Comments regarding High Country Gardens

I placed my order with High Country Gardens in March. The plants didn't arrive when they were scheduled to. Then I received messages saying the order was held up by some plants. Then I got a couple of small refunds.
The bottom line is I still don't have my plants and I get no replies to my emails asking where they are. No one answers the phone. The chat line doesn't work.
I feel furious. They have my money and I have no plants. This is shabby work. I used to buy a lot from High Country. What on earth has happened to them?
I would like a company rep to either send my plants immediately or refund all my money plus compensation for the energy wasted and disappointment.

"On May 23, 2013 8:05 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

I do apologize for the delay with your order. Per my voice message this evening I have canceled your order per request and refunded you. Please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com"

I have been a long time customer of High Country Gardens and in the past received excellent service. This expereince has been the worst I have ever had with any company. I placed an order of numerous plants to be shipped the week of 4/22/2013. When it did not arrive I called the next week and received word that 1 plant was holding the order up but it would ship within the week. I have been trying numerous times since then by calling and sending emails and have yet to get hold of anyone or gotten a response to my emails. I feel that my money has been stolen and I will never see the plants I so wanted. I would not recommend anyone use this company

"On May 22, 2013 1:09 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

I am sorry to hear of your frustration. I would be glad to look into this for you. Please contact me and I will assist you with your order! I apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com"

In past years I have ordered from HCG and always been thrilled by the speed of shipping and quality of plants. Here is how it went down this year:

4/25/13 I ordered 9 Hymenoxys scaposa, for a 4/29 shipment.
Plants do not arrive.

5/6/13 I call customer service, am put on hold for 13 MINUTES before being kicked over to voicemail where I leave a message.
No one returns my call.

5/9/13 Repeat of the above.

5/15/13 Repeat of the above, except that I cannot leave a message because the voice mailbox is full

5/15/13 Tuesday Live chat is helpful and says that my plants are scheduled to ship that very week and are probably on their way

5/16/13 FedEx tracking says plants picked up by FedEx. This is THURSDAY, which means my plants will sit in shipping over the weekend

5/21/13 plants finally arrive. I ordered 9 plants, I receive 8 plants plus one empty pot (!!). Based on the customer service I have experienced so far, I am not optimistic about being refunded.

I am disappointed that the HCG that I once knew and loved over the years has changed so much for the worse. Sorry to say that I don't think I will be returning.

"On May 22, 2013 10:48 AM, High Country Gardens responded with:

dogdoc,

So sorry to hear about your frustrating experience. As you can see from our recent comments, you're not alone. We are working around the clock to catch-up and stay on top of the spring demands. With High Country having been out of business from November - January, it's been extremely difficult getting everything back up to speed for the spring season.

I will be sure to have customer service reach out for a resolution on your order.

Thanks for your patience & understanding.

Ethan Platt
President"

Posted on May 10, 2013, updated May 18, 2013
Posted on April 15, 2011, updated May 10, 2013
Receiving my plants from HCG is always an exciting moment. This year I finally got to order their Salvia Pachyphylla as it's not recommended for fall planting in my zone. When I opened the box there was a warning about the Agastache but mine was beautiful and healthy. But my long awaited salvias were dry and wilted - so I watered them. They did not pick up over night so I e-mailed HCG for their advice. In less than an hour I had a reply from Maureen McCarthey, a customer service rep. She offered to mail me new plants next week. I'm really happy with the prompt reply, the offer to send me new plants and the fact that HCG stands behind it's products and it's word. Thank you!

"On May 10, 2013 4:38 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

Dear joimack6953:

I sincerely apologize for your understandable frustrations. Having taken over High Country on February 1st on top of running our existing business has put a significant strain on our people and systems.

I can assure you that we are working around the clock to get all of our orders out. You order was held up by the system due to one plant not being available in the size that you ordered. Unfortunately, we're struggling with the system we inherited to put that level of detailed information in front of our overwhelmed customer service team.

The issue with your order was rectified several days ago and it has been sent to the greenhouse for preparation (it takes several days to properly stage the plants for shipping). You will see it next week.

Again, I'm sorry and thank you for your understanding, business and patience.

Sincerely,
Ethan Platt
President | American Meadows & High Country Gardens"

Posted on May 16, 2013, updated May 17, 2013
Residing in North Carolina, I was excited when I first learned that High Country Gardens had drought resistant plants. In October 2012, I ordered two Agastache Ava plants. I was pleased with the ordering process and received the plants in approximately ten days. When I opened the box, however, I was dismayed to see that one of the plants looked extremely healthy and one looked extremely sick. The written insert included with the plants said that even if a plant looked sickly it should be planted and it would sprout green leaves in a very short time. I did just that but, sadly, the sickly looking plant died so I emailed High Country to request a replacement plant. They were very apologetic and said they would indeed send me a replacement Agastache, but it would not ship until mid-April 2013. On April 17, 2013, I emailed them to see if the plant had shipped and if not, when it would be shipped. They responded by saying that Denver, where their shipping facility is located, had received a major snowstorm and the plant would be shipped on April 22nd. On April 24th, I emailed the company again to inquire as to whether or not the plant had shipped. I received an email from them which was exactly the same message I received on April 17th that shipping would resume on April 22nd (?) I emailed again on April 30th, and was told the plant was in the process of being shipped and I would be receiving a shipment notification “shortly”. On May 11th, having received neither the plant nor a shipping notification, I emailed them again. This time I was notified by High Country that, alas, the plant was out of stock. Needless to say, I am very upset with this situation and I feel that a plant ordered six months earlier should have been one of the first ones shipped out in April. I will not be ordering from High Country Gardens in the future and will certainly inform all my gardener friends to stay away from this deceptive company.

"On May 16, 2013 8:43 AM, High Country Gardens responded with:

magnolia92,

I'm very sorry for your frustrations with your replacement order. As you may or may not be aware, High Country Gardens closed in November 2012, but reopened in February of this year under new ownership. It has been an extremely hectic spring as we have worked around the clock to get High Country back up and running. One of the biggest frustrations we've experienced has been inheriting their inventory and order processing system. Although the vast majority of our orders have shipped as promised, we have had some (like yours) that continue to give us trouble.

I can assure you that we have had no intent to deceive. Our customer service reps are doing the absolute best they can with the conflicting information our systems are providing. We will happily honor our guarantee and either credit you for your fall purchase or send you more Ava in the fall (Yeah, I know you've heard that before!). Please understand that it's been a crazy-hectic few months and we're doing all we can to stay on top of things.

Again, I apologize for your negative experience.

Sincerely,
Ethan Platt
President
American Meadows | High Country Gardens"

Posted on May 17, 2013, updated May 17, 2013
I have ordered from High Country Gardens in the past and been satisfied with their communication, updating/notifications, and plants. Based on these experiences I was expecting the same good experience with my order this spring (submitted 4/22/2013). Plants were supposed to ship the week of 5/5. At the end of that week I inquired about my order. I was told they would arrive the week of 5/14. They didn't. Then I started getting undocumented emails with reimbursements and credits that were not explained. I had to email to ask what all this reimbursing and crediting was all about. Turns out they discovered (about 3-4 weeks after the order was place) they actually didn't have most of the plants in my order (3 such events -- How does that happen??). I was then told that the plants would ship for delivery on 5/18. Then I was told they would ship the week of 5/20. At this point I called and spoke with their Customer service (who were nice but not too informative about what exactly was going on -- in their defense I don't see how they can since they are no longer at the propagation site). They confirmed that they are no longer growing plants at the santa-fe location and the propagation facility in Denver is having major problems.

I asked them in email to either overnight the plants to me at their expense so that they arrive by 5/18 as they had promised or cancel my order. I got a refund confirmation email with no apology and no additional info. I guess they chose to cancel the order . . .

This may be acquisition-related growing pains as american meadows representatives have claimed in defense, but boy are they botching this -- if they want to keep customers they need to do a better job than how they handled me.

Needless to say I won't be ordering from them again and have to give them a bad review. I hope other fans of xeric plants avoid my experience and go elsewhere for plants.

"On May 17, 2013 1:15 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

dserrano77,

So sorry for your negative experience and specifically, our inability to get you timely and accurate info about your order. As I've indicated in other recent responses, we inherited a very cumbersome inventory and order processing system and are working around the clock to rectify the issues.

I sincerely apologize for the negative experience and assure you that we will once again get High Country back to exceeding customers' expectations.

Best Wishes,
Ethan "

plants i received this year either struggled or died, very little root system on them

"On Jul 6, 2012 1:42 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

High Country Gardens has a 100% guarantee. Please contact customer service and we will gladly process a claim for you!

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-800-925-9387"

I had the WORST experience with mail order ever! It all started with my order on 3/19/12 for the Sizzling Colors' Inferno Strip, Penstemon mexicali and Cold Hardy Mediterranean Garden. Not a huge order but still 360.00 worth of product. The ship date was In April and that's when it all went downhill! First the order showed up missing more than 20 plants and many looking bad. When I tried to call all you get is voice mail so I left a message and filled out the form with no response for a week and many more calls and emails. The lady on the phone said they would send the missing plants but not on my schedule which was kind of ok since I wanted them. Well I finally got the plants and then another order of inferno strip shows up. Not sure what to do I called again and filled out many many forms for 2 weeks with no call back. When I did get a support call I told them I gave the plants away as I had no room and they just sat around. I was told that was ok and they still had a few DOA plant to ship when stock came back in. Another week goes by and I come home to 5 more boxes on my porch! Another inferno stip and a few other plants. Back to calls and emails a week latter I get a person on the phone and she tells me they have charged me for 3 inferno strips along with a few other plants. Now I'm pissed and tell the lady to have a manager call me as she was the after hours call center. So again many calls,emails and weeks later still no response so I start calling the garden center not mail order store And got a cell phone number of a person high up at Highcountry. Even she couldn't get anyone to answer her. Finally 1.5 weeks latter she called back and said no charges are made for the extra flowers. I was also informed I would receive the DOA plants none of which to this day I received! This is an abbreviated version of all that took place but it doesn't seem that way. I will never order with them again or recommend any other people place orders with them.
Joe Barnas

"On Jun 8, 2012 2:53 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

I regret to hear you had difficulty reaching us in regards to your order. We have made changes to improve response time. I would like to look into what plants you are still missing. If you can please contact me directly toll free 1-877-811-2700 ext. 3023 or via email vperalta@highcountrygardens.com.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens"

Posted on May 25, 2012, updated May 30, 2012
Posted on May 2, 2012, updated May 25, 2012
I placed a $350 order with this company based on positive reviews. However, I had a change in my landscaping plans that necessitated my delaying an order I placed by two weeks. I attempted to contact customer service for over a week to request that my order be postponed and was never able to get help. I emailed the company several times with no response, was never able to get anyone to answer the phone, was rerouted to a voicemail box that was perpetually full, and the only "live" person I spoke with was a live chat who said they would postpone the order but did not. I received an email from the company stating that my order was on the way!!! Great now I have a bunch of plants that will likely die because I'm not able to plant them. I will never order from this company again or recommend them to anyone.

"On May 2, 2012 1:37 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

I am sorry to hear of your recent experience and would like to look into your order for you personally. Please send me your order information so assist you. Toll free 1-877-811-2700 ext. 3023 or email vperalta@highcountrygardens.com.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
High Country Gardens
Customer Service Supervisor

I have ordered from this company for years, as they sell plants that do well in my part of the country, and I generally have been very pleased with the plants and the customer service. This year has been an entirely different experience. On February 7, 2012, I ordered over $300 worth of plants from them. I received a portion of the plants shipped on the agreed ship date, April 24, 2012. Half of the shipment was in fine condition, the other plants included were barely breaking dormancy and were tentative at best. On the enclosed packing slip I was then advised another portion of my order had been cancelled and another part of the order had been delayed to ship May 7. May 7 came and went without notification of shipment, and after emailing and calling several times, I finally connected with a live person who told me this portion of my order had been cancelled as well. In the meantime, the plants in the received order that were barely alive had died. Essentially, I received one quarter of my order. In short, this had been my go to source for plants for my area; however, I'm not sure I will order from them again.

"On May 28, 2012 10:11 AM, High Country Gardens responded with:

I am sorry to hear of your recent order experience. We have made some changes this season which we are trying to iron out. Please contact me directly to resolve the shipment received.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-877-811-2700 ext. 3023"

When I placed my order in March 2012, I requested 14 May 2012 shipment. I received confirmation in March, but I did not receive my order the week of 14 May. I sent two e-mails requesting status - no responses. I finally called a representative who indicated my shipment would be sent 28 May. I asked why I did not receive notification of the delay or responses to my two e-mails - the excuse was the company had implemented a new computer system (Why implement a new system during this time of year?). Also, many plants I ordered were not available. I requested cancellation of my order, and the representative said it would be done. However, I have not received an e-mail cancellation notice. I have been a customer for years and have placed many orders of $300+. Current customer service and communications are terrible. I want my order cancelled and a refund on my credit card. I also request a confirmation that my order will be cancelled. No more orders until you can win back my trust with timely responses, available plants, and much better customer service.

"On May 26, 2012 12:07 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

I understand your frustration in trying to get resolve. I apologize for any inconvenience. As you know this is not our norm and we are working to make sure the service you are use to with High County Gardens is restored. I would like to make sure your requests have been fulfilled. Please contact me by email or phone.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-877-811-2700 ext. 3023"

I have emailed the company twice and called due to not having received my order. No response to either email. The person I talked too on the phone stated my order would be made "priority" and would be sent next week. I still have not received my order. I have ordered from HCG before and never a problem like this.

"On May 26, 2012 12:04 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

I regret to hear of your recent experience and apologize for any inconvenience. Please contact me so I can look into this personally.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-877-811-2700 ext. 3023"

I'm sorry to give this company a negative review, as I've used them for many years. Their plants are excellent, but their customer service is atrocious this year. I placed an order in January, assuming that would reserve the plants I wanted, especially since they charged my credit card right away. Come April, I only received 9 of the 14 plants I had ordered. Of the missing ones, 3 were listed as unavailable, but the other 2 had no explanation whatsoever. Since then, I have only recently been able to reach someone by phone, as I was always sent to a voicemail system that was full, and that representative said she needed to send my case to another dept. who would contact me (a week later, I've heard nothing). None of my emails (including to Victoria Peralta) has been answered. A credit has been issued to my account, but it is not the correct amount. Do I think this will all be straightened out in the end? Maybe. But I'll never get back the time and energy I've wasted on trying to figure this out and get an answer from them.

"On May 24, 2012 3:46 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

I am sorry to hear you have not had resolve in regards to your order questions. I do try and respond to all my emails and calls when I am in. I apologize if I did not respond to an email you sent. I would be glad to assist you. Seeing you have already emailed me can you please resend the email or it may be best to call me with your information.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-877-811-2700 ext. 3023"

I recently placed an order and requested an immediate ship date in an effort to receive my plants before an upcoming holiday. I received a confirmation of my order indicating my order would ship the date I requested. I expected to receive my order at least by the following Friday, however, the website didn't indicate how my order would be shipping so I placed a call. I was told that my order did not ship and would not ship until the the following Monday. The person wasn't really sure what happened and told me that they were located in another facility, however my order would ship on the following Monday. Today I called to make sure my order shipped and was advised that it was not going to ship AT ALL. I asked them why that no one e-mailed me or phoned me to let me know there was a problem either with my initial ship date or subsequently when they determined that my order was not going to be shipped. When I placed my order I provided my e-mail address and a telephone number in the event they would need to contact me. It is unacceptable customer service to just simply not contact me in any way (either e-mail or by phone) to let me know the status of my order. I was concerned when I saw the other negative reviews, however, I have had good experiences with HCG in the past - so I took a chance. However, after this experience I will certainly consider carefully other reviews because this became my own bad experience. Really a shame because I previously did have good experiences. An e-mail or phone call only takes a moment and certainly makes a difference for customer goodwill.

"On May 22, 2012 4:48 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

I appreciate you giving me the time to speak with you yesterday. We are working on making adjustments to make sure this does not occur again. My apologies for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-877-811-2700 ext. 3023"

Two of my last three orders have been problematic. In my previous order, I ordered two 1 gallon plants that had obviously been transferred from 2 inch pots to gallon pots just prior to shipping. The root structure was just pitiful. In my most recent order, I decided to forgo gallon plants for 5 inch pots, but 2 of the plants had obviously just been transplanted to 5 inch pots from two inch pots. Plus, they left out two of my plants that I ordered and paid for. It was a large order and they did not include a packing list, so I can only assume they were hoping I wouldn't notice. Packing has also become increasingly shoddy over the past couple of months. Customer service has been helpful, but I expect them to get things right the first time. Make sure to take pics of plants if you have a problem. I wasn't offered a refund for one of the gallon plants because I went ahead and planted it without taking a pic. I wasn't asking for a full refund just the price difference between the gallon and 5 inch pots.

"On May 1, 2012 1:59 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

We appreciate your feedback and are looking into the issues you've brought up. We have a 100% guarantee and do not require photos for replacements or refunds. Please contact me directly to process a claim if this was not resolved. Toll free 1-877-811-2700 ext. 3023 or via email vperalta@highcountrygardens.com.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
High Country Gardens
Customer Service Supervisor"

Plants received were poorly shipped/packaged. Several stems were broken but have been trying to salvage them. Plants did not have well developed root systems and were too young to be shipped out. I now have two plants that have completely died. Have emailed customer service for replacement 3 times with no response. Waited a week and tried calling customer service which went to a recording saying please leave a message, but the mail box is full. Sadly, I still have more plants ordered to be shipped this week, wishing it could be cancelled. I think the retail locations are fine, and I know problems occur in shipping, but the lack of prompt customer service means I won't be ordering again.

"On Apr 24, 2012 12:34 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

I am sorry to hear of your recent experience. We take great pride in our plants and customer service and want to fix this for you, as well as use your feedback to improve our service. Please contact me at your earliest convenience by email vperalta@highcountrygardens.com or direct at 1-877-811-2700 ext. 3023.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
High Country Gardens
Customer Service Supervisor"

Posted on April 30, 2006, updated March 23, 2012
My plants arrived exactly when they were supposed to. They were safely packed, and arrived healthy. They were very small but all with healthy root systems. I planted them 4 days ago, and so far so good, despite having been alternately rained on and sun-scorched immediately after being transplanted. Only the healthiest and most tenacious of plants can survive springtime in Austin.

"On Mar 23, 2012 9:14 AM, High Country Gardens responded with:

I regret to hear you were not able to get resolve. HCG credits do not expire. For your privacy I am not able to obtain your contact information through your post. Please contact me and I will be glad to assist you.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-877-811-2700 ext. 3023
"

I was majorly disappointed with High Country Gardens after getting a personal referral on them from a local gardening friend.
I ordered $40 of plant stock and $10 of seed. High Country said they would pic the dates for shipping, this is always a bit of a problem as it requires you to be ready to receive the plants and get them situated the day they come in. But at least their order processing web site gives expected ship dates which seemed pretty cool.

The plants were shipped per their production and fullfillment dates, in the worst heat in the summer, via UPS, no doubt in trailers running 150 degrees inside or more. Three of 4 plants came in green but lost their leaves within 2 days of receipt while being kept inside in filtered light at a warm but not hot window location. The 4th plant came in August and it was still record breaking heat, and met with a slightly protracted fate as it took 5 days for it to expire. I can not for the life of me figure out why they sell plants to ship to Texas in the summer, and it humbles me for being so stupid as to do business with anyone who thinks that shipping plants via motorcarrier across west TX in June and August is a good idea. I guess I was sucked in by them knowing what ship dates were best.

I sent an email to customer service regarding my dissatisfaction with the fried plants, and it was returned by Rocque Ranaldi a Customer Service Representative of High Country Gardens with instructions on how I could drop my email on further receipt of catalogs by clicking on unsubscribe at the bottom of the message.

I have a suspicion that customer service is contracted out into India, based on a conversation I had on the phone, and terse the email response which did not seem to have a clue of the nature of the request and smacks of a poor linguistic connection.
I felt that a xeriscape supplier in NM was worth dealing with for my TX xeriscape settings as they had taken the time to categorize plants that would be good for my area, and I guess I just expected too much.

Even though the plants were listed for summer shipment, I was aghast that they would ship in this weather versus at least give me an option to take them later in the summer after the heat wave. To a large extent I can live with the lack of control on this kind of thing, and take it as a lesson learned. However, I feel that the customer service connection here is substandard, and I do not wish to participate with it. The good news is that while I am entering into the Xeriscape area I continue to be interested and that I am now seeking out a local company to do business with and set that as my standard. I don't care what it costs, its getting viable plants that I want, not to have my time and money wasted, borderline rudeness, not to mention frustration and disappointment. The later is not why I garden, and quite frankly, I am not used to experiencing it.

While I am VERY saddened to have seen the passing of Wayside Gardens and Park Seed. My experience here does nothing for the source company nor the industry, and really should not be tolerated.

I AM happy that they included this link in their customer response and I AM thankful for that as it gives me a wonderful community to exchange seeds and growing knowledge, so that alone may well have been worth the 50 bucks spent and lost on this order with High Country Gardens.

"On Sep 20, 2011 1:26 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

One of the things so many of our customers love is that we do give you the option to select your own ship week. Ship weeks can be changed if needed.

I would appreciate the opportunity to get a new order sent to you when the time is right for you.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-800-925-9387"

Posted on July 26, 2011, updated August 31, 2011
Seems that High Country gardens has gotten way TOO BIG. They did not ship my plants as advised on my order. I finally managed to contact them by live chat and my plants are shipping a week late.
All phone lines are always busy for hours on end.
I have been a customer since they first opened to mail order back in the early 90's and I am VERY DISAPPOINTED.

"On Aug 5, 2011 10:46 AM, High Country Gardens responded with:

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with you and address your concerns. As a result of your comment we have made positive changes in our customer service phone. I am glad we were able to immediately ship your plant order. We look forward to serving you in the future.

Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-800-925-9387

Posted on July 14, 2010, updated July 25, 2011
We've been ordering from HCG for several years and were never disappointed until this year. Very sloppy packing caused many plants to arrive without dirt or labels. They were very good about replacing or crediting all of the ones that did not make it (which is why this is not a negative rating), and those were packed properly, but the overall quality of most their plants (including many of the replacements) is not as good as it has been in the past. Very disappointed. Maybe they've gotten too big or made some poor hiring decisions? Hope they get their act together soon. We miss the old HCG.

"On Jul 14, 2010 2:01 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

We are glad you have already contacted customer service and have processed your claim. We appreciate your feedback and are looking into some of the process changes that took place this season. Most of our growing shipping crew has been with the company for multiple years and we take the same care as in the past. We strive to continue to be the leaders in plant quality, shipping and handling and offer the best customer service. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com

I am sorry to say it, but the refund process is so difficult with this company that even though I have used them for several years, I no longer will.

I sent in two orders and they got one entirely wrong. I complained about it but they said they had sent the right plants. They were not in good condition and finally died. However the refund process requires so much information, and you can't put but 2 plants on a page that it is very cumbersome.

If they can make some changes to their process I'd be glad to use them again because they specialize in the type of plants I need. My yard is full of them, but I no longer can recommend the company.

"On Jun 24, 2011 3:45 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

We appreciate your feedback. We are constantly looking for ways to improve and will work to improve the online claim process in the near future. I see you did contact us for your claim and that it was processed today. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or additional feedback.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-800-925-9387

If this is their idea of customer service, I'll be moving on. I was trying to order a catalog for my niece, who has just moved to a new house in New Mexico and solicited my advice on landscaping. I immediately thought of High Country Gardens. Well, their site would not let me send the order because my email address was wrong. After three tries with three different emails, I gave up and called the catalog department. They don't deal with customers, so the call goes to a voice mail drop box. Then I tried customer service, with the same experience. Finally, I decided to call their store in Santa Fe. After making it through their mail tree, I was dropped into a voice mail box. I have better things to do with my time than play games.

Also there is something wrong with their website. All plants listed on the initial page are listed as $29.94, which is outrageous for what they are selling. When I went to the full description page for Echinacea purpurea Pow Wow 'Wild Berry', it is only $8.99.

Seems to be a once great company falling apart.

"On Jun 15, 2011 2:43 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

My apologies you were not able to place your order online. We are working on our website. Our call volume has been high today. Messages left with customer service are returned promptly. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to place an order or if you have any questions. Toll free 1-877-811-2700 ext. 3023.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com"

My order was placed in April.. In late May, I inquired the status and learned it was "lost in hyperspace".. and that it would be shipped in June... That date has come and gone with no word and no response to two emails. In the meantime, I continue to get notices that I might buy the very items I paid for at 1/2 of the price.

I placed an order Friday morning. I paid extra for 2 day delivery. Day 1 = Saturday, Day 2 = Monday. I called today and found out that the store didn't receive the order until Saturday (even though the store is the website) and didn't send it out for delivery until today. So my 2 day delivery now becomes a 5 day delivery.

Explain this better so that people don't have an expectation of better service. It is unacceptable that an order isn't immediately forwarded to be filled after being placed online.

"On May 9, 2011 4:04 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

Thank you for placing your order. 2nd day means your plants are in transit two days. We received your order Friday, shipped out the very next business day which is Monday. UPS does not pick up or ship on weekends so we keep your plants fresh in our greenhouse rather than sit in a box over the weekend. All handled on schedule as we promised and your order will arrive Wednesday. Shipping information is available on our site under How we ship. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-800-925-9387"

I first placed my order with a requested ship date of the week of October 12, because I was going to be out of town the week before. My shrubs arrived at my door on October 8th. The shurb combo I ordered was listed as hardy to zone 4, which is where I live. One of the shrubs didn't make it through that first winter, and when I contacted them about an alternative, they refused to help because it had been more than a year. The shrub that died is only hardy to zone 5, even though they listed the combo as zone 4, and their web site STILL contains this incorrect info. Despite this error on THEIR part, they refuse to help. Must be nice to have enough customers that you can afford to lose one over an $8 plant.

"On Apr 27, 2011 9:37 AM, High Country Gardens responded with:

We guarantee that you will receive healthy, vigorous plants that transplant successfully and prosper. Within one year from shipment. If there is any questions or concerns we encourage our customers to contact us immediately.

I would be glad to get you a replacement for the one that didn't make it For your privacy Garden Watchdog does not forward your name or address information. Please contact me and I will personally make sure we select a shrub appropriate for your area.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-800-925-9387"

I have been a catalog & store customer for over 10 years, unfortunately my most recent experience was negative. It is not about the quality of their plants, but their lack of customer service. I needed to adjust my plant order, and I never got a call back from the customer line; always received a voice message & never a person; plus never received the follow-up e-mail that even gave me my order number. I finally e-mailed them and hope someone will respond or at least acknowledge the change to my order.

"On Mar 9, 2011 4:56 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

I am sorry to hear you were having trouble contacting us. We have checked our call logs and could not locate any messages from you by phone. We did respond to your email within an hour of the time it was sent. You may want to check your spam folder for order emails which are sent from admin@highcountrygardens.com and plants@highcountrygardens.com. Please contact me if I can be of any assistance now or in the future.

Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-800-925-9387"

Posted on November 19, 2010, updated November 19, 2010
Posted on November 17, 2010, updated November 19, 2010
High Country Gardens sent an invoice with a statement that my items would ship the week of November 11 and arrive within 2-3 business days. Nothing has arrived and it is already November 17. Considering they're located in New Mexico, this shouldn't be a difficult transaction to accomplish. After viewing these other negative comments, I now dread opening the box should it ever arrive!

"On Nov 17, 2010 12:00 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

This customer contacted HCG Customer Service with concern of the order only after posting a negative.

We received this in our system on Friday November 12th. We do not ship during the weekend nor does UPS pick up or deliver. This order shipped early this week with a delivery date of tomorrow November 18th. This order was placed with standard delivery and shipped within two business days of receipt.

Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-800-925-9387

I recently received 18 plants from High Country Gardens and cannot find appropriate adjectives to describe my disappointment. unfortunately, I did not know of this site nor the 25 other negative reviews of High Country posted here before ordering from them. Had I known, I would not have purchased from them.

The plants I ordered were delivered almost two weeks after the order and arrived very dry and marginally packaged. The plants were all much smaller than the company's catalog and website represent. Several of the plants were scraggly, dead or dying. For example, three"Purple Prairie Clover" plants were barely a visible seedling and two were dead. Only 6 of the eighteen plants were healthy, most were dry and very small and poorly packed.

I also ordered from Santa Rosa Gardens at the same time to get a comparison for future orders as I am doing a $25,000 back yard landscape project by professional landscapers and I am selecting the trees, shrubs and perennials and assisting in their planting.

The difference in the quality and price between High Country Gardens and Santa Rosa Gardens is nothing short of stunning. Santa Rosa was less expensive, i received a higher quantity and quality from them and didn't pay the $25.00 shipping High Country charged. I have taken side by side comparison photos to show the orders I received from both High Country and Santa Rosa about the same time. Santa Rosa carefully wrapped healthy plants 2-3 times the size of High Country's plants and they arrived within 5 days and were very high quality. It is obvious that High Country has a very professional and expensive catalog and website but they sent mainly sprigs that were clearly almost dead. I can send the photos of both companies' orders placed next to each other if anyone is interested.

From the other negative reviews here it's obvious that the pattern and practice of High Country is to send inferior size and condition plants and then apologize after the fact.They have done this too many times for it to be an unusual occurrence. This is an owner/management policy decision. I will never do business with this company again-stunningly poor customer appreciation. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. You never get a second opportunity to make a first impression and High Country deliberately shipped their worst stock just as they did to the other 25 posters here. No second chance for High Country from me. Santa Rosa Gardens is where I will purchase the remainder of my perennials./shrubs for my project.

"On Jun 21, 2010 1:13 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

High Country Gardens strives to provide the best plants, products and service. We understand your concerns and have shared this with our shipping department for training purposes. If you have not already contacted customer service please do so we may process a claim for you.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
plants@highcountrygardens.com
1-800-925-9387

On May 25, 2010 I placed an order with HighCountry Gardens in response to an e mail advertising a big sale.I have ordered from this company in the past and have been very satisfied so I did not hesitate to order from them again. I ordered one Lilium pardalinum, one Lilium philadelphicum, one Nierembergia gracilis and one pelargonium Endlicherianum . I opened the box upon arrival and was surprised and disappointed to see the condition of the plants. Both lilies were broken and the pelargonium was leafless , the nierembergia was okay. As of today all of the plants except for the nierembergia seem to have died. lastly all the labels had fallen out of the pots and I have been unable to tell both lilies apart. All in all horrible packaging.I was not going to bother contacting the company until I saw all the similr negative comments at the garden watch dog. I wonder what has gone wrong with what was always a reputable nursery?

"On Jun 21, 2010 9:43 AM, High Country Gardens responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. These conditions described are not the norm for HCG. I have passed this on to our shipping supervisors. If you have not yet contacted us please do so that we may process a claim for you.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
plants@highcountrygardens.com
1-800-925-9387
"

I am very disapointed in the plant that was shipped and the way it was packaged. I did not pay a reduced end of season price to suggest a less than healthy plant. Stems were broken and a lot of leafs were dryed / burnt. With the cost of the plant and shipping as much as the plant I would not expect to receive a plant in this poor condition. So they should expect poor feedback. I should not have to call to express my disapointment. When they put that plant in the box they knew. It did not happen during shipping!

"On Jun 11, 2010 10:25 AM, High Country Gardens responded with:

We appreciate the feedback on your recent order. I have shared this with our shipping department for training purposes. Since Garden Watchdog does have a privacy policy and does protect the users information I would like you to contact us so we may send a replacement. In the meantime, please go ahead and plant the plant into your garden. With a good root system, broken and brown leaves won't even phase a perennial that will be 3x larger by the end of summer.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
High Country Gardens
Customer Service Supervisor
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-800-925-9387"

I really wanted to like this company but I didn't. I think what it really comes down to is by the time you buy the plants and pay shipping it averages to more than you have to pay locally.
If I went to a local nursury and tiny pots were $10.00 each I would pass them by. Also the fact that a cockroach crawled out of the carton when I opened it. Customer service said don't worry. No more for me....

"On Apr 20, 2010 11:52 AM, High Country Gardens responded with:

We are sorry for the experience you had with your plant shipment. Our plants are nurtured by hand in our greenhouse to be hardy, beautiful and long lasting. In addition we have a plant guarantee so if you are not 100% satisfied, we will do everything we can to make things right. Please call us to discuss how we can assist in both your satisfaction and your spring gardening.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-800-925-9387"

I received 2 plants last fall that did not make it through the winter. I emailed the company for a replacement which they promptly sent. Unfortunately one of the plants was barely more than a seedling and was bounced around in the mail pretty badly by the mail carrier. I immediately notified the customer service about my unhappiness at the condition of the plant, and was told to let them know if I wanted a replacement. As I predicted, the plant died within a few days, and when I did request a new plant, they returned my email with a denial as they only replace a plant once. I feel I am paying for damaged material. That plant was in no way going to survive and the fault lies with the nursery both because of the size of the plant and the careless way it was packaged.

"On May 11, 2009 1:38 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

High Country Gardens strives to offer the best service possible. An email has been sent to jbush to try and resolve this matter."

I stopped ordering from this company after discovering Lazy S nursery. The plants at Lazy S are larger, cheaper and healthier.I am a avid agastache grower and have been unable to nurse several of the extremely small unhealthy plants from High Country back to life.The last straw was when I called to place a extremely large order and the male customer rep was talking so fast that I couldn't comprehend him, attempting to rush through the order "and get it over with".In frustration I asked to speak to another service rep or the manager and he giggled and put me on hold.Every two or three minutes he would pick up the phone and say giggling again "are you still holding". After ten minutes I hung up and started researching and found Lazy S gardens.No more half dead sticks to deal with. My home was on the tour of gardens and I have been gardening for over 20 years. I will never deal with this company again. I consider myself to be an ethical person and would not be writing this in this blog if this rep had put me through to a manager as I requested.

"On May 4, 2009 1:44 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

Dear coco3,

I apologize for the customer service you received during your last call. This is definitely not the customer service High Country Gardens offers. I am looking into this call and would appreciate you contacting me with any additional information which would help me address this with my agents. I encourage anyone who does not feel they have received the best service from High Country Gardens to please contact me. I hope to be of future service to you!

Sincerely,
--
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
1.800.925.9387 ext. 3023
plants@highcountrygardens.com"

I purchased one of their mason bee homes. The online picture shows a nice terra cotta cylinder with a nice iron holder. What arrived was a tube with a cheap plastic holder. Nothing like what was shown on the website and hardly worth the $30. I emailed them about it and their reply was that I could return it if it was in the unopened package. Well, how could I have known it was different had I not opened the package? And I'd have to pay for shipping for something that was misrepresented in the first place? Kinda counter-intuitive policies for a mail-order company. I gave them a chance to rectify the problem. They didn't.

"On Mar 12, 2009 4:42 PM, High Country Gardens responded with:

High Country Gardens stands behind our products. The picture in the catalog and one on our web site are of the actual Blue Orchard Mason Bee Nest. It is made to look like terra cotta, but it isn't. Unlike terra cotta, it is weather resistant to winter and summer elements and made of durable plastic, ideal for withstanding freezing and thawing conditions.

HCG Customer Service
800-925-9387
plants@highcountrygardens.com"

I ordered a number of xeric, part shade plants from them in the Spring. A significant number of these came nearly DOA in the midst of a early Spring heat wave and given the Westerrn location of the firm, the plants experienced the maximum shipping time to the Northeast. On reporting the problem they could not replace all exactly, but offered some substitutes in the same color range and environmental compatibility. At the end of the Summer season, I found that six of the replacements/substitutes had died (Penstemon and Linum), while three other substitutes had flourished in the same bed. The company's position was that since the dead ones had been "replaced" once they could not now replace or refund .Another three plants which had not been replaced, but died were refunded.

My position is that the original shipment of DOA plants is not a crop failure, but the result of circumstance which I could not control. Lengthy time enroute and abnormally hot period in the late Spring in the Northeast. Hence the real "crop failure" of the Linum and Penstemon over the Summer season should be refunded. in addition since the Linum wer substitutes not exact rrplacements, it is not as if they failed twice As to why they failed, perhaps these plants are really not suitable for the Northeast, despite thei company's claims that they are.

"

I would like to review your order and claim. Please contact me at your earliest convenience. High Country Gardens guarantees to ship healthy and vigorous plants. If there is ever a problem with a shipment it is important to contact us immediately.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Gardens
vperalta@highcountrygardens.com
1-800-925-9387 ext. 3023"

I received 6 Hidcote Superior lavender plants 5/9/08 and they were totally gray & dead-looking. I promply planted them hoping that signs of life would appear; it's 5/20/08 and still NO signs of life. I requested a refund which they granted, but did not get $9.99 in shipping back. I feel the shipping should be refunded as well after receiving dead plants, but customer service refused. I'm VERY unhappy & will definitely NOT order from them again.

This was the first time I ordered from High Country and it will be the past. I recieved 4 Pineleaf Penstemon and on each between 1/3 to 1/2 was dead and brown and needs to be cut back. The plants are not that big to begin with so It will be at least a year before I get ant enjoyment from them. The Yucca Rostrata I ordered had 9 spikes all of which had end damage between 2-3 inches and it too needed to be cut back in half. Honastly I wouldnt have bought plants of this poor a quality on a 1/2 off table at a retail nursury. They are alive which is why I am giving them a neutral not a negative. I have never had to leave a bad review before. I have photos loaded of what I recieved if anyone is interested

"

High Country Gardens does have a 120 day guarantee. Please contact us if you would like to process a claim.

Sincerely,
Victoria Peralta
Customer Service Supervisor
High Country Garden
1-800-925-9387 ext. 3023
plants@highcountrygardens.com
"

I am a long time customer and have always been extremely happy with both the product and the service. In the winter of 2006 I purchased a large order (over $200) as a gift for my oldest son who lives in Tahoe as a birthday present. He wanted to establish a "wow" garden in his front yard. All the plant arrived in great shape in the fall according to the shipping suggestion for his zone (5 or 6) and we planted all of them according to directions. This garden is under a blanket of snow all winter but last summer almost none of the plants grew. It was very disappointing. Now I plan to try growing things I can plant in the spring and just placed a small order in that regard. This was an expensive NOT WOW experience and it was after any guarantee. It did not turn me off to the company, but I have a hard time figureing out how to use them when gifting someone in a different growing zone than my own.

"

We are happy to hear that the plants arrived healthy and distressed to hear that they did not thrive the following year. We are committed to helping you and your gift recipients create xeric garden style in your landscape. High Country Gardens has knowledgeable customer service staff standing by to help create a WOW Garden. In addition we have a tool on our website called the Plant Finder which will allow anyone to search for plants by zone, region and more.

We would have appreciated the opportunity to have helped you and your son with any questions and guarantee issues last summer when this problem arose. We have a liberal guarantee policy and are always available to assist you. Please feel to contact us now to discuss any issues or comments.

Customer Service Staff
High Country Gardens
plants@highcountrygardens.com"

I have purchased plants from HCG repeatedly since 2001 or so and was always satisfied, with a replacement plant or two once in a while. However, in 2006, my order arrived in a pretty sorry state, stems broken off, and wilted. I planted anyway and the plants are still alive but tiny, tiny, grew maybe an inch in more than a year. I am an experienced master gardener and volunteer at the botanical garden, so I am sure it is not my care that is at fault. This spring, I tried again and ordered plants for myself and two friends. More than 60% of the plants died, but their final demise occurred too late to ask for replacements. I noticed when planting that several of the plants had hardly rooted at all. It seemed to me that they were thrown into the pots in a hurry and were shipped regardless of whether they were ready or not. In particular, I've had trouble with the following plants:

Clematis scottii
Cytisus pungans
Asclepias
Veronica oltensis/liwanensis

I never had ANY trouble with the following plants:

Agastache
Lavender
Grasses

Maybe these receive special care because they are their flagships?

I hope this is just a temporary lapse in quality control. However, I am pretty hesitant about ordering again and go to great lengths to find a plant locally now.