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I've spent HUNDREDS of dollars on their seeds, probably 25 different types of palms. I've had VERY LITTLE success getting anything at all to sprout. The old guy was a bit rude, treating me like I was a complete dumb ass. I don't know how they stay in business with customer service like that and seeds that don't sprout. I won't buy from them again. I wish I could send them all back for a refund.
I've got a 20 ft by 20 ft area in my front yard full of containers with soil and seeds that won't pop up. I'm very disappointed. I wasted a LOT of money with no results. Seeds suck!
I found Banana Tree through a web search. They had the three bananas I wanted to purchase. It's been almost a month and I have heard nothing. I sent an email to them to find out what the status was. They could have told me it would be another month before they could ship and that would have been fine. I was more concerned that perhaps they had not received my order. Instead, I received no response. After searching the web for ratings, I found this thread and realized I might have made a mistake. I immediately sent them another email asking that they cancel my order. I received a prompt email stating it had been canceled. If they'd been so fast answering my first email, they would be $50 richer.
I tried to order banana plants on April 24th. On May 14 I called them since I had not received the order. The person said that it had not shipped but he would process it that day. On May 21st, when I still had no plants, I called again. Well.... this time I spoke to Dr Merritt? who was very rude, refused to help, blamed it on my credit card (which is a business gold card) and proceeded to basically tell me off! I have NEVER been treated this way by any company and I will NEVER do business with them (he kept repeating that he was a Doctor which I found quite amusing since I have a MD and a PhD... so I was not sure what that had to do with anything). I can't comment on the plants since I never actually got any!
On Jul 7, 2007, caligardengrrl San Luis Obispo, CA wrote:
I ordered two things via the internet from this company: A dwarf variety heliconia and a shampoo ginger both as tubers.
The products took three weeks to show up through USPS and since I trust the mail service whole heartily I suspect they delayed sending my package, even though they did charge my card.
I have experience growing ginger from tubers so I understand that you have to treat tropicals differently from other kinds of tubers. Once I unwrapped them ( they were in wet paper towels and then wrapped in bubble wrap and duct taped closed - not very professional, but oh well ) I noticed that the ginger was dry, shriveled, old and plus it had MOLD on it. Nothing was going to grow from that but I figured 'why not?'
So I followed the instructions on the web-site about how to plant the heliconia - followed them to the T. Neither the ginger or the heliconia grew.
These were expensive tubers and plus the shipping, but the heliconia tuber was big. The reason it died was obviously my error in how it was planted and treated (info. I got from the website), but that being said 1/3 of the tuber was mushy and rotten.
I think this company has great plants, but obviously you have to buy from them in person, don't go through the hassle of ordering from them online because they probably will give you their worse products.
Spoke to the "old" guy about a year ago via phone and he couldn't have been ruder. The conversation was so bad that I stayed away from any contact with Banana Tree for over a year and one-half. He was impatient, demeaning, appeared put out that the call was even placed. Just down right nasty! It was so bad and memorable that when I mentioned this experience to another business owner who lives in Easton, he reinforced the fact that this individual's demeanor was well known.
Have several clients who are looking for specific greenery and thought I'd give it another try. (Perhaps he had a bad day the first time and not everything I heard was true?)
Instead of calling I emailed a polite inquiry with a thank you and my name. While they answered the same day, I got back a one word "No" in reply. No thank you for your inquiry, no signature as to who sent the email, no invitation to stop in to see all that they do carry, nothing that even implied that they were other than inconvenienced by having to take the time to respond!
I have heard so many negative and bad things about this individual over the past year and apparently it's all true. They may have a decent product, but there is virtually no customer service involved.
I personally am finished with the Banana Tree and will take my client's business elsewhere!
Let them keep their nasty attitude in place, it will catch up with them sooner or later.
On Apr 16, 2007, Turtlegaby Decatur, AL (Zone 8a) wrote:
I've ordered from Banana-Tree multiple times over the last few years for several hundreds of Dollars each order, but had always the feeling, that I am a petitioner that asks for welfare and not a customer. Sometimes orders took several weeks with no notification when it will be sent and I have yet to receive an order that was totally complete. Every time there have been mulitple packages missing, because they didn't have them, but nowhere on their web site was shown that they are out of stock. When I called after 2 weeks, to learn when my order will be sent, I got always a very unfriendly reply with an endless monolog about their own farms in Ecuador, where they harvest everything fresh and that all is weather depending. and not always immediately available. And that I should have patience and not ask after such a short time about the shipping status.
Geez, 14 days isn't a short time! The old guy made me feel as if I was the worst thing he had ever to deal with and he always got pretty angry, when I just wanted to know when to expect my order.
Why would they offer seeds on their web site, when they don't have the stuff? Anyway, I kept ordering from them, although I didn't feel at all like a customer, because they have an incredible variety, which I couldn't find anywhere else in one place.
My last order was 3 weeks ago (a $500 order) and I placed this order on the phone, so I would know immadiately what is available and what isn't. Also because their website charges immense shipping costs, if you order in bulk, $40 for one order was the average shipping price for a 1 pound package.
Anyway, when I called the last time and ordered, I got the promise that 90% of my seeds are in stock and will be sent within 3 days. 2 weeks passed and I got nothing, until I finally grabed the phone and called again. I asked very friendly about my order status and was wondering, why I didn't get charged after 14 days, although I had the promise that everything will be sent within 3 days. The guy got very rude immediately and said, "You are pushing too hard, and I didn't promose you anything" I thought I don't hear right and said;" Yes you promised me to send the order within 3 days", and his reply was:"I'll hang up if you go on this way". Now he reached my breaking point and I canceled the whole order. Never ever I got treated like a piece of crap when I ordered for thousands of Dollars from a company and have been a regular customer for several years.
Beside that I doubt very much that they have own farms in Ecuador like the guy kept telling me over and over again, because if they had their own plantts, they would have their own pictures and not show pictures from other companies on their website, that even contain still the copright prints And I know exactly that they didn't ask for permission, because they even show a picture of mine that I made of my own plant Datura inoxia, that he sells as Datura wella.
Considering that I doubt very much, that he really sells what he is showing.
Never ever I will order from this company again and I hope more people read these posts here. This guy lacks any communication skills and obviously is not aware of that he makes a lving from his customers and that a customer is not somebody that he can treat like an unwelcome pest.
On April 24th, 2007, Turtlegaby added the following:
In the meantime I found several of Banana-Tree's wholesale sources, where they are regular customers since years. The stories about their own plantages where they harvest everything fresh, indeed are untrue. They are just an intermediary and the reason why their orders mostly take that long is, because they only carry a limited stock and order the seeds themselves from their wholesalers as soon as an order is placed on their website, hence they don't know at the moment of receiving an order, what is available and what isn't.
I have made several seed orders and have beed disappointed everytime. Things are mislabeled. Seeds are mixed up, often non-viable. its really disappointed to nurse seeds for 12 months to find out you did not get what your ordered. The last time i ordered macademia nuts and was sent jatropha nuts which look the same -- sort of taste the same -- thank god the tree looks different because jatropha can be deadly if eaten. And thank god i didnt eat any of the nuts they sent me.
When i complained he had the nerve to tell me that perhaps birds ate all the 100 nuts i had planted in bags and replaced them with something else! That was the last time i will buy anything from them.
On Mar 15, 2007, revolutionaryma Granada Hills, CA wrote:
I ordered 4 banana plants from this company, unfortunately before checking out their rating in davesgarden. The plants were tiny, smelled moldy and poorly packed. Two of them managed to survive, but 2 died. It took a lot of research to finally find the phone number. When I got thru and explained the problem, the man was argumentative and treated me like I was trying to rip him off. Gee! He's the one who charged a lot of money for trashy plants! I've ordered many, many plants from various places and this is one of the worst. Given the choice of sending me replacement plants or giving me a refund, he said he'll give me a refund and told me never to order from them again. What a jerk. I'll be watching my credit card for his refund or he'll get a complaint from the Better Business Bureau.
I ordered 2 banana plants from Banana-Tree.com on 4/21 -- nothing has appeared to date despite 2 e-mails (which were not responded to!) and 1 fax (also not responded to!) -- I will next attempt to phone them but from what I've read I guess I shouldn't expect too much!!
It is interesting that people who live in England and Japan received their plants/seeds in 5 days while those who live in PA or nearby states waited weeks! I may cancel my order with them and try another company -- or have my local nursery that handles tropicals get a musa bajoo for me! What a disappointment since I have a pool and the weather here in CT has been spectacular so I was hoping to get my plant growing by the time the weather really warmed up!
On Nov 12, 2005, georgial3 TAMUNING Guam (USA) wrote:
I FIRST ORDERED FROM THEM ABOUT 7 YRS AGO. THAT ORDER AND THE SECOND ORDER WAS VERY GOOD. AFTER THAT, THE SEEDS THEY SENT DIDN'T GROW. I ALSO FOUND THAT THEY WON'T E MAIL YOU IF SEEDS ARE OUT OF STOCK. I WAITED 2 MONTHS TO CALL RE AN ORDER. THEY SOUNDED IRRITATED THAT I CALLED. WHEN I DID GET MY ORDER-NOTHING GREW. SO I TRIED THEM AGAIN RECENTLY. SAME THING-NOTHING GREW. I HAVE SINCE BEEN OREDERING ELSEWHERE. I KNOW GUAM IS FAR FROM THEIR COMPANY BUT THE SEEDS USUALLY CAME IN A TIMELY MANNER-1 OR 2 WEEKS.
I placed an order with Banana-Tree in the middle of March for several different types of Banana plants. I got an order number but no confirmation email. After several days I called and the guy told me that I wouldn't receive a confirmation email even though thats what his website says. He looked up my order number and said he would send me an email right then, I never got one. I've emailed him several times and have never received a reply. I called him a couple of days ago and he said I should get my order from the next shipment he had coming in from his supplier. I still haven't heard anything on my order. From everything I've been reading here I'm going to cancel my order.
Their customer service / communication with customers could use some improvement. I placed an order and received a confirmation e-mail, which stated I could view order detail by following the link at the bottom of the page. There was no link. After reading the FAQs (as you are required to do before contacting them), I sent an e-mail (including my order #). I never received a response. Every other internet-order company I have ever dealt with not only sends a e-mail with order details, and responds to customer inquiries promptly, but also sends an e-mail to notify when the order is shipped. I received the order 2 1/2 weeks later, but no "order shipped" e-mail. Consequently, I was not able to gauge when to expect my order and be home to receive it. I picked up the package from the post office after the weekend, only to find some moldy ginger!
On Mar 10, 2004, olddog Colfax, LA (Zone 7a) wrote:
I HAVE FOUND THAT MOST OF THE SEED ARE OLD. THE PLANTS HAVE ALL BEEN IN BAD SHAPE. THIS PLACE IS A LAST RESORT FOR HARD TO GET SEEDS. I HAVE ORDERED 4 TIMES IN THE 10 YEARS AND IT HAS BEEN THE SAME EACH TIME.
I ordered almost 20 species a majority were palms all but 2 species arrived in a week ,fast but figured there was a catch VIABILITY well most rotted the 1st month but some species need time ,so i stayed patient for 6 mths the only thing that germinated were majsty's and kings wow the cheapest species i got .i finally emailed them and let them know the situation.Obviously no reply .THIS COMPANY SELLS JUNK !!!!!!!!!! how there still in buss is amazing.I buy 2000-3000 dollars worth of seed a year and luckily i only spent around a 100 with them for a trial run .i recommend this with any comp buy a small amount if they don't take care of the little orders then they dont deserve the big orders. jason S FL
On Jan 28, 2003, Eric_OH Columbus, OH (Zone 6a) wrote:
Picked up several varieties of Pachypodium seeds from Banana Tree. Germination on all was zero. Had the impression I ruined the owner's day by stopping by the store.
On July 2nd, 2003, Eric_OH added the following:
The response from Banana Tree overlooks the fact that I bought the seeds in question directly from the store. If there was any holdup in customs or other problems potentially affecting the viability of the seeds, it was the store's responsibility to test germination or not sell questionable seeds.
Sometimes the response to a consumer critique can be very revealing about a company's attitude toward its customers. On Jan 28, 2003, The Banana Tree (Banana-Tree.com) responded with:
"In response to the one negative comment; These seeds need to be treated very carefully, some of them are very perishable. If the order gets held up by customs etc. and you get it late the seeds can be dead in some situations; please let us know if you recieve a shippment late. Also if you don't plant them right away, or if you don't follow the instructions exactly you will be unsuccessful growing.
I noticed comments about Banana Tree and want to add that I have bought a number of tropical seeds from them in the past. Few have germinated, although I am a pretty good gardener. For instance, I ordered variouspassiflora from him, but they did not germinate at all, although all the passiflora varieties I ordered from Thompson and Morgan germinated just fine with the same treatment. The few times I talked to the fellow at Banana Tree, he was quite snippy and made a lot of remarks about how he was too busy for me because he had orders in the 100s of kgs for seeds. I know from experience buying seeds from wholesalers that anyone who sells seeds in those amounts does not do any seed packets, but I said nothing. Spring of 2001 I finally ordered a batch of a single species totaling $70. They were quite small for their species and kind of desiccated looking. I got absolute zero germination on them. When I put them in water, most of them floated. Many were so dead that when I opened them, I could see that the innards had shrunk away from the shell. In the past, I had bought the same variety seed from him, and they had been fine. I knew the market for these seeds was tight at the moment, though, and figured he was just being a little greedy and selling old seeds. I called him, and as others have reported, he was very rude to me and said outright that I did not know how to grow seeds. The seeds in question are to be nicked to germinate; he claimed this was absolutely WRONG. I said I wanted some consideration about the dead seeds, especially since I had spent several hundred dollars on his business in the past. He said if I returned them, he would send me *half* as many replacement seeds from a new batch he had just got in. Although this meant the price was twice as much, I consented, because I needed them. I returned the seeds, and when he got them, he left a message on my phone saying he was crediting my card for the seeds and that he was NOT going to sell me seeds anymore. In a very nasty voice, he added, "I just hope you can find somewhere else to buy those seeds." As a matter of fact, the same day I ordered them from Companion Plants for the same price, and they were nice and fat, and had 80% germination.
I asked if they would ever be selling a certain banana corm again and the owner emailed me back a curt reply that he only dealt in large wholesale sales for banana corms and he knew nowhere I could get the particular banana corm anymore.
I live in the area. Stopped in to look around and perhaps buy some seed. After all I do live here so why order by mail...He told me if I was just window shopping, he was to busy with mail orders to wait for me to decide. If I had no knowledge of growing things from seed perhaps I should try Radishes. This is not a joke. He seems to do everything alone (and I really believe it best that way-who could stand to be with such a negative person all day?)
I used to order palm seeds from the Banana Tree, and got very poor germination. I assumed that I was doing something wrong. Then I ordered seeds from D. Orriel Seed exporters out of Australia. I went from zero per cent germination to sixty five per cent germination for Livistonia australis seeds. Others fared as well. I also found the owner of the Banana Tree to be very rude on the phone, when I called him about a problem. He told me that he likes to deal with the public as little as possible. Small wonder.
Banana Tree ships seeds in small plastic bags, all pressing against one another, in an unprotected larger envelope. In each instance, Iordered several seed packets and required to pay their $5 or more minimum mail charge, and each time, they slapped $.29 on the envelope.The average seed amount is between 5 and 7 - usually 5. The majority of the seeds seemed to be quite old as viability was low and few sprouted - some of the seeds were crushed upon arrival. When I called to complain, they were rude and adamant that "I" was doing something wrong, even though I've grown tropicals ordered from J.L. Hudson, Brudy's, Logee's and even Mellinger's in summer, spring and even in the dead of winter over a heating pad, and have always experienced great success (many of these seeds were of the same kind ordered from Banana Tree, but of obviously better quality). Banana Tree refused to replace ANY of the seeds ordered, and the crushed ones were caused by poor handling of MY postal service, according to them, and not due to their poor packing. I regretted having sent in a second order, before waiting to receive the first, since sure enough, when it arrived shortly after, it was more of the same. All and all, my experience with Banana Tree has amounted to a lot of wasted dollars over half a palm-full of overpriced, worthless seeds.
