Comments regarding Nature Hills Nursery

I received a 'bare root' American Sycamore tree...just 'today' 5/19/2015, as a mother's day gift from my daughter. She was as excited as I was when the box arrived. I understand that bare-root plants can look 'dead' when they arrive...I think most gardeners have planted the shriveled tubers and plucked the over wintered roses from storage....but honestly! This tree is about 6 feet tall and has NO tap roots and just a tiny amount of dried hairs connected to the main root system that was clipped off very short and now dried.
My daughter looked deflated and I told her we would take photos and I would call the company.

That wasn't easy. You do certainly get a round and round 'hold' time and they shuffle you off a bit. I hung up once and called a second time.

While on hold I read MANY BBB complaints about this company!

One of the greenhouse managers got on the phone and promised that this tree would leaf out in no more than 8 weeks. But if it DOESNT....I can call back and they will happily ship ANOTHER tree for MORE shipping charges because as she pointed out; we don't give refunds on shipping.

hmmm.

Seriously?

That's quite an angle considering they seem to be shipping a lot of 'dead-wood' ( ;

I stand 'warned' though...and unless by some miracle this tree springs to life....I will remain faithful in filing my own grievance against them, though as Ive already read...they stand by their policy that you can pretty continually pay shipping without any promise from them that you will get a tree that will survive.

How much will the sycamore end up costing if we get a winner? ) :

Anyhow...Ill keep you posted!

In the fall of 2012 I purchased a WHITE redbud. When it flowered in spring of 2013, the lone flower was pink not white. I contacted the company; they responded that I needed to submit a photo, but by the time they had responded to my email inquiry the flower had fallen off. So I waited as instructed until spring of 2014 and submitted my claim again. This time sending pictures, which the company responded were not close enough to be able to tell what tree I had but that I should have understood, according to their nursery manager, that the white redbud could have a mix of pink and white flowers. This was never discussed in the description when I purchased this tree!! So I waited again until this spring, resubmitted multiple photos documenting that there are indeed only pink flowers on the redbud. Again waiting several weeks to answer my inquiry, I was told that they did not have any white redbud in stock but MAYBE they would in the fall and MIGHT reship! Hum..... 3 years to resolve an issue that is clearly their fault in shipping the wrong tree??? My take on this situation: my purchase price should be refunded. Still waiting to hear their response to my suggestion.

We ordered an crab apple for our front yard. "4 - 5 Feet Select Tree" More like selected from our trash bin!

Our tree arrives with a HUGE hole in the trunk where someone ripped off a lower branch. You can see clean into the hardwood in this tiny little trunk (only 1" in diameter, if that) AND it is infested on almost half the buds with aphids!!! The branches are not pruned (as they should be because they are growing into each other and rubbing.)

I immediately took pictures and sent them to the company. Their "Nursery Manager" received our photos and stated that "it appears the tear on the trunk should continue to heal and not affect the overall health of the tree. " (!) Half of the bark and live wood are gone which you can clearly see in the photo! How is a tree suppose to heal over that?
There was no comment about the aphid infestation.

I responded back with more pictures, giving even greater detail to the wound. NO response... as of yet

Even if they do refund our money or send a better tree, I'm not sure I can recommend them to anyone in good faith.

I never should have clicked on the "agreeing to terms and conditions" clause when ordering. It was impossible to read! So when the completely unacceptable All-in-One Almond arrived, apparently I had no recourse except to kiss $61.90 goodbye. Apparently you can get another plant for half price (PLUS shipping) if the first one is unacceptable but we are in the middle of moving into a new place and I simply do not have the time to take another gamble on Nature Hills!!!

Posted on July 14, 2014
This company is HORRIBLE! I was ripped off. I received two dead "sticks" that were supposed to be trees. I contacted them, they were hateful. Refused to refund my money, but offered that I pay half and shipping and they would send new trees! RIGHT!

If you look on Facebook you will find them and everything looks like they are a perfect company. It makes me sick because unsuspecting customers go to their Facebook page and then see all these great things about them that they wrote themselves and then right to their website and the people are all getting ripped off. It is so disgusting!!!!

How can we warn other people so they dont get ripped off too? Until something is said on Facebook about them, it is going to keep happening. I dont know about Twitter, but someone should check that out too. I only know about Facebook.

These trees were to honor my mother that passed away and my dog. They passed just a few days apart. It all sickens me.

These people are disgusting. You can also file a complaint on the Complaints Board. complaintsboard.com

I placed my order in February and everything was to ship the first of spring. I received 3 plants. When I called two weeks later to get an update I was told the remaining plants were ready to ship, just waiting on a shipping label. I waited another week and was told the same thing so at that point I asked to cancel... After numerous phone calls days later I asked when I should receive my refund and was told the plants were waiting on a label.. What a joke since days before I cancelled. It is now April 18 and not one representative has called or emailed. Nature Hills owes my family several hundreds of dollars and they can't even call or send an email. I would be very careful with doing business with Nature Hills. I expected much more from a Mid West company. BEWARE!

Posted on April 15, 2015, updated April 17, 2015
Posted on April 15, 2015, updated April 15, 2015
On 3/26/15 I ordered a cherry tree from this company(order # 100067382). On 3/27/15 they charged my Credit card $89.70. On 4/1 I e-mailed them requesting a delivery date. Pat H emailed me back saying the tree was ready to ship and I should expect an e-mail from FedEx with a tracking number any day now. On 4/8 I called again, and again I was given the runaround that it was ready to ship and to expect a FedEx e-mail soon. On 4/14 I called and requested to speak to a manager, or someone in charge of shipping to get a definite shipping date. They told me they could not do that, but they would contact that person and find out the shipping date and call me back. I asked to be called back that same day with a definite shipping date or I would cancel the order. Needless to say no one called that day or the next morning (today). So I called to find out a definite shipping date (which again they did not have), so I cancelled the order, and was told that the tree was in the shipping department, and the order could not be cancelled. I assume "ready to ship" meant the tree was in the shipping department, and that was on 4/1. When I do get the FedEx tracking number I will instruct them to return it to Nature Hills as I have cancelled the order. Let's see if it takes 6 months to get my money back. I will never do business with this company again. You should think twice before you do.

Received a 4-5 ft tree early last winter, approximately six months after paying for it. Since it was dormant season nothing seemed outwardly wrong with it, however this past spring it failed to regenerate on all but two of the 14-15 branches, which also have since died back.

This plant was therefore defective when shipped, and the "guarantee" of a replacement at half price + shipping would simply amount to throwing away more money. It's not like I know nothing about growing trees either, being a degreed forester. No thanks Nature Hills, on your so-called "guarantee" and no more of my businees will be coming your way.

Their guarantee is worthless. And on top of that, the plants are not vigorous and have a high mortality rate. I bought an Ambrosia pomegranate last year and it died within a month. They wanted me to pay for shipping for a replacement and I wasn't willing to. To rub salt into the wound, I found a much cheaper and healthier and bigger pom elsewhere. I spent the money they wanted for ship fees at another nursery and got a better plant at a better price. I can't even imagine what they'd say if I tried to make them comply with their promise of offering the cheapest plants or they'll pay you if you find a better source.

Posted on June 4, 2014, updated December 28, 2014
Posted on April 29, 2013, updated June 4, 2014
I've ordered plant material from many different mail order nurseries companies, large and small, throughout the country and have had very good experiences with all of them. The plants were exactly as decribed in their catalogs. The quality of the plants was excellent and the packaging as well.

Not the case with Nature Hills. The American holly ordered was far from perfect. The leafs were desiccated and beginning to brown. The plant 'root ball' was tied down in an oversized box with NO other packaging material. Even as bare root, the plant had no fine root structure and barely a tap root. As a grower of holly trees (and have purchased many by mail), I'm quite aware of how the plant would (and should look). The plant was 'gangly' and weak looking with no early structural pruning or shaping. I notified the company upon reciept of plant. I was told to do the 'scratch' test, which i did, despite it still being slightly green, i knew once planted out, the plant would stress further and fail. i even sent photos of the plant as i found it when i opened the package. I inquired about my replacement options. Was told I needed to wait 30 days before requesting a replacement. I was also reminded about the 'half price plus shipping' policy. The plant was bad from the start and really didnt want to start with such a poor quality plant. Ridiculous.
Needless to say I will NOT be ordering any more plants from this company and i urge others to do the same! There are many others companies worth doing business with.

"On May 13, 2013 12:05 PM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

We have reached out to this customer. He has decided to give the hollies the recommended 30 days then he will contact us for further resolution if necessary at that time. Thank you."

This is one of the worst internet companies I've ever used and I buy a LOT of stuff on the net. They would not let me find out the shipping date until after I had picked the plants and entered the credit card. (They had a field to check shipping date but it was non-functional). The plants were slated to ship 6 months later in the spring but they charged my card immediately. When I asked for immediate shipping they would not comply so I asked to cancel the charge. They agreed for and $18 FEE! OMG. Do they give you any of the pertinent info required BEFORE they get the Credit card number? Nope. I called my charge card company and put a complaint in about the charge. I will NEVER use them again.

Like many others my wife and I ordered a tree from Nature Hills this year. We live in Colorado and have had previous success with the pink dogwood tree at a previous home that we owned in the past.

We ordered a smaller pink dogwood tree in May of 2014 this spring. the tree arrived nicely, had a nice shape, and was even packaged and in good condition when it arrived.

Unfortunately they massacred the tree when the tree was dug as there was virtually no root system on the tree. We took digital photographs of the bare rooted tree and sent it off to them.

They assured us that it would root and grow just fine, and that we would need to wait six to eight weeks minimum, but not to worry, as a full replacement warranty would apply if the tree did not survive.

Well, guess what everyone, just like a lot of you, our tree did not even develop one leaf this season. It finally looked totally dead by late August. We even applied root stimulator to the planting periodically, but to no avail.

Now they tell us only a partial warranty will be honored, plus charges for shipping too, no less.

Our advise to all of you would be to source other suppliers if you can. We do not trust these people, and have no desire to order anything from them in the future. It appears too many people are experiencing the same thing that we did.

I purchased two bareroot willow oak trees from Nature Hills
Nursery this spring (2014). They arrived bareroot and never came to life. I contacted the nursery after 30 days, 60 days,
and now it is 31/2 months.They assured me each time that there is a 1 year warranty.
I asked for my money back and was told that I did not read the terms and agreement. Apparently, I can replace them at half price.
I give this company a thumbs down, very negative.

My tree ordered this past spring arrived bare rooted and very dry. I followed all instructions listed but after 4 months have seen no signs of life in the way of leaves or even buds sprouting out. I called today to order my replacement and was told I had treated to tree wrongly and caused it to die. They did not have the tree to replace mine and told me to check back next year. I do not wish to wait a year to replace a hole in my landscaping and so asked for at least a partial refund to purchase elsewhere but was refused. Will never purchase from this company again and do not recommend Nature Hills Nursery to anyone else.

On Dec. 14, 2013 I placed an online order for 5 Tulip Poplar Trees from Nature Hill Nursery to be shipped in the spring of 2014. I was surprised when my Discover Card was immediately charged $232.23, the total price of the 5 trees, even though they wouldn't be shipped for 4 months. On April 18, 2014 the trees arrived in a dormant state and were planted and cared for as per Nature Hill Nursery instructions. Two months later, in mid June, none of the trees showed any signs of life, so Nature Hill Nursery was contacted and they said to scrape the bark on the trunk of each tree to verify that they were dead. All 5 trees were confirmed to be dead. Nature Hill Nursery was recontacted and stated that they would take 50% off for 5 replacement tree and that nothing else would be done if there was a problem with the replacement trees. At that point, I would be out approximately $350 with nothing to show for it. There is no way I would take a chance on spending more money for trees from them after none of the original trees survived. I then searched the internet to see if anyone else had problems with Nature Hill Nursery and came across Dave's Garden website. I was shocked to find out that scores of other people had similar problems with Nature Hills Nursery and that some had even filed complaints with BBB, Federal Trade Commission, Nebraska State's Attorney, and US Attorney General's office. After reading the complaints, I am convinced that the 5 trees Nature Hills Nursery sent me were dead or dying when I got them and had no chance of survival.

DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY!!!! In late May 2014, I ordered two bare root Honey Babe peach trees. Neither tree leafed out. Nothing. I'm not new to bare root plants and trees and this is the first time I've experienced this problem. I called in July and was told to call back in September for replacements. I called today and was told that I need to pay 50% of the price to have the trees replaced. That's right, I paid $130.00 for two trees that never leafed out, and I need to pay another $50.00 plus shipping. It's not like the trees survived for a month or so and then crapped out. And like other reviewers said, they don't care, they just keep reciting their replacement policy.
I'll also be filing a complaint with the BBB. This is BS!

DO NOT buy plants from this company. 3 out of 5 trees we ordered arrived dead. The company does not care. When we complained to them, they quoted their "replacement policy," by which they would sell us replacements at half the current price. If the replacements failed to grow, there would be no further recourse. When we declined this "offer" and told them they were losing a customer, they did not care. So we have spent $130 for 3 dead twigs. And these "twigs" were sold to us as "5 to 6 foot select trees." We repeat, DO NOT do business with these people!!!

I ordered a "Magic Butterfly Bush" which the website showed as having three different colored flowers. I could have bought a butterfly bush locally at a much cheaper price, but I was enthralled by the novelty of this bush. My landscaper had never heard of a tri-colored butterfly bush. And now I understand why.

The bush came and I planted it. It is now mid-summer and the third color flower is yet to appear. I am suspecting there is no such thing as a tri-colored butterfly bush. If there was, why would they not have sent it to me, since I ordered and paid for it?

So bottom line: I do not trust this company.

Placed an order for 3 viburnums Spring 2014. Called after a long delay and was told that the plant manager had declared a loss of the stock because of unusually harsh winter. I told the representative very clearly I was understanding her to say that Nature Hills *could not* fill the order anytime in the coming season and she confirmed that and said NH would credit the charge to my credit card. When I got my statement, I had been charged a 10% order cancellation fee, despite the fact that the cancellation occurred because NH didn't have viable stock to fill the order. When I called Customer Service, the representative was extremely rude and unprofessional--it was almost impossible to get her to listen to me. I could pursue a refund of the falsely made cancellation charge through VISA, but it's not worth it for the small sums involved. But I will pass on to others this warning that Nature Hills cares NOTHING about decent customer service and indeed is not above playing false with its customers. Do yourself a favor and find another source for nursery stock.

Absolutely do NOT buy from this company. They send dead and dying trees. We ordered a cherry and it died within two weeks of planting it. We have a small orchard, so this was not our first tree. This company did replace it, at a cost to me (half price and shipping) and the next tree died after 3 weeks. Then they refused to replace it or refund my money. I spent a combined total of $100 for two dead trees.

I am very displeased with my experience with Nature Hill's Nursery. They were quick to charge my credit card and slow to send the tree I ordered. I cancelled my order after 3 weeks. I had called several times and was always told the order was "in process". When it came to issuing my refund, they were very slow and charged a cancellation fee of $10.

I have been ordering plants on-line since 1997. I am a very frequent on-line shopper for every possible item sold at retail. I have never felt the need to post feedback especially negative feedback. I sincerely regret not looking up Nature Hill Nursery's reviews before ordering.

I have requested they cancel my order and refund my payment. They have done nothing. Absolutely nothing. Which is exactly what I have received from them. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I will never order anything from them again and I will discourage anyone I know from doing business with this company.

When making my first and only purchase, I tried calling the contact number to ask a question about delivery, and got the "after-hours" message twice even though it was clearly mid-day in their time zone. I went ahead with the online purchase anyway, to my regret.

I have two trees that did not survive, and emailed 4 days ago to ask about replacement options (their guarantees are not very good - apparently just a discount from current prices for replacements).

I have yet to receive a response.

I won't order from them again.

Nature Hills Nursery is the worst company I have ever dealt with! I filed a complaint with BBB, Federal Trade Commission, Nebraska State's Attorney, and US Attorney General, besides posting on every site consumer site I can find.
Ordered trees in early October for Fall delivery. Waited and waited, called to cancel in late November. Sales person talked me in to not cancelling. Waited a couple of weeks, still no trees, but we did get freezing temps and significant snowfall. Called the 2nd time to adamantly cancel order. All was good (or so I thought) until April 17th when package of trees arrived at doorstep. My husband thought I ordered something, and I thought he ordered something, so neither of us looked at the box until several days later. I called NHN on the weekend but no one answered. I called the next Monday or Tuesday to tell them I didn't want the trees - I had cancelled. They said I hadn't cancelled, that the girl said I decided not to cancel. What I didn't realize (and maybe should have), was that our charge card had been charged on the day I ordered the trees (oops, I guess I didn't see that charge). Because I didn't see they charged me, there was no reason to look for a credit when I cancelled in early December. After some not so nice exchanges between me and customer service over receiving an order I cancelled, NH told me to refuse the shipment. I called FedEx and was told they would pick up package next day, which it was picked up as promised. I waited 2 weeks and still no refund from NH. I called them to inquire about refund; they told me they never received the return. After investigation, now FedEx says they don't show they picked up the package. ISSUES: 1) charging credit card in October for items that didn't arrive until April ??? (that they really should have never had shipped to me since I cancelled in early December) 2) not accepting my cancel as a cancel (someone needs to learn to listen and follow customer instructions 3) they are "borrowing" customer monies interest free while the customer may be paying interest on a credit card balance and for which they don’t have the merchandise 4) CSR suggested to BBB that I lied and trees are planted in my yard (really raised my blood pressure) 5) they are slow to respond - even their response to BBB was after the due date set by BBB 6) they seem to have an answer to all complaints by stating the customer "agreed" to their terms 7) there are enough similar on line complaints to see a pattern 8) Although I didn’t open the box, I had ordered 5 trees (I believe all were to be between 4 – 6 feet tall) which came in a box that was no more than 6” x 6” x maybe 6 ft long and you could tell there was plenty of room in the box because you could hear/feel the trees move freely about – indicates that the trees were more like sticks and less like trees. This company needs to be reported by all who have had issues with them. Their terms allow them to charge your credit card at time of order; but they don’t have to ship for months after the sale (shipping is by season), so by the time you receive items you may have lost all opportunity to dispute the charge with your credit card company. Dubious business practices. . . Dates are approximate.

Nature Hills -Sucks.com -- 8 -Trees ordered - came in late. Two Red Oaks and One Sugar Maple did not make it. When I called and told them they said they would replace at half price, of the current price. Their half price was about 20% more than I could buy local, plus added shipping. Buy local and get a 100% replacement if tree dies within one year.
I ask if they could send one tree in place of the three. No way. They don't care about anything except the All Mighty Buck.
I feel I made a BIG MISTAKE when I ordered from these people, wish I had checked them out first.

I received several trees from Nature Hills on November 28th, 2013. As I just wanted to get them into the ground I did not check the tags.
This Spring as I was checking the trees, I noticed that they sent to me an Aristocrat Pear instead of the Cleveland Pear I ordered. The Cleveland Pear fits better in the location that I planted. I called April 28th and talked with Sabrina. She said to email a picture of the tag. I did that on April 28th. I assumed they would send to me the correct tree since this was not my mistake and since I paid more for the Cleveland Pear.
I have not heard from them. When I call I am put on hold. I have saved all my emails to show all my correspondence. I specifically asked to be sent the correct tree this Spring and not in the late Fall to Winter.

I am so upset. I do a large amount of internet ordering for all my plants and have never, never been treated in this manner. I do NOT recommend them. They have an excuse for everything they do wrong. It is never their fault, always the customer's fault. Learned my lesson on this company!

Ordered 4 trees 9/23/2013, they delivered one tree, said would deliver rest of 3 in FALL. Nothing happened well into the fall, called them TWICE(wanted to make sure they DO get it!) to cancel the order since snow already covered the ground. They agreed to cancel it, but DELIVERED anyway. The temperature was 20 degree under zero when trees were delivered, send the trees back was not option at all, had to dig holes in the snow - AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now as of 6/9/2014, no leaf, nothing happens to 2 tulip polar trees, they ARE DEAD trees! called them, no stock, have to wait until FALL(again?) for replacement - I am losing the whole season! Ask for something else, have to pay half of cost + shipping - NO full credit for DEAD TREES, what a joke this company!!! The trees were so small, the price was so high, when you see the trees you would laugh!!!! CHECK reviews before you do anything with this company!!!
Customer service SO BAD!!! DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM NATUREHILLS!!!!

Client ordered 6 Nellie Stevens Holly trees. They arrived with a white powdery substance on the leaves. We immediately called Nature Hills and they said it was a product to aid in the shipment of the plants. -- It would later wash off. I planted them, watered them and waited for the substance to wash off -- it didn't. Called Nature Hills back several weeks later, saying that the leaves looked cloudy and the substance was still attached.

Their response, "Wipe off the leaves." I said, "What, thousands of individual leaves?" They assured me that it would come off. This was in early fall. This spring, the trees were dying and didn't look well. Again, called Nature Hills and they would be glad to replace plants at 50% of the cost? I said, "Why would we pay another penny just to receive more dead plants?"

Called again to complain -- emailed -- they said a "manager" would handle the case -- no one called back. I got an email recently that said that the spots were "water spots--that why did I wait so long to notify them."

I told them that the first thing we did when the plants arrived was to take pictures and call them about the powdery substance and it was supposedly a shipping aid for the plant.

They have alternating theories of our conversations based on who is answering the phones. Nature Hills Sucks. They are liars and cheats. The evidence is clear.

I suggest to everyone who has worked with Nature Hills to tweet, blog, post and facebook their experiences with this company -- who by the way has a nearly 50% negative rating with this board. The only way we as individual customers is to bond together and shame these unscrupulous companies into bankruptcy.

I'm convinced that when it comes to buying plants, trees, etc. to do it locally and with a nearby company that honors their warranty and business ethics.

Buyer beware.

"On Jun 6, 2014 12:23 AM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

Dear Mr. Fox AND Ms. Joan Bardossi,
As the representatives explained, the white film is strictly cosmetic and does occur on our broadleaf evergreens from overhead watering and the spray we use at our nursery to protect our plants.
The Nellie Stevens Hollies didn't thrive because they were planted outside their zone.
Ms. Bardossi is located in a zone 5, the Nellie Stevens growing zones are 6-9.
This, especially combined with a very harsh winter, would be the reason they didn't make it through the winter.
I see from the IP Address attached to the order that this was not placed with one our plant specialists. They could have recommended something more cold hardy.
Our Terms clearly state that we will not warranty plants ordered and planted outside their zone.
However, if Ms. Bardossi would like to sub something more appropriate for her zone of comparable value and use her warranty she is welcome to call us.
Thank you.
"

So my experience goes like this... Ordered Magnolia Ann tree mid January with shipping date some time in spring "when it is time to plant". I purchased tree that supposed to be 4-5 feet tall. Towards the end of April when weather warmed up I started looking for my tree sending emails to the Nature Hills nursery. They replied me that they will ship my order week of April 28. Well, that week came and past with no tree to be seen. May 11th I wrote them again asking to ship my tree ASAP. Their respond was that spring was too cold and tree didn't grow to the proper size so they holing off shipping but they will ship it NEXT WEEK (again). Understanding that couple weeks not going to make much difference in trees size I wrote back again asking them to ship my tree ASAP. I never got response to that. Finally June 2nd my tree showed up! Just by looking at the box I could tell that it was not 4-5 ft tree I payed for. Once I pulled tree out of the box it appear to be 2-3 ft tall including root ball height. In addition, couldn't help to notice tag attached on my tree saying "Magnolia x Betty". So, long story short my problem with this company is: holding off shipments of items that are already payed for, ignoring customers requests (in my case shipping ASAP), lying (every time "next week" shipping), charging for product that they do not provide (small tree priced like bigger), replacing ordered plants without notice (Magnolia Betty instead of Ann).
After reading reviews in this website, we decided not even try to find the truth with this company. Seems like it is deemed to cause endless frustration and rip off at the end of the day. So we just cut our losses and never ever again deal with this company. Shopping there is like buying cat in a sack - you never know what you will get, just be sure you will be charged for it top dollar and what happens after... well depends on your luck.

"On Jun 6, 2014 12:45 AM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

I'm very sorry you received conflicting shipping information. Most of our items on the web site are marked "Ships in spring 2014". As it is still spring we are still shipping spring ship items.
I do urge you to contact us if you received the wrong tree. We do NOT substitute trees without notice.
These varieties are together at the nursery and unfortunately the wrong tree was pulled for your order.
This doesn't happen often, but when it does it's an easy fix. We ask that you send a picture of the tag via email if possible, we reship the correct tree, and hope you can find a good home for the tree you received.
We apologize for any inconvenience and hope you will allow us to make it right."

On 2-19-14 I ordered two Elderberries for totalof $78. Very
bad weather here made me call and cancel order which their
customer rep did. Some time later I went to country store that
takes packages for me and found that they had gone ahead
and shipped anyway. I was shocked and had FedEx refuse;
ahipped back to them for refund. They had been there for I
do not know, and didn't want to take a chance on their not
living. Was told when plants were received would return my
money. No check received. Called them . They said plants
were "not viable" and were keeping my money. This is their
fault. They yelled and called me a liar. Don't buy from them.

We ordered trees MONTHS AGO to plant in honor of my mother that had just passed away. I was given the runaround as to why they were not shipping them. It went on for months. Then, we received them in November saying to plant them that they were dormant and everything would be fine. They were very disappointing tiny little trees much less what what we expected for the price. We did everything they said to do and these trees are dead. They were probably dead when they arrived. I called today because there is no hope for them. Nature Hills Nursery said that they will replace the trees if I pay for 1/2 the cost of the new trees and shipping.
I was STUNNED!!!! These people are a VERY BAD company. Look at all their reviews out there! DO NOT BUY FROM THEM! READ THE REVIEWS!!! You will be ripped off just like my family and I were.

The worst part of it.... I explained that these trees were in honor of my late mother. Her two favorite trees. I know they did not care ONE bit. She was just rude and said "THAT IS OUR POLICY!"

What an absolutely AWFUL experience! They have no heart or care about their customers. They take your money and run! I cannot believe they are still in business!!!

I purchased a Willow Oak tree from Nature Hills because I was having a hard time finding one locally. When the tree arrived, it was much smaller than described, but that would have been ok if the tap root had not been cut. Obviously, the tree was dead on arrival, but we planted it anyway and followed the care instructions provided, hoping maybe it would come back. It never did. Their supposed courtesy "one year guarantee" is a joke, as you have to purchase another plant at half price and pay shipping again. I will never purchase from them again. Guess I learned my lesson about buying plants online.

I took a chance on this company and ordered a couple thousand dollars worth of plants in the fall of 2013. Despite following all the growing/planting instructions and paying close attention to the grow zones of the plants I purchased, 75% of the plants did not come back in the spring. Their 50% price reduction is hardly incentive to try again. I should have looked for reviews on this company before I ever took the chance. Now the front of my house looks awful and I have to start all over again. That's why I went out of my way to review this company. Buyer beware.

Posted on October 15, 2013, updated February 22, 2014
Consumer's Original Complaint :
Company sent the wrong tree in 2008. Replacement tree (s) had no roots. We complained, no response to our problems with their products.

We bought a dwarf red buckeye from Nature Hills in 2008. As the tree matured we started noticing white flowers on it so I looked it up online to see why our "red" buckeye had white flowers. I petty much surmised that they had sent the WRONG tree.

I called the company and a man named Brian asked for photos. I sent the photos and I waited & I waited. I had to call him back as no communication came back even though I emailed. When I called I talked to Brian again and he said he had identified it as an OHIO BUCKEYE which would eventually be a tree 75' tall & equal in width. I told him that was unacceptable and that we had 4 years invested in this tree. He turned me over to Customer Service (UGH) and their response was to send us a dwarf red buckeye at their expense. Meanwhile at OUR expense we had to have our Ohio Buckeye taken out and given to a home that could house such a tree.

EXTREMELY STRESSFUL to have to give up our tree but we were in hopes after many emails sent back and forth that the replacement tree from Nature Hills would be a nice size -- comparable to one that had been in the ground for several years.

And then here comes the first replacement dwarf red buckeye. It was a stick with one, just one, lateral hair root. My husband wrote and complained. No response. We planted the stick and like we knew it would do, it died before the end of summer. We called Nature Hills this year and told them we wanted a replacement for their ridiculous tree that they sent. They said, "Sure, NO problem but you'll have to pay half of the replacement costs." Had they not made the mistake in the first place by sending the wrong tree we wouldn't have had to have had another tree sent.

We finally decided to pay their rip-off price. That tree, too, arrived with 2 little buds at the top and ONE lateral root at the bottom. It was even smaller than the first replacement. My husband wrote, expressed our concerns and ALYSON's response to our email was that she was so glad that we had received our "healthy" tree and that roots should be developing shortly on it. She never once addressed the concerns we had over this second replacement.

That tree died even quicker than the first. My husband fired off another email to ALYSON demanding our $38.42 refunded. Of course she never responded to our demands.

While reading other reviews of Nature Hills I can plainly see that they are accustomed to sending our defective nursery stock. I plan to put a review everywhere I can to express the shoddy treatment consumers receive at this company. I have also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

Consumer's Desired Resolution:
We want our $38.42 refunded. They actually owe us for the original "ohio" buckeye too but the rip-off charge for the replacement tree is what we want refunded.

I put an order of $400 worth of trees in to this nursery in the fall of '12. All the specimens that came looked good except one. The Shagbark Hickory had one four inch root stem with no hairy roots at all. I am no expert, but it didn't look right, so I decided to photograph it and give it a shot. Indeed, in the spring of '13 the whole thing was brown dead. All the other trees are doing well. What ticks me off is, as others describe, is the run around. You need to provide evidence, which I had in the photo, then they need to wait for some 'foreman's' response, then they told me that it could still be alive, blah blah. Five emails later, the whammy is that NOW they will send you another for half price plus shipping. If people took that offer, it is a good business model for them. If they send me junk, then I simply buy another tree and give them even more profit, albeit less than the first. If they would have been nicer, I would have ordered another bunch of trees from them this year but they will get nothing but a poor review from me because of the treatment and policy. It is also notable that I had bought 2 Autumn Blaze Maples from them, and this spring '14 I just bought one at Home Depot even nicer than those, and it was half the price with a better return policy.

The order didn't begin auspiciously as I had to use their contact page after 3 days to determine if the order had been received. There was no other communication until I had to cancel the order because the ground was frozen where I lived. I had to call their phone # to cancel.

I called on Tuesday and told Sabrina N that I had to cancel because the ground was frozen and I would be unable to transfer/plant anything that arrived. She said to "Dig a hole before the tree arrives" as if she weren't listening. I got an email on Wednesday stating the the trees had shipped and would arrive Thursday (Thanksgiving). They did arrive Friday afternoon and what was I supposed to do with them now?

They shipped from Waterloo, WI which is 80 miles from Platteville, WI where I live, and they must have known that the ground was frozen here because it's frozen there but it was more important to keep the money and ship the trees to an area where they could not be planted than to cancel the order.

So now I have a box of trees that can be set curbside because there's no way they're going into the ground around here short of a back hoe. Heeling in isn't even an option as I could barely chip the soil with even a post hole digger.

Don't depend on their shipping to deliver it at the right time. They obviously are swamped or don't have a good system in place or can't even check the weather channel. Otherwise, it's a waste of money as in my case.

In short, Nature Hills Nursery sold me a dead plant, they were rude, and they did not replace the plant. I would NEVER buy anything from them. EVER.

I was given a dawn redwood as a moving present from my mother-in-law ordered from Nature Hills Nursery. It was "dormant" when shipped, but looked dead. I called to complain and was told to wait ninety days. I waited ninety days. The tree was still dead. I called and spoke to an extremely rude woman named Sabrina who said that she could replace the tree for half the original cost. I reminded her that she told me it was under warranty for a year. She told me that it was not a replacement warranty it was for half the value of the tree (a fact she did NOT tell me the first time I called). I still have a fifty dollar stick in my yard to look at, but I would rather pay a full fifty dollars to another nursery than give a penny to Nature Hills Nursery.

I purchased a Maple tree from them in Spring. It arrived with virtually no roots. Really. I called- they said not to worry. A month later, no sign of life. Called again - they said not to worry. Could take up to 90 days (!). Another 2 months and I finally got a bit of growth. It is now Fall, and I have a 95% dead tree with a tuft of leaves on one little side branch. They offer no refunds. They will sell a replacement at half price, plus shipping. Never again. Never again.

"On Oct 10, 2013 1:03 PM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

Most Maple trees are very fast growers so they would not have a large root system as even at 5-6 feet they would be quite young.
It sounds like your Maple was particularly stubborn to break dormancy. There are many things that can cause this.
Although it sounds like it may be struggling the good news is that your tree is still alive. If it has put on growth and gotten leaves that means it arrived alive and the trunk is still alive.
I hope you will keep it planted to see what it does in the spring, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Your warranty is good for 1 year from delivery, however I don't think you will need to take advantage of it.
Please feel free to call us if we can be of further assistance.
"

i have had a terrible experience with Nature Hills. I placed an online order and they promptly charged my credit card. No tree, no tree. Called no one answers, called another day, no answer, leave a message, no return phone call. call again and again and again, finally get a person, can't ship my tree until late October, although the ship time said "fall" and we are in the season of fall now. whatever. cancel the order. takes them almost 10 days to credit my charge card, but the amount is not correct. call, no answer, call, call, call finally get a person and they will not give the full amount. $10.00 fee to cancel. I saw that NOWHERE on the website and the person who took the cancellation of course never mentioned it. Do NOT buy from this company if you want good customer service.

"On Oct 10, 2013 1:20 PM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

I'm sorry you had trouble contacting us. As this site is anonymous I cannot have our IT department check our phone reports for your calls.
I am also sorry if there was some confusion as to the shipping time of your tree. Yes, fall has officially started and will continue until December 20th. Our fall ship trees must be dormant before they can be safely dug, and unfortunately it's still a little early due to the unusually warm start to fall this year.
It does state in our Terms that your credit card will be charged at the time of the order. This is because we take your trees out of inventory to reserve them for you.
Our cancellation policy is also stated in our Terms. Cancellation fees are automatically assessed by our accounting department to cover the fees and cost to us to process a cancellation.
I would be happy to offer you a 10% discount on a future order as we would love another chance."