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| Feedback History and Summary |
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Comments:Displaying the 50 most recent comments:
| Rating | Author | Content |
| Negative | ikenobo
(1 review) | On November 9, 2008, ikenobo Oriskany, NY wrote: Here is a response to roflcopters (a former employee of Gardens Alive) message below. I happen to be one of their customers who had their account frozen not so much for business with Gardens Alive but for their sister companies BBrecks, Springhill etc. These companies say they offer a lifetime guarantee so I put them to the test and I told them so. They advertise that if I am not satisfied for any reason with their plants for as long as I garden I can get a refund. I take this to mean that I can order plants also for as long as I garden--especially since I am a lifetime member of one of their affiliated organizations. Shortly after I sent a list of all the plants I wanted a refund for I could not order again nor could I reach their websites on my computers nor even contact them by e-mail. These companies have this great advertising but they do not live up to it. As for Gardens alive I found their products to be a bad joke-- I tried one of the pest repellents and it was like nothing at all. I tried the mosquito repellents in the USA and Japan in a variety of situations and it was better NOT having anything to repell the pests--I would have saved money.
Companies should find ways to be sure their products arrive safely. If they cannot they should not be in the business of shipping products. Simple fact. Of course it is profitable for greedy companies to take their chances and replace some of the products that get damaged but it is such a bad business practice to not package them securely, then blame customers for complaining makes customers even more angry. Again, what about the 'for any reason' guarantee that these companies are advertising? Although if you think these companies are bad you should try ordering from ones in Bloomington, Ill. You are lucky if the plants arrive alive.
As for Gardens Alive's guarantee the customer should get the product replaced if satisfaction is the guarantee. You may be an ex-employee but a customer sees these advertisements and believes them If Gardens Alive does not want to fulfill this promise they should not advertise it. You admit the company needs improvements. The replacements should be hassle free--after all the company made the policy to replace things. I never bought plants from GA but for the products I did try I would want the company to respect its own policy and there should be no reason that I should be stopped from trying other plants (which is my case with the other affiliated companies) except bad business practices. Telling customers to go to another company is ridiculous--I can understand why you are mo longer there. If Gardens Alive and the others were doing what they were supposed (promised) to do, everything would be fine. I guess you give customers reason to complain.
If people who answer the phone cannot help customers they should be in the fields and someone who can help customers should be answering the phones. Even I know this and I am a simple person. Again how ridiculous to say no one in the company can do anything about the shipping on one of the company's products. Why does the company even exist then if cannot help customers?Oh I know--profit!!
I wonder if the company coupons clearly state only one can be used at a time. I have seen this on some coupons and offers but not always. Another company trick!!! If it is not clearly and openly stated a customer is lead (purposely?) to believe: Wow! A double deal!' The customers excitement seems only natural and companies should know this although many still play tricks anyway so do NOT tell the customers to stop complaining. Stop giving them reasons to complain--oh you can't you do not work there anymore. How brave to write when you are out of the picture!
Good advise to keep the keycodes.
Whether the company messes up royally or not so royally, guarantees that the company brags about should be followed through without former employees ranting him/herself about customers' behaviors. Decency as you speak of goes both ways.
Gardens Alive not only sends plants that do badly but repellents as I mentioned earlier. After a few I did not try anymore. What was the use after the first 3 or so were useless and so zones etc have nothing to do with this and yes mosquitoes may vary but the products did absolutely nothing in a variety of situations. Should I really be stopped WITHOUT any warning that my account is being closed?
I know many companies replace plants for free and almost all of them have some kind of guarantee. Many go to great lengths to pack them so they arrive in VERY good shape--even if the driver sits on them.
Instead of telling customers to go somewhere else you should have stayed at Gardens Alive to tell them how to satisfy customers. I am one customer who has really had it with this group of companies and it seems I heard rumors of bankruptcy--it is no surprise really
| | Positive | webdance
(1 review) | On October 4, 2008, webdance Columbus, OH wrote: I'm surprised to see all these complaints. I've never had a negative experience with this company. Just now I placed an order, as I've done every year for the past seven years. Ordering online today was easy--first a Google search for a coupon, follow the link and added my item to my shopping cart. I logged in with my user name and put in my CC info, done. No problems, no weird things. I'm sure my items will arrive in a few days as always.
Once in the past my order of WOW was destroyed in transit (I can only imagine what the inside of that UPS truck must have looked like!) Gardens Alive was quick to resend, no problems at all. | | Positive | DaveH
(11 reviews) | On September 15, 2008, DaveH San Francisco, CA
(Zone 10a) wrote:I have ordered from Gardens Alive for many years and have never had a problem with any order. My most recent order was a couple weeks ago, and I received the order in good condition in a few days. My only complaint is that they always have those silly discount coupons to deal with. Their regular prices are fairly high, but with the coupons it's more reasonable. I wish they would just forget the coupons and have lower prices. | | Positive | Greenstrega
(1 review) | On September 12, 2008, Greenstrega Aurora, IN wrote: I'm not sure what the previous complaint was about... if you went to burger king on monday and bought a combo meal for $4.99..... and saw that they are having a special on it on thursday for $2.99 would you show up and ask for a refund? Get real, if the attorney general even listens to anything you say I'd be surprised... Your acting like just because they don't have a storefront and real people you can meet and interact with you can just do whatever you would like and make them cave to your demands its just because they deal with you over the phone and email you think you can do whatever you please, . Gardens has been a fantastic company thier products are a little overpriced but the garauntee makes up for it. I think you are being unrealistic in your complaint. | | Negative | lawnking
(1 review) | On September 11, 2008, lawnking Great Falls, VA wrote: I've been a Garden's Alive customer for over 10 years and have had generally good experiences. I order 160 to 200 lbs. of WOW! Supreme twice a year to cover my acre yard. Inevitably ever fall after I order they drop the price and I email them and they refund the difference. Well this week they dropped the price $4 per 40 lb. bag and I emailed them to request a refund. The customer service rep emailed me back and said "Thank you for your email. I apologize for the inconvenience. We run different promotional offers at different times. I can offer you a $25 discount, if you place an order for $50 or more. Please leave a note in the “special instructions” box concerning the discount/coupon, and we'll be happy to deduct it from the order." They didn't acknowledge my request and sent a form response in return. Not very customer friendly and I feel like they didn't read my correspondence very closely. I emailed back to customer service and indicated I was rejecting their offer and would pursue it with the Indiana Attorney General office. | | Neutral | roflcopters
(1 review) | On August 27, 2008, roflcopters Bloomington, IN wrote: Alright, enough already.
I used to work for GardensAlive, and now that I've moved on to bigger and better things, I feel comfortable calling the majority of our customers out on their bs. My comments are based on observations as an employee and have not been reviewed or condoned by GardensAlive or any of it's affiliates, staff or suppliers.
I'll start off by saying that yes, there is much room for improvement in some of their business practices. I’ve seen pictures of packages that arrived to customers completely destroyed, and you’re darn right that I’d be angry in that case, too.
Keep in mind, however, that they REPLACE YOUR PRODUCTS FOR FREE. And for all those who say they don’t stand behind the guarantee just because you couldn’t get any more free things, just shut up. (see # 1 for details.)
Here are a few simple rules to keep in mind to make everyone’s life a bit more pleasant:
1.) If you return or have us ship out (for free) more products than you actually pay for—they WILL freeze your account. Either you’re lying to get free plants, or their products just don’t work for you, in which case you're better off with another company anyway.
2.) When you call the customer service line, you are NOT speaking to a supervisor. You are speaking to someone with no authority on re-pricing plants, shipping, or other products. Do NOT complain about the shipping on your Wow Supreme. They can’t change it. No one at the company can.
3.) They, like pretty much every company no matter what service they provide, do NOT combine coupons and special offers. NO EXCEPTIONS.
4.) KEEP YOUR KEY CODES!! They’re on the back of your catalog OR in the corner of the order form if it’s a special offer. No key number = no way for the computer to know which price you get. They have too many magazines and flyers around to know which special offer you mean.
5.) This is a big one: The person on the other end of the line is NOT directly responsible for the problem you’re having. Therefore, if you call on an irate rant, you will most likely be hung up on. Thing get lost in shipping, things run out of stock (especially if you wait until last minute to order) and most importantly, people make mistakes. YES, even companies. Deal with it. If you’re reasonable and they have genuinely messed up your order royally, they will be happy to set things straight for you, provided you treat them with one ounce of basic human decency.
That goes for EVERY mail order company on the planet, by the by.
Anyway…. As for the products, if you stick with your zone and soil requirements and sun/shade preference and have a semi-green thumb, they should work out just fine. Yes, there is the chance your plants may not grow anyway, and yes, there’s a chance the UPS guy sat on your bulbs and busted them to hell and back. But again, if the return policy has not been abused, you can get it replaced for free. I don’t know of any other companies who will replace your stuff and not even make you pay shipping.
And hey, if you really don’t like GardensAlive, there are a million other companies out there. Go pick one and stop placing orders somewhere where you’re not satisfied.
| | Positive | CandL
(2 reviews) | On August 27, 2008, CandL Reynoldsburg, OH wrote: I'm quite frankly surprised to see all of the negative comments with this company. I always order from Garden's Alive online, with no problems at all. I have found that their Pyola spray is the best around for instantly getting rid of the Japanese Beetles and aphids on my rose bushes and other plants. The Soap Shield and Shield All both work wonders on rose fungus. The Roses Alive is the reason I have big healthy roses. I also have their Bulbs Alive and Perinneals Alive feeds to and they are all wonderful. Their lawn weed and feed, while it takes longer than chemical's to work, does work over time. I am a member of the Garden Solutions club and enjoy my 10% discount with every purchase from their member companies. People who want instant gratification shouldn't try organic gardening as it take more work and more time to see the results. But those results are wonderful with a little patience! | | Negative | kqcrna
(6 reviews) | On July 8, 2008, kqcrna Cincinnati, OH
(Zone 6a) wrote:Talk about an eye opener!
I had a special offer from Gardens Alive and went clicking through their website. Most products do not list the ingredients, which I found odd for a company who claims to be earth friendly.
One interesting product I found was Plantskyd at $36.95/lb. Claims say it will repel deer for 6 months. I emailed them to ask what it is, what the active ingredients are. Today (2 or 3 weeks later) I got a reply stating that the active ingredient is blood meal!!! Can you imagine $36.95 a pound for blood meal???
Buyer beware of Gardens Alive
Karen | | Negative | aoneill
(5 reviews) | On June 30, 2008, aoneill Parkton, MD wrote: Don't bother trying to order on line. I have not been able to submit my order to them the last 4 tries.
When I called in this last order my return email stated that my order would take 13 to 27 days to be delivered. I emailed back that I needed the nematodes for my irises now.
I have to agree with the others who say that this company's
practices have slipped dramatically. No more orders from me. | | Positive | cacolos
(3 reviews) | On June 1, 2008, cacolos Auburn Hills, MI
(Zone 6a) wrote:I have ordered from most of those linked companies and knock on wood I have been very happy,, I did have a coupon problem once, I called and they corrected it,, the products work and flowers have been in good condition, i have been ordering from most of them for years.. | | Negative | grabb
(2 reviews) | On May 24, 2008, grabb Mobile, AL wrote: I received an e-mail concerning shipment of an order last week. However, the person they were trying to contact was not me nor was the e-mail in my name. I have her name and info; mine is floating around somewhere in cyperspace.
I ordered ladybugs weeks ago and still have not received them. This company is not reliable - no more orders for me! | | Positive | Kassia
(12 reviews) | On May 19, 2008, Kassia Framingham, MA
(Zone 6a) wrote:I have had the best experience buying from Gardens Alive... definitly will use them again...
customer service is excelent,
they quickly replaced one item that came damaged! great company! | | Positive | sjvmi87
(3 reviews) | On May 18, 2008, sjvmi87 Centreville, VA wrote: I have ordered from Gardens Alive in 3 of the last 4 years I have had a garden and have been pretty happy with each transaction. Of about 9 [purchases I have made with them, I only had a minor issue with one that really was half my fault and half theirs- maybe 2/3's mine and 1/3 theirs. I do have to confess to a bit of sticker shock each time I order due to the shipping costs. I know they can't do much about it but it is pretty eye opening to have about 35% of my order paying for shipping. I would shop somewhere local to save the shipping but their products truly are superior to anything I can get around here (Northern VA). Yep- I am a satisfied customer and expect I will be again in about 30 minutes. | | Positive | JJCHawk
(4 reviews) | On May 5, 2008, JJCHawk Denver, CO wrote: I've purchased fertilizers, soil additions, and both pyola and soapshield from Gardens Alive!. I've been satisfied with their products, but am switching to a local rose fertilizer after having joined the local rose society, as it is made for Colorado soils (a challenge all its own!). I am very concerned at how similar some of the negative comments are to what I've experienced with Brecks (as have many others). I will purchase from them again, but will be alert for problems stemming from whatever internal changes they've recently made. Like other reviewers, I too wish they would more adequately list fertilizer ingredients and analyses. I had to call to get the #-#-# rating for several of them - couldn't even find it on the website. But overall, I've liked their products. There are not very many sources for organic gardeners at this point, so GA is a pretty safe fallback. | | Negative | Allison123
(1 review) | On May 2, 2008, Allison123 Rolla, MO wrote: Yes, I finally yielded to the coupon. Finally got the website to work. Saw the "final" page where it shows that my coupon had been applied. Hit the submit-the-order button. BLINKED IN HORROR as the "receipt" page added the 25 dollars back to my order! (with no explanation and no chance to change my mind)
Of course, no one is answering their phones. Frankly, from the other reviews, I suspect it might not matter if they answered the phones or not :(
THIS is what I get for not checking here first, won't be making that mistake again ...
On May 4th, 2008, Allison123 added the following:
I think they may have shared my customer information so now I have to CANCEL MY CREDIT CARD! When I checked my email last night, I got the confirmation of my order from them. I checked it to see if they had the correct price, and discovered that they had BILLED MY ORDER TO A TOTAL STRANGER in another state AND had shared her information with me. Which made me think \"Aieeee! Who have they been sharing MY information with?\" This is a nightmare. A freakish crazy nightmare. | | Negative | mcollum83
(6 reviews) | On May 1, 2008, mcollum83 Hay Springs, NE wrote: I rec'd their catalog, with that infamous $25 free, no strings attached that everybody else got. I too decided, I will spend just over that...why not with so much free? On-line the site would not take my coupon code at all. After an hour of messing with it (and I did try and call but couldn't get through), I abandoned the effort. Twenty four hours later I got an email asking why I didn't finish paying for my order. I emailed back and said that their site wouldn't take my coupon code. I was emailed "my coupon code" (which I aleady knew) and I tried again, to no avail. So I gave up, not worth my time. And via another email, I was told, just give us your credit card number, the order will place, and we'll take care of it then. LOL...HAH! I NEVER give out my credit card number if the order isn't exactly right, or if all information and prices are already figured out. Nobody else expects me to give a credit card number without getting proper amounts owed figured out! At that point in time, I threw the catalog out, and figured I was better off not dealing with this idiocracy. And then I went here to tell people this, and look what I found, other people getting hosed by that same coupon! I don't get it, I have had other companies give me that same coupon with no problem! I would do your business elsewhere if I were you! | | Positive | NS
(2 reviews) | On April 27, 2008, NS Stamping Ground, KY wrote: Let me tell you of my recent order. I ordered around noon on a Wednesday and the next day, Thursday, the UPS guy was getting my order out of his truck. Pretty impressive isn't it? Okay, I'm only one state away, but 24 hours!?!? I was very happy with GA.
Here's the kicker: I had given them the wrong expiration date on my credit card and had a message waiting on the phone from GA when I was finished with the UPS guy. We got all of the billing straightened out and I had my order in my hands before GA had any idea they would be paid.
I've been ordering from GA for years-can't plant a tomato plant without Tomatoes Alive-and have never,ever had a bad product or experience.
| | Positive | knexsen
(10 reviews) | On April 7, 2008, knexsen Virginia Beach, VA wrote: I was a bit trepidatious about this company after seeing the reviews, but I had a coupon for $25 toward products, so I decided to give them a try. I have been quite happy with what I ordered.
Although one item I ordered arrived damaged, they immediately sent me a replacement--no questions asked. It arrived without delay and in perfect condition. All other items were very pleasing.
Their customer service is through a handling center that also handles Springhill Nursery, Henry Fields, etc. and I've ordered from all three and ALWAYS received excellent service through them. I've had to contact their service center several times, for reasons ranging from receiving a plant that was dead, having a plant die shortly after planting, to UPS damaging items in transit. No matter what the reason for the concern, the companies always send me a replacement ASAP with no questions asked. I have loved that aspect of service the most about these companies.
Regarding their affiliates, (of those I've ordered from) the only one I've really been absolutely disappointed with is Gurney's. The others have always offered nice plants, decent prices, good specials, and great service! | | Positive | chicochi3
(16 reviews) | On March 31, 2008, chicochi3 Fayetteville, AR
(Zone 6b) wrote:First shipment of ladybugs was all dead, but I called Customer Service and they shipped out a new batch all of which were healthy and ready to fly! | | Negative | chickadeeisme
(1 review) | On March 28, 2008, chickadeeisme Mechanicsville, VA wrote: After finding what I thought to be the perfect ‘unique’ gift for a gardener in the family, I ordered 50 earth worm cocoons from Gardens Alive and was told that they were buy one get one free…oh boy! The estimated ship date came and went, so I checked on the status of the order online. I discovered that the person that took my order over the phone had entered the wrong address…leaving the first two letters of my street name off. I called customer service (not an 800 number) and reported the address error which supposedly was fixed. I also reported that the order only showed 1 package of cocoons and that I had been told that I would be getting one free. The seemingly apologetic representative explained that the person taking my order probably thought that because items purchased showed up as ‘2’; one package of cocoons and one instruction letter and I was out of luck. I was then offered a condolence prize…the chance to fork over more money to them by purchasing items at a ‘special’ discounted rate. I quickly and empathically declined. Two weeks passed and I received my baby earth worms by miracle…my address was still incorrect and had NOT been changed. The package’s ship date was a week prior to its arrival and was supposedly a ‘RUSH’ ship due to refrigeration requirements. I called customer service AGAIN and told the person on the phone the whole story. I received NO apology, ABSOLUTLY NO indication of concern over losing a customer, and frankly speaking NO indication of concern at all. I am convinced at this point that Gardens Alive has no interest in customer satisfaction and product reliability. There is no guarantee that you will get what you order and certainly will not find a company representative willing to stand behind it if you don’t. Any company that is not willing to protect its reputation through good customer service does not earn my respect! I'm taking my business elsewhere!!
Company representative comment on May 17, 2008:
On May 17, 2008 2:54 PM, Gardens Alive! added:Customer was contacted for possible resolution; did not receive any response. | | Negative | amazon1024
(1 review) | On March 13, 2008, amazon1024 Rio Vista, CA wrote: Much like several of the other folks, I too received a catalogue in the mail with a free $25 coupon. While challenging, I was finally able to place my order over the internet and use my coupon code. My order was slightly over the freebie amount so I provided my credit card for the balance. Received my order, all was well in the world, as I won't get into the part where they product was very disappointing at the moment. Imagine my surprise when months later I started getting notes in the mail telling me my account was past due, late fee's had been charged, and I needed to pay up. So, being a good consumer, I called - on my dime - the customer service number. A nice associate told me that there was no balance due showing on my account and it must have been an error. It would be corrected immediately and so sorry for the inconvenience. And when I got the next notice a month later, I called again. And when the next one came in, same thing. I was assured this time I would be receiving no more late notices. Well, partially correct. Instead, months later, I started getting collection calls day and night!! My $32 order - $25 of which was "free" - was now going to cost me $70 with late fees and charges since I was apparently a "dead beat". Arguing with the collection agency was pointless; especially since not a one of them who called could speak English worth a lick. AGAIN I called Garden's Alive. Again I was told there was no balance on my account, it showed paid in full at the time of order, they could not explain to me why I was being hounded in their name by collections and they would send me a letter immediately to rectify the situation. I got the letter, three weeks later, that simply said they were sorry for any inconvience and please be advised the new spring products would be available shortly. No mention of my account being in good standing, no confirming they had called off the dogs. Because they hadn't. The collections people are still calling. I have called Gardens Alive more times than I can count - always to be assured there was no monies due, my account was fine, and they'd take care of it. You cannot get anyone's last name for accountability, and when you call back, no one has heard of the person you talked to the last time. Asking for a manager or the owner has gotten me the same song and dance and no resolution. I no longer have an account with the credit card company I had used, so I have no recourse that way. I'm probably going to just pay the $70 to the vultures so they will quit ringing my phone at 10pm at night. OH, and I just received their Spring catalgue - and another of their $25 coupons - in the mail. Three guesses how long it took me to toss it in the trash!!!!
Company representative comment on April 22, 2008:
On Apr 22, 2008 11:10 AM, Gardens Alive! added:When shipping the order, we could not get the customer's credit card authorized (this could have been because of an incorrect security code, or any other number of reasons) for the $26.40 balance due, after the $25 coupon was deducted, so we sent the order anyway, along with an invoice included in the package. Six more notices are sent out, and if we get no response, we, unfortunately, have to turn the account over to the collection agency. | | Positive | earmbruster
(2 reviews) | On February 11, 2008, earmbruster Batavia, OH
(Zone 6b) wrote:I just made my first purchase with Gardens Alive and I couldn't be more pleased. The website worked fine, although initially the confirmation showed an incorrect total. I was charged the correct total, and I received everything 2 days later. Can't ask for better service than that. I just hope the products are as effective as the service. | | Negative | vtbeachldy
(1 review) | On January 28, 2008, vtbeachldy Blanchard, OK wrote: Although I have ordered in the past with their coupon deals, I'm now done with this company. I'd forgotten about the clunky telephone order from last year, but this year I tried to use their website to order and it was a horror show.
I received an email deal on a product, clicked the link in the email, and was directed to the website page. I read the complete product info and then clicked "add to my shopping basket". I was redirected to a page asking for the special code to get the reduced price, entered the code, and then was redirected to the shopping basket. The shopping basket was empty.
After trying this three times, I gave up and sent an email to the company explaining that I couldn't use their online ordering and perhaps something was wrong with it? The answer I got back was that I didn't have my browser cookies enabled with a long and really worthless explanation of how to enable cookies on Explorer. For the record, my cookies are enabled for daily sessions only. Apparently their system requires 24/7 cookies? Not even my online banking requires that much access. Also for the record, I use Firefox and wouldn't allow Explorer on my computer for any reason.
So I wrote back and explained that I do not allow full cookie access and that perhaps they should contact their sys admin and change the cookie requirement to something a little more real world. Their response was priceless....
....I've been removed from their email offers. Whew!
--
Another note: until I read thru these other comments, I'd forgotten that I couldn't order online last year either and ended up using the telephone ordering. Unless you have 45 minutes to speak each letter and number and wait for the auto system to take your order, it's actually faster to fill out the paper form and mail it in.
Not surprising to note the other affiliated companies.. they're all poorly managed.
On July 1st, 2008, vtbeachldy added the following:
I just wanted to let y\'all know how this company got back to me...
I received an email from an unidentified person telling me they wanted to fix my order - no company identification on the email. I had a funny feeling it was in response to my negative comment here, but there was no way to be sure. There were two typos in the email, making me wonder if it was some kind of scam. I wrote back asking \"who are you. what company is this, and what is this in reference to?\" and received no response.
I stand by my early negative.
p.s. Their website never works, as far as I know-- and the coupons don\'t enter either. This could possibly be a case of U.S. mail fraud?
On August 19th, 2008, vtbeachldy added the following:
The supposed April response is a total fabrication as far as I can see. They did not respond in April nor at any other time. Note that the e-mail copy that they have posted does NOT contain any info on who they are or who \'Debbie\' represents. I still stand by my negative rating.
I\'m somewhat surprised that they keep trying to prove that I\'m the one in error here. Another indicator of their idea of customer service...
Company representative comment on August 1, 2008:
On May 23, 2008 8:15 AM, Gardens Alive! added:Customer was contacted for possible resolution - no response.
On Aug 1, 2008 4:02 PM, Gardens Alive! added:Below is the correspondence I had with this Customer:
Tue, April 15, 2008
9:16 AM
Dear Valued Customer:
I would like to apologize for the inconvenience you encountered while trying to order through our company. Would you please submit your name and address so that I may look into this matter, and into your order? I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Debbie
Customer Service
vtbeachldy
Blanchard, OK
Thu, April 17, 2008
6:42 AM
From your email, I have no idea what company you work for.
Thu, April 17, 2008
9:03 AM
Dear Valued Customer:
I apologize that I did not include that information; I was referring to a posting on Dave's Garden/Garden Watchdog for Gardens Alive!. I look foward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Debbie
Customer Service
| | Negative | Roses_child
(1 review) | On December 14, 2007, Roses_child Savannah, GA wrote: I used to LOVE Gardens Alive and in the past recommended to lots of fellow gardeners, but something really weird has happened lately, and not only are they not responsive, but they promise things they don't deliver, and then when threatened by my credit card company with a need for action, tell me that they are refunding only a part of what they charged my card for!
I can't imagine what happened to them, but I wanted to WARN as many other gardeners to avoid them in the future. It's a sad thing, as they used to be so good.
Company representative comment on April 15, 2008:
On Apr 15, 2008 9:12 AM, Gardens Alive! added:Customer was emailed on 12/19/07 for possible resolution of problem; there has been no response as of 4/15/08. | | Neutral | yardener
(11 reviews) | On December 5, 2007, yardener Greenfield, OH
(Zone 6a) wrote:So-so on their products. The price makes them worth trying but I find cheap homemade solutions work just as well.
I still look thru the catalog every year and occasionally I'll purchase a sale item. | | Negative | dun1kirk
(1 review) | On November 11, 2007, dun1kirk Berkeley, CA
(Zone 9a) wrote:I'm done with them! Whenever I have a particular question, often associated with what product I can use in combination with another product, I receive a non answer. I've even asked questions of their "master gardener". I very much doubt the "master" aspect. I wonder if they can read these posts! | | Negative | ejanelli
(1 review) | On November 8, 2007, ejanelli San Francisco, CA wrote: Very bad experience. Ordered from Gurney's, got confirmation, order included specific shipping instructions, got email from Gardens Alive with no reference to original order number from Gurneys, took forever to piece it all together, and email informed me that, essentially, my shipping instructions were being ignored. They'll never see another order from me. | | Positive | nitzi1944
(3 reviews) | On October 22, 2007, nitzi1944 Kings Park, NY
(Zone 7a) wrote:I love some of Gardens Alive's products such as the soil activator and the Bio Flo drain maintenance. Their turf Alive 3 with rhizomes grass seed comes up a medium green and falls over and mats. Not as expected. It germinates quickly though. I have also used thier insect repellant and the Escargo. Their oirders come promptly and the CS people are always nice. I spoke to a Gloria. I'll continue ordering selectively from them. | | Neutral | CedarBerry
(8 reviews) | On October 15, 2007, CedarBerry Oakland, OR wrote: I decided to take Gardens Alive! up on its "free $25 worth of products" coupon I received. I spent quite a bit of time looking over everything they offered, finally choosing some liquid kelp spray and another item.
The bottle of kelp arrived shortly, albeit with a broken cap. I was very glad that the seal on the bottle kept it from leaking in shipment. (Of course, now that the seal's removed, the broken cap doesn't keep the contents very airtight.) It did seem to have a positive effect on the plants I sprayed it on.
Disappointingly, I received a postcard from Gardens Alive! telling me that my other item was discontinued and that I "would not be charged" for it. Great, except it was part of my "free" order, so I wasn't charged for it, anyway!
I emailed them and said that it would be nice if they could offer a replacement item, noting that I could hardly complain since everything was free to begin with. They replied that they would send me a $5 gift certificate. That was 2 months ago...I have not yet received any certificate.
Although I do appreciate the free products offer very much and like the one that I received, I feel very "neutral" about the experience overall and am not particularly likely to order from Gardens Alive! in the future. | | Positive | Cearbhaill
(8 reviews) | On October 13, 2007, Cearbhaill Russell, KY
(Zone 6b) wrote:I have ordered from Gardens Alive numerous times and have always been very satisfied with both the products and the service. I have ordered with a coupon, without a coupon, via telephone, via online, and always good results. I really like the variety of fertilizers they offer but wish with all my heart that they would see fit to list ingredients on all products. | | Positive | frogfish
(4 reviews) | On October 3, 2007, frogfish Cleveland, OH wrote: I have a shady front lawn that seems to be a magnet for every white tailed deer in the state of Ohio. I’ve tried every type of grass seed but it would always get trampled and look sparse. I enjoy watching the Deer so I figured that I would have to accept a sad looking lawn. This year I seeded my lawn with Self-repairing Turf Alive! III with Rhizomes early this spring. It is October now and my lawn looks great! Thank You Gardens Alive for coming up with a grass that can hold its own under heavy Deer traffic. Your coupons are Great also! Please keep them coming! | | Negative | velnita
(2 reviews) | On September 26, 2007, velnita Dayton, OH
(Zone 5b) wrote:I placed an order by phone for eight bags of compost and a two year subscription for their gardening club. I asked the lady to read my order back to me giving me the price for each item that I ordered and the $20 coupon and discounts. It was correct so I gave her my credit card number.
When I received an e-mail confirmation for my order, it didn't include the $20 coupon and my subscription was only renewed for one year (there is a savings when you renew for two years instead of only one). I immediately e-mailed their customer service and was told that the order was already shipped so they wouldn't honor their coupon. They apologized for my inconvenience. They couldn't verify how long my renewal was for their gardening club. It scares me that my order was changed after I gave them my credit card information.
It took another week to finally get them to tell me that my membership was renewed for only one year at the higher rate. They apologized for the "miscommunication". At NO time did they show any interest in making things right.
They keep e-mailing me advertisements that I haven't used my $20 coupon. I'm not going to fall for that again. Although I like their expensive products, they have shown me that they really don't care about their customers. So I will no longer be one of their customers. There are too many companies that want to please their customers that I don't need to waste my time on those who don't.
On October 10th, 2007, velnita added the following:
I received my credit card bill and noticed that they charged my account for a higher amount than was even on the order confirmation (which was wrong any way)! None of the numbers match. I\'ve e-mailed several times asking why they charged me more than the amount on my order confirmation and they have ignored my question. I give up. If they need the money that badly, they can keep it. | | Negative | DennisDean
(1 review) | On September 23, 2007, DennisDean Albuquerque, NM wrote: I have never had any ordering problems with Gardens Alive. The only products I have used are Turf Alive III and Turf Alive III with Rhizomes grass seeds.
In 2002, I made the mistake of using Turf Alive III grass seed to seed new lawns at two properties in Albuquerque. The grass initially came in beautifully, rich and thick. By the second season, no amount of chemical control could stem the invasion of weeds. Every spot where weeds had initially gotten a foothold, the grass was wiped out. Third season I attempted overseeding with Turf Alive III with rhizomes, thinking this variety might provide at least some competition for the weeds. Preparation involved heavy watering and thorough lawn aeration. The seed came up unevenly despite diligent light watering. After four seasons, the lawn still looks green, but even weeds can look good from a distance, if kept closely mowed.
I have sold the larger of the two properties. The smaller lawn is a carpet of the various undesirable grasses. Not much of the original Turfs Alive grass remains. We will be rototilling and replanting this month with bluegrass.
Five years ago, the old hands around town told me that bluegrass was the only way to go for a nice lawn. I didn't listen, choosing to believe the Gardens Alive hype. Bluegrass certainly couldn't take any more water than I expended trying to keep the Turfs Alive stuff alive. In the few spots that did survive, the Turfs Alive lawn turns very coarse. I think it might make a good field grass. | | Negative | ganthony101
(1 review) | On August 20, 2007, ganthony101 Longs, SC wrote: The coddling moth traps were useless. The scent cap did not stay in place, the traps did not catch 1 moth. Did catch a couple of houseflies. The rest of the order was junk. They did refund my money. So that is positive in a way. | | Positive | compostuser
(2 reviews) | On August 20, 2007, compostuser Bremerton, WA
(Zone 8b) wrote:Gardens Alive. I love their $25 coupon (if your purchase is less than $25, your entire purchase is FREE). Can't beat the FREE price. Went throught the entire catalog looking for items that total $19.95. When you include shipping cost the total was $24.95. So what did I get... I purchase some organic compost starter for green matter, an bird netting. ALL FOR FREE
I was able to convince my neighbor (he was about to throw away the catalog and valuable $25 coupon), he placed an order on my behalf and I was able to get 2 super light insect barrier. ALL FOR FREE.
FREE FREE FREE | | Positive | Juls123
(6 reviews) | On July 16, 2007, Juls123 Metro East, IL
(Zone 6a) wrote:I got a real deal by using one of their first timer coupons. The info on the site said several business days for shipping, so I wasn't expecting the order for a week or two, and it came FAST. I ordered on a Friday and it was here on Tuesday.
What I LOVE were the starch-based shipping peanuts they use as packing. They mentioned on the shipping form that they were made of starch and could be added to your compost pile.
One of my cats thought they were delicious, so I quickly put them in the pile.
I'm very pleased with the speed in which my order arrived, and LOVE those peanuts. I'm thrilled to see a company carry out their environmental efforts into shipping too. Bravo. | | Negative | jkramer
(2 reviews) | On July 9, 2007, jkramer Saint Charles, IL
(Zone 5a) wrote:My first thought was to rate Gardens Alive as "Neutral", but decided on "Negative" because of the ludicrous reaction to my recent issue. First of all, I ordered and received Pyola, and it really seems to work well. I had also ordered Nematodes to solve a problem with squash vine borers. The nematodes arrived in early June - too early to be used because my squash had just started to grow. The package said to keep them cool, so I refrigerated them. Upon opening the package, the detailed instructions noted that the nematodes must be used immediately or refrigerated no more than a couple of days.
NOW HERE'S WHERE IT GETS DOWNRIGHT FUNNY:
I e-mailed them to explain that there was no way I could have used the nematodes when they were received.
Priyanka responded "Nematodes are living microscopic ellworms,
and they need to be used within two weeks of receiving them, or they will die (of starvation). If I can be of further assistance please feel free to contact me."
I responded that they should have stated this in their catalog and that I wasted my money.
Raj responded: "I can offer you a reship or a replacement certificate for the nematodes."
I chose a re-ship.
Kawal gave me a re-ship order number, saying it would ship in the fall.
I e-mailed back saying the fall will be too late -- I need to defeat the squash vine borers during the peak growing season.
Mandeep responded: "We ship items according to the proper
planting time in your area. The items in this order are the fall
items, so these can be shipped in the fall only."
I laughed out loud when I read this. Apparently, they don't understand the concept of growing seasons in India!!!
| | Neutral | dkm65
(3 reviews) | On July 3, 2007, dkm65 Cedar Falls, IA
(Zone 4b) wrote:I have mixed feelings about GardensAlive! They have some high quality products, albeit often over priced if you don't get one of their occasional special offers. On the other hand, their product info is often incomplete and their marketing is often either questionable or very ecologically irresponsible.
On the questionable marketing, they will often show "test" results that imply that their product produces great results, but then if you look they are comparing a plant with fertilizer to one without, rather than their product compared to brand X. Any fertilizer would get short term growth results like they show, and they usually don't back up any claims of enhanced results over an alternative product.
On the irresponsible marketing, they portray themselves as environmentally responsible, but they are mainly out to get you to use a lot of their products in your gardening even though some are far from benign. The metals in some of their insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides can cause problems for your soils, wildlife, and water systems and should not be used unless absolutely necessary, yet they market them as if they are benign. They also make claims about some of their products not harming beneficial insects, when they are well known to harm many beneficial insects. For instance, they sell a BT-based spray insecticide with the claim that it doesn't harm beneficials, but the indiscriminate use of BT can cause a lot of problems for important pollinators like butterflies (several of which are threatened and have had recent population collapses) which is why organic advocates have such a problem with BT-corn. We don't know what the impacts on soil organisms and other beneficials of many of the ingredients in many products that are listed as acceptable for use in organic gardening and which GardensAlive sells, which is why they are used as a last resort after taking steps like physical removal and changes in cultural practices. Even then, some levels of "harmful" species is a good thing and much better than the often not-fully-known consequences of applying a strong chemical like copper or organisms like BT and nematatodes. After all, what will the beneficial populations live off of if you try to wipe out their food supply? A bit of aphid, grub, or fungus damage does not justify applying any chemicals or other substances, be they certified for organic gardening or not.
I've done business with them for many years, and they still are a good source for some products. I just worry that they are encouraging unsound practices in the name of environmentally-friendly gardening, and wish they would be more responsible in how they describe and market products. | | Negative | three_elms
(4 reviews) | On June 22, 2007, three_elms Tippecanoe, IN wrote: Tried to place an order for Pyola and a couple of other products that came highly recommended. Their price was expensive, but I thought if it works it's worth a try. What a mistake.
I tried to place an order, it vanished into their system. So I called them up to verify the order, no order could be found. No big deal, maybe I made a mistake. I entered a new order and this time I got a confirmation email and all seemed fine. After a week of no news I logged into their system to see if they had lost the order again, or if it was back ordered. Their website says they normally ship same day or next day, not within a few weeks.
Turns out I now had 2 orders in the system, the one they "lost" and the current order. The date on the "lost" order was one week after I had tried to place it. I sent them an email asking what was going on. Overnight they shipped parts of the "lost" order. A reply to email came back that was a useless form email saying they ship within 2-3 days, they had never read my email. So I called to cancel what they had yet to ship. They said no problem it's canceled.
12 hours latter I get an email saying they have shipped what I had canceled. Of course the card has been billed. Trying to call them appears to be futile on Friday, their hold systems waits for a bit then says "our call load is very heavy, please call back later "
Between their customer service and the prices I couldn't recommend Gardens Alive.
| | Neutral | seagardener
(15 reviews) | On June 21, 2007, seagardener Southport, ME wrote: Ouch,
I REALLY DISLIKE their new automated phone ordering system. It immediately mis-identified my name & said "I'm sorry..." a lot. I quickly got disgusted and simply said nothing until a real person *finally* came on the phone (had it on speaker phone while I did other stuff). We really like some of their products and are a big fan of the organic "W.O.W." lawn weed&feed products and their micronized copper fungicide "Soap Shield" for roses. Another disappointment is that the latter product is only available in quart sizes instead of gallons as in the past. It's too bad that they are now affiliated with companies with bad reputations. Overall we have been satisfied with the products purchased from them (including pantry moth traps). I just hope they ditch the AWFUL automated phone system. |
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