Comments regarding Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company

Posted on June 19, 2018, updated July 3, 2018
I ordered Everbearing strawberry plants from Stark brothers 3 springs ago, several of the plants arrived completely dead but I understand that that happens. Unfortunately the plants they sent me were NOT everbearing but June plants! I have consistantly gotten one HUGE crop of strawberries in June and then nothing for the rest of the summer!!!! 75% of the berries go to waste because there’s no way my family can eat them all! As an amateur gardener I had NO way of knowing they sent the wrong plants but as professionals they have to be completely incompetent or just completely dishonest...personally I feel they are just dishonest scum!!! Their prices were also higher than other companies but the other conpanies were out of stock by the time that I ordered and had too many scruples to rip me off...Stark brothers had no problem with it!!!

"On Jun 21, 2018 2:28 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Thank you for leaving your honest review. We regret learning that the strawberries shipped to you were the wrong variety. We completely understand your frustration and disappointment as growing strawberries takes time and patience. We truly never meant to send you the wrong product.

Please contact customer support at 800.325.4180 or email info@starkbros.com so that we can fix this. We back our products with a “Promise of Satisfaction” to you.

We very much appreciate your business and hope that you will remain a valued customer.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180
"

Very disappointed with the packing and delivery of pear trees ordered. I met the FEDEX truck and the driver took the torn box out and said it was received that way--one end had been completely ripped off. Two of the 4 trees ordered had shipped, the 2 not shipped were marked "unavailable" on the invoice, with no prior notice. The 2 trees that arrived had a small amount of damp newspaper at one end of the box, and the roots had dried (for who knows how long). Since I was planting at a location out of state from my home, I had no choice but to put the trees into the ground and hope for the best. This was the worst plant delivery I experienced on this planting venture, with purchases made from several plant suppliers from several locations. I will not order from Stark again, as their performance did not live up to what they advertised. So sorry, as my time and money were both wasted, and planting options suboptimized, despite the effort of planning for 8 months.

"On Jun 21, 2018 2:22 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Thank you for leaving your honest review. We are very sorry to hear that your package was delivered damaged and missing trees due to them being unavailable at the time of shipping without proper notification. We strive to fill each order as it is received and completely understand your frustration and disappointment.

Please contact customer support at 800.325.4180 or email info@starkbros.com so that we can fix this. We back our products with a “Promise of Satisfaction” to you.

We very much appreciate your business and hope that you will remain a valued customer.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180
"

I have bought quite a few items from this company including fruit trees and garden plants--apple trees, cherry trees, raspberries, blueberries, asparagus etc and have had only a few issues that were not attributable to them. I had a bare root cherry tree that must have been delivered upside down the whole way. The leaves had started to rot and eventually fell off. I planted the tree and that was two years ago--the tree rebounded and is growing great. I had some raspberries that were abused by the shipping company--it looked like he body slammed the box after dropping it off at my front door. Starks replaced them all with no questions asked. As far as shipping dates are concerned, they have either beat their estimate or were right around it. They have always sent me an email with a ship date and tracking numbers. Everything that wasn't abused by the shippers always seemed to be in great shape. I've only had one blueberry bush die after arriving. That bush was replaced the next spring per my request. Again--no questions asked other than for me to determine that it is was dead by doing a scratch test. I'll buy from these guys again

After ordering a citrus tree trio for Mother’s Day, there was very little communication and some hiccups once my order had been received, just a damaged plant, initially the customer service was not great but after calling and speaking to the customer service manager my transaction went smooth as silk from there. Tabatha and her customer support team at Stark Bro’s really did a great job of quickly sending me a replacement tree, and all three are amazing, showing new growth within only a few weeks of being put into some Coast of Maine bar harbor potting soil and feeding with Jacks citrus tree food. I will definitely not hesitate to order from Stark Bro’s in the future, a little hiccup in the beginning but they definitely made up for it and retained my business.

I have ordered a couple dozen fruit trees and vines from Starkbros over the last few years. I have never had any issues with the plants, they have always been large and healthy. Their website is also very informative.

I should have read these negative reviews and followed their advice. I ordered 8 peach trees of different varieties during their promotion free shipping time. I was charged the shipping and when I contacted them regarding this they told me that my order was placed after the promotion was completed (even though my receipt said free shipping). It took a while, but I was refunded the shipping. I then got an email stating that my order had been shipped and that there would be 11 trees delivered instead of the 8 I ordered. When my order arrived there were only 5 trees. I contacted customer service again and they told me that I would need to wait until the fall or spring of next year to get the rest of my trees. When I asked why they didn't notify me they said that I was notified by email about the delivery which was clearly wrong. I know people make mistakes, but there were mistakes made that were avoidable and not remedied very well by the company. It has been a disappointing experience.

"On Jun 21, 2018 2:16 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Thank you for leaving your honest review. We are very sorry to hear about all the troubles you’ve had with this year’s order. We strive to fill each order as it is received and completely understand your frustration and disappointment. We value our customers and understand how important it is to offer exceptional service- and we clearly failed to do so this time. There have been some process changes because of your review. Going forward customers will be notified much sooner if we have an issue with our products.

Please contact customer support at 800.325.4180 or email info@starkbros.com to further discuss your concerns if necessary.

We very much appreciate your business and hope that you will remain a valued customer.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180
"

The fruit trees may survive but it will not be because of the packing. The plants arrived with a wet blob of newspaper at one end of the box and the dry roots at the other end of the box. Very poorly done.

"On Apr 16, 2018 10:21 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Thank you for leaving your honest review. We are very sorry to hear that your order was packaged poorly. The wet newspaper does have a tendency to move around inside the box during transit. It should have been wet enough to keep moisture inside the package so the roots would not dry out. This is why we suggest soaking the tree’s roots in a bucket or large tub of water one to two hours before planting.

We take ALL reviews to heart as this is our opportunity to improve our service and your experience going forward.

If you have any issues with your trees, please contact customer support at 800.325.4180 because quality and customer satisfaction matter above all.

Your planting success is important to us! "

I ordered 50 strawberry plants from Stark Bros on March 26th. They shipped out on April 9th, which I was at first a little upset with, but then realized it made sense given it's still only early April and that they're likely very busy with shipments this time of year. I received my bare root plants today, the 11th, and counted exactly 50 plants, all alive from what I can tell. Being used to buying bare root plants only to find half of them dead, I was pleasantly surprised. Some of the best prices I could find for strawberries, too! I almost certainly will do business with them again.

"On Apr 16, 2018 9:53 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you selected us.

Thank you so much! We look forward to continuing to work with you for years to come."

I have ordered blackberries, strawberries, and apple and peach trees from Stark Bros. and have always received plants in excellent health. Indeed, the everbearing strawberry plants produced a nice crop of fruit during the fall of their first year (from a summer order and planting).

"On Apr 16, 2018 9:53 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you selected us.

Thank you so much! We look forward to continuing to work with you for years to come."

Posted on September 10, 2015, updated September 12, 2017
Posted on July 4, 2015, updated September 10, 2015
We have a small orchard (about 200 trees) and have been buying trees by Mail order and then online for about 45 years. I have gone through about every major nursery and learned a lot. I had not ordered from Starks for a long time so I thought I would try them again last year.
Just so everyone understands my unique situation. We had the coldest winter in our history two years ago and our coldest February in history this last winter along with cooler than normal summers so this has been very difficult on all orchards in Michigan. We also live in a strange Micro-Environment. We have a University of Michigan weather station 8 miles away and they have completely different weather than we do here in Capac.
I ordered a Spring Satin Plumcot, Green Gage Plum, Shiro Plum, Bubble Gum Plum and the Cream of the Crop Peach tree collection.
I was very disappointed when they arrived. The Plums were ok but the ‘Professional Pruning was just taking off every limb and cutting to 4’ so they fit in the box. The Peach collection had to have been a mistake. I only order Supreme so they were supposed to be 4’ tall with a minimum 5/8” trunk. They were about 3’ tall and the diameter of a pencil. Plus they were clearly in poor condition.
I planted them the day they arrived and the Green gage started growing within a week. The Shiro and Bubble Gum plum had very limited leave but no growth. The peaches were a total loss. Some had tiny hair-like leaves come out for about 3 days then turn jet black like they were burned by fire. The only one that had leaves was the Elberta Queen but it never leafed out this spring and it was past the warranty.
One the plus side they replaced all but the Elberta Queen without any hassle and the ones they replaced them with were in fact 4’ but still no limbs.
Due to the service I gave them another shot this year. I ordered a Golden Delicious, Candy Crisp apples, Harglow Apricot, Elberta Queen, Flamin’ Fury Jumbo Peaches, Royal Giant, Sunglow Nectarines, Elephant Heart Plum and six jewel Raspberries.
I have several Golden Delicious trees but know the only true ones come from StarkBros so you would think they would send out their best. In fact it was in the poorest condition and still has not started growing as of the 4th of July.
Most of the other trees are going well except for the Elberta Queen which has not produced a single leaf, the harglow Apricot, Sunglo Nectarine and the Burbank July Elberta Peach (replacement for last years).
I am still leaning toward Starks as my go-to but since I am in my 60s a lost year is annoying at best. I may upgrade this review depending on what happens next spring. I also use two other nurseries. They have different issues but I got 100% good trees from both of them this year.
One last note; That Green gage is a freak. It’s 6’ foot tall and has limbs growing 3’ out! It may become my favorite tree when it starts producing.

"On Sep 29, 2017 1:33 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

First and foremost I’d like to apologize on behalf of Stark Bro’s. I am very sorry to learn that your question regarding the Green Gage Plum was removed from our website. I regret that we have made you feel deceived and have given you a poor customer experience—it is the exact opposite of what we pride ourselves on. We value our customers and understand how important it is to offer exceptional service. I understand your frustration.

I would like to thank you for leaving this review so that your situation was brought to our attention. Please contact customer support at 800.325.4180 or email info@starkbros.com so that we can make this right.

We very much appreciate your business and hope that you will remain a valued customer.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180
"

I wanted seedless grapes and Now I've wasted another two years. If you don't know what your doing you shouldn't be in the business. Screwing up crops is probably a greater sin then
killing something

"On Sep 29, 2017 1:45 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Thank you for leaving your feedback here regarding your grape plants. We are very sorry to hear that there is an issue with your plants. We regret that we have made you feel the way you do and have given you a poor customer experience—it is the exact opposite of what we pride ourselves on. We value our customers and understand how important it is to offer exceptional service. We understand your frustration.

Please contact customer support at 800.325.4180 or email info@starkbros.com to further discuss your concerns.

We very much appreciate your business and hope that you will remain a valued customer.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180
"

Posted on June 23, 2017, updated July 3, 2017
I ordered an apple tree and a stake. I noticed that I wasn't charged the full amount. I sent a message to find out what was going on, but have not received a response. I have now received only the stake, no tree. There has been no communication from Stark Bros about whether the order for the tree has been delayed or cancelled. I have no idea whether I should wait or start looking elsewhere. I am also surprised that they would send me the stake without the tree. What am I supposed to do with just a stake?

"On Jul 3, 2017 1:14 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience you have experienced in respect to your order. We apologize for the delay in our response to your email as Spring is our busiest time of the year.

It is never our intention to ship a growing aide without an ordered tree or plant. Customer support will be happy to assist you with your order concerns. They can be reached at 800.325.4180; Monday thru Friday 8a-430p.

We take ALL reviews to heart as this is our opportunity to improve our service and your experience going forward.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180"

I placed an order for Goji and Honeyberry plants in January, to ship in mid April. Called 4/17 to check on an email they sent 4/15 that changed delivery date to a date we would be on a trip. Then they dropped the Goji's and left the Honeyberries for an unacceptable ship date. Tried to get that straightened out, but delivery didn't occur so I called CUSTOMER SERVICE again, during business hours, but got recorded message "you've called after hours". Left voicemail, but got no response. Finally called the "orders" line and got a bit of help. They order people got some action for me because we were leaving on a cruise. However, only 6 of the ten Honeyberries arrived. When I called yesterday, during business hours, I got the same "you've called after hours message twice. Finally got through and was told they would ship the rest next spring. I'm 79 years old, and waiting another year means I may not live to see a crop from them, so asked for a supervisor. Told "she's in a meeting". Asked to have her call me back. Never heard. Terrible Customer service.

Posted on June 10, 2017, updated June 14, 2017
Posted on May 19, 2017, updated June 10, 2017
Just received my order, have mixed thoughts. First I placed my order on April 23rd, the order wasn't shipped out until May 15th. The package made it from MO to PA and then was sent back to Start in MO because the " shipping label is unreadable". Which made me wonder how that could be possible. Oh well, so it was sent back to MO then made it back to me in NY today. When I got the package I realized why the label was unreadable... The package was a real mess, as if they ran it over, which left me with little hope for the plants themselves. They are pretty sad looking and all the branches were broken off for the most part but I guess time will tell how they turn out.

If they end up doing well I may change this to positive but as of now I'm slightly disappointed.

If you're on the fence about this nursery I would look at the recent review breakdown. It may save you some frustration.

"On May 26, 2017 11:15 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Thank you for leaving your review. We are very sorry that to hear that FedEx had issues with your package.

If you have any issues please contact our Customer Support Team at 800.325.4180 and we will gladly replace or refund your order.

We take ALL reviews to heart as this is our opportunity to improve our service and your experience going forward.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180

In the fall of 2016 I ordered a potted apricot tree. It arrived on time and was very healthy. I planted it and watered it. This spring I realized that the tree did not survive the winter.....I contacted Stark by phone and they immediately sent me a replacement tree. No complaints so far. When the new tree arrived, a couple of weeks after my phone call, I was very disappointed. When I opened the box the packing material and the plastic the tree was packed in all fell out. The roots were all dried out. This was not even a tree. It was a stick that was about 3 feet long. It did not have one branch on it. I did not have much choice, so I planted it. If this thing grows I will be very much surprised.......I sent Stark Bros. an Email expressing my displeasure at what I received as a replacement. I have not yet received a reply other than a note asking me to be patient as this is their busy time of year. If this tree/stick does not live, I will be buying a replacement, but it won't be from Stark Bros.

"On Jun 14, 2017 3:17 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Thank you for leaving your review. We are very sorry for the delay in responding to your email as this has been our busiest spring ever. We are very saddened to learn that your replacement tree arrived in this condition.We completely understand your frustration and disappointment.

We take ALL reviews to heart as this is our opportunity to improve our service and your experience going forward. Someone from our Customer Support Team will be reaching out to you directly to offer you a token of our apology. In the meantime, if you would like to speak directly with customer support please call 800.325.4180.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180
"

Terrible customer service, equally terrible product quality.

Customer service will stop responding to you at their whim.

4 out of 7 fruit trees ordered last spring did not survive a full year, seemingly from bad grafts. The 3 that are alive still are in very rough shape.

Contrast the fruit tree quality from 2 other vendors ordered at the same time (over 35 trees) and ALL of the other trees are doing perfectly well.

"On May 26, 2017 10:36 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Thank you for leaving your review. We are very sorry that to hear that a few of your trees have died. Our promise of satisfaction at Stark Bro's is to provide healthy, viable trees and plants to ALL of our customers. Excellent quality of our trees and plants is our #1 value as your partner in growing.

Our limited warranty offers you to a free one-time replacement within one year. Please contact our Customer Support Team at 800.325.4180 and we will gladly replace or refund these dead trees for you.

We take ALL reviews to heart as this is our opportunity to improve our service and your experience going forward.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180
"

Ask for actual pictures of plants you want to purchase. Also ask the age. We ordered and received 8 one gallon blueberry plants. What we received were 8 2" pot sized bluberries stuck in one gallon pots. All green into the soil. No woody stalks. Base thinner than a pencil with one or two shoots. Local nurseries got their stock in. Plants anywhere from same to half the price. Multiple shoots.. some with dozens of shoots and flowering, Woody trunks and 4 to 8 times larger. Complaint to company resulted in NO response. WARNING: SEE THE PRODUCT BEFORE YOU BUY.

"On May 26, 2017 10:27 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Thank you for leaving your review. We are very sorry that to hear that these plants were shipped in this condition. Our promise of satisfaction at Stark Bro's is to provide healthy, viable trees and plants to ALL of our customers. Excellent quality of our trees and plants is our #1 value as your partner in growing. Therefore, we completely understand your frustration and disappointment.

Those berries should have been well rooted plants with a least 6-12 inches of healthy new growth.

Your issue has been forwarded to our customer support manager and we’d like to know if you can send us images. We would like show this to our growers, prepping crew and shipping manager. If you can provide us with images please email info@starkbros.com.

We take ALL reviews to heart as this is our opportunity to improve our service and your experience going forward.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180
"

I am now tending my third home orchard. In the past, I have worked as a landscaper. I have been planting Stark Brothers trees for almost 50 years and I have enjoyed a lot of success growing their trees.

But, since Stark Brothers merged with Miller Nurseries the quality of the plants has suffered some, and the customer service is much worse. This Spring they have just missed their 5th promised delivery date on the same order. This is particularly bothersome since I have read reviews on this site from other people that have received the same items since I placed my order.

The best time for planting here would have been 2 months ago. I assume they know this since I live 100 miles from their nursery, and they promised delivery then. Had they done this on a fall order I might be planting in the middle of winter.

"On May 26, 2017 10:09 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Thank you for leaving your review. We are very sorry for all the delays with this years order. We completely understand your frustration and disappointment as we have been just as disappointed that we had product(s) that were not ready to be shipped on time this year.

We take ALL reviews to heart as this is our opportunity to improve our service and your experience going forward. Someone from our Customer Support Team will be reaching out to you directly to offer you a token of our apology.

Your continued support and suggestions help us grow into a better company.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180"

Posted on February 15, 2017, updated May 3, 2017
Over the years I have ordered several fruit trees from Starks. One never leafed out at all. However all others were good stock and are still flourishing. Concerning the dead one, all I did was notify them and no questions asked, it was replaced. And unlike another nursery I've ordered from and received bad stock, Starks didn't ask for shipping. *Very* satisfied with them!

"On Apr 5, 2017 12:25 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. Thank you for choosing Stark Bro’s for your nursery stock needs. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you selected us. Your continued support and suggestions help us grow into a better company. If you have any issues please do not hesitate to contact customer support. "

Posted on March 29, 2012, updated May 1, 2017
I've ordered from Stark Brothers for years. My little orchard is now 100+ of apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and apricots. I recently moved an ugly apple tree (not a Stark but one I grafted myself) and ordered a Stark Orleans apple to replace it. Now I know we've had an unusually warm spring but their growing rate is ridiculous! I mean that in a good way. A couple of weeks after planting I was walking through the newest part of the orchard and had to think about which tree was the replacement because it had leafed out so well! I've only had to call in for a replacement a couple of times over the past decade or so and the customer service is top notch. No hassles or haggles and the replacements did well. Last year I had an unusual ailment with one of my trees. I sent pictures to Stark asking for help and advice. They responded very promptly, courteously, and were exactly right on the diagnosis! I lost the tree but the new one is flourishing.

How about the fruits? They seem to always produce within at least two years. I've now won two master baker awards at the regional fair using the Montmorency cherries in my pie! Nuf said? Although my mother was a little disappointed over the peaches last year. My father came to help me pick fruit and noticed some of the newer peach trees had their first ripe peaches. Well we stood right there next to the tree and ate them all. None left for him to take home! Maybe I'll save her some this year.

My sister thought she wanted to plant an apple tree so I gave her my catalog. She thought they were expensive but I told her "You get what you pay for. Order the Stark!" I've made the mistake in the past and bought a couple from Home Depot or Lowes. They were dug up and burned. She ordered the Stark and uttered the oh so painful "You were right about Stark" phrase. She has an all-around black thumb but her tree is thriving.

Are they a little more expensive than the local big box stores? Yes. Are they worth it? Absolutely! The customer service alone makes up for the price difference. I will be a long time customer and hope my kids will be one day also.

My experience with Stark Bros. is mixed.

I believe they have some of the best customer service you can find.

However, they are terrible at estimating delivery dates. I am sure they are working toward a solution, but my patience was worn out after the third time I called their support line. I think I made my 6th call in two months today.

Every time I called, the service rep was very cordial and helpful. What they told me about delivery expectations rarely actually happened, but I do feel they made concessions to make things right. I doubt I'll make another purchase with them, but they will work with you if you treat them kindly.

I would suggest picking what you want and then call them to split it into different shipments. I recommend asking for Debbie B. when you do call. She was very helpful and understanding when I called today.

Fingers crossed that the remainder of my order arrives next week!

"On May 6, 2017 9:59 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Thank you for leaving your neutral review. We are very sorry for all the troubles with this years order being delayed and the lack of communication that took place. We completely understand your frustration and disappointment as we have been just as disappointed that we had product(s) that were not ready to be shipped on time this year.

We greatly appreciate the positive note in regards to our customer support team.

We take ALL reviews to heart as this is our opportunity to improve our service and your experience going forward. Your continued support and suggestions help us grow into a better company.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180"

I have ordered 2 times from Stark Brothers and both times have been a great experience. The first time was years ago, I believe 2 Cherry and 2 Pear trees. I do not live at the residence that they were planted anymore, but I do drive by occasionally and they are still beautiful trees!

Last year I ordered 3 PawPaw trees and 4 Kiwi vines. The male Kiwi came DOA and looked it, I called CS and they asked me to plant it anyways and let it sit for 3-4 weeks. I gave it 4 and all that was left was some shriveled roots. I called CS back and the person I talked to was hesitant to believe me, I even offered to take a photo of the dead one that was in a row along with 3 other healthy, growing vines. She then agreed to send another one out, and it arrived much healthier than the first. Now I have an entire arbor started with Kiwi vines that all budded and leafed beautifully this spring. The PawPaw trees were great, but they do not look like they survived the winter, I am giving them more time, but I do not have good luck at all with the PawPaw, not the first that have died on my watch.

I am looking forward to ordering some Goji berry bushes from them later this spring after I prep the area and move some lily plants to a new location.

"On Apr 27, 2017 12:18 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you select us time and time again.

If you think you’re Pawpaw is dead we suggest that you do a scratch test. Try scratching the trunk or main stem with your thumbnail. If the underlying tissue is greenish, the tree or plant is still alive. At this point, it should still grow. If it is dry and brownish, it has died.​ If it has died, please contact customer support at 800.325.4180.

Thank you so much! We look forward to continuing to work with you for years to come."

I ordered 4 fruit trees and they arrived in a box with the packing around the roots all dried up. Didn't have high hopes but soaked the roots and planted anyway. Three of the trees have sprouted tiny leaves so they appear to be alive. And the size of the trees is fine.That's why the rating is neutral.

"On Apr 24, 2017 3:22 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Thank you for leaving your honest review and rating us at a Neutral. Bare root trees can dry out a little during transit. This is why we recommend that you allow your tree’s to soak in water an hour or two before planting. We thank you very much for taking the proper steps and ensuring your success. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact customer support at 800.325.4180.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180
"

I have placed a few orders with StarkBros in the past. All of the products I have received so far have been fairly high quality, and arrived in excellent condition. Their Refund & Return policy looks great, but I have not had to use it yet.

Unfortunately, my recent (larger) orders with this company have not been proceeding smoothly, and I am now realizing that they have very poor customer service:

1. Shipping estimates are so misleading that it would be better if they did not provide them. Delays are understandable; however, the shipping dates for some of my orders have repeatedly arrived and were then pushed back by only a couple of days. This cycle has repeated over 10 times on one order. I have spent the last three weeks planning my life around the arrival of a shipment that I'm beginning to suspect may never arrive.

I sent an email to the company recommending they allow customers to select "No ship" dates for online orders. I assume it would greatly reduce the load on their customer support team if people weren't calling to make sure their unexpectedly delayed orders weren't now going to arrive while they are unavailable. Their website already seems superior to their competitors' from a usability and technical standpoint, so I assume they are capable of adding this feature.

2. Their Order & Shipping Policies page states "For products purchased online, customers are not charged until the order has shipped." They apparently do not comply with this policy. Within the past two weeks, I have been charged roughly $1000 for items that have not yet shipped.

They should either update their policy or their payment process, so they align.

3. Orders are not handled on a "First come, first served" basis. I placed an order for a gift for someone in a colder zone than mine, and it shipped immediately, over a week ago. The exact same items in that order were also on an order that I placed months earlier, but nothing has not shipped yet. I selected the option for my order to be split, but they are apparently holding it for some others items in the order.

It may be wise for customers to place multiple small orders rather than one larger order if they hope to minimize long shipping delays and cancellation of items by StarkBros.

4. I recently spent a lot of time on the phone in hopes of contacting them to avoid shipment while I was out of town. After 30 minutes on hold, an automated message told me that I was 9th in line. I gave up, and sent them an email along with my order information instead. It is a week later, but I never received a response. Their customer service department is not sufficiently equipped to deal with the problems their customers are currently having with them.


I hope that ordering from StarkBros does not result in me losing an entire year of growing. I am beginning to wonder if I should cancel everything and place an order with another vendor before it's too late.

"On Apr 24, 2017 3:53 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We are very sorry to hear that you have had troubles with your larger orders and with the level of customer service you have received. We appreciate your feedback regarding all of the topics you have brought to our attention. We take ALL reviews to heart as this is our opportunity to improve our service and your experience going forward. This spring has been an unexpected, challenging season on all levels. Our hold times have been high on the phones, we have experienced delays with responding to emails and our orders normally are charged and shipped the same day but we have fallen behind. We seriously appreciate our customers patience and understanding and hope that you not lose faith in our ability to be your partner in growing your own legacy. We completely understand your frustration and disappointment as we are just as disappointed.

As a token of our apology, we will be refunding you any shipping fees that you were charged and we would like to offer you free shipping on your next order with us. Your account has been noted by customer support.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180
"

placed an order in January 2017 . Now April, 11 days prior to ship date I called and left a voice message. 4 days later, still waiting. when calling the company, was on hold for over 30 minutes each time. I called a few times.
1 week prior to ship date, I get am email that said part or all of my order has been cancelled .It did not say what was cancelled, so, i call again, to wait 45 on hold. Our plans were to plant asasp but, now I must start again. I had never used Stark Bros nurseries before and I will not use them again

thanks for nothing!

"On Apr 24, 2017 11:20 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Please accept our sincere apologies regarding your order issue and the long wait time to speak with customer support. This is our busiest time of year and wait times are typically high during our spring season. This year call volume is exceptionally high. We appreciate our customers patience and understanding while waiting.

When you place an order with Stark Bro’s, we strive to give you the most accurate estimated ship date and availability status of the product. Sadly, weather conditions resulted in a crop shortage this year that meant we couldn't produce enough of some varieties. We wish we could immediately manufacture more, but it just takes time for trees and plants to grow.

I strongly suggest that you wait to speak to customer support so that they explain what was canceled.

We take ALL reviews to heart as this is our opportunity to improve our service and your experience going forward.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180
"

A fig tree was ordered and delivered well packaged. When unpacked, the tree appeared grafted, which I then expected a odd-shaped trunk and if successful two or more trunks. It appeared dead but have received trees dormant before and didn't believe the worst. I planted it the same day in container with premium soil pre wetted to dampness. After 10 days the poor tree was dead. Two e-mails to Stark have gone unanswered after each assured it was received and "someone" would be getting back to the e-mail address I provided in 24 hours.

"On Apr 24, 2017 10:49 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Please accept our sincere apologies for the delay in responding to your email as this is our busiest time of the year. We are sorry for any mis communication regarding the automatic response you received from Stark Bro’s. Our response does not state to expect a response time within 24 hours. It states “we are making our best efforts to respond to all messages in a timely fashion but due to increasingly high volumes please expect a delay in response. If you require immediate assistance please contact customer support by dialing 800.325.4180 Monday-Friday 8a-430p (CDT).”

We are very sorry to hear that your fig was dead on arrival. Not only do we want to make sure that our trees and plant ship during the ideal planting season but the quality of the tree or plant trumps all other requirements.

If you need a replacement for your fig, please contact customer support at 800.325.4180 so that we can arrange your free tree to ship as soon as its available.

We take ALL reviews to heart as this is our opportunity to improve our service and your experience going forward.


Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180"

I find most people tend to write more often when they are being critical and not when they are satisfied with an order. I think it is equally important to make favorable comments.
I recently tried an order from Stark Bros. as it had been many years since I had ordered from them. My order was shipped immediately and received in 2 days. The plants were shipped with wet shreaded paper on the roots and the plants were well grown and healthy. I received 2 Peach Trees, 3 Grape vines and an asst. of Gooseberries. Everything has been planted and buds are coming from everything. Exceptional plants and I have re-ordered again just now. If all the orders they ship are like mine, they should never have a negative comment again.

"On Apr 19, 2017 12:21 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. Thank you for choosing Stark Bro’s for your nursery stock needs. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you selected us again. Your continued support and suggestions help us grow into a better company.

Thank you so much! We look forward to continuing to work with you for years to come"

I have ordered from Stark Brothers for a while now and have had nothing but the best of experiences. After reading some of the negative reviews, I feel I need to write about my experiences. The trees are always very healthy with green buds and large moist root systems. I get some of the best fruit off of these trees that I have ever tasted any where. They have altered the shipping dates a few times, but changing temps change the safe planting time for trees. Also their trees are not grown at the nursery but rather at their growing fields, and are then shipped to the nursery to send out to customers. I can see how this also affects the shipping times. Their customer service is excellent! I have had a few trees die in the past and they had no problems sending me free replacements with no questions asked. I have had questions with regard to diseases with my apple trees, and they are very quick to respond with a solution to the problem. I will always go to them for my fruit tree and plant needs, and will never think about going to any one else. I have that much confidence in them.

"On Apr 5, 2017 12:23 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. Thank you for choosing Stark Bro’s for your nursery stock needs. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you select us time and time again. Your continued support and suggestions help us grow into a better company.

Thank you so much! We look forward to continuing to work with you for years to come."

I am sorry to say that our first attempt to purchase from Stark Bros left us with a negative overall experience. We ordered 60 pear trees in October 2016 for estimate ship date of March 10, 2017. We were required to provide a deposit at order.

When no trees were showing up the week of March 10, we called on March 15 (Wed) to find out the status of our order. We were told it had not yet shipped due to changes on the order. This was a surprise to us because we had not been sent any notification of a change of order.

After talking with two different reps, we developed a replacement order to still meet our need for 60 pear trees. We asked the second rep to please email and call us to let us know if the shipment would be sent Friday the 17th or not.

As of March 29th, no email or messages from Stark Bros reps. We called again and were told the shipment would not happen until the following week. Now we were nearly 30 days beyond our estimated ship date and had several reschedules. This was not acceptable for our business needs, so we asked to cancel the entire order and refund our deposit. We are told the deposit should post to our credit card within 2-3 business days.

We are posting as negative because of the overall lack of communication from Stark Bros. regarding the status of our order and the multiple delays in regard to shipment.

I ordered blueberries, dwarf apricot trees, bush cherries, kiwis, and grapes. They arrived carefully packaged in good condition. The blueberry plants are beautiful and look very healthy. My dad and grandfather bought from Stark bros before I was born. I highly recommend them and will buy again.

"On Apr 5, 2017 12:25 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. Thank you for choosing Stark Bro’s for your nursery stock needs. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you selected us. Your continued support and suggestions help us grow into a better company. If you have any issues please do not hesitate to contact customer support. "

I ordered two of their urban apples red and green, a pack of blackberries, and two grapevines. My estimated delivery date was moved back twice from 2/9 to 2/17 and then to 2/24. I was starting to get worried since my area can start experiencing weather in the 80's in early spring. I called around the 16th and they said my order would be going out that day or the next, I guess it did since I got it on the 22nd or 23rd. I wish the FedEx driver had bothered to ring the doorbell instead of just leaving the box on the doorstep baking in the sun. Both apples had plenty of roots and were moist in the package, one of the grapes had a good size root system, the other was pretty small, maybe like five roots. In the last couple days everything has started leafing out even the dinky grape, so nothing was a dud. The blackberries had somehow gotten knocked out of their cell packs and were a mess, but in the ground they seem to be growing fine so not a problem. I would order from them again.

"On Apr 5, 2017 12:24 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. Thank you for choosing Stark Bro’s for your nursery stock needs. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you selected us. Your continued support and suggestions help us grow into a better company. If you have any issues please do not hesitate to contact customer support. "

Posted on March 6, 2017, updated March 9, 2017
Wow! I have been doing business with Stark Brothers for decades and my dad was also a big fan of them back in the 1990s. I never thought I would leave them a negative review, but have they gone downhill big time and fast! I have nearly a $600 order from Jan 3 that has been back-logged and not able to ship for months. This is the 3rd or 4th time that they have changed the ship date, each time giving a different excuse. Was supposed to arrive the latest this past Sat March 4 after I called them last week and they said they were waiting on a back-order of plants to arrive from out of state to complete the order. I checked the order today and now the estimated ship date is April 21! I understand estimated and that these are live plants, but is that really the best that you have for estimated, changing the ship date multiple times and by an increment of 7 weeks! That is way off bad business!
It has not helped that I have called multiple times and have been on hold for long periods of time, of which never had happened in the past years. I was always proud of their superior product, and I hope it stays that way, but this is unacceptable. They have not offered any free plants or compensation for all of this frustration that I have been dealing with them. Not sure what has happened!

"On Mar 10, 2017 9:01 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Thank you for leaving your honest review and updating your rating to Neutral.

Please accept our sincere apologies regarding all the troubles with this years order being delayed. We completely understand your frustration and disappointment as we are just as disappointed that we have product(s) that are not ready to be shipped.

We take ALL reviews to heart as this is our opportunity to improve our service and your experience going forward.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180
"

Never again will I ignore the bad reviews of a company on this site, like I did with Stark.
I ordered three roses and they sent an expected delivery date. Then every few days the date was advanced, over and over again until it was almost a month later and still no roses.
Why take an order and issue a delivery date when you're not able to fulfill the order?
When I ordered they showed 23 roses were available. If there were why couldn't they get them shipped?
Lastly, when I called to cancel I had to wait over 15 minutes for Customer Service. There were several calls ahead of me. (That's no surprise) When I finally got through to an employee and told her I was cancelling, there wasn't the least interest in why I was cancelling which is indicative of their level of service.
Oh, they got my email address when I ordered and began to bombard me with their sales notices, but never once updated my order status or provided an explanation or apology.

"On Mar 10, 2017 10:20 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Please accept our sincere apologies regarding your order of roses being delayed and the long wait time to speak with customer service. This is our busiest time of year and wait times are typically high during our spring season. We appreciate our customers patience while waiting.

When you place an order with Stark Bro’s, we strive to give you the most accurate estimated ship date and availability status of the product. Unfortunately, we are experiencing delays on product(s) being ready to ship this spring. We completely understand your frustration and disappointment as we are just as disappointed.

Your issue was forwarded to our customer support manager and we will be sending you three free roses as soon as they become available.

We take ALL reviews to heart as this is our opportunity to improve our service and your experience going forward.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180"

Posted on February 17, 2017, updated February 27, 2017
First I'd like to say that I've checked Stark Brothers out on the BBB and the company is listed as only being in business for 19 years. This indicates to me that the company name and reputation I grew up hearing about no longer exists, company was sold to new owners that are running on the original Stark Brothers name.
I received an advertising packet from Stark Bros on January 17, 2017. Cool! Plants must be ready to get mailed out to people! I ordered a Dwarf Saturn Peach on January 19th specifically as a Valentine's gift for my husband this year. Unfortunately I don't have the dates I've contacted Stark Bros concerning my order. I'm so irritated at this point I delete them because I can't stand seeing their name every time I get into my email. I made initial contact concerned about the freezing temperatures in my area and delivery of a bare root tree. I got an answer that sounded like I was talking to a politician. Something about Stark Bros not being able to commit to exact shipping dates due to sending live items. I've had a vanilla orchid and cinnamon tree from Florida both shipped to me in the middle of winter. It made no sense to me and I told the representative so, never using foul language or being disrespectful. I just disagreed. He again came back with the same excuse. Why was I sent a mailing saying plants were ready then?! Not wanting to go back and forth through email I told the guy he was just irritating me more and not to respond, I was done. I've since contacted the the company through email just to say "still waiting". It's been almost a month since I ordered. Valentine's Day came and went (my husband got nothing for Valentine's Day). I've watched my shipping date go from Feb 9, 11, 22, 23, 25. Really?! I'd love to cancel, don't want to do business with them. But at this point I suspect I've ticked them off merely because I disagreed with their customer service, stock, isn't really the truth answer. In fact I read in a review right here where Stark Brothers admits to being behind. So just be honest with your customers. We'll understand a lot better than being treated like we're stupid, willing to accept answers that make no sense. I'm not canceling my order. I'm waiting to see just how long Stark Brothers is going to let this go on, just how unprofessional they are going to be about it.

"On Feb 22, 2017 8:59 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience you have experienced in respect to your order not shipping.

When you place an order with Stark Bro’s, we strive to give you the most accurate estimated ship date and availability status of the product. Our shipping season of our bare root nursery stock begins early February due to our weather conditions here in the state of MO.

Due to the timing of harvesting, grading and inspection of our nursery stock some items are back ordered from time to time. Not only do we want to make sure that our trees and plant ship during the ideal planting season but the quality of the tree or plant trumps all other requirements.

Our promise of satisfaction at Stark Bro's is to provide healthy, viable trees and plants to ALL of our customers.

Your issue was forwarded to our customer support manager and we have waived your shipping fee as a token of our apology for the delay. In respect to your request to not email, a response will not be sent via email.

We take ALL reviews to heart as this is our opportunity to improve our service and your experience going forward.

Your planting success is important to us!

Sincerely,
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180
"

Posted on May 15, 2015, updated October 5, 2016
I ordered from Stark last year and the trees came through wonderfully. However they didn't make it through the winter and I contacted them and they promptly sent replacements! I will continue to order from them and recommend them to anyone else who wants what they offer.

Overall I'm pleased with my experience with Stark Brothers this past spring. The apple trees that I ordered arrived safe in a sturdy box. All leafed out and have grown reasonably well considering this is their first season. I am attracted to Stark Bros. because of the many varieties of fruit trees that they sell. I also like that they stand behind their trees with good customer service.

The only issue that I had was with one of their "premium" apple trees. This tree was nice and big with a perfect straight trunk, but it was diseased! The main trunk had irregular sunken places in the bark that were black in color. It was blight or canker. I was very disappointed that my premium tree was diseased and possibly contaminating the others. A call to customer service resolved the problem. Around here the Stark Bros. name in trees is highly respected, so I hope this was just a random oversight, but I expected better quality from Stark Bros. It would also be nice if customer service were more knowledgeable about the rootstocks used on the apple trees. Serious apple growers like to know the disease resistance and growth characteristics of rootstock.

I have nothing but good to say about Stark. I have been a customer for over 10 years and have always found the customer service top notch. They sent the wrong tree once but acknowledged the error and sent me a replacement no charge. Every tree and variety has produced fruit. Thanks Stark.

I ordered some supplies from Starkbros and saw they had an end of season sale. On a whim I bought 3 apple trees for $4.99 each. I wasn't expecting much as this was June. The trees I received were about 3 foot in height, just budding with a few small leaves. All trees had really good root systems. It took 3 days for the order to come central Virginia. Trees were packed well. Starkbros refrigerates there trees. Two weeks later my trees are full of leaves and growing well. I can highly recommend Starkbros. One negative, Starkbros sells by size - dwarf, semi-dwarf, etc. They do not sell by rootstock. I contacted them about the root stock and got this answer - Dwarf - M26 or M9, Semi-dwarf M7 or B118.

I had a very large order with Stark it arrived on time and in mostly good condition. The kiwi I ordered looked awful but they replaced it quickly as well as the three blueberries that did not do well. So far everything is coming up nicely and they are relatively quick replying to my emails for any questions or concerns.