Comments regarding Breck's Bulbs

Posted on August 2, 2010, updated August 11, 2010
I ordered a border lily collection called "starlight magic" last fall. They arrived on time in good condition, and have now started to bloom. The website says they are rose-red with a white outline. Mine are mostly white with a pink inside. Nothing like the photo they have posted.
Not a happy camper...

"On Aug 2, 2010 12:16 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for taking the time to post. We appreciate the feedback to better serve our customers. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information and to check into the border lily collection you had ordered."

I have ordered several Lily Trees for my mother in Wisconsin.... she love them. She never believed how tall they would get.. She is 5 ft 2 and they are taller than she is... I also have order tulips, daffodils, and day lilies all which I am very happy with.

"On Jul 22, 2010 7:23 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

We appreciate your feedback. Your feedback is appreciated, Happy Gardening!"

I ordered several plants/bulbs from Breck's for spring shipping. All arrived on time ( early/mid may) and were healthy. All 6 dahlias came up ( maki, myrtles folly and kenora), all 12 lily trees are up, some phlox that didn't and 2 geraniums out of 6 did not come up. I emailed them, and have had an order already placed to replace these for next spring. Great service, and I am pleased as 90% of a large order are doing well, only waiting to see the blooms. I ordered early in February and had no issues with my order or with the quality. I will definetly order again.

"On Jul 8, 2010 9:37 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

We appreciate your feedback. Your feedback is appreciated and used to help provide better service to our customers. Thank you and Happy Gardening!"

I received 2 emails from Breck's on separate days, with an offer for a "Lily Grab Bag" (for spring shipment) and a "Tulip Grab Bag" (for fall shipment) because they said they had too much inventory.
I purchased both. I received the Lily Grab Bag. But, I was sent an email several days later that the Tulip Grab Bag was no longer available because it was sold out, even though I ordered it the same day I received the email.
What is really going on here? How is it possible that they sold out, after I already placed a timely order?

"On Jul 6, 2010 9:11 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for taking the time to post. We appreciate the feedback to better serve our customers. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information to see what happened to the Tulip Grab Bag."

After spending over $100.00 with Brecks dating back to 2004 I finally got it that some of the bulbs were never going to grow. I called the company today and was told that because an order(1of many) had been sent to collections that it voided the gaurantee on ALL of my orders. I asked to speak to a supervisor, got one on the phone and she just repeated the same thing the other lady had told me. She also offered to give me the phone # to the collection folks. I asked her if that would get me satisfaction and was told NO. I get that the gaurantee would be voided on that particular order, however it should not void the gaurantee on all previous orders as they were paid for by credit card or a check BEFORE the bulbs were sent to me. I will not do business with this company again nor will I recommend them to anyone that I would like to keep as a friend.

"On Jul 6, 2010 9:05 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for taking the time to post. We appreciate the feedback to better serve our customers. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information to check into your account."

Posted on June 9, 2010, updated June 11, 2010
Breck's canceled my order of lily grab bags because they said the offer was too popular and their shipping schedule had ended. However, the grab bag is still on sale... (Albeit for the non promotional price)...

"On Jun 10, 2010 7:46 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for taking the time to post. We appreciate the feedback to better serve our customers. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information and help with your order."

I ordered two sets of Dahlias from them this year, Maki and See Wood Glorie. I really liked that they have the See Wood Glorie, which is hard to find, very expensive, and often runs out at Old House Gardens.

The Maki dahlias did not arrive because they need a street address, something that their computer system should have taken care of. The company never informed me of this problem. When I called for a refund, they initially only offered to refund the price of the dahlias tubers, not the shipping, which was $10.95. I insisted that they refund the shipping since this was their fault. They did do this, although the person helping me was huffy about the whole thing.

Meanwhile the See Wood Glorie tubers all started nicely in pots and have been transplanted to my garden where we are all very happy to have them.

I think this company has a good product but that they need to work on their systems and their attitude.

"On Jun 8, 2010 11:06 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

We appreciate your feedback. Your feedback is taken seriously and used to help provide better service to our customers. A customer service representative will be contacting you for more information. Thank you and Happy Gardening!"

Posted on May 21, 2010, updated May 26, 2010
I ordered 2 bags of mixed bulbs on April 30, 2010. At that time, delivery estimate was May 11th through May 15th. Since my original order, the delivery estimate has been pushed back on 5 seperate occasions, with the latest being May 28th through June 11th.
This order was placed with the expectation that Breck's would deliver the bulbs by the 15th of May. When I contactedtheir "customer service" department on May 17th, I was told that the order had been printed and could not be cancelled; that I would have to wait for my order to arrive before I could cancel it. Even according to their own website, my order has STILL NOT SHIPPED, and it is now May 21st.
The only thing that Breck's is able to do or say is, "I'm sorry for your inconvenience". Now, I have 0 bulbs, $0 back from Breck's, plus I've had to buy new presents for Mother's Day.

I cannot begin to descibe my frustration with this company and I am telling everyone I know to stay clear of Breck's!!!

"On May 24, 2010 11:56 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for taking the time to post. We appreciate the feedback to better serve our customers. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information."

I think maybe I should be neutral because I have never contacted this company to check on my order. They sent me a coupon for free merchandise in April, which I immediately used. I ended up only paying about$10.00 for the foxglove, lupines, and can't even remember what else. The check was never cashed and hopefully it won't be, because planting season is over here. I am not a fall planter so I really don't want anything to arrive in the fall and if it does it will be returned to sender unopened.

"On May 24, 2010 12:01 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for taking the time to post. We appreciate the feedback to better serve our customers. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information to check on your order for you."

Stay away from them! All sweetness and light on the outside, and a mass of mixed up, UNRELIABLE, non-professionals on the inside! Fortunately, they had not yet taken the just about $ 250.00 from my credit card. I had to cancel the large order, although I really loved their beautiful catalog and website, and the staff is nice and polite. I ordered ALL SPRING bulbs on April 21st, 2010, and as of today, May 22nd, 2010, I have not yet received any of them, even though I was told by a pleasant woman in Customer Service that they would ship on May 12th. She had said that the reason I had to wait a long time was that I ordered a lot of items!! Today, I spoke with three men in Customer Service Department: two regular staff and one alleged supervisor. The first two said I would get my SPRING order in early June, however, the supervisor said "You missed the deadline yesterday (Friday)!" Can you imagine? I MISSED THE DEADLINE???? (What deadline??) I ordered on April 21st. They admit that. I think that my order slipped between their very large cracks; I am not the only one this happened to either, he said. I wanted to plant SPRING bulbs and not any fall bulbs in the fall. This is outrageous "service". For decades I have ordered online from Saks to cheap places. I have never waited this long for any order. And....the order was not going to come until ??????????? What a nightmare of annoying, futile, stupid waiting, unnecessary phone calls, and maddening misinformation. (How do they stay in business???????)

"On May 24, 2010 11:59 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for taking the time to post. We appreciate the feedback to better serve our customers. We apologize for the problems you have had with your order. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information."

I ordered Prima Donna collection of begonias. It arrived over 2 weeks ago.. 6 tubers + 2 "free" hanging basket tubers. I have seen small tubers. These were on that side; it took me by surprise compared to other tubers I had bought elsewhere. Two of the 8 were dry-shriveled looking and I put them all in a damp peat based planting mixture. 6 sprouted and the other 2? Well you know the rest of the story. I will never buy from Brecks again. To send out such puny stock after paying $30.00! I have bought tubers elsewhere and got really large tubers that sprouted easily.

"On May 18, 2010 10:46 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for taking the time to post. We appreciate the feedback to better serve our customers. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information."

I purchased a hardy everblooming geranium collection from brecks and planted everything. one of the collection is not sprouting and i contacted them to report this. they immediately responded with a replacement order-free of charge. Very satisfied with their customer service and the other plants are growing nicely, despite a cold snap. Will def. order more plants from this company.

"On May 17, 2010 3:44 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

We greatly appreciate your feedback. Thank you for taking the time to post. Happy Gardening!"

Posted on October 4, 2009, updated May 12, 2010
I placed a large order (crocus and daffodils) with Breck's Bulbs and I'm giving them a positive review for their good service. I changed my order several times before they shipped it and they were quite flexible with my changes.

After I received my order, I mistakenly thought that I didn't receive all my bulbs (I thought a packet of crocus contained 12 bulbs when it really contained 24 bulbs), so I called them and asked for the rest of my bulbs, and they promptly started processing a replacement order. A few days after, I discovered I was mistaken as I was planting the bulbs. So I called Breck's to make sure they cancel the replacement order. They said they had already shipped it. When I said I'll send it back to them, they said I can just keep it as a complement from Breck's. That's $35 worth of bulbs, free.

I think I owe them at least a positive review.

"On May 13, 2010 1:52 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information so we can reship or refund you for the lilies."

Posted on April 14, 2010, updated May 4, 2010
I only wish I had come across this site earlier , let's be objective almost more bad review as positive one , that is below mediocre and laughable . I have 2 order with this co.
I was told they were shipped 03/26 via UPS tracking number provided by Brecks 1z5w1w18030436910 is invalid "aka fake" with UPS , that order number was 00781088900 my other order is in the LALA land order number 009000003900 . If you are serious into gardenening , you might want to read other Customers comments .
What make me mad is that we are at the end of the planting season in our area , My Bulbs from Swan Dahlia "fabulous customer service" heirloom dahlia "great folks they have some scare and rare dahlia "arrived even before promised and so were the one from easytogrowbulbs "largest quality bought on line".
Brecks I have send you 4 email , 2 peoples replied to the same one , the ball is in your court , You might want to try to compete with real Nurseries pretty photo on a webb site mean absolutely nothing . I will change my rating if something other than compost show up on my door. you havemy email , my adress and phone contact . regretefully Joel R.

"On Apr 16, 2010 11:12 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

We appreciate your feedback. Our bulbs are shipped directly from Holland by boat, then transported by truck to a UPS hub, where they are scanned. It is not until the package reaches the US, goes through customs and is transported by truck to be scanned into UPS' system that the tracking number can be used. A customer service representative will be contacting you to help with your order.
"

Copy past from a email
I was given the above tracking number for a replacement for hardy amaryllis that did not live last year .My account number is #45320256. So far all tracking numbers given are invalid . The first of our order that you claimed was shipped on the 6th of April has now been reshipped .Tracking number invalid . I can only surmise that your whare house shipping is in severe difficulty . Most warehouses attempt 99% or better without shipping errors . So when are you going to get these issues resolved ??
Have a Great Day
Eric A. Whalley

So on top of all your problems your order confirmation has an invalid email !!!
If you have questions or comments, our customer service staff is here to help. Please e-mail us at service@BreckBulb.ca or call us at (800)644-5505, Monday - Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm.
Please note the email address lacks an s it should be brecksbulbs not breckbulb !!!
Of the three emails sent either to the U.S. or Canada . not one reply ! are you still in business??Phoning sends you to India !So I have been charged . Out of two tracking numbers so far both are invalid . The first one was supposedly shipped over three weeks ago . Invalid!invalid

"On Apr 29, 2010 11:54 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

We appreciate your feedback. Our bulbs are shipped directly from Holland by boat, then transported by truck to a UPS hub, where they are scanned. It is not until the package reaches the US, goes through customs and is transported by truck to be scanned into UPS' system that the tracking number can be used. A customer service representative will be contacting you to help with your order.

I bought the 3 months of tulip collection, and 3 bulbs of the allium gladiator last year. They were shipped when at the appropriate time of year for me to plant them in my zone last fall. I planted them per the instructions. So far 35 of the 36 tulips have come up and bloomed, and 3 of the 3 gladiators have started to grow. I am very happy with this. The only thing that confuses me is that after reading the 3 months of tulips description I thought they were going to come up at different times in the spring; instead they all came up and are blooming at practically the same time. But I am happy that 38 of the 39 bulbs I bought came up!

"On Apr 19, 2010 6:16 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

We greatly appreciate your feedback. We strive for 100% Customer Satisfaction and have a lifetime guarantee. Happy Gardening!"

Posted on April 5, 2010, updated April 8, 2010
Posted on April 6, 2010, updated April 6, 2010
This is the first time I try to write a review. I'm giving one positive and one negative rating for this company.

I've purchased from Breck's, Michigan Bulb, Spring Hill, Gurney's and Henry Field's several times. Sometimes for some unkown reasons, plants just don't grow. When that happen, I just have to drop them an email asking for a replacement. No question asked. It's that easy. Their lifetime guarantee really gives me peace of mind. In fact I just got my replacement daylily from Spring Hill today. What a nice policy. I will give them two thumbs up for this. Keep up the good work.

However...please read on...(to be continued in my next review)

"On Apr 6, 2010 4:13 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. A customer service representative will be contacting you to get your account straightened out. We aplogize for the inconvenience."

Once again, I have been bitten by the old 'Truth in Advertising' thing. Last fall, I received a flyer from Breck's, touting their "Pink Daffodil Collection". This offered a collection of five each of five various pink daffodils, and as a bonus, five bulbs of a sixth pink daffodil, for $29.99. I received and planted the bulbs, and they are now blooming. Only one of them has any hint of pink, and that is not much - it is more of an orange, with maybe a tinge of pink around the edges. The rest are ordinary yellow and white, which I already had, in abundance. I will not order from this company again.

"On Apr 6, 2010 4:10 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

These daffodil are classified as a "Pink" daffodil. However their true color will appear as a cream yellow/white petal with a soft hint of salmon/rosy/apricot color interior. The daffodils require full sun for the best color. If you are not completely satisfied with the results of the blooms we'll be happy to issue a refund, reship or a replacement certificate which can be used for any merchandise of your choosing. Please accept our apology for the inconvenience."

I ordered about 35 or 40 dinner plate dahlias in October 2008 for Spring 2009 delivery. The weather was quite warm by the time the bulbs arrived, and they had begun sprouting. I promptly planted them. Out of the entire batch, only ONE dahlia grew high with giant flowers. Twelve or so didn't grow at all, and the rest grew to one or two feet with small, normal size flowers. Not at all impressive. I kept meaning to call and complain, but with my busy traveling schedule, I forgot and when I finally did contact customer service, I was told my bill had recently been sent to collections. Oops. My bad. But still, the customer service rep (a woman) was very friendly and told me not to worry. She recommended I pay my bill and said she would put in for a re-shipment of the dahlias in the spring, at no cost, according to Breck's guarantee. I called today to confirm the bulbs were on their way, but was told that they had no record of my conversation with the friendly customer service rep and that they would not honor their replacement guarantee because my bill had gone to collections. It didn't matter that they had been paid. The supervisor did offer to provide me with discount coupons so that I could place additional orders. I declined, seeing as how pathetically the dahlias performed. I take full responsibility for my late payment, but Breck's customer service is below par, and their bulbs were beyond disappointing. I won't order from them again.

"On Mar 23, 2010 12:49 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for your inquiry. Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvenience we may have caused. We will be contacting you to see what we can do to help rectify the problems you have had."

Posted on March 10, 2009, updated March 20, 2010
I ordered about seventy daffodils from them, which came in late September or so. The bulbs were huge and firm. There wasn't a single bad bulb in the whole bunch. They are blooming now and are absolutely beautiful. I have already ordered my fall tulips from them, and I will contine to order from them in the future. I can't stress enough how wonderful the quality of the bulbs were!

"On Mar 23, 2010 12:48 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for providing testimony on our plants. Feel free to send pictures of your garden - we would love to see!
"

Posted on November 14, 2009, updated November 28, 2009
I placed the order in the end of August. At the end of September we realized that it takes forever to get the shipment and we canceled the order. In the end of October the mailman brought the partial order from Breck's that we rejected right away. I called Breck's and asked one more time to cancel my order and refund the charge. As of today November 14, I still can not get my refund. When I call Breck's they say that their system does not show that I canceled the order and that they never received the rejected order. This is a very negative experience with this company.

"On Nov 16, 2009 10:32 AM, Breck's Bulbs 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.

Posted on January 14, 2009, updated November 06, 2009
I have ordered bulbs from Brecks for about 10 years.
I have been very happy. The bulbs are large and healthy. and always grow. Some of the special Iris collection plants did not survive the first winter. . They were replaced with no problem. I did have to wait to late summer but that is the correct time for Iris. one time a lily was a different color than ordered , but was replaced for fall planting. Also when the growing sprouts of a couple of lilies were broken in transport.they were replaced immediately.
I will continue to order from Brecks because I have more faith in them than most of the other mail orders.

"On Feb 26, 2010 10:56 AM, Breck's Bulbs 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 placed a $200 order, which was lost. It was then allocated an account number different to the one I use. I could not find my order status as a result. Called - call centre in a faraway land it seemed, as could not really make myself understood, was told I had not placed order then told was lost then told found but that order would not go out rushed as had be promised on phone as most items were not in stock. By time they would have been delivered is too cold where I live (near Lake Placid) to garden, and was then given a prepared speech on how to garden and the lifecycle of bulbs. I was then told I could not get my money back for 3 weeks as they could not recredit my credit card. This is all beyond words bad. I have not included account no as no idea which one is being used for me. I've spent several hundred dollars with them recently and was trying to spend 200 more but they accused me or error, oversight and not knowing how to garden. This is NOT the way to treat a customer. Frankly being lectured to from India on upstate New York gardening is a bit much. To say nothing of the hours of my time I have wasted on this.
Won't use again.

"On Oct 30, 2009 2:26 PM, Breck's Bulbs 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 Spring Hill, and understand that they are all affliates as is MI Bulb.

I make sure that I place my order early as it can take awhile for shipping, and I want a good selection. Any orders that I have placed have not come too late for me to plant.

I ordered from Brecks 70 double daffodil bulbs. I got those the other day. I ordered the Super Lily Collection of Asiatic and Oriental Lillies that is scheduled to come at the end of October.

I ordered a ton of many different tulips, a mix of Dutch Irises, and 3 Oriental Lilly "Dizzy". The Oriental Lily I recieved today, and were the best looking/shipped lillies I have got to date.

All my orders have arrived except for the Super Lilly Collection. Everything I have ordered was from 3 seperate orders over a 3 month period.

I recieve excellent customer service, and the bulbs are in great condition. They did arrive before I need to plant them, but these bulbs keep great for a few weeks. I would rather have them a little early than too late.

I will place orders with Brecks again and again.

Danielle

Have had previous experiences, some okay, others not. Never any terrific ones. Timing is always an issue. In the Spring I am sent items I have ordered to Zone 5 in March-our last freeze date is in May. In fall I get things at off times, including having bulbs freeze on my door step while out of town.

However, this year we added some new beds and did some interesting landscape designs that included a $385. order from Brecks. The order was originally to ship Oct. 1-14. This was fine for Zone 5. I placed the order the first part of August to assure I would not have things canceled as I have in the past (originally was told I had them reserved but...) When I checked back about shipping status last weekend the items were backed up for shipping as far out as the middle of November. Not acceptable in Colorado! I called (no 800 number so this was on my nickel) and talked to a representative once I got through the automated system (still on my nickel). The customer service gentleman told me it was unfortunate but he would be happy to place a rush on the order as a courtesy rather than have me cancel the order. I agreed. Two days later when I checked on the status the order was $40. higher, apparently reflecting a rush order charge! Again I called (of course on my nickel-apparently a now $425. order doesn't warrant the courtesy of an 800 number) and this time when I finally reached a customer service rep he tried to tell me that the amount was not more than previously. When I told him I was looking at my e-mail confirmation and a print out from three days prior he backed off. I asked about the shipping status, he could not give me one and I subsequently canceled the order. I have spent the day locating the items at other vendors but was not able this late in the season, nearly two months after my original order, to replace all of the items unfortunately. The good news is that after finding this site and reading the abundance of negative comments I am thankful not to have to wait for Brecks. Apparently business is so good that my little $400. order is insignificant. Looking forward to order from the other place I found here on Dave's site-they had very few negative reviews. Happy gardening all-happier without this family of gardening sites Brecks/Spring Hill and affiliates.

"On Oct 14, 2009 10:35 AM, Breck's Bulbs 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."

Before this recent order, I had ordered twice from Brecks with mixed results. This order, however, will be my last.

I carefully chose bulbs to be suitable for my planting sites and spent enough money to use two coupons together. My order with shipping was about $90.00!

I live in Zone 5A where our average frost date is October 15th. On September 9, 2009 I received an e-mail from Brecks saying my order was shipped that day, but on that same day my bulbs showed up about a month before I could even consider planting them!!

I immediately called Brecks customer service and was told that Zone 5A is right next to Zone 4 so this is the correct time!! The representitive was unfriendly and refused to admit that there may have been a mistake made. She finally agreed to have the bulbs reshipped.

At first I thought it may have worked out in my favor and stole the whole bottom of my refrigerator to store the early shipment. Then, one week later on September 17th, I received another e-mail saying my order had been shipped. A partial order showed up the same day and the rest will probably show up next week!

So now I have more bulbs then can possibly fit in my fridge and they'll probably all go bad before I can get them in the ground. In my area, west of Chicago, It's still summer here. I have no idea what they could possibly be thinking, but to verify, I checked with another company I have an order with (one of Dave's top 30), and they won't be shipping my order until about October 9th.

Since I know you contact the company I am including my order # 91191813700 & account # 30602552.

This is the first negative review I have ever left anywhere!! But the arrogant attitude combined with what seemed an unacceptable mistake for a mail order nursery to make and then receive the order again one week later is something I feel that other gardeners should know about. If you choose to order from Brecks, you should at least be aware that this can happen.

Thank you Dave's Garden for this wonderful site that allows gardeners to compare notes and experiences.

"On Sep 21, 2009 4:06 PM, Breck's Bulbs 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."

There are 2 Breck's Bulbs companies. One operating in Canada and one operating in the USA. Each are their own and not operating together.

We ordered Geraniums from you in early June. We sent you a check for $16.85 on June 7, 2009. The check was cashed and cleared, as we have received rthe cancelled check. But we never received any flowers. We would like our money back.

"On Jul 29, 2009 1:16 PM, Breck's Bulbs 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."

Highmaitfmale, Dezdmona, and others:
Here was my latest experience with this company:

I received a letter from Michigan Bulb stating that my reorder would not be honored due to my having frequent reorders for plants that failed to appear after planting, and they informed me of their connection the Michigan Bulb and Breck's Bulbs.

Here is a copy of the correspondences:

5/28/09 Breck's
Thank you for your email. I apologize for the inconvenience. A reship has been issued for the item(s) requested. Your order number is 91480052300. Please allow 2-3 weeks from 09.14.09 for processing and delivery depending on the availability.
If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.Sincerely, Sharon Customer Service

6/4/09 Michigan Bulb
Thank you for your email. I apologize for the inconvenience. A reship has been issued for the items requested. Your order number is 91551404400, and your order should ship in September as it is a fall planting item.

7/22/09
I must tell you that I was incensed and insulted by a letter I received 7/22/09 from Michigan Bulb. I was informed that my request for replacement plants would NOT be honored by your company, as you are a "partner" company with Michigan Bulb and Spring Hill Nursery. The reason stated in the letter was that I had requested replacement of more than 50% of the plants I purchased over the past several years. I must say that I have ONLY REQUESTED REPLACEMENT OR REFUNDS FOR PLANTS THAT FAILED TO COME UP.
I consider this attack on my honesty and integrity inexcusable, in poor taste, and the worst possible customer service I have ever received from a company. You obviously don't stand by your guarantee, and I intend to inform not only the attorneys general for the states in which your companies are located, but also the Better Business Bureaus.
I will post your letter along with my response on any and all sites I encounter regarding the products your sell and YOUR INTEGRITY in honoring your guarantee.
You need not contact me any further or send me any more junk mail, sweepstakes offers, etc.. Remove me from your mailings lists.
One honest and irate former customer,

7/22/09 Breck's
Thank you for contacting Breck's. Your questions and comments are very important to us. Rest assured one of our Customer Care Representatives will respond to you as quickly as possible. As always, we pride ourselves on our world class customer service and we back all of our plants with a lifetime guarantee.

7/27/09 Breck's
Thank you for your email. It appears that our company's products are not a good match for you, and we regret that we have been unsuccessful in satisfying your gardening needs. We're somewhat puzzled by this, because we do strive for 100% customer satisfaction, and in most cases, achieve it. This can be evident by our devoted customers who purchase year after year from us and by the many testimonials we receive from them.
Again, we're sorry our products have not met to your satisfaction. Your account has been closed and we have removed you from the mailing lists.
Response to above:
Paul,
Did the thought ever enter your mind that I got some bum corms last year? I have ordered many products over the years from Breck's, mostly iris. This is the first time I have had a problem with them (if you check your records) and the first reorder that I have requested. I have had problems with Michigan Bulb and Spring Hill (bare roots and a few bulbs that did not take) but not YOUR company.

Your response to my request for a replacement for last year's irises is unacceptable! It clearly states in that order confirmation that you offer a lifetime guarantee. Obviously, it is worthless. What is evident to me is that some customers count and some don't, and that insulting a customer's integrity is no problem for you. As I stated in my initial response to your letter, I will make sure no other customers are victims of your "guarantee," I will further inform the attorneys general of YOUR misrepresentation of your integrity.
I will state that one positive outcome resulted from removing my name from your mailing lists: a tree may be spared.
An honest ex-customer,

Tha't it. I want to warn everyone on this site that all three companies are worthless. You want good plants, go to Bluestone Perennials.

Ordered their hardy Amaryllis collection. Confirmation of order took over a week from their website. I notice they have it listed to be shipped in 9 months. I ask and they claim that Amaryllis cannot be shipped unless it is spring because it won't grow.... Ok, whatever Amaryllis can't be grown in containers. So I check again after a month and notice that they have canceled out my order without even informing me.

The iffy shipping times on plants and poor contact regarding orders makes me hesitant to deal with these big catalog companies. I have had much more success dealing with individuals. I ordered from an Amaryllis company for similar type plants and they were shipped to me in one week.

"On Jul 28, 2009 9:29 AM, Breck's Bulbs 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. "

My story, that I have repeated to various CSRs over this time period is as follows:

In April 2009, I ordered, via mail, a variety of plants for myself and my neighbour. At that time, I dispatched with the order, a cheque in the amount of $66.51.

Many weeks went by and I attempted, electronically and via the phone service (the wait on the phone line was more than 20 minutes, so I did hang up on a couple of occasions), to see if I could track the order since the cheque had not gone through my bank account. I did send a request on the on-line customer service page, but I never received a response.

In the middle of May, my neighbour and I decided to go to the garden centre to buy plants for the season; the idea that they had even received my order was not a possibility at this juncture.

On June 11, 2009, according to my bank statement they had cashed my cheque. No product; no contact – thjey just took my money.

Now I am appalled to discover that the refund of this money is not going to be in my possession (if ever) until probably well into August. I spoke with a CSR at the end of May and she told me I would not be receiving this cheque until July. I called today, and spoke with Angie the Accountant and she tells me that the cheque will not arrive for at least another 3 weeks, since it has to be sent to head office for approval.

This organization, and their administrative practices are appalling. How dare they hold on to my money for all these months! They need to closely look at their deficient service, since this writer will make sure all of her gardening friends NEVER EVER order product from Brecks Bulbs.

(Earlier on, I had requested a catalogue to be sent to my house via mail. I never received a single copy - I should have been warned by that failure of service.)

"On Jul 22, 2009 11:33 AM, Breck's Bulbs 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 calla lily, gladious, iris, double freesia and baby's breath this spring.

Because of back order, it took me so long to get my iris and double freesia. Breck's ships the orders from Holland, so the shipping time is usually longer than usual. Once the shipment arrives to USA, no further tracking for the shipment.

The baby's breath are rotted. 6 freesia are dead and 6 are turning yellow and dying. I have just requested for a refund.

The planting instruction is not detail enough for the baby's breath. I called the customer service when I received the shipment. I was asked to describe the look of the bare root. The representative said' " I THINK the bean sprout liked part is the top, the stick is the root. Put the whole thing a couple of inches below the ground." Seeing that she's not quiet familiar with planting, I requested to talk to someone more experience. She said:"That person is gone for the day (Friday). I will ask him to contact you next Monday." I then provided her my phone no and email address, but I've never heard any reply from them.

When I ordered the baby's breath, I called the company to find out the planting details. One representative couldn't find the information. I called again, another represenative was able to provide me the spacing, height, ...

Overall, the customer representatives' manner is not so friendly.

The iris, gladious and calla lily are growing well. I received the 3 irises on 4/8/09. One has already produced 2 flowers. The other two are still growing. Hopefully, the gladious and calla lilies will produce flowers. I have both good and bad experience with the products.

I ordered a collection of tulip firesprays and a couple of tall hybrid phlox mixtures last fall. None of them came up this spring. I have contacted Breck's twice in the last 10 days about replacements. No response. Needless to say, I won't be ordering from them ever again.

The order # is 82550292600 if this incompetent company happens to read this.

"On Jun 8, 2009 10:28 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for your inquiry. I apologize for the delay in responding to your concern. A reship has been issued and your order will ship out this September."

I have ordered several items from Brecks and have always been very pleased not only with the bulbs, roots, tubulers when they arrive but also with how the plant does. Although shipping does take a little long at times.

Right now, I give them a neutral rating, because always in the past, I had no problem with them. I have bought a bit already this year and received the order on time and in good condition. However, earlier in May, they sent me a sales e-mail. I ordered some Black Knight Canna rhizomes, with the understanding they were in stock and would ship this spring. I just now went to their website to check the order status and discovered they have the shipping date listed as february 2010. I have sent an e-mail asking them to ship now, or just cancel the order.
Why have a spring bulb sale, and then not send the order till next year ? I think it is extrememly poor buisiness to not put such information on the website, so that we will know the situation ahead of time. If I had known the order would not ship till 2010, I would not have placed it.

This week two orders of cannas were delivered. The rhizomes were a nice size and expertly packaged. I have had no problems at all with this company. I wish all of my purchases would arrive like these two.

I ordered several hundred dollars in merchandise from all three companies, Brecks, Spring Hill and Michigan Bulb extremely early due to needing the plants growing and healthy for a very large Garden party event in late July.

Being in Wisconsin, our growing season is considerably shorter than that of Indiana, Ohio, and southern Michigan where the companies claim to be, my plants and bulbs have been thriving for three weeks many of which are in bloom, so imagine my suprise when I didn't recieve the majority of the things I ordered, easy stuff like petunias clemitis, and turmpet vines, and upon calling was told "due to bad weather" the shipments have been delayed, humm seems to me they should have alerted me to this early on so I could replace the items from local nurseries, parts of my orders were not shipped at all, other parts were shipped in horrible dead condition, bulbs that should have been in the ground long ago still haven't arrived, what a mess!

Upon trying to figure everything out while on the phone with customer service the person I spoke to was uninformed and completely ignorant about even when I MIGHT expect the missing plants and bulbs to be sent.

I was very upset and asked for a contact number or address directly to the company which he refused to give me, I asked a second time and was again denied.

I asked to speak to a supervisor because of the mess at hand was terrible and represented several hundred dollars that was absolutely charged to my credit card, I was put on hold and he came back telling me that his supervisor said ... and than just repeated the same nonsense he had spewed, I was even more angry and demanded again to speak to a supervisor, I was than told his supervisor was busy, I asked SEVEN more times before finally being connected to a supervisor who was disinterested short and curt.

I have planned and saved for this event for two years, and been working on my garden for 8 years, I am so incredably disappointed in all three of the companies, their broken promises poor customer service, lack of shipping, lack of timely shipping, lack of problem resolution, poor quality of the few things I have gotten, the entire matter has me heatbroken.

My advise would be, if your ordering from them in hopes of actually GETTING what you order, prepar to be bitterly dissappointed, and when you call to complain, be prepared to get little or no help, and again don't expect your missing order anytime soon.

In the future, I'll find more reliable options and not bother with any of the three.

I have ordered numerous bulbs and perennials from Breck's, with mixed results. The larger bulbs (tulips, hydrid daffodils) have all done very well, though being expensive they should! The smaller bulbs, like crocus and some other plants, seem to be hit or miss. I've been most disappointed with their perennials - some lillies of the valley didn't even come up at all, and the hostas have been very slow to get going. I also think it helps to order well in advance of the season, so you are in line for shipping early. Everything I've ordered in season (in the spring) has taken weeks to arrive - too long when American Meadows ships so promptly and includes stakes with pictures of the plants so you can mark your garden!

YAY!!!
Brecks has proven to be the best place that I have ordered from so far. I would give them a 5 star rating overall. I had ordered from them about 4 weeks ago. This company kept me informed all the way through with emails stating when they recieved my order, when the order was shipped is when they deducted the funds from my credit card. and I have to say that although I ordered only bulbs from them I have recieved top quality bulbs. The order came to my home via UPS (quite worth the extra cost in my opinion) and it was 2 weeks earlier than they had told me it would be here.. I have more bulbs coming in the fall and look forward to this order arriving .
I would definately order from this company again in the future. High marks for Brecks from me.. ::))