The scoop on 'Breck's Bulbs'

Feedback History and Summary   168 positives 57 neutrals 128 negatives

Comments:

Rating Author Content Positive AgDrgn (1 review) On July 9, 2008, AgDrgn Hamden, CT wrote: My bulbs for tulips and Asiatic Lilies came for an Autumn planting. Winter was wet and warm (for Connecticut) and some of the rains made me wonder if my bulbs would even remain in the ground where I put them! They did and everything is blooming wonderfully. Later I ordered some other plants including irises and ornamental grasses. The grasses are growing slowly but nothing has happened with the irises (except two of them so far died). I have not yet contacted the company but will do so if the whole season passes without them flourishing. I expect good service from Breack's and so far have not been disappointed. Negative cascrown (1 review) On May 29, 2008, cascrown Clifton, VA wrote: Ordered bulbs on 30 Apr 2008 and 30 days later they still have not shipped, and show an estimated receipt date in July. I will never order from Brecks again! I emailed them and received no response. Negative Hostafarmer40 (3 reviews) On May 27, 2008, Hostafarmer40 Zeeland, MI wrote: I have been ordering from mail order for many years. This year has by far been the worst year ever. We had cold weather until just recently and it has been hard on the plants, especially when they are seedlings to start with. All the plants I bought from Brecks this year were tiny seedlings and they are not going to make it. They usually are excellent with replacing plants but I am unhappy with the size of the plants. Some were dried out and some were moldy. They were shipped too early and did not like to wait in their little small containers even though I tried to save them. It was not just Brecks but also Springhill and Michigan Bulb. By the time I pay for the shipping and it will be at least two years before the plants that are left to catch up, it will be a long wait. Granted they were advertised as potted plants, which they were, but tiny does not work for me. I learned a vauable lesson, you get what you pay for. Never again. Negative espj13 (1 review) On May 23, 2008, espj13 Thiensville, WI wrote: I placed an order with Breck's mid April. Since then, I have had the shipping date change 4 times and it may again yet! And I never receive any notification that the ship date changed. I only know from checking my order status. I also have no idea what is the cause of the delay. I'm currently scheduled to get my bulbs in July!. I doubt that I will have a chance to plant these and even have them flower this season. My email inquiries are responded to but most have standard explanations (i.e. coming from Holland) but nothing substantive. I'm contemplating canceling my order. I'm very disappointed. Positive Little_Ra (3 reviews) On May 17, 2008, Little_Ra Pulaski, NY wrote: I have been very happy with the bulbs I've gotten from Breck's and have been a customer since 1993. I've ordered all kinds of daffodils and they have been large and healthy. The customer service is wonderful, too. When I've had bulbs fail to come up I've never had any problem getting them replaced and when I had a mix come up as all the same thing I called about it and was given a mix without any problems. Once I had a substitute daffodil sent and when I called to ask about it I was told to keep the substitute and had what I originally ordered sent to me the following year because it had run out of stock. Positive zkmayo (2 reviews) On May 14, 2008, zkmayo Matthews, NC wrote: Had received emails, coupons, and catalogs from Brecks for several years after a Christmas gift of tulip bulbs I received a while back. Although I have had good success with the tulips I was wary of ordering from them because of all the negative reviews. I needed some daylilies, and seeing that none of my neighbors had any to divide, decided to place an order with a $25 coupon. Plants arrived, bare root in peat moss. First impression, was disappointment but I also remember its called gardening, not growing or flowering. So I planted them and to my pleasant surprise they are doing very well. Growing vigorously and with a few blooms already. Again, we're talking daylilies here so my 3 year old could probably grow them, but Id have to say that its safe to order daylilies from Brecks. Neutral gavinsmom (3 reviews) On May 10, 2008, gavinsmom Lakewood, OH (Zone 6a) wrote: Just FYI, Breck's is currently offering $25 for free (no strings attached) if you rec'd the coupon in the mail. I used mine because what have I got to lose, BUT I ordered 2 "tree lily" bulbs 4 weeks ago and my ship date isn't until late May. A little late for lily bulbs, but maybe I can enjoy them next year. So far as I have seen, Breck's is the only place that has the tree lily bulbs. Brecks is always hit or miss. That's why I only get what's free. On May 27th, 2008, gavinsmom added the following: It is May 26th and I am still waiting. A rep from Breck\'s contacted me through the forum and checked into my order. Apparently my bulbs are just now being \"flown over from Holland.\" I\'m supposed to get them in about 3 weeks. This is really aggrevating because I ordered in March and I will not get these plants/bulbs until June, far too late in the season to be much good for this year. While I appreciated the response from the rep, I am still not very happy. Maybe people who order the \"freebies\" get put on the backburner. Company representative comment on June 25, 2008: On Jun 25, 2008 1:30 PM, Breck's Bulbs added: Orders are shipped in the order they are received, whether it is a "freebie" order (this Customer paid about $3.00) or a $200+ order. Bulbs can only be shipped after they are harvested (we don't keep bulbs around from year to year - each shipment is freshly harvested and either transported by freighter or flown over from Holland). The Customer's order was delivered on May 29. Neutral lemonwater (6 reviews) On May 10, 2008, lemonwater Mountain View, CA wrote: I didn't read any reviews of this company until after I had already placed my order, so I decided to wait to see what would happen before commenting. I found their site through Google while searching for English bluebells. I couldn't the English bluebells anywhere else, so I decided to order them through Breck's, I thought they seemed reputable at the time. Along with my "English" bluebells, I ordered two different varieties of crocus. My crocus all came up fine, they were what I ordered, and I didn't receive any moldy bulbs. But the English bluebells which were the reason for my entire order, were unfortunately Spanish bluebells. I'm not usually very picky about these things, and I hate leaving negative reviews, but I'm very very disappointed. I gave away some of my bulbs as a gift, to someone who grew up with in Britain with English bluebells and loves them, so I'm not the only person that's disappointed. Furthermore, only one bulb out of the 15 has flowered despite all being given the same care. I certainly won't be ordering from Breck's again. On July 4th, 2008, lemonwater changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following: Debbie from customer service contacted me regarding my negative experience with Breck\'s. I found her to be very helpful in trying to correct my problem of the mislabeled English bluebells, which I was told will be shipping during the fall. I am changing my rating to a neutral for now, and I will update it later after I see how everything goes. Negative JJCHawk (4 reviews) On May 5, 2008, JJCHawk Denver, CO wrote: Last spring I was excited to get the offer for Astible, and promptly ordered several. They arrived, but failed entirely. I have contacted Breck's for a credit or refund. They have not replied. I see now this is not uncommon. Last fall I ordered a lot of bulbs - over 100. Only about 1/3 have come up, and the plants are frail and not performing well at all. In contrast, I purchased five tulip bulbs locally from O'Tooles, planted at the time in the same conditions, and they are doing very well - large, healthy, strong, and blooming. I will not order from this company again. I had better luck with tulips I brought home from Amsterdam, forgot about for a year, and then planted at the wrong time of year! Those are thriving still! Company representative comment on June 25, 2008: On Jun 25, 2008 1:33 PM, Breck's Bulbs added: I emailed the Customeron May 17 for a possible resolution (whether it be reship, credit or refund); have not received a reply as of today. Positive hvannostrand1 (2 reviews) On May 3, 2008, hvannostrand1 Plattsmouth, NE wrote: For those of you that cannot use the $25 coupon for free merchandise, you need to read the coupon. It says right on it that you must order $50 worth of products to receive the $25 discount. You don't just get $25 worth of products for free. It will not accept your key number until the order is $50 or more. That seems like a pretty good deal to me. It's not often that you can get a 50% discount. Negative blufour (3 reviews) On May 1, 2008, blufour Cantril, IA wrote: I've purchased bulbs several times over the years from Breck's. For 8 years I've lived on a different farm that may or may not affect the growing of bulbs but, regardless, I have had poor luck with the bulbs I purchased from Breck's. I received some replacements or refunds but last year I emailed regarding some day lillies and I received two different email answers. One said I would be receiving replacements the other said "It appears that our company's products are not a good match for you....We're somewhat puzzled by this, because we do strive for 100% customer satisfaction, and in most cases, achieve it." This has angered me no end because it seems I'm being accused of trying to scam them. In the meantime I thought perhaps the email that said I would get replacements was the correct email but I never received anything. I now have received a catalog so I called to see why they would send me a catalog but not honor their gaurantee and was told, "No you aren't receiving any replacements." Gee, thanks a lot! Looks like if they really wanted to satisfy THIS customer they would've honored that guarantee or given me a refund of all plants that didn't live. And these plants didn't die the next year or something like that; it was the same season I planted them. On May 29th, 2008, blufour added the following: To update my comments regarding Breck\'s Bulbs: I tried once more to get some customer service and get a refund on one day lily out of a collection that I had purchased in 2006. The first person (a lady who was not a \"lady\") hung up on me right after finding out my \"history\" so I tried again and talked to a very nice young man. There was no argument; merely an agreement to credit my card with the one day lily. I am waiting to see if the credit actually gets to my card. I have not changed my opinion of them. Their guarantee states that those plants are guaranteed to grow for as long as you garden so I recently emailed them to ask if that is exactly what it means and they wrote back saying it is exactly what they mean, \"we will issue a replacement or a credit\". I did not use my usual email address or anything so they assumed I was a potential new customer. There is no mention in their guarantee that they will tell you you have had too high a rate of failure and they don\'t want you as a customer any more. It used to be that there were only a few of these mail order nurseries that were no good. Now they all seem to have no customer service and send out plants that are more often than not poor quality. Positive colliwobbles (7 reviews) On April 27, 2008, colliwobbles Seattle, WA (Zone 8a) wrote: Breck's is part of the "trilogy" as I like to call it (the other two being Michigan Bulb and Spring Hill Nursery). I stopped ordering from the latter two after I figured out that the quality of the plants wasn't so great. However, I have to say that I've had great results from Breck's. I ordered two dahlia collections from them, and they all came up except for two! They looked great too. I placed a small order with them this year, so I'm crossing my fingers! Negative Miarka (7 reviews) On April 26, 2008, Miarka Ware Neck, VA (Zone 7b) wrote: NOTHING I ever planted from Brecks came up. Beware. Company representative comment on May 1, 2008: On May 1, 2008 8:25 AM, Breck's Bulbs added: Because we do guarantee our bulbs/plants, all we ask is that the Customer contact us if something does not grow. I did contact this Customer and asked for a list of plants; she did respond that her order contained bluebells. I issued a refund for the entire order. Positive mikesmets (5 reviews) On April 26, 2008, mikesmets Waterbury, CT wrote: Last year we bought our first home and wanted to spruce up the yard. My girlfriend received a coupon from Breck's in the mail, and we decided to order a collection of 50 bulbs, 1/2 mixed tulips and 1/2 hyacinth. They were planted last fall, and all bulbs developed into large, healthy flowers. I'd buy from them again. Neutral swimray (1 review) On April 26, 2008, swimray Alexandria, VA wrote: As part of a larger bulb order that I am satisfied with, the "Persian Blue" blue alliums arrived and were planted. The alliums that are blooming now are not Persian Blue, but the shorter, smaller, magenta, more common (and less expensive) "Drumstick" allium. I am a bit upset - with the color not corresponding with the rest of my gardening, and with getting a less expensive plant after paying for a more expensive one. Fortunately because of their short height, they are not easily seen where they are planted, as I was counting on the higher allium. I have contacted the company and am waiting for a response. Seems like a substitution was made without any notice - but the shipping receipt states "Persian Blue." Stay tuned for the company's response. I will change this rating to NEUTRAL if the company corrects this somehow. On May 3rd, 2008, swimray changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following: Changed to neutral because Breck\'s contacted me to arrange a remedy - I will need to wait a year to see. . . Company representative comment on May 1, 2008: On May 1, 2008 8:02 AM, Breck's Bulbs added: I have been in communication with the Customer; it appears he did receive the incorrect bulb. He will be receiving a reship (at no charge) in October. Positive karlarhae (1 review) On April 25, 2008, karlarhae Germantown, OH wrote: I have ordered from Breck's for many years now and have always been a very satisfied customer. I previously ordered only from Dutch Gardens, but I switched to Breck's as I found the quality of their items similar to Dutch Gardens but generally at a lower price. I particularly like Breck's selection and quality of daffodils. Positive azalea5 (1 review) On April 18, 2008, azalea5 Dayton, OH wrote: I'm a first-time Breck's customer as of last fall. I ordered daffodils, tulips, day lilies, peonies and astilbes. I also ordered Breck's bulb food. My order, which was quite large, arrived in plenty of time for planting in October, although the various items arrived at different times. This was o.k. with me. I could see by following the tracking info on-line whether or not they had been packed and/or shipped and they arrived during the ranges of times stated. I even received e-mails from Breck's when they were on their way. My daffodils and tulips are up and gorgeous! The day lilies have erupted and are growing toward their appointed heights, I believe. The peonies are coming along and I think the astilbes are out also (I'm a novice, so am not sure sometimes whether what I'm seeing is a beginning flower or a weed, so I tend to let things go until I'm sure). But, things are definitely coming up where I put them and the ones that have bloomed are stunning. I plan on using Breck's again this fall for more daffodils and tulips. Azalea5 Kettering OH Negative maxp (1 review) On April 18, 2008, maxp Castleton, VA wrote: I ordered plants. Plants did not arrive as scheduled. UPS tracking "had no information on shipment". Emailed Brecks 5 times and got no response. Spent over 1/2 hour on hold using long distance number, no answer. Their 800 number doesn't work. Their webmail customer form does not work. Finally got person to answer by calling the "place order" number. Person explained, "shipment must still be on a boat somewhere". Informed them to cancel order, which they refused to do. Brecks and other alias (Audubon Workshop, Breck's Bulbs, Fields, Henry, Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. , Henry Field's Seed & Nursery Company , Michigan Bulb Co., Rocky Meadow Orchard & Nursery , Springhill Nursery ) are all run from the same Gardens Alive boiler room operation. There are currently 219 complaints in the last 36 months registered against this company, which the BBB labels as an unsatisfactory company. Deal with them at your own risk! Company representative comment on April 24, 2008: On Apr 24, 2008 9:46 AM, Breck's Bulbs added: Customer's order could not be cancelled as it had already been shipped and it was in transit from Holland. Since we do honor our 100% satisfaction guarantee, the Customer was refunded for his entire purchase price, including shipping and handling of $7.93. The customer used a Free $25 coupon and was told to keep the bulbs with our compliments. Although we are a member of the Garden Solutions Club along with the above mentioned companies, Brecks is not an alias and each company is it's own entity. Positive ratlover1 (1 review) On April 18, 2008, ratlover1 Rising Sun, IN wrote: I have ordered from Breck's for the past two years and I plan to order again from them this fall. I have ordered the 'Spring Rain' collection (tulips and grape hyacinths), Grecian Windflowers, Poppy Anemones, Mountain Lilies (Ixiolirion), and a 'Super Sak' of tulips. All the bulbs have come up beautifully and I am very pleased by their size and intense color. I did have trouble with the windflowers the first spring. I don't know why, but they did not come up. I simply emailed Breck's and they replaced the bulbs which are doing fine this year. The bulbs that are coming up for the second year are just as lovely, and in fact more so (bigger and more flowers) than last year. I have discovered that one flower bed is not doing as well as another one, but that is MY fault, not Breck's. All the bulbs were large and healthy. I did not receive any moldy or otherwise unhealthy bulbs and I do not expect to do so. I found that the catalog and website both are very clear in the time of arrival and place of origin (Holland) of their bulbs. I did not have any problem with the time that the bulbs arrived. In fact, I held them in the refrigerator for a week or two before I was able to plant them both years, and they did not suffer any ill consequences. All shipments have always come with a planting guide that clearly explains the best location and planting depth of every species. Also, with multiple shipments, I have only been charged one shipping fee. I will certainly continue to order from Breck's this fall and in the future. Neutral Jen_D (3 reviews) On April 17, 2008, Jen_D Millerstown, PA wrote: I ordered tulips from Brecks in the fall. They arrived in good time and looked great. They all appear to be up and growing very well. I had placed anouther order from them in January or Febuary from a buy 1 get 1 offer I had recieved from them. Here is the only problem I have with them: I sent an email the end of Febuary to cancel the order after changing my mind and never recieved any answer. The order was in my mailbox last weekend and the plants did look good. I am a bit upset that their costumer service ignored my email. Besides that my experience with them has been positive. Company representative comment on May 17, 2008: On May 17, 2008 2:20 PM, Breck's Bulbs added: Customer has been contacted and told that her purchase price has been refunded, and she can keep the bulbs with our compliments. Negative scharo (1 review) On April 16, 2008, scharo Gardnerville, NV wrote: For years we have enjoyed products from Breck's, that is until now when we started getting nasty calls from a collection agency stating we did not pay our bill to Breck's! A call to Breck's customer service informed us that they had turned over an unpaid balance of $26.94 to collection. I said we had not received any bills, after going around and around I requested a supervisor and tried to explain this was a mistake and just wanted to clear our account. The attitude of the supervisor (named Anne) became demeaning telling me that they had sent us 6 monthly billing letters, which she said, we ignored! Can you imagine that? The fact that we did not receive anything and were calling to clear things up meant nothing. The big issue here is that our good credit has been tarnished and there was no attempt by Beck's to help us resolve the problem. A call to the collection agency was greeted by a vial man who demanded the bill (now $62.27) be paid at once and that it was up to Breck's to clear our name with the credit bureau. Another call to Breck's was they would do nothing. They seem to have no customer loyalty and no desire to help in what was obviously a mistake on their part. So now I have to pay $62 to a rip-off collection agency and try to fix our otherwise stellar credit. What a terrible company Breck's is. AVOID this company!! Company representative comment on April 22, 2008: On Apr 22, 2008 9:11 AM, Breck's Bulbs added: The customer's package was delivered to them on October 4, 2007 at 3:33 pm. The package included a bill, and it is our policy to send monthly statements/bills for six months before a collection agency is contacted. Because we received no response, the account was turned over to the collection agency. The collection agency charges additional fees for their cost. I have contacted the customer to let them know that this will not be reported to any credit bureau, so their credit is not damaged. Positive SIN1024 (1 review) On April 16, 2008, SIN1024 Sloatsburg, NY wrote: I ordered from this company before I came across dave's garden site. I was concerned after reading so many negative comments. I received my order quickly, everything labeled and planted last fall. I am happy to say I believe all the daffodils and tulips I planted are all blooming. I planted aprox. 40 bulbs and all seem to be very healthy. I am new to gardening so this is a very nice surprise. I have very large property and planted in all different areas some full sun some most shade and all are blooming beautifully. I also just received gladiolas to plant now. I hope to have the same results. I would buy from brecks again. My experience was 100% perfect. Neutral newtohosta (9 reviews) On April 4, 2008, newtohosta Clinton, OH wrote: I ordered from Breck's using the $25.00 coupon, so the actual cost to me was very low. I figured "what the heck", if the plants don't grow then I'm only out a few dollars. Naturally I was hesitant to spend more after reading all the negative comments. I ordered a collection of "mixed large crocuses" and it did take forever and a day to receive them. I knew they were coming from Holland ,but would be shipped in time for Fall planting. They did come, although I would have preferred to get them a few weeks earlier. It can be a bit cold here in NE Ohio in Mid October. I waited to post anything until now (the spring) , so that I could see if the crocuses would grow and bloom. I do see them popping out of the ground and some of them have started to bloom, so I'm quite pleased about that. The reason my rating is not positive though, is for two reasons: 1. The very long wait for the arrival of the plants. 2. So far my crocuses don't appear to be "mixed". They are all the same color, so that is disappointing. I will probably order again, but only if I have another coupon to use. I won't bother trying to contact the company about my plants not being what I ordered, because quite frankly, I don't need to deal with the hassle that I see so many others have dealt with. On April 19th, 2008, newtohosta added the following: I just needed to add an update concerning my previous comments on my Breck order: I did receive a message (through Dave\'s Garden) from a woman named Debbie who works for Breck\'s. She apologized for my crocuses not being \"mixed\" and wanted my name and address so she could check my order. I replied to her that since the date of my last post other crocuses have bloomed and were a different color, however they were still overwhelmingly yellow. I assumed that they would be more evenly mixed. I am not upset about the order, just disappointed that they were mostly yellow. I thanked her for her efforts to follow up on my comments. I did receive another catalog in the mail with another coupon, so I have placed another order for a different mixed batch of crocuses. We\'ll see how those turn out next year. If I continue to receive products that bloom that I order from Breck\'s then I will probably order larger amounts of plants in the future. Neutral gardenenvy (6 reviews) On April 3, 2008, gardenenvy Dover, NC wrote: My first experience with Breck's was last fall, I ordered a Dafodil collection from them. I received them promptly, and was impressed by the size of the bulbs. I made a special raised corner bed for them, and they came up this year and bloomed beautifully along with several anemone that were in the collection. So, I didn't hesitate to order two more orders from them for delivery this Spring. Well, I am making this neutral for a reason. I received two emails on March 15 that said my orders had shipped direct from Holland along with a UPS tracking number. The UPS site reported the tracking number was invalid, so I sent an email to the company, just to double check. (They do not get back to you within 48 hours like the auto-response email says.) I did finally receive a few emails responding that my order shipped directly from Holland... and to allow 3 - 4 weeks to receive my order. UPS does finally recognize the tracking number, however the only information is that they have received the package information as of 3/26/08. The information on the website regarding my order number still says the orders should be here between 3/29 - 3/31. Today is April 3...but I am waiting the appropriate 3 - 4 weeks. Unfortunately if they don't get here soon, it will be warm here in NC, and I will have to baby the plants a little more than I would have if they had arrived when promised. Company representative comment on May 23, 2008: On May 23, 2008 8:13 AM, Breck's Bulbs added: On April 17, I emailed the Customer asking for her information so I could check on their order; no response. Positive Pinkgardens (2 reviews) On March 28, 2008, Pinkgardens Anacortes, WA wrote: I am a first time bulb buyer and grower. I did find Brecks through their coupon, and got online. I placed a modest order and used the coupon. My whole experience has been great! I just recieved the last of my order, begonia bulbs, just in time to get them started for this year. I had never even heard of this Co before and I was able to read where the bulbs came from Holland! The perfict place to get them from, the bulb cap of the world!!!!!!! My bulbs came to me packaged, labled and in great cond. I think we all need to remember that these are natural products, and not manufactured so the bulb companys have only so much control. Also customer service reps didn't make the bulbs either so taking your frustrations out on them makes no sense, they are bound by the Co they work for. You get more flys with honey than with crap! Lets all grow things and be happy! On April 23rd, 2008, Pinkgardens added the following: Update from my garden. All the bulbs from Brecks have come up and are beautiful. The heads of my tulips and daffs are sooooo big that they almost \"tip over \". The colors are vibrant and close to the catalog pictures. I just can not say enough good things about this Co. Bulbs from Holland for me every time, over Home Depo etc. Neutral botanica37 (3 reviews) On March 6, 2008, botanica37 Oakton, VA (Zone 7a) wrote: I ordered 20 snowdrops in October 2007 and planted them as soon they arrived, I believe early November. Now is March, all my crocuses are blooming, the daffodils are halfway growing, but no sign of my snowdrops whatsoever, not even a single leaf is showing where I planted them. I had hesitations ordering from them based on the negative reviews and inflated prices, but decided to give them a try. Very disappointed. On March 23rd, 2008, botanica37 changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following: I am changing my rating from negative to neutral, because the company did contact me and offered to replace the plants. I declined - it is too late to grow snowdrops this year anyway and I would rather purchase bulbs that will grow next year from a different supplier. Positive rah127 (6 reviews) On March 4, 2008, rah127 Chattanooga, TN wrote: I ordered bulbs from this company in the fall of 2005. I am still enjoying many of them. I planted over 400, and all but the tulips and snowdrops have come back year after year. I am enjoying the daffodills now. I think it is too hot here for the tulips and snowdrops (and I wish the catalog would say that), but overall, my experience was positive... Positive MorsisX (20 reviews) On February 20, 2008, MorsisX Lockport, IL (Zone 5b) wrote: I have worked with the Gardens Alive companies and specifically Breck's for years and can say that overall I am very pleased both with the product and the level of service offered. From Breck's in particular all of the plants and bulbs that have been sent have been of better quality (larger, healthier) than other Gardens Alive affiliates and I have experienced NO die off from any of their plants or bulbs. Their customer service has been easy to work with and very helpful (same center for all Gardens Alive companies). I have canceled and modified many orders and they have always been very helpful, whether via the phone or email. Positive rubberskull (2 reviews) On February 14, 2008, rubberskull Canton, SD wrote: Wow, I am kinda new here at "Dave's" but they sure got the google bombing down as they seem to on the top page of about every garden company search. The reality, brecks might have some problems like the colors not being as advertised in the bulk bags, but all in all,this has to be in the better half of the mail order world. On February 15th, 2008, rubberskull added the following: I guess I have to give brecks some credit, a couple years back I got the 25 dollar free coupon without strings, and I entered it online and got $18 worth of merchandise and the rest covered my shippiing and I didn\'t even have to give them a credit card. I bought some crocus that I just put in the lawn in holes made with a spade bit in my cordless drill, it all worked out rather well. Positive kiravae (2 reviews) On February 10, 2008, kiravae Baltimore, MD wrote: I've ordered fall bulbs from this company twice. Both times I had a good coupon. I think their catalog prices are a bit high because they expect a lot of people to use the coupons and price accordingly (personally, I would rather know what I am paying for each item up front, rather than work out the cost after subtracting the coupon, but the deal was still decent). On my first order they were out of a variety of daffodils I asked for and substituted "Avalon". These bulbs were quite large and got multiple flowers per bulb - really nice. The other variety daffodils I got did grow but the bulbs were not nearly as large, and there was only one flower each. I'm thinking they might have different suppliers for different varieties. The crocuses were fine. All the tulips I got grew, some were better than others but some got rabbit damage in my yard so I couldn't quite know how they would have looked. All the bulbs they sent me were viable and most came out quite lovely. I haven't tried their spring products yet. Positive onthelake (2 reviews) On February 9, 2008, onthelake Empire, MI wrote: We have been using Brecks for well over 25 years. The bulbs have ALWAYS been 'never fail.' In the past 3 seasons, I have planted 650 tulips, 167 daffodils, 80 grape hyacinths, 72 giant hyacinths and 180 giant crocuses. I lost only 4 plants - and that was due to my neighbor's Golden who dug up 4 Giant Hyacinth bulbs and destroyed the bulbs. They are most efficent. I place my order online and promptly get an email conformation which tells me that I will be notified when the bulbs are shipped from Holland. (How anyone could fail to figure out that the bulbs are coming from Holland and not the back storage room is beyond me.) Then the email comes that the bulbs have left Holland and detailin how many boxes and what is in each box. Given that they have to come on a ship and then clear customs, it is about 5-6 weeks from shipping to receipt. Invariably they arrive in mid-late October which is right when spring bulb planting should start in my area. I strongly suspect that those complaining about the bulbs either: (1) left them in their box - probably in the house or another area that is warm - and didn't get them planted. SInce bulbs have to be kept cool or they get moldy and rot, odds are it is the fault of the gardener. (2) didn't plant them correctly by either not making the holes deep enough for some or too deep for others; or by putting them in the wrong location (crocuses in shade etc.) Problem with these internet comment things is that the poster does not have to establish their expertise before offerring criticism. FYI, I am and have been a garden club member for over 20 years and my gardens are nicknamed by the town as "The Botanical Gardens" or "The House with the Flowers." Negative Eric_OH (41 reviews) On November 27, 2007, Eric_OH Columbus, OH (Zone 6a) wrote: I'm a bit loath to rate this company negatively based on an order using a free coupon, but am doing so based on two things. 1) The company does not state in its catalog (at least, nowhere prominently) that many if not all of its bulbs are shipped from Holland. This makes orders rather slow to be filled. 2) My order came with a multi-page ad circular for a quack medical treatment (a "colon cleanse" product), filled with false and potentially harmful information. Any company that participates in the dissemination of health fraud will not be getting my business in the future. The few bulbs I got with the coupon looked viable. We'll see what may come up in the spring. Company representative comment on March 26, 2008: On Mar 26, 2008 1:23 PM, Breck's Bulbs added: The Customer was contacted on 12/29/07 with the below response: Dear Customer, I apologize for any problem you have encounted with our company. Our catalog does state on the order page and on the Fequently Asked Questions that our bulbs ship from Holland. I also apologize for the ad you also received in the package. This was not meant to be harmful in any way. I will certainly pass along your suggestion. Sincerely, Donna Customer Service Negative CompWiz (2 reviews) On November 26, 2007, CompWiz New Ipswich, NH wrote: Brecks and Spring Hill are both owned by the same company. This is an email I received from Spring Hill today after sending a message to customer service about a cancelled order: Dear Mark: Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, we are unable to assist you in this matter, as your account has been closed because of more than 80% returns of our merchandise. Please accept our apology this may have caused to you. If I can be of further assistance please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Nancy Customer Service So, if you take advantage of the 100% satisfaction guarantee, they close your account, and if you write to customer service to find out what is going on, they can't help you because your account is closed. I have done business with many of the affiliated companies of Gardens Alive! for 20+ years. I placed one order from Spring Hill last year that arrived late and in very bad condition. After planting them, only 9 out of 24 plants survived. The CS agent I spoke with decided to credit me for the entire order, so that is the 80% returns they are looking at. They have not looked at the fact that I have spent thousands of dollars with their companies over the past 20 years! The guarantee they offer is a joke and the products they are currently selling are of questionable quality. They used to have very good product, so I don't know how the CS used to be. I only know that, right now, they are not providing good products and the customer service is the worst I have seen in many, many years. Company representative comment on March 26, 2008: On Mar 26, 2008 1:49 PM, Breck's Bulbs added: We contacted the Customer via email on12/10/07 for a possible resolution; still waiting for a reply. Negative MINNEPOOH (2 reviews) On November 19, 2007, MINNEPOOH Loves Park, IL wrote: I GOT MY FIRST ORDER (LATE SPRING SAMPLER COLLECTION) ON 08/25/05.THE FOLLOWING SRING, NOT EVERYTHING CAME UP, SO I CALLED & TRIED TO RE-ORDER ONLY 2 ITEMS FROM COLLECTION, ONLY TO BE SENT WHOLE COLLECTION AGAIN AT NO CHARGE ON 8/30/06.THERE ARE PLANTS THAT HAVE STILL NOT COME UP FROM BOTH COLLECTIONS!MEANWHILE, I GOT THE ASTILBES COLLECTION 4/11/06 AND 1 PLANT DIDN'T COME UP.THIS TIME THEY LET ME RE-ORDER THE 1 PLANT ONLY & I GOT IT ON 9/13/2006 AT NO CHARGE.AT THIS POINT, I ALSO GOT GROUNDCOVER TULIPS & 3 ASTRANTIA MIX ON 9/01/06.NOT ALL THE TULIPS CAME UP AND ONLY 1 OF THE 3 ASTRANTIA MADE IT.WHEN I CALLED TO RE-ORDER BOTH, I PLACED AN ORDER FOR ARUM ITALICUM AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TULIP GROUNDCOVER WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE, YET IT WAS STILL IN THE CATALOG UNDER A DIFFERENT NAME AND #!THEY WOULDN'T GIVE ME A CREDIT NOR REPLACEMENT BECAUSE I HAD USED A COUPON AND SINCE THEY BROKE UP MY PAST ORDER IN DIFFERENT BILLING PERIODS, IT LOOKED LIKE I GOT THEM FOR FREE!AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR 1 HOUR, WE FIGURED OUT THAT I HAD INDEED PAID FOR THE ITEMS, BUT THEY STILL COULDN'T DO ANYTHING FOR ME...A HUGE WASTE OF MY TIME.STUPID ME, I LATER GOT ANOTHER COUPON, SO IN GOOD FAITH..I DECIDED TO TRY THEM AGAIN!I GOT SUNNY TWINKLE ALLIUM & DRUMSTICK ALLIUM ON 8/31/07.I WAS STILL WAITING FOR THE DWARF DAY LILY COLLECTION & LILY TREES, WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE DWARF DAY LILIES WERE TO BE SHIPPED OUT AT THE END OF NOV. AND THE MIDDLE OF DEC. FOR THE LILY TREES!!I LIVE IN ZONE 5..ILLINOIS, TOO LATE TO PLANT ANYTHING!I CALLED THE COMPANY TO ASK IF THEY COULD BE SHIPPED OUT IN THE SPRING INSTEAD AND I FOUND OUT THEY WERE CANCELLING MY ORDER BECAUSE I CALLED TOO MUCH FOR RE-ORDERING PLANTS!!!I TOLD THEM TO COME SEE MY GARDEN AND/OR I CAN E MAIL PICTURES TO SHOW THEM THE PLANTS DIDN'T COME UP.I WAS THEN TOLD I SHOULD MAKE MY FUTURE PURCHASES AT A NURSERY SINCE THINGS WEREN'T GROWING AS THEY SHOULD!KEEP IN MIND I HAVE ORDERED FROM OTHER MAIL-ORDER COMPANIES AND HAD NO PROBLEMS GROWING THINGS!! (AUDUBON WORKSHOP & SPRING HILL NUSERIES)BRECKS LIFETIME GUARANTEE STATES "IF, FOR ANY REASON, YOUR AREN'T PLEASED WITH ANY PLANT UPON RECEIPT, AFTER PLANTING OR ONCE IT GROWS, JUST CONTACT BRECKS ANYTIME, (NO TIME LIMIT), FOR AS LONG AS YOU GARDEN.NO NEED TO RETURN ANY PLANT.WE WILL REFUND YOU EVERY CENT YOU PAID FOR THAT PLANT OR SEND A REPLACEMENT WITHOUT CHARGE-WHICHEVER YOU PREFER." I TRIED TO GET THIS COMPANY TO HONOR THEIR GUARANTEE BECAUSE NOT EVERYTHING CAME UP AND NOW I CANNOT ORDER FROM THEM AGAIN...BEWARE OF THIS COMPANY!!!!I WILL BE HEARING BACK FROM A SUPERVISOR AND I WILL UPDATE YOU ON HOW THEY HANDLE ME...I AM ASKING THEM FOR A COMPLETE REFUND SINCE I DIDN'T GET ALL MY PLANTS TO GROW AND THE HORRIBLE SERVICE I HAVE GOTTEN FROM THEM....BEWARE OF BRECKS!!!! On November 20th, 2007, MINNEPOOH added the following: THIS IS A FOLLOW-UP EMAIL FROM THE COMPANY: Ms Hansen, I attempted to call you this morning but was unable to reach you. I have reviewed this order and find that although the ship date was changed to March 30, 2008 it will not be shipped. The reason is that your account has had too many reships for product that has not grown. It appears that a lot of our products are not a good fit for your property and do not grow well there. Gardens Alive wishes all of our customers to be successful gardeners and it appears that you are not achieving that goal with our products. I would suggest that you work with a local nursery that supplies products that will be successful in your area. While Gardens Alive regrets the loss of you as a customer, we want you to be a successful, happy gardener. I have cancelled the above mentioned order and will issue refunds for the open reship orders. Gardens Alive will no longer reship plants to you. We can refund your money if you are not satisfied with a product. Sincerely, Chuck Van Buren Coordinator F.Y.I. I HAVE ALSO ORDERED ITEMS FROM SPRING HILL, AUDUBON WORKSHOP AND MICHIGAN BULB.BRECKS & MICHIGAN BULB ITEMS ALWAYS SEEM TO HAVE PROBLEMS GROWING IN MY YARD!YET, PLANTS FROM AUDUBON WORKSHOP, SPRING HILL, (BOTH MAIL ORDER) WAL MART, HOME DEPOT AND LOWES ARE GROWING WELL.IF MY CHEAPER BULBS FROM WAL MART ARE COMING UP EVERY YEAR AND BRECKS LATE SPRING SAMPLER COLLECTION DIDN\'T ALL COME UP BOTH TIMES IT WAS PLANTED...WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE BULBS???THIS TIME YOU DON\'T GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR IF THE CHEAPER BULBS PERFORM BETTER (FROM WAL MART) AND THE CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS RUDE & HORRIBLE ON THE PHONE (BRECKS) BUYER BEWARE..LOOK AT HOW THE NEGATIVE POSTINGS ARE ALMOST THE SAME NUMBER AS THE POSITIVE!! Positive celticevents (1 review) On November 17, 2007, celticevents Midlothian, VA wrote: I received a catalog, like many others with the $25 coupon on any order. I couldn't get the website to accept it, so I called the 1800 number and placed my order easily with the operator. I received my bulbs in about 6 weeks as promised and they looked in great shape. I was pleased with the service and they are now in my yard awaiting spring. This is the first time I used this company. I figured I'd nothing to lose as I only ordered $25 dollars worth of bulbs so I owed them nothing. If the bulbs don't show next spring, I'll be posting an update then. But so far, I'm happy with the service and product from this company. Positive BBrandon77 (2 reviews) On November 11, 2007, BBrandon77 Knoxville, TN wrote: Overall my experience was positive. I received very healthy looking bulbs packed well and delivered on time for a good price. The one problem with my order was that after I ordered, I realized the picture in their catalog was not of the same type of iris being offered. I was OK with it this time because I liked the type I got about as well as what was shown. I do think the company needs to be more careful in the future though. I certainly hope that this was the exception and not common for Breck's. Negative pyracantha (1 review) On November 9, 2007, pyracantha San Francisco, CA wrote: Not a fan. I bought $400 worth of tulips, daffs, lillies, and Dutch Iris bulbs last year. Some for my clients, some for my mom. They arrived a little late which was unfortunate since in my zone (8) I have to chill the tulips at least 6 weeks so my planting was late. My moms' arrived on time, she is in zone 6, and I planted hers for her. The bulbs were for the most part sad looking. Some moldy, some shriveled. The best performers were the Iris. The tulips and lillies were marginal at best. The daffs......I'd give mine a C+ but..... not a single one of my moms' came up! Not one daff! I phoned to discuss this and the rep. told me that maybe I just don't know how to plant bulbs. Being a professional gardener for the last 10 years, I think I can tell the business end of a bulb when I see one, but that did not seem to matter to the rep. They have also sold my name to every yahoo out there. I assume they have cleared a whole forest to print the crap they keep sending me. I will not be using Breck's again. Negative sobamoyashi (1 review) On November 3, 2007, sobamoyashi San Francisco, CA wrote: I wish I had read this rating before ordering bulbs from Breck's. I placed my order at the end of August. Estimated shipping dates were late September. That was fine, but everytime I logged on to the site, shipping dates were pushed back. Two days ago, I finally received all of the bulbs I ordered. I live in zone 5 and it's LATE to plant though the weather this year seems to be warmer than usual. Not only they did not deliver bulbs promptly, but also I was overcharged. I received three separate shipments and three separate charges. The total of the three charges exceeds my order total. There is no explanation from Breck's on this issue. Moreover, allium bulbs I received are too small to be considered as premium. I will not buy from Breck's in the future for sure. Negative ashleeluv21 (2 reviews) On November 2, 2007, ashleeluv21 Pocatello, ID wrote: WE HAD BEEN BUYING FROM bRECKS SINCE 1992. WE BOUGHT A LOT! Well the last two years like anyone else the shippments were getting later I am talking late November. Well I live in ski country (Idaho). Which eveyone knows that in November its snowing so the last 2 years we have had some bad BULBS. Just this last month we have received moldly iris's and day Lilies. In fact I had a horticulturist look at them. She told me not to plant them because they would contaminate my other flowers. We happens to be a small garden club. Well we started having problems with shipping, quality of plants, and the lateness of the plants. We write and ask for them to ship earlier and they state not until our shipping dates. The next insident they use is they banned us from ordering from them because they stated we were unhappy with there plants try but what it came down 2 is they said we had 50% of our orders reshipped...WRONG the only way that happened is they counted every bulb. Today they had 50% off of Bulbs but the 50% was not given to us who ordered the bulbs. We received an order 3 types of daffadils they were soggy and moldy same as the iris's. I have had tree Lilies ordered since Sept. I still havent received them. BEWARE there Quarantee means nothing they will break your contract and you will never see the Bulbs. I have had several Customer Services tell me different answers to my questions. Now they have tagged my account as financial problems which is not any where right it is more financial against them. Remember if they do this to you they will count every bulb to try and get out of the contract with you. Remember where there is nothing written in there contract about dropping you if you have to return your plants or bulbs you are not protected even with the Life contract they will still try to find as many things basicallyie: how many blubs and plants you have returned and there late shipping does not count if you have question please email me. But remember that quarantee only works for small items.Remember thy will count bulb by bulb. Thanks for listening [e-mail:ladybell100@hotmail.com] On November 3rd, 2007, ashleeluv21 added the following: I noticed that 2006 another clients of Brecks got Rotten Daffadils. They sound just like the ones I got. Whats so bad is they will not replace them. They are trying to place just block me. I have been waiting for the Lily Trees since Sept. They told me they lost them in shipping but a friend who ordered them the same day will get hers next week and mine is schduled for the end of Nov. and first of December. This is insane and I wrote frozen earth no time for them to get established please sens ASAP but they aren't and I have 3 orders out there for them. everyones dates have been changed until Nov-Dec 15, 2007. I just feel like I can't warn people out there enough. On November 3rd, 2007, ashleeluv21 added the following: I also forgot to mention I had 3 shipments that were never received but yet they were charged. Please if you have a question for me use my email address I posted my aunts. She will be commenting later today Mine is [e-mail:ashleeluv21@hotmail.com] Thank you I hope these comments will help someone not to get burnt. Another thing if you use one of the coupons and ask for $$$$ back they will subtract even if it may not have been used on one of the plants on that order. On November 6th, 2007, ashleeluv21 added the following: My aunt has ordered Liliy Trees from Brecks, starting on 7/25,10/5/11/07. Brecks has kept pushing back her date for dilivery now until 12/3-12/22/07. If you think about when she ordered and when she is to receive the ground here in Idaho is froze. We have a neighbor who ordered in Oct. and she now has her bulbs for Lily trees both orders first were substituted. The Bulbs were so small I couldn\'t believe it. I will tell you a secret There are better places to buy bulbs ike Van Bourgondien. Theres are nicer and a heck of a lot bigger. They were 1 inch in diameter what a laugh. I told my aunt to cancel them they are getting to be a laugh!!!! Positive momtoanangel74 (2 reviews) On October 24, 2007, momtoanangel74 Davisburg, MI wrote: I have been ordering with Breck's for a few years now and for good reasons! They have great prices, they offer lifetime guarantees on everything you buy from them. If it doesn't grow, they will refund you or replace the plant. I have ordered a lot of tulips from them, love them all! I even bought toad lily's from them, and a lot of other stuff. I will continue to buy from this company. Very reputable. For those who are leaving negative comments regarding sale coupons or shipping- you really should pay attention- don't agree to check out until it shows up right, and as far as the shipping goes, they specifically tell you when to expect things to ship. For example- I have ordered tulips in July, of course I can't plant bulbs at that time, so they ship come fall. Pay attention at what your buying and don't expect the impossible. This is a reputable company and they go the distance to satisfy their customers. I think it is rude of people to come on here and leave negative comments about companies if they are not reading things right.

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