| Rating | Author | Content |
| Positive | buddyguygreen
Citrus Ridge, FL
(1 review)
June 4, 2013 | AWESOME COMPANY!!!!! I will definitely be doing future business with them, I bought a cacao tree and it arrived beautiful and packaged awesome. Thank You Montoso Gardens |
| Positive | Librarising
Marlette, MI
(1 review)
April 21, 2013 | I am very pleased with this merchant. I ordered two cocao pods and received 3. I was informed that because of the smaller nature of one of the pods that I ordered an additional pod was shipped to make up for the size of the medium one ordered. Shipping was reasonable and timely and I highly recommend this merchant to all.
Honesty and integrity seem to be a valuable commodity to these sellers. I will do business with them again in the future.
Jamie S |
| Positive | LorenzoFreddi
Cape Town
South Africa
(1 review)
April 21, 2013 | Posted on October 6, 2012, updated April 21, 2013
IM rating neutral because i ordered 3 cocoa pods for $35 and i have to replies on shipping and no one responded to my emails i sent about 4-5 and nothing i have been waiting for a long time could some one just tell me why if i have a good reason i dont mind waiting.
Thanks
Lorenzo
On April 21st, 2013, LorenzoFreddi changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
Sorry for my previous negative comment, i had no idea what i was doing. I meant to leave a positive comment saying:
I highly recommend buying from DavesGarden/MontosoGarden
They always answering your emails and honest about your shipping price.
Thanks
Company representative comment on December 8, 2012:
On Dec 8, 2012 7:29 AM, Montoso Gardens responded with:Dear Lorenzo,
You bombard me with emails every day! I do eventually answer them. As I have said before, I have a full time job in addition to the Montoso Gardens business, so sometimes it takes me a few days to answer. Please be patient, I WILL get back to you.
Thanks,
Bryan |
| Positive | EricTheRed
Colorado Springs, CO
(1 review)
March 17, 2013 | My pod got to me in record time, fresh as can be, and the cacao seeds are germinating now =) If this were a star rating they would get 5 stars from me without a doubt =) |
| Positive | daniellarys1
Ostrava
Czech Republic
(1 review)
December 8, 2012 | Posted on November 24, 2012, updated December 8, 2012
I bought from this company one Theobroma cacao pod, I growing some exotics in my garden, and I want that. I am from Europe and they send me e-mail, where just been that I must pay 44,10$ for shipping. I say: I canīt pay this(because I am student), and they send me another e-mail, where was written another options of shipping payments. Another day I typed some e-mail for they, that I want to cancel to buy this stuff and I ask, wheter they can send my money back. They not respond.
On December 8th, 2012, daniellarys1 changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
Thank you, and sorry for Negative rating, its good deal for people in USA and other countries. I recommend montoso gardens.
Company representative comment on December 8, 2012:
On Dec 8, 2012 7:56 AM, Montoso Gardens responded with:I'm sorry it took so long to give you your refund, Daniel, but I just did it. You ordered a cacao fruit that is not in stock and then several weeks went by while you and my brother David communicated back and forth about possible substitutions and shipping options. We are sorry that international shipping is so expensive, but we only charge exact shipping and refund any shipping overpayment.
Thanks,
Bryan
Montoso Gardens
|
| Positive | shunyam
Carolina, PR
(1 review)
September 19, 2012 | We have bought from Montoso Gardens for several years. The experience has allways been excellent. Our most recent purchase just arrived, three days after placing order. The packing is the best, the tree arrived fresh, vigorous. Some previous purchases are producing outstanding fruit. |
| Negative | kelvindechan
Fair Oaks, CA
(1 review)
August 24, 2012 | I ordered 10 plants Estimated shipping $55.47
I was notified by Bryan that 2 of the plants were not available, the mix up was caused by the web browser caching my shopping basket
so if I had cancelled that order and re-ordered the rest of 8 plants again, I would pay shipping of $43.48.
When the plants were shipped, they refunded the 2 plants but not the shipping cost because they had spent more than $43.48 on shipping.
If the shipping calculator is incorrect, may be it needs to be adjusted. People expect to pay the advertized price. Especially when you advertized the shipping policy "We don't charge the customer if we underestimate shipping cost."
After several back and forth emails, Bryan finally reluctantly refunded the shipping difference with the note that they don't want my business. At this point, I'd have to say that the issue was resolved with mutual agreement that we won't be doing business anymore.
Lessons learned, if you're to oder from this vendor, there's any mix up, cancel your order, start fresh. Once they take your money, you'll have to fight to get the difference in shipping cost.
Company representative comment on August 26, 2012:
On Aug 26, 2012 6:36 PM, Montoso Gardens responded with:I'm sorry that Kelvin wasn't happy with our service but I guess you can't please all the customers all the time. We estimate shipping by using a percentage of the order total, but it is impossible to accurately estimate plant shipping prices, since there are so many factors involved, especially plant height (box length). Since many of our plants are actually taller than advertised, many times actual shipping is more than estimated shipping.
Kelvin paid $55.47 in estimated shipping, and actual shipping for his large order was $61.90. We covered the extra $6.43 that other nurseries or online businesses would charge to the customer. Then Kelvin demanded that we refund an additional $11.99, which we also did. I feel he is being very unfair giving us a negative rating, since he got all the plants he ordered and all the refunds he wanted. |
| Positive | joy09
Bournemouth
United Kingdom
(1 review)
July 31, 2012 | I live in the UK and was thrilled to receive the 2 cacao pods I ordered from Montoso Gardens in the post.
They are perfect.
It only took a week, they were packed well and very reasonably priced, excellent actually since i've wanted for so long to even see one! - not too common round these parts.
Thankyou so much Bryan & co. I Highly recommend you and will order again.
Also I just have to say (as I'm telling everybody) that during communications with Montoso Gardens I happened to mention my interest in exotic, well all plants, since i have had a bird of paradise plant as an indoor plant for the last 4 years. It's so beautiful now at 7ft tall, I mentioned that i hope it flowers soon as it has never done so.... ANYWAY... seriously the day or two after the communication i found a new 'spike' (leaf /flower), and have recently identified it as a young flower. I am overjoyed, don't know if you had something to do with it Bryan & co, or perhaps divine laws of attraction, with thoughts of loving intention in the collective consciousness - who knows, but thankyou and YAY!!
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| Positive | clifford11111
Tallahassee, FL
(1 review)
July 29, 2012 | I love Montoso Gardens ! They strive to keep their customers happy ! I have ordered from them 3 times and will continue to order from them in the future!
: excellent communication, fast delivery, awesome packaging and product, and reasonably priced!
|
| Positive | radysh
Escondido, CA
(1 review)
July 24, 2012 | I usually only take the time to leave feedback or comments when I have a complaint. (yes, I'm one of those) But I must say that Montoso Gardens is an absolute pleasure to deal with and leaving this comment is time well spent.
Great communication. Great growing tips. Any info I needed was there when I needed it.
A perfect little Rambutan tree shipped quickly and packed and protected better than I have ever seen or received. Not just another "throw it in a box and ship it" because we already have the money. This is very impressive, time consuming protection and packing.
One of the biggest surprises is that the plant is actually as described on their web site and it could not be healthier.
I was skeptical due to dealings with other (online) sellers but Montoso Gardens obviously take pride in what they sell and how it is received by the customer.
This almost restores my faith in online nursery sellers. Almost. I still don't trust those other guys (some big names) that I have dealt with in the past.
I will definitely be buying form Bryan and David again.
Jerry, former skeptic |
| Positive | rosebeau
North Fort Myers, FL (Zone 10a)
(5 reviews)
June 1, 2012 | I received 3 beautiful little trees from this company. The grow bags are great for transplanting. The trees were packaged carefully and are in great shape. I am looking forward to ordering again soon.
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| Positive | cmegan
Wellesley Hills, MA
(1 review)
May 28, 2012 | I was contacted in a very timely way with a response to my questions. My ordered fruits (cacao) were shipped promptly and with care. They arrived beautifully. I would recommend them to anyone looking for tropical fruits not readily available in the U.S. They were great! |
| Positive | JalbertoPena4
Mountain View, CA (Zone 8b)
(1 review)
May 25, 2012 | Montoso Gardens is the perfect example of what every company could be like. Awesome! All about satisfying their customer. This company gave me the opportunity to ask questions and get prompt, personal responses from it's owners/management who know their stuff. I purchased two separate orders and with both experiences was left extremely satisfied by their pricing, which they negotiated due to specific details (and I was detailed), their product availability, which in my instance was the only place offering criollo cultivar cacao and their packaging each and every time. Thank you very much Mr. Brunner you run an exemplary business, which feels more like a good ol' friendly neighborhood store. |
| Positive | ClaudetteF
Littleton, NC
(1 review)
May 24, 2012 | I wish all companies would deal with their customers like Montoso. Wonderful packaging. The plants arrived in great shape. Very responsive and knowledgeable. Will definately order from them again. Thanks again Bryan. |
| Positive | jeffhagen
Fort Lauderdale, FL
(11 reviews)
February 6, 2012 | Posted on March 22, 2007, updated February 6, 2012
These guys are awesome. The prices were very good and I got my order within like a week of ordering. When my order arrived it was top notch quality. I'll definitely be ordering again.
I ordered a cacao fruit which had 48 seeds in it (I counted ;-). Now we are going to have a little cacao orchard if they all sprout ;-). I also got a heliconia which had a little baby sucker already growing.
On February 6th, 2012, jeffhagen added the following:
My second order was even better than the first. I got some bolivian mangosteen trees. They were beautiful. Shipping was very fast, and they arrived in phenomenal condition. I love the fact that they ship in the grow bags, so the plants don't undergo stress. You can't go wrong with these fellas. |
| Positive | Sumate69
20110
Thailand
(1 review)
November 8, 2011 | Montoso garden is the best responsibilty and fast services action seller. I 'm very satisfy with his honest suggestion and help. His tree and seeds also good and healthy. A must to visit for the tropical trees -seller's website./Sumate69-Thailand |
| Positive | jacobsjd
Orlando, FL
(4 reviews)
August 23, 2011 | Posted on August 23, 2011, updated August 23, 2011
Received a heliconia and five red gingers over the weekend. All are in great condition. I'm very pleased!
On August 23rd, 2011, jacobsjd added the following:
They also refunded some of the shipping costs I paid without my asking. Apparently, they're very honest! I like that! |
| Positive | FarmerEd
Bridgewater
United States
(2 reviews)
April 25, 2011 | I just received my plants today (two bird of paradise and five heliconia rhizomes). They were packed well and the plants were in great shape. Looking forward to ordering again. |
| Positive | tomfritz1
Denver, CO
(1 review)
March 24, 2011 | Great service! Fast, informative and professional. I am very happy and will be back when I need them again. |
| Positive | Geoffrey_79
Gautier, MS
(5 reviews)
January 29, 2011 | Good Guys. Quality Product. Took about 3 weeks to get our order but, I wouldn't garden if I was impatient.
Awesome Company. |
| Positive | michsu
Hacienda Heights, CA
(1 review)
November 15, 2010 | Posted on November 1, 2010, updated November 15, 2010
Posted on October 28, 2010, updated November 1, 2010
I placed an order for 6 fruit trees (abiu, durian, and a few others) on 10/26, and emailed right away to get notification of the order confirmation (didn't get one right away like other places); Again emailed on 10/27 and 10/28 and tried calling the 787 phone number many times, and the line doesn't work and has been disconnected; Do I even have a order existing? It seems like the paypal money went through;
On November 1st, 2010, michsu changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following:
received order confirmation 4 days after order (10/30);
company needs to change phone number on Daves Garden and places throughout Google; numbers I found for Montoso Gardens never work, and so cannot contact company;
no email, and no phone contact for 4 days, what did you want me to think about the company? I placed initial order of $200, and will order lots more if first order comes through and all plants are good;
On November 15th, 2010, michsu changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
All the sizes of the trees are way better than I expected.. but two of them aren't doing so well (durian / arambella), leaves are getting yellow and droopy/crispy.. maybe the trip for the plants are too long? I placed all of them in heavy shade (for now)..
- needs to work on the labels (written in pencil and hard to read); I printed out the online order confirmation, and cut them up in rectangles and taped them onto the labels;
will order more varieties if you have later on;
Newsletter system doesn't work (to notify of new plants); I would like that instead of having to check every day =)
Company representative comment on November 13, 2010:
On Nov 13, 2010 5:25 AM, Montoso Gardens responded with:This customer got an immediate Paypal confirmation of his order and personal confirmation from me 4 days later. I explained to him that we are a small, family owned and run business, not a huge corporation with lots of employees. We don't use automatic autoresponder software; all our customer correspondence is personally done by me. He is right that the Dave's Garden contact information was out of date, and that has been corrected. Our customers need to have a little patience and not expect immediate responses to their emails, as I have a full time job off the farm and answer emails at night and on weekends when I have time. We try to do our best but can't please everybody all the time!!! |
| Positive | thuggett
Orlando, FL
(8 reviews)
November 8, 2010 | Our fruit tree order arrived on MON after shipping on FRI. Bryan and his team sent very healthy, flourishing plants packed perfectly for the trip. Give the folks there some time to send you a confirmation of your order, it may not come right away after the automated purchase notice. We got a note before a week went by, and a shipping notice followed shortly.
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| Positive | nfla
Cape Coral, FL
(1 review)
October 30, 2010 | I have had fantastic service obtaining hard to find ultra tropicals like bread fruit, durian, and rambuttan from this company. So far two different orders have both arrived packed very professionally and the plants in excellent condition. These guys are pros and I recommend. They are in an island paradise with limited communication and operate on island time but the product is worth the patience. |
| Positive | rawgoodies
(1 review)
July 15, 2010 | Fantastic people, they have a deep knowledge of their plants and went the extra mile answering my questions. They sent the pods very quickly and arrived in perfect shape thanks to the strong packaging.
|
| Positive | lseik
Reutlingen
Germany
(1 review)
April 12, 2010 | I ordered 4 plants and though they have been kept in German customs over the easter holidays, they arrived in an excellent condition, due to the very clever packaging method. I can only recommend this shop! |
| Positive | hessa
DOHA
Qatar
(2 reviews)
March 6, 2010 | I have orderd 26 plants ,they arrieved
healthy and in excellent condition .
I am amazed how they where packed so neatly and securely
I am sure i will be back shopping from them again
they are the best
Hessa |
| Positive | Lotsofloveforpl
Phoenix, AZ
(2 reviews)
April 27, 2009 | Bryan and Montoso Gardens are very professional and prompt with delivery. My questions were answered and my cacao pods were healthy and fresh. |
| Positive | Killgriff07
Huntington Beach, CA
(3 reviews)
April 10, 2009 | I have had a great experience with this company. Bryan quickly and kindly answered all of my emails and did a great job packing once I finally made up my mind (thanks to him). I ordered a small yellow cacao pod and have 100% germination rate.
Great company with quality seed! |
| Positive | Nick1
Plainfield, NJ (Zone 6b)
(6 reviews)
March 18, 2009 | I found out about Montoso Gardens here on DG. I recently ordered a cocoa pod from which I am growing the seeds. Theye were quick to anwer my e-mail enquiry and the shipment was fast. I am planning to order some plants when it is warmer.
On May 9th, 2009, Nick1 added the following:
I have only bought (cocoa pods) twice from this company, but was very impressed with the rapid response to my enquiries from Bryan and the quick shipping. One of the best companies I have purchased from. I would highly recommend to others and intend to order plants from them in the future.
Nick |
| Positive | russianterrier
singapore
Singapore
(1 review)
November 9, 2008 | Bryan and Montoso Gardens are great.
I am in the quest to collect as many species of the rarer heliconias. I ordered from many companies, by far, montoso gardens is the best. Bryan is prompt, which is comforting when you order from mails, and is very understanding when i am undecisive on certain items.
The plants came promptly, was delivered to my doorstep, and the packing was impressive.
THE RHIZOMES WERE HUGE, FRESH WITH YOUNG SHOOTS AND ALL.
It shows Montoso gardens sends only the best to a customer far away in Singapore.
thanks Bryan. |
| Positive | weiss613b
Miami, FL
(1 review)
October 8, 2008 | I got two Rambutan 16 inch seedlings today and there are no words to describe your shipping technique
other than you are an absolute shipping genius. I don't
know if you are a
perfectionist or you totally love each of your plants but I
am very very impressed. From Puerto Rico to Miami they came in 100% perfect condition. |
| Positive | Vittata
San Juan
Puerto Rico
(1 review)
August 6, 2008 | They offer a friendly, excellent personal service. They answered all my questions soon and delivered my shipment very fast. I was surprised as to how well they packed my tree and fruits. I will recommend montoso gardens to everybody. |
| Positive | sibeck
Clarksville, MD
(1 review)
August 5, 2008 | Ordered three fruit trees- was alerted to their shipment in a timely manner, they arrived promptly, well-packed, and in good condition.
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| Positive | dianapeter
Monterey Park, CA
(1 review)
June 13, 2008 | I ordered 6 trees from Montoso Gardens. The order was shipped in a few days and in a well-packed condition. The plants looked healthy and pretty. I love this service and definitely will be a repeated customer. Bryan is very responsive and accommodative for my request relating to combine two orders. |
| Positive | vch
Isabela, PR (Zone 10a)
(2 reviews)
May 27, 2008 | I ordered several rhizomes and they were really (really) big, healthy, fresh, perfectly packed and arrived within days of placing my order. The shipping rate was based on the package weight and as always the service was excellent. From the many places I have bought heliconia rhizomes this is by far the best. Highly recommended!!! |
| Positive | salth2o
Seattle, WA
(1 review)
May 17, 2008 | My order of plants and seeds from Montoso Gardens arrived safely and in good condition - all the way to Seattle. I was very impressed with their packing skills. The seeds were all viable & had 100% germination rate. |
| Positive | ksaad22
Dearborn, MI
(1 review)
April 15, 2008 | Montoso Gardens and Brian are GREAT! The plant I ordered came very securely wrapped and in excellant condition. Brian also provided quick feedback about my order. This was a VERY easy and pleasant e-mail order company to shop with. |
| Positive | kdigiov
Tampa, FL
(1 review)
March 26, 2008 | The service was highly personalized. The plants were carefully packed and arrived in great shape. They even refunded money when it didn't cost as much to ship as they had anticipated. Yes, I will buy from them again! |
| Positive | ROELMON
Mcallen, TX
(1 review)
March 25, 2008 | I received two mangosteen trees yesterday from Montoso Gardens and was immediately impressed by how securely and carefully they were packaged. The trees were in great shape (no leaf droop or mold) despite being delayed a few days over the holiday weekend. I must also add that I have never received personalized emails from any other mail order company that I have dealt with before (and I've dealt with most of the biggies). That was a little surprising, but very much appreciated. They've definitely got themselves another loyal customer. |
| Positive | txrarefruit
Katy, TX
(1 review)
January 22, 2008 | Bryan,
I received the plants yesterday. They were in excellent condition! They were also packed extremely well! I would not hesitate to order again or recommend someone else to order from your nursery!
Thanks Again!
Ed
Katy, Texas
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