The scoop on 'Gardener's Choice'

Company Profile   This company is affiliated with Lipenwald Inc. This company is affiliated with 3 companies: Spring River Nurseries Inc TomatoGiant.com GardeningTouch.com (Giant Tomatoes) Mailing Address: PO Box 8000 Hartford, Michigan 49057-8000 (United States) Phone: (269) 621-2481 Categories: Plants: Flowering Vines and Groundcovers Plants: Fruit and Berries Plants: Ornamental Grasses Plants: Ornamental Trees and Shrubs Plants: Perennial Flowers Click here to send email to Gardener's Choice Click here to visit Gardener's Choice's website Recent reviews: Past month Past 6 Months Past 12 Months Positive 2 2 4 Neutral 3 4 6 Negative 10 15 21

Feedback History and Summary   24 positives 30 neutrals 196 negatives

Comments:

Rating Author Content Negative smith1156 (1 review) On May 12, 2008, smith1156 Citra, FL wrote: On april 22,2008 I placed an order for 2 trees. I was told I would recieve them in about 2 weeks. When they did not arrive I email Gardener's choice 4 different times and never got an answer. I could not find a telephone # for them until I came to this site. Thanks, I got ahold of them and they said they are refunding everything. Guess ya live and learn.No wonder they were so much cheaper then everyone else. I guess the old saying,"you get what you pay for" is afterall true. Neutral briannobwv (1 review) On May 12, 2008, briannobwv Chesapeake, OH wrote: For all of you who have experienced the problem with customer service...Here is your solution. I called The Gardener's Choice countless times and just received a busy signal. I e-mailed them and never received a response...Finally, after researching this website I started calling the companies listed affiliates. Spring River Nursery answered all of my questions regarding my order. Their phone number is 269-621-2259. I was answered by a very polite customer service rep who gave me a complete description of my order and the charges placed on my credit card. After reading some of the reviews I really felt that I would never reach the company and would probably be forced to call my credit card company but now I think everything may be ok. I just received my seeds 3 days ago and was disappointed that I didn't receive plants as advertised and am concerned about when I will actually get a tomato, since we should be planting solid plants right now, but we will see what happens. I am also concerned about the seedlings never taking off, as some of you have experienced. I will post again later and let you know how things turned out. Best of luck to all of you and I hope you have a great growing season!! Negative linbegone (1 review) On May 11, 2008, linbegone Sun Valley, CA wrote: Just another poor soul who got scammed. Live an learn. Of course im going to have the bank charge back everything i was charged...Three charges for one order...go figure. But I do have a question for everyone who has been posting in this forum. Has anyone recieved or have been sent an invoice for their purchase made? All I received was a sheet that told me how to germanate their seeds. Has anyone received an invoice any type of paperwork besides BS instructions? Negative sivadre (1 review) On May 9, 2008, sivadre Berwyn, PA wrote: After seeing this company's ads about huge tomato plants I decided to give them a try. My order was received promptly. Upon opening the box I saw two small peat boxes with growing media inside plus instructions. I followed the instructions precisely. In about 10 days a couple sprouts appeared with two leaves each. After another week passed no further growth was apparent and they died. I have tried to e-mail the company with no response. STAY AWAY FROM THESE PEOPLE!!!!!!!! Negative gvalentino08 (1 review) On May 8, 2008, gvalentino08 Metairie, LA wrote: I was completely "ripped off" by Gardner's Choice! They double and triple charged me for every item I ordered. I received 6 DEAD sticks that were supposed to be 4 Crape Myrtles and 2 Butterfly Bushes! The English Lavender was 3" tall...I was charged $9.98 eachand one was already dead! I called customer service..after receiving numerous busy signals..finally spoke with a nasty woman that said "Send your sticks back for a refund"! I am calling my bank and charging every cent back to these scammers! I've bought plants from reputable companies many times..never been sorry! This company needs to be shut down! Negative stricksw (2 reviews) On May 8, 2008, stricksw Locust Grove, GA wrote: 1st thing that should red flag any potential buyer is that this company rarely if ever uses photographs of existing plants. Secondly the descriptions rarely fit what you get. Third, the delivery took way too long & it was next to impossible to get a body in the customer service dept...I had to go through sales & even then repeatedly got disconnected, emails went completely unanswered. I had ordered fruit trees & plants in 2005. These miraculous multi fruit trees are nothing more than grafts & they come oh so small, so it will take several years to materialize any fruit...well beyond the 90 day warranty...they also say there is a year warranty when hard pressed...not sure which is the truth. Anyway, The plants I recieved were on deaths door from lack of water. They did replace the blueberry tree(6" tall), but as of this review(2008) it has not grown beyond the 6" or bore any fruit... The "Cherry Hedges" have grown to about 5' but have yet to flower or bear any fruit either...I had to contact the company's owner Lipenwald just to get someone to call me back, they absoloutely did not want to help. At first I wanted just some explanation to why these products werent performing as advertised:"The Bigger the Blueberry the Better the Flavor The giant blueberries served in ritzy hotels and restaurants are puny compared to those you can grow from our specially selected husky plants. Some growers boast berries as big as nickels but ours will regularly cover a quarter. SWEET AND JUICY The flavor of Blueray is sensational, as sweet and juicy as a plum, and the compact bushy plants often start producing a year after planting. What's more, Blueray is self-pollinating - it doesn't need another blueberry variety in order to set lots of luscious fruit. Each year your crop gets heavier- as much as 25 pints of berries from a single plant. WILL GROW IN SUN OR SHADE Our plants are extremely hardy, drought-resistant, and will grow in full sun or light shade. The white bell-like flowers of spring produce delectable fruit in summer. In fall the leaves turn scarlet. Makes a most attractive hedge." ..."A Living Fence Of Flowers! Sweet, Juicy, Delicious Fruit! Lush Green Foliage! - Winter Hardy Fruit up to 2" around. PROLIFIC, JUST 3 PLANTS MAKE AN ORCHARD. Who says that for cherries by the bushel you have to nurse, baby and coax a tree for half a lifetime? It used to be that way - BUT NO MORE! Not since the development of the amazing fruiting hedge you see pictured on this page." (3 years & NO FRUIT!!!) ...but they would not even assist me in that...I pointed out at the very least they need to change their wording as they are clearly misleading in their descriptions. The 5 in one apple tree has made 4 flowers on one branch, not sure which apple that will be or if it will make an apple at all...we'll see... My advice is to steer well clear of this company, the hassles are just not worth it, they clearly do not have customer service in mind, which should be paramount for an internet plant company...things are just bound to happen. I was left feeling like once they had my money, thats all they were interested in. So my advice? CAVEAT EMPTOR: Buyer Beware! Negative wellstayedlady (1 review) On May 2, 2008, wellstayedlady Center Ossipee, NH wrote: I recently ordered the quick grass I had seen on T.V. from this website. I did not receive my seed, and emailed them repeatedly asking when I could expect it. I never got a reply, over a couple weeks. Then I found this website, and was horrified! Like some of you, I could not find a phone number for Gardeners Choice. When I finally did, I could never get through. I finally punched in the "order" line, the CMR was very rude and dismissive, and said I had to talk to customer service. I explained that I never got anything but a busy signal. She said there was nothing she could do. By now, I was pretty outraged. I went onto my bank's online banking service, and saw that they had not yet debited my account for the grass seed! I IMMEDIATELY CALLED MY BANK, AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEMS. They cancelled my debit card right then and there, and are issuing a new one. I feel the inconvenience is a small price to pay for the peace of mind of knowing I am not 'out' that money, and I recommend other's do the same, if it is not too late. I am going right out to my LOCAL, REPUTABLE lawn care store and buying some good grass seed! Negative Abrat (1 review) On April 27, 2008, Abrat Schaumburg, IL wrote: 4/27/2008 I ordered from BuyQuickLawn sold under Gardener's Choice from an infracommercial I saw. But everything about the ad doesn't mention GC by name or address. That was on 4/6 online. I received a confirmation # and it stated will ship within 3-5 days from time of order. 2 wks later I'm still waiting for an e-mail or my charge card to be billed. Nothing. Then I to e-mail them twice and no response back. I finally noticed that they were part of GC so I emailed them with my order number on 4/15 telling them that if I didn't get an answer from this e-mail I would cancel my credit card for possible future fraudgent activity and report them to their local BBB. To my surprise they charged my account the next day and I still haven't received my product or e-mail saying anything was sent. Meanwhile, I found the QuickLawn seed at Carol Wright's website for $6.00 A BAG CHEAPER! I am calling my credit card tomorrow and stopping GC processing. My advise DO NOT BUY FROM ANYONE ASSOCIATED WITH GARDNER'S CHOICE. OR BUYER BEWARE!!. I wish I had come across this site BEFORE I ordered. Pat IL Negative Lplauchu (1 review) On April 25, 2008, Lplauchu Boulder, CO wrote: I as well have been trying to contact this company without success. I sent my last email request today and I will be filing a complaint with the FBI and the Attorney General's office. I would encourage you to do the same so this company stop stealing money from innocent people. You can file a complaint online. [HYPERLINK@www.ic3.gov] The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Thanks Neutral Dawn91 (1 review) On April 25, 2008, Dawn91 Pendleton, IN wrote: Okay, I received many dead things and some pretty decent lavender. I couldn't get a hold of a person to help me.... was on hold forever, disconnected, hung up on or otherwise told 'too bad, call customer service".... which would route me right back to the ordering dept, which told me to call customer service (vicious circle??) Then I thought I'd try an affiliatate listed here The Spring River Nurseries were able to access my Gardeners choice account. Try calling Spring River Nurseries at 269-621-2259. They can access your acct/order and helped me with very little wait. This was after wasting 2 afternoons trying to contact Gardeners Choice and being put on hold disconnected and hung up on. It is worth a shot. It worked for me. :) Negative AKE (1 review) On April 24, 2008, AKE Yucaipa, CA wrote: THANK YOU ALL FOR EXPLAINING YOUR NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES. I started to place an order online approx. 5 weeks ago, as I wanted the giant tomato plants. While placing the order, the $ total was not added correctly (the tomato plants $10 plus the S/H was a couple of dollars MORE than what I correctly determined). Thinking that there was a glitch in their site, I decided to hold on ordering for a little while, and would order later when the site was fixed (hopefully). So today, April 24, 2008, I went back to the site to place the order, when I was compelled to check out the company on the web. Upon googling, I found your site, and am so glad that I read all of your difficulties, troubles, and disses by the company. I DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH THEIR DISRESPECT TO CUSTOMERS! Gardener's Choice is LAME, and I'm so glad that your site and blog has educated me, and has saved me big $$$ (I was planning on purchasing many plants, plant food, etc.). SO THANK YOU ALL. There are probably many other customers who have stopped ordering from GC because of your statements. On behalf of them (and me), thank you!!! Negative talos321 (1 review) On April 21, 2008, talos321 Gaffney, SC wrote: My parents ordered 5 Pepper Plants and 3 Banana plants from Gardner's Choice with check #1016 which cleared 2/13/2008. The item #'s are #V90010 5 Pepper Plants #H13269 3 Yellow Banana Plants After several weeks of trying to get in touch with this company through their automated system that is always busy I was finally in touch with them today April 21, 2008. The customer service representative was very rude when I told her that the season to plant the pepper plants is now since it is 75-80F and the local nursery is selling the same plants. I tried to find an order status and she told me that there is no order number assigned until the package is shipped. I asked her what date that was and she did not know. I asked for a refund and she told me rudely that since there is no order number assigned until I receive the package that she would not refund me. I told her then that I would have to try to negotiate through the BBB since it is impossible to try to find any information or get a refund. Her response was, "I don't give a damn." She then hung up on me. Positive ConGar (6 reviews) On April 19, 2008, ConGar wrote: Note: I received most of my order on April 14, but I waited until now to post a review. Two reasons: A, I was waiting to see if the missing item (Strawberry Tree) would show up. It could have simply been shipped separately, even though there was no note of such happening on the paperwork. B, Because the paperwork lacked a note, I decided to send them an email about the missing item the next day. After sending that email I felt it was only fair to give them a couple days (almost a week) to respond. But since they have failed to respond or send my missing item I've decided to go ahead and post my review with a less than positive rating. To tell you the truth I don't care if the company talks to me or not as long as I get my tree OR a refund for said tree - that's all I care about! Give me what I ordered or give me back my money! Easy, right? Well see, I suppose. *sigh* You see, I really (and I do mean really) wanted to give this company a positive rating, because the plants that I did receive were very well-packaged and in very good condition. So, lets note up front that I have no problem what so ever with the plants that I did receive from Gardener's Choice, my problem is with the one (the strawberry tree) I paid for but didn't receive nor been given a refund for. Though in all honesty, I'd rather have the tree I ordered, if I hadn't wanted it I wouldn't have ordered it in the first place. Yes, I know going by most of the feedback here I admit that I didn't really expect a reply to my email, but decided to give it a try, because contrary to the description of plants received by other customers the ones I received really are awesome - that is really the best way to describe them. Which is funny, to me, because I almost decided against placing my order with this company, not just because of the negative feedback here but because of all the negative feedback for this company all over the web - this company is not well loved, but I finally decided to do so because there were two items I wanted which I couldn't find elsewhere (one shipped the other has not). However, before I filled out the form and wrote my check, I decided I would check this company with the BBB - if the rating they had with them sucked, then I would give up. To my surprise, I discovered that whatever might have went on in the past with GC at present they have a satifactory rating with the BBB. So, I decided to take a chance, and (have I mentioned?) I am very happy with the plants that have arrived. The four tomato plants arrived looking... Well, three of them (the Tumbling Toms) arrived looking a bit worse for wear, but they were clearly big enough and healthy enough for shipping. They've perked up nicely. There wasn't a lot of dirt around the roots, but there was clearly enough, and what was there was nice and moist. So I believe they will be a-okay. GC also gets kudos for wrapping all the Tom plants with a cardboard flap to keep the branches from bending (or worse breaking off) during transit. Also they get more kudos for the fast shipping. GC was the last company I ordered from this year (early March), and surprisingly it was the second company to ship (most of) my stuff. To be honest, based on all the feedback, I wouldn't have been surprised if I hadn't got my stuff until much (much) later. So, yes, despite that one missing tree I am pleased to have gotten a shipment from them this quickly. The other tomato plant (tomato/potato) arrived even bigger and better looking than the other three. There was no wilting at all with this plant, but after several days I am noticing that a couple of the leaves are starting to look a bit yellow. Anyway, it was in a large peat pot (color me surprised), and also wrapped in cardboard to protect it. Now I admit the dirt here wasn't quite as moist as the others, but it wasn't dried out either. And the dirt had stayed completely in the pot during shipping. Honestly, this one could have went right into the garden - alas I couldn't put it right out because cold (and I mean cold) weather was forecast. It is warming back up now, so as soon as I get the garden ready it will be one of the first things planted. Now I must admit that I was a bit disappointed with the three Strawberry plants... Disappointed at first, mind you, not after planting them. You see, I was expecting those to be live plants as well, and while they were alive they weren't shipped as live plants, but as dormant (or at least semi-dormant) stock. However, I planted them and even the next day I could see that all four were showing signs of growth, and now almost a week later I'm seeing leaves on all three plants. YAY! Now granted I had an extra edge here, because once I decided to order strawberries I bought me some special strawberry dirt (not from GC), but clearly the plants were in good shape, because special dirt is not magical dirt - meaning if the plants were dead (or dying) nothing would have helped them. And my guess is that since the plants greened up so fast they weren't exactly dormant to begin with. Still when I unpacked them, I was a bit sad, but honest enough to admit that even if I could only get one to live I would be happy. Now I am thrilled because I believe all three are going to live. Wonderful! But as you may have quessed (or read) by now, you realize that the reason this rating is neutral over positive is because of the missing strawberry tree. Had that been included (or shipped separately) this would have been a very positive experience for me once again with a company that doesn't exactly have a sterling reputation. Alas, I cannot be totally positive because of the missing item - they've taken my money for the tree and alas I do not have it. It's nicely ironic, I suppose, that said tree is the main reason I ordered from CG and it is the one thing I haven't gotten. Finally, if I get the tree, and it is not dead, I will come back and change my rating to a positive, because as I said I really wanted to give GC a positive in the first place. Or if I get a refund check for the price of said tree without having to bring in a third party, I'll be back to change my rating to positive. But lets face it with Big Oil trying its best to not just destory America but the world itself, I can't really afford to let a company get away with screwing me out of $5.98. On April 22nd, 2008, ConGar changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following: Okay, I said if I got my tree (or a refund) I would be back to change my rating to a positive, and so here I am. My tree arrived in the mail this morning (Tues April 22), and it was big enough (bigger than I expected actually) that I now completely understand why it wasn't shipped with the other plants. Though, as I said, I wish GC would have noted that the item was shipping separately on the paperwork that was in the first shipment, but it's not that big a deal. Obviously the tree was shipped dormant, but the tree part as well as the roots look good, so I believe once I get it planted it will do just as well as everything else I've received from GC. Needless to say, I would be willing to order from this company again. Positive SuzySweetPea (1 review) On April 18, 2008, SuzySweetPea Acampo, CA (Zone 9a) wrote: Well I got my order at work from Gardeners Choice, so I did not open until I got home. When I opened the box I was very surprised to see healthy plants. And believe me I order alot from mail order co's. #1 the price is always very good ( I am cheap ) and I enjoy getting unusual things that at my local nursery are outragiously priced. #2 Half the fun of gardening is seeing if you can grow it right ?? I usually don't plant right away I let them sit and relax in my greenhouse for a few weeks then replant them to bigger pots....Anyways very happy with this company !!! Happy Gardening ..... Neutral persistancepays (1 review) On April 13, 2008, persistancepays Columbus, OH wrote: Below I have copied correspondence between myself and Gardener's Choice. The point is that although they did not fill my order, once I advised them of the possibility of going to their attorney general to complain they suddenly responded and did not charge me. That may be the way to handle problems. From: [e-mail:customerservice@gardenerschoice.net] I have cancelled this order and we DID NOT charge your credit card. Thanks ----- Original Message ----- From: MSK To: [e-mail:customerservice@gardenerschoice.net] Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 4:51 PM Subject: FW: Hi Please update status of below copied order thanks After sending you the last email I researched your company on the internet. There are hundreds of complaints on various websites. Some gave good information such as how to complaint to the Attorney General’s office. That is what I will do unless you respond and satisfy my order, or refund my money, within one week. I have been very patient and given the number of complaints on the internet it appears your company may frequently fail to send what people paid for. That is called fraud and it is illegal. You have been cautioned. No matter how busy the season is you need to respond to customers promptly! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: MSK Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 4:30 PM To: [e-mail:customerservice@gardenerschoice.net] Subject: FW: Hi Please update status of below copied order thanks Dear Customer Service, This is my second request for information about my order that I placed in FEBRUARY. I have had no response to my email and when I call I always get a busy signal. I am sure you are busy but it is also important to respond promptly to customer requests, don’t you agree? Please respond ASAP as to what is going on with this (now very late) order. Thanking you in advance, MSK (previous message and original billing info deleted). Negative springtime2 (1 review) On April 8, 2008, springtime2 Manassas, VA wrote: I called in March to order Lemon Grass. I was told that I would get my order in 5-7 days by UPS. I wrote down my confirmation number. When I called a month later, because I never received my plants. I tried calling their client service department for an hour. I could not get through it kept ringing busy, so I finally got sick of getting the busy signal, so I hit the ordering line. At this point I was speaking with a CSR. I gave her my confirmation number and it came up as someone else. She told me that I had the wrong order number. I explained to her that this was the number that I was given and that I should receive my plants in 5-7 business days by UPS. She proceded to tell me that I ordered by an automative system and that my order came over by the internet and that I was in zone 5 and that I would not get my plants until mid May. The person that I put my order in with never explained any of this with me. I explained to her that I did not order by an automative system or the internet that I had spoken with someone. She kept telling me regardless this is how you ordered and that I had the wrong order number. I know that the order number was not for another company, because it would not have worked in their system. I also know for a fact that I did not speak to a automative service or send my order over the internet. I kept trying to explain this to her, but she would not listen. She kept saying that, regardless this is what happen and that I did order that way. At this point the person would not listen to me and just kept talking and wouldn't me say anything, so I raised my voice so that I could speak over her to make her listen to me and all she could say is ma'am why are you yelling at me. I tried to tell her why I had raised my voice and that it was because she would not shut up and listen to me, the customer. So at this point she still proceded to talk and I once again had to ask her to please shut up and listen to me that all I wanted her to do is to credit back to my account. She then said, ma'am you have been warned twice. First of all I had know idea of what she was talking about, because she never would let me talk and then the next thing I know she hung up. All I wanted her to do is cancel my order. I then called back and asked for a manager. The lady that answered said, that she was one of the supervisor's there. She too was not very nice. I tried to explain to her how I was treated by her CSR. Now when someone is upset most supervisor's want to help, but not at this company. I told the supervisor that her CSR needs to be spoken with and she proceded to tell me that it was none of my business of how they handle their complaints about their CSR's. Most company's would say ma'am I will look into this and take the appropriate action not tell the customer that it is none of their business. We all know that we can't be told what they do when there is a complaint. Bottom line they are not helpful and are rude. Negative veroanique (3 reviews) On March 2, 2008, veroanique Palm Bay, FL wrote: I puchased 6 tomato plants, 1 blueberry plant, 3 cherry plants, and some gardening products from this company about a year ago. Although they all seemed quite dead or dying, I gave it a chance (thinking about what I read about how I would look if I were in a closed box in the mail for more than 3 days). 3 of the tomato plants really were dead, so I emailed and called the company repeatedly over the next few months. I was always polite in my emails, and as for the phone - I never got anybody to actually answer my calls. They did absolutely nothing, even though according to their guarantee they had 2 choices - either a refund or 3 new plants. One more thing - they promised me some flower (tulips, I believe) bulbs for every order over $25 and I actually made 2 orders over that amount (my first order consisted only of gardening products, no live plants), but come fall - no bulbs. I rarely give negative ratings for anything, as I believe in giving lots of chances, but this company really did go too far. After many months of waiting and trying, they gave no refund, no exchange, no promised bulbs, no contact, and worst of all - no apologies. I'm sorry to say but this is absolutely the worst company I have ever dealth with. Negative SapphiresMom (5 reviews) On February 19, 2008, SapphiresMom Elm Mott, TX wrote: I just received a mailorder catalog from Gardeners' Choice. I read it from cover to cover, and was considering ordering some of their plants. Having been burnt by Direct Gardening (that's another story!), I decided to check The Garden Watchdog first. After reading about all the negative experiences people have had with this company, I decided to pass on ordering anything from them. Thanks to all of you for letting me know about this company. Your comments have saved me money and a lot of aggravation. I wonder if Gardeners' Choice is secretly affiliated with Direct Gardening? Both companies seem to have the same problem with shipping plants that are dead or die soon after arrival and both companies seem to care not one whit about customer service. Neutral 2growornot2grow (1 review) On February 13, 2008, 2growornot2grow White House, TN wrote: I went online today after seeing the TV ad for the giant tomato trees I am no green thumb by any means and am wandering if I made a mistake. Can someone give input on how to grow these things? I would like to put them on my deck but am not sure of pot size. Do I need to tie these things to a support of do they do ok on their own. I hope that they will come through for me, and I will let you know how things come up. Thanks for any advise on how to get what they advertise. Negative arcykay (1 review) On January 18, 2008, arcykay Canisteo, NY wrote: I was ripped off by this company several years ago and had contacted federal authorities about what I considered to be fraudulent marketing practices. I was surprised to see their ad for the "royal paulownia tree" in the Jan '08 AARP Bulletin as I had figured they were no longer in business. I believe they are scam artists of the 1st degree and should be in jail. Negative stumpie (1 review) On January 15, 2008, stumpie Hiddenite, NC wrote: I ordered a 3-in-one cherry tree, 2 strawberry trees, 1 2-in-1 plum tree, 1 5-in-1 apple tree in 3/07 received order 4/07. te bag was wet inside to the point that white mlod was growing on everything inside. when I removed the ties from the graf as per the planting guide all the grafs fell out as they were all dead. The cherry tree did sprot below the root graf, not knowing what the root stock is I'm not sure I want to let it grow. The strawberry trees both were dead. Had te same problem everyone else has had in contacting this company!! I would not recommend anyone ever order anything from this company. It was a $78.12 experance I want soon forget. Neutral tkamsal (1 review) On August 25, 2007, tkamsal Hyattsville, MD wrote: The tomatoes I ordered came and looked almost dead. But I read the instructions and planted them--I have pictures (my wife said they wouldn't survive). I kept nurturing them and fairly soon they appeared to slowly come to life. (I have pictures). To make a long story short, both plants survived (to my surprise). (Did I say I have pictures?) All in all I have harvested about 22 tomatoes from the two plants. Only 2 were of a larger size, the others were medium to small. The taste was actually good. But for $13+ (including shipping) I don't think it was worth it. But a good experience for me. I think tomatoes are one of those plants that one cannot advertise implying "success." There are too many factors involved in growing them. I might try another plant from this company that is not that "sensitive." FYI: When I first got the plants I sent an e-mail to the company, but never heard back. Negative olddad (2 reviews) On June 26, 2007, olddad Owensville, IN wrote: i ordered 5 blackbery plants and 5 blueberry plants on 5-11-07 On or about 6-2-07 received the blackberry "plants" 5 small dead sticks wrapped in a plastic bag. a couple of weeks later received the "blueberry plants" again small sticks wrapped in plastic dry and lifeless. Sent an e mail voicing my displeasure, no reply. attempted to call X2 busy. The catolog depicts actual plants not cuttings. Was very disappointed with my purchase and even more unhappy with the companys lack of concern for their customers. Aaron L Riggs Negative Dads_Garden (1 review) On June 25, 2007, Dads_Garden Gladstone, OR wrote: I ordered tomato plants for my dad as a Father's Day gift. After several weeks, I tried to call and email Gardener's Choice, with the same lack of response as others have posted here. It is now the 25th of June and I have heard nothing, though at least my card has not been charged. Their website now says, "Currently most of our items are no longer shipping this season." It sounds like they are just a re-seller which collects the money then orders items drop-shipped to us from other nurseries. Even though their website makes them sound like they are a real nursery, so busy with making the plants perfect and carefully hand-packing our orders that they don't have much time to talk to actual people or respond to emails. It is a bit late to be putting tomatoes in the ground here, so they've missed their advertised "shipping for optimal planting time in your zone." I'll keep posting as progress or lack thereof is made. On June 28th, 2007, Dads_Garden added the following: Update: The BBB of Michigan got them to cancel my order and not charge my card. We will see, since they have my card info. I followed up and was given a link where people can apparently add their own public comments to the complaint. [HYPERLINK@206.114.60.222] Positive mpawlina (1 review) On June 20, 2007, mpawlina Bellevue, WA wrote: Hi everyone, I have been reading all of your comments while I was awaiting my shippment to come in. I surely was expecting to get nothing but dead twigs. To my surprise, almost all the plants came alive. You can check out the progress of all my GardenersChoice plant at [HYPERLINK@home.comcast.net] I posted all the thing I did when I got the packages. Granted, all is not perfect, but mostly is growing nice. I'm not pitching for the company, but you have to admit they do offer interesting and unique plants. Oh, and they sure came small in size. Anyway, check it out, maybe you'll feel better about your pending orders. Positive sir_blackthumb (1 review) On June 16, 2007, sir_blackthumb New Florence, MO wrote: I ordered some vinca, a couple of hummingbird vines, 2 moonflower vines, and some trees earlier this year. My very first online "gardening" purchase. The vinca arrived on the very weekend spring tried to act like winter. I missed the mail carrier so my poor plants sat out in the freezing cold all night. It didn't help that the mail carrier decided to punch a hole in the box so it'd be easier to hang on my mailbox. Anyway, the vinca was divided into 2 bags and the contents of one of them didn't look too good. The others looked okay. The hummingbird vines didn't look too good either. While waiting the re-arrival of spring, I put the plants in a thick slurry of MiracleGro-enhanced garden soil and water and put the whole lot in my sunroom. There they sat for 2 weeks. Then I used a bulb planter to make holes for the vinca and put them in the ground with some of the slurry in each hole. I didn't expect much from the ones that looked for all the world to be dead. Here we are a couple months later and ALL the vinca is doing well. The hummingbird vines not so good. They haven't died yet though so there's still hope. Part of their problem may be poor location choice on my part and poor judgement on the part of my mail carrier so I'm not holding Gardener's Choice responsible for them. The moonflower vines are growing like crazy. They're scrambling up the little trellises I got for them so fast I can almost watch it happen! Can't wait to see the blooms! I have yet to get my trees so I can't say anything about packing quality but I'm really looking forward to getting my dawn redwood. Overall I'd say I'm pleased and will be ordering some veggies next year. Negative lismarallen (1 review) On June 2, 2007, lismarallen Windsor, NY wrote: I placed an order with Gardeners Choice on 2/5/2007 and they had no problem charging my credit card as quickly as possible and I should have my order by now according to my time zone. I have e-mailed them to get no response and everytime I call customer service (by the way it is not a 1800 number) I get their recorded message and am put on hold forever and just have to hang up or I get a busy signal after holding forever. I am very disgusted by this company and will never order from them again. Their customer service is a disgrace!!!! They need to be investigated. Neutral marieinMass (1 review) On May 30, 2007, marieinMass Fitchburg, MA wrote: I placed an order before reading these comments and have felt sick about it since. I have had SO many bad experiences with mail-order companies (like Michigan Bulb or worst of the worse Van Dykes) and have said a dozen times I will not be fooled again, but here I thought I was again. Imagine my surprise when the plants came today, well packaged and in good shape! I ordered an ornamental weeping cherry tree, which is small but not unexpected for the price, but it has great roots and leaves. I also ordered their Amaryllis Daylily and those look pretty good too. I ordered May 11, 2007 and today is the 30th. On April 5th, 2008, marieinMass changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following: I wrote last year that I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly my order came. Well, tiny ornamental weeping cherry tree did not survive, and the "Amaryllis" daylily was nothing more than a pink daylily. All and all, disappointing. I won't buy from this company again, especially after reading all of the negative reports. Negative pbukunus (1 review) On May 24, 2007, pbukunus Clermont, FL wrote: Similar to many other complaits on this page - I too placed an order for some Kiwi vines and some fertilzer liquid. I was to receive free bulbs with the order. The fertilzer finally showed up - no plants or bulbs. a few weeks went by and then the kiwi showed up (no bulbs) and they wewre dried and dead. I've tried countless times to reach these folks by email or phone and they don't answer email and their phone is always busy. I won't do business with these folks anymore and suggest others re-think their garden supply choice. Negative upsetsomemore (1 review) On May 15, 2007, upsetsomemore Loachapoka, AL wrote: This company is as dodgy as you can get. I ordered 3 different plants. After 3 weeks, and with no success in reaching their "Customer Service" I was finally ready to start the process of trying to get my credit card company to intervene. Well that day, I get my tomotoes & strawberries. Dried and almost dead..... And absolutely nothing special. No sign yet of the rose that I ordered and paid for. I sure wish I had seen this web site before trying to do business with these crooks. I would have gone elsewhere. Anyway, I will NEVER order anything from them again..... I have done alot of business on the I-net including gardening & plants. Never had the experience as with this place. My advice is if you are planning to order from them, find someone else to do business with. Negative mteegardin (1 review) On May 15, 2007, mteegardin Alto, MI wrote: Gardeners Choice, Hartford, Mi Ordered giant tomato plants in 3/06. Never received them. Made many attempts to call. Always busy. E-mailed them a number of times. Never an answer. Finally, in 2/07 I made telephone contact with customer service after being kept on hold for 30 minutes. Lady advised me to send a copy of my cashed check & they would reimburse me or send plants. Got a copy of the check from the bank and sent all to Gardners Choice. After 2 months waiting, called again & again was put on hold. Finally told they never received any letter or check copy. I give up. BUYERS BEWARE. This company is not one with integrity. Read others comments. M. Teegardin Negative nuggular (1 review) On May 11, 2007, nuggular Hemphill, TX wrote: I sent a check off for an order of hanging strawberry baskets on March 16. I was hoping to have these in in time to give to my mother in law and grandma as mothers day gifts. As there is only one postal day left before mothers day, I regretfully have to come up empty handed on this occasion. The funny thing is, the advertisement for these strawberry baskets urge the potential buyer to act quickly, as "supplies are limited", but they do not feel obligated to supply us with the product. They sure didn't fail to cash my check though, and I'm still waiting... Negative Caden326 (1 review) On May 10, 2007, Caden326 Hartford, TN wrote: I ordered tomato plants and pepper plants from Gardener's Choice. Most of the plants were dead on arrival. 2 tomato plants lived a couple of days. The pepper plants looked healthy, but after 3 days just died. I have e-mailed the company several times, and have tried for 2 weeks to call the phone number in the book I ordered from. It gives nothing but a busy signal. There is no phone number on my invoice, no date, only an order number which is also listed as my customer number. $46.33 was charged to my credit card for nothing. I have also listed a complaint with consumer affairs. Is there any way my money can be refunded to my account? I will certainly discourage anyone who might order from this company. Evidently they are a bunch of crooks. Glenda Henderson Negative cabo777 (2 reviews) On May 4, 2007, cabo777 Ida Grove, IA wrote: Made my order March 15, 07 I sent a check and ordered from their small catalog, check has gone through I have a photo of it they deposited it on March 26,07. I sent them an E-Mail April 16 and have NOT received a response. Sent the second E-mail April 20,07 NO response. Called their phone number at my expense stayed on the line for 20 minutes with a (your call will be answered as soon as possable I finaly hung up. I E-Mailed a 3 rd. time on May 2, 07 so far no response. In fact I can't even bring them up on there web page, the page comes up but you can't go to anything, it just gives me a ERROR, "fullurl" is null or not an object. I do NOT like to complane, but you would like some kind of response. I have never used this Co. befor and wish I had known about this Watchdog befor ordering, I should have known better, they say you get better with age. My garden is in and tomatoes are doing fine, I had ordered a few Blackberry plants to help take up some room, Happy gardening everyone, and thanks for hearing me gripe. On June 6th, 2007, cabo777 added the following: I will leave the NEGATIVE rating as is? I did finaly receive the order (partial) for the Blackberries on 5-21-07 but they were only twigs, but I did plant them and so far nothing has shown any sign of growth as of today (6-06-07) I received my strawberries 5-24-07 and 5 out of 6 so far is alive. I do not recomend this Company to anyone. Thank you to all who read this and good gardening. Bob & Carol Negative rockfish1 (1 review) On April 27, 2007, rockfish1 McNeill, MS wrote: 3/29/07 Placed a telephone order with Sam at Gardeners Choice for 4 tree tomato plants and was told to expect delivery in 4-7 days. On 4/17/07, they over-charged my credit card $3.45. I emailed the company twice and got no response. On 4/26/07, my plants arrived in a plastic bag with a spoon of loose soil. One was in poor condition, the other three were dead. Positive carinemartinez (1 review) On April 19, 2007, carinemartinez Tulsa (United States) wrote: I have purchased a dozen of perennials, and an Empress Tree. I just received it, exactly during the period they said I would receive the package. Everything looks fine. I planted all of it and need to check the growing now... I did get a little bit scare because I found the Dave's Garden watchdog website after I placed my order.. it was too late to cancel. I'm happy that everything went ok but I still decided that I won't buy any plants online again. It's better to buy local and help them out and if there is a problem with the plant, they replace it on the spot! Quality vs Quantity. Negative filipini2000 (1 review) On April 18, 2007, filipini2000 Sebring, FL wrote: I ordered some butterfly bushes last fall (2006). It's been so long that I don't even remember the date! Thank God I printed out my order confirmation with the order # on it. Anyway, It says my order will be shipped according to planting zones. Well, I live dead center of Florida approx. 100 miles south of Orlando in a town called Sebring. These idiots classify most of the southeast, middle atlantic, and the lower midwest and southern plains sates as one big area. Our plantings are ALL YEAR LONG! I wonder who does their research?! Have they ever been to Florida?! Do they know where it is?! Anyway, impossible to reach by phone, ALWAYS busy! Wonder if I'll ever receive my bushes?!!! I should have known, that a reputable company has some sort of a toll free phone number and these idiots don't! I'll never order from these people again and recommend that no one else should either. Like one post said earlier, "I wonder why they're still in business! My next stop is to give them both barrels on the B.B.B. website! Have a great day! Negative madear (1 review) On April 11, 2007, madear Agawam, MA wrote: on february 19, 2007 I sent a check for strawberry plants for my granddaughter and I to plant together. We both went and mailed the order and waited patiently for our plants. Amonth went by my check had been cashed and nothing. Another month still nothing. I am sick in my stomach after reading what other people have gone through to get some satisfaction. I cannot believe this company isn't bieng indicted on interstate fraud through the mails, grand larceny,and made to pay back triple damages, and jail time. Arose by any other name is still a rose....and a thief is still expected to pay the price for his wrongs, and in this case should be "weeded" out of business. Neutral duckuck (1 review) On April 6, 2007, duckuck halifax (Canada) wrote: i have not yet ordered from gargeners choice but i am going to try to order a couple of trees. i will be angry if my order is wrong or not shipped and will demand a refund. when a friend ordered tomato plants and a tree from them, they arived in a dormant stage and grew nicely. is everyone sure that the plants are dead or are they confused by the apearance of a dormant, inactive plant? if i order i will let you know of my experiance. Negative sricar (1 review) On March 30, 2007, sricar wrote: I ordered one package of lawn seed, one bottle of hot pepper wax spray, and one order of two hummingbird vines on Feb. 14. After a month I sent an email asking when I would receive my products. They emailed that I would receive them within two weeks. Within days I did receive a box that contained two packages of lawn seed, when I only ordered one. The other items did not arrive. I sent three separate emails trying to find out when I would receive the other items. No answer. I finally found two phone numbers for them. They were always busy. Finally I contacted my credit card company. Within 5 minutes the credit card company had put me in contact with a person at this company. They told me they were looking at my order number which they claimed said two lawn seeds. (My copy of the order form shows one package). And, that my hot pepper wax and hummingbird vines could not ship until a certain date due to federal regulations. I'm sorry, but I sincerely doubt that there are regulations about when a natural pesticide can ship. I now have a quandry. I can try working with my credit card company again, but they will tell me that the company is following federal laws and fulfilling my order according to their policies. And I'm stuck paying for lawn seed that I didn't order. I would highly suggest you avoid doing business with this company. I sincerely regret that I did not check this web site before placing my order and wish this web site had more publicity.

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