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Seeds of Change is the oldest and largest, 100% certified organic seed company in existence (1989). Every seed made available is certified organic. You can find a copy of our organic certificate (Oregon Tilth) on our web site.
Our mission states we act to preserve biodiversity and promote sustainable, organic agriculture.
In keeping with our mission we offer an increasingly full range of open pollinated, heirloom, traditional, rare, and hybrid germplasm of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Gardeners and market growers alike will seek our offers.
Evilchicken Bernardsville, NJ (Zone 6a) (3 reviews) March 16, 2012
DOUBLE CHECK YOUR CHARGES FROM THIS COMPANY!
I got their catalog this year and placed a small order. My order arrived promptly, but it only had three of the four items in the box. The last item wasn't listed on the inventory slip as coming separately (it wasn't mentioned at all), and I received no communication from the company about my order at all so I emailed them via their website, which says that they respond within 48 hours. Three business days later I hadn't gotten a response so I came here to check them out. Uh-oh.
Because of what a previous reviewer said regarding them charging more than your shopping cart says, I immediately double checked on that. I had no confirmation email from them, so I went directly to my bank records. Sure enough - there were two charges from Seeds of Change, back to back. They looked like my charge split into two until I added them up and discovered that it was $0.70 more than it should have been. At this point I took a day to cool down.
During that time, Seeds of change did reply to my email, informing me that part of my order was shipping directly from the manufacturer. The stuff arrived as promised not long after.
I sent them another email, informing them they had overcharged me and demanding that they refund me ASAP. To their credit, they did send out a refund check right away.
They still get a negative rating because 1) they're a PIA to work with. No communication unless I initiated it, and I had to double check them at every turn. Although they refunded me the money they took that I didn't owe, I had to spend time checking my accounts, writing the company, and now I have an extra errand to run to deposit that check. All for $0.70. It's not worth it, but I'll be ***ned if I let them have that 70 cents.
2) I don't trust them at all. I'm not the only one to get overcharged, and it happened in such a way that I never would have noticed if someone else on here hadn't alerted me to their problems with Seeds of Change getting overenthusiastic about money. 70 cents doesn't sound like much, but if you do it to 1000 customers, it adds up to 700 dollars.
3) If they "error" this much with money, can I trust them with anything else? Are my seeds really organic? I purchased a rare variety. Is it really what they say it is? I have no faith in the answers to these questions now, and will never do business with Seeds of Change again.
Negative
trollfarmer Greensboro, NC (2 reviews) April 1, 2011
After ordering 6 packs of seeds in February, 3 were said to be crop failures and weren't shipped. I was not sent a refund check along with my 3 packs of seeds that they did send. A month later, a phone call and 3 e-mails and I still don't have a refund check! I will never do business with them again.
Negative
Grocer14 West Columbia, SC (1 review) March 25, 2011
My store has been a wholesale retailer for Seeds of Change for many years. I took over ordering seeds for the store several months ago, and every order has been a struggle. E-mails are sometimes answered after several days, even weeks, but are usually ignored altogether. I have also called the company several times and have yet to speak with Shari Garman about my last order, which was ordered a month before it arrived, missing several of the items I ordered and was charged for in full. The company does not have a specific ordering process, and the wholesale area on their website is not helpful and explains nothing. This is not acceptable. My store typically moves large amounts of seeds, especially during this time of year, but if it takes a month to receive an incomplete order, it may be time to reconsider my decision to remain with Seeds of Change. It seems I am not alone.
I have been dealing with seeds of Change for several years and have recommended them to countless friends. But I am sad to say that as time goes by, their customer service seems to have fallen further by the wayside. Their online system needs some serious updating. Their website commonly shows items as being "In Stock" and you get a copy of your order in e-mail. Then to your surprise when you receive your order, items may show up as "canceled, or back ordered", without warning. Instead of charging you for your entire order, they partially charge you for each portion of your shipment they send out. One of my last orders has come in 4 different packages! It's no wonder they charge astronomical prices for shipping and handling. I ordered some seed potatoes that never arrived. I called their CS and was informed that their system showing them as being delivered, but they offered to send out a new set. This company just needs to overhaul their ordering system, and i think a lot of the problems will go away.
Negative
steveparadis Louisville, KY (1 review) March 11, 2011
We are a retailer. We ordered the rack program from Seeds of Change in February 2010. We bought over $6000 of seed packets from them. The unsold seeds were returned for refund (as offered by Seeds of Change) in September 2010. Shari Garmen and Tim Lien, who work for them, both promised payment of the refund of $2957. It is now March 2011. We still havent received our refund, despite email and phone promises. This company, owned by Mars, has no integrity and considers theft of others money as business as usual. BEWARE! We are pursuing with a civil suit if not refunded this week.
Positive
dmac085 Greensboro, NC (Zone 7a) (34 reviews) March 7, 2011
This is regarding a simple small seed order. I was pleased with the order process, confirmation email and turn around time in processing my order.
I had wanted one each of the bush size marigold seeds they carry (and no one else did) but talked myself out of it for a few years--seemed a bit pricey and shipping wasn't the least expensive I'd seen. Decided to go ahead and "splurge" on my marigolds and was pleased to receive them today.
Ordered on Feb 26 and received from NM on March 7. Seed qty seemed accurate and am looking forward to growing them this season
Negative
iliketobike Brunswick, ME (1 review) March 5, 2011
Seeds of Change appears to have serious quality control issues regarding the amount of seeds in their packs. One would think that the exorbitant prices they charge could pay for better quality control.
Out of all 21 seed packs (originals and replacements) I received this year, 13 of them contained significantly less than the amount of seed advertised:
-Three packs of calendula ranged from 60-70% of the advertised amount.
-Three packs of beans ranged from 35-60% of the advertised amount.
-All seven packs of onion seeds contained less than 30% of what was advertised!
In summary, if you order from Seeds of Change make sure to double-check every pack for quantity when you receive your order. Thankfully their customer service is very good about quickly sending out replacement packs.
Negative
doghill6 Central Point, OR (Zone 8a) (21 reviews) March 3, 2011
I ordered from this company 2 years ago. They back ordered half of the seeds, and then only sent one of the back ordered items a couple of months later. I never heard a word about the rest of them. I get their catalog still, full of mouth-watering varieties, but no way. Even the catalog comes late.
Negative
lemurianne Ida Grove, IA (Zone 5a) (7 reviews) March 2, 2011
Posted on May 14, 2008, updated March 2, 2011
I'm so sad to hear of the negative experiences other shoppers have had with Seeds of Change. They have an amazing selection of certified organic seeds and I have always received good service. This year I made multiple seed orders that arrived promptly and thus far have had 100% germination, with the pumpkin plants doing amazingly well already just in my south windows! Their shipping rates can be outrageous, but otherwise I'd highly recommend this company based on my experience with them!On March 2nd, 2011, lemurianne changed the rating from positive to negative and added the following:
I cannot believe the time I've had trying to get seeds from this company this year!!! This is THE WORST service I have ever had from a seed company, EVER!!! I placed an order on on January 4th, including ONE pack of seeds that was backordered. I was informed on another board by someone who seemed to know what they were talking about that the backordered seed would be available in a few weeks time at the most. It may have been, but Seeds of Change does not hold the items that are available in an order with a backordered item. Meanwhile, by the time the originally backordered seed was back in stock, other items had become backordered, and in one case DISCONTINUED. But Seeds of Change did not cancel the item from my order, instead my order sat in limbo for 6 weeks. Finally in mid-February I emailed them asking about the order and they apologized that since one item had been discontinued my order could not be filled (!?!!), but promised that the remaining items would be shipped out "next week". Well, the next week came and went, and I emailed again only to receive an apology that it hadn't been shipped yet but would definitely be shipped "tomorrow". Well that was last week and today I emailed again, and the final word is that THREE of the FOUR items that were available to ship two weeks ago are now backordered. I would cancel the order if only I could purchase the Blush tomato anywhere else!! I'm really tempted to cancel anyway. This is just ridiculous. If you must order from SoC, I suggest that you DO NOT choose to have your entire order shipped when the backordered items are in stock. The shipping is absurd, but go ahead and pay it twice if there's something you really want! I, however, will never order from these hooligans again.
Posted on January 17, 2010, updated February 12, 2011
Website orderers beware! I ordered today from Seeds of Change. I printed my confirmation, after submitting my order. I noted the shipping was expensive, $9.14, for 6 packs of seeds, but I let it go. Then, I then recieved an email, listing my order. Imagine my surprise, when I discovered, in the time it took from my printing my confirmation to recieving the email, my order went from $30.78 to $34.08. Why? Because in several minutes the price of Tejas Pepper seeds went from $3.99 to $6.29. I do not know if there is a pepper on earth I would pay $6.29 for a pack of seeds. A pack of sunflowers went from $2.79 to $3.79. My impression is they are total crooks, because this is obviously automatic, you make an order, look at the price, put in your credit card, and then the confirmation adds an extra 10% here or there within your order. Talk about hypocrits, I should have known, the more anyone babbles about carbon neutral and organic the more likely they are to be crooks and liars. Abundant Life and Bountiful Gardens are not perfect, but they are not crooks and they fix their mistakes. Don't be an organic lemming charging forward to get ripped off. Just because they use enviorobabble does not make them good!On February 12th, 2011, redjeep added the following:
2011 update. This is golden, I forgot and ordered from Seeds of change. I can almost promise you, that if you do not make a print out of your final cart, and compare it to the bill they email you a minute later, you are getting ripped off and do not know it. I made my order January 25, I recieved my order Feb 11, this is the longest of any company I ordered from. I paid $12.95 to ship, I thought, 17 packs of seeds. I only recieved 12 packs of seeds, cost of shipping on the envelope, $1.73, profit on shipping for Seeds of Change, $11.22. In the packet, a list of the 12 packs they deigned to send me, along with a list of two backorders. No mention of the other 3 packs of seeds. While checking my order, noted the price of one of the packs they did manage to send me, in my cart and on the reciept I printed for Sivan F1 was $3.29. Price on emailed reciept $3.99. Yes, it is only 70cents. But, considering the price of the packs, the exorbitant shipping, the extended time to recieve the order, the lack of any interest in informing buyers the seeds they want were never available in the first place, all adds up to CROOKS. Order from Bountiful, Seeds from Italy and Victory. Good family companies, not corporate jerks.
Positive
hortulaninobili O'Fallon, MO (Zone 6a) (3 reviews) January 25, 2011
Overall my experience with Seeds of Change is good. Years ago I ordered from them before the height of the new green-living/organic food movement. The seed I ordered from their website all was true-to-type and germination was indeed excellent (in the order there were at least six varieties of tomatoes, and even more packs of herb and flower seeds). Once in the ground, plants grew very well the rest of the season. I do not garden exclusively one way (i.e., organic or traditional practices). What works best with least number of inputs, is efficient, using safe and sound practices, and minding good judgment for me works holistically.
Seeds of Change offers many novel varieties of vegetable, flower, and herb seed that you will likely not (and likely never) find growing in cell packs at a big-box store in your district.
In 2008 I ordered seed from them for research purposes. I experienced no ills ordering from them, nor were the prices shockingly high.
Why pricing is high:
(1) A company is a company and usually the goal is to make money to make (a) a profit and (b) pay their workers and taxes!
(2) You are paying for their overhead, seed packaging, labor, shipping and fuel costs, marketing, (their catalogue and website do have attractive pictures), seed cleaning, germination testing, R&D, advertising, website, etc., and also part of the organic trend!
(3) Because there is high demand for all things organic, guess what, they can charge a high price to sell all things organic.
So remember when you order, you are ordering from a company that uses a change-the-world mentality in their marketing schema as a front to run a profit. It is easier to accomplish the latter vs. the former in this instance. Prices will continue to go up on everything from organic seeds to artisan focaccia bread from the local baker.
Ordered asparagus in early March. Was told they'd be shipped in about a week. A month later, they still hadn't been shipped so I requested the order to be canceled as it was getting too hot in Arizona to plant them. They said they would cancel the order but 3 months later (late June), they showed up on my doorstep (no notice they shipped or anything) mostly dead.
Posted on July 10, 2009, updated July 1, 2010
I ordered seeds and root zone. I like the catalog, and where else in mail catalogs can you find bat and seabird guano?
The products arrived quickly, and seed packets had good instructions on them. I like the selection of organic fertilizers, heirloom seeds, and the fact that 1% is donated to charity.
My only complaint would be that they were out of a few products I wanted, and I was told they were cancelled. I'm not sure if that means they no longer carry them, or just out.
I'll let you know how the seeds germinate. On July 1st, 2010, dirtygyrl changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following:
The seed germ was good, but the best part was the detailed info on each seed pkt.
Tried to order from them later, and they were out of several products. They referred me to another company, which was unusual and nice.
However, received catalog this year and was very disappointed. They no longer carry some of the organic products ( found another source). After reading the catalog (lots of things not listed there) and other reviews on here, I think I'll try business somewhere else.
Positive
karmakaytlyn Wolcott, VT (Zone 4a) (2 reviews) June 4, 2010
At the end of March I ordered 20 strawberry and 10 asparagus crowns from Seeds of Change. I waited patiently for over a month for them to arrive, which was fine by me because our late season snow made it impossible to plant them immediatly anyways. After planting and letting them become established I came to realize that 5 (25%) of the strawberies and 2 (20%) of the asparagus failed to produce any leaves or in the case of the asparagus, any stalks. I contacted customer service this afternoon and explained what happened and that my expectations for live plants were 100% success. I almost immediatly received a response back stating that I would be receiving a refund next week for the plants that did not produce. I apprecited both the quick reply and the immediate reconcilliation of the situation. All in all a great experience with Seeds of Change.
Positive
coltsfoot Susquehanna, PA (4 reviews) May 13, 2010
I received 50 bareroot red osier doogwood;all arived in very good condition securely packed. It is obvious that this company cares about the quality and packaging of it's products. 5/12/10
I order from Seeds of Change because they have tomato varieties that do well in my challenging climate. They have varieties that will set fruit in lower than normal temperatures. I love the Ropreco paste tomato. Great germination. I have successfully grown it for several years. Seeds of Change is the only source I can find for it. I ordered early and received my seeds promptly.
Negative
carolinavic East Flat Rock, NC (1 review) February 8, 2010
My concern is with their down wind proximity to Los Alamos National Laboratory. Not only are they just a few miles from the largest source of airborne radioactive emissions in America, but some years back there was a huge fire in and around LANL that dumped a couple of feet of ash on the Rio Grande valley below. It was reported that the lab told some nearby residents their vegetables were contaminated (the lab did not distinguish if it was "uptake" by the plants or contact with the ash.) I inquired about their testing for radioactivity with a supervisor because my sister had given my folks some sprout seeds. The super (who was not on the farm at the time) told me they didn't have any ash fall on the farm. (Totally impossible) He was also rather rude and very defensive. He did tell me that the farm was only for research and that their seeds actually came from Cal. He did admit that they did no testing for radioactivity, but if their farm is for research, doesn't radioactivity effect genetics? He also told me they moved their farm to the present location to be closer to the home office in Santa Fe, NM. Anyone who knows anything about NM knows that you don't set up shop in SF if sustainablity is a goal. Very rude, questionable genetics, and not responsive to legitimate concerns.
Neutral
Zone5Hobbyist Lincoln, NE (2 reviews) January 31, 2010
Ordered three seed packets by telephone from SoC. Two of the three arrived very quickly a big positive. Needless to say however, cannot comment on germination yet. Prices are higher than most other seed companies, which is a negative. Shipping is on par with others, but thats not necessarily a positive. As one reviewer stated earlier, the profit should be in the product, not hidden in the shipping.
I have placed orders with Seeds of Change for the past 2 years. I just received this year's order, which I placed over the Internet. It arrived promptly and was correctly billed.
I have noted, as others have, that shipping seems a bit steep. I also think they could be more proactive communicating the status of backordered items - I had to initiate the conversation about an soil block maker in backorder limbo last year, but then the situation was neatly remedied.
In summary, I will continue to do business with Seeds of Change. I think they're a good company doing good work, and hopefully they've been able to clean up their act on complaints past gardeners have had. My experience has been positive overall.
I must state that Seeds of Change has some of the worst customer service I've ever experienced. I am a vegetarian and eat only Organic, so I am a large customer through buyer's clubs, direct ordering, etc.
I placed an order on March 7th for a variety of products including asparagus crowns and strawberries and never received them. I was told multiple times via email that they were at the warehouse/drop shipper/on-their-way and the never showed up. I was finally told on June 12th that they were gone and I would not be receiving any.
Why was I not corresponded with regarding this matter at a much earlier date when I could still purchase elsewhere?
I just got off the phone with a supervisor, who was completely unhelpful in explaining to me why this happened. He proceeded to say "what do you want me to do," for which I stated nothing at all, just wanted to voice my displeasure with the way this was handled.
I was then told that other asparagus crowns were available. I asked, since it's late in the year and because of this fiasco, if he could send a small amount at no charge so that we could try to establish them for next year.
He said he couldn't do that and only offered free shipping if I were to purchase. Very sad.
While I will still be supporting Seeds of Change, I will never attempt to purchase live plants from SoC again; I will make known to others of my ordeal and to heed my recommendation to stay away.
I hope SoC does better in the future and develops a better mode of communication with their customers.
I ordered 12 heirloom tomato seedlings in February for April Delivery. I dug and prepared a large new bed for them. It is now June, and they have not arrived.
I have spoken with SOC's customer service company (it's an out-sourced vendor) 4 times. 3 times I was promised that the plants would arrive at the end of the week. Today, in addition to being spoken to rudely, I was told that I was not allowed to cancel my order. It's clear, from reading the preceding reviews, that SOC is not the same great company it once was. How nice for all of us that there are now several other retailers to choose from when purchasing organic seed.
I wish that SOC cared about our business, but I don't think they do.
I am very frustrated with the customer service of this company! They are rude and terrible to deal with. Only buy from them if what you want cannot be found elsewhere. It is too bad because I agree with their mission. I will just have to find another company with a similar mission, and thank goodness there are many of them!
I order from Seeds of Change every year. I think their selection is great, and they are one of the few companies out there that offer 100% organic seeds. They always ship promptly, and germination has been consistantly good. I look forward to their catalog every spring to see what has been added.
Negative
BunSmoke Salt Lake City, UT (1 review) April 27, 2009
Seeds of Change has terrible customer service and has wasted my time. I will never give them my business. I ordered a garden tool, paying significant shipping charge (shipping was 23.7% of the cost of the item) because I really needed the implement. They promptly sent me an email saying that my order was received and that item will arrive in 4-10 days. 17 days later I call them and they shrug and say "sorry dude, that item is on back order". The email never said it was on back order. I canceled. The people at Seeds of Change need to lay off the weed and get their act together.
First, I've supported them in the past because of their socially-responsible company mission: to preserve biodiversity and promote sustainable, organic agriculture; permaculture; becoming carbon neutral; and their outstanding seed donation program. However, their horrible service and excessive shipping costs are inexcusable.
After ordering online I called on 2/16/09 to cancel my orders of seeds and two varieties of potatoes. I did so because I had horrible customer service with these orders--incorrect shipping charges, no order confirmation with corrected charges, no response to email inquiries, several unhelpful calls to customer service, no updates on internal changes made to my order, seeds not shipped expediently (eight days after ordering at time of cancellation). The customer service rep, Joe, assured me that he had canceled my orders entirely. Meanwhile, I ordered organic potatoes from another company (for $15 less than what SOC charged in total).
Two weeks after I'd canceled in disgust, SOC nevertheless charged my credit card. When I emailed to repeat my request --"Please cancel this order in its entirety and remove all pending charges to my account"--I received a form-like response in which they explained that they couldn't cancel my order with their grower! Days later, the charge had disappeared from my bank records. Two weeks later, it reappeared and was processed by my bank!
Not only do i have a lasting headache from this ordeal, but I've got more potatoes than I know what to do with!
It is true the products cost more to ship, however, I truly like knowing my seeds are not genetically or hormonally engineered; a lot are heirloom. I have bought seed several times in the last few years and have been more than pleased with the produce I harvested. I will continue to order from Seeds of Change.
Enjoyed the catalogue, well organized and had nicely photographed. Prices and shipping are high. Selection is nothing special.
My order was received pretty quickly. I was missing one item, and the order form stated it was out of stock. I received a check in the mail a couple of days later.
Germination rates are good. Seed packets are informative. Packs are also plastic with a resealable opening. Seeds get stuck in the zipper when pouring them, causing them to scatter all over. I found it's best to scoop the seeds out of the pack.
Overall a positive experience.
Negative
1SickPuppy Waukesha, WI (12 reviews) March 4, 2009
I was all set to order 2oz of onion seeds which would of cost just under $50. When I found out it would cost over $11.00 to ship 2oz of seed I canceled the order.
They can say what they want to justify this but I won't buy it. The profit should be in the seed itself and not hidden in the shipping cost.
Positive
doxiegarden Van Nuys, CA (1 review) February 6, 2009
My experience with Seeds of Change began in 2007, when a friend gave me the company's butterfly seed collection as a holiday gift. Not only was I delighted to receive a wonderful grouping of seeds, but I was very impressed by the company's mission. I also love the seed packets, which are recyclable and filled with planting information (unlike other specialty seed companies, who often post a generic label on each packet and direct you to their website/seed catalog for more information). Since then, I've ordered from them several times and been perfectly happy with the products and services. The shipping charges seem reasonable -- I paid $11.70 for six seed packets and 20 crowns of strawberries, and $20.40 for a dozen live seedlings shipping 2nd Day Air, a charge that was very clearly stated on their website. Everything germinated and grew.
I will always shop first at Seeds of Change. Not only are their products and services great, but their socially-responsible company mission is admirable: to preserve biodiversity and promote sustainable, organic agriculture; permaculture; becoming carbon neutral; and their outstanding seed donation program. I love this company!
Positive: they do reply quickly to emails (within 8 hours). However, they seem to lack a bit on the listening and comprehension department (see below for explanation).
Thus far my experience has been negative. Placed an order online. Upon receiving their confirmation email I noticed that there were three shipping charges:
1 for the fingerling potatoes (correctly charged)
1 charge of $4.75 for S&H 2 seed packs (??)
1 charge of $4.75 for S&H 2 seed packs (??)
**Upon reading the comment right below mine it appears there is a trend as the S&H charges for four seed packs added up to $9.50 as well.**
Six emails later and getting replies that indicated the associate did not read my questions (I'll spare you the painful details of their answers), which were basically "Why am I getting charged S&H twice?" & "Could you guys send me all 4 packs in one order so I can save myself $4.75?" I decided to call. The Cust Service associate was kind and polite...but it did take a lot of explaining for her to understand my question (which she had also read on my emailed version). It went like this:
Me- "How much do you charge for S&H of 1 seed pack?"
Cust Svc- "$4.75"
Me- "How much do you charge for S&H of 2 seed packs?"
Cust Svc- "$4.75"
Me- "How much do you charge for S&H of 3 seed packs?"
Cust Svc- "$4.75"
Me- "How much do you charge for S&H of 4 seed packs?"
Cust Svc- "$4.75"
Me: "Are my seeds being shipped all together?"
Cust Svc- "Yes. ***silence*** OOOOOOOOOOOOH, I see what you mean!"
She was slow to get to it but in the end she understood and tried to fix the damage. They will now post a credit on my card and she agreed to email me back saying that they would do so (just for me to keep for my records).
I hope I don't have to again send repeated emails and make additional calls to ensure the refund is taken care of. If you see no further updates it means they kept their word about that...if they don't I'll be sure to post it here.
Why the negative rating? For one, I am suspicious of a company that appears to have a trend of making errors that benefit them (If I was being charged $9.50 but they would only pay $4.75 for shipping...guess where the extra $4.75 was going...). Also, it really should not take frustration and an additional hour to place one simple order of a few seed packs. This felt like homework.
PS: Also placed a very large order with Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (SouthernExposure.com) and their site is easy to navigate and it all went through without any issues. What a difference!
Negative
Pandora75 Staten Island, NY (1 review) January 14, 2009
I attempted to place an on line order and was surprised to find that 7 virtually weightless small seed packets generated more than a $9 shipping charge, and so I did not complete my purchase. Many on line companies are restructuring their shipping charges to be fairer and use a "weight basis" instead of a "price total basis" . The inequity becomes very clear for customers buying "seeds only". I spoke to the customer service area but they were not helpful.
Positive
ket0276 Aurora, IN (Zone 6a) (4 reviews) June 28, 2008
I ordered seeds from them for the first time this year. Everything came on time, and the seeds have produced good plants. No problems here!
I purchased SOC packets at a local mom and pop retailer. I love the packaging, I think it's brilliant. Everything seems to be growing very well so far.
Reading the other reviews, I will not purchase from their website. But I will continue to support my local nursery.
Has this company been bought out by a larger corporation in recent years? We have purchased seed and other products for a long time, but this year, the customer service is a disaster. I purchased a $78 Permaculture book from them in early April. It arrived in a timely manner, but inside the box was a $10 Misto oil sprayer instead of my book. I was told that the corporate office had to issue me a return slip through UPS so I could send it back and get my money, which also included a large amount of shipping and handling (supposedly to cover the weight of the missing book!) I have called Helena at customer service multiple times, emailed her multiple times, and also left a message at the corporate office customer care coordinators voice mail. Still no return slip. Am I really going to get stiffed by this company that is supposedly resting on the moral high ground of businesses? Any advice?
I have ordered from SOF for years without trouble until last year. When my order did not come after 2 1/2 weeks I called and was told that my order would be shipped "tomorrow". I waited another 2 weeks and called again. Still it hadn't been shipped. After 2 more phone calls I reached a supervisor and discovered that they had a packaging problem and it still wasn't resolved. When I asked why this had happened, she said "it's not our fault that we couldn't get the machine we needed". I asked why they didn't communicate with their customers about it, she said "gee, I never thought of that". I lost early plant sales over this and was very upset but since I had been a long term customer, I ordered again this year.
I faxed my order in and it didn't come. I called and they had no record of my order! So I ordered again over the phone. I asked if all my items were in stock and was told they were. Half of my order came quickly, the other half backordered. I was furious. I called and was told the remainder would be shipped by a certain date. Again I waited for an order that didn't come and finally called. "I don't know why you were told that!" was my answer. After 3 more phone calls, I finally reached a person who at least acted like she cared, and she helped me get all but one item, even though I still had to wait 2 additional weeks! Again it was a packaging issue.
It's such a shame - it used to be such a good company. If I treated my customers this way, I'd be out of business in no time. I understand that problems arrise, but customers should be kept informed about anything that affects their order. This company has no clue what good customer service is. If they had told me about these problems ahead of time, I probably would have ordered from someone else right then, but would have cheerfully returned in future years. Now I'm fed up and I doubt that I'll ever order from them again.
Sidenote: Their new packaging is horrible! Small seeds stick (from static) to the inside and it's very difficult to get them out without spilling them or hacking the package to bits.
I ordered 6 seed packets which were expensive already, and was then told shipping would be $7.81. I ordered anyway, and the actual shipping was $1.31, and when I called to complain they were completely unsympathetic, offered no reimbursement or credit or even an apology. I even said twice that this would be my last order, due to the extreme high cost and that didn't seem to bother them in the slightest.
Positive
Ladeedah Lindenwood, IL (Zone 4b) (2 reviews) April 8, 2008
I am a professional cut-flower grower and have ordered from this company for a number of years. I placed an order with them on April 1. The person who took my order by phone was very pleasant. Only one of my choices was unavailable. I had the seeds by April 7.
I would not hesitate to order from this company. They have some wonderful varieties which are unavailable anywhere else. Their seed packaging is top notch in the industry and safeguards the delicate seeds to ensure excellent keeping and excellent germination. I am happy to support this fine company with repeat business and thank them for providing me with some very unusual varieties for my cut-flower markets and appreciative customers.
There's definitely a risk in relying on a company that is as environmentally and socially responsible as SOC is. I also know the frustration of having backordered seeds that eventually don't come. But I do think there is something really important about supporting them - and hope that our support for them will help them to be more proactive.
Positive
Shanandoah Craigsville, VA (3 reviews) April 5, 2008
I buy seeds from Seeds of Change every year. The seeds germinate excellently, the company has a solid reputation for producing excellent organic seed, they offer a great variety of seed including heirloom varieties, and their gardening equipment is of high quality. I have never had any difficulty with paying for or receiving my seed order. Last year, I ordered seedlings, but the order was canceled due to unfavorable weather at their grower’s farm. Regardless, seed orders have always been timely and uncomplicated. This company is one of my garden staples..
Neutral
newgardener32 Schaumburg, IL (2 reviews) April 3, 2008
Placed my order on Feb. 10th for potato's I did not see the 2nd day shipping method charge. I got my $9.50 potato's on April 2nd. shipping alone cost me $13.20. that is more than the potatoes... they could have shipped them ground!!!
I wish that was in bigger print I would not have ordered from them. the good thing is they did not charge my credit card until it shipped.
If I order from them again I would read the small print.
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