Comments regarding Scout Gardening (aka Gardening How-To, National Home Gardening Club)

Ten or more years ago, I paid for a yearly membership (only $12 at that time), and I never heard from them again. I decided it was a scam, and have disregarded subsequent attempts to get me to join.

Hi,
I became a member three years ago, paying the yearly fee.
I received the items promised for joining and used all of them.
I decided to pay the membership for life fee last Spring, and gave $150 of the $200 due and made small increment payments since to pay the total off.
I was also told I would receive the three years of payments I sent in, back to me and I have to call about this because I just thought of it now, after reading these posts. The $75 was not deducted or mailed back ot me in a check.
Lifetime membership gardening products arrived at the house, then a testing product- a weather proof chaise lounge cover made of durable material and this product did cover three stacked chaise lounges, over this past winter. This cover turned out to be a very good product.
But-an item came to my home when I joined and paid the lifetime member ship fee, and I was not happy.
A small sunflower trinket like box that opens, containing a sunflower pin and something else, I forget now. With a bill stating to mail in a payment for this item or mail it back. The bill also stated if I did not return it, I was to expect three more items similar to this item, every few months.
I was bummed to receive this unexpectedly. I do not deal well with having to return something I did not ask for to begin with and also feeling like "What did I get myself into?" I sent in the $29.95 payment a month later and should have returned it ASAP, but I forgot about it.
So far, nothing else has been sent in the mail to my home. I wrote on the bill that I did not want to receive any more of these items--PLEASE!
I want to see how it goes with this lifetime membership. I hope I did not make a mistake.
Patina

even though I was surprised to see the $200 charge for becoming a lifetime member, I gladly paid it. I have recieved a magazine I truly enjoy, while I have never considered myself to be an expert gardener I enjoy making things grow, and have found many of the articles very helpful.
I have recieved a few things in the mail that I did not want to keep so I simply sent them back.
When I logged onto this sight I found out the reason why I haven't been chosen to rate any more products, that was helpful, too.
I am enjoying my membership and think you are doing a fine job. I also think the folks who write negative comments are probably just negative people, did any of you ever hear the statement" you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."

Add me to the list of people who think this "club" is nothing but a book selling scam. Last summer, I requested that they terminate my "membership" and quit sending their $29.94 books that we didn't have time to even look at. This request and others since that time were all ignored. Since that time, all books they sent were mailed back to them (at their expense - marked return to sender). Lately, they have been harassing me claiming that I still owed them for an unwanted book that had been returned. I have just sent them a check for $29.94 for this book that I didn't keep, just to get them out of my life. I also notified them that I will do anything in my power to warn people about them and their sales practices.

I recieved a collection notice recently since I have not paid $200 since joining in 2005. National Gardening Club has called a few times and each time I have told them I wish to cancel my subscription. I agree that this is a scam.

I was somehow chosen to be bombarded with junk mailing after junk mailing. I think it was a joke.

After viewing the magazine on Amazon.com, I subscribed for what turned out to be a two-year subscription (I also thought it was for one year). I have enjoyed the magazine but also agree that it is pretty basic. I especially enjoyed the articles on garden critters and garden design. I resisted signing up for the Lifetime Membership because, after receiving their free hand-held pruner, I realized that their items were not quality products. As a veteran of several book clubs, I was very conscientious about reading all the details of what they sent me, and this prevented a lot of headaches and returns. I did call the company and told them not to send me anything further of any kind without a notice first. The Customer Service Representative was cordial about removing my name from all the different products they mail out (including little porcelain boxes, CDs, books, etc.). I did get about four of their books and felt they were not comprehensive or in-depth enough for my taste and for what they were charging. I still enjoy the magazine (I'm also a gardening magazine fan!) but will not resubscribe when my two-year subscription is up. The customer service representative also asked me if I wanted to sign-on for product testing. I told her that if the products I had already received were an example of the kinds of products they sent out that I was not interested. I never received any products to test that were worth keeping. Soooo, if you sign up for this club/magazine, realize that you are essentially signing up for a series of book and product subscriptions. If you enjoy getting gardening goodies in the mail and especially if you are fairly new to gardening, you might enjoy this group. However, if you are more advanced and only want quality products and in-depth information, you might want to go elsewhere.

I, too, got their introductory literature. I have been getting bills and phone calls ever since. I asked several of the telemarketers to take my name off the list. Last week I got a notice from a collection agency saying I owed over $200! I sent them a letter disputing the charge. Last night I received another call asking me to "renew" my lifetime subscription. I called them today and the lady said she would take me off the list. We'll see. I also had to wait 15 minutes to talk to a human. Others must be calling as well. She did say that the collection notice would not affect my credit rating.

Stay away from this company. I too was suckered in by the magazine subscription--which I did pay for --(and it's not that great--) but then was asked to become a life time member. I accepted the trial offer wanting to know what it was all about as the material sent never mentioned the cost. Well I found out it was very costly--over 120.00 so I cancelled it right away. I still received many statements for payment and sent back 2 more stating that I wished to cancel. Then the harrassing phone calls started...every week....ONE person actually listened to me when I said that I never signed up for it and it was supposed to be cancel. They said they would check on it. I received another bill and wrote ANOTHER letter.....Well almost 2 years later after I had NOT signed up and roughly 4 months from the last (cancellation) letter, I just received a bill from a collections agency stating that I owe the National Home Gardening club $260.00!!!!
I am going to be contacting the Minnesota Business Bureau to follow up on this for me! It looks like they have received 100's of complaints in just the billing category (but not enough to deem it unsatisfactory. Hopefully everyone who has had a bad experience with it, contacted your Better Business Bureau....!!
STAY AWAY from this organization and magazine!!!!

This is another company that uses "the ol' switcheroo" by enticing you to join for 1 penny a month and if that weren't enough, you get a free spade and hand hoe for free, just for joining. They really try to hook you by sending you 2 free seed packs (a poppy and something else generic that slips my mind right now) and a package of slow release fertilizer -- about enough to fertilize one seed. Once you send the initial paperwork back, they send you an invoice for 20.00 promising you the potential ability to try fabulous name brand gardening products for free of charge. Ultimately this is a book of the month club.

As many of you, I also signed up and received the first book then a bill for $9. The first book I kept and paid for. When the second book arrived, I sent it back right away. However last week a bill for that book arrived and I tried to call only to get a recording that all lines were busy.

Today I called customer service again and spoke with Jenine who was helpful in clarifying how the program works. She said they did get the book back and it must have crossed with the bill. She explained that lots of test items and coupons are sent out and book are on trial for 30 days, even if a bill arrives sooner. There is also a pre-paid postage label in the box so the book can be sent back at no cost. She also gave me options such as slowing the frequency that books are sent out, or stopping all shipment of books entirely. To keep life simple, I just had her stop any future books from being sent out. Overall it was a pleasant phone call.

Just as others here, I learned about this company the hard way. In my case, it's been a little more "Fun" getting away from them. I bought one book, and since it wasn't too bad, I bought another. One year later, I am still receiving bills for that book. I sent them a letter and a copy of the cancelled check showing that I'd paid for the book. In last Saturday's mail, I got a letter from them threatening me with a collection agency if I don't pay for the book I paid for last year. I found a phone number for them and called, trying to straighten out their accounting error. When I put in my account number, I got a recording telling me that it was a "bad account number". Stay as far away from this company as you possibly can!

I was sent a mailer saying "join for $12 a year". They were not clear AT ALL that their minimum membership was two years. When they sent the bill I didn't want to join for two years, so I also tossed it. Not long after that I received a letter saying I would be going to collections (and if you have already paid we must have just crossed in the mail). Well I had already paid, but not as quickly as they wanted. I think that is ridiculous. My sister and mom were members and said it was a good magazine, but it isn't that great. I wouldn't waste my time, and I think I am going to ask for the rest of my money back on my two year subscription. I figure they owe me at least $20 of the $24 back. They are just ugly about things and the products I've seen are crap. I've gotten larger seed packs in the mail from charities asking for money. DON'T DO IT.

The original trial offer I sighned up for turned out to be a 2+ year comitment . I tried to get out of it but was reported to a callection agency. finally it simply seemed easier to pay the 24$ then go through all the fighing.

My experience for the most part has been positive. I find the articles useful, and I have gotten great tools from the company, although there could be more variety of free seeds. I find the ads helpful, since I place mail orders.

I also find the bulletin board very useful. It has general topics, special ones such as roses, and regional areas as well.

The only drawback I have found is that the fee for the lifetime membership was not clear when I signed up, but in the end I decided not to cancel it.

I too received this company's membership packet and thought it sounded good. Replied without sending money, never received anything they indicated I would receive as part of the trial package except a membership card and two of the "magazines". Both were under 90 pages long, full of ads, and minimal useful information. Much less than what I expected based on the initial mailing. Consequently, I did not pay the "membership fee". Yesterday I received a notice from a "creditors bureau" advising I owed $24. I was quite annoyed. Since I saved the magazines I had a membership number for the company (800-324-8454). Though I remained on hold for over 20 minutes, finally spoke to a live voice, not a pleasant one, told when I didn't pay my membership had been put in a "hibernation" state. Resolved the dispute by taking my name off the acct. within 30 days. I also called the "Creditors Bureau". Never spoke to a live voice chose cancelled the product and the call ended. I can only hope this is over. I agree with others...avoid this company!

Add me to the list of people caught in this company's deceptive subscription scheme. I signed up for a "free trial membership", received a worthless magazine (which I immediately threw away). Now I too am being dunned for $24.00 membership fees. Avoid these people!

I was offered a membership in the association and it sounded great, so I paid my $24. Soon after I begain receiving offers for this and that which would have me buying extra things-their encyclopedia and a life time membership-for a fee that may outlast me. After I received a third offer of something from the club, it just seemed to me they were more interested in getting my money for something than helping me with the gardening. With some sadness, I wrote a note asking them to cancel my membership--and I told them why. I am giving a negativel because I am still constantly getting reminders, notes, bills, etc. I keep writing that I quit....hope they get the idea soon. Karen
The free trowel they sent to evaluate, bent fairly easily.

My wife got a copy of the "Gardening How To" mag in the mail and threw it away after reading it. Now she's getting bills in the mail asking for her "membership" fee. And there's no 800 number to call and yell at them. We don't plan on dealing with them once we can (hopefully) get them to stop billing us.

I found a copy of this company's magazine in my doctor's waiting room. The magazine wasn't half bad--I thought I might like to subscribe. Since there wasn't much information on subscribing in the magazine, I went to the website once I got home. I still didn't find the information I wanted--just information on a "trial" membership and that the magazine would cost a dollar a month. I wasn't too sure about that, so I didn't subscribe.

Coincidentally, I got some junk mail from the same company a couple of weeks later. I figured that perhaps there I'd find the sort of definite, reassuring list of prices I wanted. Nothing, and I read every scrap of paper in that envelope.

Needless to say, I didn't, and won't be subscribing. Given the comments here, I just don't feel comfortable getting tangled up with this company.

Joined for what I thought was $12.00 per year. Billed for $24.00 for 2 years. Was contacted about becoming a Life Member. The costs quoted were a come-on. The first book was billed at (about) $10.00. The next two were $29.95 or so. Felt like a bait & switch deal. Contacted them about reverting back to non-life member. Thought all was taken care of. Today I rec'd a small package with big letters stating "Thank you for your Life Membership" !!! After much searching, I found a phone # for them, and hopefully, have successfully cancelled any and all memberships with the "National Home Gardening Club". The magazines were ok, but definately not worth the aggravation. FYI: phone # is: 1-800-324-8454

I received an offer in the mail to join and thought it looked interesting. Almost immediately, I started receiving books in the mail every month. I opened the first couple and looked them. They did not have any information I couldn't get from other, more reasonably priced sources. In my opinion, they were very over-priced. I paid for and kept the first two because I'd already opened them. I returned all the books I received after that unopened. Long after I returned the books, I continued to receive bills and "late reminders." I had to call them several times to straighten it out and ask them to stop sending books and take me off their mailing list. After 2 years of receiving no books or bills, I received a rather threatening letter from a collector asserting that I still owed them for one of the books. I would definitely not recommend this company to anyone - it's not worth the hassle.

This company is a scam operation. I signed up for a one-year membership at $12, but received an invoice for 2 years at $24. Not wanting to pay that much for an unknown, and having been given no option (the invoice didn't allow the one-year option), I simply tossed the invoice and figured that would be the end of it.

It wasn't. This company has continued to hound me for payment on a regular basis. They have sent harrassing letters and now have turned the mess over to a "collection agency." Trouble is, when I telephone the "collection agency," I'm directed to contact National Home Gardening Club. Trouble is, there's no phone number. And if you try to reach them through their website, you have to log in first. Guess what you have to do to log in? You got it -- join the club and pay the fee.

This is a TOTAL SCAM. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE.

I became a "lifetime member" for the same reasons many listed here. I was put off because of poor products, never received anything to test, etc.. So I canceled my lifetime membership and got a partial refund, etc... Now, many years later, I just received a letter saying that I owe the company x amount and that it has been sent to a collection agency. I have excellent credit and this really upsets me. I tried to call to straighten out the issue, and my call was refused. This is not just a bad company, it is a dangerous one. In my opinion, DO NOT DEAL WITH THEM.

I find the magazine pretty basic, but interesting on occasion. I became a life member in early December, and have been waiting since that time for my "gift." I have been on the phone to the company at least 6 times, and each time have been given a different story as to the whereabouts of my "tool set." The most recent information is the item is backordered, and there is no estimate on when the item will be sent. I feel I have been scammed, and hope other prospective members take the time to read the feedback on this company before they send them a dime.

I have been a subscriber every year for about 5 years. Most of the magazines are good. There are many tips, reviews and good articles in the magazine. The web site is very nice and an easy way to enter the contests. I have avoided the "Lifetime Membership" so far because the benefits have not been appealing enough to me to invest the money. Every year I get a tiny packet of red poppy seeds in my "membership renewal" mailing and this is getting a little old. The first product I tested was a packet of flower seeds which came in the first part of winter. This seemed like silly timing for Minnesota. The product hung on my refrigerator until I planted them in the spring. They failed to germinate and I sent in my evaluation. The second product was a video on growing roses. My VCR was not working at the time so it took a while before I remembered to watch it and send in the evaluation. The most recent and most valuable product evaluation was for a fabulous pair of work gloves that resist cuts! I loved the gloves and used them continuously last year for projects that involved the potential for nasty cuts (resetting and reglazing my windows). The one time I wasn't wearing the gloves I slashed my fingers with a razor. Ouch! Overall, I have enjoyed the "garden club membership" with the little extras every once in a while. It is a very good value for the money.

I have been a member for about 1 year. I really like the website I check out the forums everyday it is nice to ask questions and to reply to others who need help with certain plants. I also have traded seeds and plants with other members this is the biggest reason I joined. I noticed lots of complaints about the free gifts and books when you sign up they tell you about the books etc that you will be getting, if you don't want them all you have to do is send them back and let them know not to send any more. I don't like the solicitations for the life membership, I fell the fee is too high. As for now I will renew my membership when it comes due in 2 years

You've read all the other negitives, add mine in there too. Worthless joining gifts, a joke of a magizine, unwanted books, stacks of junk mail. I was a member prior to the popularity of the internet, I'm sure glad they don't have e-mail from the amount of junk snail mail I got I can only imagine the amount of spam I'd get today. I've known a few former member and none of them know of anyone who has ever got to test a REAL product. Mostly old seeds and Dollar Tree tools, but they love to show you pictures of "members" with Garden Tractors, Tillers and other high end products ... doubt anyone has ever got anything close to that other than the President of the so called Club. Save you money and join Dave's Garden far better information here.

The first thing that comes to mind about this club is "FTC." When I first joined a few years ago, I was promised all these great benefits of being a member. NEVER happened! No products to "test and keep!" A magazine that might be valuable to a person who has never gotten their hands dirty. And a bunch of unordered books sent to me, which turned into a night mare to settle so they quit billing me.

The free products they sent were worse than what you'd find for 99-cents at Wal-mart. I threw them away. And that was my first impression of this outfit--if you send crappy products as "free gifts," low quality was sure to follow. And follow it did!

Seeds that wouldn't grow were sent to test. Junk is all I got and they kept billing me for books that I didn't order.

Save your money and reduce stress on your mail box, because between all the junk mail they sent me, and the companies they sold my name to, it got to where I was throwing mail away as I passed the trash can on the way in the house. It wouldn't surprise me to see those people featured on 60 Minutes someday.

I have mixed feelings about this company, both positive and negative. I am a life member. I have found some of the books they sent me very useful and informative, and have voluntarily purchased those I liked. When I sent others back, I never had any problem.

However, I feel I have been badly treated in one respect: In their magazine, Gardening How-To, there is a section called "Home Grown". This is where us "average folks" members can submit good quality photos of our personal gardening achievements, and have them published in the magazine. In 2001, I sent them ten of my best gardening photos, figuring that out of all those, they would find at least one they liked well enough to publish there. I was only expecting one, and no more than that. I also sent them a nice cover letter explaining that I am a life member and sharing some of my gardening philosophy. They never published any of these photos, and, quite frankly, I don't think anyone ever even looked at them! I complained to the editor of this section, and got the usual platitudinal excuses editors make in this situation. These were good pictures which adhered to their submission guidelines, and I felt that at least one of them deserved to be published there. I have seen photos in this section that, in my opinion, have been at least as good as the ones I sent, and many not nearly as good. I would have liked to have been able to share these with fellow club members, and I still feel disappointment every tIme I turn to the "Home Grown" section. I feel that my submission was thrown onto some heap and forgotten.

They did send me products to test, free of charge. These were various flower and vegetable seeds. I planted them, then filled out the evaluation forms and sent them in. I got to enjoy some good-flavored cucumbers by this means.

It's a good club if you don't expect too much. The magazine does have some good articles, and one needs to choose which are most helpful to their particular needs.

Being a "member" was one of the most irritating experiences of and in my gardening life. I got the "nomination" form in the mail a couple of years ago, read all the stuff, and thought it was an interesting concept. Wow, I thought, I get to check out and evalutate all sorts of cool stuff and then I get to keep it. Duh!

Right after I received my welcome kit, which included a pair of shears that broke within a week, I started to get all sorts of crap through the mail from them, and all of it was to sell me more junk. The magazine was a joke and totally worthless unless you don't know how to sow a sunflower seed. So I just threw everything away they sent and the next thing I know, I start getting all these gardening books. I opened the first one and paid the postage to send it back. Then they kept coming and coming. I'd write "refused" on them and dump them in the nearest mailbox. Next, I started getting bills from them for the books I'd returned. I spent countless hours trying to get them to straighten their mess out and finally gave up and told them to turn me over to a collection agency. They didn't, which surprised me.

All this company does is sell you other stuff, as far as my experience goes. I don't care about their forums or their magazine, or their junk. I was a member for a year and they never sent me anything to evaluate. It was just a frustrating and worthless experience. I still get their "nominations" at least 3 times a year along with a paper membership card and asking me to send them $12. I'll make them a deal....they send me a rototiller to test and I'll give them the $12.

Oh yeah, make sure you check out their website and look at the terms of service. They have about 40 different National Clubs like the National Chipmunk Hunter Club, the National Grub Worm Club, the National Straw Hat Club, the National Road Apple Club, etc. This thing is no more than a magazine in disguise and a book selling company. It's sure not for any serious gardeners.

Just a suggestion.
Before logging on to the National Home Gardening Club website it may be wise to look at the "Terms of Use, Use of Material Supplied by You".

I became a member for all the extras and freebies - and so far, they have lived up to my expectations. I agree that the magazine is a little light, but it is still good for the novice to intermediate gardener to glance over. As far as the product testing, I have tested many items over the years. Most were good quality, and I still use them. I have only received one item that I rated negatively. If you are a new member, they tell you up front that the product testing goes to existing members first, then to new members. You have to wait about 6 months to get the first product to test. They will require you to sign up to test again after you have tested a product (I'm assuming to keep their records up to date), so you won't get any more products to test until you do.

I have been a satisfied member for a number of years, with no plans to cancel, so I finally gave in to the lifetime member promo and received a whole set of quality tools, a pair of garden gloves, a water-absorbing mat for the car (for transporting plants), and yes, a few useless items such as letterhead and decals. The price for the membership was a bit steep, but they credit the dues already paid for past years, so you are really just prepaying for a few years, then it's free after that. On the whole, I'm happy with my membership.

I joined the National Home Gardening Club about 5 years ago. I became a life member about 2 years ago. I really enjoy it mainly because of the clubs bulletin board. The people are so nice and helpful if I have a question or a comment. I'm on that bulletin board website every day. When the life membership dues are paid they send a tool set. It was pretty nice. I rather like the magazine. I enjoy seeing peoples pictures that have been corresponding on the bulletin board website. I have tested Daffodils and Tulips in the test program. They all did very well. The other reason I joined was to avoid the yearly dues. They go up about every year and I joined so I could pay it off and never have to deal with them again. They deducted the years dues I had previously paid.

I joined this club 6 months ago - and for the most part - really enjoy it. I did get one of those autoship books when it started, which I promptly refused and have not been bothered again with anything unsolicited. I like the magazine - but then I subscribe to about 10 of them - so I guess I'm a junkie.

I signed up to be tester and last week I received a $25.00 bottle of deer repellent to test. I am plagued with deer so I'm more than willing to evaluate it.

This week I signed up to become a life member - no I wasn't solicited - I went to them. I think it's a great club.

In my opinion, this company is a waste of time. The magazine isn't worth the life of the trees it is printed on and the only "free" product I ever received was some little cheap shovel that literally bent the first time I tried to use it. I received books in the mail that I had to send back. I simply did not get anything from this company that I thought I would. False advertisment is definitely a way to describe their way of doing things. Save the money and buy a nice plant instead. I wish I had.

I've been a member of the National Home Gardening Club for about 6 months. I like it so well, I just become a Life Member. Your club fee basically pays for the magazine--which while not THE best gardening magazine, is a decent one, and certainly worth $12 a year. To me, everything else is just a bonus. I have tested about 4 different products, from hand tools to fertilizer. One member I know was just asked to test a rotatiller. You must take a questionnaire and request to be a tester before the club will send you anything. (And each time you test a product, if you want to be considered for another product, you must sign up again.) As for the books the club publishes and sends out, you must tell the club you're willing to accept promotions before they start sending you books. (This is something they ask about on your paperwork when you first become a member.) If you decide you don't want the books, it works like any other book club, except that you may call customer service and CANCEL at any time. The club also has a handy website with forums, so you can link up with other members, plus lots of contests, and lots of freebies (from hand tools to seeds to kneeling pads to blankets...) that they give out "just cuz." I do get just a tad bit more junk mail now, but it's all gardening related, so I don't mind.

I joined for a year to try NHGC out. The magazines were too general, and too broad on the regions they covered. I got more information out of magazines I purchased locally. I did not resubscribe.

This company offers nothing much for your money. You will receive a barely there magazine with grade school level gardening tips. The freebies are useless and as far as I can tell, the product testing never materializes. This concept is known in marketing as "value added." Your basically getting a magazine you wouldn't have normally purchased at half the price because you believe your receiving all these extra benefits.

You are much better off joining an online gardening group.