Comments regarding Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants

Posted on June 10, 2010, updated June 10, 2010
Posted on June 8, 2010, updated June 10, 2010
I ordered (3) heirloom plants the middle of April. I told Laurel this was my first attempt and left it up to her to pick for me. I thought she told me they would be shipped out the first week in May, but when I called she told me I was wrong and they would be shipped out the last week in May. Now I have called several times and get a full message recording. I have emailed, and faxed and I have received no response what so ever. I dont care what kind of heirlooms I get....just please dont ignore me. Refund me, send me something...just answer me please. I am the person in San Diego....Robyn.

"On Jun 10, 2010 3:45 PM, Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants responded with:

Sorry Robin, looks like a misunderstanding. By the time you ordered there was no shipping available untiil the end of May--early June. Your plants shipped today. The phones are busy, yes, and we get 300 emails a day. I do apologize; I am not ignoring you.

Sincerely,

Laurel"

In March I ordered thirty plants and was given a 15 day shipping window starting on April 17th. Being local, I wanted to pick up my plants. After calling and calling, I finally got through and Laurel told me that I could come and get them in a week. She also told me that they'd had trouble in the nursery and half of my plants weren't ready, but should be in another week. I decided not to wait and to go and get half the order, planning to return to get the rest a week later. She explained that she was doing the best she could but that I might have to take some substitutions.
I went to pick them up and a very personable woman confirmed that I should come back in a week for the rest.
It is now mid May, and I have been told that the rest of my order can't be filled because I placed my order too late. I can have substitutes for my original order.

So, my final review is mixed. the plants I was able to get are gorgeous and healthy. I am very happy with them.

But I now have to scramble 6 weeks after placing my order to get tomatoes elsewhere.I wish there had been better communication earlier, so I could have made arrangements to accommodate the change.

I think that Laurel really knows her stuff, grows exceptional plants, is very nice, but maybe needs to get some more office help.

Probably would have been a better experience if I had ordered fewer plants.
I will probably suffer through the pain of Tomatomania next year.

Hence the neutral review, but must say that her plants if you get them are beautiful and the transactions very pleasant. Just order super early and call a lot during office hours. If the voicemail is full, keep trying!!!!!
Again, nice lady.

On Friday, April 18, I called the number listed on Laurel's website, and Laurel herself answered. I said I would like to place an order, and she said she needed to call me back because her computers were being serviced. I received no return call from her, so I called later in the day. There was no answer, and the call rolled over to voicemail. Unfortunately, the voice mailbox was full and I could not even leave a message. Today (Monday, April 21), I tried calling again, and again got Laurel's voicemail, which was again full.

It seems Laurel is either too busy or unable to tend to her mail-order customers. Either way, I got the clear impression that I should seek tomato plants elsewhere.

"

Hi there! Yes our lines get really busy this time of year and we get about 15 orders per 10 minute period. So sorry I did not get back to you yet. We are taking orders constantly so if you are patient we'll be sure to take good care of you. We offer consultations to each customer and do not rush people along so you may not get an instant response--each customer is precious to us. Many companies just blast throught the ordering process--we don't ; we take our time to be sure everyone is well looked after the old fashioned way.

We take many thousands of orders at the height of the season during April and May and sometimes it takes more than one try to get through. You can also email your order and we will get back to you within 2 to 3 days. Our long-time customers begin ordering in October for their spring plants in order to beat the rush. Please give us another try and we'll add 2 free plants to your order to make up for your dissapointment.

:)

Sincerely,

Laurel Garza
Owner
Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants
310 534 8611"

When I ordered three tomatoes in early 2005 she said she could provide them all. The tomatoes did not show up and I had several email exchanges over an extended period before I finally got the plants (had wrong ship date on my order .. running behind on orders .. problem with some employee, order lost ..) . When the tomatoes finally showed up they were over a month late and were three varieties completely different from the ones I ordered. I never received any email about a substitution, which I would not have wanted. To her credit she did completely refund my money when I complained.