The scoop on 'Gardens Alive!'

Company Profile   Gardens Alive! Mailing Address: 5100 Schenley Place Lawrenceburg, Indiana 47025 (United States) Phone: 513-354-1483 Fax: 513-354-1484 » E-Mail them » Visit their website Recent reviews: Past month Past 6 Months Past 12 Months Positive 1 7 11 Neutral 0 2 3 Negative 1 7 10 This company is affiliated with 8 companies: Breck's Bulbs Gurney's Seed & Nursery Henry Field's Seed & Nursery Michigan Bulb New Holland Bulb Co. Spring Hill Nursery (aka SpringHillNursery.com) Audubon Workshop mySEASONS Garden Solutions This company offers a variety of gardening supplies. This company specializes in: Beneficial Insects, Butterflies & Moths Organic Products Other helpful information: Member of Mailorder Gardening Association

Feedback History and Summary   130 positives 30 neutrals 59 negatives

Comments:

Rating Author Content Negative DoubleBubba (1 review) On July 03, 2009, DoubleBubba Schenectady, NY wrote: I have bought many things from Gardens Alive and love their products. But their customer (no) service is so horrible I don't know what to do. Their customer (no) service is in India, you can't talk to real people that know what is going on, and you can't ever resolve anything. There is a problem - they don't tell you. You have to wait and wonder - why did that order never show up - trace the order back to find out that there is a problem and then you are stuck in customer (no) service hell - and can't ever resolve the problem! The bottom line is - I want to find other retailers to buy the same stuff from because Gardens Alive customer (no) service is so bad. Can anyone suggest other online retailers that sell the same things? Thanks! Positive m2jhub (1 review) On June 08, 2009, m2jhub Martinsville, IN wrote: I have ordered from this company several times over the years, most recently last month, and have never had any trouble. They've honored the $25 off coupons, and my order has come within a week. With the coupon, the WOW (corn gluten) is cheaper than any other place I've found (factoring in shipping). Without the coupon, it is comparable. I have never ordered plants or live products from them, only gardening supplies, and have been very happy with the products, and the results. On June 22nd, 2009, m2jhub added the following: 6/22/09 I emailed Gardens Alive because I needed the usage instructions that I had lost for one of their products. They emailed the information to me within a few hours. I couldn\'t ask for better service! Positive lilygrandma (11 reviews) On May 16, 2009, lilygrandma Ellijay, GA wrote: I had a bad experience with the company two years ago regarding the free $25 coupon. They tried to bill me for products they refused to send, but we finally got it fixed. I am trying them again today and we will see if they get this order correct and in a timely way. I am not using a coupon, by the way. I think there is a reason there is so much hassle using them. I will post back my experience with this order. If there is any problem, they have lost me for good, and I will be sure to let DG know. On May 20th, 2009, lilygrandma changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following: I am pleased to report a very quick filling of my order. I received it in 4 days, including Sunday. On June 9th, 2009, lilygrandma changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following: I just ordered some more items from GA and had an interesting experience. I had received an on-line offer for 25$ off a 50$ order, etc. I filled out the on line order then decided to call it in. When I placed the order, it was twice what the on-line amount added to! First, the on-line automatically gave the 25$ credit. (The person on the phone said I had to have an offer number, which is NOT on the on line offer!) She agreed to give the discount. But the order was still off by $10. The price she had quoted for one item was $10 more than it lists on line. I pointed it out, and she went back and \"found\" the price I was quoted. Whole thing took over 5 minutes because she then keyed in the wrong correct priceTWICE. Be sure you double check with on-line and catalogue to see that you are getting the best price! I am hopeful this order will come as quickly as the last one. On June 12th, 2009, lilygrandma changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following: Items arrived in 2 days! It seems like GA has really put more emphasis on customer service. Kudos to them! Positive jnaakins (6 reviews) On April 15, 2009, jnaakins Othello, WA wrote: I've ordered from GA several times, and so far so good. Shipping was promt. Items arrived in good shape, and I like that they use compostable packing peanuts. Negative plantaholic2 (12 reviews) On April 11, 2009, plantaholic2 N Middlesex County, MA (Zone 5a) wrote: They would not honor my coupon for $25 free with no minimum order. Earlier I cut out the coupon and threw the book away. Can you say TOO-MANY-CATALOGS coming to your house??? Most coupons have all the information one needs on the coupon. Theirs does not and not even a warning on it to refer back to keycode. Even with my account number (from an old catalog), they would not provide me my keycode. The are happy to offer me a different (less valuable) coupon but not the coupon that is sitting in front of me on my desk. Do they think I am making it up??? Not suprised to come here and see so many negative ratings!!! You get what you pay for!! Company representative comment on April 28, 2009: On Apr 28, 2009 4:13 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with: I offered the customer the $25.00 coupon on 4/14 and also explained how to use it on our site. No reply. Positive gardener909090 (3 reviews) On April 08, 2009, gardener909090 Tulsa, OK wrote: First time customer this year, ordered 4 bags of Wow pre-emergent. Order came quickly and was well packaged. Still too early to tell how the product is working. Negative dheck1961 (2 reviews) On April 08, 2009, dheck1961 Stafford Springs, CT wrote: This was our second (and last) year ordering from Garden's Alive. I was very specific regarding the order of 3 "sets" of lady beetles when I called them, then placed the order on-line. We needed them inside our greenhouse to help control a small aphid outbreak. I was assured that if I put in the comments the request for an earlier ship date than is usual for our zone they would ship out. After they didn't ship as requested I e-mailed them. A week later I received a response that they were shipping, however the order showed another week before they shipped. I called and was told that the date on the order status was when they "processed" the order (which to me was two weeks before) and they would ship in another week. When they didn't ship I called, then e-mailed a couple days later specifically asking if the lady bugs were back-ordered and was finally told that they were. When I called to cancel them (my other item arrived fine) the rep on the phone just about argued with me that they couldn't ship because of our zone, then finally admitted they were back-ordered anyways and refunded my money. While I got my money back I think it's pretty poor service not to tell the customer up front when an item is back ordered. I had to ordered my lady bugs from another vender (Hirt's) yesterday with 2 day shipping to get them here. Their website shows you right away if something is in stock or not and they have already processed and shipped the order. Positive Horseshoe (17 reviews) On March 26, 2009, Horseshoe Efland, NC (Zone 7a) wrote: Sorry to read of some of the negative posts regarding Gardens Alive. Maybe I've been one of the lucky ones; am elated that I've been "lucky" for over 15 years of doing business with them! Once again I've ordered from them this year, and will place a second order in a few weeks. Products rec'd always arrive in good condition with very fast shipping. (I tend to lean towards buying some of their pest products as well as TomtoesAlive.) Positive jlp222 (4 reviews) On March 25, 2009, jlp222 Hammond, LA (Zone 8b) wrote: I received, via e-mail, a coupon for $25.00 off an order of any price. I ordered about $20.00 worth of product, and they used the remaining $5.00 toward shipping. I paid only 2.13 for the whole order. Both were soil amenders which I am very big into, and could no tbe happier! If this offer ever happenes again, I will definitely be taking part. The items I ordered seem to be having a positive effect. I have 2 pots of the same plants, and the one that I used the products in are greener and bushier. Jennifer Negative rjmutari (1 review) On March 19, 2009, rjmutari Bloomington, IL wrote: I phone ordered 3 of the topsy turvy tomatoe planters on a friday night (3/13/09). Minutes later they were advertised on TV 2 for the same price. The catalog said any orders taken after 5pm on friday would be shipped the next working day. I called Customer service on Saturday morning only to be told that my order had already shipped. When I received my order I followed up on the UPS tracking number and found that it didn't get picked up By UPS until Monday afternoon. Customer service told me after complaining again that once my order is taken, it can't be stopped. I think they just make up an excuse and try to push the order or are too lazy to make an effort and change it. With computers today, a few short key strokes should take care of it. Negative ctdaylily (6 reviews) On March 18, 2009, ctdaylily Wallingford, CT wrote: I ordered from their catalog in March 2009 that had a buy $25 get $25 free coupon. I ordered their "Flow" natural drain cleaner, some seeds, and some tomato plants. I explained that though I live in zone 6 I have a greenhouse and could accept delivery of the plants now.I was told after giving my info twice to their rep, that it all would arrive in a few days. It did except for the plants,which had a ship date of mid-April. When I called back their rep said they would enter an earlier ship date into their system but had no way of determining when the plants would actually be ready, since they were coming from a different location. Let me repeat that--they had no way of determining when the plants would actually be ready. I could check their web site on my order status in a few days to find out if the shipping date had been changed.I did so and it still said April.So I called again and after the rep checked with a manager I was told that the plants would not be ready until April.I canceled the plants and ordered something else. I remain amazed that the person taking my order did not know when an item could be shipped.We'll see how their "Flow" works on my drain. Negative KerriK5 (1 review) On March 17, 2009, KerriK5 Fullerton, CA wrote: I have had two occassions in the past week to deal with the customer service of Garden's Alive. Regretfully, I recently lost my father. I found an invoice that was serveral months old amongst his paperwork. It showed that he had paid for a subscription to a newsletter or something there. I called to have the subscription stopped and to request a refund. At first I was told that he hadn't paid for a subscription, I said that it was clearly stated on the invoice that he had, after research on their part they realized that it had been paid...he then said he would put a credit on the account. I then had to again explain to him that my father had passed away, therefore it would be highly unlikely that he would be able to use a credit on his account. After speaking with a supervisor, I was told that they would in fact be able to issue a refund. From the same invoice, I found products that my father had purchased and due to his illness had never even opened them. I was told that it had been too long since the order had been placed to return these items and that there was nothing they could do. I understand that it has been several months since the order, but my father was not in good health at the time he placed the order and just put the product in the closet. It is truly not the money, it is the fact that this company is unwilling to work with people in extenuating circumstances. If I sold a product that I believed to be an excellent product, I would certainly in a case such as this accept a return of unopened product. It does not have any expiration codes....for me, I have lost my father and now I have the unfortunate task of dealing with his affairs. I have been in contact with many companies that have gone above and beyond to make these things easier on my family, regretfully, I can not add this company to that list. Neutral countrykatgirly (1 review) On February 25, 2009, countrykatgirly Indianapolis, IN wrote: I've ordered from them several times in the past with no issues. Just love WOW! for controlling the crabgrass, etc. I bet I got rid of 80% of the weeds in the last double I lived in . The last time I ordered from GA was back in the late 90's. I have heard that they are now outsourcing their customer service, though, and I don't like that idea. I want to deal with American people. I was also surprised and dismayed to see so many negative ratings on here. Not sure if I will order from them again despite the $25/$50 coupon on the catalog they just sent me. Neutral cannabinatea (5 reviews) On February 11, 2009, cannabinatea Mantua, OH wrote: 2/11/09.....Received their catalog in January....Sent an order in mid January that had a $25.00 off cost of products ordered....I was after a product called Knock-Out Gnats Granules....Also ordered Bulbs Alive......Order came quickly; the Bulbs Alive, but not the more expensive product that I really needed, the Knock-Out Gnats Granules..... The invoice stated that the product was not available; and the catalog just came out....no offer to send it later....was quickly given a refund check for this....not sure what to think about their inventory situation......Maryanne, zone 5, Ohio Negative hhhhhhhhhh99 (1 review) On February 05, 2009, hhhhhhhhhh99 Lawrenceburg, IN wrote: i hate eveything about this whole place Positive YaraRoswellGA (4 reviews) On January 15, 2009, YaraRoswellGA Roswell, GA wrote: Have ordered from Gardens Alive 2 or 3 times each year for the past 2 years. Always positive experience. Love their seed starting mix and the veggie fertilizer. Last order one bag of powder was busted in box, they promptly sent me another. They always honor the coupons, have quick shipping and great quality products. Negative ikenobo (1 review) On November 09, 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 04, 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 (15 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 (5 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 08, 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 01, 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 05, 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 02, 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 01, 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 07, 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 (19 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 01, 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.

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