Comments regarding Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens)

I ordered both seeds and plants from Park Seed Company. The seeds germinated beautifully and the plants arrived a few days ago. The plants look to be in great shape, and the Million Bells assortment has nice blooms starting. I am very happy with my purchases.

I have contacted them with questions on a few occasions. Contacting them via telephone seems to be more productive and more personal than emailing. When I emailed, I got annoying auto-responses saying they would get back to me within 48 hours and when the answers came, I was irritated that it seemed like they hadn't read my question correctly. In addition, the responses seemed very generic (you can also see that here in responses to complaints). I am pleased with Park's telephone customer service but not their email service.

Had I read all these reviews before I ordered (I am a new member here), I would have avoided Park Seed like the plague. Maybe I got lucky with my small orders or maybe they are not so bad after all because, so far, I am content. In any case, Park Seed should consider cleaning up their image and business processes.

I ordered several seed packets for a new vegetable garden this year, as well as some live strawberry, blueberry and rose of sharon plants. Overall I was quite pleased. I ordered based on ParkSeed's participation in Upromise College Savings program, and for a special offer making their otherwise high-ish pricing very competitive. Most of my seeds and seed starting equipment shipped promptly. My live plant matter arrived quite quickly. One seed packet is still MIA - out of stock. I have to say though, my cc was not charged for anything until it actually shipped. Communication was good - notices for each shipment were received, however no communication about my Eureka Cucumber seeds that are still MIA. All my live plants arrived in great condition, and are thriving.

This is my first time ever, to leave a negative review for a website I made a purchase. Believe me, if I could give a <0 rating I would! My experience from Park Seeds is way below expectation!

I placed my order on 8/07. My credit card got charged right away, but the plant never showed up. At first I thought that I need to wait, because Park Seed would only ship my plant on certain months of the year depends on the climate zone. And my order status on website showed as "to be shipped". However till the end of last year nothing happened. I wrote several emails to Park Seeds, but never got any response.

Finally I called 3 months ago, was told that my order was cancelled. They never bothered to tell me, and never bothered to return my money. Till this day, almost 10 month after my initial purchase, I still haven't got my refund. I am about to disbute this charge via credit card company instead of talking to them again - I can't afford to waste more time and effort.

The bottom line: TAKE YOUR OWN RISK!

I was disappointed in their packaging materials and shipping costs, and also their replacement policy. Park is overall much higher priced than other catalogs and it's obviously not because of quality or customer service. I bought an expensive shrub that did not survive, but they only gave a 6 week guarantee so I was out of luck. They sent a perennial that was dead on arrival, then I got a replacement of the same that was also dead on arrival!

"

I have reviewed your above posting and I am seeking the opportunity to address this matter. Unfortunately, the information contained within was not sufficient to locate your order in our database. In order to rectify the problem I must request that you e-mail us with your billing information, including zip code and order number if available.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Representative
[e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com]"

Problem: Plants shipped A FULL YEAR AFTER THEY WERE ORDERED!!

I brought this to their attention by email. They never offered to refund my money, AND they actually ended up saying that it was MY FAULT for not noticing their error sooner because, "it is incumbent upon the customers to keep up with what they've ordered and what has been shipped."

I have always been annoyed with Park's routine of accepting orders that they don't have the stock to fill but I have ordered with them several times simply because I like their seed starting things and while I'm ordering that I often order plants as well. Last year my sister and I ordered a lot of things together. They were slow to arrive and came in numerous shipments. I had a baby last spring and ended up telling my sister she could have my flowers because I didn't have time. Because of this, I didn't personally keep track of what we received from Park and when. I guess I assumed that they would send it all and that I didn't need to oversee the whole thing. Well they didn't. This spring they finally sent four phlox plants (not exactly exotic or rare or hard to find elsewhere) that I had ordered last year. I didn't even realize that they'd never sent them in the first place. I'm cutting and pasting below my email exchange with Park to give you an idea of their "customer service."

Incredible.

===============
-----Original Message-----
From: "Katy XXXXXXXX"
Received: 4/25/2008 10:45 PM
To: orders@PARKORDERS.COM
Subject: Re: Ship Conf. - Order #XXXXXXXXX

Today, I received a call from a person that bought my house that I sold last fall, saying that I had a package from Park Seeds there. I went there and found a package containing four plants labeled PHLOX DIVARICATA LONDON GROVE BLUE. These are plants that I ordered LAST YEAR --in 2007-- and they just arrived this week!!

Any idea what happened here????

=========================

Park Info wrote:

Dear Katy,

Thanks so much for contacting us! Your concern is important, and we're glad you took the time to write. If plants cannot be shipped when ordered, they are often back-ordered for future shipping unless canceled by our customers. I was not able to locate the order mentioned but the address on previous order was most likely not updated when you moved so the plants were shipped to your previous address. If you will send me your previous address, we would like to update our records to reflect your move. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

If you have any more questions or comments, please don't hesitate to give us a call or send an email (number and addresses below). Thank you for sharing your garden with Park!

Eva
Park Seed Customer Contact Team
1 Parkton Ave.
Greenwood, South Carolina 29647
Telephone: 800-845-3369
Fax: 800-275-9941
//www.parkscs.com
email: info@parkscs.com

===========================

----Original Message-----
From: "Katy XXXXXXXXXX"
Received: 4/28/2008 9:48 AM
To: "Park Info"
Subject: Re: Ship Conf. - Order #xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

This has to be a joke. I can understand not shipping plants right away, but a YEAR!?! Park seeds actually thinks it is ok to just hold on to an order, accept payment and send them a YEAR later?! This is totally ridiculous. I ordered a number of things this year and was, as usual, rather annoyed at how many different shipments it came in. But now you're tellng me that you will just hold on to an order for a year? That is a terrible practice. When a gardener orders something, it is to plant THAT year. If you don't have it, you need to inform them that you are out and refund their money --you don't just send it a YEAR later!

For your records, my old address was
XXXXXXXX

my new address is
XXXXXXXX

My name is XXXXXXXXXXX

Thanks,
Katy

==================


From: "Park Info" Add Mobile Alert
To: "Katy XXXXXX"
Subject: Re: Order #4570009 [2543621:2847080]
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:05:29 -0400
Dear Katy,

Re: Order # 4570009

Thanks so much for contacting us! Your concern is important, and we're glad you took the time to write.

I'm sorry that you're unhappy with our method of allowing backordered items. We find that most people prefer to keep their orders intact when an item is backordered because the item in question may be difficult to get or hard to find. Those who do not wish to wait, cancel their orders. Either way, it is incumbent upon the customers to keep up with what they've ordered and what has been shipped. If you have other items that are backordered from previous orders and you would rather not wait for them to become available again, please advise and we'll be happy to cancel them for you.

If you have any more questions or comments, please don't hesitate to give us a call or send an email (number and addresses below). Thank you for sharing your garden with Park!

Nell
Park Seed Customer Contact Team
1 Parkton Ave.
Greenwood, South Carolina 29647
Telephone: 800-845-3369
Fax: 800-275-9941
//www.parkscs.com
email: info@parkscs.com

-

I've bought seeds and plants from Park Seeds for years, and never had any of the problems mentioned by others. (I must be living right...)

Bought a boatload of seeds from them again this year - coreopsis, heuchera, balloon flowers, salvia - and everything's germinated and ready to go into the garden (if it ever stops raining and warms up).

Bought some daylilies and a peony. Daylilies are in and look good - no sign of the peony yet...

"

I am happy to hear that you enjoyed our products so much.

We would love to forward your compliments; if you would send us your order information, we can let the appropriate department know that their efforts were recognized and appreciated. Please email me your zip code, last name, and order number.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Department
e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com"

Before discovering this great website I placed an order with Park Seed and to be quite honest I totally regret placing the order after reading so many bad experiences.

So far I am not sure if I should say I've been lucky or there is improvement on their services after so many complaints. I am going to keep my experience as Neutral until all items are received but quite honestly I am happy with the seeds and speedy shipment.

The seeds came in right away and have not started on too many of them yet.

Seeds: Ordered 04/28 Received 05/02

Achillea Cerise Queen.......too early to tell
Blanket Flower Arizona......too early to tell
Balloon Flower Astra B
Blue Stokes Aster ............. Began sprouting 05/05
Cucumber Pearl
Chives
Clematis Radar Love..........too early to tell
Mother of Thyme
Corn Sweet Riser
Okra Burgundy

Plants: Ordered 4/28- Shipped 05/06- Not received yet.

1. LONICERA SEROTINA FLORIDA
2. CLEMATIS WILL GOODWIN
3. CLEMATIS AMANDA MARIE
4. CLEMATIS RAMONA

Shipping is kind of steep but you can't have it all. Their prices are very reasonable and they run a lot of great sales. Well, I truly hope I can return and edit my experience as a positve one very soon.

"

I am happy to hear that you enjoyed our products so much.

We would love to forward your compliments; if you would send us your order information, we can let the appropriate department know that their efforts were recognized and appreciated. Please email me your zip code, last name, and order number.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Department
e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com"

I ordered seeds early on a Monday morning. They did not ship out until Friday of the same week. Unbelievable. Everyone else processes and ships the SAME day.
Not Park. They have a 3-day in-house processing time that they don't tell you about when you order. 2-day Fed-Ex at Park really means 5 day!!!!(after they spend 3 days sitting on your order).
When my seeds FINALLY arrived (a week later) most were ok. Packaging sucked. Hard to open. Hard to expand the envelopes to get to the seeds. And one of my seed packs was totally EMPTY. Got about a 50% germination rate, which I expected so I planted 5 seeds in each container.
This company sucks. I will NEVER do business with these jokers again.
50% of the people who posted here said NEGATIVE things about this company. That should tell you something.
Save yourself getting angry. Shop elsewhere.

"

I have reviewed your above posting and I am seeking the opportunity to address this matter. Unfortunately, the information contained within was not sufficient to locate your order in our database. In order to rectify the problem I must request that you e-mail us with your billing information, including zip code and order number if available.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Representative
[e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com]"

Hello, this is my first time ordering from Parks. I ordered qty.3 of the Rainbow Candy daylily which I received at the proper time for planting up here in God's country Minnesota. I have planted and can't wait to see the results. My order was packed and shipped perfectly and I have every confidence that they will turnout like their picture. If so I know I will order again.

I purchased quite a few plants from Park last year after we bought our first house. The results were excellent, with the exception of a couple of daffodils and iris that didn't survive the winter. They promptly replaced those plants. I would buy from them again.

For the price I pay for plants from this company, I am free to experiment and give things a try. As a new but enthusiastic gardener, I really appreciate that. I understand that I'm not buying premium stuff, but they do a nice job packaging the small plants they give you. As long as they stand behind the plants that don't flourish I'm very comfortable giving them my business.

I ordered some BUDDLEIA ALTERNIFOLIA and they sold out and failed to tell me until I called them to find out the status. Seriously how hard is it not to sell more than you have. They should only sell to 90% of stocks anyways encase a few die in shipping so they can reimburse the buyer with new plants. I will not due business with them again.

"

I have reviewed your above posting and I am seeking the opportunity to address this matter. Unfortunately, the information contained within was not sufficient to locate your order in our database. In order to rectify the problem I must request that you e-mail us with your billing information, including zip code and order number if available.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Representative
[e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com]
"

I was surprised at the size and quality of the pomegranate tree they sent. It looked like it had died back a little but I just cut off the small dead stems and the new young leaves looked great. They also shipped it in a reasonable time and it was secured in the box well so no shipping damage.

I placed an order for seeds and plants. The seeds didn't come for nearly a month and the plants have never arrived despite emails and calls to the company. Like others who have posted, I've learned my lesson and won't use this company again.

"

I have reviewed your above posting and I am seeking the opportunity to address this matter. Unfortunately, the information contained within was not sufficient to locate your order in our database. In order to rectify the problem I must request that you e-mail us with your billing information, including zip code and order number if available.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Representative
[e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com]
"

On March 24, I placed an order for plants & seeds. The product was about $74 with shipping over $25 because the order was split into 3 parts. I tried to cancel 2 parts of it that day, but was unable to until 3/25.

I received a credit within 2 days for the cancelled portion of the order.

HOWEVER, They had some sort of a system problem on 3/26 and all the orders were duplicated and charged. I found another $100 in charges on my online billing statement on 3/30. I immediately called and was told I was wrong. I called again the next day and was told their systems duplicated a bunch of orders and that they would be cancelling some of my order and crediting my account.

I still do not have a credit after numerous calls to the company. The most recent being today, where I was told that I was not charged twice. I offered to give the rep the transaction number, and was told I could send in a copy of my bill, because their records show I was not charged twice.

I have called at least 4 times since 3/30 and recieved a different story each time. For the 4th time, I was told their "credit card department" would have to investigate and I would recieve a credit in 30 days if they found I was charged twice. Except every other rep tole me I would be receiving a credit.

So, beware if you placed an order with Parks on or around 3/24 - check your credit card statements carefully to make sure you were not charged twice.

"

I have located your order and I am in the process of reviewing your information. I would like you to know that I will be contacting you via e-mail shortly. We will make every effort to resolve this issue.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Representative
[e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com]
"

I ordered 20 seed packets from Parks in early March. 16 were shipped that week; I was only charged for what was shipped. The backordered items were shipped the following week and I was not charged until they shipped.

The seeds themselves all have germinated quite well and I am impressed with the vigor of the seedlings thus far. I have no complaints about the products I received. Great seeds and a great price - Thanks, Parks.

The seeds i never had problems with but i wanted to wait to rate them on the basket of berries i ordered for spring shipping. Well everything arrived packeged well and alive... pheww, the blackberries and raspberries had buds breaking, every single strawberry now has big leaves, the blueberry came rootbound but was very big, the only problem i had was they came a month later than advertise to my zone, but received an email a couple days before arrival

I ordered about $100 of perennials, mostly Gaillardia. The plants arrived in good condition, already blooming! Only problem? More than a month before our average date of last killing frost. What I am supposed to do with these plants for a month before it's okay to put them in the ground is a mystery to me. I don't have all that much indoor sun. I guess we'll see how that goes.

Also, there was no advance notice on the shipping. The box just showed up one day.

And another thing -- the plants are sold as coming in "3-inch pots" or "4-inch pots," but this has no relationship to the size of the plants in the pots. Some are enormous and others are tiny! Since they are all going in the same garden, it would be nice if they were a uniform size.

I also ordered a Buddleia. Being more brittle than the Gaillardia but packed exactly the same way, all its twigs were snapped. It does seem to be healthy and vigorously growing new leaves, though, so again I'm willing to see how that goes.

I too have been a Park's customer for over 25 years.
Last year my mom ordered double hellbores from Parks- because she wanted DOUBLE hellebores. After many, many months she received a shipment of singles as a substitute without Parks notifying her or seeking her permission to substitute. I mean, if someone orders double hellebores, they want double hellebores! Well, they waited so long to ship that by the time they arrived my mom was feeling sick, and it turned out she had cancer and died before they ever bloomed. I kept them and they are a beautiful reminder of my mom, but they still make me mad about Parks.
Next experiences were all my own. Several months delay on products, did not ship when my account info said they had shipped, did not notify of delays, no reply other than auto-generated to first 3 emails. I cancelled one of my orders after waiting 9- that's NINE months, and they still were acting like this was normal business. I think the only reason I could go through with the order cancellation was because they didn't want my credit card company to be notified of their bad business practices.
Parks used to be a great company to do business with, but I will never do business with them again. They are now the worst plant comany I have ever used. If an eBay store had as much negative feedback as Parks is getting here, they would probably be banned from eBay. Parks doesn't seem to care how many unhappy customers they have.

"

I have reviewed your above posting and I am seeking the opportunity to address this matter. Unfortunately, the information contained within was not sufficient to locate your order in our database. In order to rectify the problem I must request that you e-mail us with your billing information, including zip code and order number if available.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Representative
[e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com]
"

Ordered 2 packets of flower seed from their website early a.m. on 3/17/08 and received them on 3/22/08. They sent an email to tell me when the seed was mailed.

YOU MUST DIRECT YOUR PROBLEMS TO BILL, HE IS THE MAN, HE GOT ME A $250 REFUND IMMEDIATELY UPON COMPLAINING OF MY PLANTS THAT DIDN'T GROW RIGHT, THE JAY JOHNSON GUY IS A LITTLE PUPPET, THE BILL CAT CAN MAKE THINGS HAPPEN

I have been getting emails and catalogs from Parks and Wayside for about a year now. I was a little hesitant to order from them because of their lower rating on GWD, but decided to give them a try because they had the two types of clematis I was looking for, and at a great price. When placing my order (the first week of March), I also found an English rose that I thought I should try as well. The clematis both arrived about a week later, and the rose came about two weeks later than that (this week).

I received a shipping notification email only for the rose, which listed both packages' tracking numbers, but they were linked incorrectly to USPS. When I emailed Parks' to inquire about finding a correct tracking link, they sent the auto reply immediately, and then personally emailed me back with an apology and new link to FedEx within a couple of hours. I was impressed with the quick response!

Anyway, both clematis look great and have already put on several inches within just a couple of weeks. I'd never ordered a bareroot rose through the mail before, so I was kind of surprised that the roots weren't wrapped, but I followed the directions of unpacking it and soaked it overnight, and now it's already showing signs that it's beginning to break dormancy. I'm getting it in the ground this weekend, and can't wait to see it bloom!

I was impressed with the quality of the plants I received, the quick shipping and great packing, the timely and friendly response to my inquiries, and the great prices (the lowest I've found for what I bought). I'd recommend giving them a try.

I have ordered seeds from Parks for the past several years, and have had no real problems. I ran into my first glitch this year: I bought a seed collection for my kids called Laugh and Learn, and one of the seed packets (Peek-a-boo Eyeball Plant) was completely empty--not even any dust that could be tiny seeds. I immediately e-mailed the company, and at first got an automated response reminding me that it is the busy season, and it may take a while for them to answer. I wrote them on Mar. 12, they sent the automated reply on Mar. 13, and on Mar. 18th I got a notice saying they had sent a replacement pack of seeds.

While I would have preferred a personal response to my query, I appreciate that they are sending a replacement packet right away.

Also, I've seen other posts complaining that their seeds from Parks did not germinate. I've sown 24 varieties of seeds in the past week from many different sources (trades, Sears, Jungs, Parks), and thus far 4 have germinated--all from Parks.

I would not hesitate to order from Parks again.

I, too, was not informed of Park's and Waysides guarantee policy change after years of doing business with them, nor do they make it at all clear on the websites or in the catalogs. I did not call and complain about plants showing up in bad condition, months late or not at all. I simply gave them a list at the end of the year for company credit. I put up with a lot of disappointment from these companies because I was under the mistaken impression that they would make things right when I had a problem. My review on Wayside tells the complete tale

In the past 2 years alone, I have spent over $11,000.00 with Park, Wayside and Jackson & Perkins. Apparently they are such a huge conglomeration now that they can afford to jettison a very good customer over a few plants claimed.

The last laugh will be on them though, as I had about 1.45 acres of pucker pine cleared last fall. If I spent that much with them gardening on my previous 1 acre, they have certainly missed the boat on my new project. I will thoroughly enjoy giving my business to the many wonderful companies out there who actually appreciate it. It may sound vindictive, but believe me, after the way I have been treated, it is deserved.

I am a second generation Parks customer who has spent $1000's of dollars with them. A few years ago they quietly changed their refund policy. Instead of having a one year grace period, the customer now has to notify the company within three weeks of receipt of the merchandise. I did not know this.
Last summer, an order consisting of ehinacea, dianthus, shasta daisy and lilies all refused to grow, except for the dianthus. Rather than notify the company at that time, I decided to notify them this year, so that I could get the replacements shipped in the spring. I was denied any replacements, and the customer "service" agent pretty much told me there was nothing she could about this. I asked her to delete my name from all of their customer lists since I would no longer be ordering from them, and to notify her supervisor that they were losing a customer of 50 years.
No one from Parks has contacted me, so I guess the loss of another customer doesn't bother them. Ironically, I intended to place another $80 dollar order with them after I had the replacement plants ironed out.
Perhaps most annoying, was the customer service agent"s cluelessness. Before I hung up she thanked me "for shopping with Park's" asked me "if there is anything else I can do for you today", and wished me a good weekend.
Zip code:37405
Customer # 007675987

I ordered from Park's this year as I have a number of time before, and my order was delivered accurately and promptly, as usual. However, I have been disappointed with the decreasing selection and increasingly puffy text in the catalogs. It's hard to justify the premium prices for material that has become more and more ordinary.

Like many of you, I too have been a Park Seed customer for many years and have seen their level of service compromised in recent years. I lieu of this I thought I would share with you some information that I became aware of during the past year as it may explain. Living in SC we always visited Park Seed every June and this past June during our visit we noticed a definite change in the atmosphere at the company and its employees. Subsequently, we learned that the Park family is no longer involved in day-to-day operations and that there is in fact a nasty law suit ongoing between Karen Park Jennings and the investor who took over managing ownership.
It is only my opinion, but these things can only have a negative impact on a company. Nor is it an excuse for the level of service being experienced, but it may explain why the companies level of service is so far below what many of us had come to expect.

I couldn't believe the negative reviews about Park Seed! I have used them for several years and have had very positive experiences with their seeds. I will never raise seeds again with out their wonderful BioDome! I have been getting the seed to germinate in about 5 days and have had a 96% germination rate or higher. No experience with their plants though..

WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING
* Wayside Gardens
* Jackson & Perkins
* DollarSeedStore.com
* Park Seed Wholesale Growers
* Park's Landscapes
* Perfect Plant, LLC
Frankly I can't believe these people are still in business. I placed an order on February 21st and of course was charged in full immediately for my order. I still have not received my order even though the e-mail I received from Park on 3/5 said it had been shipped.
I have LOTS of issues with this company and the way they do business and I am looking into filing a complaint with the attorney general of my state.
I feel this company misleads it's customers.
I am actually a wholesale customer but had to order from the retail side because the "wholesale" price was higher.
So, any of you looking in on this board should be forewarned.

By happenstance, I found this forum while trying to find info about Park Seeds (the company). I'm terribly displeased with my experience with them I just did not feel like simply letting it go. It's amazing that I ended up reading the same issues/complaints that I have ... issues that have irritated me enough to actually make sure they know it.

Before I got to this site, I had just sent them this email:

Park Seeds,
Please remove me from your newsletter subscriptions lists. I have since realized there are several seed companies I can order from -- in fact, I already spent another $150 beyond my $44 Parks Seeds order.

I was once very displeased with my Park Seeds transaction. I decided I'd rather not order from you again. But then I decided to test you and give you another chance to make things right. You failed that test. There is just no customer goodwill apart from you selling to people and receiving payment. I'm a passionate gardener, and getting more so through the years. I'm sure I will survive even if I do not do business with Park Seeds ever again.

Thus, I also do not need the flood of email advertising from you.

Thanks,
A disappointed, displeased customer

After years of dealing with Parks, and vowing each year that this will be the last time ever, I reluctantly tried ordering again this year. I had a $4.54 credit with Parks and decided to try to use it. The fault was partially mine.....I had ordered over a year ago 12 calla bulbs together with 2 pots that were included as a bonus with the order. Parks only sent 11 bulbs, and when I contacted them, the representative was very apologetic and offered to send another bulb. I suggested that since I have ordered from Parks so many times in the past, and would do so again, just give me store credit and I would apply it on my next order, thus saving Parks the expense of extra postage. She very graciously agreed, and told me to mention the credit when I placed another order. I tried doing that today, and they tell me they have no record of that credit, although they could find another credit (for a larger amount and for another order) that had been credited back to my credit card. If Parks cannot even get a simple task as this accomplished, why should I trust them with another order? Sorry, Parks.....with your extremely inflated prices for plants coupled with outrageous postage, you've seen the last of me.

Have only received part of my order so far...the part of the order that I did receive two packs of seeds were empty! I called the company and I didn't get any sort of an apology. The girl that took the call wasn't friendly and their only solution was that they would ship me two more packs of seed in 8-10 days! I am tired of dealing with Parks. I wouldn't recommend them. There are better companys out there besides Parks!

Although I am well aware of the negative ratings of this company, I was enthralled with it's lovely catalog, and they do have items I haven't seen elsewhere. I placed my first ever order this month. I ordered 3 "rosea" summersweet and 3 "ruby spice" summersweet shrubs. The order arrived quickly, but I think the plants are really small for the price and shipping. The roseas could be considered an acceptable size, about a foot tall, but the ruby spice are barely 4 inches tall, and VERY fragile-looking. Packing was very good. I hope these shrubs make it!

After reading so many negative comments on this website, it is amazing the Customer Contact Representative Jay Johnson's responses were exactly the same to everyone. Apparently, he learned to cut and paste during his company training. Park Seed and Mr. Johnson should feel ashamed at such poor responses to their customers. I have ordered a few times from Park Seed, and I also have had negative stories to tell. The one I like the best is about my shipment of Veronica plants. Two out of eight never made it once planted. It was doubtful because these two were nothing but seedlings, not plants as ordered. These two were replaced, but when received, one was brown/black rotted in the pot. When I contacted them by phone, I was told by the customer service rep, "we only replace plants once". I had to haggle with her and remind her of many hundreds of dollars spent there and with their partner Wayside Gardens over the past year and a half before she would agree to send a live plant to replace the dead one. Some orders placed last summer, are to be shipped this spring. Of course, my credit card was charged immediately...but once those pre-paid plants arrive, I will not do business here again. The horror stories on this website should be enough for folks to go elsewhere.

I should have checked Watchdog before I ordered, but I thought that Park's was a well-established old line family company who had its act together. Not so. First of all, I tried to order the mat set that someone else mentioned below and was treated to the 'bait and switch' , too.

Then I decided that I would order the heat mat alone since the website said it was in stock (and no other company on the 'net seemed to have it in stock). OK., I ordered that and the thermostat and an alfalfa bean sprouter. All was fine. Then several days later I called to see where my order was and the customer service rep said 'Oh, it was delayed until Feb. 29. mats not in stock'. Well, by then I was odd girl out, but I wanted the sprouter and I thought I could borrow a mat to get started and just hold off until March for the Park's mat.

Well, by darn, today if I didn't get an e-mail saying my sprouter, which before they had e-mailed to say it was 'set aside' for my order, is not in stock!

So I called and cancelled the whole shootin' match. The customer service lady was quite accommodating, by the way, and I could tell she had been through this before!

I found a heat mat at 'Worm's Way' for $10 less, too.

For the high shipping and handling Park's charges, you'd think they could get their inventory in order and sync it up to their website properly! No more shopping at Park's for me.

Park Seed charge me $9.95 postage & Handling for
only 5 packets of seeds.

This is outrageous!

This is also my very last order with them!

I still have three trees to be delivered and I dread knowing
the postage on them!

Corinne

On 2/11/08 I placed a web order(#5058749) for biodomes,,jiffy strips, a heat mat and thermostat. The biodomes and jiffys strips arrive in short order(good). Upon checking the invoice I find they have charged the entire(hopefully) amount of shipping to the first shipment. I wait a couple of days for the heating supplies to arrive. No supplies .I call to check order status and am told the heatmat and thermostat are backordered with expected arrival of 1/22. I tell the rep that Parks should not post "ships now" on the web order form when things are back ordered. No answer for that one. I decide to wait the extra time although my seeds need to be started. During the wait my credit card bill arrives and I discover I have been charge for the entire order which I pay to avoid interest on my credit card. During the process of checking my order status I find the web order form continues(and still does) state "ships now"I call on I2/25 and am told the heating supplies are backordered untill 2/29. I realize at times supplies run short and back orders are necessary but to continue to to state "ships now" on back ordered items that are time sensitive and to charge for the item is bad business practices in the long term.
I decided to use the Parks system to increase the capacity above the Lee Valley systems I have used sucessfully for years but this experience casts serious doubt on my decision.

I blame myself for not coming to the GWD before ordering from this company. I definitely would not have placed my order with them.

I needed a heat mat as soon as possible and found the 20x20 on Park Seeds, listed as "ships now". As I had two other companies immediately contact me, stating the heat mat was not in stock when I attempted to order from them, I was pleased to see that the heat mat was ready to ship from Parks, or so I thought. I received confirmation on my order on Feburary 4th. The following is the information in the e-mail:

Your order number for Park Seed is **5043364**.
(I deleted unrelated information.)

6989 Qty 1 Waterproof Seedling He **SHIPS NOW**
38.95
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Merchandise Subtotal
38.95
Shipping & handling (includes additional shipping charges)
7.95
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ORDER TOTAL
46.90

Please note the ships now.
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On February 22nd, I e-mailed the company as follows:

I checked my status. Processed - to be shipped. WHAT? It has been almost 3 WEEKS since I placed this order and it hasn't even been SHIPPED?? The website states ships now and so does your e-mail. I would like to have an explaination of this as the reason I ordered and PAID SO MUCH from your company is because it stated it was ready to ship. I needed to start my seeds two weeks ago!! I found the same product for much less, but an honest lead time. Please respond as soon as possible.

Thank you,
Traci
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The reply was vague and cookie cutter. I am not including the customer service reps name, as I am sure this is a standard response they are told to use and it is not their fault.

RE: When Will I Receive Order? [2377118:2694544]
Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2008 14:26:15 -0500
Dear Traci,

Re: Order # 5043364

Thanks so much for contacting us! Your concern is important, and we're glad you took the time to write.

We are expecting a new supply of the Seedling Heat Mats at any time. These item will be shipped as soon as possible once they arrive here. I apologize for any inconvenience this delay may have caused.

If you have any more questions or comments, please don't hesitate to give us a call or send an email (number and addresses below). Thank you for sharing your garden with Park!
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I replied on February 25th, when I return from out of town.

RE: When Will I Receive Order? [2377118:2694544]
To: "Park Orders"

I must say I am very disappointed. When I ordered this, it stated it was ready to ship. Now I am being told the company is waiting on a new supply. I would call that false advertising. Do you have any idea when this will be? The e-mail I received was very vague and gave no delivery time. Please see your e-mail below with the highlights. I now have over 260 cuttings of coleus on the way and no idea if I am going to have a heat mat for them. I would definitely say this is a huge inconvenience for both my plants and pocketbook if they don't make it. They NEED bottom heat. Please give me a more difinitive time please, so I know whether I should look elsewhere for another mat. Hmmm....wonder where that money is going to come from?
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I am awaiting a response, but not expecting much. The one thing I have noted on GWD is the majority of the positive ratings were changed from negative. If the order was done correctly, professionally and honestly, then I would think the postives would be based on merit, not on headaches of having to go back and forth with the company. I would think a postive off the bat would be more enticing to customers than reading all the horror stories customers went through to obtain their items. Needless to say, I have learned two valuable lessons, DO NOT purchase anything from this company again and ALWAYS check GWD first.

Here I sit with Spring on the way and no heat mat for seeds (which was the initial reason for ordering the mat) and cuttings (which was another benefit of ordering the mat).

I ordered a half dozen packets of seeds of their website February 2008. The order was shipped quickly and the seeds are germinating beautifully.

I only ordered three packages of seeds from Park. I received the first seed package within one week and was told that the other two items were back ordered. I received the remainder within 9 days of my original order. I did find their prices to be a little higher than others, however, I am happy with my overall experience with them.