Comments regarding Earl May Seed & Nursery

Posted on April 26, 2017, updated May 29, 2017
I bought a whole bunch of plants last Nov 2016. Today I took back 5 that did not make it. The receipt says refund or replacement is for 1 year warranty on Perennials. it's only been 5 months.
The first thing the manager said was "We do not offer refunds."
I told him yes they do in the form of gift cards. But I did not ask for my money, I wanted the plants I bought.
He would only replace them if I paid the difference between the markdown price and what they are priced at today. I told him no! He was rude and curt, as well. His attitude problem will not do him any
favors!
I told him I would report my experience on Facebook and twitter and all the garden forums I go to. He said he didn't care. So Now I am going to go out of my way to ruin the Ottumwa Iowa Earl May's reputation in accordance with their customer service.
There are hardly ever any vehicles in the parking lot, so I don't think it's too wise to chase away the customers you DO HAVE! Hey! Earl May, you should learn from United airlines. Bad customer service and bad press is bad for business!
#earlmay

Last year in August my husband and I purchased 10 mum plants, perenial, selected by the employees at the Earl May Store at 50th and EP Tru in West Des Moines. I have done business with this store for over 13 years. These plants all had a full year guarantee to be replaced. We also bought bone meal and soil additive for clay soil. The bill was over $100. So we spent the afternoon digging 10 holes, mixing soil and bone meal, planting the plants and putting down mulch. They all survived, flowered and then the frost hit the flowers. We mulched them for the winter. In the spring we removed the mulch, raked the dead material away and waited for the new growth. I waited until late summer to see how many would survive and only 4 plants survived. I had taken pictures last fall and then I took pictures of what I have left. Then I took the pictures into the Earl May store on 50th street and showed them to the manager. The manager told me they no longer honored the full replacement of the mums. He said I could pick out plants to replace the 6 dead plants and he would only charge me half price which would be another $30. So I am doing all the work again for plants that I had to buy again that should have been replaced for no charge. I didn't care for that answer but went outside to see if the same kind of mums were there. When I looked at the mums they all had a tag on them that they were fully guaranteed for one full year for replacement. I went back into the store and told the manager about the guarantee and he said they don't honor that any more and I said that wasn't right. That is false advertisement. He told me that it wasn't anything to get upset about and to calm down and he would work with me on it. He didn't honor what he sold me from last year and then didn't honor what he was selling this year even with an advertisement on the plant the same as last year's. This is a guy that is on tv every Saturday morning advising people calling in asking for help. He lies. I will never drive the half block to this store again to do business. The store has gone down hill since he has taken it over. The selection isn't the same. I will go to another landscaping business for my plants.

I have been a Master Gardener for over 10 years-experienced

I have bought ALOT of items from this company in the past 20 years.
This past 2 years I would say they are not living up to their usual standards. Something changed-and it's not for the better

(ex)
I purchased many bulbs spring 04
approx. 50% of the tulips bloomed
0% of the caladiums
they dont refund bulbs.... what???

I purchased a Viburnum Korean Spice in April 05 almost $30.00 for a 12", but I wanted it. It didnt look to great in the store but it was the only one I could find. I kept it in my heated greenhouse, babying it. Within a week it was DEAD. So I took it back, and they wouldn't refund me in cash with receipt. Only merchandise, thats a new one for them.

Then this fall, I purchased 3 Hardy asters for 29.00
didnt notice the bugs crawling all over the stems till I planted them when I got home. 2 of the plants were dead in a week and the one that survived has flowers on one side. The other side is leaf bare from the bugs eating on it.
I dont want to take them back because I know I will just get something other than a refund.
Not worth my time to go their anymore-I will seek other places to get my plants.

In April 2003 I ordered 12 Roses of Sharon from the ANkeny store.

The salesman called the order into Shenandoah and said it would take 6 weeks.

I called back several times over the next three months and was told they were not in yet. After speaking to the manager, I was told, "If we haven't called you they are not in yet." After that surly comment I never called back and they have not called me in 14 months.

I still hold the order slip as a reminder not to do business with them again.