Comments regarding Richard Owen Nursery / Exciting Gardens
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Comments:
Rating | Author | Content |
Negative | lcarlson (6 reviews) | On Jul 9, 2020, lcarlson Arden Hills, MN (Zone 4a) wrote: Like others in this forum, I ordered some plants from this company that were dead and never came back and, like others, had much difficulty trying to contact their customer service. I tried their Contact Us Form, email and phone. They have an answering service during business hours (?!). The fact that they were not responding makes me feel this company has nefarious business practices so I filed with the BBB. |
Negative | jadmoran (1 review) | On May 17, 2019, jadmoran West Shokan, NY wrote: We ordered two hydrangeas and 10 hybrid willow. They were shipped in an opaque plastic bag on May 6, 2019 and they did not arrive until May 15. The gifts promised with an order over $40 were not included. The plants arrived very much dead. In order to get a refund, we would have to ship the dead plants back at our own expense and they will not refund the original shipping costs. We have made a complaint to the Illinois Attorney General and will ask our credit card company to challenge the payment. |
Negative | tombaak (25 reviews) | On May 19, 2017, tombaak High Desert, NV (Zone 5a) wrote: WARNING: If you close the account you paid with, |
Negative | HabarDash (1 review) | On Nov 3, 2016, HabarDash Downingtown, PA wrote: Like the previous rater/commenter, they require the original packaging which is of no relation to the actual plant if it dies (as did several soon to reveal) because the little white label on each is printed with a dot matrix printer that washes off with the first rain and all plants are packed in clear plastic. Several of the trees I ordered were either dead or dying, could not tell at receipt as they were shipped bare root and none of the trees I ordered should have leafed out yet due to the season. They offered to replace the items but none were in stock at the time I was haggling and they could not assure I'd be sent replacements in the following calendar year. There were other sites with those trees currently available and I had had enough of this outfit. DO NOT PURCHASE FROM EXCITING GARDENS. The only thing exciting you get from them is your heart rate from dealing with this sham. On Nov 3, 2016, Richard Owen Nursery / Exciting Gardens responded with: "On Nov 4, 2016 12:59 PM, Richard Owen Nursery / Exciting Gardens responded with: We are sorry to hear of this customers experience. We do have a refund and replacement guarantee available. We have contacted this customer via D-mail to see how we may be of assistance." |
Negative | southowen (1 review) | On Sep 14, 2016, southowen Fountain Inn, SC wrote: I bought rose bushes from Richard Owen Nursery. They died. I requested a replacement or a refund. They want the original packing material which I threw away because I assumed the plants would live. They will not refund my money or reship the order. The only way I can get satisfaction is to reorder the rose bushes, save the packaging material, tell them that the rose bushes died, send the packaging material back and ask for a reshipment or my money back. On Sep 14, 2016, Richard Owen Nursery / Exciting Gardens responded with: "On Sep 28, 2016 2:46 PM, Richard Owen Nursery / Exciting Gardens responded with: A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. We do hope to hear back from the customer as we would like to help resolve this problem." |
Negative | Nritter (1 review) | On Apr 19, 2016, Nritter Whittier, NC wrote: Placed an order on March 10th 2016 and ordered several different plants. Today April 20th 2016 I finally received my order. My paw paw came in as a persimmons tree, All of my cherry trees were dead, so dead in fact they looked like dried up twigs with slight mush on the bottoms of them. I called to see why they had sent me a persimmons. The woman on the phone Mary was extremely short with me and told me they were not in stock and if i wanted a refund i needed to send back the plant and the shipping receipt. Now i have to pay to ship a plant back that i dont want just so i can get my money back. So i will just be losing more money and might as well just keep this half dead tree. Terrible place to order from! Please I advise you to order from someone else!!!! |
Negative | OS_Fruit_Farm (3 reviews) | On Jan 29, 2016, OS_Fruit_Farm Zanesville, OH wrote: I had placed my spring order and we had a hard dry summer. I lost half my order. I requested replacements and they said it was to late to ship for the fall. The next spring got here and still no replacements. |
Negative | archiqur (1 review) | On Jan 9, 2016, archiqur Racine, WI wrote: Placed rather large order in 2014. Most plants never came up. I did have the original package so wrote the company for credit. I ordered a special daylily which cost $12.99 for one plant, to replace some of the plants which did not survive. It grew, but did not flower. In 2015 the daylily finally flowered, but it was a very common variety which I could get anywhere for $2. I called the company and asked for a refund or new plant. They refused because I no longer had the original shipping label. Since it did grow the previous year, I no longer had the shipping label. I sent them pictures of the lily that did bloom, actual flower, all documentation, etc, but they still refused to do anything about it since I did not have the original shipping label. |
Negative | sidemorning (1 review) | On Jan 4, 2016, sidemorning Leonardtown, MD wrote: Rec'd wrong plants. One plant bag had 2 different labels. What plant was inside? Called RONursery. Was told there would be note of explanation w order. Wasn't. Was told to put plants "in an envelope w a stamp" and mail back. Rude, employee, w exasperated sigh, insisted "one stamp" would be enough. Wasn't. Cost over 3 dollars to send back w my request for money back. (Ordered/charged in June 2015; plants rec'd fall 2015.) Postcard from RONursery said they would send plants during 2016 season. I sent letters of complaint to various consumer agencies. After that, RONursery said charge card account would be credited, but for plant cost only. Will not refund/credit any shipping or return shipping costs. As a Master Gardener, have never dealt w so reprehensible a nursery. |
Negative | Crazysweets (4 reviews) | On Jul 13, 2015, Crazysweets York, ND wrote: I ordered 6 raspberries, 2 manchurian apricots, 2 juneberries, 2 honey berries from Farmer Seed, aka: Burgess, Richard Owen Nursery on January 22, 2015. I received 2 buffaloberry plants instead of the june berry the middle of May. So I sent in the shipping label right away per their request after I called them to notify them. They said they received it and had it on file numerous times. I planted all the trees immediately. June 1, 2015 I notified them that all there trees except the apricots showed no life and were presumed dead when they arrived. I have written and emailed and each time I get a different story, they are being shipped, no they are not. We don't have your shipping label, yes we do, no we don't. I still have not received any tree replacements or any juneberries. Complete waste of money. Total cost was over $100. Plus I lost out on plants, I could of reordered but had hoped they would honor there guarantee. |
Negative | marylandplot (1 review) | On May 20, 2015, marylandplot Bethesda, MD wrote: Richard Owen, Directgardening.com, House of Wesley, Four Season's Nursery, Burgess Seed, or by any other name.... maybe not so sweet. I placed my order on Directgardening.com but all these companies end up in the same call center and they have the same mailing address. Website notes that it takes one to two weeks to process an order, it has been more than 30 days and although my credit card was charged promptly upon placing this order no one in their call center, and that is all you have as a point of contact, can tell me when the plants will be shipped. As our summer heats up it will soon be too hot to plant the rose that I ordered or enough time to enjoy the annual vine I had hoped to receive. The prices are low, but not that low to be worth this highly inadequate customer service. How can they not know when an order would be shipped? Why is there no way to contact anyone for more information? I'm with most of the other posts I see for this group of companies, I'll pay a few dollars more next time and order from someone else. |
Negative | margiesuggs (1 review) | On May 19, 2015, margiesuggs Collins, MS wrote: The 6th of April I mailed an order, total of 39.00 (dollars) check # 4011, the check has been processed, however I have not received any of the plants that i ORDERED, NOR A CONFIRMATION THAT YOU RECEIVED MY ORDER, THE 6TH OF JUNE IT WILL BE TWO MONTHS, CAN i PLEASE RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF AT LEAST WHEN i CAN EXPECT MY MONEY RETURNED OR THE PLANTS |
Negative | Bradismad (1 review) | On May 11, 2015, Bradismad Waukesha, WI wrote: I would highly advise anyone to never use this company or its affiliates to ever order anything from. Ever. I ordered two Edelweiss flowers and once of them arrived dead. I had been ordering from this company for years and was accustomed to some arriving and some arriving dead, but for what I thought was a good deal on plants turned into a nightmare. I have since realized I am better off spending more and being assured quality buy buying local and advise anyone to do the same. |
Negative | slweeks19 (1 review) | On Apr 30, 2015, slweeks19 Cascade-Fairwood, WA wrote: I placed a small order with this company for the first time in January 2015. My credit card was billed immediately and I was told the order would be processed and shipped in one to two weeks. When the order didn't arrive, I assumed they were waiting for milder weather. On April 9 when the order still had not arrived, I called and spoke to Garria (sp?) who assured me that the order would be shipping within a few days. On April 22, I tried calling again since the order had still not arrived. I received, and have continued to receive a busy signal, no one ever answers. I sent an email on April 23 and was assured - again wrongly - that the order would be shipped within a few days. I still haven't seen any plants arrive from Richard Owen. I have cancelled my order with them via email, now I'm wondering how many months I'll have to wait for the refund. In my opinion, this is NOT a reliable, honest company to do business with. |
Negative | GardenerinKS (1 review) | On Jul 28, 2014, GardenerinKS Offerle, KS wrote: Ordered 24 blue spruce trees in July believing they would be shipped at the appropriate time. My credit card was charged immediately. To my surprise I received them July 24th. It was 104 the day I received them. The package was immediately opened and trees removed. Each tree was wrapped individually in plastic and sealed and then placed in a large green bag. Needless to say the trees were literally cooked by the time I received them. Eighteen of the 24 trees were totally brown with needles falling off. I called Richard Owens Nursery to get a refund or at least replacement of trees and was told to plant the trees and call back in 6 weeks. Do not order from this company! Major rip off. I wish I had checked the company out before ordering. I will be calling them back in 6 weeks, but am not going to hold my breathe. |
Negative | surfmurf (2 reviews) | On Jun 9, 2014, surfmurf between Clearwater & Largo, FL (Zone 10a) wrote: Received plants last year, several were BLACK (dead) and the others died soon thereafter. I received a credit voucher for most of the order. Growing season was over so this year (2014) I sent in a new order with the voucher and an additional $7.00 for the extra costs. Weeks later, hearing nothing, I contacted Owens. They had NO IDEA what the status of my order was. The next day I received my order back telling me it was an additional $10.17. I re-sent the order with both checks on 17 May. Today 9 June I see NO activity on this order, neither of the checks cashed (a good indicator for a company that couldn't process the order and bill me for the $10.17.) Richard Owens / Exciting Gardens is an exceptionally poor company to deal with. Check on-line and you will see MANY websites show dozens and dozens of complaints about this company. I also notice their catalog is not current with the USDA's Agricultural Zones as of 2009, FIVE years ago. It is a wonder how they stay in business They are VERY hard to contact also. I am now wondering if they plan to ignore my order and pocket the (almost) $90.00 voucher. |
Negative | baconstrip66 (1 review) | On May 15, 2014, baconstrip66 Brunswick, OH wrote: Richard Owen Nursery is a complete rip off!!! |
Negative | Monk80 (1 review) | On Jun 12, 2013, Monk80 Osseo, MN wrote: I ordered 24 thyme plants to use as steppers between the stepping stones in my porch. It took over a month for them to arrive. They were in plastic bags, dried up and dead. I always throw away the packing and keep the packing slip. They would only process a return if I would send them a copy of my credit card bill to prove that I paid, and a printed letter (not an email) with "I no longer have the original shipping label." as the first sentence. I gave them the info via email, telling them I wouldn't send anyone a credit card statement, that their records showed that I paid. On Jun 12, 2013, Richard Owen Nursery / Exciting Gardens responded with: "On Aug 3, 2013 11:33 AM, Richard Owen Nursery / Exciting Gardens responded with: A customer care representative has contact this customer for further information. We do have a 1 year replacement guarantee on all of our plants which is clearly stated on our website, catalog, even the label itself. We stand behind this guarantee and do hope that the customer takes advantage of the exception we have offered. |
Negative | amborne (1 review) | On Mar 28, 2013, amborne Spring Park, MN wrote: In April of 2012 I ordered $109 worth of plants from Richard Owen catalog, What I received was plants that were almost dead, brown leaves, dry sticks, About 9o% of them died after planting, I am an experienced Gardener, and have ordered from several other catalogs over the years. On Mar 28, 2013, Richard Owen Nursery / Exciting Gardens responded with: "On Apr 11, 2013 2:43 PM, Richard Owen Nursery / Exciting Gardens responded with: A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. We do hope to hear back from the customer as we would like to help resolve this problem. |
Negative | gardengirl1980 (1 review) | On Jan 25, 2013, gardengirl1980 Riverside, OH wrote: Maybe my situation was a fluke, but after looking at other people's similar reports, I don't think it is. Here's what happened: I ordered $134 worth of plants and seeds in early September, 2012 and my credit card was immediately charged on the 11th of September. Two weeks later, I emailed asking for a status as I had heard nothing. They emailed back stating that the orders were about to go out and I should have mine soon. |
Negative | terkoh (1 review) | On Nov 28, 2012, terkoh Arbuckle, CA wrote: Posted on September 4, 2012, updated November 28, 2012 On November 28th, 2012, terkoh added the following: I fought them and I won. I got my money back. Everyone, please complain to the Better Business Bureau and whatever it takes. On Nov 28, 2012, Richard Owen Nursery / Exciting Gardens responded with: "On Sep 7, 2012 2:32 PM, Richard Owen Nursery / Exciting Gardens responded with: We are sorry to hear of the problems with the plants. A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information." |
Negative | waterBear (2 reviews) | On Oct 14, 2012, waterBear Middlefield, OH wrote: I am not happy with this company. My plants where steamed / cooked from being in those plastic bags. Plus I wonder about the quality of the plants / how they are handled or stored. I was a sucker and thought it was the stress from shipping. Some plants did recover with time and others never did. I sent back my shipping label and a letter that stated my plants had been cooked. Maybe they should rethink their packaging. My peony was half rotten looked old and had no eyes on it. ( This is not shipping stress ) I thought hey they set me back with my growing season way not get a replacement order for my troubles. WRONG, every replacement item was dead. Fleshy plants where cooked again to the point of no return. Bushes where dead and broken and even my one bulb exploded in my hand ( poof dust, mold and bugs ). Shipping stress? I think not. I wasn't about to waste more money, time on shipping the replacement order back. Something is wrong here. Mistakes are made yes but twice? Never again will I do business with them. On Oct 14, 2012, Richard Owen Nursery / Exciting Gardens responded with: "On Oct 19, 2012 11:48 AM, Richard Owen Nursery / Exciting Gardens responded with: A customer care representative has contact this customer for further information. We do have a 1 year replacement guarantee on all of our plants and do hope that the customer takes advantage of this guarantee." |
Negative | rcepe324 (3 reviews) | On Jul 13, 2012, rcepe324 Denver, CO wrote: This company absolutely SUCKS! DO NOT BUY PLANTS FROM THEM OR ANY OF THEIR SUBSIDIARIES! On Jul 13, 2012, Richard Owen Nursery / Exciting Gardens responded with: "On Jul 16, 2012 11:40 AM, Richard Owen Nursery / Exciting Gardens responded with: A customer care representative has contact this customer for further information. We do have a 1 year replacement guarantee on all of our plants and do hope that the customer takes advantage of this guarantee." |
Negative | jatpgh (1 review) | On Jun 4, 2012, jatpgh Pittsburgh, PA wrote: I ordered a number of plants including two dwarf dogwoods. Everything arrived except one dwarf dogwood. I emailed them about the problem and they said I should send the original shipping label to have this corrected. Seriously? They want me to go through all of that for one plant that they made a mistake on? Forget it. That is terrible customer service. Remove me from any mailing lists they have and also from any lists they may sell, trade, or otherwise share in any way. I will never deal with that company again. One plant and they want me to jump through hoops to help them correct THEIR problem. Why should I waste a stamp, envelope and my time to help those incompetent people. |
Negative | notsatisfied (1 review) | On Jun 1, 2012, notsatisfied Spurgeon, TN wrote: ordered 3 Blue Roses and a gardenia, waited 6 weeks for shipment to arrive. Credit card was billed during phone order. Paid 10.99 for a gardenia which was about 5 inches, a local grocery store had a gardenia that was about 2 feet in height for 4.99. Order was shipped in a green plastic bag which was not labeled "fragile-live plants". Postman was trying to stuff package in mailbox, luckily intercepted him before any damage was done. One of the Blue Roses blossomed and gee, it was RED. Not surprised after reading the reviews here. Was instructed to send label from package and a letter stating my complaint and the matter will be taken care of. I can only Hope. |
Negative | hecaudl (1 review) | On May 15, 2012, hecaudl Centerville, TX wrote: I placed an order for 3 dwarf trees in late Oct 2012. They took my money on Nov 2. They did finally send 1 of the trees but it didn't grow. |
Negative | aurora1956 (1 review) | On Apr 26, 2012, aurora1956 Rocky Hill, CT wrote: I ordered from Exciting Gardens and they cleared my payment in 4 days time. However 2 weeks later I called them to check the status of my order and they told me that it was still processing and that I had another 2 weeks to wait to get my little Cherry Trees. I don't know how anyone can stay in business this way. They sure took my money fast. I have ordered from many garden companies without problems. I am very unhappy about there process and do hope that I actually receive my order. I would not recommend them to anyone and wish that I had seen the reviews on this company before ordering. |
Negative | Tuscawilla (1 review) | On Apr 23, 2012, Tuscawilla Micanopy, FL wrote: Never got the order. In fact I would stay away from any nursery in Bloomington, IL. My experiences with some of the other have been less than satisfactory |
Negative | angrylady (1 review) | On Apr 1, 2012, angrylady Aldora, GA wrote: I am usually not one that likes to complain about companies. I like to give them the benefit of the doubt, however I am still waiting for my order to arrive. It has been 5 1/2 weeks. I ordered from burgess, and I received my order last week. It was a little late, but not like this nursery. They say that they process your order within 7-14 days. This is not true. They also say that they ship to the warmer climates first. I am in the warm climate. It is now almost 90 degrees, and things have bloomed over 3 - 4 weeks ago for an early spring here. I have called , emailed, etc. Last week, I was told that this order had been processed (finally after 4 weeks of waiting), and this week still no plants. I wish I had looked online here for the reviews before ordering from this company. I too get a busy signal when I call. Hmmm...must be due to the high call volume of complaints. Oh well, live and learn. Never again! |
Negative | upwardbound (1 review) | On Apr 1, 2012, upwardbound Salem, OR wrote: My order came in a plastic bag with little protection for the plants--all bare roots. My Manchurian Apricot was about 12" dried up bare root with no proction around it. It was broken in half. I contacted the company and after about a week they sent me an email that said I needed to send back the original packing slip. I sent it back with a message about the state of my "tree" and asking for a quick replacement. It has been 2 weeks now and I have heard nothing from Richard Owen Nursery. |
Negative | burger2535 (1 review) | On Jul 14, 2011, burger2535 Scappoose, OR wrote: I have received many mail order plants most of my adult life with little or no problems. I was horrified when I recieved my $75 order 2 months late with new white growth on the trees, a smashed and turned compost Jack-in-the-pulpit, and a slight smell of mold from the green bag. I just planted everything (Witch all died later) and sent the Jack-in-the-pulpit back with a complaint. I am totally pissed off to announce that the replacement Jack-in-the-pulpit was smashed and on its way to compost. !!@@#$@#%$^& Owens Nursery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
Negative | LPeerson (1 review) | On Jul 11, 2011, LPeerson Tallahassee, FL wrote: My initial order of 21 Green Thuja Giants arrived moldy and dead. I complained immediately and was told they do not give refunds, the only thing I could do was exchange for more plants. I tried a different order, of ground covers and coneflowers, etc. again they all arrived moldy and dead. They wrap each plant in plastic, using a rubber band to hold it on snugly, and then ship them in a large plastic bag with no air venting. Pitiful! |
Negative | geraldt (1 review) | On Jun 28, 2011, geraldt Los Angeles, CA wrote: i placed a mail order the middle of march 2011. three weeks later i inquired as to the status of my order. i was told they have no record of my order, but that it takes 2-3 weeks for orders to be processed. i continued to follow-up on the status through apr. and the first part of may. they continued saying there was no record of my order. i put a stop payment on the check and ordered the items online. once again when i contacted them 3 weeks later, they said it takes 2-3 weeks for processing. i finally received my order 6 weeks after placing it. they had short changed me 3 plants. i sent them an email informing them of this error. they indicated my email would be transferred to the dept. responsible for this type of problem and that it would again take 2-3 weeks for processing. i finally received the plants in mid-jun. |
Negative | hotjobs1121 (1 review) | On Jun 9, 2011, hotjobs1121 Saint Petersburg, FL wrote: To cancel an order is impossible. Once they charged your credit card, like a crocodile they won't let go. Buyer be aware with this marketer (middle man). They have many similar web sites with different names to lure customers. They don't own farms or lands to grow plants. Do research before placing your order. |
Negative | lopezriverrats (1 review) | On May 23, 2011, lopezriverrats Wilmington, IL wrote: i mailed out an order in early april that was processed on 4/25 even though my credit card was processed before that. it is now 5/23 and i am still waiting for my order. i have called several times and i am told that i can only cancel my order by email...no supervisors have numbers...they don't know when my order will be shipped...they are busy.. i finally emailed my cancellation and they emailed me back saying i had to call....i just called and they told me to email. it was going to be my first order and it is my last. terrible service. terrible company. it is a scam. |
Negative | imalbundy2 (1 review) | On May 17, 2011, imalbundy2 McDonald, PA wrote: I should have known after my dealings wtih Burgess where it took SEVEN replacement Paw Paw trees last year to get two that were alive. They haven't even started to bud by now so they are probably dead and it's too late to get a refund or replacement now.......but I decided to order two Tasmanian Fern Trees on FEBRUARY 8, 2011 because I couldn't find them anywhere else. My daughter is really into dinosaurs and they look like the type of ferns from long ago. After FOUR emails asking where my plants were and getting a runaround each time, I finally received them today, MAY 17, 2011 - over THREE MONTHS after my order. I noticed that the plants actually came from Farmer Seed and Nursery. Here's the kicker. When I opened the package I found two little ferns about as big as the tip of my little finger with notes attached stating that the Tasmanian Ferns were out of stock and to please accept these King Ferns in their place. First of all, they STILL have the Tasmanian Ferns listed on the Exciting Gardens website. //www.excitinggardens.com/detail.asp?pid=3259 |
Negative | wisereplies (4 reviews) | On Nov 9, 2010, wisereplies wrote: Posted on May 22, 2010, updated November 9, 2010 On November 9th, 2010, wisereplies changed the rating from positive to negative and added the following: It's November 9th 2010, and ALL of their roses have perished. No matter how much I fertilized, watered and hovered over them, they never made it. To compare, I planted 30 more rose bushes from other companies, and NONE of them is dead yet and all grew huge except the miserable stock RON sent! Beware of this company, they will send you something so inferior that eventually it will die, even if months/years later! Now I have three empty trellises - the only bare place in my garden thanks to the Owen Nursery. |
Negative | JanaJP (8 reviews) | On Oct 13, 2010, JanaJP Rome, GA wrote: Posted on October 6, 2010, updated October 13, 2010 On October 13th, 2010, JanaJP added the following: My green plastic bag of rotted and dead plants arrived late this afternoon. (October 13) Of the 5 daylilies ordered, only the 2 most expensive had root systems and might actually live. One was so decayed it had no dimension at all and looked like something you would fish out of your bathroom drain. I have photographed these and will pass them along to the BBB and the state Attorney General of Illinois. I'm choosing not to send them back at my expense because I do not want to deal with this dispicable company again. If it were the last plant nursery left on earth I would not order from them. I cannot understand how they are allowed to remain in business. |
Negative | katococo (4 reviews) | On Aug 19, 2010, katococo Mandan, ND wrote: Posted on August 2, 2010, updated August 19, 2010 On August 19th, 2010, katococo added the following: Update. Closer to 70-75% of plants didn't come up (maybe they will next year?). Ordered "orange velvet" climbing rose. Not sure if it will climb, but at least it's growing. Two blooms - light to medium pink. I planted the 2 duplicate plants they sent (label said Purple D'oro daylilies) - both actually grew & bloomed, but neither is a Purple D'oro. They aren't even the same kind of daylily - one is pink/peach w/red & other has thin petals and is red w/yellow center. Still haven't seen anything blooming from the original 2 Purple D'oros they sent, although the plants seem to at least be growing. I've concluded that they count on people not fighting them, especially when you don't spend a lot of money. Of course, that wasn't the case with me - I did see that my credit card company credited me for the items I didn't receive. |