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I placed an order on August 10th for 48 Crocus Sativus. The website said that they would be shipped by late August. It is now mid-September and I still have recived no shipment. After contacting the company several times I have still not recieved a reply regarding my order status. All I would have appriciated was an e-mail response letting me know what is going on.
I think that respondig to your customers concerns is the most simple form of business etiquite, particularly inlight of the fact that this was my first order from them. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
On September 19th, 2009, ufslouis added the following:
This is what stinks about this company. They sent me an email asking for my information. I responded with the order confrmation number that they sent me as well as the order conformation e-mail that they sent me. I guess that's not enough information for them to figure out what they are doing over there. Now I have to call them to get this sorted out. I work 15 hours a day and now I have to waste my time to help them do their jobs better. I should have listened to the reviews on here and avoided this company. On Sep 13, 2009, McClure & Zimmerman Quality Flowerbulb Brokers responded with:
We searched our records for an order placed for 48 Crocus Sativus in the Quakertown, PA area and could find none. We also could not locate an email inquiry from you either. There is a possibility that this internet order was not successfully received. Our website says these bulbs are released between late August through September timeframe. Please call 1-800-883-6998 and ask to speak with Mary, Customer Service Manager so she can assist you further.
We are extremely sorry for any frustration this has caused and are eager to help rectify the situation to your satisfaction. "
I ordered over $100 worth of bulbs. Upon arrival the bulbs were undersized and moldy or desicated. I understand that mold may sometimes occur, however these did not grow after planting. The several cannas tubers I ordered arrived either dessicated or without growing eyes. These did not grow either. The dahlia came up stunted and "curly". I am a veteran gardener and have received awards for my landscape. My yard has been on garden tours so am not a "newbie". When I contacted the company and cancelled the rest of my order that was scheduled for later shipping they replied "We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. If we can be of any further help, or if you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our company." They credited me for the unsent plant material.
On Nov 12, 2008, helengh Flowery Branch, GA wrote:
Ordered Alliums about 200. Took a LONG time to ship like 2 months. They arrived as these tiny little things. 200 fit in one box 6 inches x 4 inches. Do you think they will bloom next year? The looked like mints. I reordered from Jung, their buddies, they shipped immediately and I received bulbs four times the size at a better price. Also ordered Japanese Iris from McClure, planted them immediately, all 3 promptly died, and got thrown out along with the McClure catalog.
On Nov 12, 2008, McClure & Zimmerman Quality Flowerbulb Brokers responded with:
"
On Nov 12, 2008 9:02 AM, McClure & Zimmerman Quality Flowerbulb Brokers added:
We are sorry you were unhappy with your order. Please contact us either here through d-mail or regular email you can use ruth@jungseed.com so we can correct the problem.
Again we are sorry,
Ruth
"
Over two years ago I ordered a couple of "Australia" canna tubers. They promptly shipped them and were in terrible condition when I received them (dried and without any obvious growth point). I did plant them but they didn't grow, (no surprise there). Customer service sent out a couple of more tubers, of which one grew (and turned out to be a Wyoming in coloration). "Either mislabled or not true" and was told it was too late to ship for last yr again, so waited till this yr. They reshipped, another totally dessicated tuber without growth points. Customer service said they'd ship another, then another letter came telling me that. "Sorry, it's too late in season to ship now". At this rate, even if they are honorable, it'd be years before they supply the desired product.! I cannot reccomend this company and in fact believe they are fraudulent and are not suppling products as advertised!
In mid-January 2008 I ordered over $100 of bulbs on-line and requested a ship date of mid-April. No bulbs arrived in mid-April. I sent an inquiry note to Customer Service. A pacifying answer said, ":Your order is being processed". I waited patiently until first of May and wrote to Customer Service at McClure & Zimmerman questioning the status of my order. The sentence said: "Your order was shipped May 5". The bulb order finally arrived May 9. The bulbs were good sized but were covered with mold. They did not look healthy but I planted them anyway. I think I'll start praying to the Greek rustic god of the garden, PRIAPOS, and hope for the best.
My garden has won several awards. Many people pass by and admire all the variety and always ask where I get my plant material. When it comes to bulbs, I tell them to skip McClue & Zimmerman -- there are several other excellent sources. In the future I plan to skip this company and use the others who do a better job of processing orders.
On Jun 9, 2005, Eric_OH Columbus, OH (Zone 6a) wrote:
I have ordered from M&Z several times in recent years with good results.
My most recent order this spring was for dahlias and another summer-flowering bulb. Prices were reasonable and all bulbs/tubers were viable and have developed into healthy plants.
Shipments have been on time and packing is good. I have found M&Z to be a reliable company with some interesting offerings.
On August 9th, 2006, Eric_OH changed the rating from positive to negative and added the following:
A spring '06 order for Louisiana iris resulted in my receiving very small rhizomes, many of which were in poor condition. For one variety, all were soft and largely rotted. Replacements were similarly rotted and did not sprout.
My order for Canna 'Australia' was not completed because the company claimed its expected supply did not arrive.
On Feb 18, 2005, Sally_Denver Denver, CO (Zone 5b) wrote:
I ordered lots of bulbs in the Fall of 2000 and again in 2001, so this is not recent information. However, both times I received some (total, 4) bags of bulbs labeled to be what I ordered (choice and special), but which came up as more ordinary/totally different varieties that I did not want. One example was N. hawera, a very delicate daffodill for a naturalistic garden area, and what I got was "Cheerfulness", which was double, stiff and artificial-loooking, compared to what I had wanted. Another substitution was ordinary paperwhites (whose smell I cannot stand) instead of Grand Soleil d'Or .
I was drawn to this company because they offered quite a variety of daffodils. (I was trying to "match" a mini-cluster variety to a set of bulbs I already had but didn't remember what they were.) Most varieties I ordered are OK and doing well (though I never found my match--that's OK). However, they sent me one much more expensive variety instead of a cheaper one I had ordered (but I didn't bother to call and complain). I also ordered Lily Tulip mix, but they turned out to be some other tulip variety entirely. I'm waiting on alliums and another wild daffodil to show signs of growth and bloom. This company is far more expensive than other bulb companies, so I probably won't order from them again.
I wish there was a rating between neutral and negative, because my experience wasn't really awful, but I doubt I'll buy from this company again. I ordered six different tulip bulb varieties two years ago. The bulbs were smallish, but I've seen worse, and all appeared healthy, so that was OK. The problem was in the spring when the tulips bloomed, four of the six varieties I ordered were not what I had ordered! The biggest disappointment was the bunch of supposed Parrot tulips that I planted in a prominent spot in my garden. What came up were some plain pink tulips. They're pretty, but I was expecting (and paid for) Parrots. Everything grew just fine, but I want to know I'll actually get the bulbs that I ordered.
My mother ordered two of the dwarf Agapanthus collection (collection = 1 white, 1 blue) for me as a Christmas gift and was told they would ship in March. In May I received only the white half of each collection. They arrived with an invoice that showed prices even though she had made it clear this was a gift and the billing and shipping names/addresses were different. Of the two bulbs one was very mushy and neither one grew. By the end of June the blue ones had still not arrived and I called to cancel the order and request a refund (which I don't know whether or not she's received). All in all not much more could have gone wrong with this transaction; and, although the variety available in their catalog is enticing, I would avoid ordering from them in the future.
I hate to make a negative comment about a company I've heard good things about, but I ordered from them for the first time this spring and was very disappointed. First off, the bulbs were tiny compared to similar ones I've received from other companies, or can find in stores and nurseries. Tiny cut-up sections of Kniphofia rhizome with a single bud each barely grew, and finally gave up the ghost after putting out a few small leaves. Minuscule bulbs of Polianthes (tuberose) have put out foliage but I doubt they will bloom this year. Finally, the bulbs I purchased as Lilium 'Citronella' grew well and budded heavily but when they bloomed they were an obviously mislabeled orangish asiatic lily. I will not order from this company again.
MZ Bulb publishes a catalog twice a year. They have an extensive offering of bulbs - many more varieties than I have seen elsewhere.
My first order was placed over the internet, confirmed next workday, shipped on a timely and prompt basis (one week after order), and with notification and access to trace the shipment; but the exotic which prompted the order was not available upon shipment. I revisited the website, and identified that this status had not been posted to their website, and responded to their customer service e-mail line, as it was not clear if the stockout was a temporary issue. I also expressed disappointment in that the company offers bonus shipments on orders exceeding $20, but they did not comply with this offer in filling my order.
The response I received merely indicated that the website should have been updated, and that I was not billed for merchandise not shipped. No response was made regard the non-shipment of the bonus product.
The website was updated regard to product availability when I checked it again a week later.
It is apparent from other reviews that the stockout problem is not a unique one - I would recommend that orders be placed months before the shipping period, and would hope that in the future, product availability would be included as part of order confirmation.
I really like the McClure and Zimmerman catalogue, and placed an order for spring planted bulbs. I got three kinds of bulbs and a small species iris. I was very disappointed with the results. One kind of bulb never came up at all. Another kind came up, but not a single plant bloomed. The third kind came up, but only one of the six plants bloomed. The iris was perfectly healthy, but had been stored upside-down before shipping, so the leaf sprouts were facing the same direction as the roots, making it very hard to plant. It is doing fine, but is growing at a strong slant. I called and complained, and they have refunded most of my money. However, the woman I spoke to did not apologize for my disappointment. She did not act as though she cared that their company had disappointed me. I will not order from McClure and Zimmerman again.
I recently ordered from them as well. This was my first garden, even though I come from a long line of big gardeners. My mother remembers ordering from this company when they were operating out of an apartment building a couple of blocks from her house in Chicago. She has always loved them and told me to order from them. Because my yard had not been tended to for some time before we moved in, I had large,empty flower beds. I ordered in excess of $100 in bulbs in August. Because I was doing my bulb beds in layers, I needed to have everything in order to begin planting. I received one package here, and one package there for 2 ½ months, but I still had not received everything.After 2 months had passed, I began calling and e-mailing every week, only to be told that the rest of my order would arrive the following week. After more than three months since I had placed my order, I was informed that the rest of my order would not arrive because it was not it stock. Not once during any of the 8 or 10 times that I called and e-mail did anyone mention this. Each time I was told that the items were in stock and would be arriving the following week. If this wasn't bad enough, I never once received an apology, nor was there any attempt to make it up to me. Because they had waited so long to inform me that they were out of stock, I was unable to purchase what I wanted anywhere else because other nurseries were, by then, out of stock. As a result, I will have huge holes in my garden next year. I guess the holes will keep me from being tempted to order from McZ, because each time I look at them, I will be reminded of this experience. I guess this is just a case of a small company trying to grow, and losing sight of what made itsuccessful in the first place. Incidentally, a few days after I sent this, I received a notice that I would not be receiving the rest of my order. In short, that means that in the first week of December they decided to let me know ( I live in Chicago) that they weren't shipping the rest of my bulbs. That doesn't make any sense since it would have been too late to plant by then anyway.
