Comments regarding Willis Orchard Company

Posted on April 15, 2013, updated April 22, 2013
I placed an order earlier this week for one item to ship immediately and two that were to ship in the fall. My account was immediately debited for the entire amount (which I'm fine with, but just so you know). The following business day a company rep contacted me and told me that if I wanted my "immediate shipping" item to be shipped immediately I would have to pay an additional shipping fee- or else wait until the fall to get my entire order. I said that it would have been nice to mention the additional fee when I was checking out using their website, and to cancel my order. The company rep them told me they would refund me minus a 10% restocking fee, which is interesting since they shouldn't have to restock an order they hadn't pulled, and the entire incident wouldn't have happened if they'd simply been honest about the actual shipping they charge.

In January of 2012 while in Valdosta Ga visiting relatives I went to Willis Orchards Nursery in Berlin, Ga near Moultrie to purchase some bamboo. Upon arriving I was greeted by Garrett and shown the different types of bamboo they had to offer. We chose Moso, Timber, Black, and Blue henon but the clumps had to be dug and shipped which was ok with me. Mr. Garrett took my name and address and said to expect delivery within 5-7 days. My order total was over $600 but I only had hundred dollar bills and since the owner was away Garrett could not make change for 700 and said 600 was fine- no tax since it was a cash sale. Happy that I got a cash discount I left and eagerly awaited delivery. Roughly a week passed and I had not received my plants so I started calling Willis only to Find out they had no record of my order. They asked for a copy of my receipt which did not have since Garrett needed it for shipping. After numerous, UN-returned phone calls to the owner, Joy finally got my order shipped but when it arrived it was not as described to me and looked nothing like what I saw growing when I was in Berlin. Reluctantly, I planted the 14 clumps of dirt and by no surprise to me only 3 of the clumps ever sprouted. Knowing what a pain it had been to get the order shipped I decided to return the dead plants in person the next time I went to visit relatives in Valdosta- Again after the way I was treated last year it was no surprise to me when I arrived in Berlin to find a closed and abandoned nursery. I called the local nursery number 2293243045 and surprisingly someone answered. Apparently they had moved. I asked where and to my amazement they were in Euharlee, Ga, near Cartersville, Ga. Wondering if I was being jerked around I went to the sheriffs office to see if they had been run out of town and they were very little help but a deputy sheriff said the Colquitt county tax accessor told him that Jason Willis had moved his Willis Orchards Nursery to Euharlee ga. Does anyone have any insight about this Nursery or why they moved? I bet they had too many complaints if they treat all their customers like they treated me and after reading on the internet about Mr. Adkins forging checks at Willis Orchards I think he pocketed my money and the only reason I got plants was because he was afraid of getting caught. I do not want anything else from this company and have since replaced my bamboo with some from a reputable daves garden recommended nursery. I am writing this to save other gardeners from being fleeced by Willis Orchards.

[HYPERLINK@columbus-ga.bbb.org]
//consumer.georgia.gov/
//usda.gov/
//law.ga.gov/

Bought about 600 worth of plants from them. One year later with good care only a handfull are still alive. My rural king trees are doing better than anything I bought from them. I received horrible looking plants in shabby packaging. You could tell they did not care for their customers. WILL NEVER EVER BUY FROM THEM AGAIN.

Bought some Reliance peach trees (1000 chill hours) in March of 2010 in hopes of beating the late frosts we get in my area. They produced first last year and I blamed it on an early spring. February 6 this year they are already in pink bud. I called Willis. Seems as though their Reliance trees have a lower chill hour requirement than anyone else's in the world and ripen in June. Could be I really am as dumb as I look. I was in March of 2010 but not this week.

Last year I purchased three trees from Willis. They arrived in a timely manner but after planting two of them took a really long time to start budding out (June from a March planting). The other never did. I contacted Willis and they told me to do a heavy pruning. There was no effect and by August all of the bark was gray and the twigs brittle. I contacted them again and they said they would issue a "store credit". What this means is that they will give me my $16.95 back for the tree but I have to pay the full minimum shipping amount which at the time was $17.50. They took no responsibility for the failure. I even offered to pay actual shipping (about $4.50 according to THEIR shipping calculator) but they refused.

I spoke to Willis several times about the problem and the last thing I heard was that the rep promised to "talk to Mr. Willis on Monday and call back". That was last September.

They have low prices but, as you can see from many other reviews, you'll end up paying about the same as better quality companies when you factor in failures plus the headaches of dealing with people who really don't care.

"On Jan 15, 2013 2:35 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

You can see all 139 reviews at:
http://www.customerlobby.com/reviews/634/willis-orchard-co/


Willis Orchard Co

200 McCormick Rd.
Cartersville, GA 30120
(770) 386-1008
http://willisorchards.com

Business Description:
It is the goal of Willis Orchard Company to make you a satisfied customer--we can accomplish this only by providing quality trees and plants at affordable prices.
Category: Garden Center
Rating Summary of 139 Reviews

Availability 4 star average
Price for Value 4 star average
Total Experience 4 star average

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Featured Reviews
5 Star Rating These are good folks......quality is excellent and service is the best
By Bob T.
Franklin, TN
on 12/12/09 I have been bit quite a few times by people in the nursery business. Well, I ha ... (Read review)
5 Star Rating quality product, very fast service, easy to talk to, not a machine
By claude t.
green creek/tryon, NC
on 11/24/09 I own a vineyard in nc and know what a good looking plant/tree should look like ... (Read review)
5 Star Rating Excellent Products & Customer Service
By Joseph .
Hingham, MA
on 10/22/09 This company ships exactly what they advertise. The customer service person whos ... (Read review)
5 Star Rating Excellent quality, good pricing, very helpful and knowledgeable staff.
By Brent S.
Gatesville, TX
on 10/13/09 I first found Willis Orchard Co. on the Internet when I was looking for fruit-be ... (Read review)
5 Star Rating quick service and very nice trees.
By mark m.
akron, OH
on 10/02/09 I was so surprised when my trees arrived in less than a week and were very well ... (Read review)

5 Star Rating I am very pleased with all the products.
By Turan A.
Queens, NY
on 01/13/13 ive been using this company since the past 6 years. anything i buy it comes on t ... (Read review)
5 Star Rating Excellent Service and Quality
By Hadi A.
New orleans, LA
on 01/11/13 I have ordered twice and both times they provided excellent service and quality. ... (Read review)
4.65 Star Rating good job
By rolland t.
carriere, MS
on 01/09/13 was afraid to order had read some reveiws(not good) Items arrived as promised in ... (Read review)
5 Star Rating Great honorable company to do business with
By Vito G.
Spring, TX
on 01/05/13 Ordered some fruit trees towards the end of the Spring planting season and a few ... (Read review)
5 Star Rating Great job on getting orders out fast.Just
By Glen M.
Augusta, AR
on 12/21/12 Placed order on Monday, plants were shiped Tuesday.I got them Thursday in great ... (Read review)

139 reviews, 4 star review average, currently viewing reviews #1 - 10
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I wish I would have read these reviews before I ordered boysenberries from Willis Orchard Company a couple of weeks ago. For starters, I called to confirm their delivery timetable before I ever ordered from them. But now, two phone calls and two emails later, they've done absolutely NOTHING they said they would. Just excuses and more promises. In contrast, I ordered loganberries from Berries Unlimited on the same day and they arrived as promised just four days later. I'm now trying to cancel my order with Willis Orchard Company so I can re-order with Berries Unlimited, a company that's been a pleasure to do business with.

Posted on February 11, 2012, updated October 25, 2012
Posted on February 11, 2012, updated February 11, 2012
Recently I came across the Willis Orchards' website when searching for several Berry varieties I wanted. Since I was not familiar with them, I came here to see what kind of reputation they had. Seeing all the negative feedback, I thought it best to look elsewhere. However they were one of the few who had what I wanted, so I decided to try them anyway.

I ordered the plants on Feb 7, 2012 and told them that I need them ASAP, and was told that they could get them out the following day. The next day they called to say there was a problem with the card number I had given them, and so we were able to give them another number. The same day they sent me an order confirmation and shipped out the plants. I also recieved a shipping notice from Fed-Ex on the 8th with the tracking number. On the 10th (3 days after ordering) I recieved my plants in good condition. I couldn't have wished for any better service.

This morning, Oct 9th, 2012 I drove up to Willis Orchards Nursery at Berlin, Ga to get my free replacement plants and could not believe that the place was padlocked, shut down and out of business, but they are still advertising fruit trees for sale on the internet. The trees that were in the field were grown up in weeds 6 feet tall and higher than the fruit trees and most plants looked dead. The Willis Orchards signs that had been out front last year had all been taken down. There was a white truck marked Emc electrical company parked at the gate and there was a man there disconnecting the power who said that they were cutting the power off at Willis Orchards because they had been leaving messages and calling for 2 months to collect the electric bill and no one would respond. After contacting law enforcement in Colquitt, County to see about my replacements, they said Willis Orchards had been closed down and several lawsuits had been filed against them.

"On Oct 16, 2012 1:19 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

WOW, with friends like this.....right. And this is the one post they ever made on DG. Big surprise!

It's been a year in the making but we finally, in July, moved to our new facility in Cartersville, GA. We have twice the amount of land, a better climate, larger population and easier access to visiting customers, close to I-75, no gnats, close enough to Atlanta to have many more options for life away from work and for business, etc. The land in Berlin will be for sale soon if anyone wants to live in the pines and fields of south Georgia, just let us know.
FYI, our toll free number has remained the same. "

I ordered four pear trees from Willis two years ago. Two of them have fruited and are positively not the varieties that I ordered. When I spoke to the lady at Willis to explain the problem she hung up on me. Don't waste your time or money with this company.

I ordered almost $200.00 worth of fruit trees which arrived in very poor condition, after a couple of months I returned some of the plants that were dead for replacement, when my request was not acknowledged. I followed up with a call to their customer service and found a unhelpful, unwilling, and rude employee. To date, they have not granted me my request for replacement.

I have just gone through a most hideously unpleasant experience with the so-called "customer service" department at Willis Orchards trying to get some satisfaction for a dead tree they sent me. They are beyond rude and I add my vote to all the negative reviews they have received here. If you order from them, I hope you receive your order in perfect condition and you have no need to contact them--because if there is a problem, you may as well forget trying to get a reasonable resolution.

Last March I received my Willis Orchard order of berries and grapes that was fouled up, first by being a month late. The phone rep was nice enough in promising to include a free plant with his acceptable excuse of being overpowered by a huge, surprising number of unexpected orders at the last minute. The raspberry and blackberry plants were misrepresented by sending dead sticks that never sprouted. Out of 3 muscadine grapes ordered, 2 grape vines sprouted, but the other vine is a dead sprig. After receiving no telephone satisfaction on replacing my order, I surfed the internet checking out Willis Orchards and found the terrible reputation of the company on Daves Garden and many other Garden Web complaints claiming as a rip off site, and even in their home town of Moultrie, Ga and Berlin Ga, where they operate is claiming that Willis orchards is abandoning its prime location there and is moving the operation several hundred miles away and will be changing the name to another untraceable nursery. The Topix web site //www.topix.com/forum/city/moultrie-ga/TNFGOFHP07002SHEH says that a bankruptcy is predicted as the Willis Orchards pattern of complaints pile up bad faith responses to customer problems. Hopefully my plants will be replaced before the company sinks into bankruptcy. My fingers are crossed that the replacement will be alive when received this Fall.

In December of 2010 I purchased a 6 ft.' fuyu' persimmon tree from Willis orchards. Upon receipt of the tree, I inspected it and found the roots to be black, spongy and peeling, I immediately called and a rude employee,Cynthia told me to take pictures and email them which I did and received no reply. I planted the tree properly and as of this day, over 2 years later, there is still no sign of life. I scraped the bark and there is no green. I called my credit card company to get assistance with a refund since Willis orchards made it clear I would not get a replacement because of the time factor. I feel Willis operates with very deceptive and tricky business practices and a sinister policy designed not to replace inferior trees. I will contact the Georgia Department of Agriculture and file a formal complaint, along with the BBB in Ga and the Governor's office of consumer complaints in Atlanta. So much for my $$$, though.

my stock was shipped dead (discolored and shrived up so clearly it has been dead for a while), when I called the were very defensive and rude and told me "to bad", I was very polite and non-accusatory. When I asked for a manger, I was told "the manger does not want to talk to you", I was shocked. Their over all demeanor was very sarcastic and they went out of their way to be rude and disrespectful, This was very disappointing as they are very high priced and thought I would try a few items to see if received more for your money which was not the case. Honestly, of all the companies in any industry they were the rudest, not sure how they survive.

Posted on July 2, 2012, updated July 2, 2012
HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND DOES NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. After being in customer service for over 30 years, this is the first company that would not refund my credit card. I ordered 4 crepe myrtle trees on 8-8-11 which were immediately charged to my credit card, not shipped until December 2011. 4 sticks arrived and stayed that way into they all bit the dust in June. I have a yard of 40 roses bushes, 50 hostas, 21 dogwood trees etc. I have a half acre yard of plants that are mulched and very well cared for. I have e mailed Sarah several times and was told to scratch the bark and if it was green, it was thriving?? Did I miss something here?? I requested a refund, but was told that I would be given a credit for something else. Why would I want anything else from this company? I lost a whole summer of growing time and am not young, this is the one thing I treat myself to is something pretty for my yard. Has anyone reported them to the BBB in Georgia? I am writing my cc and disputing the charge.

BUYER BEWARE!

Here's my experience:

$50 minimum order - that's okay. I placed an order for several items on 6/9/12 to meet the order minimum. Credit card charged immediately for the full amount.

A couple days later I received an e-mail informing me some of the trees will not be shipped until the fall of 2012. The e-mail offered to hold the entire order until fall, substitute other trees, or split the shipment...for a $17.00 up-charge. I do not remember reading anything about an up-charge for split shipments!

After considering the options I decided to cancel the entire order. After I cancelled the order It took several e-mail inquiries to get a refund (none of which were answered)...guess what: the refund is for 90% of the total paid; there is a 10% order cancellation fee if you do not cancel an order in 24 hours.

I'm guessing these people make a pile of money on cancellation charges.

BUYER BEWARE!

Posted on April 16, 2011, updated June 11, 2012
I ordered an almond tree, peach tree, and two paw paw trees in 2009. I had some concerns about the peach tree as I had done forestry projects overseas and know you should get tree seeds/plants from similar climates.

Only the almond tree was alive. Willis Orchard sent replacements for the three trees that perished. They sent a Saturn peach (recommended by NC extension) as the first peach was not for North Carolina. The peach tree is doing fine.

The two additional different varieties of paw paw have shown no signs of life. So I'll do the math for you. 5 dead 2 living trees.

My order:
Angel Red Pomegranate Tree $84.95
Hosui Pear Tree $44.95
Celestial Fig Tree $119.95

None of them grew, ever after 4 months, they are dodging without sending any replacement. The owner's son Austin is "missing" and I am unable to reach him. When I talk to him he promises to send the plants, but when I talk to his associates, they give a reason why it was not sent.

I will never buy anything from them again. The trees received were also of no good quality, compared to what I found latter in local nursery.

I placed an order with Willis Orchard Company for 3 Kwanzan and 1 Yoshino Flowering Cherry Trees. I was told the plants would ship the next day in time for my wife's birthday, and I would have them by the weekend. Several weeks later after many unsuccessful calls I still didn't get my plants. Finally they arrived three weeks later. I ordered these trees for my wife to specifically fill in gaps in my landscape to extend lines of Yoshino and Kwanzan Flowering Cherry Trees. After arriving three weeks late, I was shocked to find that they sent me 4 Flowering Cherries of the same but wrong Cherry variety. Willis Orchards was very uncooperative when I called them back and were in total denial, demanding that I take photos and send them and other extensive “run around”. Do not order from this incompetent and unreliable company. I will return the trees and take my losses on shipping charges, but I will charge back on my credit card and be happy to cut my losses after a bad experience with Willis Orchard.

Last January I ordered by phone 2 Reliance peach trees in the 5-6 ft size, and one Satsuma plum 3-4 ft. size. When I received the trees in late March I was immediately disappointed, the trees were starting to come out of dormancy - in fact the peach trees were beginning to blossom, they were smaller than stated on their website, and the roots were heavily pruned back and did not appear to be large enough to support the top structure .I bought the large peach trees to shorten the wait for fruiting. When the trees failed to grow I called Willis in late May and they told me if the bark was still green when scratched to wait. When it was obvious they were dead in mid-June I called and after the women on the phone suggested Miracle grow (to raise them from the dead?) I was told to return the trees for new ones that would be shipped in October. I shipped them back to Willis today and it cost me almost twenty dollars. Willis’s stock were the only ones that failed to grow I planted this spring from six different providers. Not a bargain by any means.

I ordered 10 trees from Willis orchards and planted them within 72 hours of receiving. When they failed to bud in a few weeks I called their nursery and asked how long I should wait, I was told the end of May. Of the 10 trees, only 4 have survived. There is no evidence of life in the rest of the trees at all. I called to ask for a refund and Cynthia was VERY rude and combative stating they only replace trees the following season. The bottom line is I ordered and paid for 10 trees 6-7 feet tall. What I received were 10 trees 5 feet tall and only 4 lived. This company sells an inferior product and wont refund. Be smart and don't deal with Willis!

The four grapevines I ordered from you were supposed to be at least 3 feet tall. What I received did not match your websites description. What we got were slender twigs, without leaves and in NO way close to 3 feet. Two of the grapevines have failed to show any sign of life- we have had a perfect spring, with perfect temperatures and rainfall. The other two have some leaves but certainly are not of a size that should bear fruit this year, unless they hit a tremendous growth spurt, in a hurry. Now that I have read the fine print on your warranty I am more than a little disappointed to learn that it will be a major hassle to get replacement plants or a refund. Your advertising is very misleading and your products are less than satisfactory.

I spoke to you by phone sometime this month about some crape myrtle trees I received. I expressed my concerns because of the small size of the trees and the generally delivered poor condition. I may be dumb as you insinuated, but, I am not plumb dumb; I have been gardening all my life! By the size of the stems cut back I don't think the trees were even 6' high before they were pruned, not to mention how scraped and banged up they were. Most of their little branches were dangling by the skin. They have steadily lost virility and will most likely be dead soon. I have called my daughter who works with the New York City Parks department to recommend a reputable nursery to sell me some replacements for your unhealthy pitiful product.

I ordered from this Co. last 05/10/2012. The order was for an African Banana tree. I was informed that the tree would be shipped on the week of 05/14/2012. I never got the FedEx conformation email that there site says you will get when shipment has been made. I emailed Willis Orchard back with my concerns and asked if the tree had been shipped. I got no reply, I called there phone number and never got an answer. Now I'm very worried after reading all these negative postings about Willis, I'm very skeptical if I will ever see my tree.But one thing is for sure ( My bad for not reading about them before ordering from an unknown website sales,but never again). Even If I ever receive the tree I will never order from them again, They are very unprofessional in there business. I'm starting to fill like the only thing they are professional about is Scamming out of your money.

Posted on March 31, 2012, updated May 19, 2012
I wish I had read the reviews here before I placed an order for two fruit trees: Green Gage Plum and Moorpark Apricot. They arrived this past Wednesday, well packed. Planted yesterday (Friday). Green Gage plum was a nice tree, no leaves and well branched. Moorpark Apricot was a six foot tall bent stick, no leaves, NOT well branched. After reading the reviews, I am a little worried that they are not what they are supposed to be, but I won't know that for a couple of years. :-( They are planted and I am hopeful, but I would not place another order with Willis.

Posted on May 28, 2011, updated May 17, 2012
Posted on December 30, 2010, updated May 28, 2011
I ordered a dozen golden rasberry plants. I called later about the shipping date. Mid October. OK. Mid Oct I call. First week of November I'm told. They finally arrive in November. Most November's in Kansas, the ground is frozen. Got them in the ground, but the next week it dropped below freezing. Would have been tough to plant normally. These were supposed to be 3 yr old fruiting size. Total length of plants from top to bottom edge of roots was about 14 inches. I actually got an extra because 2 of them were less than 1/8 inch in diameter. Small cane cut way back, tiny root ball. I'll follow up in the late spring to let you know how it goes. Oh, the two phone calls I made, I got the impression I was interrupting something. Not rude, but,,,,,

We purchased 5 trees. Two were dead. They would not replace without us sending them more money . Cynthia was very rude and hung up the phone on us. Told me we were very stupid for trying to plant the dead trees.. Was very rude and we will not purchase anything from this company again. Their warranty is worthless.

Posted on April 23, 2012, updated May 4, 2012
Below Is an email I sent to Willis Orchards today. The first windmill palm was smaller than expected and had a dead center frond. I called and spoke with one of the owners about my dissapointment, I think if you talk to these people instead of yelling or demanding you will get the results I did. All people make mistakes and these folks restored my trust and faith in thier company.

Cynthia
I wanted to take a moment to thank you and your son Jason for restoring the trust between myself and your company. I received the replacement palm your son Jason sent me on Monday. This windmill is the same quality, age, beauty, shape as the other two I purchased last September. I thank you both for replacing this palm no questions asked, I think the world of your actions in a most difficult situation. I will let everyone I know the level of customer service I received from your most honorable actions. The windmill is perfect, It’s really a beautiful palm tree that fits in well with the other two I purchased.
Thank you for all your help and information you provided. I am really pleased with the results

Fall of 2010, I ordered a Persimmon Tree. Paid for a 10 foot tree. I planted the tree professionally upon arrival. The Spring came, and there were no leaves. Willis told me that sometimes, trees dont grow leves the first year. I asked what happens if no leaves grow next year, and they said to give them a call. Now, we are in the second spring season, and still no leaves. I called Willis and they said sorry, their trees are only garunteed for a year. I referred them to the conversation from last year and they said too bad. They were rude on the phone and hung up. Warning -- DO NOT PURCHASE FROM WILLIS ORCHARD.

Posted on April 20, 2012, updated April 24, 2012
Posted on April 5, 2012, updated April 20, 2012
On March 29th, I ordered from Willis Orchards a fig tree which was to be delivered as soon as ready, and a magnolia tree which was noted would be delivered in the fall of 2012. I received the confirmation invoice from Willis stating the shipping charge of $17.50 for the two trees. On April 4th, I received an email from Sarah at Willis offering me "options" on the delivery of the trees. I could have both trees shipped in the fall (not acceptable since I wanted to have the fig tree aclimated before the winter), or, the trees could be shipped separately and I would have to pay extra, or the trees could be shipped now but I would have to waive my right to a replacement in the event the tree (s) died. When I called Willis today, I was treated rudely. Sarah informed me that "everyone gets charged $17.50 for shipping. Then you will receive options on the delivery. I told her that Willis had changed the terms of the confirmation invoice and that was not right. I also realized that they had charged my credit card on the 29th. Sarah finally asked abruptly if I wanted to cancel my order. I replied that I certainly did want to do that. Before I could ask her about whether they would charge a restocking fee, she hung up on me! I will check my credit card for a credit and, if it is not there in a few days, I will file a dispute with the credit card company. Perhaps the two employees I spoke with, Cynthia and Sarah, are overworked. I asked to speak with someone else in charge, and was informed by Sarah that "there is noone else". Unbelievable and upsetting.

I ordered blueberry bushes and a pecan tree. After two weeks and they didn't come, I called, Oh you have to pay $17.35 extra for a split shipping charge. Ok, then charge it and ship the bushes. 2 weeks later, I called again, it had not been done. Oh, we fired that lady because she didn't follow thru. OK then refund my order, and don't charge the split shipping charge.
A week later, I get an email charging the split shipping charge, and not refunding anything. Oh, we can only refund 10% of your original order. NO I AM NOT HAPPY WITH YOUR COMPANY. REFUND THE ENTIRE ORDER - BOTH OF THEM.

I ordered some boysenberry and raspberry plants from Willis Orchards on Feb 15, 2012. After receiving the plants, I planted them that day. They did not look as large as expected for 3 year old plants...but, I really was not sure how big they should have been. For several weeks I waited for them to show some life. None seen. I contacted Willis Orchards via email and had several conversation with Shannon on the plants. Shannon told me to make a small scratch on the vine, if green they were alive if not probably dead. I waited another few weeks and again emailed Shannon to say I was sending back. No return authorzation needed I was told. Long story short. I sent back 7 plants, 2 shipments. Was told they never received them. Maybe one lost? Doubt it, But 2 lost shipments?

I called the company again, was told...no proof, no plants. Terrible experience...will not recomened to anyone.

Just received an order of three blueberry plants that took three weeks. No way are these anywhere close to what was described.... Supposed to be "5 gallon" plants "4 year" old and "3-4' fruiting size". Yeah, right....

Scrawny plants with few leaves and broken or dead stems since last fall; one main stem was broken in packaging below its ID tag. And since they were 'on sale' and $.55 below there guarantee minimum of $17.50, they probably won't do a damn thing.

I've been an organic gardener for well over three decades and never seen such poor nursery stock. These plants should never have been shipped.

Last week I drove up to Willis Orchards at Berlin, Ga to get replacement plants that had died last summer. My order of fig trees, peach and plum trees was received in late Spring of last year. The fig trees lived, but the peach trees and plum trees arrived with chopped off roots. Willis Orchards promised to replace them this growing season but after many calls on the phone, no replacements ever came. Since our planting season in Florida was at an end in April and no replacements were received, I decided to drive up, even though it was the first week in April and pick the trees up at their nursery. There were several workers at the nursery, scurrying around, pulling off leaves from piles of fruit trees that were lying on the ground. One of the men was placing the leaf stripped trees in plastic and sliding the orders into cardboard boxes. Numerous boxes were being put in organized groups next to a lean-to metal shed. When I announced that I had come to get my plum and peach tree replacements, I was told that they were too buy filling orders that were all supposed to have been shipped and delivered by March 31st and I would have to wait my turn on getting the replacement plants by Fed Ex shipment. Knowing that my trip was fruitless, I felt that even if they do ship my replacements this late after pulling off the leaves prior to shipment they would more than likely die of stress if planted in Florida this late as bareroot trees. I took out my phone camera and filmed some of the workers leaf stripping and then drove along the fenced area of the nursery where a machine looking like a backhoe was digging up trees in full leaf and carrying them up to the shed. Long rows of fruit trees were planted just inside the fence adjacent to the road. Some of the rows had spaced out trees planted but others were filled with bundles of over crowded trees, many dead and tilted over. Weeds were growing tall in thick matted grass that covered the ground, most weeds were waist high and others were tall as the trees. All this entire, weedy nursery was blighted with mummy trees crowded among the living ones. All of my videos can be viewed here //www.tinyurl.com/willisorchardsvideo/weedy

In February I ordered flowering pear trees, Kwanzan and Yoshino cherry trees from Willis Orchard Nursery and several phone calls have not gotten a definite delivery date, nothing except rude responses. Willis only says that all orders are shipped out in the order they are received and it doesn’t matter if the order was for $50 or $500, the orders are all sent out as soon as they process. They claim that their business this spring has been so great that they just are delayed in processing them. I was told to wait in line just like everyone else does. Their website says they don’t ship bareroot after March 31st, so am I being punished by getting my order in April, and does that mean it’s too late to plant flowering trees to get flowers this year? I think I will just call my credit card company and put an end to this nonsense.

About 4 years ago I moved to Raleigh, NC to be closer to my elderly mother. In reminiscing about the earlier days we remembered how delicious my grandmothers apple pie was, so, we decided to recreate that memory with our own, homegrown, apples and my grandmothers heirloom apple pie recipe. I got on the internet and found Willis Orchards, amazed that I could buy a tree large enought to produce the first year, I ordered 2 golden Delicious and 2 Red Delicious, "instant orchard" size trees and paid a small fortune for the trees and a small ransom for delivery. As advertised all 4 trees produced the first year but the fruit never got larger than a golfball. I called Willis Orchards who quickly explained that sometimes, the first year, the fruit does not fully mature and to give them another season. After 2 seasons in the ground our trees produced fruit fully matured, bright red, cherry-sized, bitter, seed filled crab-apples. I called Willis Orchards for a refund and was told I could only have store credit for a replacement. After reading some of the reviews here and my own wretched experience, I don't trust them to send me the right trees. My money is wasted and my mom does not want to try again because of this great frustration and is exceedingly depressed that she cannot revisit the wonderful memory of eating fresh apple pie from home grown apples!

Ordered a $110 "well branched fruiting instant orchard" 7 ft Angel Pomagranate tree Feb. of 2011. It arrived in a timely manner but looked bad, and had no root structure. Planted it, and waited. It was dead and never grew. I called the company in the fall of 2011 and talked to the RUDEST female who was no help at all. They do have a 1 yr warranty so,for $25 more I sent my tree back in Feb. 2012. Again the tree came in a timely manner and it looked better than the 1st Pom that I received. But, once again the thing was pretty much dead. The top 5 ft of the tree was completly dead. Atleast this one wasn't a total loss, it does have a couple of green shoots coming out of the bottom. So much for my "instant orchard". I basically spent $135 for a 3 inch Angel Pom. I feel like I was ripped off.

Ordered a 4-5ft king fig tree. Local trees were $60 for a 4' tree.

I had to call them because delivery still had not happened in two weeks. It arrived a week later.

Tree when planted was EXACTLY 4 foot. Top 5" were dead [cut die back].

I ended up paying $20 more for the tree than a local bought tree and ended up with a 3' 6" tree.

Total rip off IMO

I placed an order with Willis Orchards in October for pecan trees. I was told when I placed my order that they were not dormant yet and that I should expect the pecan trees around the first of the year. Well here we are, its almost April and I still don't have my trees! I've called Willis several times and just keep getting the run around. Whoever answers the phone has to talk to someone else about it and call me back, and as of yet I still have not had my call returned! As warm as its been getting I think I will just call my credit card company to dispute the charges.

"On Apr 1, 2012 11:27 AM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Dear Simmon,
We filled all of our pecan tree orders by mid February. Are you sure that you didn't order from another company? Also we handle any and all service issue and find mutual closure to whatever situation may arise, in a timely manner. Something doesn't sound right?
Best,
WOC"