned earlier. After a few I did not try anymore. What was the use after the first 3 or so were useless and so zones etc have nothing to do with this and yes mosquitoes may vary but the products did absolutely nothing in a variety of situations. Should I really be stopped WITHOUT any warning that my account is being closed?
I know many companies replace plants for free and almost all of them have some kind of guarantee. Many go to great lengths to pack them so they arrive in VERY good shape--even if the driver sits on them.
Instead of telling customers to go somewhere else you should have stayed at Gardens Alive to tell them how to satisfy customers. I am one customer who has really had it with this group of companies and it seems I heard rumors of bankruptcy--it is no surprise really

I'm surprised to see all these complaints. I've never had a negative experience with this company. Just now I placed an order, as I've done every year for the past seven years. Ordering online today was easy--first a Google search for a coupon, follow the link and added my item to my shopping cart. I logged in with my user name and put in my CC info, done. No problems, no weird things. I'm sure my items will arrive in a few days as always.

Once in the past my order of WOW was destroyed in transit (I can only imagine what the inside of that UPS truck must have looked like!) Gardens Alive was quick to resend, no problems at all.

I have ordered from Gardens Alive for many years and have never had a problem with any order. My most recent order was a couple weeks ago, and I received the order in good condition in a few days. My only complaint is that they always have those silly discount coupons to deal with. Their regular prices are fairly high, but with the coupons it's more reasonable. I wish they would just forget the coupons and have lower prices.

I'm not sure what the previous complaint was about... if you went to burger king on monday and bought a combo meal for $4.99..... and saw that they are having a special on it on thursday for $2.99 would you show up and ask for a refund? Get real, if the attorney general even listens to anything you say I'd be surprised... Your acting like just because they don't have a storefront and real people you can meet and interact with you can just do whatever you would like and make them cave to your demands its just because they deal with you over the phone and email you think you can do whatever you please, . Gardens has been a fantastic company thier products are a little overpriced but the garauntee makes up for it. I think you are being unrealistic in your complaint.

I've been a Garden's Alive customer for over 10 years and have had generally good experiences. I order 160 to 200 lbs. of WOW! Supreme twice a year to cover my acre yard. Inevitably ever fall after I order they drop the price and I email them and they refund the difference. Well this week they dropped the price $4 per 40 lb. bag and I emailed them to request a refund. The customer service rep emailed me back and said "Thank you for your email. I apologize for the inconvenience. We run different promotional offers at different times. I can offer you a $25 discount, if you place an order for $50 or more. Please leave a note in the “special instructions” box concerning the discount/coupon, and we'll be happy to deduct it from the order." They didn't acknowledge my request and sent a form response in return. Not very customer friendly and I feel like they didn't read my correspondence very closely. I emailed back to customer service and indicated I was rejecting their offer and would pursue it with the Indiana Attorney General office.

Alright, enough already.

I used to work for GardensAlive, and now that I've moved on to bigger and better things, I feel comfortable calling the majority of our customers out on their bs. My comments are based on observations as an employee and have not been reviewed or condoned by GardensAlive or any of it's affiliates, staff or suppliers.

I'll start off by saying that yes, there is much room for improvement in some of their business practices. I’ve seen pictures of packages that arrived to customers completely destroyed, and you’re darn right that I’d be angry in that case, too.

Keep in mind, however, that they REPLACE YOUR PRODUCTS FOR FREE. And for all those who say they don’t stand behind the guarantee just because you couldn’t get any more free things, just shut up. (see # 1 for details.)

Here are a few simple rules to keep in mind to make everyone’s life a bit more pleasant:

1.) If you return or have us ship out (for free) more products than you actually pay for—they WILL freeze your account. Either you’re lying to get free plants, or their products just don’t work for you, in which case you're better off with another company anyway.

2.) When you call the customer service line, you are NOT speaking to a supervisor. You are speaking to someone with no authority on re-pricing plants, shipping, or other products. Do NOT complain about the shipping on your Wow Supreme. They can’t change it. No one at the company can.

3.) They, like pretty much every company no matter what service they provide, do NOT combine coupons and special offers. NO EXCEPTIONS.

4.) KEEP YOUR KEY CODES!! They’re on the back of your catalog OR in the corner of the order form if it’s a special offer. No key number = no way for the computer to know which price you get. They have too many magazines and flyers around to know which special offer you mean.

5.) This is a big one: The person on the other end of the line is NOT directly responsible for the problem you’re having. Therefore, if you call on an irate rant, you will most likely be hung up on. Thing get lost in shipping, things run out of stock (especially if you wait until last minute to order) and most importantly, people make mistakes. YES, even companies. Deal with it. If you’re reasonable and they have genuinely messed up your order royally, they will be happy to set things straight for you, provided you treat them with one ounce of basic human decency.

That goes for EVERY mail order company on the planet, by the by.

Anyway…. As for the products, if you stick with your zone and soil requirements and sun/shade preference and have a semi-green thumb, they should work out just fine. Yes, there is the chance your plants may not grow anyway, and yes, there’s a chance the UPS guy sat on your bulbs and busted them to hell and back. But again, if the return policy has not been abused, you can get it replaced for free. I don’t know of any other companies who will replace your stuff and not even make you pay shipping.

And hey, if you really don’t like GardensAlive, there are a million other companies out there. Go pick one and stop placing orders somewhere where you’re not satisfied.

I'm quite frankly surprised to see all of the negative comments with this company. I always order from Garden's Alive online, with no problems at all. I have found that their Pyola spray is the best around for instantly getting rid of the Japanese Beetles and aphids on my rose bushes and other plants. The Soap Shield and Shield All both work wonders on rose fungus. The Roses Alive is the reason I have big healthy roses. I also have their Bulbs Alive and Perinneals Alive feeds to and they are all wonderful. Their lawn weed and feed, while it takes longer than chemical's to work, does work over time. I am a member of the Garden Solutions club and enjoy my 10% discount with every purchase from their member companies. People who want instant gratification shouldn't try organic gardening as it take more work and more time to see the results. But those results are wonderful with a little patience!

Talk about an eye opener!

I had a special offer from Gardens Alive and went clicking through their website. Most products do not list the ingredients, which I found odd for a company who claims to be earth friendly.

One interesting product I found was Plantskyd at $36.95/lb. Claims say it will repel deer for 6 months. I emailed them to ask what it is, what the active ingredients are. Today (2 or 3 weeks later) I got a reply stating that the active ingredient is blood meal!!! Can you imagine $36.95 a pound for blood meal???

Buyer beware of Gardens Alive

Karen

Don't bother trying to order on line. I have not been able to submit my order to them the last 4 tries.
When I called in this last order my return email stated that my order would take 13 to 27 days to be delivered. I emailed back that I needed the nematodes for my irises now.
I have to agree with the others who say that this company's
practices have slipped dramatically. No more orders from me.

I have ordered from most of those linked companies and knock on wood I have been very happy,, I did have a coupon problem once, I called and they corrected it,, the products work and flowers have been in good condition, i have been ordering from most of them for years..