Comments regarding Breck's Bulbs

I placed an order a month ago for some plants that should have shipped immediately. After a couple weeks I called and was reassured that my order would be put on priority status in the warehouse. The shipping date got delayed repeatedly and then, without any notice, the item was cancelled - I only found out when I again went to check the status online and discovered the peony collection "not yet shipped" had disappeared entirely from my order. I was not offered a substitute for the plants and have yet to receive an official email informing me of the cancellation or a refund. I'm extremely disappointed with the customer service and communication this company offers and will most likely go elsewhere for future purchases.

I have used Brecks and its sister companies (Spring Hill, etc) for over 25 years but have decreased my orders substantially over the past several years due to poor quality or long delays in the delivery. The bulbs are generally good quality but their other plants are not. Today I called to inquire and complain that some items (which shipped two weeks after they were promised - with many delays and e-mails in between) were not sprouting yet, the customer service woman deprecatingly lectured me on the Chicago winter, on warm ground, and threatened our credit rating when I said I was not interested in paying them until I saw the caladia sprouting. I have had other items credited this spring from their sister companies for no growth where similar plants from local growers are doing quite well already. Generally Brecks customer service is friendly and helpful, but not this woman who felt she had to speak harshly to me. I know about hard winters - less than 1/3 of their bulbs that I planted last fall came up this spring, yet I did not complain about those.

Posted on May 14, 2014, updated May 15, 2014
Posted on April 13, 2014, updated May 14, 2014
Posted on April 5, 2014, updated April 13, 2014
I ordered 100 Erlicheer bulbs on 3/5/14. They still have not arrived yet.
On the same day, I ordered 100 bulbs from Eden's. Eden's bulbs arrived a couple a weeks ago and already sprouting in my garden. I rated Breck's Bulbs a Negative for slow service. I hope when the bulbs arrive they are as big as Eden's bulbs.

I ordered six shrub roses and 12 peonies from their spring sale. That was on April 27. Shipping had already opened for my zone and the first e-mail I received said to expect the roses by May 5, but the peonies would take until June 11. I called on May 8, got someone in a call center that I could barely understand, and asked if there was any way to move up the ship date for the peonies. He told me they are being shipped from Holland and will take 3-4 weeks to arrive. This was never mentioned on the website, and now I have to take delivery of peonies that have been sitting in a box for a month. The roses haven't even been shipped yet and won't be here until "the middle of the month".

I just hope the plants are healthy. This shipping delay is causing me problems and had I known it would take this long to get the plants, I never would have ordered from this company. I'll update when the plants arrive.

I had put some items from a great sale into my cart. I then recieved emails "encouraging" me to complete the sale or else the sale prices would disappear and they would empty my cart.
Why do they need to threaten to empty my cart other than to try to get me to order?

Two days after that I get an email saying that I can get $25 off of my order. When I go to my cart as directed suddenly everything is at full price. Obviously the $25 is merely a bait and switch to get me to spend money to save money.
I'm not a fool so I called the company and the sales rep who pronounced "alliums" "aluminums" tried to tell me that money off codes only pertain to specific promotions, which wasn't at all spelled out in the email.

At this point I don't trust them at all so I quickly place the order at admittedly great prices while I was on hold and then I finally get to speak to an Indian guy who dislikes it when I call it gimmicks and really has nothing to offer when I ask for the $25 off as promised in the email.

I don't think this company does them selves any favors by using a sophisticated form of bait and switch to try to get people to buy.

While I shopped online, prices for the same eight items in my shopping cart changed three times. The final totals for my order ranged from around $100 to almost $200 for the same items. Here is what happened at Brecks.com as a I attempted to order items online that were featured in its "Spring 2014 Planner for Summer Gardens" print catalog in which items were priced up to 75% off: (The catalog showed three prices for each plant, with Price 1 and Price 2 crossed out; Price 3 being the final sale price.
1. Brecks.com offered $25 off a $50 purchase in exchange for my email address. I received a confirmation on the site that the "discount is being applied." I shopped, using the item numbers from the catalog. Online prices for the very same items in the print catalog were higher; they were the Price 2 prices in the catalog.
2. I looked around the home page again and found a banner advertising the "up to 75% off sale" and clicked on it. That changed the prices in my shopping cart to the Price 3 prices and my shopping cart total was approximately $110, but the $25 discount hadn't been applied. I checked my email and there was a notice from Breck's that the $25 discount had been changed and to "Claim Your $100 in Free Merchandise."
3.When I clicked on that link, it took me back to the site and a banner there claimed: "Choose your discount. $25 off $50; $50 off $100; $100 off $200." But the prices on the items in my cart had all been changed again. Now my $110 order cost $190!

I suppose one could build a spreadsheet to decide which of Breck's three pricing options for the same merchandise was the best deal, but having spent hours researching the eight plants in my cart, I was ready to buy, not puzzle through this mess. Suspicious of a company that would advertise one price in catalogs, a different price online, and raise prices to honor a discount, I emptied my cart and left the site. I am a retailer; this is not purely deceptive advertising, but it seems like a sketchy way to promote a business. I will shop elsewhere.

Brecks had some incredible sales this winter and cheap postage specials. I got a great deal on some gorgeous, hard-to-find plants AND an online coupon for a free Rainbow Butterfly Bush! It really beats trying to run around to all the local nursery departments trying to find what I want.

The plants arrived, fast, at an excellent time for my garden zone (no other company has done that for me). They are REALLY healthy plant plugs and roots. So healthy, that if they die, it's MY fault. I will order from them again for sure.

Posted on May 5, 2011, updated December 30, 2013
Posted on October 10, 2010, updated May 5, 2011
I just received my tulip bulbs. They were well packed and look big and healthy. I can't wait for Spring. The Carpet Border lilies I ordered in the Spring as well as the Glamini Gladilolias all performed well. This was a challenging time here this year with drought. Breck's bulbs did great!

"On Oct 13, 2010 8:45 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!"

Posted on November 1, 2012, updated December 16, 2013
This concerns Cyclamen hederifolium corms my sister ordered from Brecks in September (25 bulbs for $52). These plants flower in the fall. After several phone calls to Breck's company about the delay in receiving these corms, they finally arrived on October30. However the corms looked very diseased, some with a white fungus on the surface, some with holes possibly from insects or bacterial rot and all were flaccid instead of firm. Having worked at a Botanical garden and mailed out plant material myself, and knowing what kind of phytosanitary forms need to be filed for international use, I was horrified to see that something like this is mailed all over the USA. Pathogens can spread in the soil and contaminate healthy areas.
A label on the bag claims this to be a "product of Turkey, bulbs from cultivated stock". If these bulbs indeed came from Turkey, ( even-though Breck's prides itself on importing from Holland), the Inspection Service of the department of Agriculture did not catch this lot. It is unknown where and when the corms got so diseased.
The Order Processing Center for Brecks is in Indiana but no "real" address can be found on the website. There are 177 negative comments on your website for Breck's. I'd like to add this experience to your website in the negative column.
Breck's website has a Canadian flag next to their name. If these bulbs came from Canada, worse yet !
Please look into this. We do not want to import or spread nematodes, root pathogens or even fungi, whether pathogens or saprohytes to our soils in the US.
Thank you

A promise for a refund was made by Brecks customer service.
Eva Hecht

"On Nov 5, 2012 2:55 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. I can tell you that the white fungus on the Cyclamen, which is most probably some storage mold is no problem. After the Cyclamen has been planted in the soil it will disappear.
The holes are not from insects or bacterial rot. The Cyclamen in Turkey are grown in a rocky area, so there are a lot of stones big and small ones in the soil. The cyclamen is growing (expanding) and when a stone is in the way it will penetrate into the cyclamen. After lifting the cyclamen, the stones will fall off but you will still see the holes. In other words it is the large and small stones which causes the holes and not insect or bacterial rot.

The Cyclamen may be flaccid which is not unusual. Keep in mind that they have been stored for a while so it will lose moisture. As soon as the cyclamen has been planted and is able to absorb moisture (that is why we advise to give all bulbs a good drench after planting) it will be firm again.
"

I ordered about 200 lily bulbs from VanFleur.ca which is a sub company of Breck in October for spring shipment. I receive the confirmation and the full amout was charged from my credit card. Two month later, I receive a "out of stock" notice to let me know that everything I ordered were not available. The website were changed to breckwholesale.ca, and the customer service just told me they no longer carry the products!

I already cleared the area in my back yard where I want the bulbs to go. Since a lot of companies only handle fall shipment, chance for me to miss the next year's lily flowers are very big. I am very upset and will never order from this company again!

Posted on November 11, 2010, updated November 29, 2013
I ordered a collection of 8 begonias and planted in fresh potting mix.
5 never grew and of the 3 that did only 1 had a few small flowers.
They use to send large healthy bulbs but those days are gone.
Will not order from them again.

"On Nov 15, 2010 6:32 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We do offer a lifetime guarantee on our products. A customer service representative will be contacting you for more information.

"

Breck's Wholesale cancelled two items in my order as "Out of Stock" nearly two weeks after I had placed my order. When I had placed the order, the items were shown as available, and were confirmed in an email. The same items were still available on the Breck's retail website (though one was sold out the next day), in smaller quantities and twice as expensive. Breck's benefited by canceling my wholesale order to sell the same items at retail. They offered to let me purchase the one item still available at the retail price. No thanks. This is a bad business practice, if not fraudulent. I will never order from Breck's again.

I ordered bulbs and mini garden furniture on my iPad using my debit card. I never received an email about the order and My account was never charged so I thought the order didn't go through. Several months later the bulbs and furniture came in the mail and they said I opened a credit account . I called three separate times as I never opened a credit account and I was confused about the amounts charged. I was on the phone for over an hour as they sent me from customer service to credit several times. They told me I made the order on the phone which I never did and that I told them I would pay for them later thereby opening a credit account. This never happened. So, I ended up paying $16.99 for four bulbs ( and since I don't have the catalog I can't dispute it but I NEVER would pay that much for 4 bulbs.) I returned the mini furniture and then they sent me a bill for 11.00+ shipping costs. I will never buy from Brecks or any associated company again. This is the worst customer service ever.

"On Nov 16, 2013 11:19 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

We appreciate your feedback. I apologize for the problems you had with our company. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and figure out what happened concerning your order."

Posted on October 18, 2013, updated October 19, 2013
I've ordered from Breck's three times...and I never will again. Each time has been disappointing...the first order was for Allium 'Purple Sensation' which they advertised as 'Persian Blue' by markedly altering the color of the bloom in their catalog photo. The next order was for what they touted as 'the first black dahlia' and called Trebbiano. This turned out to be a new name for one of my old favorites Nuit d'Ete. (The tuber was over 10 dollars for ONE clump and performed poorly compared to the Nuit d'Etes I bought at my local discount store) Give me a break! It's not a new variety just because you decide to give it a new name! I just received my third order...three pathetically small roots of Papaver 'Royal Wedding'....shipped in a padded envelope...10 dollars shipping for a few ounces at most. Go elsewhere.

"On Nov 16, 2013 11:34 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for letting us know about the problems with your order. I checked on the Trebbiano and this is a new dahlia, the color of this one is black. I also checked the Nuit d'Ete and found the color of this one is a deep red. I apologize for any confusion. The allium can range in color from a dark purple to blue, the picture of the allium was not altered at all. The poppies you received can be planted at this time of year as long as the ground is not frozen. Keeping them in a cold frame will be fine but may set back the growing time in the spring since they will need to be replanted."

Got my "Riot" Daffodil bulbs yesterday! Huge bulbs.
way bigger and healthier than the ones sold in stores.
Professionally packed. I ordered these in May for fall shipping. Company kept me informed with updates every month on when to expect my order. I am very happy. Will buy from them again!
Salisbury NC

"On Sep 30, 2013 10:25 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for sharing, enjoy your bulbs."

Pulls the same stunts as the "other large company." Cancelled orders without notice and REAL bait and switch on their website. Disappointing to say the least. I won't be purchasing from them this fall. Customer support and good communication are really all it takes to keep my business. When you lie to me or try to be deceptive I WILL go somewhere else.

"On Jul 16, 2013 10:13 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

We appreciate you letting us know about the problems you had with your order. We would be happy to check into this for you and do what we can to correct the problem. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information."

Just found out that the elephant ear collections we had ordered and paid for in advance over two months ago were cancelled without notification (no email, no phone call) two weeks ago. These bulbs are a major part of a special landscape design, all hardscape has been purchased dependent on using these elephant ears bulbs .... the yard is under construction .... contractors are waiting to add these bulbs ... and now I find out that Brecks doesn't have product and I was told doesn't intend on shipping these plants. While I was on the phone with the representative, I pulled up their website and they are still selling elephant ears. The representative informed me that although they were selling them and they showed available on their website, I shouldn't count on them being shipped. This is the first time I've ordered from Brecks, and it is totally unacceptable for a company to sell product they KNOW they do not have. At this point I'm waiting for a phone call to find out if they can source product for this landscape design ... however, this incident makes me wary to order from Brecks again. I work under tight deadlines and need to trust that a nursery will ship product as advertised on time and a good quality product. So far, I'm a very disappointed customer.

"On Jun 28, 2013 9:19 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

I apologize for the problem with your order. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and check on this order."

they send substitions ALL the time,, ive wasted a fortune on there stuff and ended up with something else... they say it right in there ordering info they WILL substitute,,,,if they are out of stock they will give you whatever they have closest to it NOT what you wanted in the first place,,,,

"On Jun 11, 2013 11:25 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

We appreciate you letting us know about the problem with your order. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and take care of this for you."

I ordered a few grab bags a little while back and just found out by going to their website that they cancelled my order. They sent no email informing me of the cancellation. I would have been waiting for my items to arrive for a long time if I had not thought to check. What a disappointment. I was looking forward to trying the company's product. I think that the lack of notification speaks volumes of the customer service.

"On Jun 11, 2013 10:48 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for letting us know about the problem with your order. I apologize you were not notified of the cancellation. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information."

I love the quality of the bulbs and plants I get from Breck's. They grow and bloom relatively quickly and have provided years of beauty and fragrance in my garden. Sadly, this company has also begun to have shipping problems and I would be highly hesitant to order from them in the future. Gardens Alive and all the Scarlet Tanager subsidiaries have really dropped the ball this growing season and I don't want to have to go through the hassle of continually asking where my plants are or having shipping dates pushed back again and again. If they ever get their act together, as it once was, perhaps I'll order from Breck's again. Their products are excellent, the logistics are horrid!

"On Jun 11, 2013 10:41 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for your feedback we appreciate your suggestions. I will let our shipping department know about the shipping issues we have had this season."

This was my first time ordering from Breck's. I have received gifts from others that were shipped directly and had positive experiences so I had to try my luck and order something directly.

I ordered quite a few plants, and of all of the plants (about 35 plants ordered) two had issues: one of the bare roots was tiny and another was dead. The other plants were amazingly huge and healthy.

Anything that was not up to snuff, Breck's immediately remedied any issue I had One of the plants had run out of stock, and they immediately refunded my money. The other, the offered a refund but I requested a backorder. I will be back. I know that nobody is perfect, but I really appreciated the way they handled the problems.

"On May 23, 2013 10:44 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

We appreciate you taking time to share your experience with our Company. We strive to ensure our customers are completely satisfied and take pride in doing so. We hope you enjoy your garden!"

I have ordered from Brecks overs many years. The stock is very good. The selections is wonderful, they break up the order into several smaller orders to better optimize planting time (if large and my orders always are). I love that Brecks sends me updates regarding when items are to be shipped and updates if items are held up. I would not hesitate to buy from them. I am a very experienced gardener.

"On May 11, 2013 10:34 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for your wonderful post about our products and our service. We enjoy hearing from our customers. Happy Gardening!"

I know this company gets very mixed reviews, but I have only positive things to say about Breck's. I've ordered from Breck's a few times over the past 3 years, and sometimes I'm been impressed by what I've unpacked from the box (bulbs) and sometimes I haven't (garden phlox bareroot plants). However, with few exceptions, everything that I've put in the ground has flourished - beyond expectations (even those pathetic phlox that I'd given up for dead). When something really hasn't grown, Breck's has given me a refund with no hassle. I agree that Breck's retail prices are high -- I imagine that they're marked up so that they can be marked down for their 50%-off sales and ubiquitous $25 off $50 promotions. But who purchases from Breck's at regular retail prices anyway?

"On May 8, 2013 10:53 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for your wonderful post about our company and our products. Happy Gardening!"

I have to give credit where credit is due. I have received bad, moldy, and dead plants from Breck's in the past. It's been 5 years or so since I ordered from them and, although I don't like getting plants as bare root in bags of peat moss (or sawdust) I received 8 plants from Breck's, all in bags and all showing new growth and healthy. I would definitely order from them again. Thanks Breck's! The improvements are noticed!

"On May 8, 2013 10:29 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

We appreciate you letting us know about your order.Thank you for your nice feedback. "

I ordered 10 Eyeliner Lily bulbs and Border Music and Wild Horses Daylilies. Everything arrived plump, healthy and well-packaged at the end of March. I was surprised to receive the daylilies so early in the year. The long range weather forecast was good so I planted them. They are totally top quality daylily fans and are thriving in the lovely spring weather. For me, Breck’s customer service, packaging, shipping schedule, and items ordered are all five out of five. I’m very much looking forward to ordering my fall planted bulbs.

"On May 8, 2013 10:10 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you so much for your wonderful testimonial about our products. Happy Gardening!"

Posted on April 22, 2013, updated April 24, 2013
So far I am feeling very agitated by this company. I placed 3 pretty substantial orders over the last few months and recieved my first order a few weeks ago. Upon inspection of my order, I found that most of the plants were in good condition but some of the bulbs were damaged and one of the root based plants I ordered was moldy. I e-mail Breck's Customer service about a week ago and have yet to hear back from them. I am very dissappointed in their customer sevice and do not plan on ordering from their company in the future. I ordered from Michigan Bulb Company last year and had great results and their customer service was exceptional when I contacted them. I should have just stayed with Michigan Bulb. Lesson learned.

This was my e-mail to them:
______________________________________________

Hello. I recently placed a substantial order with Brecks. I’ve received all of the items from this order. I’ve been telling all my friends and neighbors how impressed I am with the plants that I have received so far and that they should order from your company. Many of the bulbs and roots are better than I expected. There are a few bulbs that I received that looks like they were crushed during the shipping process and 1 root that is moldy. I’m not sure if Brecks would replace these bulbs and root or not. Below are the bulbs that have been damaged:
Order # 30351342300
20248 Redwing Butterfly Glad
19281 Peacock Orchid
66938 Hardy Cyclamen
85192 Geranium Laura
Anything you could do to help replace these bulbs that have been damaged and moldy root would be greatly appreciated. I wasn’t sure which category to choose as there is no option for damaged goods.
I thank you for your time in this matter.
Have a nice day.
__________________________________________

This is what I ordered and recieved for my first order.

Qty Ordered Item Number Item Description Delivery Estimate

2 66977 BLUE BOY PHLOX 04/05/13-04/11/13
1 19562 LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY 04/05/13-04/11/13
2 66980 TENOR PHLOX 04/05/13-04/11/13
1 83631 ASTILBE MIXTURE SUPER SAK 04/05/13-04/11/13
2 73728 TALL HYBRID PHLOX MIXTURE 04/05/13-04/11/13
1 85192 GERANIUM LAURA 04/05/13-04/11/13
2 68189 DWARF ASTER MIXTURE 04/05/13-04/11/13
1 85201 JAPANESE BOTTLEBRUSH 04/05/13-04/11/13
1 81318 LAVENDER & WHITE SEDUM MIXTURE 04/05/13-04/11/13
4 19489 FIRE AND ICE HOSTA 04/05/13-04/11/13
2 20248 REDWING BUTTERFLY GLAD 04/05/13-04/11/13
1 83629 DELUXE GLADS MIXTURE SUPER SAK 04/05/13-04/11/13
1 19281 PEACOCK ORCHIDS 04/05/13-04/11/13
1 19323 SUMMER CHEER DAFFODIL 04/05/13-04/11/13
1 66894 RANUNCULUS MIXTURE 04/05/13-04/11/13
1 85693 POPPY ANEMONE BURGUNDY 04/05/13-04/11/13
1 66938 HARDY CYCLAMEN 04/05/13-04/11/13
1 71158 DISCOVERY DUTCH IRIS 04/05/13-04/11/13
__________________________________________

Now I will be going back to my neighbors and tell them to avoid ordering from Brecks based on their customer service alone.

"On Apr 23, 2013 1:01 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for your post. I apologize no one has gotten back to you about your email. I have reshipped the items to you. Your new order number is 31130627800."

I had been getting Breck's catalogues for a few years but I didn't order from them as I thought their prices were too high. Then at last I ordered a lot of daffodil and tulip bulbs as well as other small spring bulbs. My order was shipped early enough to plant the bulbs at the proper time and all the bulbs looked very good and healthy. Now all the daffodils, some tulips and small spring bulbs are blooming and the flowers are really beautiful. Now I look where else I would like to have a lot of spring color and I am planning to place another big order at Breck's. Thank You, Breck's, and I hope you will never disappoint me in the future.

"On Apr 23, 2013 12:42 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We always want our customers to be happy."

Wow! What a nice order! I took a chance with all of the negative comments on this forum, since they had something that was not offered elsewhere. It is just a small order but everything looked in fine condition...the bare root items were properly hydrated. This is the best order that I have received from them so far.

What I ordered were:

Poppy Anemone - Burgundy
Crispa Marginata White and Red Begonia (for DH)
Loddon Royalist Anchusa
Black Stockings Reblooming Daylily
Border Music Reblooming Daylily
Geranium Laura
Fire and Ice Hosta
Sedum Frosty Morn

I'll let you know if anything is different than what I ordered, as that is the only thing that I could do to change this rating. anything else would be on the gardener (me!)...

"On Apr 17, 2013 1:53 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for your posting. If you have any problems just let us know and we will gladly take care of them for you. Enjoy your garden!"

Love this company! I am lucky enough to be on their "early sale" customer list which allows me to buy top quality bulbs for a fraction of the price available from other companies, even during Breck's own regular pricing season. I highly recommend this company to others and I personally buy from them every year (at least once!).

"On Apr 10, 2013 9:03 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you so much for your wonderful testimonial of our company. Happy Gardening!"

Last fall I ordered several daffodil bulbs from Breck's and the bulbs I received seemed to be very good bulbs. Unfortunately I became very ill and the bulbs sat in my dining room for 2 months before I could get outside to plant them. I held out no hope that any of them would grow,but did not want to throw them out! I walked around my garden 2 days ago and was amazed to see that not only had some of the daffodils emerged, but they ALL have! I think I would have to call those quality bulbs!

"On Apr 5, 2013 12:18 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. Happy Gardening!"

Posted on January 6, 2013, updated April 4, 2013
Posted on January 6, 2013, updated January 6, 2013
Fall 2012 was my first mail-order with Brecks. I had two separate orders, one July 19 and one August 8. Both took an unusually long time to come, but is to be expected if their "straight from Holland" claim is true.

My orders included:
Pink Daffodil Collection
Hardy Gladiolus Mixture
Lion King Dutch Iris
My Story Daffodil
Hosta Mixture Super Sak
Daring Deception Reblooming Daylily
Miss Feya Turban Lily
Foxglove, Rosy Shades
Columbine, Origami Red & White
Eragrostis, Purple Love Grass
Astilbe, Astary Mix
Echinacea, Pink Double Delight
Columbine, Lime Sorbet
Phlix, David
Lavendar, Lacy Frills
Lily, Checkered Lily
Helleborus, First Cuckoo


All came in good condition. The Daffodil Collection had massive bulbs (about half had attached babies), the others plants being in an acceptable size range.

Overall, good so far, I think. I marked each plant carefully and will try to report back the next few years on how they do.

"On Jan 7, 2013 11:34 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for your posting. We appreciate our customers letting us know about their experience with our company. good or bad. Unfortunately we had problems getting the bulb food from our vendor and I truly apologize for the lateness."

Have been stung SO MANY TIMES by Brecks, Dutch Bulbs, Michigan Bulbs, etc. mail order bulb companies. If you want quality bulbs, order Brent and Becky's Bulbs spring and fall catalogues. We have visited their site in Gloucester, VA. and the gardens are small but just lovely. Soooooo..... buy your bulbs from a reputable dealer.Our own local little greenhouse has quality BIG bulbs and you get to pick out the ones you want, but their variety is limited. Local home improvement stores usually have a decent bagged collection in the fall for naturalizing, but the variety is limited and the quality is so-so. Brent and Becky's Bulbs will give you the best bang for your buck and they have a nice variety of easy to grow bulbs.

I love the daffodils I got from Brecks. Unfortunately I had problems with my last two orders. I bought two midnight mystique hyacinths in 2011. The Arrived Nov that year. Ground was already frozen. Planted them anyway. They never came up spring 2012. most of my other bulbs I had ordered never came up either. but the were cheap wasn't worried about them, figured they just didn't like growing in high altitudes and dry weather of Colorado. The hyacinths were expensive and I know for a fact they grow well here. In March 2012 I placed and order that included 1 WILD HORSES REBLOOMING DAYLILY
1 FRAGRANT FIRE HOSTA
1 GIANT COLUMBINE MIXTURE.
Wild Horses reblooming day lily died. 2 of the 5 columbine died. but I figured 3 out of 5 lived so that's pretty good odd's. Hosta barely grew, but it did survive the summer. so I emailed them asking for replacements of the 2 Hyacinths and the Wild reblooming daylily . Never asked for replacements of the other bulbs or plants that didn't make it. My e-mail was ignored. I e-mailed again a month later. No reply. I e-mailed yet again early this month. Still no e-mail from them. So will no longer be ordering from them. They obviously have bad customer service and don't honor their guarantee. If you want to order daffodils from them then I recommend them. But If you want to order more expensive bulbs like there exclusive almost black hyacinth or if you are thinking of ordering non-bulb plants from them I definitely advise against it. I told them, the third time I e-mailed them, that if they didn't respond back to me I would be leaving a negative review about them on here. Guess whoever read my e-mails in customer service either didn't care or believe me. Who know maybe they have a major computer glitch and don't get a lot of the e-mails they are sent. Hopefully this will get their attention.

"On Feb 27, 2013 12:26 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for your feedback and I apologize no one has replied to your emails. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and take care of this for you."

Posted on February 25, 2009, updated February 20, 2013
I am done ordering anything mail order from Brecks. I have ordered at least $1000 worth of merchandise over the last 3 years and generally have had to have the product reshipped because the product was bad when I received it. My first year I ordered 50 Mixed Perennial Tulips only to have all of them come up yellow. When I spoke with customer service they told me that is the risk you get when you order mixed. It is whatever they have leftover. They have been good at replacing moldy bulbs if I saved my receipts (I literally ordered so many that I can't always find the receipts. Last years anenome and freesia never came up. I ordered last year a collection of Lily Tree's that never shipped and when I inquired they said they ran out and to re-order next year. I was going to do this but the price was three times what the price was the previous year. I planted a few Lily Trees this past fall and I hope they come up or I will get my money back.. My last order was for Mixed Coral Bells. When I received them there was one that had the reddish brown leaves and the rest were green. The brown one was completely dried out and the green ones were damaged. They also arrived during a cold spell so I couldn't plant them. They said they would replace them. I waited and waited and nothing arrived. When I went online I found out that they are not shipping until next fall. That doesn't help me at all since the new landscape mound I have created was finished without their coral bells. If I cancel the order I will lose my shipping and there are a couple of other plants due this spring. I am holding my breath since I doubt they will show up in good condition. Their bulbs are good but their plants are bad. Getting replacements you have to wait until the next season which is too late for me since my gardens are planned in advance and look funny saving spots for the replacements. (Also, how do you hold spots for bulbs in a 1000 bulb garden)? If I ever plant bulb gardens again I may come back to Brecks but the savings on a mini plant isn't worth it. Buy it from a nursery or local store. Most have a year warranty for their products.

I ordered bulbs from this company in the fall. I promptly sent a check to fully pay for my purchase. The check cleared my bank about 1 week later. Now Brecks keeps sending me notices that I am past due. I contacted the customer service department who requested that I fax them a copy of my cleared check, which I promptly did. I called 1 week later to confirm my account had been credited and was told "they are working on it". I asked what exactly that meant and they could not tell me. I asked for a supervisor who also could not provide me further details. I also questioned why it takes over 1 week to credit my account. The supervisor had no answer. This company has horrible customer service and I have yet to speak with a representative who has been helpful or willing to simply credit my account. THERE ARE LOTS OF BULB COMPANIES. IN THE FUTURE I WILL NEVER USE BRECKS AGAIN. TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.

"On Jan 7, 2013 11:49 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

I apologize for the problems you are having with your account. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and check on your account for you."

I have been very happy with the quality of bulbs that were delivered this fall. The bulbs were large and appeared to be very healthy. The order came in a timely manner and well packed. I will buy from this company again.

"On Nov 21, 2012 12:55 PM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for you wonderful testimonial. We appreciate you taking the time to post. Enjoy your bulbs!"

Received a package from Breck's. It happened to be a present from my sister, but was not told so by Breck's. The packing list contained 4 species of bulbs. One species was missing. The count of the bulbs was wrong in 2( 17 instead of 18 bulbs) of them and of the Narcissus Poetica ( 5 bulbs) one was so rotten and moldy that is was ready for the garbage-can. I hope you can open these photo's I took of them./Users/Mhecht/Desktop/DSCN2279.JPG/Users/Mhecht/Desktop/DSCN2282.JPG.
The above mentioned Cyclamen corms too( see Eva Hecht's complaint) were in such a terrible condition that the Better Business Bureau of Ohio was notified and I am still trying to contact the agricultural inspectors. Bulbs like these do not come from the Netherlands nor from Turkey like that. Phyto-sanitary inspections are strict and if Breck's sends out bulbs like this they are spreading diseases all over.
Sad but true!

"On Nov 13, 2012 11:02 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

We appreciate you taking the time to post and apologize that the bulbs were not in good shape. We would be happy to reship some new ones to you. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information."

Round 1: I selected about $150 worth of Fall delivery bulbs. When I went to check out, the website kept asking for the code data from the catalog the company had sent me in the Spring. I put the codes in four times -- and then it indicated that Special had expired. Why not say that the first time???
Then it refused to connect that data to my name, address, etc. that they obviously have on file. Why not?
After filling in all those data several times, the website kicked me out of check-out and back to the cart! That kind of action is not only frustrating, it is really suspicious. Is this a secure site -- or a phishing scam phony? I exited the site ASAP.
Round 2: Some automated software got in touch, supposedly Sharon from Customer Service, but the email address was generic, not person-specific, so I doubt there really is any such human at the other end of the missive. It warned me that my order would be put back into inventory if I didn't confirm it by a certain time. I was busy for a couple of days -- some of us have to earn the money to spend on our gardens....
Round 3: That led to daily reminders to complete my order. Although I sent a Customer comment, asking them to call me to sort this out, no one ever did. When I did give them another chance, and re-entered the shopping cart, two of the more valuable items were no longer available -- yet the emails had said they would be returned to inventory several hours after I tried. Are these products vaporware? Is this a bait-and-switch scam?
Round 4: I tried to connect to their wholesale site to replace the missing items with a bulk order, but they won't let one connect bulk and regular orders in the same cart. I'm not paying twice for shipping, so that one got canceled.
Round 5: So, I decide to just take the remaining items the cart said were still available. I plugged in the $25 discount code "Sharon" had sent as compensation for both the initial frustration, and my kindness in sharing the errors of the site with them.
And the price went UP by a $100!!!
I'm outa there! I think this is a scam company.

"On Oct 31, 2012 9:42 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you for your posting. We apologize for the problems you had. One of our customer service representatives will contact you and work out your order with you."

Posted on September 30, 2012, updated September 30, 2012
I just want to post that I've been ordering from Breck's bulbs for many years and have always had great success in growing beautiful tulips! Every once in a while, I will buy bulbs also from another online company, but they have never turned out as great as the Breck's bulbs. They have always stood by their guarantee also when one time because of weather conditions the bulbs didn't survive. They sent me replacements bulbs for free. I will always buy my tulip bulbs here. Thanks!

"On Oct 3, 2012 11:40 AM, Breck's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you so much for your feedback, enjoy your bulbs."