Comments regarding Bonsai Boy of New York

BONSAI BOY HAS THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE EXPERIENCED FROM ANY ONLINE RETAILER.
Ordered two Bonsai trees in the beginning of February. The following morning I realized I neglected to order a drip tray for one of them. I called the store to request the tray. Despite calling during their posted business hours, no one answered the phone so I left a message. I followed up with an email right away so the tray would be shipped with the rest of my order.
A day or so later I got an email from Bonsai Boy, informing me that shipment would be delayed due to the cold weather. I replied to that with another request for the additional tray and got no response. Several days later I sent another request via email. Another several days later I got an email from Nick @ Bonsai Boy asking if anyone had taken care of my request, claiming if no one had he would handle the order right away. I responded almost immediately that no one had. I got no response.
A few days further on the plants showed up at my door (no shipping notice had been sent) and no additional drip tray. I once again called the store and reported what had transpired to that point. I was told the tray would be shipped right away. When the package with the tray arrived I was very disappointed. The tray they sent is double the required size and looks ridiculous. I have since followed up with three emails asking the proper size tray be sent. Its been a month and a half since the original order and my request is still being ignored. I should add that all along I assured that I am willing to pay for the tray.
BONSAI BOY HAS THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE EXPERIENCED FROM ANY ONLINE RETAILER.
I would not recommend this business to anyone. I would expect that after I spent over $150 for two plants, they would be ready and willing to supply a tray that cannot cost them more that a dollar or two.

DO NOT ORDER. This has been by far the most unprofessional business I've been in contact with. I made an order for two plants, one ficus and one Juniper tree on 3/17. I get an e-mail from them the next day saying that they are waiting for the weather to get better before shipping, great I love the proactiveness. Two weeks go by and I still have not heard from them, despite the weather being 60+ degrees. I need to reach out to them and remind them to ship my plants. They ship it next day.

When I get the plant, the Juniper tree is gorgeous, I love it, and had no problem with it. The ficus however, had dead leaves, broken branches, and an uprooted base. I took a picture of it after a few days and e-mailed Mark. No response after 4 days. I send a follow-up e-mail asking for a replacement or a refund. He responds, the tree will "probably" come back. At this point I am beyond frustrated with the service and product. I respond saying that I did not request a damaged plant that will take time to recover, I requested the product as shown in the description. If the description stated that the plant will be delivered in taters, but don't worry, it will recover, I would have gladly accepted it. The description was misleading, and product unsatisfactory.

Long story short, customer service is unresponsive, one of the two trees I received was of very poor quality, and the company made no attempt to resolve this issue.

The item that was purchased was a higher priced item. The company never shipped the item but rather wanted me to concede to accepting a lesser item. On top of that, they did not refund the price of the item. Those doing business with them should not expect honorable service.

My mother ordered me a "10 year old, indoor blood orange bonsai tree with an imported ceramic pot" as a gift. The pre-order service was actually very poor. My mother felt that they were rude to her and I had felt they were too but the tree that we saw on the website was so nice that we decided to just order anyways and not have to deal with them again. (just order online from there on out if we were happy with the order) They talked her into ordering a 9 dollar drip tray and the plant cost 89.95 which after shipping came out to about 120 total. The plant arrived very quickly however it looked like a stick tree stuck in a terracotta pot with a terracotta tray. I was taken back but at first did not want to tell my mother the disappointment of the gift. After getting home and trying to look up the tree online I came across a website that sold the exact tree that I got for MUCH less, that came with a terracotta pot and tray. The tree actually came with the same exact care instructions, and I mean the same template and document posted on their website organicbouquet.com. When I called to discuss this obvious rip off with Gene ("owner") he was very rude and would not answer any questions about how he had purposely stolen from my mother and made her pay an extra 10 dollars for a drip tray that is a terracotta tray. He blamed that I lived in California and that he could not legally ship anything to CA that he had a company that he would not tell me who they were that was supposed to send me what I ordered. The pot was supposed to be an "imported ceramic pot" with this additional ceramic tray. He told me that "only his most expensive trees are meant to look like their picture" (i guess 120 isn't enough for ol Gene) and gave me a ridiculous excuse for the reason I received a tree that I could probably find at home depot for 21.99. If there is one thing worse than ripping people off, it is continuing to try to be rude and fight that you are right, instead of just being honest. He would not directly answer one question that I asked him and he was combative with everything I asked about what I was supposed to receive. Gene got caught on this one, he ended our conversation with cursing and a hang up. This "family business" is sad and I hope that I can articulate exactly how pathetic this product and my experience was. We have started working with the credit card company because I can not believe this business would act in good faith to ever refund the money on their own. I order a large percentage of my purchases online and this honestly was the worst I have ever seen. I think seeing the pictures tells the whole story because this purchase couldn't be farther than from what they have misrepresented on their website. Please consider my experience before making a purchase from this site, it really is going to turn into a giant headache. I would NEVER consider having anyone I know order from them.

Posted on January 25, 2010, updated October 18, 2011
Posted on June 14, 2009, updated January 25, 2010
I ordered a Hawaiian Umbrella Bonsai Tree - Banyan Style - Large-Item e2011. for $69.95 - Its Features: 19 years old, 16" tall

What I got was not the tree in the picture. It was a much shorter (9-10 inches tall) tree. I too notified Gene by taking photos of what I got and sending it to them. They told me I got the wrong tree,and responded by email as follows:

"We are sending replacement. You may keep or discard what you have. Gene Bonsaiboy.com
PS We measure from the top of the table to the top of the tree"

I kept the first tree and waited for replacement. Why discard a perfectly good tree just because someone screwed up? The new tree came this past Friday...same size as the first...not the size and description of the one on the website that I original ordered. Looks like I got screwed again. DO NOT ORDER FROM THE COMPANY...WHAT IS ON THE WEBSITE IS NOT WHAT I GOT..............BEWARE!

Posted on October 4, 2011, updated October 14, 2011
DO NOT ORDER A TREE FROM THIS PLACE. "GREG" was a JERK and sent me a tree that looked dead the pink serissa flowers fell, wrong pot holder ,and gave me advise to go in my backyard and put some moss and alter it to make it look like what i thought it looked like on line and DID NOT recieve. Dummy, that is what YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE! They make money off shipping because their trees are so shitty. He was also rude on the phone and hung up on me and even thought he stated my tree looked perfect when he recieved it back from me within the 5 day return period, this jerk wouldn't ship me my FULL refund because this asshole didn't think he made an error, on top of that they never sent me a confirmation because they input my email address wrong and blamed me for "mispronunciation" Luckily my bank disputed it and gave me the rest of the refund. Someone please put these people out of business. Gene, you suck at business, you need another occupation. Don't even post a bullshit response to this comment because everyone on this cite knows your full of shit.

The good:
The plant I received was beautifully package and very healthy.

The bad:
It wasn't the tree they pictured on the site.
It wasn't nearly as old as they claimed
There were several bad limb cuts and wire marks on the trunk and branches.
I would say it looked like a tree branch some cut off and put in a bonsai dish. I'm really disappointed. I should have listened to my gut instinct to not buy a tree sight unseen!

Ordered a ligustrum bonsai with supplies and not only did I NOT receive the bonsai that was pictured on their website, the plant isn't even a ligustrum. To add insult to injury, I did receive all of the supplies that I purchased with the plant. The company is VERY PASSIVE about their customer service and make you feel like all the effort is on your end. I have still yet to have a resolution of the plant or the supplies.

This is another of those outlets that lives on bulk purchases to make up for their mistakes. As long as their sales are strong, it's apparent they do not give a whip about customer service or return purchases (which I doubt happen).

Shipping was delayed due to weather, no problem. A personalized card showing pictures of the trees and announcing why they were delayed was promised for this anniversary gift but never delivered despite the owner's assurances.
The trees were eventually sent with no tracking info as promised, no email, no phone call to make me aware that they would be unceremoniously dumped on my porch. One tree shriveled and died within a week, the other is fading fast. Save your money and the shipping expense, headaches and empty promises of Bonsai Boy and buy from ANYONE else.
Nice website they have, worst service and product ever

DO NOT BUY FROM BONSAI BOY WEBSITE!! YOU WILL BE VERY VERY [deleted] OFF!! I REPEAT DO NOT BUY FROM THIS WEBSITE.


I looked at the bonsai pictures (Barbados Cherry Tree)
that was represented on BONSAI BOY website. I paid close to $100 and expressed that pkg be delivered by USPS. Well first of all, to [deleted] with my request, he sent it UPS to my home, which was a great inconvenience for me, despite the fact that I phoned him and told him not to do this.

When the bonsai came I was angry and shocked, tree reminded me of Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree, just a tiny twig, with some leaves. As a New Yorker I felt suckered by these people. NEVER, AGAIN BONSAI BOY, YOU SUCK LIKE A ROTTEN, STINKY LEMON.

"On Mar 24, 2011 11:13 AM, Bonsai Boy of New York responded with:

We have no record of contact with this customer, we can't ship via the Post Office (too much theft in New York City, it is untraceable, too heavy) our only Barbados Cherry sells for $49.95, not “close to $100”, etc. Not sure this even our shipment, just too many inconsistencies here.

We also have a liberal return policy if the received tree is not to your liking, you don't have to keep it!

Many trees do defoliate in the winter and regenerate growth in the Spring (like now), its impossible to keep updating photos on a living, growing organism that cycles through its life cycle like every other creature in nature.

Sad that this person choose to complain to anonymously to strangers on the internet and sling insults rather than call the Owner directly and resolve the issue.

We bend over backwards to accommodate even when the customer has made a mistake or cared for a tree improperly. We have hundreds of letters praising our customer service, even when something has gone wrong on our end as we admit to our mistake and fix immediately.

Consider the source before you are let complete strangers with the time, bitterness and insults to write nasty comments - instead of calling us - to sway your opinion. A lot of people are brave behind their computers (only). You may always call us and speak with a owner of this Family run business.

Thank you"

Under no circumstance would I recommend buying a tree from bonsai boy.com/ bonsai boy of new york. I paid $100 for a copper beech bonsai that was supposedly 10 years old. When it arrived, i was shocked-- it looked like a stick randomly stuck in the center of a pot-- nothing like the picture and definitely not what i was expecting.(not to mention the leaves were curling up and brown on the edges, not healthy looking at all. ) i am new to bonsai so i wasnt sure if it was just my lack of experience that was making this tree seem untrained and unattractive and very un-bonsai-ish. ... i joined a beginners bonsai discussion forum and posted pics of my new tree and asked for styling and general advice from experts. Across the board they agreed I had been completely ripped off, this "tree" was a sapling no more than 2 years old at most, it had no training or style. One guy said it gave him a pit in his stomach to see how much I had paid for what i had gotten , another guy said his recommendation was to plant it in the ground for 2-3 years and let it thicken then to take a branch off and start again. Not exactly advice i was hoping for when i had just paid $100 for a supposedly 10 year old bonsai. All of the experts were very sorry I had had that experience and said that i was not alone and that bonsaiboy.com has a really bad reputation among people who actually care about bonsai. I am new to bonsai but i had done enough research to know that generally the lowest branch should be at about 1/3 of the height of the tree, and the tree shouldnt be centered in the pot... neither of these basic guidelines were embraced by bonsai boy in their "trained 10 year old copper beech". It really looked like someone took a stick out of their back yard and put it in the middle of a bonsai pot (and left the "made in china" sticker on the front.)
I cant return it because its been more than a week, and furthermore I think id only get half my money back at best since they charge more than $20 for return shipping and you have to pay a 20% "restocking" fee. This bonsai was meant to be a very special gift for a friend and it was very sad to get ripped off so bad with something that I had put a lot research into. When it came time to order i only saw one bad review of bonsaiboy and i figured that person just had a random bad experience .... now i wish i had listened to them! take my advice dont buy any of their trees!!!! save your money! they are awful.

bonsai elm- arrived and started dropping leaves- discovered sap on leaves and infestation of aphids- company told me the bonsai was a deciduous tree and it was normal for them to drop their leaves!!- told me to let it dry out, the bugs live in the soil- and to kill aphids with soap spray then insecticide if that didn't work. In meantime plant will lose all of its leaves. It may come back it may not. Man was very rude, obnoxious, accused me of lying about bugs! Certainly didn't offer to send another one- their risk free guanantee is a joke- i wouldn't purchase from these creeps.

They shouldn't ship plants that are buggy.

I ordered a gift for Mother's Day on April 26. I followed directions about the day I would like it delivered ( I chose May 4-8 which was the week before because I thought they would be busy!). Gene, apparentlythe owner, changed my delivery date and didn't tell me...until AFTER Mother's Day. When I asked for compensation, he yelled at me and then hung up on me! When I tried to call back, he prepetedly hung up on me. Now I have no way to cancel my order and my Mom has no gift. DO NOT use this company. They will steal your money and leave you without product!!

"On May 18, 2009 12:13 PM, Bonsai Boy of New York responded with:

We experienced a glitch in our shipping software that prevented 3 out of 728 orders from being sent out for Sunday, Mother’s Day. On Saturday, we contacted these customers to offer:

1 - A color picture of the tree embedded in a gift certificate to be immediately emailed to both the gift giver and Mom in time to present for Mother’s Day with our written apologies and the original gift message.

2 – Expedited shipping of the tree on Monday at no additional cost. Saturday shipping for Sunday arrival is just not possible from New York to Georgia.

3 – To include growing accessories (tray, fertilizer and pebbles) at no additional cost.

Shannon62873 insisted that her money be refunded IN ADDITION to RECEIVING the tree and the above compensation. When we explained that it was impossible for us to give away our products with shipping and remain in business, Shannon began to threaten us by reporting us to her credit card company, the BBB and various places on the internet. At this point there was no use in trying to have a meaningful two way dialogue as she refused to listen to the options and she was told her money would be refunded and it immediately was.

We understand the frustration and emotion involved when a gift was not going to be received timely but think we made a fair offer of possible alternatives and compensation. The 2 other affected customers took our offer with our apologies. Instead, the conversation with Shannon quickly deteriorated to assessing blame, unrealistic demands and threats so her money was returned and the call terminated.

We take pride in satisfying our customer’s need with shipping and delivering trees quickly with great accuracy. We also take personal ownership of the problem in the very rare event that something goes wrong and strive to fix it to everyone's satisfaction. Sadly, in this case, we were unable to offer a FULL REFUND still ship the product.
"

I purchased 600 USD worth of corporate bonsai plants for a special event. Fortunately I ordered one of the flowering bonsai for myself to see what the plant would be like. The plant was much smaller than I expected. Within a few weeks after careful tending it has turned brown and basically died. There is a new shoot coming off the side, showing how well the plant is being watered and tended. The plants that Bonsai Boy sells are as far as I can tell hothoused. I do not believe that they are slow grown bonsai. There is no way that my bonsai was 7 years old as claimed on the website. I believe that the company greatly misrepresents its plants.

I called the gentleman that I placed the order with. He didn't want to know. I had found him rude when I called to place the order so this didn't surprise me. I must WARN anyone else considering purchasing from them. DON'T!!!! They sell nice bonsai locally and for a fraction of the price. The rudeness of the proprietor was completely unnecessary.

Received an orchid pot from bonsaiboy via Amazon.com. Not only was the price listed incorrectly but the item was much smaller than expected. Bonsaiboy's website described the item as "handpainted" which upon even a cursory inspection it is most assuredly NOT. Their Customer service representative, when asked about returns was rude and defensive, seeming offended that I should want to return an unsatisfactory item for in-store credit. Will never purchase anything from them again.

Ordered from them last year and will never order from this company again! The plant they sent was brittle when it arrived (juniper), and they did not include the tools I ordered! Contacting them was difficult, and they had trouble locating my order. When they finally did resolve the problem they did send the tools (which were of good quality), but the customer service really left a lot to be desired.

It really surprises me that these type of people are in the business of handling things that need great care for they have no regard or care for those whom thay need to serve. Rude workers, overpriced products [shears, soil, pots, etc.].

Awful! Awful! Awful!
I ordered an artificial bonsai tree from BonsaiBoy about two months ago, I'm still waiting for it. Tried to call up their customer service to see if we can resolve the issue and was given a run around followed by snide remarks. Very bad service all around. Definately not a happy camper.

THE WORST costumer service experienced I have EVER had PERIOD.
Scenario:
I called to ask about a certain product that I WAS interested in purchasing from these RUDE people, but first I was curious about how to care for my Ficus tree being that I had some trouble with it. I went on to ask for advice about the tree, and I was greeted with the most obnoxious reply that comes only second to SPRINT costumer service reps.
He first asked if I purchased the tree from HIS establishment, I was honest enough to answer no. This inconsiderate moron answers " Well how do you think that makes me feel? Am I really supposed to answer that question?" WHAT?!
My reply to this JERK is YOU are the pinnacle reason for this countrys "outsourcing" problem.
BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!!