Comments regarding Breck's Bulbs

For years we have enjoyed products from Breck's, that is until now when we started getting nasty calls from a collection agency stating we did not pay our bill to Breck's! A call to Breck's customer service informed us that they had turned over an unpaid balance of $26.94 to collection. I said we had not received any bills, after going around and around I requested a supervisor and tried to explain this was a mistake and just wanted to clear our account. The attitude of the supervisor (named Anne) became demeaning telling me that they had sent us 6 monthly billing letters, which she said, we ignored! Can you imagine that? The fact that we did not receive anything and were calling to clear things up meant nothing. The big issue here is that our good credit has been tarnished and there was no attempt by Beck's to help us resolve the problem. A call to the collection agency was greeted by a vial man who demanded the bill (now $62.27) be paid at once and that it was up to Breck's to clear our name with the credit bureau. Another call to Breck's was they would do nothing. They seem to have no customer loyalty and no desire to help in what was obviously a mistake on their part. So now I have to pay $62 to a rip-off collection agency and try to fix our otherwise stellar credit. What a terrible company Breck's is. AVOID this company!!

"

The customer's package was delivered to them on October 4, 2007 at 3:33 pm. The package included a bill, and it is our policy to send monthly statements/bills for six months before a collection agency is contacted. Because we received no response, the account was turned over to the collection agency. The collection agency charges additional fees for their cost. I have contacted the customer to let them know that this will not be reported to any credit bureau, so their credit is not damaged."

I ordered from this company before I came across dave's garden site. I was concerned after reading so many negative comments. I received my order quickly, everything labeled and planted last fall. I am happy to say I believe all the daffodils and tulips I planted are all blooming. I planted aprox. 40 bulbs and all seem to be very healthy. I am new to gardening so this is a very nice surprise. I have very large property and planted in all different areas some full sun some most shade and all are blooming beautifully. I also just received gladiolas to plant now. I hope to have the same results. I would buy from brecks again. My experience was 100% perfect.

I ordered from Breck's using the $25.00 coupon, so the actual cost to me was very low. I figured "what the heck", if the plants don't grow then I'm only out a few dollars. Naturally I was hesitant to spend more after reading all the negative comments. I ordered a collection of "mixed large crocuses" and it did take forever and a day to receive them. I knew they were coming from Holland ,but would be shipped in time for Fall planting. They did come, although I would have preferred to get them a few weeks earlier. It can be a bit cold here in NE Ohio in Mid October. I waited to post anything until now (the spring) , so that I could see if the crocuses would grow and bloom. I do see them popping out of the ground and some of them have started to bloom, so I'm quite pleased about that. The reason my rating is not positive though, is for two reasons: 1. The very long wait for the arrival of the plants. 2. So far my crocuses don't appear to be "mixed". They are all the same color, so that is disappointing. I will probably order again, but only if I have another coupon to use. I won't bother trying to contact the company about my plants not being what I ordered, because quite frankly, I don't need to deal with the hassle that I see so many others have dealt with.

My first experience with Breck's was last fall, I ordered a Dafodil collection from them. I received them promptly, and was impressed by the size of the bulbs. I made a special raised corner bed for them, and they came up this year and bloomed beautifully along with several anemone that were in the collection.

So, I didn't hesitate to order two more orders from them for delivery this Spring. Well, I am making this neutral for a reason. I received two emails on March 15 that said my orders had shipped direct from Holland along with a UPS tracking number. The UPS site reported the tracking number was invalid, so I sent an email to the company, just to double check. (They do not get back to you within 48 hours like the auto-response email says.)

I did finally receive a few emails responding that my order shipped directly from Holland... and to allow 3 - 4 weeks to receive my order. UPS does finally recognize the tracking number, however the only information is that they have received the package information as of 3/26/08.

The information on the website regarding my order number still says the orders should be here between 3/29 - 3/31. Today is April 3...but I am waiting the appropriate 3 - 4 weeks. Unfortunately if they don't get here soon, it will be warm here in NC, and I will have to baby the plants a little more than I would have if they had arrived when promised.

"

On April 17, I emailed the Customer asking for her information so I could check on their order; no response."

I am a first time bulb buyer and grower. I did find Brecks through their coupon, and got online. I placed a modest order and used the coupon. My whole experience has been great! I just recieved the last of my order, begonia bulbs, just in time to get them started for this year. I had never even heard of this Co before and I was able to read where the bulbs came from Holland! The perfict place to get them from, the bulb cap of the world!!!!!!! My bulbs came to me packaged, labled and in great cond. I think we all need to remember that these are natural products, and not manufactured so the bulb companys have only so much control. Also customer service reps didn't make the bulbs either so taking your frustrations out on them makes no sense, they are bound by the Co they work for. You get more flys with honey than with crap! Lets all grow things and be happy!

I ordered 20 snowdrops in October 2007 and planted them as soon they arrived, I believe early November. Now is March, all my crocuses are blooming, the daffodils are halfway growing, but no sign of my snowdrops whatsoever, not even a single leaf is showing where I planted them. I had hesitations ordering from them based on the negative reviews and inflated prices, but decided to give them a try. Very disappointed.

I ordered bulbs from this company in the fall of 2005. I am still enjoying many of them. I planted over 400, and all but the tulips and snowdrops have come back year after year. I am enjoying the daffodills now. I think it is too hot here for the tulips and snowdrops (and I wish the catalog would say that), but overall, my experience was positive...

I have worked with the Gardens Alive companies and specifically Breck's for years and can say that overall I am very pleased both with the product and the level of service offered. From Breck's in particular all of the plants and bulbs that have been sent have been of better quality (larger, healthier) than other Gardens Alive affiliates and I have experienced NO die off from any of their plants or bulbs.

Their customer service has been easy to work with and very helpful (same center for all Gardens Alive companies). I have canceled and modified many orders and they have always been very helpful, whether via the phone or email.

Wow, I am kinda new here at "Dave's" but they sure got the google bombing down as they seem to on the top page of about every garden company search. The reality, brecks might have some problems like the colors not being as advertised in the bulk bags, but all in all,this has to be in the better half of the mail order world.

I've ordered fall bulbs from this company twice. Both times I had a good coupon. I think their catalog prices are a bit high because they expect a lot of people to use the coupons and price accordingly (personally, I would rather know what I am paying for each item up front, rather than work out the cost after subtracting the coupon, but the deal was still decent).

On my first order they were out of a variety of daffodils I asked for and substituted "Avalon". These bulbs were quite large and got multiple flowers per bulb - really nice. The other variety daffodils I got did grow but the bulbs were not nearly as large, and there was only one flower each. I'm thinking they might have different suppliers for different varieties.

The crocuses were fine. All the tulips I got grew, some were better than others but some got rabbit damage in my yard so I couldn't quite know how they would have looked.

All the bulbs they sent me were viable and most came out quite lovely. I haven't tried their spring products yet.

We have been using Brecks for well over 25 years.

The bulbs have ALWAYS been 'never fail.'

In the past 3 seasons, I have planted 650 tulips, 167 daffodils, 80 grape hyacinths, 72 giant hyacinths and 180 giant crocuses.

I lost only 4 plants - and that was due to my neighbor's Golden who dug up 4 Giant Hyacinth bulbs and destroyed the bulbs.

They are most efficent. I place my order online and promptly get an email conformation which tells me that I will be notified when the bulbs are shipped from Holland. (How anyone could fail to figure out that the bulbs are coming from Holland and not the back storage room is beyond me.) Then the email comes that the bulbs have left Holland and detailin how many boxes and what is in each box. Given that they have to come on a ship and then clear customs, it is about 5-6 weeks from shipping to receipt.

Invariably they arrive in mid-late October which is right when spring bulb planting should start in my area.

I strongly suspect that those complaining about the bulbs either:

(1) left them in their box - probably in the house or another area that is warm - and didn't get them planted. SInce bulbs have to be kept cool or they get moldy and rot, odds are it is the fault of the gardener.

(2) didn't plant them correctly by either not making the holes deep enough for some or too deep for others; or by putting them in the wrong location (crocuses in shade etc.)

Problem with these internet comment things is that the poster does not have to establish their expertise before offerring criticism. FYI, I am and have been a garden club member for over 20 years and my gardens are nicknamed by the town as "The Botanical Gardens" or "The House with the Flowers."

I'm a bit loath to rate this company negatively based on an order using a free coupon, but am doing so based on two things.

1) The company does not state in its catalog (at least, nowhere prominently) that many if not all of its bulbs are shipped from Holland. This makes orders rather slow to be filled.

2) My order came with a multi-page ad circular for a quack medical treatment (a "colon cleanse" product), filled with false and potentially harmful information. Any company that participates in the dissemination of health fraud will not be getting my business in the future.

The few bulbs I got with the coupon looked viable. We'll see what may come up in the spring.

"

The Customer was contacted on 12/29/07 with the below response:

Dear Customer,

I apologize for any problem you have encounted with our company. Our catalog does state on the order page and on the Fequently Asked Questions that our bulbs ship from Holland.

I also apologize for the ad you also received in the package. This was not meant to be harmful in any way. I will certainly pass along your suggestion.

Sincerely,

Donna
Customer Service"

Brecks and Spring Hill are both owned by the same company. This is an email I received from Spring Hill today after sending a message to customer service about a cancelled order:


Dear Mark:

Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, we are unable to assist you in this matter, as your account has been closed because of more than 80% returns of our merchandise. Please accept our apology this may have caused to you.

If I can be of further assistance please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Nancy
Customer Service


So, if you take advantage of the 100% satisfaction guarantee, they close your account, and if you write to customer service to find out what is going on, they can't help you because your account is closed.


I have done business with many of the affiliated companies of Gardens Alive! for 20+ years. I placed one order from Spring Hill last year that arrived late and in very bad condition. After planting them, only 9 out of 24 plants survived. The CS agent I spoke with decided to credit me for the entire order, so that is the 80% returns they are looking at. They have not looked at the fact that I have spent thousands of dollars with their companies over the past 20 years!


The guarantee they offer is a joke and the products they are currently selling are of questionable quality. They used to have very good product, so I don't know how the CS used to be. I only know that, right now, they are not providing good products and the customer service is the worst I have seen in many, many years.

"

We contacted the Customer via email on12/10/07 for a possible resolution; still waiting for a reply."

I GOT MY FIRST ORDER (LATE SPRING SAMPLER COLLECTION) ON 08/25/05.THE FOLLOWING SRING, NOT EVERYTHING CAME UP, SO I CALLED & TRIED TO RE-ORDER ONLY 2 ITEMS FROM COLLECTION, ONLY TO BE SENT WHOLE COLLECTION AGAIN AT NO CHARGE ON 8/30/06.THERE ARE PLANTS THAT HAVE STILL NOT COME UP FROM BOTH COLLECTIONS!MEANWHILE, I GOT THE ASTILBES COLLECTION 4/11/06 AND 1 PLANT DIDN'T COME UP.THIS TIME THEY LET ME RE-ORDER THE 1 PLANT ONLY & I GOT IT ON 9/13/2006 AT NO CHARGE.AT THIS POINT, I ALSO GOT GROUNDCOVER TULIPS & 3 ASTRANTIA MIX ON 9/01/06.NOT ALL THE TULIPS CAME UP AND ONLY 1 OF THE 3 ASTRANTIA MADE IT.WHEN I CALLED TO RE-ORDER BOTH, I PLACED AN ORDER FOR ARUM ITALICUM AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TULIP GROUNDCOVER WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE, YET IT WAS STILL IN THE CATALOG UNDER A DIFFERENT NAME AND #!THEY WOULDN'T GIVE ME A CREDIT NOR REPLACEMENT BECAUSE I HAD USED A COUPON AND SINCE THEY BROKE UP MY PAST ORDER IN DIFFERENT BILLING PERIODS, IT LOOKED LIKE I GOT THEM FOR FREE!AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR 1 HOUR, WE FIGURED OUT THAT I HAD INDEED PAID FOR THE ITEMS, BUT THEY STILL COULDN'T DO ANYTHING FOR ME...A HUGE WASTE OF MY TIME.STUPID ME, I LATER GOT ANOTHER COUPON, SO IN GOOD FAITH..I DECIDED TO TRY THEM AGAIN!I GOT SUNNY TWINKLE ALLIUM & DRUMSTICK ALLIUM ON 8/31/07.I WAS STILL WAITING FOR THE DWARF DAY LILY COLLECTION & LILY TREES, WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE DWARF DAY LILIES WERE TO BE SHIPPED OUT AT THE END OF NOV. AND THE MIDDLE OF DEC. FOR THE LILY TREES!!I LIVE IN ZONE 5..ILLINOIS, TOO LATE TO PLANT ANYTHING!I CALLED THE COMPANY TO ASK IF THEY COULD BE SHIPPED OUT IN THE SPRING INSTEAD AND I FOUND OUT THEY WERE CANCELLING MY ORDER BECAUSE I CALLED TOO MUCH FOR RE-ORDERING PLANTS!!!I TOLD THEM TO COME SEE MY GARDEN AND/OR I CAN E MAIL PICTURES TO SHOW THEM THE PLANTS DIDN'T COME UP.I WAS THEN TOLD I SHOULD MAKE MY FUTURE PURCHASES AT A NURSERY SINCE THINGS WEREN'T GROWING AS THEY SHOULD!KEEP IN MIND I HAVE ORDERED FROM OTHER MAIL-ORDER COMPANIES AND HAD NO PROBLEMS GROWING THINGS!! (AUDUBON WORKSHOP & SPRING HILL NUSERIES)BRECKS LIFETIME GUARANTEE STATES "IF, FOR ANY REASON, YOUR AREN'T PLEASED WITH ANY PLANT UPON RECEIPT, AFTER PLANTING OR ONCE IT GROWS, JUST CONTACT BRECKS ANYTIME, (NO TIME LIMIT), FOR AS LONG AS YOU GARDEN.NO NEED TO RETURN ANY PLANT.WE WILL REFUND YOU EVERY CENT YOU PAID FOR THAT PLANT OR SEND A REPLACEMENT WITHOUT CHARGE-WHICHEVER YOU PREFER." I TRIED TO GET THIS COMPANY TO HONOR THEIR GUARANTEE BECAUSE NOT EVERYTHING CAME UP AND NOW I CANNOT ORDER FROM THEM AGAIN...BEWARE OF THIS COMPANY!!!!I WILL BE HEARING BACK FROM A SUPERVISOR AND I WILL UPDATE YOU ON HOW THEY HANDLE ME...I AM ASKING THEM FOR A COMPLETE REFUND SINCE I DIDN'T GET ALL MY PLANTS TO GROW AND THE HORRIBLE SERVICE I HAVE GOTTEN FROM THEM....BEWARE OF BRECKS!!!!

I received a catalog, like many others with the $25 coupon on any order. I couldn't get the website to accept it, so I called the 1800 number and placed my order easily with the operator. I received my bulbs in about 6 weeks as promised and they looked in great shape. I was pleased with the service and they are now in my yard awaiting spring.
This is the first time I used this company. I figured I'd nothing to lose as I only ordered $25 dollars worth of bulbs so I owed them nothing. If the bulbs don't show next spring, I'll be posting an update then. But so far, I'm happy with the service and product from this company.

Overall my experience was positive. I received very healthy looking bulbs packed well and delivered on time for a good price. The one problem with my order was that after I ordered, I realized the picture in their catalog was not of the same type of iris being offered. I was OK with it this time because I liked the type I got about as well as what was shown. I do think the company needs to be more careful in the future though. I certainly hope that this was the exception and not common for Breck's.

Not a fan. I bought $400 worth of tulips, daffs, lillies, and Dutch Iris bulbs last year. Some for my clients, some for my mom. They arrived a little late which was unfortunate since in my zone (8) I have to chill the tulips at least 6 weeks so my planting was late. My moms' arrived on time, she is in zone 6, and I planted hers for her.

The bulbs were for the most part sad looking. Some moldy, some shriveled. The best performers were the Iris. The tulips and lillies were marginal at best. The daffs......I'd give mine a C+ but..... not a single one of my moms' came up! Not one daff!

I phoned to discuss this and the rep. told me that maybe I just don't know how to plant bulbs. Being a professional gardener for the last 10 years, I think I can tell the business end of a bulb when I see one, but that did not seem to matter to the rep. They have also sold my name to every yahoo out there. I assume they have cleared a whole forest to print the crap they keep sending me. I will not be using Breck's again.

I wish I had read this rating before ordering bulbs from Breck's.

I placed my order at the end of August. Estimated shipping dates were late September. That was fine, but everytime I logged on to the site, shipping dates were pushed back.

Two days ago, I finally received all of the bulbs I ordered. I live in zone 5 and it's LATE to plant though the weather this year seems to be warmer than usual.

Not only they did not deliver bulbs promptly, but also I was overcharged. I received three separate shipments and three separate charges. The total of the three charges exceeds my order total. There is no explanation from Breck's on this issue.

Moreover, allium bulbs I received are too small to be considered as premium.

I will not buy from Breck's in the future for sure.

WE HAD BEEN BUYING FROM bRECKS SINCE 1992. WE BOUGHT A LOT!
Well the last two years like anyone else the shippments were getting later I am talking late November. Well I live in ski country (Idaho). Which eveyone knows that in November its snowing so the last 2 years we have had some bad BULBS. Just this last month we have received moldly iris's and day Lilies. In fact I had a horticulturist look at them. She told me not to plant them because they would contaminate my other flowers. We happens to be a small garden club. Well we started having problems with shipping, quality of plants, and the lateness of the plants. We write and ask for them to ship earlier and they state not until our shipping dates. The next insident they use is they banned us from ordering from them because they stated we were unhappy with there plants try but what it came down 2 is they said we had 50% of our orders reshipped...WRONG the only way that happened is they counted every bulb. Today they had 50% off of Bulbs but the 50% was not given to us who ordered the bulbs. We received an order 3 types of daffadils they were soggy and moldy same as the iris's. I have had tree Lilies ordered since Sept. I still havent received them.
BEWARE there Quarantee means nothing they will break your contract and you will never see the Bulbs. I have had several Customer Services tell me different answers to my questions. Now they have tagged my account as financial problems which is not any where right it is more financial against them. Remember if they do this to you they will count every bulb to try and get out of the contract with you. Remember where there is nothing written in there contract about dropping you if you have to return your plants or bulbs you are not protected even with the Life contract they will still try to find as many things basicallyie: how many blubs and plants you have returned and there late shipping does not count if you have question please email me. But remember that quarantee only works for small items.Remember thy will count bulb by bulb. Thanks for listening ladybell100@hotmail.com

I have been ordering with Breck's for a few years now and for good reasons! They have great prices, they offer lifetime guarantees on everything you buy from them. If it doesn't grow, they will refund you or replace the plant.

I have ordered a lot of tulips from them, love them all! I even bought toad lily's from them, and a lot of other stuff. I will continue to buy from this company. Very reputable.

For those who are leaving negative comments regarding sale coupons or shipping- you really should pay attention- don't agree to check out until it shows up right, and as far as the shipping goes, they specifically tell you when to expect things to ship.

For example- I have ordered tulips in July, of course I can't plant bulbs at that time, so they ship come fall. Pay attention at what your buying and don't expect the impossible.

This is a reputable company and they go the distance to satisfy their customers. I think it is rude of people to come on here and leave negative comments about companies if they are not reading things right.

I ordered $100+ (not including the free $25 coupon) of various bulbs in August, and received them on 10/19. I ordered online and had absolutely no probem with ordering - it was very simple. I tracked my order online and knew exactly when it shipped and where it was. My bulbs looked beautiful when they arrived and I planted them all the next day. The instructions for planting each variety was very specific, plus they included a planting guide which was very helpful . I called their CS with a question regarding sunlight and they were extremely helpful. I will have to continue this rating in the spring/summer after I see the finished product, but so far I am very happy and was surprised to see the negative comments here.

I received the 25 coupon and as others have stated the key# they said to use did not work. I contacted them and they said to put the order through and they would credit the account. Of course that did not happen. Now I have to be aggravated contacting them and my credit card to get the credit.

I will not order from them again. If this is any indication of honesty as a business I want nothing else to do with them. No 800 number so it cost me more calling them than their 25 coupon.

I was sucked in by the $25 coupon and ordered bulbs. Five weeks later, as the ground begins to freeze, they still haven't arrived. I'll never order from Breck's again, and I'll never order from anyone without checking Dave's first!

3 yrs ago, my husband ordered me the Reblooming Iris collection as a surprise. They came very late in the year, and died during the winter because they didn't have time to get established. They replaced them, they arrived very late in the year, and they died. Year 3 now, and they are supposedly being held up in customs, but should be arriving in a week or so.

Irises in Zone 4 need time to get established because the rhizomes will remain somewhat exposed to the elements. They should have arrived 6 weeks ago. How can it take so long for them to get here?

When next spring rolls around and they're once again all dead, I'm just asking for a refund.

I ordered the Ultimate Iris Collection from Breck's. I used the $25 coupon on the internet without a problem. My Iris arrived right on time. The plants were tossed into a box which alarmed me at first, but they all had at least some green foliage, though most was dry. They were all clearly labeled and of good size.

I planted the whole collection the night I received them, staying out there until 10:30 to make sure they all got snugly into the ground. I have been watering them regularly and they are all greening up quite nicely with the exception of Ocean Pacific. That one seemed to lose the little green that it started with although it is quite a monster in size. I'm going to give that one a few more weeks before I give up on it and call Breck's for help. Mother Earth was the biggest and I can't wait to see what happens to her!

Am I happy with Breck's? You bet. A $25 coupon, good labeling, great sale price and wonderful variety will make me a return customer for sure. I still have faith that Ocean Pacific will pull through-think good thoughts!

I have ordered from Breck's twice now. The first shipment arrived exactly when they said it would (at my prime planting time) and the bulbs were healthy (Asiatic Lily). The one's I planted properly, bloomed. The few that I stuck in pots and foolishly didn't protect properly, did not bloom. That was my fault, not theirs.

I have also had reason to phone their customer service desk with a change for my order and I found their people to be very helpful and professional.

I will order from them again, without reservation. My personal experience has been nothing but positive.

The order I received from Breck's - mostly lilies, was wonderful. Huge, healthy bulbs. Only one did not come up & they were very nice about replacing it. I ordered early for spring shipping & they came in plenty of time to plant.

I got one of the catalogues with the $25 coupon also, and had the same experience as Grandpa - the website wouldn't take it. I went a step further and called the company; they placed the order without further ado. However, when I opened my email I had two Order Confirmation messages - one from Breck's citing my order, and another from Spring Hll Nurseries for $47 order of stuff, and including my full name and address, account no. etc. The whole nine yards. I've not ever ordered anything from Spring Hill and this was nothing I wanted, so ended up having to call *them* long distance also (I can see why neither company provides an 800 number) and cancel the order. The SH person acknowledged they are affiliated with Breck's but maintained he had no idea how this could have happened. I will never order from either company again. And if a charge appears on my card from Spring Hill, stand back everyone.

I have been reluctant to order from Breck's because of all the negatives. I recently received a catalog with an offer of $25 worth of product free so I thought it was a good way to try and see what the quality of the bulbs is. I went to their web site to order and it would not accept the account and key code printed on my catalog. I checked that I typed it correctly. This is an extremely negative experience. If they are trying to entice customers they should ensure that the mechanisms are working.

I just received and planted my tall bearded iris collection which consisted of 15 irises. I would say over all they were all very healthy. They were all nice sized and individually labeled. I should know in a week or so how they are going to take off. I would have to say that over the past several years I have had excellent results from Brecks’s.

I have been doing business with Brecks for many years, two Homes are filled with their flowers and let me state That I am a very happy returning customer. If you are looking for Tulips and Lilies You can not go wrong with Brecks. Brecks tulip bulbs are big, bigger then even our local nursary. The lilies I plant usually need to be separated within two years because they multiply quick. Since I have placed many orders with Brecks, There have been times when the flowers did not come up, That can happen even from the local nurseries, (I have never had any problems with the tulips and lilies and I have ordered a lot, I have a lot of gardens) Costumer service has never had a problem replacing items for me. When you become a perferred customer they send you awsome deals, my rainbow iris did great. It does take awhile to receive your order, but On my order forms it states that they will be shipped during the planting season in your area. Many of their cataloges and booklets are pre-season orders and you do not need to pay until the items are received (Take advantage of this incase the order gets lost in mail). I recently went through another company, and after that experience, (Which was awful) I will stick with Brecks.

Last spring I received a coupon offer from Breck's to get a $ amount deducted from an order. I placed an order for some bulbs and bulb food and with the offer deduction, I should have owed Breck's about $3.50. In the fall realizing I never received the bulbs, I emailed the company. Customer service was cordial and said they didn't know why I didn't receive them but I would soon. I never received the bulbs again. However, I began getting billed from Breck's for the full cost of the order. I made several attempts to contact them and explain I did not receive the bulbs and I had a coupon anyway. All my efforts were ignored. Soon I started getting billed for the charges plus a late fee and interest until the bill was over $60. Still all efforts to clear the situation were ignored by Breck's. Next, I started getting billed from a collection agency. I managed to get in touch with the collection agency and talk with a representative, explained the situation. The collection agency cleared my account, however, I received a rude letter from Breck's that I would remain on their deliquent list and I stilled owed them some ridiculous amount. I continued to try to contact Breck's by calling - I did this 3 times. They do not have a toll free number and there a numerous recordings to listen to a wait session before getting an attendent. All 3 times I attempted to speak with a supervisor, I was told one would call me back within 48 hours but this never happened as you might guess. It is my greatest desire that this company go broke. They are rude and inconsiderate and lacking in moral.

i wont order from them again. i ordered last year and the poppys or dafodils didnt come up. didnt really expect them to. the yellow and wht dafodils where drie and not to large, though thought that might be as that they was a smaller flower.
the purple and the white poppys had mold on them and was a bit soft, and was only about 3/4 in accross.
when i asked about this i dont know if the sales rep was having a bad day or what but was told they dont send out bulbs with mold and that they only sell the largest bulbs. that these was the size that they was supose to be, and the mold prob happened because i didnt plant right away. i got them one eve and planted not the next day but the day after that.

Absolutely horrible in trying or deal with them. Below is the e-mail dialogue of our correspondance. I am caught in a vicious cycle dealing with out of country people.

My initial e-mail to Brecks....
I don't think this has been handled properly. I received a coupon for $25 off any size order. In good faith, I placed an order for items which showed in stock. Months later I received a postcard that the items were not available. Then I receive an e-mail in regards to my inquiry:

Thank you for your email. Your order was cancelled due to out of
stock. Coupon has not been applied to your order and you may use it
for placing another order.
If I can be of further assistance please feel free to contact me.

My Reply:
I no longer have the catalogue with the coupon number.

Breck's Reply
Thank you for your email. Please leave a note in the comment box
concerning the discount/coupon, and we'll be happy to deduct it from
the order. If I can be of further assistance to you, please feel free
to contact me. Have a nice day!

My reply:
I'm afraid this isn't going to work. I need another code for the $25 coupon. If it is not taken off the account and I give my CC number, I will bet your job, that it will not be taken off my order with just a note in the comments box. Been thru this before and don't want the battle of trying to get back my money after it is charged to my credit card.

Brecks Reply:
Thank you for your email. I apologize for the inconvenience this may
have caused. You may get a new coupon with a new catalog.
If I can be of further assistance please feel free to contact me.

My Reply:
I MAY get a new coupon, or WILL get a new coupon. Yes, I do feel inconvenienced! I placed and order for items that showed in stock with a great coupon worth $25. Two months later, items out of stock and I'm out my coupon until a new catalogue comes (maybe I will get a new coupon??) This is unacceptable. Please pass this on to a supervisor. I would like to use my coupon and order now.

Brecks Reply:
Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you for your email. We are currently printing our new catalogs
and one will be sent when they become available. In case your order
total is more than $50 we will be more than happy to give you a
discount of $25.

My Reply
NOT ACCEPTABLE. I should be given back my coupon worth $25 on any order as per your original agreement when I received my catalogue.

Reply from Breck's "supervisor"
I see that a customer service representative has taken care of you.

Ordered fall bulbs last year from Breck's and though everything arived in good condition, the bulbs were a smaller that I had anticipated (and I wasn't expecting all that much for the prices). I was also disappointed with the results this spring. Small flowers, some didn't bloom, and some were not what I ordered. Not sure if I would order from Breck's again, even with the coupon.

I ordered only a couple bulbs in Fall 2006. After over a decade of not gardening, I'm mostly just testing the waters.

Leaving a neutral mark here because I did receive the order and everything looked over, but results from both plants were so-so. This could have also been due to the late frost or squirrels, hard to say. The lavender mountain lilies came up in late April, a bit earlier than in the description. Plants were not as full or the flowers as deep a puple as pictured. The Rudy Triteleia did not come up at all.

I might order from them again next fall, since they do have some nice flowers. But I'm not sure the quality was any better than the cheaper companies I ordered from to justify the prices.

Placed a late February order for Dahlia bulbs and live root Astilbe. The bulbs came a month later, in perfect time for planting, and looked large and healthy. The Astilbe is absolutely thriving. With the overall spotty performance of online nurseries, we will continue to turn to Breck's for reliable service.

They do take a while to ship but they tell you when you order that your items will be sent to you at the right time for planting in your zone. Also, the bulbs come from Holland so that may explain why the order takes time to complete.

I ordered a huge quantity of bulbs (300+) from Breck's Canadian Order Centre in Port Burwell, Ontario in 2005 and planted them when I received them in the fall (Sept). There was a wide range of bulbs (their 120-day bloom collection, times 2)

Spring 2006 rolled around and not a bloom in sight. I was disappointed but hoped that maybe they just needed some "settling in" time and would bloom the following season. Yes, I'm a gardening rookie.

Spring 2007 arrived and still nothing was blooming. By this time I was just sick, thinking about all the money, not to mention the time and effort planning and planting, all gone down the tubes. I'd decided to chalk it up to experience when an envelope arrived from Breck's bearing a special offer. I was on my way to the bin with it when I noticed their guarantee:

"If, for any reason, you're not completely satisfied with any item upon receipt, after planting or once it grows and blooms, just contact Breck's anytime - no time limit - for as long as you garden. No need to return any item. We'll send a full refund or replacement, whichever you prefer."

...so I called their customer service dept. and described my experience. There was no hesitation whatsoever - a complete replacement is (apparently) going to be shipped to me at planting time again. I was even given advice and tips!

Rather than a -ve rating, my rating is neutral for now, as we'll have to wait and see if they follow through with their commitment to me. If I do receive a replacement order and they actually grow this time I'll gladly change my rating to +ve!

Their bulbs are not as large as they claimed they to be and when I got them they looked horrible!