Comments regarding Autumn Ridge Nursery (aka autumnridgenursery.com)

TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH AUTUMNRIDGE I THINK YOU OUGHT TO FILE LAWSUITS AGAINST THEM IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT. I have filed many small claims lawsuit and I think it is easy and fun to go after people like this. I don't know how this is carried out across state lines or maybe a class action lawsuit could be pursued with the help of a law firm. I'm wondering how this situation can be allowed to continue this long. Clearly there is something illegal going on here. Why don't you people stand up for yourselves and not allow yourselves to be taken like this? There have been many stories on TV news of crooks not nearly as bad as this! You could keep them tied up in court so much they wouldn't have time to conduct their fraudulent business. Has anyone contacted the Police? This sounds definitely like a good story for one of those shows like 20-20 or 60 Minutes or local investigative news.

OH MY! After reading the post...unfortunately...after I ordered, I am worried. I am hopeing they come through and I am one of the lucky ones. Geez, I feel for all of you.
Keep your chins up and keep at it.

Never let any company ruin your gardening!!

Sophie

I was ready to place an order and just thought I would check out the comments on Watchdog! WOW! I will not be ordering. It's truly amazing that there have been 2 positive feedbacks also, new members with Frank in their names??? Thanks everybody...I think you just saved me a few bucks!

I read these posts above and decided to respond to Malindas comment ( supervisor at Atumn Ridge Nursery ) and emailed her. She replied and convinced me that no-one who had posted here had this type of experience with Autumn Ridge or frankly didn't know what they were doing. In the process of reforesting 70 acres we ordered from 4 different nurseries. I ordered 33 trees and a few free ones were tossed in totaling 41 trees, Of the 300 trees we planted this past spring only 41 did not make it. Guess where they came from ? I just called Autumn Ridge about returning them and had the pleasure of the rudest employee I have ever heard answer my call... I had a $153.00 order and was told they would give me a deal and resend everything for $40.00 more dollars. I was then kicked over to an " owner" who explained that they ship to 150,000 customers a year and if they had to replace everyones orders they would be bankrupt. He explained that he didn't know me and the 4 minutes of phone conversation was cutting into his work time . It was made very clear that as a customer, I was of little importance to them and the only way I was getting anything to show for my original purchase was to pay 33% of the initial cost again...

I will never order from Autumn Ridge again nor will I ever refer or recommend that someone would order from them.

Three weeks after receiving and planting that same day, my two blueberries, two raspberries and one Tulip Tree still resemble just five blackish sticks with absolutely no signs of budding or growth.
I have gotten NO RESPONSE AT ALL from the customer service e-mail address.
I've just asked for either a re-shipment or refund, so I'm awaiting reply, again, but certainly am not holding my breath until I get either one.
I suppose I should have been immediately suspicious when they arrived with slimey roots ....
I also suppose I should give them another chance to correct this, so I'll leave it as NEUTRAL instead of NEGATIVE at this point.

Not thrilled with this company...I don't expect every plant to survive shipment, but when my "rare" Green Envy arrived not in a dormant state but instead bone-dry DEAD, brittle and crumbling, the company never responded to my email communications.
The other plants that shipped (stuffed) in the same tube were in rough shape, but all are still alive.
The Japanese raspberry just flowered and now has fruit forming...the Gooseberry is healthy if slow...
Have two Filberts that are also tiny, one is doing well - well, it has leaves - and the other is struggling...these were 'dirt cheap' and I got what I paid for. Lesson learned.
Got a free 'crabapple' OF SOME SORT with that order...not sure if it really is a crabapple, labeled as such...was a dry-root twig but viable...after being potted and coddled, then in the ground for two months, now sprouting growth. So that's why this is a neutral, not a negative. The freebie turned out to be the best one of the lot.

I'm just a backyard and patio gardener and have been buying "new plant projects" locally but wanted a frasier pine to try even if it really doesn't belong on the California coast. The web site was helpful, ordering was easy, I got my plants about two weeks after my order in a cardboard tube also. All I ordered was one little frasier, a golden grass and a free hibiscous. The pine was very green and damp in its newspaper, the hibiscous a dried root... which I havent attempted to deal with yet, and the little grass was bent but damp too. Fast forward a month... the grass died and the frasier pine isnt really doing anything.. I potted it immediately after getting it but now half of the leaves are brown, the other half are still green(random leaves). I have not seen any growth.. is it dead?

Considering I got my order and it arrived in reasonable shape, I can't fault the company for my results. As for buying again from online, I don't know if it's the way to go or not.. I may try again, but won't invest a lot of money... my grandfather, who liked to play poker, told me "Never gamble more than you can afford to lose."

~Sarah

Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments. I just got a flyer in the mail from this company. Wow, they make a nice flyer, but after reading the comments, I wouldn't order a single plant from this company. Thank you, thank you for your informative reviews. Buyer Beware!

Reading about all the people this company has ripped off and they way they treat customers just makes me so mad. This company should not still be doing business.
For those that have been abused by this company, if you paid for your order with a credit card then you can file a chargeback with your credit card company and get your money back if this company refuses to give you a refund. If the credit card company finds the dispute in your favor then the credit card company will reverse the payment to Autumn Ridge Nursery and credit it back to you.
Your credit card company will almost always find in your favor and reverse the charge. Autumn Ridge Nursery can claim they never issue refunds all they want but the fact is, they simply can not keep your money without giving you the items that you paid for. The items also must be in a condition that could be reasonably expected based on the description of the condition of the item at the time of purchase (re; you can't send a customer a dead plant when the customer paid for a live plant. Unless the plant was specifically described to the customer as being dead and based on that description the customer decided to purchase it and paid for it, it is reasonable that the customer can expect to receive a plant that is alive)
Taking pictures (especially digital pictures) of the dead trees/plants when they arrive along with the package and all the packaging materials is always a good thing to do. Some online nurseries/companies will accept an emailed picture of a plant that arrived damaged or dead as proof for replacement/refund instead of sending the damaged/dead plant back.
Another thing you can do to help protect yourself in the future when buying plants (or anything else) online is to open a PayPal account. You can get a debit card for your PayPal account, just like any other regular bank account, and use it to make your online plant purchases. PayPal has a very good buyer protection program. For an extra layer of protection you can attach your regular credit card to your PayPal account and pay for purchases with your credit card through PayPal. That way if you open a dispute about a purchase with PayPal's buyer protection and you either do not get refunded totally or PayPal does not find in your favor in the dispute you can then file a chargeback with your credit card company.
I have a small business selling plants online (Greenhouse Foliage) so I know how these things work. If the plants you paid for arrived dead (or otherwise not viable), were the wrong plants or did not arrive at all, there is no reason that Autumn Ridge Nursery should keep your money (requiring customers to pay 50% plus shipping for replacements is absolutely unbelievable)
Just be sure that you do not let this or any other company string you along until the deadlines for filing disputes and chargebacks are past. Most credit card companies allow 60 days (some allow 90 days) to file a chargeback and PayPal allows 45 days to file a dispute. If an online company doesn't send your order before the deadline, then go ahead and file it as an item not received (PayPal will automatically refund buyers for items not received if the seller can not provide online proof of delivery, such as a tracking # showing delivery). If you are looking to order from a company that ships at specific times instead of shipping when the order is placed, then find out when those shipping times are and place your order as close to the shipping date as possible.
Do not forget to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau against Autumn Ridge Nursery and/or any other company that conducts their business in a similar manner. You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Federal Trade Commission regulations state that a seller MUST ship out purchases to customers within 30 days of receiving payment from the customer. It seems that Autumn Ridge Nursery often does not ship out orders for months after charging the customer's credit card. This is against FTC rules and can and should be reported to the FTC. Unlike the Better Business Bureau, the FTC has the power to put Autumn Ridge Nursery out of business if they receive enough complaints about serious regulation violations.
Sorry to have taken up the space for such a long post. If this post helps anyone to get their money back from this unbelievably horrid company or helps prevent anyone else from getting ripped off, then it is worth it.
Please feel free to email me either through D-mail, through my company's page here on this forum (Greenhouse Foliage) or at my email address; Lokiwan@gmail.com

Just wanted to let everyone know that there is a website for a nursery online called Summerstone Nursery. They say they are a new company offering really cheap rates and free shipping on all orders. Interestingly enough their website, address, and phone number are the same as Autumn Ridge Nursery's is.

Just wanted to add a comment of THANK YOU to all the people who commented on this company. After a bad experience trying to buy candy from Hometown Candy (aka jordanalmonds.com and other aliases-- a fraudulent company), I now Google every unfamiliar internet shopping site I'm considering ordering from. It saved me from buying a laptop battery from Key Battery and now it's saved me from spending a bundle on roses from Autumn Ridge Nursery. THANKS AGAIN to all who posted!! I really appreciate the time you took to report your experiences!

I am a first time homeowner with a pretty bare lot. I am looking to fill a lot of area with a variety of plants. Particularly I am planning on trees, shrubs, flowerbeds and a large vegetable garden. I had a master list of what I like and knew would be good in my zone (4) and had an order of over $150.00 in my cart with Autumn Ridge Nursery. Before checkout, something made me look at the company a little closer. Maybe it was the prices were just a little "too good", but I found your reviews. I have decided not to do business with this company based on your input, and I thank you for your reviews and for this site. Newbies like me can use all the help we can get. I will instead go to a recommended place so I will at least get live plants!

Thanks again.

Well, I made an order last winter and received my twigs in the cardboard tube like everyone else's. I had never done bare root plantings but still was sceptical about these sad looking twigs. Planted everything and here were the results. 2 pear trees all put on growth and are about four feet tall a year later. 2 apple trees 5-6 feet tall a year later. 1 free crabapple 5-6 feet a year later. 1 flowering cherry is about 8 feet tall a year later (this thing was a foot tall when i planted it!). 1 dogwood tree failed to put on new growth after about a month so i emailed them with no response. A week later another dogwood comes in the mail. About a month later the new dogwood tree has new growth but so does the old one I gave up on. All my trees lived but after all of these negative posts I don't think I would order again. For one I didn't even think about graft marks on the fruit trees due to my inexperience. They are growing so well It would be a shame if they never are able to fruit.

I started reading these ratings before a I received my plants, but after I made the purchase, so I expected to come back with negative feedback of my own. To my own surprise, I am leaving neutral feedback.

Maybe its the new growth on my dogwood that has me in a generous mood =D. Funny what can make your day.. lol

Ok... so my experience with ARN went as follows....

1. Emails.. never returned or acknowledged.

2. Phone calls, always answered however the change I made to my order (which was done well in advance of the shipment) was never made, and was met with a lot of hesitancy and resistance.

3. Delivery time took 11 days from the day they shipped. I placed the order... May 27, They were shipped June 8, and I received them on the 19th of June.

4. I am admitted a novice a bareroot planting, so I took the extra time to read up. So when I received the package, I immediately deposited it in a huge bucket of water and let it sit for several hours while I purchased potting soil and pots.

Results:
The roses.. I planted directly in my garden. They aren't looking so good. They had a green base when they were planted.. but now look dried out. They are watered every morning, and every evening.. I don't hold much hope for them =(

Dogwood tree
New growth as mentioned earlier

Persian Lilac
Lots of new growth very happy plant

Hydrangeas
Little new growth.. but still hopeful

Pear Tree
Lots of new growth

There are three little sticks with little to no new growth.. and the lables have come off... I can't remember what they are.. but one should be an old fashioned lilac. Maybe two plum trees?

Note to Autumn Ridge: Get water proof labels!! Paper ones come off too easily. You tout low shipping costs... however I am sure that most of your customers would rather pay a little extra for priority shipping option... if it meant getting healthier plants in the end.

I ordered three trees (scarlet oak, tulip poplar, sunburst honey locust) and chose a hydrangea p.g. bush as my free gift. I did email them twice once within three hours of my order and once three days later with no response (I wanted to not get the scarlet oak because I found out they do very poorly in this area plus difficult to transplant, my fault sigh).

On the 8th of June I got an email stating that my order had been sent...not reflecting the change(s) I had made, but meh, that had been my fault.

Ten days later I recieved my order...they should have arrived at least five days earlier, I do a lot of mail ordering and I know when things should arrive...but after reading these posts, I was feeling fortunate for recieving them at all.

They were packed okay, however there was mold growing and I could tell right away that some rot had occured. It was quite hot out so this did not surprise me all that much either. I immediately scratched all the barks, and the locust was green (mostly had some die back), the tulip poplar had barely any green, the hydrangea bush has some slight green near the roots but was soggy and rotten up above it so I don't know if it will make, and the scarlet oak was obviously mailed to me dead as a doornail. Brown frown. Blech. I immediately called the company and told them that I thought three of four were dead or about to. I also told them that I didn't want them to send any replacements until fall since the weather had gotten so unbelievably hot. They had no problems with that, and the customer service -on the phone anyways- was impeccable hence I have given them a neutral. I will admit, all of them do look like dead twigs. I have ordered bare root stock before and have done well, so we shall see. I have planted the tulip poplar, the hydrangea (in a pot), locust, -the scarlet oak I'm going to stick in a pot too since I believe it has no hope whatsoever.

I will come back and update this experience in the fall. They are supposed to send me a form to fill out asking for replacements in the fall. Maybe they will even let me choose something that will make here (in the place of the oak)....and hopefully the trees I recieved/ will recieve do make and they are the proper ones.

My advice to those thinking of ordering from this company....make your order early enough, do a lot of research on the types of plants you are ordering, and be sure that you are familiar with bare root plants. Do not get grandeur expectations from a tree that costs you 6.00. While I personally did not have problems with the co. answering the phone, do not expect return email.

I think I did better than most folks reporting here, but wow! what a company!

I ordered $45.85 from this place in December 2006, and did receive everything promptly. I ordered with a paper order form and check, so was surprised that no copy of the order or any kind of receipt came with the plants. Not sure how I could request any customer service, as I'm lacking documentation.

My order was for three fruit trees (a plum an apricot and a peach), 25 strawberry plants, a persian lilac, 6 daffodils, and a free raspberry plant. The plants had sick-on labels. I planted them the day they arrived (all seemed to be in OK condition).

This spring, the daffodils were lovely, but the wrong variety, the peach leafed out weakly then died, the plum never leafed out at all, the "apricot" leafed out with peach instead of apricot leaves (it's still alive), the lilac is not a lilac, (ridged instead of smooth leaves, not sure what it is yet), and the free raspberry never showed any signs of life.

The strawberries made it, about half bloomed and fruited- but wrong variety - and their "second guarantee" says "we guarantee our plants to be true to name and color. Anything that proves to be wrong color or variety, we will replace free."

I don't think that it's worth my fooling with replacement policies, as almost everything was wrong or dead or died. Kind of funny, in a way. Just too bad that all McMinnville nurseries will get a bad reputation from these people.

"

We do have a guarantee and remain faithful to any customer who brings it to our attention. I have not talked to customers who does not want to make their order right. I am surprised you do not! We stand behind our guarantee and we have 300,000 customers. I am the manager and will talk to you if you have a complaint. We are proud of our reputation. We have shipped hundreds of thousands of orders since 2003, our first fall on line. I am very happy at work and most of the customers are very kind. I will be glad to talk to you if you want a replacement . Customer Service/Melinda"

First, I want to state that I have not placed an order with this company, but I spent some time browsing their website and can tell you that just based on what I saw there--even disregarding all the negative comments here--this is not a good nursery from which to order.

The first tip-off is the extremely low prices. You simply do not get quality trees and shrubs for under $5--even small ones--unless you are buying in bulk or possibly on eBay.

But the primary issue I have with the site is that plants are listed without proper information. Reputable nurseries will always give you the following:

1. Latin names in addition to common names (for instance, Cercis canadensis - Eastern Redbud), so that you know exactly what you're getting. This site has only the occasional Latin name, with most only listing the common name.

2. Hardiness Zone. This is probably the most important piece of information about a plant, and one which is nowhere to be found on their site. One can assume that the plants they sell are hardy to their own zone (in Tennessee, so I'm assuming Zone 6 or 7), but if you live in a cooler area, you have no idea if what you're buying is going to survive. There should always be an indication, by zone or by minimum temperature, of hardiness. I have never once dealt with a nursery that did not provide this info, so that's a huge red flag right there.

3. Preferred conditions. You need to know if the plant prefers sun or shade, moist or dry, acid or alkaline soil. Some nurseries aren't as thorough with this info as others, but ususally at least list basic sun or shade requirements; this one doesn't.

My recommendation to gardeners who are looking for modestly sized but healthy plants for a good price: check out Bluestone Perennials or Forestfarm. These are highly reputable nurseries with many reasonably priced plants. I've never received a smaller plant than what they advertised; if anything, they're often bigger.

"

We ship thousands of orders a year and I am very pleased with all our customers. I could not understand someone making a comment that has not ordered from our company. I am also happy with the ratio on this bulletin "Dave's Garden". Compared to the ratio of customers that we have since 2003 - 07, I am proud we only have little negative comments. I do handle complaints with the BBB and compared to 300,000 customers, I am also proud. I have enjoyed talking to the customers that compained and realized they were kind and valuable to us! We work hard for customers and we do want to keep them. My email address at the office is mwomack@autumnridgenursery.com and will be happy to talk to you. You may call me at 931-474-3386. Thank you."

Wow, it is a really good thing I "Googled" this site to see Autum Ridge Nursery's reputation with prior customers and before I was about to put in a $240.00 order for Arborvitaes and Burning Bushes. Thank you everyone for the feedback. You probably saved me $240.00 and more so, my time and possible grief, which like Mastercard states, priceless!

It seems as though the only customer service representative willing to make amends, at best, of seemingly horrific experiences customers are having is CSR Melinda? I don't see any other representatives responding? Too bad.

Has anyone made complaints to the company's local Consumer Affairs (I assume this company is not registered with the Better Business Bureau).

"

Yes, we do correspond with the BBB. We want to know if there is an unhappy customer. We have over 10 customer service agents which do handle problems or calls of very happy customers. We have been on line for four years and I have answered over 70,000 emails. During the last few weeks of shipping our 500 emails a day turns into appr. 700 and to answer these is PRICELESS. We have very committed reps. at Autumn Ridge Nursery and compared to the customers we have-we are proud of our rating on this site. This site is great and very helpful to us. I enjoy helping customers and hearing from them. Please call me 931-474-3386 or email me at mwomack@autumnridgenursery.com
Thank you/Customer Service/Melinda"

I was just about to place a $100+ order this morning and realized I hadn't checked here.

Thanks everyone for your input, I think you saved me considerable money and hassle.

At present I will give this company the benefit of the doubt. My husband placed an order online on April 28, 2006. About a week later someone from Autumn Ridge called our house because my husband had put the wrong expiration date. The told my husband the order would arrive soon. Well, I know the bank card went through because on May 11, 2006 my bank cleared the transaction.
On May 29, I tried calling the company to inquire about my order. I called 5 times, letting it ring until my phine cut off. No one ever answered. I then emailed them by using their custumer service request line. No Response!! I then found this website telling of all the negative stories. I decided to print some of the stories along with the Autumn Ridge website. I then faxed to Autumn Ridge a letter detailing my concerns for not receiving my order or a response, pages from their website stating "we stand behind our plants", the 3 guarantees and copies of the negative stories.
I will try again today to contac them. I will keep you up to date. However, if I had seen this website sooner, I wouldn't have taken the chance.

Amanda
Trenton NC

Yikes! Well I just received my shipment, mostly flowering trees- they looked ravaged (dry) and the packaging was ripped with a hole in it. I am trying to give them as much TLC as posible, hydrating them etc. Sure wish I'd seen this site before purchasing- my order was a big one. Anyway, tomorrow a friend of mine with more experience will help me plant them, provide proper nutrients etc. I also gave him several of the flowering trees in the hope that some will make it. Hoping for the best...

I ordered, received, and planted approximately 25+ various trees last november. They arrived with a little moisture so naturally I presumed they were alive. So far, it seems many are dead. I'd be a happy customer if half are alive through this summer. That's no less and no more than I expected when ordering.

Regarding the company's responses to the posts here--it seems the concern is genuine. I give anyone second and third chances if they're willing to try. If our society didn't do that, we'd have 100% unemployment.

God bless

"

I do not know your name, but if you call me in customer service, we will help you with the plants you are concerned about. Thank you for ordering from us and we do hope you enjoy the plants for many years. Let us know...Melinda/Customer Service"

I placed an order with Autumn Ridge Nursery in January. I requested to have my items shipped in the first week of March, which they appeared to have honored. I am very leary as I came across this web-site so I called them to cancel my order. The CSR was polite and informed me that they post refunds once a month and my money would be refunded at that time. Given that their prices are so low and depending on the accuracy of the CSR's statements, I plan on ordering from them in the fall. But, if anyone can let me know if this is a typical procedure for refunds, I would appreciate it.

It appears that many problems reported deal with bareroot plants and trees. I am interested in the 1-2 foot bushes. If anyone has ordered bushes from them, i.e. hydrangeas or burning bushes, I would appreciate your input.

I will update my posting toward the end of this month.

"

We have many emails from customers if you would like a copy. We save all of our mail. We want to thank you for taking the time to post the experience. We value every customer--every one of them and do hope the experience is a good one. Please let us know if we can help you again. We do appreciate your comments. Thank you/Customer Service"

I just received my order of a pear tree and a free White dogwood. I am pleased with the condition they are in. It is exactly as described. The Dogwood (free) looked a little small, but i believe it is very much alive. But since it is free and it is alive, i dont really have any complains. I found this forum since I put in my order, that is why i was very nervous about them. I did check with them almost daily on when they are shipping etc. I ordered on Monday 4/18, i received my plants on 4/23. Not bad at all. Lets just see if these plants will live and strive. SOmehow i have the feeling that if they dont, i should be blamed...I will order again...

I ordered on March 22, 2004 and on April 10th (after two ignored e-mails to their online customer service due to concern about when order would be received) I received a paper bag torn in the middle 3/4 around full of dead branches and dried roots which I paid $55.00 for.
How stupid am I? By the dear grace and goodness of my husband, we planted them anyhow and will see what comes out of it. I never did get my Weeping Willow tree, though I am weeping at my lack of good sense on using this company. I can't say about the hosta's yet, there were bulbs in plastic bags. I have yet to hear back from the company and I emailed them on April 11th. I just filed a report with the BBB online and see if that will get a result. I am thinking...NOT. Buyer beware of this company.

I placed an order with Autumm Ridge in early March via mail for a cherry and necturine tree. By ordering by mail I was given 1 free plant of my choice, it being a hydrangea. I never received a confirmation of my order or a shipping date. The plants arrived via mail on 10 April in a paper bag, inside I found the plants with dried roots and the hydrangea had pale yellow shoots about 6-8 inches long growing off 1 single stem which I had to cut off. The trees were 30-34 inches long with a few small branches with buds on them. Considering their prices, I guess the plants were what I paid for, and only time will tell if the plants survive and if they are of good quality.

Their price on fruit trees are cheap, but the size of the whip are small. e.g. the yellow delicious apple measured 1cm in diameter; the Methley plum measured 8 mm. The Walnut seedling is about 1 cm in diameter and only 18: in total length (stem + tap root). They ship ASAP and I received the plants within a week and they accept credit cards.