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 0 0 1 Neutral 0 1 2 Negative 1 7 9 This company is affiliated with 15 companies: Thompson and Morgan (US) Breck's Bulbs Gurney's Seed & Nursery Henry Field's Seed & Nursery Michigan Bulb New Holland Bulb Co. Spring Hill Nursery (aka SpringHillNursery.com) Van Bourgondien Dutch Bulbs (dutchbulbs.com) Spring Garden Canada Audubon Workshop mySEASONS Garden Solutions Breck's (Canada) Henry Field's Seed & Nursery Co. (Canada) Thompson and Morgan Canada K. Van Bourgondien & Sons, Inc. This company offers a variety of gardening supplies. This company specializes in: Beneficial Insects, Butterflies & Moths Organic Products Other helpful information: Member of Direct Gardening Association

Feedback History and Summary   152 positives 37 neutrals 88 negatives

Comments:

Rating Author Content Negative aakowitz Hamden, CT (1 review) June 14, 2013 I am an avid gardener, PhD scientist and Director of Sales in a Biotech company and have used Gardens Alive products for a few years now. I recently made 2 separate orders of 3 different species of grafted tomato plants on each order to be sent to 2 different delivery addresses in my home state of Connecticut. I placed these orders in March and when I received my first shipment in mid May, only one plant arrived and it was in a state of dehydration with dead branches and severe yellowing on the plant sent. I'm sure this is an expected possible consequence of shipping immature seedlings in a cardboard box thru UPS & USPS delivery. My first shipment at my other address also arrived in mid May and contained only 2 of the 3 ordered plants with 1 plant in a similar stressed condition to above, while the other plant was broken in half at the point of the graft. I contacted Customer Service and they said I would receive a replacement for the broken dead plant in 4-6 weeks and the remainder of my outstanding orders on both orders would ship in 2-3 weeks. I did receive another shipment at my first address in the beginning of June that contained only 1 of the 2 plants due. I contacted Customer Service again and they told me that their records show there were 2 plants sent, despite the fact it had only one in it when I opened it. They also told me that the replacement plant for the broken plant sent to the second address was now canceled and the outstanding plant due along w the replacement for the missing plant would arrive in a possible 4 weeks (July). I was never notified of the cancellation of the broken plant and dismayed that the partial completion of the remainder of my orders was delayed even further. More than the loss of the plants, I was at odds w/ their Customer Service's perspective to accept the possibility of a discrepency in what their records say was shipped in the box and what was present when I opened it. In addition, in my mind, waiting until July to plant tomato seedlings in Connecticut is a waste of a gardening opportunity this year. Since the Customer Service Rep was in the Phillipines, I concluded he didn't appreciate the limitations of the New Engtand growing seasons and now I just wanted to forget this entire experience. He offered a credit slip for the cost of the 3 missing plants that could be used for future purchases with Gardens Alive, but I insisted on a direct credit be applied to my Visa card. I have not verified receipt of this credit on my Credit Card account yet, but I have learned a valuable lesson about buying grafted seedlings shipped thru UPS&USPS delivery. I recognize this seems like a lot of hysteria for a few tomato plants, but I was interested in the hybrid plants as a scientific experiment and I want others to understand possible consequences in a much larger financial investment in this type of product. Company representative comment on June 18, 2013: On Jun 18, 2013 12:51 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for letting us know about the problem with your order. I apologize for the inconvenience. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and make sure your refund has been issued. Negative timc61552 Antelope Hills, WY (1 review) May 13, 2013 last year i ordered 2 grafted plants from gardens alive.they were impressive!packaging was incredible plants arrived healthy and large. 8-10 inches tall.i bragged them up all year!!!several people made the decision to order this year.i avoid them at all cost!!the plants i ordered were almost dead or already dead.packaging was awful !!i was upset!!.i emailed them and they are sorry.so what?my garden is ruined.i have to buy from a greenhouse now.normaly i start my own plants from seed.the grafted plants last year were just see what they were like.i was so impressed there was no need to start my own tomatos and peppers.3 plants might pull thru but the san marzono was doa.last year the box proudly said gardens alive in large letters like they were proud of the product.this year the shipping label said gardens alive in very small letters.the old bait and switch! Company representative comment on May 18, 2013: On May 18, 2013 9:19 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for letting us know about the problem with your plants. I apologize the plants were not in good shape and for all your inconvenience. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and take care of this for you. I can assure you we are the same company and we will do everything we can to make this right. Negative aacook72 Durham, NC (1 review) May 12, 2013 Posted on May 5, 2013, updated May 12, 2013 I ordered online $250+ of grafted tomato and pepper plants from Gardens Alive. The health quality of the plants I received was pitiful considering they sell them at $9.95 a piece. All the tomatoe plants I received looked more dead than alive and were all rootbound in pots too small when compared to the height of the plant. The website advertises you will receive Brandywine and Mortgage Lifter varieties in 3" pots, but I did not. I have sense purchased a few more grafted tomato plants from my local nursery. These plants are from Burpee and the difference is night and day. The proof is in the pudding. On May 12th, 2013, aacook72 added the following: Dear Company Representative, The grafted tomato plants weren't the only disappointment. Your grafted pepper plants arrived half dead, the leaves were yellow in color, and the majority of the leaves dropped off before I could transplant. The charge of $9.95 per grafted pepper plant is too high for the quality of plant you deliver. Company representative comment on May 8, 2013: On May 8, 2013 7:35 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for letting us know about the problem with your tomato plants. I apologize the plants were not in good shape and for all your inconvenience. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and take care of this for you. Negative asgn77 Orland Park, IL (1 review) May 10, 2013 I ordered online 3 beefsteak tomato plants and 1 GRAFTED TOMATO CARMELLO in the middle of February . When i get beefsteak tomatoes i was so damn badly shocked!!!! I get 3 dead yellow sticks instead of plants. they advertised that plant come in 3 in. pots but it was 1.5 . As for grafted tomatoes i get almost dead plant ,which costs me $8.46. For beefsteaks i payed $11. Yesterday i went to Menards and find a lot of different kinds of tomatoes there hardy ,alive and the same size for $1.50 per 6 pack. I HATE GARDEN ALIVE! STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY! Company representative comment on May 11, 2013: On May 11, 2013 10:24 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for letting us know about the condition of your tomato plants. I apologize for the problems. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and take care of this for you. Neutral danmc91 Woodstock, GA (2 reviews) April 10, 2013 Posted on April 2, 2013, updated April 10, 2013 I recently placed an order for several items, one of which was a tool. When the box arrived, I opened it and found that the tool was broken. When I called customer service, the said they could give me a credit towards my next purchase but no coverage of the shipping costs. When I explained that I was not at all happy to find that despite having paid for a product and paid to have it delivered that I would in fact not end up with the product, they hung up on me. If they can't stand by their shipping, then why should I waste more of my money trying to order the same item again and paying shipping again? They also weren't willing to just refund the money so I could purchase the item from either a local store or a place where I know I'll get what I paid for. Last time I order from them. On April 10th, 2013, danmc91 changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following: I contacted customer service via email and relayed my phone experience. They sent a replacement order (without charging shipping) and the item arrive undamaged this time. Changed rating from negative to neutral. They made it right in the end but not without getting the runaround on the phone first. Company representative comment on April 5, 2013: On Apr 5, 2013 12:04 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your feedback. I truly apologize for the way this was handled. I would be happy to reship the tool or refund you for the product including shipping. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information. Negative dougan Parma Heights, OH (1 review) April 4, 2013 I've ordered from Baker's Seeds, Burpee, Johnny's, and Seedsavers Exchange with no problems whatsoever. I had to email Gardensalive over 6 times because they charged double my state tax, and they had difficulties inputing my address (adding a line for my apartment number!). After the first 4 emails, each from a different representative, I asked them to send me a $3.95 packet of seeds to make me a happy customer. Rather than that, they wanted to send me a $5 gift certificate that would have required me to overpay on my next online purchase by $5, and then, trust them to deduct that $5 from my credit card. As if I would trust them again in the first place! I told them to please keep the certificate. In my final email, I requested that they unsubscribe me from their email list and to not contact me again. A simple first-ever order of 4 smart pots should never be this difficult. I also nixed one phone order with Gardensalive when I called a few months ago. I didn't feel confident giving my credit card number to what sounded like an overseas call center. There are better companies out there that listen to their customers, have better IT systems and better customer representatives. Let's find better companies and do our business with them! Company representative comment on April 5, 2013: On Apr 5, 2013 12:14 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with: We appreciate you letting us know about the problems you had with your order. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and rectify this for you. Negative aphrab Saint Stephens, NC (1 review) March 12, 2013 I can't get unsubscribed from Gardens Alive. They send ads every day. Company representative comment on March 14, 2013: On Mar 14, 2013 8:31 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for letting us know. I apologize for the inconvenience. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your email address and make sure you are unsubscribed. Negative BassyB Dallas, TX (1 review) February 15, 2013 I have been a long time customer (over 10 years) and the last two times I have called because of an issue with their website ordering process, discounts, etc. (including not being able to sign in without a catalog), the customer service rep has spoken to me like a child and when I stop to tell her I understand the issue, I just want it corrected, her tone of voice very snippy and insulting. I will take my business elsewhere and I am called to be removed from their mailing list and website. They also spam you will catalogs by selling your name to other garden supply companies. Company representative comment on February 19, 2013: On Feb 19, 2013 10:47 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your feedback. I apologize for the problems you have had with our site and one of our agents. I will have one of our customer service representatives contact you so we can take care of these issues for you. Neutral mcclainhosman Bowie, MD (1 review) October 21, 2012 We have spent a lot of money at Garden's Alive while starting our kitchen garden over the past couple years. Most of the things we have from this company are good to great. Unfortunately, we got 6 Blueberry and 2 Huckleberry plants in the spring that quickly deteriorated and then died. We got blueberries from other companies that have thrived, and our soil tests perfect for blueberries, so that is not a problem. We contacted the company about their satisfaction guarantee but have yet to hear anything. :( Company representative comment on October 31, 2012: On Oct 31, 2012 9:08 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your posting. We apologize for the problems with your plants and we would be happy to take care of this for you. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information. Negative nashnewbie Nashville, TN (4 reviews) July 16, 2012 I placed a large order this spring with Gardens Alive, primarily because I'm an organic gardener and they have a variety of organic products. It's very difficult to find organic plants in my area, so I had decided to start and/or plant my own. Mail order companies are a boon to gardeners, because they make it possible to find plants that we might not have available through local stores. So in that regard, I want to be fair to companies I've ordered from. On the other hand, I think it's only fair to warn others if I've encountered consistent problems with a company. My main complaint is low/no germination of a number of the organic seeds/bulbs: most notably two types of onion, summer squash, spinach, garlic, arugula. Also, a raspberry plant that never grew. It also took 2 months for all the items to arrive. I'm not sure how to prevent this--my order was placed in early April, which I guess is the busy season for nurseries. When I've ordered from other companies, I've never had quite as many items on back order or slow to arrive, but perhaps it has to do with the fact the items were organically grown. I would not give this company an F; in fact, the tomato seeds all sprouted. But if you're ordering organic products, you might want to think twice about it and/or just order a few so that you aren't risking your whole crop. I just contacted the company about the problems, so will update my rating after I hear from them. Company representative comment on July 16, 2012: On Jul 16, 2012 1:21 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your posting. We apologize for the problem you has with the seeds and we would be happy to replace them for you or refund your money, whichever you would prefer. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and take care of this for you. Positive rcepe324 Denver, CO (3 reviews) July 13, 2012 I've ordered plants from SpringHIll, Brecks and Michigan Bulb for almost 3 years now. I have to say that I've been mostly satisfied with the plants I've received. Some have made it and flourished while others not so much. What I love about these guys is that their customer service is awesome! You don't have to send any shipping labels back or beg for replacement plants, etc. I have noticed that some of the plants don't always do so well in the Colorado sun. I ordered hardy geraniums and the first order all plants died. I asked for replacements and even that batch only 3 plants out of 9 made it. I do have another hardy geranium that I bought from a local nursery and it does very well. I think the ones ordered from SpringHill just aren't used to our sun or summers. I don't know just a guess. I did just recently order some german irises and only a few grew out of 40 bulbs!!! So, I will probably need to get replacements in the fall. Otherwise, the clematis, rose of sharons, sedums, lavenders, coneflowers, etc. etc. I've ordered over the years have done very well!! Negative mouserut Charleston, UT (1 review) June 20, 2012 Ordered many packets of seeds and have been horrified at the germination rate - less than 10%. I've been gardening for over 30 years and have never had so much trouble. Out of the 450 seeds of corn I planted only 14 plants have come up over a month later. In Utah the growing season is VERY short so my guess is I will not see one ear before frost. Not ONE of the zuchini has germinated, not one. Butternut trees leafed out and promptly died, ditto for the rasberries. Canadice grape is doing great. I did contact the company (Gurney's) with my complaint and they are promising a refund. Happy with that but will never order from this company again. They also owe me a refund of $142 from a previous complaint, have yet to see that one Company representative comment on June 21, 2012: On Jun 21, 2012 2:57 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your posting.We apologize for the problems with your order. A customer service representative will contact you for your account information and check on your refunds for you. Negative Annie321 Pleasant Valley, MO (1 review) May 29, 2012 I ordered a batch of 5 million flea-eating Nematodes on May 2 and waited...and waited some more. I received no explanation for the delay. I finally emailed customer service and explained I needed to cancel my order if they were unable to supply the item. A few days later I received an email that my item had shipped on May 23 (21 days after I ordered them--not including the actual time in route). Again, the email included no information regarding the reason for the delay and a simple "sorry for any inconvenience." Nematodes work best if introduced in the cool temps of spring before fleas get going, so a month delay is significant. Company representative comment on May 29, 2012: On May 29, 2012 1:17 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your posting. It may be the nematodes were on backorder. We apologize for the delay. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and check on what had happened. Positive wlj Rochester, MN (11 reviews) May 15, 2012 I have never had problems with any plant material that I have ordered from Gardens Alive. And I do appreciate their coupon. I was especially impressed with their elephant garlic bulbs. They were large (a bit more than golf ball size) and very healthy. The bulbs sprouted and began to grow within a few days of planting. I have had elephant garlic from other companies. The bulbs were about 1/2 the size, obviously stressed and did not compare to the quality from Gardens Alive. I am ordering again while I am still in the shipping period for my State. Company representative comment on May 16, 2012: On May 16, 2012 11:51 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you so much for your post. Enjoy your garlic! Positive weasel71 Lombard, IL (Zone 5a) (3 reviews) May 15, 2012 Posted on May 12, 2011, updated May 15, 2012 Posted on March 8, 2007, updated May 12, 2011 I ordered Tomatoes Alive and Shrubs Alive (for acid-loving plants) in March, 2006. The order arrived promptly. I was very happy with these products, especially the Tomatoes Alive fertilizer. I had so many tomatoes, I couldn't eat them fast enough. Plus I have plenty of fertilizer left over for this season! Anyway, I just placed a $75 order online today and experienced absolutely no drama. Their system accepted my catalog codes, gave me my $25 discount without hassle and I ended up paying $50 for 5 products, one of which was a 10# bag of rose fertilizer..not a bad deal. On May 12th, 2011, weasel71 added the following: I have ordered from Gardens Alive several times over the past few years, always taking advantage of the $25 coupons. The online system is very easy to use and my orders have always shipped quickly. I've used the following products- Tomatoes Alive, Vegetables Alive, Strawberries Alive and something for acid-loving plants, maybe Shrubs Alive, can't remember the name. The plants have done well with this fertilizer, especially the tomoatoes. Gardens Alive is always on my short list of online companies that I use regularly. Thank you, Gardens Alive! On May 15th, 2012, weasel71 added the following: Again, another great experience ordering from Gardens Alive. This time I ordered more Tomatoes Alive fertilizer and a pair of 8X4 foot trellises that seem very sturdy. I plan to grow snap peas on one and pickling cukes on the other. I did take advantage of their $25 offer and ordering online was simple. I highly recommend this company. Company representative comment on May 13, 2011: On May 13, 2011 8:48 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your wonderful testimonial about our products. We appreciate you as one of our customers and look forward to serving you in the future. Positive ibewgirl Wilmington, DE (19 reviews) April 27, 2012 Just released ladybugs and extremely surprised that every single one is alive. Hoping they are feasting on thrips for dinner tonight. Company representative comment on May 3, 2012: On May 3, 2012 12:00 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Great to hear, thank you for sharing! Negative Backyardgrower Dallas, TX (1 review) April 22, 2012 I have used Gardens Alive products in the past and the performed very well. The reason for my negative rating is that I suspect that some of their products, specifically, Tomatoes Alive, Vegetables Alive, and Root Crops Alive may contain high levels of dangerous heavy metals like Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead. My suspicion is based on the fact that I asked Gardens Alive to tell me the level of these heavy metals in the products listed above and they declined. They told me that the numbers were low but declined to give them to me even after repeated requests. The word "low" is good but it means very little without the actual number to compare to other products and my own acceptance levels. The only reason that I can think of for this refusal is that the numbers were not favorable. Beyond this, I have nothing but praise for the company and the performance of its products. Unfortunately not knowing the heavy metal contents of the products make them too risky for me. Company representative comment on May 3, 2012: On May 3, 2012 11:55 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your posting. We checked on this for you and the amounts of heavy metals in our products are so low they are below the minimum reporting amount. Positive tomatolarry Dalton, GA (8 reviews) February 11, 2012 I have ordered from this company for several years and have never had any problem whatsoever. Garden's Alive makes some good products for those interested in organic gardening. Company representative comment on February 14, 2012: On Feb 14, 2012 5:28 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your nice feedback. We do offer some excellent organic items as well as many enviromentally friendly items. Positive 1337RN Verona, WI (3 reviews) January 28, 2012 I ordered a bunch of lady bugs and nematodes this past year. Couldn't be happier, the lady bugs hung around for a good while, and the nematodes, well, who knows, but my plants and veggies all did well and I will be applying them again this year. Everything was smooth in ordering and everything came as expected. Nothing quite as funny as hearing a thousand ladybugs walking around in a mesh bag. Except maybe the look on my husband's face when I told him they'd be hanging out in the fridge until the weather was better to release them. Definitely will repeat business this year! Thanks! Company representative comment on January 31, 2012: On Jan 31, 2012 2:01 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for sharing about your order. We look forward to your order this spring. Happy Gardening. Neutral nancysewswith Batesville, IN (1 review) January 3, 2012 I'm so happy to have found Dave's Garden again! I couldn't remember for years and years what this site was called. I used to work for Gardens alive (aka Breck's bulbs, Spring Hill, Gurneys, Audubon Workshop, Thompson & Morgan and a handful others I can't remember.) A lot of times, my friends/coworkers and I would pull up this site and have a good laugh. Not *at* the customers, mind you, but at our company for making people so mad. All in all, I don't really have too many complaints about the company. I used some Brecks once and it didn't grow, but who's to say if that was my fault or theirs. I will say you need to do your own research. The people you're speaking with when you call in have as much information on the products as you do. If someone asked me a question, I'd just pull out the catalog and clarify what was in it. We didn't really have extensive training on the products. Additionally, don't abuse the "Unhappy? Send it back and we'll refund/replace for free" policy. If you return/refund a little less than half of the things you've bought (legit or not,) they'll ban you. Lastly, cut them some slack when they try to "upsell" you at the end of the call. They have to sell a certain number of items per month or they get in trouble, or possibly fired if it's happened enough. That was always the most frustrating. In this economy, GA should be happy people are still ordering at all. Hope everyone is doing well up there in Indiana! I'd say I miss it... but.... I do not. At all. :) Company representative comment on January 25, 2012: On Jan 25, 2012 11:21 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Gardens Alive is always working to improve our customer experience which includes product training and information provided to our employees. We are also dedicated to maintaining a positive working environment for our employees. We would like to take this opportunity to wish you well in your future endeavors. Positive mizznkeeper Lincolnville, SC (3 reviews) October 28, 2011 After ordering from Burpee and waiting months for my order I was elated to find that ordering from Gardens Alive only takes days to receive an order. My dry mole relief seems to be working so I give them a 10!!! Company representative comment on October 31, 2011: On Oct 31, 2011 11:28 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: At Gardens Alive we do our best to ship your order the same day. Thank you for your nice feedback. Negative lapaixfarm ALUM BRIDGE, WV (1 review) October 11, 2011 I ordered two lady bug traps from Gardens Alive within the last two months, and as the lady bugs (Japanese and not really ladies) descended this autumn day, we read the directions closely and affixed (or thought we did) the two boxes to the windows as directed. Later that day (yesterday), I noted that the one which was attached to the window in my office had fallen - the sticky part on one side was not sticky at all. I re-placed the trap on the wooden frame between the upper and lower windows. This a.m., my helper, who had put the traps on the windows arrived and we examined what was wrong with the trap. The sticky part on one side was not sticky and trying to find another layer did not reveal any solution to the problem. In doing this I accidentally upended the trap and powder flew out and up my lungs. That was a good l/2 hour ago and I am still coughing and choking - I vacuumed up what was on the floor but have no idea what I have inhaled. I called the phone # of Gardens Alive and talked to someone in India who after hearing my complaint and getting my name and address and business name stated that I did not have any account with Garden's Alive nor did I ever order from them. Therefore, I did not exist and there was no help to be had. I wanted to let the company know that they had a defective product, one with unknown repercussions should the powder get in the atmosphere - that the sticky part didn't work - and I needed to know what was in the powder. Would it draw lady bugs to inundate my office? Was it dangerous? Do I need to go to a Dr. or emergency ward? Well, obviously I am frustrated. I will never order from them again. Their product is inherently defective and possibly dangerous. But the man in India didn't care - I think his name might have been Peggy. Throroughly disgusted and pretty much alarmed. Company representative comment on October 17, 2011: On Oct 17, 2011 10:36 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your feedback. I apologize that your account could not be located. A customerr service representative will contact you for your account information so we can locate your account and take care of this for you. Negative ZippyPinHed Oak Ridge, NJ (3 reviews) July 23, 2011 My negative rating is in regards to the online ordering. About a year ago I voiced my concerns to a representative, I recently checked their site and nothing has changed. Garden's Alive will not let you order online without creating an account with them - there is no way to proceed as a guest through checkout. This means that all your credit card info is stored on their web hoster's server - convenient, but dangerous. My second career led me to a job as tech support for a domain registrar. You can not imagine the barrage of attempts and the unpublished successes that hackers accross the globe have on "safe servers". I don't do online banking and I don't use companies online that will not allow checkout as a "guest". I can't keep them from hacking into my credit card company, but I can minimize exposure. Network Solutions is the original and oldest registrar in the world as well as the registrar for the domain gardensalive.com - the Washington Post headline in 2009 was: "Network Solutions Hack Compromises 573,000 Credit, Debit Accounts". The webhoster of gardensalive.com was also hacked in 2007 as shown by the infamous rewriting of googles whois info. - it's time to start protecting the consumer, use "check out as Guest"! Company representative comment on August 8, 2011: On Jul 26, 2011 4:31 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your feedback. We are checking this out and will let you know what we find out. On Aug 8, 2011 11:13 AM, Gardens Alive! added: This posting regarding online security at GardensAlive.com is both incorrect and baseless. At GardensAlive.com, any customer can checkout as a guest, sign-in and account creation are optional. Secondly, GardensAlive.com is a secure site and compliant with SSL requirements evidenced by verification from VeriSign. Neutral tomtkitty Memphis, TN (12 reviews) July 11, 2011 If Gardens Alive! Customer Service spent as much time on getting the initial orders correct as they do on apologizing for the errors, they would have higher ratings, as I've found their products to be high quality. However, since they changed hands, I've not ordered from them in several years. Company representative comment on July 12, 2011: On Jul 12, 2011 4:27 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your feedback. We do our best to ship our products correctly and in a timely fashion. Gardens Alive has not changed hands, it is the same founder/owner from the beginning. Negative Snlinol OLD LYME, CT (1 review) July 11, 2011 I called to place an order. The rep refused to give me the 25% discount that was advertised on the site! I had to place my order online. That was mostly annoying. The worst part, and therefore what ensures I will never order from this company again is that the total on the order "overview" page that you look at before you confirm an order was different than the amount they charged me on the next page! They charged me MORE than the total for the purchase!! I saw this and immediately emailed and made them aware of the issue. They have not responded. There has been no contact with me, correction, or an apology. They have ignored me and therefore lost a customer. Company representative comment on July 11, 2011: On Jul 11, 2011 11:54 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: We apologize for the trouble you had with your order. We will definitely take care of this for you. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information. Neutral happydadto5 Burke, VA (3 reviews) May 23, 2011 Posted on May 23, 2011, updated May 23, 2011 Posted on May 13, 2011, updated May 23, 2011 I placed an order using a $25 coupon. As required, I paid the balance of the order with a credit card. Plants arrived in the fall and by the next spring they were blooming nicely. End of story? Not quite yet. Fast forward to the call from a collection agency claiming I somehow own money from a COD order. A quick call to Gardens Alive (aka Breck's) and they confirmed they failed to apply the coupon in full. It took them 2 minutes to figure out where they made the mistake. It is now nearly a month later and I still get calls from the collection agency despite attempting to follow-up with the company 1/2 dozen times. They have written nice letters (to me) stating that they have cleared this up, but the collection agency still says my account is not cleared. So if you order from this company, realize you may end up having your account go to a collection agency after they misapply a coupon. Good luck. On May 23rd, 2011, happydadto5 changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following: Update - I was contacted by Customer service who finally fixed the problem and offered a nice apology. While it took some time, they did come around. On May 23rd, 2011, happydadto5 added the following: Update - I was contacted by Customer service who finally fixed the problem and offered a nice apology. While it took some time, they did come around. Company representative comment on May 16, 2011: On May 16, 2011 10:13 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for letting us know about the problems you are having with your account. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information and take care of this for you. Negative mjkrogers Quakertown, PA (1 review) May 20, 2011 Terrible products, even worse Customer service. I placed an order for Garlic, Asparagus and some fertilizers. I paid $18.95 for Garlic and it is rotted and moldy. I paid $14.95 for 12 Asparagus plants, planted them carefully and only 4 have come up. I tried emailing the company about this issue on May8th, again on May 12th and again on May 16th. ABSOLUTELY no response from them other that an automated email saying they would reply SOON. SORRY but it is not May 20th - no response in 12 days. I am afraid to use the fertilizers lest the quality is the same as the plants I received! Company representative comment on May 20, 2011: On May 20, 2011 4:35 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your feedback, We apologize for the problem with your order. A customer service representtive will be contacing you for your account information. Neutral nancybz Appleton, WI (1 review) May 2, 2011 Did a search for the Iron X Selective Weed Killer ingredients pdf on Yippy.com . Found the following at Pesticide Database Org: PAN Product Info for Neu1173h concentratecurrent windowpreviewpreviewshow in clouds. Bayer advanced natria lawn weed control concentrate. W. neudorff gmbh ... Iron x selective weed killer for lawns. W. neudorff gmbh kg. Distributor Product. Dec 30, 2009. Active. Iron x ! ... http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Product.jsp?REG_NR=06770... 26.5 % Iron Pholate in this product. Has slightly toxic rating (#3)-Eye corneal irritant Company representative comment on May 11, 2011: On May 11, 2011 9:03 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your feedback about our product Iron X. I checked with our product specialist concerning the toxicity and find we don’t claim that our products have no toxicity, just that they have low toxicity, which is the case with Iron X. Positive MNWildflower Kasota, MN (Zone 4a) (8 reviews) April 21, 2011 I placed two separate orders with Gardens Alive! & my items were received quickly & just as I ordered. I ordered the Critter Chaser Strips, Garden Fabric Pins & the Weed Barrier Mat (Heavy Weight). I have not used any of the items yet, as spring seems reluctant to visit Minnesota. If I have any issues I will update my post. Company representative comment on April 21, 2011: On Apr 21, 2011 4:01 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your nice feedback. We are sure you will be happy with our products but if you have any problems let us know and we will be happy to take care of it for you. Positive gracesplants Howell, MI (13 reviews) April 14, 2011 Posted on March 23, 2011, updated April 14, 2011 Posted on March 20, 2011, updated March 23, 2011 I placed my first order with Garden's Alive! this year. The catalog is the most helpful that I have ever received-very informative on plant diseases and pests,as well as, products to help.My order arrived EXTREMELY quick. I was so impressed that I placed a second order. Great job Garden's Alive! On March 23rd, 2011, gracesplants added the following: There should be a rating HIGHER than positive. I had placed three orders. I was so enthralled with Garden's Alive last post, I had forgotten one of my orders. Everything about these orders has been GREAT. I have but one item left to receive (plants not due to ship yet,Istill have snow :( ) Turn-around on order (speed), packaging, order confirmation, order tracking (awesome) and product have been exempliary. Will be ordering again. On April 14th, 2011, gracesplants added the following: ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL---AGAIN! The plants I received today-green, healthy, strong roots, exactlywhat every gardener wants....KUDOS! Company representative comment on March 21, 2011: On Mar 21, 2011 9:23 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We pride ourselves on selling environmentally friendly products. Positive Kestrel_3 Finlayson, MN (4 reviews) March 17, 2011 I received a $25 coupon in the mail with no additional purchase necessary. I placed an order for some seeds and fish emulsion and kelp fertilizer. I was a little skeptical because I never received a confirmation email within 24 hrs like the Gardens Alive website states that I should. I emailed their customer service and received only an automated reply. I emailed them again a few days later and then later that day I received my order. A couple days after that I received a real response to my 2nd email. I'm happy with my order and I am thankful for the $25 coupon. I received my items quickly, although the response to my emails was a little slow. Company representative comment on March 21, 2011: On Mar 21, 2011 7:50 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for placing your order with us. Please accept our apology for the delay in responding to your email. This is our busiest time of the year. Happy Gardening! Positive Ohglio Haymarket, VA (1 review) March 12, 2011 I ordered with their $25 off coupon and did not receive the order. A month later, when I went back to the confirmaton email I realized they had sent it to the wrong address. I contacted them and within a few days they contacted me back and resent the product, no charge. Even though my out of pocket cost was $2.90 - they still made good on their order. I think that's great! Company representative comment on March 16, 2011: On Mar 16, 2011 7:35 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you very much for sharing your experience with us. We do pride ourselves on our customer service and making sure our customers are always taken care of. Positive genellet Claremore, OK (1 review) February 5, 2011 I've ordered from Garden's Alive for several years. The $25 coupon every year helps my budget. They are a bit pricey but I guess you get what you pay for. I probably wouldn't order from them without the coupon. They do have some terrific products to address many different kinds of garden problems, from nutrients to insect and plant disease problems. I've been pleased with the results I've had using the products. They now have organic vegetables, plants and seeds. I plan to give those a try and will write a review about the new products later. I've not had to address any issues with customer service. I do resent having to speak to someone in India or anyone with a heavy foreign accent that I can barely understand. I wish they would not outsource their CS. FYI .. I heard that a customer can insist to speak to a person in the US and companies must comply. I plan to try that. Company representative comment on February 7, 2011: On Feb 7, 2011 9:22 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your feedback. Your comments are very appreciated and are used to better service our customers. Happy Gardening. Negative Tree7 Omak, WA (1 review) November 15, 2010 I ordered their Stay At Home Ladybugs earlier this year (2010). It was very obvious that they did not send me the quantity they said (900). I called and told them about the problem and they sent some more. The total amount sent though was still less than the amount I was supposed to receive. I called and told them about the problem and they refunded the total amount for the ladybugs. It was rather disturbing that they didn't bother to count or make sure that they sent what I paid for. Now, I see at least on their Web Site, that they list the number of ladybugs you will be getting is about 900, which I think is misleading. How many are about 900? If you order any, be sure and try to count them. The problem is---it's hard to do. Company representative comment on November 16, 2010: On Nov 16, 2010 9:21 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: We appreciate your feedback. We use this information to provide better products and service to our customers. Negative Rovin (1 review) October 27, 2010 My order did not arrive and they did nothing to help me track it down as to where it got to and in fact seemed rude when I asked questions. They acted like they didn't even care. They did refund my money but I will never order from them again. From here on I will buy local. Company representative comment on November 1, 2010: On Nov 1, 2010 9:34 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your feedback. Your comments are very appreciated and are used to provide better service to our customers. A customer service representative will be contacting you to find out what happened with your order. Positive txsdar Harper, TX (Zone 8a) (2 reviews) October 19, 2010 I used their Roses Alive and it worked miracles Spring and Fall. would highly recommend their product! Txsdar Company representative comment on October 27, 2010: On Oct 27, 2010 7:10 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for sharing your experience with our Roses Alive. Your comments are very appreciated. Happy Gardening! Positive SoutheastIndy Indianapolis, IN (16 reviews) October 16, 2010 I used the $ 25 off coupon towards a 100 ft roll of red tomato mulch. I received the mulch about two days after I ordered for it. Great Service ! Company representative comment on October 27, 2010: On Oct 27, 2010 7:08 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you very much for your feedback. Your comments are very appreciated and are used to better service our customers. Happy Gardening! Positive kat81002 denver United States (3 reviews) September 10, 2010 I received my package last week. After reading the reviews here i was a bit scared to put in an order.But then decided to go ahead and try it one time so called in.My call was answered by henry from india.well i had read about you guys outsourcing well i had a set frame of mind because i read these reviews about india.I was rude with this fellow and to my amazement the more rude i got he got more and more polite till the point i thought oh my god what am i doing.i apologized to him and told him that this was my first time ordering from your company and i was very rude to him and that sweetheart gave me a $25 discount as it was my first order that was so sweet of him,so i apologized again.i got my order and love the products and just wanted to say that these kids are doing a great job.and the truth is if i was connected to someone here that person would have disconnected the call for being so rude but not the indian.i would love to order more and will call u soon.Thumbs up GA great and sweet service and great products,best experience till now. Company representative comment on September 10, 2010: On Sep 10, 2010 8:23 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your input. Your comments are very appreciated and are used to better service our customers Thank you for sharing your experience. Happy Gardening! Negative dtbriten Ashfield, MA (1 review) August 3, 2010 I emailed Gardens Alive twice with this inquiry and, as yet, have received no response. Sent a third one tonight. On line they offer the following: Item # 2837 Wow Supreme 40 lb bag 48.95 (2 -4) or Item # 2958 WOW Supreme 40 lb bag Buy 3 bags get one free $195.80 It doesn't compute... 3 bags at 48.95 is $146.85, not $195.80 Seems like false advertising to me, especially since they won't respond to my emails. Too bad since it is a great product!! Company representative comment on August 10, 2010: On Aug 10, 2010 9:55 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for your feedback. We had an error on our site and we have corrected the pricing. The item 2958 is now $146.80. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Neutral dandelionhugger Denver, CO (1 review) May 24, 2010 I was happy with the customer service but the product (Iron X) didn't work. I ordered two bottles of Iron X from Gardens Alive based on the misprinted catalog directions cited a few posts back. I called and found that each bottle treated 600 sf, not 2500 sf. I have a 5000 sf yard so I never would have ordered knowing the correct application rate. Domestic customer service offered me a couple more bottles for free because of the mistake. I was pleased with this as it gave me enough to cover the weedier areas. Unfortunately the product did not work as advertised. I mixed it at 5oz/gal as directed and spot sprayed the dandelions 24 hours ago. There was no rain and I sprayed them thoroughly. Some look slightly shriveled but all still have green leaves. I saw no effect on any other weeds. I will try for a refund but I would have far preferred an effective product. Company representative comment on May 24, 2010: On May 24, 2010 11:43 AM, Gardens Alive! responded with: Thank you for taking the time to post. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information.

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