The scoop on 'Four Seasons Nursery'

Feedback History and Summary   61 positives 33 neutrals 169 negatives

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Rating Author Content Negative kewast (1 review) On April 21, 2008, kewast Newnan, GA wrote: I placed an order with 4 Seasons on March 16. The plants, if that's what you'd call them, were received the 1st week of March. We're OK up to the receipt of the order, but it was when I opened the bag and started looking at what they sent that I became truly bothered. I'm very familiar with bare root plants, so that wasn't my concern. Of the 3 Orange Glory plants, 2 were covered with heavy mold; the Red Weigelia was a twig with no root base at all, Of the 6 Sundrops, 4 were rotten, 7of the 9 painted daisy were rotten, all 3 of the purple ice were rotten, and I didn't receive the Lewisia or the Poker Primrose. When I contacted them, of course it was the story of sending the shipping label, and that's when I lost it. They just shipped this junk and want me to jump through hoops to get them to make it right. Why can't they look at the order number and confirmation they sent me in email? I can understand providing the shipment label months from now when plants die, but not immediately after the order is received and the plants arrive dead. Their policy is no more than an attempt to frustrate and cause aggravation to make their customers give up. I will NEVER EVER order from them again. I am asking my credit card company to reverse the charges until they get this right. Shame on you 4 Seasons Nursery! Negative stoneboro (1 review) On April 20, 2008, stoneboro Stoneboro, PA wrote: we put a large order in.They sent everything while we still had deep snow and frozen ground.The fruit trees were dead & broken the strawberry plants were one big gloob of mold the rest was just plain garbage.We shipped everything back with the original shipping order for replacement or refund over 3 weeks ago we still haven't heard anything back from them.We must be on their waiting list yet like all the other thousands of dissatifed customers . Positive ToniD (1 review) On April 20, 2008, ToniD Frankfort, KY wrote: I read all the negative reports posted here and decided to give Four Seasons Nursery a shot anyway and placed an order for lots of mostly bare root trees. When my order arrived, I inspected everything and everything looked healthy. I was short three Colorado Blue Spruce and six Rose of Sharon bushes and immediately e-mailed customer service. Within a short time, the missing stock arrived and were healthy also. All 96 are in the ground and doing beautifully. I would definitely order from Four Seasons Nursery again. Just felt I should give credit where credit is due! Positive Len123 (5 reviews) On April 9, 2008, Len123 Adrian, MO (Zone 6a) wrote: I got much more than i expected after reading the reviews, but for the price of three nursery plants, I consider it a bargain. My order arrived at the time i wanted it to even though you can't pick your date. the order was complete plus extra seed packs,and 3 varieties of bulbs. I ordered 3 paw paw,16 wash. hawthorn,5 red twig dogwood,2 peegee hydrang.,10 aparagus,4 snowball bushes. plants are well rooted, easy to plant, came with a planting and instruction booklet, no damage whatsoever, very surprised because they came in a green bag. everything was dormant and bareroot(nice roots for size), the snowballs came potted like a large rose band. After learning my lesson on the large $300 trees, now suffering transplant shock, this seems to be a more sensible way to go. I don't have a cardiac if i have a loss! Would order again from this company. Positive Jungle_cat (1 review) On April 8, 2008, Jungle_cat Greensburg, KY wrote: Shipping time was reasonable and my order was sent complete. Everything is in good shape, though dormant - exactly like they said. We are in the process of planting our items - a bunch of rose of sharons, strawberries, strazzberries, rasberries, asparagus and a fruit cocktail tree. The roots look healthy and nothing was dry or brittle. I will update once I see how they come in. Not sure how anyone could miss the return policy on keeping the shipping label. Its on their website and also written clearly on the front page of the booklet they send with the items. Positive legallorelei (1 review) On April 7, 2008, legallorelei Chateaugay, NY wrote: I bought a lot of different plants from 4 Seasons last spring (2007). I live way up north and we get BRUTALLY COLD winters! I ordered hibiscus, delphiniums, butterfly bushes, a silver lace vine, fern leaf bleeding hearts, strawberries, and many more. Everything arrived in an appropriate time to plant, in "dormant" conditions. One of the hibiscus did have mold on it, but I planted it anyway. Everything I put in the ground performed beautifully! Even the moldy hibiscus! Spring has just barely begun, but so far everything is coming back nicely. I've found their products to be very hardy, so far. I just ordered another batch of plants, and hope to do as well as last year. I've recommended 4 Seasons to others in my area, as well. Negative mbhoakct76 (2 reviews) On March 2, 2008, mbhoakct76 Winsted, CT wrote: i ordered from 4 seasons for the second time last yr, the first time was a few yrs ago and it wasnt any better than, but i figured i would give em another shot. Well the plants they shipped were VERY small plants, most not old enough to be transplanted at all let alone make a trip in a box (one yr old seedlings, some 8 months depending on when they were started) , they arrive dry and partially dead if not completely, overall (depending on the hardiness of the plant) i would say i lost about 60% of the plants by summers end, and probley more over the winter (i will have to update in spring). I also purchased from MB- another mail order co with a bad rep! But i hadda give MB a pos since i had around 70% survival rate on their really small plants, and they also had a easy replacement policy , 4 seasons gets a big old NEG though cause their return policy and their customer service is absolutely worthless. and they dont even offer any coupons to reduce the cost of these WAY overpriced roots. Alot of these cheap mail order places sell small roots, but 4 seasons are by far the worst i have ever seen. Positive ConGar (6 reviews) On February 21, 2008, ConGar wrote: I considered giving a neutral instead of a positive, because admittedly a quarter of my order was obviously Dead On Arrival even to my novice eyes, and now I suspect half of my order was actually DOA. Still I decided to give everything a chance before I tried to get replacements/refund. Oops, because I didn't store/hide the bags and someone else in the home assumed they were trash and tossed them out before I knew whether things would live or die. One really positive (for me) was that I experienced speedy shipping from them, and I always give bonus points for speedy shipping. Hence the main reason I gave them a positive over a neutral rating. Interestly enough some of order that arrived alive later died, in at least three cases I still don't know why they failed. Admittedly, the rest that didn't make it was either my fault (in one single case), or they were eaten/destroyed by pests, and Four Seasons can hardly be blamed for those last two. Still it is disappointing that in the end less than a quarter of the stuff I wanted/ordered survived. The plus side is the stuff that did survive is thriving, and I suspect once warm weather arrives those things will actually look like the pictures on the website. So, based on my 2007 experience with Four Seasons, I'd say if you order trees/shrubs and/or potted plants then Four Seasons is as good a place as any to get them, especially since they tend to be cheaper at Four Seasons than anywhere else (seeds and bulbs are iffy, I'd say fifty-fifty), but if you order bare root or "dormant" plants then you probably won't be happy with the product. (Honestly, I was thinking about ordering from them again this year, but much of the stuff I wanted this year was not listed in the book or on the website, so I used other sites to order from this year.) On March 3rd, 2008, ConGar added the following: I should update about my comment on the seeds. I'd say seeds from Four Seasons are above 50/50, and since in this case they were free seeds with my order I suppose I must say they are wonderful. (Still 50/50 on bulbs, though.) Last year I placed two orders, and got two packets of L-Crop Tomatoe seeds (among other things) - there were lots of seeds in each packet, which while I do love Tomatoes it was more than I could plant (lack of space because I'd already planted tom seeds), so I saved the seeds I didn't plant. Just over a week ago I decide to put four seeds in some dirt and see what might happen. I wasn't expecting much, but I do believe at least two of the four planted are going to come up, and if I recall properly (from last year) sometimes these seeds start slower than other toms, so I might yet end up with all four planted coming up. (Therefore I felt I should come back and say that - after this - I'd trust buying seeds from Four Seasons, as well.) I'm going to try some of the remaining Vine Peach seeds (also free) in a couple weeks, perhaps I'll get some of them growing as well. I'd like to because thanks to pests (ants and bunnies) I didn't actually get any peaches off the ones I planted last year. Neutral MorsisX (3 reviews) On February 21, 2008, MorsisX Lockport, IL (Zone 5b) wrote: Word of warning, Beware their return policy!!! You must keep any shipping labels for the year after you receive the products (side note I have been told the clock starts when the order is submitted, NOT when it is delivered!!! Makes no sense with bulbs ordered in the spring, shipped in the fall, and you won't even see results until after the year has passed!) On the plus side, they have honored the guarantee w/o the shipping label and after a year. Their prices are very good, but the quality is rather hit or miss. All of the shrubs I have received have been severely dehydrated. Immediate soaking in a bucket revived some but not all. I did get exactly what I ordered but they were shipped in a plastic bag, literally... Positive hlibebe (2 reviews) On February 7, 2008, hlibebe Lakeland, FL wrote: I ordered 3 snowball bushes, 4 lilacs, 2 hydrangea trees, 2 apricot trees (of some sort), 2 pink pussy willows and got some bulbs for free back in November 2007. Total was about 30 some odd dollars/change. The snowball bushes were packed in dirt, bulbs packed in sawdust, and the rest was bare root. I did not unpackage or soak/plant my items for about 5 days after arrival, but when I did- I noticed I was missing one of the apricot trees (no big deal, it cost me an extra cent.) I used this hormone growth formula that has brought many of my "dead" plants back to life on the items I did have and am very pleased to say, they are all sprouting nicely this time of year in Florida. I was afraid the cold chill we got in January would kill them all, but only one of my lilacs died from the chill (it was sprouting before the chill.) The pussy willow and two of the snowball bushes were a gift to my boyfriend, and they are doing quite well at his house as well. And, yes, here we have the worst kind of soil possible...sandy, swampy, super compact soil. Everthing is still small, and I may not be able to enjoy any flowers for some years to come, but they were all very cheap and are still alive. If Four Seasons Nursery has a fantastic sale on hybrid willows, I would make a purchase from them again. On March 12th, 2008, hlibebe added the following: In the middle of February I placed an order for several plants (after pouring over their catalog along w/ other mail order catalogs for four months) for 60 hybrid willow, 2 weeping willows, 2 bluemoon clematis, and 9 robin hood rose hedges. All of which have arrived today! :D (The catalog stated delivery would begin in March, so I wasn't expecting it right away when I ordered those plants.) Everything looks good, and if only the Florida weather will allow, I hope to plant them tomorrow. This was definately another positive experience for me again. An update to the plants received back in Nov 2007: when i went to move the plant bed for the snowball bush at my boyfriend's house last week, thinking we should put some good soil in the area since we just dug a hole n planted it back in Nov, we saw that the plant had several long feeder roots that reached out about 2-3 feet from under the 6 inch branch that made up the snowball bush. I was very impressed with this plant's vigor! needless to say, we carefully reburied the roots n just put top soil n fertilizer around the plant. **This may have also been due the hormone growth formula I applied to the plant, but I'm still pleased.** Positive jhuot (4 reviews) On January 3, 2008, jhuot South Windsor, CT (Zone 5b) wrote: I have not always had the best of luck with plants from Four Seasons, but I took a chance last spring on a 'Blue Moon' rose and a couple of butterfly bushes. They all arrived on schedule and were packed very well. And while everything was small (about what I might have expected for the price), everything grew nicely this year. In fact the Blue Moon rose still had green leaves up until a couple of weeks ago even after many hard frosts and a snow storm. Positive soapwort243 (4 reviews) On September 20, 2007, soapwort243 South Milwaukee, WI wrote: This past winter, I had spring fever and placed an order for some very inexpensive rose bushes. To my shock, they were delivered the end of March--which is Very early for Wisconsin. I didn't have a place ready for them, but planted them close to the house. Well- they are beautiful right now !! (especially the cheapest ones) They are better than the expensive ones I bought from another place. And I don not have a lot of success with roses- but these were hardy. Negative 2mygirl2 (1 review) On August 27, 2007, 2mygirl2 Nashville, IN wrote: I placed an order this summer for 213.00. When the order finally arrived, most of the items were of very poor quality or dead. I followed the very strict instructions on the package slip and returned almost 143.00 worth of the items for a cash refund. I ended up receiving around 95.00. When I questioned were the other 54.00 was,I was told that they did not receive those items. They were all in the same package. It is not my fault if they lost them in receiving. I am made numerous phone calls, sent 3 letters, and I still can not resolve this. First I am told they did not receive 6 items in particular that do NOT equal 54.00 then I receive a letter stating they did not receive 6 other items that still do NOT equal 54.00. I think they are just making up things to get me off their back. I would NEVER deal with this company. Even when you follow their very strict guidelines, you still end up losing! They will find a way to take advantage of you one way or the other. The items that looked dormant when they arrived, are dead. So basically I ended up with nothing. Just out 118.00! Positive Toni05 (29 reviews) On August 27, 2007, Toni05 Brookfield, IL wrote: Received two plants from Four Seasons Nursery today..they arrived in excellent condition. Plants were well-packaged, and plants arrived sooner than I expected. Toni Negative redhead_girl98 (1 review) On August 21, 2007, redhead_girl98 Huntington, WV wrote: I have ordered from 4Seasons for a few years with no problems. I even had some plants replaced before. However this year will be my last. My order arrived in two separate shipments. Therefore, there were two separate shipping labels/invoices. Some of the bulbs in my order arrived completely rotted and slimy. Some of the plants were dead. We allowed the plants additional time after planting, in case they were dormant. However, they were, in fact, dead. Most of the items we ordered were part of pre-made “gardens” and came with guides on where to plant which plants. However, because some of the plants were dead, we cannot even finish our garden. I sent a written request for replacement plants, along with one of my original shipping labels, around June 10. On June 21, the company sent my request back with a small slip of paper indicating that I should tell them what was wrong with each of the plants (I had only noted that a few were rotten; I assumed they were smart enough to figure out that the rest were dead.) We followed the instructions and returned the request back to them on July 3. On July 21, the company sent back our original letter with a half sheet of paper asking for our SECOND original receipt (which only had ONE of the plants for which we were requesting replacement.) I feel like these frivolous requests could have been made by phone, and that they are pretty much designed to get the customer to say, "oh never mind!" I sent the company a letter (yes this is the THIRD piece of mail I've had to send them) on July 24, stating that we did not have the second original receipt and that if they did not wish to replace the heath because I did not have the second receipt, that was fine, but to please replace the other plants for which I did have the receipt, because summer is ending and I need to get the plants in the ground. To date, I have received nothing in the way of replacement plants. Of course it's technically outside the 60 day period to dispute the charges, but Visa is taking a stab at it. This is my last order with this company and their "sister companies" (read: alter egos). Negative lionlady1 (2 reviews) On August 9, 2007, lionlady1 Dallas, WI wrote: I had ordered 74.89 in plants in June. Got my order and soak them like I was suppose to then planted them. Out of 25 plants I have 9 that came up and lived. I have sent a letter and the mailing labels to the company. I was I would of know about this site sooner because I would not of bought from Four Season or Direct Gardening. Now I have to see when they will replace my plants and how long it will take. I am now in a short window for replanting because we have cold hard winters. Buyer beware of this company ships dead plants or just half alive. Negative 0613 (1 review) On August 9, 2007, 0613 High Springs, FL wrote: I ordered 3 Queen Elizabeth Rose bushes and I knock out Rose bush on May 3, 07. I was told it was shipped on May 26. After many calls to find out what happened to my order I was told that i had to wait until June 26 for a trace to be put on the package. July 26 rolls around and still no plants. I was then told there were no results on the trace as yet. Then July 30 I was told that my order will be filled and sent out again but that they can't be sure. August 1 I call for the 200000 time and the man said I would have the order in 14 days. August 6 I call and the order cannot be found anywhere. Just over the 60 days deadline to get my money back by filing a dispute with VISA. But I DID FILE BEFORE THE DEADLINE because of the gut feeling to do so. So I will get my 30.63 back. I threw out the catalogue I got from these people yesterday. I will NEVER again order anything from them. do. Negative sammic (1 review) On July 7, 2007, sammic Granite City, IL wrote: Never in my life have I seen a company like this. I ordered $80 worth of plants from Four Seasons and boy we were shocked to see what we got. It was just in a green plastic bag with 2 "trees" that were just sticks with bare roots and bags full of dirt and apparently had bare roots in it. I called the customer service and was told what I needed to do to receive a refund. A couple of days later I received a box with the rest of my order. I sent everything back a couple of days later all in the same bag (including the box), with the letter, the shipping label and the plants. I had emailed them almost 3 weeks later inquiring about my refund. I was asked if I i had done everything they said which I advised them I did. They emailed me and advised me that they credited back my account for $29.64. A far cry from the $80 I had spent. When asked about the amount credited they told me that they only received 2 out of the 24 things I ordered. I told them I didn't see how that was possible considering everything was in the same bag. I have filed a dispute with the credit card company and a complaint with the BBB. Like they say "Buyer Beware. If it seems too good to be true it probably is". Negative jimandcarol (1 review) On June 18, 2007, jimandcarol Tuscola, IL wrote: We ordered 146 trees last fall. They came promptly enough and we took great care in planting them. Well, they were these pathetic little sapplings and of course they all died. In contacting the company, we were told we had to supply the shipping label for the warranty to be in effect. Well...we didn't keep it, shame on us. But we'd just asked for replacements...not a refund. That was $737.07 ago. Well unfortunately there's nothing we can do now. I wished I had thought of the chargeback process through VISA as one of the forum contributors did. That is your best bet if you've used a debit or credit card. Deal with your bank or credit card company, but remember that there are time constraints for chargebacks, but you will probably get some kind of refund. Visa will deal harshly with companies that rip their customers off. Live and learn, I guess. Hopefully, people will stop doing business with this crooked company. Wow, are we sorry we did. Negative glazier (2 reviews) On June 17, 2007, glazier Danville, PA wrote: BUYERS BEWARE. STAY AS FAR AWAY FROM THIS "COMPANY" AS POSSIBLE. I MADE A PURCHASE IN MARCH 2007, CALLED IN APRIL, MAY AND JUNE. I WAS MAILED A SHIPMENT HISTORY SHOWING A "FARMER SEED AND PLANT CO." IN MINNESOTA SHIPPED MY ORDER TO AN ADDRESS IN NEW YORK TO A STREET NAMED "NON APPLICABLE", AND MY ADDRESS IS IN PENNSYLVANIA. THE COMPANIES INFORMATION REQUEST FORM WAS SIGNED BY A "JODY" AND SHE INDICATED THE ORDER WOULD BE TRACED AND RESHIPPED. HOWEVER, MY ORDER WAS NOT RESHIPPED AND A "CREDIT FOR MERCHANDISE" FOR LESS THAN THE FULL AMOUNT WAS MAILED TO ME. I DID NOT REQUEST A CREDIT, I REQUESTED A REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE. MY NEXT CALL WILL BE TO THE ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS GENERAL OFFICE. Positive unicornangel (1 review) On June 15, 2007, unicornangel Brownwood, TX wrote: I ordered from this company in april of this yr and I ordered a blue moon rose along with the angle trumpet collection , everything came to me looking very well , with the exception of one angel trumpet and the blue moon rose , I contacted the company about the plants , they asked for the packing slip from the packing box and bag the plants came in ,I cut them off the bag and box and returned them along with a letter explaining to them that these two plants where very dead upon arriving , they have since replaced the two plants ,no questions asked ,all of my plants are thriving and doing great , I will not hesitae to order from them again . Negative hausfield (1 review) On June 15, 2007, hausfield Grants, NM wrote: My wife and I ordered close to a hundred trees from four seasons over a year ago. We ordered them in early spring, but four seasons refused to ship them until late fall, in october. We called four seasons multiple times to inform the that they needed to ship them as early as possible since we are over 7500 ft in elevation, they informed us that they would ship them early enough for us to plant them and get them established before the winter. When we recieved our trees we already had snow on the ground, we called four seasons and informed them of this and were told to keep the original packing reciept and ship it back to them and they would replace the trees and send them again in the spring. We were told to write on the replacement request that we needed a spring shipment not fall. We did this and patiently waited until spring. Spring came and guess what? No trees... We called four seasons and got the runaround. They refused to replace our trees stating that our year warranty had expired. We explained everything written above but to deaf ears. Instead we got a I dont give a @#$$ attitude. These people are crooks. Their warranty is not worth the paper its written on. Their customer service is pathetic at best. They are unorganized and do not care one bit about the customers they are supposedly here to serve. Do not do business with this company. David Newton Grants N.M. Positive randblue (2 reviews) On June 8, 2007, randblue Jacksonville, IL wrote: I have purchased items from 4 seasons that arrived healthy and eventually died. With my shiping label they either promplty replaced the item or sent me a gift certificate. I've had plants and fowers die from mail order firms as well as stores. Things die. Negative Kandi7 (5 reviews) On May 31, 2007, Kandi7 Tekamah, NE wrote: I ordered quite a few items from this company and their co-company Richard Owens - the items shipped were small and in bad shape. When they didn't live I requested they somehow correct the problem, they declined. They wanted a copy of the shipping label which they had irremovably glued to the packages when they were shipped without it they say the guarantee is void; however, they do have copies of my order and know it is a valid order and request. Negative CeeAnne (1 review) On May 23, 2007, CeeAnne Pittsburgh, PA wrote: What a shame. I don't expect huge plants at the prices they charge but this is ridiculous!! Last year I ordered from Four Seasons Nursery and the Salix trees that came were in excellent contition and thriving. This year...a nightmare. I ordered several plants. I placed my order and was charged in March. Plants just arrived yesterday (May 23) and the Knockout roses make you want to cry. 7.95 each for twigs 3 inches high. I'm sure they won't survive. One item was missing from the order entirely. I was informed that I have to send the orgininal label back PLUS the dead plants for a refund. Nobody else does this!! They lost a customer. Neutral Michidutch (1 review) On May 21, 2007, Michidutch Portage, MI wrote: I orderd almost a month ago and only received a small part of my total order. Here's my advice: * you have 45 days to cancel any credit card payment. Just talk to your bank or credit card company, or do it online * I talked to my bank and the manager is happy to cancel the payment. They will deal with Four Seasons from there on and you get your money back. The manager said that Visa will trust a loyal customer over a company with very poor customer reports. If a lot of clients do this, the major credit card companies will not work with this company period. It is not righ waiting this long while the planting conditions in May are excellent. I give them one more week, after that i'll cancel the order. I won't even call or write them, i'll have the bank do that with Visa. Negative acceptance (1 review) On May 15, 2007, acceptance Rainier, OR wrote: Frankly, I can't beleive 4seasons nurseries has beeen able to stay in business this long. I placed my order over a month ago, 4/11/07, now 5/15/07 and have received three Lavender roots...but nothing else. I have 10 trees pending and some other plants and have called 3 times to get an idea of when they might be sent. I was told they were all shipped out two weeks ago, but when I called today and spoke to a supervisor...I was told they were never shipped, waiting on the plum tree. I order all the time on line and I will never order again from this company. Not only can't one speak to someone that can actually get one's order shipped, but the people that answer the phone obviously know nothing. Basically, there is no accountability with this company. Neutral briefcase (1 review) On April 30, 2007, briefcase Sesser, IL wrote: I placed an order on April 13,2007. $300.00 worth. Reading all of the bad comments makes we worry. I called the Company this mornig about my order, and was tols that 4 out of aproximate 90 have been send out last Friday. I asked how much longer I have to wait for the other plants, and was told that it would take 2-4 weeks in average, and that first come first serve will be send out. That is scary due to the fact that this could mean a long time. The company did not made that clear in the catalog, or anywhere else. I am worried. Negative tvlgds (1 review) On April 28, 2007, tvlgds wrote: I placed my order on 31Mar. My credit card was charged on 5Apr. Today is 29Apr and all I can get out of them is excuses. I have received NONE of my order, nobody seems to know anything about it. They can't cancel it, because it is "getting ready to ship." Well, every week they tell me it's getting ready to ship. They must hire minimum wage workers to send canned responses because it's obvious that nobody there actually KNOWS anything. I'm quite fed up. This is, without a doubt, THE worst online shopping experience I have ever had. I should have just gone to the local nursery or Home Depot and bought the plants instead of waiting around for a month. I do not know how these people stay in business, but they'll never get mine again. Positive GNLee (1 review) On April 27, 2007, GNLee Kearney, MO wrote: I recently had to return my last order as I was not completely satisfied with the trees. I received a check for the full amount (minus shipping) within three weeks of the return. No questions, no complications, no hassels. This was my second order with them, and my experience with them has been very good. Having now dealt with their customer service and coming away completely satisfied, I would not hessitate to us them again Negative GinMan71 (1 review) On April 24, 2007, GinMan71 Newark, OH wrote: I placed an order on 3/27/07. My credit card was charged immediately; however, I did not receive any shipment until some time later. That shipment--in fact, only a partial shipment--consisted of 8 half-dead seedlings that did not even have their first set of true leaves on them yet. For this I paid $20.00? Three of the seedlings have since died, and the other five are hanging on due to some seriously extra TLC but I am not sure they'll make it either. It is now April 24 and I have seen no other shipment from this company. This morning I emailed a cancellation request and followed up via phone to cancel the order and request a refund. I was told this cancellation would have to be in writing and that, while my email to the customer care department will serve as a request in writing, there is NO way to directly speak with anyone in the shipping department (which is supposedly where my cancellation will eventually need to go) or anyone beyond the very unhelpful supervisor I spoke with in an effort to make sure my cancellation would be processed. So now I'm stuck with the HOPE that I really will get my money back at some point. Without a doubt the quality of product is quite inferior, even for their low prices. I will not do business with this company again and would not recommend them. Positive VDG (3 reviews) On April 23, 2007, VDG McCook, NE wrote: My recent order to Four Seasons Nursery arrived with the plants, mostly shrubs and trees in excellent condition. The trees were at least as tall if not taller than advertised, the bare roots were still moist on all products and the green on the spruce was remarkable. In the last 3 Springs I have planted some 600-700 trees and shrubs, I wish I would have found Four Seasons sooner. Negative bronxbaby (2 reviews) On April 11, 2007, bronxbaby Bronx, NY wrote: I placed an internet order on March 28, 2007. After processing the order, I noticed the building and street address was missing from my order. I immediately called to have this fixed. The operator said she didn't see my order and was not able to cancel it or make changes until it showed but would take the information needed for the correct mailing address and forward it to the proper area. Apparently my order showed up in their systems because when I called on April 6, 2007 to find out if my order shipped, I was told it hadn't yet shipped and it would take 1-2 weeks after ordering for shipping. I called today on chance that today is the 2 week time frame, they would have a tracking number for me. I was told the order went out on April 5, 2007 and that they could not provide a tracking number. I asked if my address was correct on my order since I had asked for a updated mailing address and they told me it was shipped to the internet address given. I explained I called for an update and was told they had no record of my call to update the address. I asked to pull the tracking number so I could call the Post Office with an updated address and was told I'd have to wait 30 days for the package to be undeliverable. When I spoke to a supervisor, I was told nothing can be done to get the tracking number, she was not in the shipping department. I asked if she would contact the shipping department and explain the situation she told me no. I asked for the next superior and was told she was it, there was no one else to go to. She said she could not contact shipping for information they don't take phone calls or request. I asked for a telephone and fax number for the president of the company, Mr. Richard Owens or the complaint department and was told Mr. Owens does not accept phone calls and there is not complaint deparment. So I asked for Mr. Owens mailing address, THAT, she gave me! I've forward a complaint using their customer service via email and followed up with a letter to the president, Mr. Richard Owens. I'm hoping for a response from SOMEBODY before 30 days. On April 11th, 2007, bronxbaby added the following: Please also note that I am also waiting for a replacement order I requested which I am told was sent via USPS on March 19th. I've called on seperate occasions for this order and was told I have to wait 30 days for this order as well. This one is suppose to come to my home address which is CORRECT in their system! I purchased carnations and geranium mosquito shoo plants. The geraniums came dried up and branches brokened. I tried to nurse it back but they were too far gone. The carnations seems to be ok. I have no problem with the plants when received, it's their customer service that STINKS really bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Positive smalltowngirlVA (1 review) On April 10, 2007, smalltowngirlVA Gladys, VA wrote: I read all of the negative comments about 4 seasons before I ordered from them, but I chose to order anyway. I figured that the prices were low enough to give it a try. I'm glad I did. My husband and I ordered 2 apple trees, 1 cherry tree, 1 red bud tree, 9 spruce trees, and 50 strawberry plants. Our order arrived within a couple of weeks and we planted everything within 2 days following their planting directions exactly. Now, I will admit that when the order arrived the fruit trees and the red buds looked like a bunch of sticks, the strawberries were all root with a little top, the spruce trees looked okay though. Of course, from reading these reviews, I had expected that and I figured it was no different than me digging up a slip from my neighbors garden and babying it to make it grow. About a week after we planted, the area received a deep freeze for about four nights straight. We covered the plants each night and continued to water each day. To my amazement the plants are doing great! My strawberries are growing at an unbelievable rate. I may have lost a few but the others are doing so well it's hard to tell. The apple trees and the cherry tree all have buds on them. It does appear that one or two of my spruce trees will not survive but I am going to give it a little more time before I ask for replacements. With a little more TLC they may even make it. The little red bud tree isn't giving me any sign one way or another yet but they are such hardy little trees I believe it will be fine too. Even the free seeds that they sent are coming up! For everyone that complains about how the plants and trees arrive, please remember that if they mailed you full size plants you would pay much more. Smaller plants will actually do better because they are better able to adapt to their new environment. All in all I am very pleased and would definately order from 4 seasons again!! They have survived better than the plants I bought last year from Walmart. Positive blackfootproud (1 review) On April 8, 2007, blackfootproud Annville, PA wrote: Last summer we ordered 45 red salix for a hedge. At such a low price (and having dealt with many mail order plant companies) we knew we would receive "dead-looking little sticks". Just as our "sticks" arrived - we had a death in the family. We took them out of the packaging, and stuck them in a couple of buckets of water. For the next 1 1/2 months, about once a week, we changed the water in the buckets until we got around to planting them (in the middle of a hot, dry July). Over half of them survived, and are still going strong after nasty ice/snow storms. We thought this was pretty incredible under such adverse conditions! We would order from this company again. Negative SkiMedic (4 reviews) On April 6, 2007, SkiMedic Kansas City, MO wrote: I ordered from this company over two weeks ago. I contacted them this week after waiting for some confirmation that the order went through and was told by the man who answered the phone that my order would be processed within two weeks. I showed him that it had already been two weeks and he told me he was sure it would happen soon. I still haven't received confirmation about my order and it still hasn't been processed. I have ordered from several different online garden companies this spring. This one is by far the worst and hardest to deal with. I will not be ordering from them again. Very dissatisfied and disappointed. Neutral dominickbifano (1 review) On April 3, 2007, dominickbifano Pittsburgh, PA (Zone 6a) wrote: Past two years I have ordered through them because of their selection and low prices: orders are timely and complete. Close to half of the products have not survived, this despite my care in following the instructions and a general knowledge of gardening. However, after writing to them with order label and letter explaning what I want resent, they have honored the return. Neutral olgaj (1 review) On April 1, 2007, olgaj Carolina, PR wrote: I just placed an order for almost $300 with 4seasons and I'm very worried. I just read all the complaints about the plants conditions on arrival and I don't want that to happen to me. Dormant state does not means "dead". I"m also very worried about the guarantee, do they really honor it? Negative chang8583 (1 review) On March 30, 2007, chang8583 Morganville, NJ wrote: On Feb. 18,2007, I placed an order from Four Seasons Nursery for a Pink Dogwood; a Royal Empress Tress; a Golden Chain Tress and 3 Tree Rose of Sharon. I receive them today. There are in very poor shape except Tree Rose of Sharon. 1. The Royal Empress Tress is in tiny plastic bag. The stem is dark and hollow. It is in moldy and dead condition. The false advertising “we send one year old tress”. 2. The Pink Dogwood is tiny and in the pot. It is not mentioned in the magazine which is potted plant. The false advertising “We send strong, well started 1’ to 2’ tress”. 3. The Golden Chain is also in moldy condition. I don’t expect that will live. I had good experience with 4 seasons before. I know what kind of condition of your bare root and dormant plant can show sign of life. But I am very disappointed this time. I think they will lose customers. As my experience, you should not buy Magnolia; Weeping Cherry; Golden Chain Tree; Royal Empress Tress; Pink Dogwood and Creeping Phlox from this company. A highly dissatisfied customer S. Chang Positive BLCWGRL72 (2 reviews) On March 15, 2007, BLCWGRL72 Belleville, IL wrote: MY EXPERIENCE WASN'T DIRECTLY WITH 4 SEASON'S BUT WITH ONE OF THE AFFILIATED GROUPS. GO TO DIRECTGARDENING.COM FOR THIS. THIS IS ACTUALLY A GROUP OF NURSERIES THAT OFFER ITEMS AT A LOWER PRICE. THEY HAVE THE SAME ITEMS LISTED AND USUALLY AROUND THE SAME PRICES. IF NOT REALLY CLOSE. IN RESPONSE TO THE PERSON THAT ORDERED THE BLUE ROSE AND GOT A PINK ONE, I HAVE HAD THAT HAPPEN TOO. IT IS A SIMPLE HUMAN MISTAKE. FOR THOSE THAT HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH PLANTS BEING "DEAD" ON ARRIVAL, I CAN HONESTLY SAY THEY AREN'T DEAD BUT IN A DORMANT STATE. I HAVE ALSO HAD SOME THAT DIDN'T SURVIVE OR EVEN POP UP AFTER PLANTING. THIS CAN HAPPEN. I SIMPLY WROTE A NOTE AND PLACED THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL IN AN ENVELOPE AND ASKED FOR REPLACEMENTS. WITHIN 6 WEEKS I HAD TH E REPLACEMENTS. WHEN Y'ALL ORDER EARLY AND THEY DON'T SHIP UNTIL APRIL OR LATER IT'S BECAUSE THEY ARE TRYING TO KEEP THE STRESS OFF THE PLANTS THAT CAN BE RELATED TO SHIPMENT AND CLIMATE ISSUES ALONG THE WAY.

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