Comments regarding Willis Orchard Company

Thank God I didn't order from this company. I just called them to inquire about their cherry trees, a man answered the phone with ab attitude. I thought he would want to be as helpful as possible in order to earn my business, but he was very short with his answers and made me uncomfortable to ask more questions, I felt like I was botherinf him. After reading all these reviews I am glad I didn't do business with this company.... Whew....

Posted on April 4, 2010, updated April 4, 2010
Posted on April 4, 2010, updated April 4, 2010
Posted on March 14, 2010, updated April 4, 2010
Posted on March 14, 2010, updated March 14, 2010
Posted on March 14, 2010, updated March 14, 2010
I wish I saw this website earlier. I just put an order and my order has not been shipped yet. After reading these feedback, the 45%negative rate really concerned me.

What should I do and what can I do? I know.

The online nursery business should look at eBay to see how the good sellers do good business there; how to be a trusted online seller and how these can positively impact their business by a 99%positive feedback or higher. To consumers, even 97% positive is not enough. 45% is simply a NO NO. Play for long.

Over one year ago, I ordered several strawberry plants and an "Ice Cream" banana plant. The strawberry plants were bare root and completely dry. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that those dried up twigs were not going to produce quality fruit anytime soon. The fact that I paid extra for the "fruiting" strawberry plants made it all the more irritating.

The banana plant was a dried up stem. I planted it and was surprised to see it start growing. However, one year later and it is now fruiting at 3 feet tall! An Ice Cream banana plant is over 10 feet tall! How in the world do you even confuse the two????

I don't know what is going on in Georgia, but it seems you cannot trust any nursery based there. They send the wrong plants and in poor condition to boot!

Posted on March 9, 2010, updated March 18, 2010
I ordered 2 "3 year" blueberries, 3 "3 year" raspberries and 5 "3 year" grapes of different varieties last spring. Upon arrival some were in bad shape:

1. Climax blueberry "bush" was butchered to 1/3rd of the mass of the Tifblue also received - as in a single stalk with a cluster of nubs where it was hacked up - but since it survived I'm stuck with it.

2. Tifblue was total necrotic upon delivery and died soon after planting so I lost a year on this one.

3. All of the raspberries were DOA.

4. 4 of the 5 grapes were good to go with the one that died being very skinny for "3 years" and almost no roots to even plant.

Advise: do not reply to the email from Willis because they don't read any replies to their 'sales@' address. Also, the moment you receive your plants photograph them and upload them for doing a return without being out more money shipping dead twigs back to Willis.

After waiting 6 weeks for a reply and giving the plants time I called and got replacements (using uploaded photos) which arrived in November and were planted immediately...

REPLACEMENTS:

1. Tifblue blueberry - gorgeous and full... makes the butchered one look worse as it is dwarfed by the new plant.

2. Raspberries - I suppose 2 out of 3 is acceptable? 2 of these "3 year" plants had a diameter about the size of my pinky and had small leaves upon arrival and today are leafing out nicely. However the "3 year" Fall Gold arrived at about the diameter of a shrimp skewer and with little root mass to plant and today its a no go.

3. "3 year" Red Flame grape - this replacement arrived slightly skinnier than my pinkey finger with all of LITERALLY 2 roots no longer than 2 inches so its dead. Compared to the living Red Flame it was double the diameter and I had to use post hole diggers to plant it because the roots were 2' long. I put "3 year" in quotes because I don't buy some of these are that old...

So I'm done with Willis Orchard because on 2 occasions it seems pretty clear as to the lack of quality control due to the impression of filling the order and shipping it whether the plants are sick, dead, diseased, mangled and butchered or undersized/underaged. I'll just eat the losses and replace them locally or with any of the 3 other online vendors I tried last year in addition to Willis Orchard where I had NO PROBLEMS such as Gurney's, Sooner Plant Farm and Garden Crossings.

For the record:
I waited a year to post this review and give Willis the opportunity to redeem themselves and 'more of the same' substandardism was their choice. I was plenty disappointed last year but restrained myself from reviewing them to allow them to satisfy their customer even if in a very untimely manner but shipping kindling to a customer already inconvenienced was the CHOICE they made.

It goes without saying that I won't do business with Willis Orchard again.

"On Mar 10, 2010 10:34 AM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

If interested in what people think about product and service received, check this out:
[HYPERLINK@customerlobby.com]"

Expecting to order virus and disease free raspberries from a
reputable nursery, I ordered online from Willis Orchard Nursery after seeing their ad on Google. The plants were advertised as 3 year size and arrived in an acceptable time and well packages, but surprisingly all three raspberry plants were dead on arrival with tiny stem diameters, about ½ the width of a pencil. No way were they 3 years old!
The alleged, 3 year old, Heritage raspberry plant had previously been sprouted, but the leaves had dried up and turned brown, the same color of the moldy brown stem that was covered with green and blue fungus. The roots were covered with a white dusty mildew that smelled terrible. The fall gold raspberry and the September red raspberry plants were also obviously dead from top to bottom and the stems were dry brittle and snapped in two when I removed them from the package.
The 3 blackberry plants were received alive and the 3 year Apache plant did actually appear to be, in fact, 3 years old, but had already sprouted out leaves up and down the stem with 4 inch suckers growing up from the root -base of the plant. The Black Satin thornless and Navajo thornless blackberry plants were acceptable in size but infected roots with mildew and wounded stems oozed with red-purple streaks. I'm afraid to plant these in my Garden to spread disease to my other bushes and trees.
Contact with the BBB of Columbus, GA
(www.bbb.org/columbus-georgia/business-reviews/nurseries-plants-trees/paradise-palm-company-in-moultrie-ga-91800692/)
revealed that Willis Orchards has an “F” rating, and they don't even
answer complaints apparently. I'm going to also try to contact the
Governor of Georgia to see if he can help me get a refund from this
order and most horrible mail-order that I've ever experienced.

"On Feb 15, 2010 4:16 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

I've not heard of such ridicule or such a claim made by any customers here. Nor have I received any notice from the BBB or any other agency. I believe this is another competitor slander (notice the most horrible statements all come from the Atlanta area cities where my infamous competitor's college student employees live). I'll definitely keep you posted if I indeed receive any such notice from the for-mentioned agencies. This is a bogus claim. Go to [HYPERLINK@customerlobby.com] if you want to see real customer reviews.

I received two trees: an Angel Red and a Persimmon.

The Angel Red "tree" consisted of a number of thin dry branches with no leaves, no buds and short roots resembling the miniature roots of an old onion. After planting that tree, its branch tips dried out and turned black.

The Persimon tree consisted of a Stick (!), transversely sawed off at its upper end, with no leaves and no buds. Its roots were so small and thin that I first thought that there were none.

After planting these trees, I saw no sign of life.
I, therefore, e-mailed them about the condition of these trees but have received no answer.

Very disappointing and Costly mistake.

"On Mar 4, 2010 10:16 AM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Unfortunately, it sometimes occurs that inexperienced customers will mistake dormant trees as dead trees. Often after ample explanation of the natural state of a dormant tree, they still have an impossible and unreasonable expectation of leaves on a persimmon tree or pomegranate in December, as is the case here. All our trees are routinely inspected and certified by USDA inspectors and we only ship live plants. "

On September 23, 2009 I placed an order with Willis Orchard Company for 3 Kwanzan and Yoshino Flowering Cherry Trees. I was told the plants would ship next day and I would have them by the weekend so I could get them in the ground for my wife's birthday. Several weeks later after many unsuccessful calls I still didn't get my plants. Finally they arrived three weeks later.
I ordered these trees to specifically fill in gaps in my landscape to extend lines of Yoshino and Kwanzan Flowering Cherry Trees. After arriving two weeks late, I was shocked to find that they sent me 4 Flowering Cherries of the same but wrong variety. The buds of Kwanzan and Yoshino are distinctly different and any trained botanist can identify flower tree cultivars by the form, shape and color of the flower bud. Fortunately for me, my wife studied horticulture.

Willis Orchards was very uncooperative when I called them back and were in total denial mode demanding that I take photos and send them of the buds and other extensive “run around”. Do not order from this incompetent and unreliable company. I'm going to return the trees and take my losses on shipping charges, but I can charge back on my credit card and be happy I cut my losses with a bad experience with Willis Orchard.

I ordered a Giant Fuyu persimmon tree (8'-9') last Sept. 23 (Yah, a year ago) from Willis Orchards, but waited for a long time no delivery. After several emails and phone calls - you can hardly find people answering phones - they told me it will be delivered around Jan. 12. I emailed them on Jan. 15 as there was NO sign of delivery and ask for refund. Of course no response. Finally the tree was arrived in early Feb. 2009, it was more than 20 weeks after I made order and the soil was hard frozen in MD. I called them for "advice" - a guy answered, Thank God! - and told me use some hot water to break the ground and dig a hole, then plant that tree. I did as what he said, with doubt, but I had no choices. Spring came and gone, summer came - there was NO single hint that tree was alive. And I emailed them again ask for "advice" or refund - of course NO response! My fool. This is the WORST service I had EVER experienced with a nursery. So, guys, think twice if you want to order from Willis Orchards Company - they deliver dead tries in dead season!

"On Sep 25, 2009 10:12 AM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Sure, he also has ocean front property for sale in Kansas. We answer 8 phone lines from 8 a.m. to at least 5:30 p.m. M-F and often until 6 or 7. Also half a day on Saturday.

Record high temperature Saturday Feb. 8, 2009 at Dulles.
The high temperature of 65 degrees Saturday at Dulles International Airport set a new record for the date, topping the old record of 59 degrees, set in 2005.
At BWI, the Saturday high of 62 degrees fell just short of the record - 64 degrees, set in 1904.
Today's record high temperature at BWI is 70 degrees, set on this date in 1965. The forecast high for this afternoon is 67 degrees. It was 64 degrees at noon"

I ordered SO many trees from these people, and I think two have survived. I have to admit that they are VERY good about returns, but what good is it if most of your plants arent making it?

95% of my trees from them didnt make it, while 95% of my locally purchased trees DID. I just dont want to order bare-root anymore, ive had so many problems with the bare root trees.

Also...be very careful about your growing zone. Many of my willis trees died up until the rootstock, now I have lots of shoots coming out of the bottom after the MN winter. Trees raised in Georgia just arent going to adapt to a northern winter, I dont care what the zone recommendation says.

They have good grapes, and both of my lemons from them are alive, but be very wary.

"On Aug 21, 2009 4:03 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Actually, our trees are grown all over the United States. However, none are grown in Minnesota. We are appreciative of your compliment about our honesty in following our guarantee policy and are sorry you were not very successful growing the trees you received. If you want potted trees, we do offer them but they are typically more expensive because they must ship via freight.

Wow, I wish I'd read these reviews before dealing with this company. The trees I ordered didn't grow. Eventually after a few phone calls and several months ("wait till fall..." they said) they were replaced, but 2 of the 4 still didn't grow (and I had the help of a horticulturalist and did all the care and watering prescribed, religiously). I had been clearly told they WOULD refund if they didn't grow, but on the next call the woman didn't even let me finish the sentence in which I was going to ask for a refund, saying, "Ma'am" with a petulant tone, "we don't refund". I talked with the owner, Jason (hard to get hold of, I think he's there just avoiding, but eventually I did get him) and he also mounted a strong defense (sometimes by means of mounting an offense). He did say at one point he'd work out a partial refund, and send more trees, but the partial refund never was mentioned again and now 9 months later when I called to ask for a refund on the replacements that didn't grow, I was told by the same woman flatly no refunds: "Ma'am, this is agriculture, we don't refund." I can tell she talks to unhappy customers all day long. She gets on the offense to beat you to the punch. I had put off this call a long time because my contacts had been so unpleasant before, and before calling this time I resolved not to get upset. I expected them to say they would replace, but not refund, and I wanted a refund. I had already put too much time and effort into the failed project and wanted to call it quits. I was in for $300 for the two trees that didn't grow. I was hoping to get some portion of that back. But she surprised me by saying they replace once and that's it, you're on your own. I got mad and said "so I guess I've flushed $300 down the toilet?" and she said that I was "spewing venom". I said that Jason, in an earlier conversation months ago had said he would give me some money back but didn't say how much, and she demanded, "Well, if you had already talked to Jason why didn't you say so?" (a side note: they don't mention people's names unless you've already learned them somehow) I told her I thought she'd have notes accompanying my customer information since there'd been much discussion.. I asked to talk to Jason and she said he wasn't there, and with forced and phony politeness she took my name and number and said he'd call on Monday. I don't expect a call and will just have to take the loss. They are petty and rude, and they have a good racket going to get your money and keep it. I would say, those who have written positive reviews were lucky to have ordered products that grew. Yes, they were very nice BEFORE and WHILE they took my order...but if you get something that doesn't grow then you get to see what their "service" is really like. Don't order from these folks. (Also, someone else noted that they recommended things that were inappropriate for their area..I encountered this also. Best to go local for many reasons.)

"On Aug 17, 2009 1:52 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

It's worth mentioning that our ratings with Google customers is currently 4.2 out of 5 Stars and this from 253 reviews in the past few years. However, Dave's website, with a much smaller number of reviews, seems to reflect an entirely more negative tone that in no way reflects the true experience of 95% of our customers. (I tried to copy and paste the 1st page from our Google review page below.)

4.2 of 5
1 - 20 of 253 Reviews Next »
Rating Comment /Item Customer Order Date

5 *****, took care of an order issue really fast.
Drake Elm Tree (2); Collins Select Pa... more »
huy le / lovely nails 330582838787700 Jul 20, 2009

(no comment given)
Dwarf Myer's Lemon Tree more »
Sam N Guarino 934124218016789 Jul 12, 2009

I was so happy I sent them a e- mail. That I would send them a picture of my palm tree, out in front of my water feature. Great Job Willis Orchards.
Windmill Palm more »
charles crespi 840725549993675 Jul 4, 2009

(no comment given)
Pisang Ceylon Banana Plant more »
Sharmil Desai 651711773683853 Jun 29, 2009

Great experience. Received the fruit trees in just a few days.
Improved Myer's Lemon Tree; Persian L... more »
Addie C Wilheit 414237414201737 Jun 14, 2009

Fast shipment and exactly as ordered.
Improved Myer's Lemon Tree more »
John Strong 407655847680019 Jun 13, 2009

(no comment given)
Improved Satsuma Orange Tree more »
Michael V. Reynaud 272750452495266 Jun 5, 2009

(no comment given)
White Kadota Fig Tree; Montmorency Ch... more »
Peter Speros 610133927003208 Jun 3, 2009

I've dealt with Willis Orchard twice and both times received excellent service.What I like about them is they send you via email a link to Fed Ex so you can track your shipment.
Improved Satsuma Orange Tree more »
Michael V. Reynaud 120462338783884 May 27, 200

I ordered 4 6-7' trees (apple, cherry, nectarine, and plumcot), and 3 blueberry bushes. When they arrived ALL of their roots were butchered and less than 12" in length, most only 6" in length. I tried calling, but could not get a response for several weeks. Their website was "closed for updating". I finally spoke with a woman who wouldn't identify herself and was told that it was normal to shorten roots for shipping. None of the trees have survived. Of course no refund per policy and return shipment of dead trees at my expense is ridiculous.

Notice replies on this website are full of lame excuses and lies. 40% customer DISSATISFACTION is BAD. I wish I had seen this site BEFORE placing order.

Do NOT buy from these rip-off artists.

My experience is similar to those of other people, though I never saw the product. I cancelled my order of some rabbiteye blueberries, because I found a lot of information on the internet that rabbiteye's (Native to GA, northern FL, AL) will not do well in western Pennsylvania, contrary to the zone map shown on the Willis Orchard website. I don't know if this map is indeed accurate. Regardless, because I was preparing the bed for the blueberries for my mom in PA (located on a ridge as well) while I live in CA and am currently in a rare summer visit, I didn't feel like dealing with plants not hardy enough for the region. I cancelled within 24 hours and wanted a refund, which was supposed to be a full refund as written in the agreement I digitally signed. They refunded promptly, but tried to rip me off for $10 for doing nothing.

The emails are shown below. I never got a response to my final email, and just referred this situation to my credit card company. My credit card company has now refunded the $10 to my account, but it was pretty irritating to go through this for such a simple situation.

Do yourself a favor and avoid this company if possible.


Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:55:11 -0700
From: stoygop
Subject: Re: Willis Orchard Company Customer Refund Notification
To: jason

Jason,

The total amount I paid was $70.60, not $60.60 as this refund is for. Please refund the other $10. Thanks.

Campbell

--- On Tue, 7/21/09, jason wrote:

From: jason
Subject: RE: Willis Orchard Company Customer Refund Notification
To: stoygop
Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2009, 3:51 PM

Mr. Campbell,

The $10 is the cancellation fee that you agreed to prior to checkout. You also gave your electronic signature that you agreed to this transaction and to our company policies. We feel that a small cancellation fee is within industry standards and collection of this fee is to cover clerical costs associated with the order and the credit card transaction fees associated both with the initial charge and the refund charge.
This being said, should you decide to place a future order we would offer a $10 store credit off your total of $80.60 or more.

Best regards,
Willis Orchard Co.

From: stoygop
Subject: RE: Willis Orchard Company Customer Refund Notification
To: jason
Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 12:23 AM

Jason,

This is simply not true. The agreement I digitally signed said,

"Cancellations
If a customer cancels an order within 24 hours of being placed, they will receive a full refund. Orders cancelled after this period, but prior to shipping will incur a 10% clerical fee."

Even that 10% fee would only be $7.06. You are just making up numbers, as there is no mention of $10 anywhere in the agreement.

The checkout page says, "Orders for Fall shipping will be reserved at the current pricing.
Cancellation of Fall orders will incur a 10% clerical fee."

This is more vague but does not apply to me regardless because the blueberry plants I ordered stated "Shipping now" both on the website and in my invoice (which is why I was interested in your company to begin with as everywhere else was only taking fall orders for blueberries). Perhaps this was an error on your company's webpage, as they now say "Shipping Fall '09", but I don't believe I am responsible for inaccuracy on your company's website.

Your company can charge any cancellation fee it wants and I would abide by it if that is what I signed. But this is simply not the case. I would have expected your company to honor the agreement as well.

Further, I cancelled my order extremely promptly (emails sent within 3 hours), going to some extra measure to do so since your company gives no email address anywhere on the webpage and I was canceling on a Saturday when your phones are not staffed. I was well within the 24 hour deadline entitling me to a full refund. Please refund my money. This plea is all I have the power to do by myself. If you still disagree, I will dispute the charges with my credit card company.

Campbell

Two years ago I ordered an Alberta Peach tree for $59.00 plus shipping. It came and looked healthy. I ordered two more smaller Albertas for 19.00 each. They looked dead on arrival. When I called to get a refund I was told that the trees were dormant and would grow in a year or so! I said I did not with to wait and I wanted my money back. The owner was quite rude. They refused, siting their "Friendly Return Policy" which states that they will replace the trees within a year, but will not refund. I would have to pay the return shipping and would get no refund of the initial shipping charges. I contacted my credit card and had them charge the purchase back, as is my right under the Fair Credit Act.

This year the first tree I ordered, which was healthy and grew, bore fruit, but the peaches were white! It was not an Alberta at all and now I have to cut it down and start over.

It has been too long since I bought that tree to charge it back to the credit card, so I guess I have to accept being cheated by the "Friendly Return Policy" (They cheat you with a smile!)

I contacted this company in the summer of 2008. I was looking for blueberry plants for zone8. I was told there was a sale on of plant that would work in my area and lo and behold they were on sale. I spent 99.00 on four large blueberry plants, that were supposed to be 3-4 years old and capable of bearing berries. When I received them some weeks later they were in newspaper and had jell around the roots. I was concerned because they had shipped from GA and the root material seemed small for the size of the plant. No dirt was visible and they had berries on them. They looked like they had been torn out of the ground. Blueberries and others in this family are sensitive to root disturbance. I planted them any way and by July/August they were dead. I contacted Willis Orchards and they agreed that "shipping" was a problem and they would replace the plants the following winter. So late December 2008 I received 4 more plants. Much smaller this time and budded out. Again I had concerns about the size of the roots and the fact that in December they were budded out (remember coming from Georgia) and would they survive in the NW, still Winter. Needless to say I planted them and tried again. They were clearly dead by April and so by May I asked for a "refund." I think the berries were processed incorrectly and were the wrong type for my area. I am an organic gardener, with much garden experience and a very green thumb. I replaced the plants with new ones that are thriving but these are local plants. I did contact the Better Business Bureau because Willis Orchards refused to return my calls and emails. I would not recommend purchasing plants from them especially if you are from out of state and not in the same zone. I do not want plants sent to me if I am clear about the zone I am in and clearly ask about the condition of the plants. I received a rather rude response back. I do purchase alot of plants online especially from Burpees and Gurney's and had good experiences. I also use local nurseries alot. I love Raintree Nursery, WA and Burntridge Mike Dolan I do expect some loss but when I saw the plant material I knew there was going to be a problem. I will not use them again. The blueberries I purchased from Raintree online, and Burnt Ridge and my local nursery are doing just fine.

Unfortunately, I have to give this company a negative rating. The cherry tree that I ordered this Spring is looking pretty nice as well as one of the two berry plants that I ordered. One has not taken off, but I might just write it off. Anyway, the plants look nice, but their customer service is not good. I ordered my plants pretty early because they sold out of what I wanted last year. After a month of waiting, I called to see if they had shipped my order. I was told that they usually do not ship to Southern Illinois until later in the Spring. I understood this, but requested immediate shipment and they said they would get it out in a couple of days. I called after two more weeks and they said no shipment was scheduled and they wouldn't ship it out until later in the Spring. I requested again that it be shipped immediately and got the green light. A week later I called to confirm the shipment and to get a tracking number and again, there was no shipment scheduled and they had no record of the first two requests. I told them to either ship it the next day or cancel my order and guess what, I got them in three days. I know it's easy to overlook things with so much going on, but three phone calls to get something that I ordered is too much.

The dealings I have had with Willis Nursery are without question the worst customer service I have experienced from a mail order company. I have learned my lesson to simply purchase from a local dealer.
Basically, for a feel for this company's commitment to customer service, please read the mean-spirited responses that they provide to the postings on this web site.
I ordered two fig trees in March, which were supposed to be 6 feet tall, for $59.95 each. Upon arrival, they were significantly smaller, in the 4 foot range at best. In the meantime, I purchased larger, healthier fig trees locally for $39.00.
The fig trees from Willis Orchards were planted the day I received them. I watered them religiously, but they never budded. I returned the dead trees to Willis, roughly a month ago. Since then, I had heard nothing from the company, and an email from a week ago was not returned.
I called them today to determine the status of my order, and was told that the replacements would not be sent until this fall, since they had "oversold" and are currently sold out of this size. Finding this unacceptable, I asked for a refund and was told that they didn't do this. The person I spoke with over the phone was rude, quoted "policy" (even though this is supposed to be a family business), and cared less about my experience. I asked to speak to her supervisor, and she told me that she was the supervisor. I asked to speak to the owner of the company, and she said that he wasn't there and did not get actively involved with the company. When I told her that I was not a happy customer, she told me not to speak to her in "that tone of voice" and hung up on me. I called back, she answered, and when I asked who I was speaking to, she wouldn't give me her name.
Happily, this was a small order. However, I have now posted a complaint about customer service for the first time in my life, and I am 54 years old.
Do not order from this company: smaller sizes than advertised, no refund policy, and quite rude to customers.

I had ordered two different mulberry trees, 1 apricot tree and 1 raspberry plant. These were ordered in November and I live in the midwest, so the ground was frozen. I received them about 1 - 2 weeks later and I could not plant them. I emailed them and told them that I could not plant them due to the ground being frozen, so I put them in a pot in the basement to keep them dormant. They said that should be OK. The mulberries started to grow over the winter, the raspberry and apricot did not sprout at all. The mulberries started to die off. I let Willis know the status of my plants. In the spring I planted them and the mulberry trees dried up, the raspberry turned into a dried stick, however the appricot started to sprout leaves last month. I emailed Willis again and they said I had to send them back. I asked if they paid the shipping on the returned plants and they would not.
I have dealt with many plant companies and they all ship the plants for the planting season for your area. They told me it was my fault since I did not designate when I wanted them. Customer service is not on the top of their list.
I shipped back the plants, at my cost, and told them I wanted a refund, I do not want more of their plants from this company. I have not gotten a respsonse back from them nor have I received my refund.

VR, Char
I will not buy form them again.

My husband placed an order and gave Willis Orchard our credit card number. Later we get a call from Willis Orchards stating they wrote down a wrong number and needed the number again. Yet again they called with the same issue, they must have written down the number wrong yet again. I was trying to be nice although they didnt see it that way. They found me rude when I couldn't understand how they were not able to write down 16 digits correctly if not the first time then at least the second time. I was in customer care for years and would have been red faced enough to have to call back the first time let a lone a second time and admit that I messed up again. They found nothing wrong with their lack of competance and found me to be rude. They also stated that they did not understand my frustration with them not being able to get the credit card number correct. I tried to speak calmly with the guy after Cynthia passed my call to him but he was adament that I was rude and he was cancelling the order. Wow.

I was feeling bad about the call and although I felt I was not rude and that it was reasonable to be frustrated I still felt bad, however, I felt much better and relieved after finding this site and reading all the other horror stories and now feel that we have dodge a bullet and what seems to be inevitable additional rustrations after the credit card is charged. Now at least we do not have to fight to get our money back, to get our product, get replacements, return at our costs their product, etc

Thank you Dave's Garden for your site and thank you to all the "customers" that had to suffer to save us.

Based on reading Willis Orchards responses to other postings, I am guessing they will say I screamed and yelled but I did not and they will probably also make it seem like it all our fault and take no responsibility for the call..

I called Willis Orchard Company to ask a few questions before purchasing trees for my yard. When I called, a woman answered the phone and I introduced myself, then proceeded to ask my questions. Half way through my first question, I was told, "I don't have time for you right now -- go to the website" and she hung the phone up on me. I tried calling back however, she didn't answer the phone. Needless to say my questions were never answered, and I decided not to purchase from a company that has no regard for customers (potential or current). I suppose it worked out for the better, considering this company has a 50% success rate with making customers happy, which is probably more than I should expect after being treated the way I was.

I don't know what the final product is like, but I'd urge people to be very cautious dealing with a company this blatantly rude and disrespectful. Customer service obviously isn't important, and my money is better spent somewhere else.

"On Jun 10, 2009 10:04 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Actually, as of this comment, there have been only 99 total comments posted on this site in two years. And, most are positive comments and a few of the negative are not even our customers. Yet, we service this many customers or often twice this many in a single day. This is a rant and slander site that in no way reflects 99% of the customers we are annually engaged with for orders or customer service. "

I ordered Paw Paw trees in November and received them quickly. I planted them immediately, as it was beginning to get cold. In April, the trees had not put out leaves. I contacted them via email and asked what I should do. They told me to send them back and they would promptly send more out. Though it was a hassle to dig them up and find a box to send them in, I sent them back on April 31. I had still not heard anything from the company by May 20, so I emailed them asking about the return shipment. I got a response saying that the return was not recorded in their system and asking if I had delivery confirmation. I checked the tracking number and the trees had been received on May 5. I sent the information to Willis Orchard. I have still not heard back from them, and it is May 28 - 23 days after they received my return. I am anxious to resolve this and hope that by posting on this site, they will be more willing to work with me for a satifactory resolution. At this point, I would prefer a refund.

When I received my order the plants look all dead,no buds,no life, there were mail on a Holliday then a weekend, in a box on a UPS truck for over10 days.
I succeded to bring back 5 out of seven but still in nursery with care and finnally have buds after 90 days but two still no buds. I could'nt believed the shape of those plants I received even the UPS driver was supprise.
The plants are guarrenteed but a hassel to go through there proceedtures. I went to a local Nusery and bought the remaining trees I aquired to completed my landscaping.
Bottom line! go to your local nussery to buy your plants.

I ordered about $350 worth of trees. One was a 7 gallon Nagami Kumquat for arount $160 that was to be between 4-6 feet. I drove for five hours to pick it up. It was a little over 4 feet high. When I got it home I discovered it to be a Meiwa Kumquat with round fruit. They are not the same. I phoned and was told that the man who picked it out said, "they will start out round." NO THEY WON'T. And they are still round. They decided to ship another. They sent the exact same thing again. Now the problem became mine. I would have to dig both up and box both up and ship both in order to receive a refund.

Now the same tree sells for $59.95 to match the price of the tree at TyTy Nursery also in Georgia.

They either don't know what they are doing or they have used bait and switch tactics. Either way, I'll never shop there again.

"On May 24, 2009 6:59 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

You drove 5 hours and surely picked out or approved the tree you took with you. Anyway, I am sorry to hear this story as well as the plug for our competitor. "

This has been the worst experience I have ever had with any online order. I bought two fig trees and a blueberry plant that all said "shipping now' about two weeks ago. They didn't ship so I emailed them to ask when they will be shipped. I asked that they will not be shipped until May 27 because I want to plant everything at the beginning of June. I got an email back saying that they are scheduled to ship on June 27th! I was surprised about the delay so I called back and they told me that was a mistake and that they will ship on May 27. They also said they wrote a note to not ship earlier then that. Lo and belod I got a shipping notice yesterday so the plants will be here on May 27 instead of a week later. I emailed back but of course didn't get a response. I don't understand how a mail order company can have such terrible customer service. I also asked to add another blueberry plant to my order when I called so I can get cross polination which I didn't realize I need when I placed the order and was told they don't do add ons to the order and that I need to place a new order for a minimum of 50 dollars (for a 6.95 plant).
Aweful, terrible, experience. I am never buying from them again and that's even without seeing the plants yet.

"On May 21, 2009 5:49 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

typo said June. Clearified May 27, arrival two week from order date. sorry."

The worst experience I have ever had in 30 years of buying plants via mail order. Received a bareroot pomegranate tree over a year ago that never leafed out. I phoned the company several times and was told that they would replace it. In the fall, I called again and they asked me to pack up the dead tree and mail it back to them. I did in November of 2008. I called them about Christmas time to ask if they had received it (they had) and when could I expect my replacement tree. They told me that they would begin shipping trees at the beginning of the new year. When by the end of March I had still not received a tree, I called to inquire and was told that it would be another two weeks, they had very obviously forgotten about my order. The bareroot tree arrived at the end of April. It had been fully leafed out when it was shipped, because the dead leaves were inside the box and a few shriveled ones still clung to the branches. I planted it anyway, even though I should have known better -- it was not going to leaf out again. I called today hoping for an apology and some assurance that on the third time they would get it right. No, I was told that they don't replace trees a second time and it was my fault for calling in March asking when I would receive the replacement. Nothing was their fault, they had done nothing wrong. Absolutely, the worst mail order plant nursery I have ever dealt with - just read some of their responses to some of the negative postings already out there. Avoid at all costs.

"On May 20, 2009 8:02 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

She called screaming and demanding shipment of a second free replacement, now when they are actually leafed-out, and was politely told we offer one replacement per item. More yelling at us and this post because she didn't like that. But some companies don't give replacements at all, but we do. Records indicate return in Jan. and replaced in March. What did we do wrong to deserve her wrath? Original order of 6' pomegranate like 3-400 others that we sent to other people. She received it and was happy, then. But it died, so we send her a free replacement. Unfortunately, it apparently has also died but hundreds of others lived. Is it our fault? Actually, we do not blame anyone. That's why we give a free replacement."

Very early in 2008 I ordered a compact stella cherry tree and a purple vitex tree off the internet from Willis Orchard. When I received my order I planted the cherry tree in a raised bed with good black topsoil and well aged manure. The cherry did not break bud. I called the company and was told that it would bud out give it some fertilizer and wait. I did exactly as told. It did not bud out. Called the company again and was told to send it back for a replacement. I did on July 16, 2008 with a letter asking them to send the replacement tree around April 15, 2009. Well, in the fall of 2008 they sent a replacement cherry tree. I went ahead and planted the tree which was my mistake. I should of sent it back. It is now May 14, 2009 and the cherry tree never broke bud. I have been gardening professionally and privately for decades. I called the company back and told the woman the story. I never was able to finish a sentence without her interrupting. At one point she asked for my name and zip code and I was told that I had received my replacement tree and I would not get another tree. I then asked for my money back and she said that was not going to happen. I reminder her that I had wrote a letter asking them to sending the replacement tree in 2009 and she said she didn't know anything about that. I asked to speak to the owner and she refused many many times. When I asked her her name she told me it was none of my business!! I told her that a negative response would be placed on Daves garden and I would file a dispute with the Better Business Bureau. She didn't care and was yelling by then. Pls read the other customers experiences with this outfit before placing your order. BUYER BEWARE!!

"On May 15, 2009 11:02 AM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

When planting trees in the early planting period and your tree doesn't live, we send replacement at the next planting period which is the Fall. What's wrong with that? When you are provided product twice, as promised, and you unfortunately were unsuccessful both times, does not mean you now are given money also. That's irrational and not what was promised. Then to make negative posts about our company when literally hundreds of other people planted that exact same tree and were successful, sounds like vengeance. And when someone screams, curses and demands in your face, what do you do? It really doesn't matter what you do, because what ever it is, it will never make that person like you..... even if you give them $19.95."

Back in February, I was looking for a mulberry tree for my backyard. I did a google search and found Willis Orchards to be near the top. Their website was very complete, professional, and not only did they have mulberry trees, but other trees I was interested in as well. So I ordered a black mulberry, a white dogwood, a japanese maple, and a saucer magnolia for a total price of $164 including shipping. Not bad. The following week, I called to check when they were going to ship. March is a great time to plant trees here in Idaho. The man who answered asked what state was the order from, then said they would be shipping to Idaho in "1 to 2 weeks." So 2 weeks went by, I called again, was asked the same question, and was told the same thing. "1 to 2 weeks." Never was I asked what my order number was, or any other specifics. So, after another week, I decided to call and cancel my order. Cynthia answered, and after the initial, "What state was the order from?" question, she actually asked for my zip code and found my specific order. Then stated that she was moving it to the "Ship" pile. My order hadn't even been considered for shipping until a month after it was placed, even after two previous calls. When I asked her why, I could feel the tension start in her voice. She said that she and her company doesn't know what to do when a northern order is placed. I thought that maybe calling and asking would be appropriate, but communication is obviously the least of this company's priorities. I then told her that I would like to just cancel the order, and she said, "Fine." and was about to hang up when I caught her and asked, "Will my credit card be credited for the full amount?" She said minus the restocking fee. All this company had done to this point was charge my credit card and move the piece of paper from one pile to another. I asked how much, and she said $46.XX. Needless to say, I was upset. She said that this was clearly stated on the website and there's nothing I could do. I said if I didn't cancel, when would I receive the order. This was on a Thursday, she said they would ship tomorrow and I would receive them by Wednesday at the latest. I said if I recieve them by the end of next week, I would be happy. Well, the next Tuesday I called again just to make sure the order had shipped, and was asked,"What state?" Then, "Idaho orders will be shipped in 1 to 2 weeks." This was now the end of March, by the way. I told this man that Cynthia promised me the order would be shipped no later than last Friday. He said, "Well then, I'll let you talk to her, bud." After three minutes on hold, I hung up, called back and spoke with a genuinly nice person named Erin. I had done a little research, and found the website stated that a 15% restocking fee would be applied to cancelled orders, which was $24, not $46 as Cynthia had stated. I told her this, and the rest of the whole debacle after she asked why I was cancelling my order. She was very apologetic, and said that there may be no charge at all because nothing had been done, but that she would need to talk to the owner first. Three days later, my credit card was refunded, minus $20. That just shows the priorities of this company. I wouldn't have written this negative review if they would have considered customer service at all. They don't. But that's not the end of the story. A week later, a box came to my door from Willis Orchards. I thought that maybe one of the trees had been shipped and that was the $20 charged, not some petty "restocking fee". After opening the box, I discovered that all four trees had been shipped. Well, more like a box of sticks with 4 labels on them had shipped. Obviously this company can't communicate amongst themselves let alone their customers. After carefully deciding what to do, (I didn't want to be charged again!) My wife and I decided to take the better road and communicate back to them that their trees had shipped and what would they like us to do. My wife called and the person who answered was immediately belligerant. My wife was scathed for opening the box and was asked why she did so? My wife then asked why she was being rude to her, we were just trying to help them out. The reply was that, "You just didn't like the question." She said to tape the box back up, and leave it on the porch. After my wife stated that she was going to make a complaint with the BBB, the lady started yelling so my wife hung up. The box has now been sitting on our porch for over a month. Tomorrow, it will go in the trash. After checking their rating on the BBB (Under Paradise Palm Company) we decided their existing "F" rating reflected their business appropriately, and so we are just explaining our experience with them to other potential consumers. This is only our experience, and it seems from the other reviews that some people are indeed satisfied by their service. I can only suggest to them that communication is key for an online business, and they sorely lack in that department. If you "Don't know what to do" for a customer, how hard is it to call that person up and ask? Until this is remedied, I cannot recommend Willis Orchards to anyone.

"On May 15, 2009 11:05 AM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Sent free product and still not happy???

I ordered Raspberries and Blueberries from this company in late October of 2008. I did not get anything from them till really late November. As result of that almost all raspberries and blueberries were dead at the spring time. Called them back and was told that they need to get dead bushes back and I will get a replacement. After I shipped dead bushes I did not anything from them. Called them back and the person on the phone was extremely rude and unfriendly. She told me that I will get only one shipment back and it is going to be at the fall. If I want my blueberries now I need to pay for them.

"On May 15, 2009 11:14 AM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Requesting replacement in May, told the plants are already growing in the field and would not be wise to transplant until Fall. But that's not what they want to hear so you are called rude, mean, ripoff, etc..Try to do the right thing and still get slammed???"

In all of my years of gardening this is by far my worst experience. I ordered 12 trees and I do not think any of them are going to grow except the peach that has appears to have a bad case of bacterial canker. What a total disappointment, these plants were not even worth the shipping costs. Big red alert here!!! Worst quality that I have ever experienced.

"On May 15, 2009 11:24 AM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Had a man call who bought 250 pecan trees and said he only had 12 that didn't make it. He bought 200 more for us to ship with his 12 replacements,"this Fall". I wonder what the difference was between these two? Big Red Alert!?!?!?"

I ordered for about $300 of plants that were supposed to be shipped in autunm, I placed the order in May and they cash the money right away, they didn't wait til the shipping date to cash the money.
With no email or communication ( I tried to find out but no answer from them ) 6 months aftyer getting paid the plants arrives on December 23th at 3 PM, WHO IS READY TO PUT PLANTS AND TREES in the GROUND ON DEC 24tn.
I was mad, real mad, but on Dec. 24 in the morning me and my son, who was visiting with his family, start planting the plants, we did it even if Santa was having fun at us, in this spring I realise that one plant that I paid $9.99 was dead, it didn't work for this one, this was the cheapest plant that I bought from them, I wrote them an email about it and their answer was that they will replace it but only if I return the dead plant ant they will send me another plant in November or December which to me is unnacceptable, I could have said that it was the tree that I paid $79.99 that was dead but I was honest with them and they laft at me, this is the worst place I have bought items on the Internet. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS PLACE, it will end up being a NIGHTMARE for YOU TOO, it's a lot more than what I wrote but it will be way too long to read, but even after that you still decide to buy, be patient, make sure you do not need your money for something else while you are waiting for shipping, and before clickink OK, start to learn to bread by the nose for relaxation because you will need it.

Good luck
NO MORE FOR ME, I will pay more somewhere else before buying something from them.

P.S. I bought a new plant somewhere else to replace my dead one

"On May 15, 2009 11:45 AM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

We typically just ship gift orders at this time, unless they call for immediate shipment. I'm not sure, but a regular order arriving that day would be unusual. But he placed an order in the summer, got the summer prices, and the best planting time for the deep South is Dec. and Jan.. Only lost one $10 tree out of $300 but still filled with animosity and hate.
(I ordered an airline ticket in April, was charged then, but my flight doesn't leave until late July. But, my price is fixed.)"

On March 3, 2009 I placed an order for two Angel Red Pomegranate Trees (one 2-3' as a gift for my Italian neighbor who has taught me how to grow figs and grapes, and who mentioned that he wished he could get a Pomegranate tree, and one 10-12" for myself) and a Santa Rosa plum. After a month, when I didn't receive an email to confirm that the shipment was made, I called Willis and spoke to a pleasant woman who told me that it would ship to my region in another week, which it did. I received the trees (Order Number 1066884688) on Monday April 20. I had told my neighbor, Reno, about my gift to him and so we opened the shipment together. All three trees were wrapped in the same gell packed scrap of plastic. The trees were in poor condition. The roots were sparce and broken, and I couldn't see any young capilary roots that would indicate good healthy stock. There were no green leaves or buds at all. The Santa Rosa plum was a single trunk with no branches, and the top 6-8" inches appears to be desiccated. The 12" Pomegranate, which I immediately potted and put in my greenhouse, had the same desiccated appearance, and when I gently bent the top two inches to test if it was limber and alive it snapped. The larger Pomegranate (3') seemed to be somewhat more alive, but the roots don't appear to be healthy, and my friend and neighbor, Reno (an avid experienced gardner) said he didn't think it would survive. We planted it and the Santa Rosa immediately, but don't hold out much hope. In contrast I have received two other shipments from two other nurseries both containing vibrant healthy specimens that I have total confidence in. I have read the positive and negative comments posted here as a result of this experience, wishing I had read them in advance of ordering from Willis Orchards (24 negatives and 55 positives is not a good record). I have not tested Willis' "friendly return policy" but who needs the frustration, expense and hastle of returning dead trees and the loss of a growing season? I'm not angry or vindictive, just disappointed in the quality of the products.

"On May 15, 2009 12:02 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Sound like he bought the smallest youngest trees available, except for the 3' pomegranate that he is indeed happy with. Not sure what type, size or age product bought elsewhere but a young 2' plum would not have a big root and branches yet. Maybe, maybe if these do grow well this summer he will be happy. If not, we are happily willing to honor our replacement policy."

In 2008 I drove over to Berlin, GA to Willis Orchards to buy a Black Mission fig tree, but last fall the fig produced a yellow fig, which i think was a Celeste fig. Willis Orchards did replace the wrong fig tree, but that replacement is now dead. Also, my Cavendish banana tree lived last year but is now dead, even after warm temperatures of 90 degrees. The guava trees looked great last year, and actually had guavas on them, but two guava trees shed all of heir leaves this winter and show no signs of life. The 6 foot loquat tree survived the winter but shows no signs of new growth. as a dedicated, avid gardener, I am mot impressed with Willis Orchards Nursery.

"On May 15, 2009 12:15 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

This is a bogus post. Personally bent over backwards for this man and he has rewarded me with this fraudulent post. He has been given far more than he ever paid for and if he can't grow these type trees in Moultrie, where they are growing all over town, then I question the word "avid". "

I placed an order with Willis Orchard on 3/15 for over $500 in merchandise. I called yesterday (4/28) and- although they're entirely computerized I was told they'd have to "check the warehouse" for my order, and that due to extreme cold temps in their (GA) and my (CA) regions, my order wasn't shipped. I called their weather bluff, and requested immediate notification of shipment. They returned my call only after I had to call them again today, requestion some kind of action, and the girl said she would call me back with a tracking number. Lo and behold~ I just got an email from Mr. Willis (a hotmail account no less), notifying me of a pending REFUND. That's all well and good (depending on WHEN I get it)~ but what about the $300 I paid a crew to dig holes for me expecting immeditate delivery~ when I couldv'e dug them myself at leisure over six weeks? Or what about the fact he used MY money interest free for six weeks- at least? I *WILL* be calling the BBB, and anyone else I can get to listen!

"On Apr 29, 2009 5:30 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Mr. Lewis leaves out the part where he lies to our company as to which state he lives, in an attempt to illegally import fruit trees into California. When ordered online, he placed Colorado as the destination so we held his with other Colorado orders until April. He did a few other raunchy deeds, including this post, but I will spare you the details. Let me just say "be objective when reading these posts, as there is always another side to the story that is untold and even a few negatives are acceptable when there are literally thousands of unheard satisfied customers". You know it's true that an angry or malicious person will go out of their way to slander others. But, a satisfied happy person moves on with their peaceful life unheard."

Ordered 2 paw paws, 2 mayhaws, 1 blackberry, and 2 muscadines from this company--none have broken dormancy yet and it is almost May--they were planted as soon as they arrived. Definitely do not order paw paw trees from them as they cut the tap root almost completely off and the trees have almost no roots when they arrive--my research tells me you have almost no success when they are transplanted this way. Will not order from them again.

"On Apr 29, 2009 5:38 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

It is true that paw paw trees have a relatively small black taproot and are considered a bit temperamental to transplant. But, we have many many successful customers growing paw paw trees, so don't be discouraged from trying. Also, we did agree to replace any of this customer's items, that do not survive, with new trees.

Placed an order in February. They debited my card for nearly $300 immediately. It is now almost May and I am STILL waiting for my order! I have emailed them several times, but have never even received the courtesy of a response. I will be filing complaints with the BBB, the FTC and the credit card company - it is a violation of their policy to charge an account until ready to ship. These people should be avoided at ALL costs.

"On Apr 29, 2009 6:17 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

This customer chose to place an online order using his credit card, in February. He included instructions "Please hold my order to ship as late as possible in April. The ground will be frozen until then in Maine". We did as he asked and then got cursed out when he didn't have his order on April 22nd. His order had actually shipped the day before, but we recalled it and issued a refund to this hateful man."

DON'T BUY FROM WILLIS NURSERIES OF GEORGIA. In October of 2008 I ordered 2 Pawpaw trees, 1 fig tree, and 1 quince. Roughly a month later I received a call letting me know the trees would be shipped shortly. I received the trees on 1 February, in Ohio. This was a little tough as we were in the middle of winter and getting them in the frozen ground was difficult. With that said, we got them in and now that we are in spring I am happy to report the quince and the fig tree survived. However, the Pawpaws did not survive. The call to Willis was wasted time. The lady on the phone was rude, lectured me on "how we all have to take responsibility for our actions..." not sure how that applies here, and ended by telling me Jesus loves me, which is nice but I'm Jewish, then she hung up. Just hung up. And all I asked (quite calmly and politely) was is there some possibility that they would have a record of the sale to verify the sale in the absence of me retaining the original receipt that was shipped with the trees. Long story short, I was only asking for replacements, was happy to send the dead trees back as requested, but was told that without the original receipt, I was out of luck and that was my problem. It was clear they didn't want to help, and that they view customers as single transactions and not future customers. I have happily bought from other mail order nurseries in years past without any issues. DON'T BUY FROM WILLIS NURSERIES OF GEORIA. Don't waste your time or money with Willis. You'll walk away disgusted and insulted after spending/giving away your money.

"On Apr 29, 2009 6:42 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

His account here is quite untrue. After listening to him curse and rant for five minutes because his two trees died, he was told "to have a blessed day". He then went on to lecture about not using religion in business. He was repeatedly told we would replace the trees, as we have agreed in our guarantee. He said he wasn't doing that. However, we will still replace the two small trees, despite his negative post. Even to wish a blessed day is considered wrong these days. Some people are so hostile that they won't allow you to help them. But we do try with all of our customers and are successful, say.....98% of the time. "

Decent service, poor plants..

I ordered a persimmon tree, 5 raspberries, and 3 blueberries last year. Only 1 blueberry survived. I returned the others for replacement (at my cost) last fall. Early this spring Willis sent replacements. The blueberries were OK, but the persimmon and raspberries never showed any sign of life after a month, despite my careful handling. I called them back, and they sent another set of replacements still this same spring. 3/5 raspberries (planted outdoors) again never grew. Of the remaining 2/5 (which I planted indoors, under completely non-stressing conditions), one pushed it's buds and got little leaves, but these leaves eventually died, despite the zero stress conditions. It never had any root growth, and the emerging shoots could not be supported and died. The final raspberry is limping along, but growth is very slow. I'm still waiting on the 3rd persimmon (also indoors)-- no buds have pushed (it also had virtually no root system). Not optimistic about it.

So, overall survival tally:
Blueberries: 3 out of 5
Raspberries: 1 (tentatively) out of 15
Persimmons: 0 out of 3 (probably)

To their credit, Willis has stood by their replacement guarantee. But with plants like the ones i've gotten, what does it matter?

I won't order from them again.
(BTW, I have a PhD from Purdue Horticulture Dept., and know a little bit about plants).

Ordered two pomegranate trees early in 2008, one came dead and I was asked to give it time and I did. By June of 2008 I had a dead dried out tree and I sent it back to them as requested.

I was told to expect a replacement tree the first of December, then to expect it by the end of December, then to expect it by January 10th, then by the end of January. Now it is February 16th and I have called for the fifth time, because Willis Orchard does NOT FOLLOW-UP with any customer requests, and was told again that the tree would be shipped.

This is the worst experience of any I have had with a mail-order nursery. The lady I spoke with told me I was hateful for asking for an update on my shipping progress and then said to just listen to her. POOR customer service if you can apply the word customer to their "service".

I dont see a future for this company and I would stay away from them if you want your trees to arrive at all.

I have ordered from Willis twice in the past. The first two orders were okay.. The most recent horrible.

Order #1 - Ordered ahead of time and set a requested delivery date. They hit the delivery date as requested, but did not send to the correct address, despite a phone call confirmation that they would not use the default paypal address. Oh well, that was easy to overcome, I knew the new tenants of my old home.

On their order page they sell high bush blueberry plants. They advertise four or five varaties, but you can't order them specifically, only "highbush blueberries".. So, i ordered 15 of them and requested 3 varaties, five of each.. They came unmarked. I called and asked.. "yes, we assure you there are three different varaties in your package".. go figure.

2nd order. No problems.

3rd order. This is the current order. I just called and spoke with some women on the phone. I asked for an update on my order. She stated (without asking for any of my information, or introducing herself) that orders ship in 10-14 days. I said, "great, please give me an update on MY order".. Once again same stock answer. I pressed for more info, and was told to stop hollering at her. Customer service rating of F-.

Once I cooled down I called back to cancel my order, and was informed that I would be charged a restocking fee. I said, if they are pulled THEN SHIP THEM.. But, they haven't been pulled. So, how can I be recharged to stock something that hasn't left stock. I am infuriated and frustrated.

The woman said she doesn't have a boss. Don't know her name. Truly a terrible experience.

I ordered a lemon tree from Willis Orchard that arrived in December. The lemon tree was the wrong size and the fig tree was broken in half and when I called Willis Orchards, they told me to return them for a refund. Return them at my cost if I wasn't satisfied. I don't think that's fair. I checked Dave's Garden that Bellamcanda sent in a complaint from Texas on Dec. 10th who received dead pecan trees from Willis Orchards and a tangerine tree and Willis wouldn't send them a refund either, unless the dead plants were returned with the customer paying Willis for return shipment costs. The USDA told me that they're not suppose to even be shipping tangerines to Texas, since they're quarantineed in Texas. Is this company legitment? I'm writing the BBB and the Attorney General's Office. How about that Mr. Willis, I think your a scam too.