You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
After many years of not ordering from Gurney's because of bad experiences, I tried them again. I had two orders which went ok and so I placed a third order this fall. On the original order I left specific instructions about when to send iris rhizomes for appropriate fall planting in our area and, not receiving any information to the contrary, I asusmed I would receive them in early August as requested. When they did not arrive, I emailed their customer service department via their website. I received no response at all to my first message, an automated response with absolutely no useful information to my second message, and only after becoming very insistent that they reply immediately did I receive a response to my third message. Their message to me was basically that they would determine when planting time was appropriate for my area and really didn't care that when they planned to send the rhizomes was at least 6 weeks later than trained horticulturists in our state tell us iris need to be planted to survive the winter. When I brought that to their attention, along with the fact that many years of gardening experience in our area tell me that the horticulturists are correct, the response was basically: we'll send them when we feel like sending them and we don't really care what you, our customer, wishes us to do. They were gracious enough to tell me that they have a guarantee on the price of the plants but I'm quite sure they won't reimburse me for the time it took me to plant them or for the fact that the iris that I wanted to have for next spring will die over the winter unless we have an unusually mild winter. Needless to say, I will be returning to my policy of NOT ordering from Gurney's or any of their sister companies anymore.
On Sep 2, 2009, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:
Thank you for your inquiry. Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvenience we may have caused. We will be contacting you to help rectify the problem."
I will NEVER order from Gurney's again! On 02/07/09, I placed a phone order for 8 bunches of Candy onion plants to be sent the week of 05/18/09. When I didn't have them that week, I called on 05/29/09 and talked to a Rachel, who said they don't ship past 06/11/09 and it didn't show they were out of stock, so I could expect them the week of 06/19 to 06/23. I mentioned that Gurney's had charged my credit card on 02/09/09, and she said they (and more companies) are doing this now. I told her I had never had a co. do this to me and I won't do business with any companies that do.
When I didn't receive the order by 6/17/09, I called the co. again, and a Shawn (who had a definite dialect) said the order was shipped on 06/05/09 and that the delay was by the carrier, that it was in Illinois in transit.
On 06/20/09, I talked to a Debbie, who said it didn't show any tracking other than vendor shipped it 06/05/09 by U.S. Mail, so she didn't see how the person I talked to on 06/17 could have tracked it to Illinois. I asked if they outsourced, and she said, "Sometimes, if it is busy." She suggesed I wait a few more days, and if I didn't have the order by then or if it was in bad shape, to call back. She said they could give me a credit for next year for more since they aren't available anymore this year.
I told her I wasn't going to call back as I had already spent too much on phone calls since they don't have an 800 number and that they have had my money for over 4 months now, so she had me hold until she talked to a supervisor. She came back on the line and said they would credit my account, and if I did receive the onion plants, then "Merry Christmas."
When I told our Postmistress about it supposedly being sent U.S.PS., she had me fill out a "Mail Recovery Center Search Request" and sent it for me, but nothing was found (nor did I expect that it would).
Not only did I not have any plants to give to my grandchildren to plant for a 4-H project for their fair, but I won't have any through the winter like I always count on as no one in our area stores had any onion sets or plants left by the time I found out I wouldn't be getting my order. I wish I had checked your ratings earlier to see that Gurney's have more negative than positive feedback.
On Aug 16, 2009, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Our company is based on 100% Customer Service. I will be contacting you for more details to help rectify the problem."
On Jun 29, 2009, southgardner Tuscaloosa, AL wrote:
I can almost echo the same complaints of other posted negative comments. I placed an order in March 2009 through US mail with check enclosed for a dwarf pomegranate. The check cleared the bank. Near the end of the shipping schedule for my zone, I had not received my order. Sent an e-mail to customer service, received an apology for the inconvenience and was told a re-ship would arrive in 2-3 weeks. Didn't receive the re-ship near the 3rd week, send 2nd e-mail and was told the delivery date would be March 2010! Requested refund, was informed to expect refund in 30 days. After reading the posted comments, I am not very hopeful that I'll actually receive a refund.
On Jun 29, 2009, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:
Thank you for your inquiry. Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvenience we may have caused. Our Customer Service Team is checking into the issue you had with your order and will do our best to rectify the problem in a timely manner. We will be contacting you directly with a resolution. "
I had planned to do quite a bit of ordering online this year, collected catalogs and decided to order from Gurneys. Long story short.. I order a cherry tree, blueberry and some raspberries.
Did not get the cherry tree shipped notice and called to find out. They happily told me that it would not ship until fall. In Colorado that is the worst time to plant a tree, we are too dry during the winter, we have irrigation now!! Confirmed this via my local nursery. Was told by Gurnerys that I could not get a refund until the rest of the ordered arrived....waited...waited and then called with plans of exchanging the tree for some blackberries.Told the person that, and 45 minutes later was told that a check would be in the mail, what, I asked to exchange for berrys?? opps she messed up and canceled the order...no going back.. Was not able to get the berries unless I did a "new" transaction to buy them with my credit card..
BTW I paid originally with a CC....6 weeks later, still waiting for the "Check" and 10.00 we are sorry coupon was promised....contacted them again and smuggly told that they had refunded my cc weeks ago? Ok..great communication here!
My thoughts....
1) Henry Fields, Gurneys, Springhill Nursey are all owned by the same mother company a Scarlett something or other.
2) Customer service is terrible!
3) Website sucks... does not really tell you the RIGHT date item will ship... so only THEY know... Also the website does not let you know that items are OUT OF STOCK,,and will sell them to you. Am ecommerce web developer and these 2 options are easy peasy to fix! No excuse there unless you want to get peoples money and fix it later, in my mind
I order alot of items online, not just gardening stuff and this experience was bar none, the most unpleasant and a bit maddening!
If you do order, I would recommend calling to make sure you are informed of shipping dates and stock levels... not the website
On Jun 19, 2009, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:
I apologize for not replying sooner as I have been out of the office. Thank you for your inquiry. Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvenience we may have caused. Our Customer Service Team is checking into the issue you had with your order and will do our best to rectify the problem in a timely manner. We will be contacting you directly with a resolution. "
On Jun 17, 2009, dirtbert Watkins, MN (Zone 4a) wrote:
I ordered sweet potato plants from this company back in December of 2008. Product, according to the invoice, was packaged on May 5th. However, it was not shipped until June 5th. Obviously, the plants were completely dead and moldy when they arrived.
After several failed attempts to contact the company over the phone, I was able to reach customer service over email. The company did agree to a full refund, however the amount of the refund was almost half of what I had been charged for the product.
I have yet to see any refund at all, much less the paid price for the dead plant material.
I had been a loyal customer of this company for many years prior to this bad experience with their customer service.
On Jun 17, 2009, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:
Thank you for your inquiry. Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvenience we may have caused. Our Customer Service Team is checking into the issue you had with your order and will do our best to rectify the problem in a timely manner. We will be contacting you directly with a resolution. "
However if you do decide to do business with Gurney's don't order online, instead order over the phone. The website does not reflect actual inventory. If Gurneys is out of a product and you order online you will not be notified. Also they send out their refund as a check in the mail. Example I ordered two apple trees among other items and they were out of stock on the apple trees and I was not notified. I was told I would not get my refund for the apple trees until the last item in the order is shipped. My order was placed on 4/26/09 and I did not start receiving my order until 5/17/09. I did not receive all of the items in my order until 6/10/09. Today is 6/12/09 and they have not mailed out my refund check yet.
Also their after hours phone support is in India. Need I say more.
As far as their product goes the strawberry's that were shipped to me were in a descent condition but not the greatest. I had about a 75% success ratio. The bare root trees that I ordered were no more than a twig. I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping they sprout and survive.
On Jun 12, 2009, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:
Thank you for your inquiry. Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvenience we may have caused. Our Customer Service Team is checking into the issue you had with your order and will do our best to rectify the problem in a timely manner. We will be contacting you directly with a resolution. "
I ordered from them over the past 2 years. Overall, only the strawberries grew well. Everything else was subpar for the price they were charging. The almond tree was promised to be 2-4' and all I got was a 1' stick which was dead. Money-back guarantee is FAKE. While they are pretty good at sending replacements, if you ask for your money back, they'll only offer a replacement certificate (or plant replacement). This happened when I asked for a refund. Instead, they send me a replacement cert! I advise sticking with your local garden centers. I've found much bigger/healthier plants usually lower prices at places like Home Depot and Costco.
On Jun 5, 2009, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:
Thank you for your inquiry. Please accept our apology for any inconvenience we may have caused you, and we ask that you consider giving us one more opportunity to provide you with world class service. Please understand that our company is based on 100% Customer Service. We are trained and qualified to answer any questions you may have or assist you with any problems that may arise."
I ordered three items about two weeks ago. I got an email with a link to check the status of my order. I was not too happy to see that two of the items were going to be shipped in the fall -- not the best time for planting here in cold New England (indeed, now, June 1 is ideal,,,,,)
Wondering where the other item was I went to the web site using the link. It only showed one item, and back ordered till fall. I could not see if other items had been shipped or not.
I called, and went through auto attendant hell, till I got a human (likely not in the US) who could not have cared less. He informed me that the other two items were now out of stock and been cancelled. I asked why I had not been sent an email to that effect. He mildly apologized, but said that is how their system works.
I cancelled the rest of the order, made sure I am off their mailing list, and will never consider them again. I would rather pay a bit extra for good service to a company that cares about its customers.
I have been a long time Gurney's customer. Last April, I ordered 6 raspberry plants. 3 were dead upon arrival. I scheduled a replacement that was supposed to be shipped this spring. I called to check its progress in April and was told that it would ship out at the end of April. I called again in the middle of May to find that they had cancelled the order. They said that they had sold out---- apparently it is company policy to ship new orders before reshipments. They said they could send me the plants next spring- ?!?!?!
I requested a reimbursement, tried to cancel another order I had going with them (they suspiciously said that it had shipped out already that day- fine- I will refuse delivery), cancelled all catalogues, and removed my email address from their mailing list. I am finished with Gurney's and, because they are a sister company, with Henry Field's as well. They didn't even apologize! Terrible customer service.
On May 24, 2009, LandscapeOH Centerburg, OH wrote:
We just sent a letter to Gurney's:
WE ORDERED FROM YOUR COMPANY (USING A DIFFERENT NAME) ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO AND YOUR SERVICE WAS BAD, SO WE UTILIZED OTHER ONLINE COMPANIES. WE OWN OUR OWN LANDSCAPING COMPANY AND TRIED A SMALL ORDER FOR OUR HOME GARDENING FROM YOU THIS TIME AND YOU HAVE VERY BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE.
DO YOU KNOW THAT THE TIME IT TOOK YOU TO SHIP OUR ORDER, WAS TOTALLY UNACCEPTIBLE AND UNBELIEVABLE. IF I PROVIDED THAT SAME SERVICE, I WOULD NOT HAVE A CONTRACT AT ALL.
YOU ALLOWED US TO ORDER ALL THAT MERCHANDISE; WHILE YOU KNOW YOUR INVENTORY AND DID NOT SAY THAT MUCH OF IT WAS NOT IN STOCK.
I HAVE MY OWN CALENDAR/FREE TIME AND SCHEDULE, BUT YOU SHIPPED WHEN IT WAS BEST FOR YOU AND WHEN MY BUSINESS DID NOT ALLOW TIME TO BARELY GET MY OWN PLANTING DONE.
YOU SHIPPED THE ORDER IN PARTS; REMINDING ME THE OTHERS WOULD FOLLOW OR YOU (FINALLY) DID NOT HAVE IT AT ALL!
BUSINESS IS BUSINESS AND YOU JUST SHOULD NOT ALLOW THE ORDER TO GO THRU IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE PRODUCT; AS THERE ARE MANY OTHER GREAT SUCH SERVICES ONLINE TO CHOOSE FROM.
This company cannot get an order shipped to the correct address. A month and a half and and 6 phone calls later I have no seeds yet, and they should be in the ground by now. The one thing they did get to me was yellow onions. The problem is , I wanted red onions. Seems they were out of those so they decided yellow would be okay. WRONG .... When you call, they cannot help because COMPANY POLICY , prohibits them from giving a refund or sending another shipment because the order they shipped to the wrong address has not gotten back to them. UPS tracking numbers don"t work and they give me phone numbers to call to try and locate the package.Why should I do their work, I made no mistake. Then they get rude and say I'm going to put you on hold, and leave you there, never to return. AVOID THIS COMPANY . THERE ARE COMPANIES OUT THERE THAT ARE REPUTABLE, AND HAVE CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENTS THAT WILL HELP YOU WHEN THERE IS A PROBLEM. This company is an internet / mail order company that only exists on paper. It is afiliated with several other questionable entities which also have more negative reviews than positive reviews. You can do much better, stay away from this company.
Oh, where do I start with this horrible experience? When we started getting catalogs this Winter, we began the long process of careful planning for our garden this Spring and for future harvests of nuts, fruits and berries. Gurney's use to be in South Dakota so we decided to place our order with them. That was our FIRST mistake! I had an original order for over $350.00 but when I phoned in the order on 30 March 2009, many of the items on my list were not available. [I am on my knees saying prayers for Divine intervention for that!] I placed an order that came to $264.70 on 30 March 2009. That amount was charged to my credit card on 30 March 2009. I waited, waited and waited. Finally I got #69937 Watermelon seeds and #69948 Gotta Have it Sweet corn seeds. I planted the watermelon seeds in peat pots and placed them under my grow table to germinate. [We start all of our seeds and the Burpee tomato and Cucmbers were already 4 inches tall. My $4.95 packet of 12 watermelon seeds germinated one plant. I waited for the rest of my order and I finally got #15300 Candy Onion plants for $14.95. If it wasn't so awful I would be lol. They were no bigger than the eraser of a pencil! The Butternut Trees #13323 that were $9.50 each should have been listed as twigs. They were 8" tall and the diameter of a toothpick. The Contender Peach tree #65837 at the price of $31.95 was 24 inches tall and about 1/4 inch in diameter. The Heritage Raspberries #084732 cost of $10.95 at least had some size but they still have not had one leaf. I was still waiting for #65808 Honey Sweet Pear Tree for $28.95...I called Gurney's to ask about the Pear tree to find out that it was NO LONGER available. hmmmm..it was available when I placed my order and I paid for it. I asked to have the $28.95 refunded to my charge card immediately. Guess what? Gurney's has a policy of NOT REFUNDING your money to a credit card. They will issue you a refund check that you will recieve 4 to 6 weeks after YOUR FINAL order is shipped! This was 30 April 2009 and I was still waiting for shipment of 3 different potatoes, Asparagus [3 orders], Honey Berry bushes [2 orders], Sweet Potatoes [1 order], Pioneer Soft Neck Garlic [1 order] and 2 orders of their Shady Places Hosta. I was speaking to someone in the call center, three times I requested to speak to the Supervisor. Three times I was put on hold and this man would come back on the line and NO SUPERVISOR. Finally after paying for 30 minutes of long distance charges, I get to speak to "Brad". No employee id #. He was rude and abrupt. Again, I explain my concern and he said that it was the Company Policy to not refund to credit cards. I asked to Please speak to his supervisor and he told me that there was no one else to speak to-he was it. I requested a mailing address and phone number to the headquarters of Gurney's and he told me that there wasn't any mailing address or phone number. He was in charge of Customer Service. He told me that he would cancel the rest of my order and that a refund check would be sent. I requested that he send me an email with a reference number so that I could track the refund and he said that he would send me an email. I have never received an email from "Brad" as promised. On 1 May 2009 I called Gurney's Customer service again. This time I spoke to a "Crystal" who seemed to be helpful. She agreed that I should get a refund of $228.50 for the canceled order. I requested that she send me an email with a reference number and she agreed to email me. I have not received the promised email. Today, 5 May 2009 I once again phoned "Customer Service" to ask about my refund check-again put on hold, again spent 30 minutes on the phone that I paid for only to be disconnected after 30 minutes. I called back immediately and asked to be reconnected to this person only to be told that they couldn't do that and I would have to speak to the person that answered. aaarrrggg
So....I am still waiting to have my money returned to me and it comes as several checks-not one and MAYBE I might get it before July?! Oh, and the final blow is that I paid 15.95 shipping for my 2 packets of seeds and that is not refundable. This is for the $4.95 watermelon seeds that only one germinated! so, I paid $26.35 for two packets of seeds!
If I didn't need my money, If I hadn't spent hours on the phone and paying for long distance charges, If I wasn't a year behind on the growth of the trees and shrubs, etc...this would almost be funny! You couldn't make this up it is so bizarre.
Here is my advice;
NEVER consider buying anything from Gurney's or compaines owned by them. You will be very sorry and lose your money. Does anyone have a phone number or mailing address for the company Headquarters? I really need my $228.50 returned. I would also like to turn them into Better Business but I don't know which state to do it in. Should I complain to my state or who?
Happy Gardener but a shafted Gurney's EX customer,
indigosd
On May 5, 2009, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:
On May 2, 2009, brandywinefran West Chester, PA wrote:
I have ordered from Gurney's fairly often over the last few years, but will find another supplier next season.
First, UPS Basic is unacceptable. Tracking OFTEN shows that my items have wandered all over, literally passing through my town before landing at a distribution site three counties away. THEN they're to us sent via USPS, adding nearly a week of additional transit time. And considering the long delivery time, very expensive!
It takes them FOREVER to ship, and the estimated ship dates change almost daily. I have an order in now that will ship more than three weeks after ordering (if we're lucky!), which means that it will arrive more than a month after my order (maybe). Don't solicit business if you can't fill the orders in reasonable time!
A CSR I spoke with this week was unable to understand a word I said. He finally just said "computers down call back later."
I have (reasonably and pleasantly) expressed my problems with UPS Basic to the company when the service was begun. No use, a lot of "we're not responsible for shipping time" stuff.
Maybe if you didn't take weeks to fill the order, THEN use the worst way of shipping, your customers would be satisfied!
On May 2nd, 2009, brandywinefran added the following:
Also, someone mentioned that they're cutting corners to save money. Doesn't that mean they're cutting corners to keep more of the shipping fees we have paid?
Their shipping is certainly NOT any less expensive than other merchants, and it certainly is much slower, plus more damaging to the plants.
PS--my delivery dates just changed AGAIN!On May 5th, 2009, brandywinefran added the following:
Surprised to receive a shipping confirmation e-mail this morning for 4/20 order (two plants). E-mail stated delivery via UPS Ground--wonderful! But on my order information on the website, delivery stated UPS Basic--BOO! So we'll be waiting at least another week for delivery.
Also, the delivery dates for my second order have been moved up AGAIN. Unacceptable.On May 7th, 2009, brandywinefran added the following:
Today I received Dmail from Debbie at Gurney's. I'm posting my reply here, for everybody's information:
"I was VERY surprised to find out this morning that Order #xxxxxxxxxxx had been actually sent UPS Ground (instead of Basic) and was marked "Out for Delivery". I hope that your company continues to ship UPS Ground.
Order #xxxxxxxxxxx, placed April 30, has had its delivery date moved up almost daily (including today), and now says "Delivery May 14-May 28". Unless it ships today, the earlier date is not possible. The later range of dates will have the order arriving nearly a month after placing.
First, the uncertainty of a consistent expected delivery date is beyond irritating. Second, the constant e-mails about sales and specials are pointless if your company can't fill the orders in a reasonable time. Third, using UPS Basic is frustrating for the customer, and bad for the plants.
I simply do not want to deal with the uncertainty of your delivery issues, since this is not a problem I have encountered with any other garden company I deal with. The fact is, once an order is placed, the customer has absolutely no idea if and when it will ship and arrive.
This is not the first growing season I have experienced these problems, and I have been forced to cancel some orders because of delivery problems.
Thanks."On May 12th, 2009, brandywinefran added the following:
OK, it's now a few days later, and no response from Debbie about second order. Order not shipped, delivery date has changed, maybe twice.
Just another e-mail would have been nice, even if it was just to say there's shipping problems, or whatever.
Why bother contacting me if you aren't going to respond? On May 15th, 2009, brandywinefran added the following:
It's now Friday, May 15--still no word from "Debbie." Order still marked "Not Shipped", but delivery date reads May 18-May 21--I don't think so!
Plus, now the gooseberry plants are no longer on the website, so I can only assume they are not available. BUT--on the 13th I received another e-mail proclaiming another sale on their small fruits and berries! I was furious, since my 4/30 order for gooseberries and raspberries is lost in limbo somewhere!
What a scam!! Take the money, don't ship the plants, ignore the customer.On May 15th, 2009, brandywinefran added the following:
I just saw that I had a new D-Mail, from Donna. She apologized for the delay and informed me that the plants should arrive early next week, which I take to mean the 26th, or so. Really don't want the plants sitting over long weekend, but at least we're making progress! On May 2, 2009, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:
On Apr 27, 2009, mcd0019 Oak Forest, IL (Zone 5b) wrote:
Well, here we go again...
Last year I posted a negative review for Wayside Gardens. After being a loyal customer for 5 years I had a terrible experience with them (so much so that the VP of the company emailed me and apologized). I vowed to never use them again. It's a shame too, because their catalogs still come to the house and everything looks so beautiful.
This year, I decided to give Gurney's a try. I placed my order online on April 1, '09. My 13 items were supposed to ship on April 21. I thought 3 weeks was a long time, but I live in Zone 5, so I trusted them on the ship date.
Then on April 20, my order status was updated and everything was set to either ship on April 28 or May 1. That was disappointing, but I was fairly understanding about it. It was only one week later.
Today, my order status was changed again. Now some of my items are not expected to ship until May 24, while the others are not expected to ship until June 18. June???? What is going on here? I'm starting to think I am better off giving Home Depot and Lowes my money instead of these smaller internet-based companies... I'm very worried that I am going to get burned again. So far I am pretty disatisfied. 10-11 weeks for delivery is unacceptable.
Bought seeds with free root. Received root but no seeds. Customer service told me I ordered roots only. I pointed out what my order was. Rep told me they would give me a voucher. Didn't want a voucher or anything to do with Gurney Seed. Now promised a refund, but haven't received a refund. Lousy company with liars as customer reps.
Ordered 2 year asparagus heads on March 11th. Saw nothing about ship date after a few weeks so checked back the estimated shipping date awas early November. I wanted to plant in April, not store the roots through winter to plant a year later. I'm disappointed that they did not send me a note saying they were out of stock and I would have to wait 8 months for my order.
I canceled the order, crossing my fingers that they credit my card. As mentioned before, customer service was obviously over-seas. Guy could not even pronounce asparagus. I'd prefer using a company that has home grown customer service. Not using Gurney's again.
Mrch 25th 2009
We recently purchased from Gurney's, Most of the plants arrived DOA.
After several attempts by email to request a refund or replacement plants, I was finally dissapointed so bad with their Overseas customer service and couldn't understand their English, We requested a Full refund not by Check but by credit card refund.
We will not buy from company's that place american workers and american clients this low on their satisfaction list.
In January 2009, I ordered some Nanking Cherry Trees, Hanson Cherry Trees, Sweet Cherry tree and was told that they would be shipped on March 19, 2009. Well, I never did receive an email saying they were shipped so I wrote an email to Gurney's on 3/23 to see if they were shipped. I did not get a response to my inquiry so I called on the phone number on the first email confirming my order, on 3/24.
I spoke with a representative that answers the phone after you have to listen to a robot phone, and I was told that the trees were shipped on March 6 th and that they were delivered on March 20th...lol , well, I am home everyday and no-one came to deliver anything on March 20th at 8:23 AM. If they were on the truck since the 6th (bareroot) they are probably dead by now, I don't know where they were delivered to.
I was promised a new shipment that would go out on 3/24. I will post any news of my wandering cherry bushes/trees.
I did read the negative remarks before I ordered but thought they should be given a chance. Well, I was wrong.
On March 27th, 2009, Gourd added the following:
I received an email from their customer service that advised me to let them know when I receive my trees and that they are sorry about the items lost in TRANSIT... I realize that they will send dmails to try and pacify customers, but they should really try to make things right, not just say things to shut people up. Of course, I sent a dmail back saying thank you... but so far, I really don't expect live trees anymore.
Well, as I said, I was told on the phone that the trees would be mailed on 3/25/2009, as of today, there is no email from them to say they have mailed anything.. I did, However, get one soliciting more of my patronage and showing more of their sales products.. hahahahahaOn March 27th, 2009, Gourd added the following:
Just wanted to add one more thing: I read the other responses from Gurney's respresentative on the other negative ratings.
Gurney states that they never got responses from anyone regarding information.. I have to tell ya, this respresentative did NOT ask for any details such as order number, name, or address, so I don't know how they plan to resolve any problems they seem to think they can without this information.. All I was asked was to let them know when I received my order... I just want to make sure that everyone sees that perhaps the other people were also NOT asked for any details, that is why Gurney's did not hear back from them.
On Mar 18, 2009, hudsonValleyLad Ossining, NY wrote:
At the beginning of January I ordered the famous apricot sugar pearls from Gurney's. On March 13th I received an e-mail that my order has shipped. Today, March 17th, when I got home, a little before sunset, I opened the carton and noticed, to my dissapointment, that the bare roots of the tree were dry. The tree had not been packaged properly - the few pages of the newspaper that were supposed to keep the roots moist were floating all over the carton. I did plant the tree immediately and watered it thoroughly, but I am not sure it will survive. I called Gurney's right away and initially they said they would send me a new tree, but later they backtracked, and said they were out of stock. You can imagine my disappointment. I hope my tree will live, but I doubt I will order from them again...
I ordered seed starting supplies, 2 lilacs and a set of hybrid tomato plants two months ago. Seed supplies shipped promptly. One lilac showed up yesterday & was 10 1/2" tall, below their 12-18" claim. It also is just one stick with no branches.
I checked to see the status of my other two items and saw the tomatoes ship in 3-4 more weeks which is fine, and the other lilac was missing from my order.
I emailed customer service and got a response saying it was "out of stock" and I should "check back on the website" to see if it was ever available. I was very unhappy because they didn't notify me of this until I asked, and there was no mention of a refund or replacement, or even a customer service # to call.
I hunted down the number here and called to ask for a substitution of a same priced lilac. They seemed clueless and had to ask me if I'd been charged, and told me they did not do substitutions. I was also told that I should get a refund but they had no record that I'd been refunded and didn't offer to give me one. After that I was a bit of a bully to my chagrin and demanded another lilac be sent. Supposedly it's on its way.
I'll keep my fingers crossed that the rest of the items I paid for arrive, but I won't be taking a chance on them again.
On Feb 20, 2009, scooterj62 Dennysville, ME wrote:
I used the email link to take advantage of the spend $25 - get $25 offer. The link directed me to the site and allowed me to order the items I wanted. The total met the requirement so I place the order. I did not get the discounted price. I contacted customer service and after three weekdays received a reply that because one item was given at a sale price, the whole order didn't qualify. This is deceptive and has caused me to decide not to order from Gurney's again. I picked up ordering from Gurney's when growing up and my parents ordered from them twenty plus years ago. I am, however, going to hold them to the satisfaction guarantee. I have also typically had 70% success with their products, not the 100% they boast.
I have been shopping with Gurney's for years and have had very little trouble with them untill recently. Last year when I ordered and look online or called to see when my items would be shipped they would tell me a date thru a date and then my items wouldn't show up. I would call or go online again and a diffrent date would be said for shipping. This year when I ordred ,my first order was taken then about a month later I wanted to order some more things that I forgot to order the first time . My first order showed up as ordred and my second one did not. When I called customer service I got a person that had a bad accent ,like from India ,and I could not understand her. I asked to speak to someone who spoke english and got a supervisor that was no better to understand. I hug up and emailed them to cancle my order. I refuse to do business with a conpany that is here in America and outsources American jobs and My money that I spend with them goes to a forgin country. I ordered from Farmerseed.com the things that I was going to get from Gurney's and when I asked them if they outsource thier work they said no. So my money will go to the American workers.
We placed an Internet order on 1/18/2009 for $200 of garden seeds, as well as various bushes. Today, 2/1/2009, I called Gurney's customer service to find out the status of our order. I gave the woman our Account # (found on the back of our catalog), as well as the 8-digit order number from our order confirmation. There is no record of our order nor do they have our updated address information (which I updated when I placed the order). I was told that our order number should start with a 9 and be many digits long. When I stated that this was from the order confirmation page, she told me that she had no idea what this number was for. She said that many times the Internet orders will not go through. She stated that she "hated when that happens" and she tells customers that if they don't get an order beginning with a "9" followed by a bunch of other numbers, the order didn't go "take". What???? I've now written to Gurney's customer service, so we'll see what story I get. We won't be reordering from Gurney's at any time. We'll be getting our product from local nurseries and Home Depot.
This is my first time ordering from Gurney's, and so far, I have no issues. I ordered during an email sale on 1/13/09, and got shipping confirmation on 1/15/09. The seed portion of my order arrived on 1/20/09.
I have cancelled the other (plant) portion of my order due to incorrect ordering for my garden spaces, but within minutes of emailing to cancel, I received confirmation from "Karen" that it was cancelled. They said to allow 30 days for the refund, but that's typical, and I truly expect that it won't take near that long. I will assume this is 'case closed' and a textbook positive transaction all around. Hopefully, I will remember to come back and follow up with actual refund time for DG feedback records.
On April 28th, 2009, birdsnblooms changed the rating from positive to negative and added the following:
I recently sowed two of the seed packets, and took note that neither one had the correct seed count. Both were "50 count" packets, and I got a total of 64 seeds for both packets. One packet had 27 seeds, and the other had 37. I can only assume that the same holds true for the several other packets that I purchased.
Sorry, but if they can't even get the seed count right in their packets, I won't be ordering from them again.
On Jan 22, 2009, diendrial Port Orchard, WA wrote:
Recently I ordered some blueberry plants and strawberry plants over the Internet expecting to receive the coupon rate. I made a mistake and failed to see that my order didn't total what it needed to in order to qualify for the coupon. I called their office the next day and added some corn seeds to my order. When I was quoted a price over the phone it reflected the coupon savings and was correct. However when I checked my bank account I saw that I had been billed for an additional $11.95. I called that evening and tried to find out why. The person I talked to just insisted that I hadn't been billed that much. This person did not speak very good English and so I was unable to make my concerns understood. I waited until the next day to talk to someone. They assured me there was a mistake on their part and they would send me a refund. I then got an email saying my refund would come with the rest of my order (a month later). I was really upset by this time because they took no time at all taking extra money from my account and now I had to wait a month to get it returned in the form of a check. I called again and the lady said she would make sure I would get a check the next week. I did not. I am hoping I get one. This company used to have good customer service but beware. They have changed their policies. No longer do they wait to ship the product before they bill you. They take your money immediately and if there is any mistake you are going to be the one paying for it! I urge caution when dealing with them. I am going to find another seed company to do business with.
On Jan 21, 2009, gardenbatie Sandia Park, NM wrote:
I have ordered seeds from Gurney's several times in the past and never had issues. However, 2008 was different. I ordered twice (I forgot not to order from them again).
The customer service was fine and my seeds were fine. The shipping was awfull! It took a lot longer than I expected to get my seeds. What was really annoying was that my order was shipped via UPS in an untrackable format. Not only did the seeds not come when expected, no one knew where they were.
What was worse: they shipped a plant that way. I was expecting the plant to come UPS but it came USPS. By the time the plant got to the post office, I received the pick-up slip, and managed to get to the post office for some unexpected package the plant was on its last leg. It died.
Oh well. I am gaining a lot of experience and have found other seed companies that I am extremely pleased with.
On 7/4/08 I ordered 1 Blackberry Triple Crown Spec Value, which was an order for three thornless blackberry bushes. From my order status it said they would be shipped in early October. I never received them. I checked the status again, and the date had moved to mid-October, and I never received them. I checked the order status and it said they'd be shipped in early November. I sent an email asking why the date keeps moving, and why they aren't filling the order like they advertise they will. They didn't care enough about me as their customer to respond to me. Now when I check the status, it says cancelled. I wasn't notified that it was cancelled, and I have no idea why. It must be because they can't sell what they advertise. I am so disgusted with their company that I will not order from them again.
On Oct 17, 2008, giantgardener Providence, RI wrote:
After ordering from Gurney's for almost 15 years, I had the first and worst experience from any seed company ever. I ordered a Hanson's Bush Cherry plant and a packet of expensive seeds w/ $9 s+h fee. Received the seeds later than expected (after 3 weeks), but no plant. Nothing on the order form even hinted that it wouldn't be sent. They certainly charged me the $9 s+h, tho.
And so, I waited, thinking they'll send it/info on the status along later, knowing seed companies sometimes ship separately, etc. And I waited, and waited. Finally after almost a month, still not a peep re: the plant's status, so emailed them to enquire. They replied they weren't selling Hanson's Bush Cherry anymore. That's it. That's it? No notice whatsoever I wouldn't be receiving an order, after sending them some pretty hefty cash after 15 years worth of business?
I was totally insulted Gurney's hadn't sent a word re: such and told them so; reminding them planting season only lasts so long, and now I had to scramble to obtain one! Still no hint of apology. Gurney's then sends me a measly $5 off coupon with no apology of lack of service. I re-emailed them back re: shock at their surprisingly total lack of alerting a longtime good customer that an advertized product was no longer available, and most importantly, no alert I would not be receiving it. Why put it in their catalog if they weren't going to sell it any longer, and now had to scramble to find a Hanson's bush from another vendor (sent within two weeks, looked great, and rushed to plant it within hours of receiving it; more expensive than Gurney's non-existant bush, but well worth knowing it has a year's start.) They didn't care. No acknowledgement of their bungling.
Sent Gurney's a final email telling them so, and wondering why they'd still charged my credit card the $9 s+h for a single packet of seeds? Then and only then, they "readjusted" the s+h fee. Huh? Had to remind a "professional" business to do this?? That was the last straw.
What happened to that great customer service we used to enjoy at Gurney's? Seems having relocated to Illinois from South Dakota they've gone thoroughly downhill, having seen the high number of negative comments. Were they bought out by a lesser owner? Who knows. Won't be ordering anything from them ever again. If they can't admit, let alone realize their customer loyalty and service practices is at best horrific, why set yourself up for further frustrations?
On October 17th, 2008, giantgardener added the following:
Gurney's, we don’t want your bribes for coupons, refunds, gift certificates, or endless apology after apology after apology for increasingly poor service! We want your customer “service” policies FIXED, our ordered plants and seeds, and most importantly we want to receive timely notification if we will NOT be receiving an order, whether later than expected--or at all! If we receive no notification re: back order/no order placement, do you honestly think we’ll do business with you again instead of moving on to another more reliable vendor? Of course not! It’s an insult to your customers, if so. You or any gardening company is not doing yourselves any favors with a “no notice policy”, thinking perhaps, oh, they’ll just reorder next year. Oh, no we won’t! It’s one thing to have crop failure, bad weather, late shipments, etc. We, as gardeners and consumers completely understand those things (or should). But its another thing to receive NO timely word that there even was a problem, especially since you have a web-site you can update.
Gurney’s is in the gardening business. Has it ever occurred to you that your company should clearly understand timing is of the essence to a gardener, perhaps necessary to the health of a family with growing their own produce w/o chemicals, that prices will only go up next year, causing potential customers to research into the best company for timely plants NOW? We are not one dimensional. (Thank you Dave’s Garden!)
Your company has had my email address for many years. Your employees are getting paid by the hour, so what would it have cost to zip a quick email stating to a longtime loyal customer that you were no longer carrying the Hanson’s Bush Cherry for sale? No apology necessary, just timely info re: such. In fact, you would have received points for telling me asap!
Suck it up quickly or pack it in, Gurney’s, because as you hopefully have realized it’s cut-throat in the nursery business today. No business can survive w/o good service and good products, with limited dollars and patience becoming the norm. We’re more savvy than you think, and willing to pay more for a great product that shows up when expected and grows... and we well remember where that company’s ordering page is. If any company has those two simple factors going for them, does it need a Customer Service Dept. AKA Deficiency Department? If you can’t see the negative patterns developing within your company, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised to see you out of business in a few years like so many others. As a formerly loyal, longtime customer that would still be a rather sad circumstance.
And finally, why is Hanson’s Bush Cherry STILL listed on your website as available, after four months notice to me that you “no longer carry this product”??? I rest my case.
I wished that I would've seen this website before ordering from Gurney's. After reading many of the posts here, I have decided to cancel my order because it will probably not be worth the wait. Below are the details of my order.
Order Date: 07/07/08
Order Number: xxxxxxx3700
Order Total: $35.65
As you can see, I placed my order on July 7th. It has been well over two months and I have yet to receive any shipment. Many of you have mentioned that the delivery date of your order was changed a couple of times; well, in my case it was changed everyday. There were days where I checked the status of my order for days in a row.
I'm finally fed up with waiting as I wanted to order the banana tree for my husband's office and the orange tree for my sister to bring back to school but it did not arrive in time. She has moved back to school and won't be returning until next year when she graduates.
Gurney's had all of my personal contact information and yet, they failed to informed me that they decided to push back two of my items until next year. What kind of customer service is that? They didn't need to contact me in person, an email would have suffice.
I spoke to a customer service agent named Chuck, who informed me that two of my items are "ready to be shipped any day now" and the other two will be ship in the spring. Because I have no confidence that they could be shipped "any day now" and the others wil be shipped in the spring, I have decided to cancel my order. All I want now are definite dates and I can't get that, who's to say that they won't push the delivery even further back.
In all, I will never, ever order from Gurney's again.
My first order with Gurney's went well so I placed 4 more orders.
I didn't receive confirmation for 2 weeks on all 4 orders. I checked my orders on line and noted that the dates kept changing. I was concerned and called customer service and was told by the young lady on the phone that the dates on the on-line orders are computer generated and "don't mean anything", that the end of August date "really meant" October.
I was getting concerned about the constantly changing dates and was checking my orders daily.
Then I found one of my orders was canceled by Gurney's. I did not authorize the order to be canceled nor was I notified it had been canceled. When I called Gurney's the young man told me that they "thought" I made a mistake and canceled one of my orders. When they corrected the order they overcharged me and I had to call them again to correct the overcharge.
Today was the last straw, I received a letter in the mail telling me one of my four orders couldn't be shipped due to "improper credit". I was furious and called Gurney's yet again. The young lady told me that Gurney's had a "computer glitch" and sent out this letter in error. I asked about the status of my orders and requested assurance that my credit was in tact as I have an excellent rating. I was placed on hold for 10 minutes. Finally the young lady picked up the phone and rudely told me everything was fine and "they made a mistake."
Her flippant attitude was out of line, so I asked to speak to the supervisor, again I was placed on hold and another rude employee explained that this was Gurney's busy season and things like this happen. I asked for addition contact information and was rudely told I was speaking to the highest authority and they would not give me any additional names.
My experience with Gurney's:
1. They didn't confirm my orders for 2 weeks.
2. They canceled an order without authorization and never notified me.
3. They overcharged me when they corrected the canceled order.
4. They send out letters telling their customers that they have improper credit "by accident".
5. When you ask to speak to someone else or for a name to file a complaint with they won't give you any more information using "security" as the excuse.
I will not order from them again.
Gurney's obviously is very poorly managed and has very poor customer service.
I used the website to order seeds. No mention was made that they might be out of seeds for fall gardens and that they might hold my order for as long as 9 days, which would make it 2 weeks before I would get the seeds.
When I didn't get an email saying the seeds had shipped, I tried to contact the company by email, but it bounced back as a server unplugged. So I called on my dime since they don't have and 800 number I could find, and discovered they were holding the order. I cancelled since I don't have the luxury of waiting 2 weeks to get some of those seeds in the ground.
STAY AWAY!! Worst customer service I have EVER seen. I literally have had better experiences with the Department of Motor Vehicles in all 3 states in which I lived. They are rude, disorganized, uncommunicative and apparently unable to ship ONE SINGLE PLANT to us even though they had confirmed our order in writing. Maybe the DMV should take over their business - it would be an improvement.
We ordered $260 in vegetables from Gurneys, consisting of 9 different varieties; all were quite expensive, but they weren't carried by our local garden store and we wanted to pay the premium to get these in time for this summer.
We ordered in May, and were promised delivery of everything by June 13th at the latest. They kept pushing our delivery dates back every time we checked the status of our order, including pushing some back to OCTOBER. The original delivery confirmation and the delivery schedule published on their website list says we should have had our plants by June 13th.
Then, 7 of 9 plants disappeared from their confirmation system entirely!!! The 8th was canceled by post card, and the 9th (Garlic) was pushed back a YEAR!! The customer service agents were completely dismissive and casual about this in spite of our obvious disappointment - they just didn't care.
We called their telephone number June 30th, and the rude reps told us that everything we ordered was out of stock when we ordered it (!) even though they listed ALL OF IT in stock on their website at the time. In fact, their website STILL SHOWS IT IN STOCK!!!
They weren't even apologetic! The customer service supervisor said that we should be understanding because they would have sent us cancellation postcards "someday". I can't warn you strongly enough to avoid Gurneys.
On Jun 25, 2008, DotnToTo Shawnee Mission, KS wrote:
I ordered blueberry plants & food, rhubarb & some perennials in early June because they were having a sale. When I first checked my order status it said most of the perennials would be shipped in fall. I was gardening NOW, so I called & cancelled those items. BTW - no 800 number.
Then two weeks later I checked again because I was going on vacation & didn't want the plants dying on my porch. Also, I'd pre-dug huge holes in the yard for the blueberries. Only one item showed on the order - the Blueberry Food. I emailed asking what was going on & received no response. I had to make another call on my $$ to be told that they'd cancelled the plants & my Blueberry Food was on the way. I said that I certainly didn't need it if they weren't sending the plants. Was told to refuse shipment & return.
So now I've lost a planting year on two plants that don't produce for a couple of years. I will NEVER order from these people again.
Gurneys is an incompetent and unreliable company. I garden organically using the bio-intensive method, which relies on companion planting. Thus, although I prefer to get my plants from local nurseries some items like potatoes and garlic must be ordered via catalog. I naively thought that I could trust Gurneys to fulfill my order, or at least communicate to me in the event that they would not be able to do so.
I placed my order May 16th. As of June 17th I had not yet received any part of it except for my fennel seeds. Outstanding items were, Red Pontiac Potatoes, Pioneer Soft Neck Garlic, Northsky Bluberry, Sweet Bell Pepper Mix, Potted Mint Mix, Asparagus. I decided that I should call and see what was up, considering that planting this late would barely net me a good harvest before frost.
You know what they told me? "Ooops. We stopped shipping on June 13th. You won't be getting your order." What jerks. I know you can't control the weather, but you can certainly control your level of communication. If they weren't planning on sending the plants, they could have let me know so that I at least could try to get them from some where else.
I will never order from Gurneys, Spring Hill, Michigan Bulb, or any of their affiliates again. They are a young, fly-by-night operation that can't even properly communicate with their customers.
If you want to make sure you are going to get the plants that you order, don't order from Gurneys. Not only will you never get your plants, they won't even bother to tell you that. They will let you wait until half way through the growing season to find out for yourself.
I am mad at myself for naively believing that these jerks were eventually going to send my plants, instead of buying them elsewhere sooner. Now I will not be able to plant garlic or potatoes this season. But hopefully, I will still be able to get some sweet peppers.
I repeat, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER order from this disorganized and incompetent company. They can't handle your business and you are better off going with a more reliable company. Some how Burpee managed to fulfill my order completely and on time.
On Jun 17, 2008, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:
"
On Jun 26, 2008 7:58 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery added:
Emailed Customer for possible resolution; they did respond, but furnished no information so I could look into their account."
I will never order from Gurney's again. In the past we have ordered many MANY trees for our acreage (we keep falling for the "coupon") and we end up with spindly stock that can't seem to make it through one Iowa winter. I've HAD IT! I went to the nursery this year and laid out the cash for some hardy saplings and evergreens and from now on, the Gurney's catalogs will go in the woodstove.
On Jun 12, 2008, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:
D-mailed Customer on June 16 to see if I could possibly come up with a resolution/compensation for the Customer's inconvenience, but as of today, have received no response from them."
I ordered my plants in mid May, and now they say they will not be delivered until July
Wish I had found Daves Garden before I ordered
On Jun 6, 2008, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:
"
On Aug 1, 2008 4:22 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery added:
D-mailed Customer on 6/16/08 and 6/25/08. The Customer's items that can be shipped in the fall are being shipped at no charge, and the Customer was also sent a gift certificate. "
Look at the order date, then look at the estimated ship date, and then look at the posted information about when they ship and why:
- - - - - - - -
Order Date: 05/15/08
Order Number: XXX
Order Total: $35.50
*Due to hot weather conditions, we are unable to ship most plant items July through August
- - - - - - - -
Does anyone see a problem with this??
I wish I would have found this site earlier. I wouldn't have wasted the money. It's almost a half a tank of gas! :P
On Jun 4, 2008, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:
"
On Jun 25, 2008 9:25 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery added:
Emailed Customer on 6/16; received their response on 6/24, but they provided no information so I could look into this matter."
Order sent by FAX to the FAX number listed on the order form on May 8. Received confirmation from my fax that it had gone through. Didn't hear anything from Gurney's for 4 days, so I called and spoke with someone in customer service. I don't have a record of your order, sir. However, the FAX/input group is VERY busy as this is our busy time of year. what number did you FAX it to ? Oh no, that isn't the right number, try this one instead". I did that...it was NOT a fax number, it was actually the customer service voice line.
Waited almost a week and called back. No record of your order sir, but they behind inputing order. What number...etc. etc. etc. same routine....Called May 22...I'm sorry sir, no record of your order. What number did you FAX it to ? I don't know what to tell you sir. I asked to speak to a customer service manager and was told one would call me back. By the next afternoon I called them back and spoke to a nice man who told me supervisors don't call customers back, they are too busy. I told him about the FAX number "error" and he explained what they had told me was incorrect that the number they were giving me was the OLD fax number that in fact I had FAX'd it to the right number. I explained to him my situation and suggested he take my order over the phone, pay for shipping and expedite the order. Of course, by now they were out of a number of items I had ordered three weeks earlier ! My seeds finally did arrive, though I am not sure they were expediated. Gurney's has LOST me as a customer forever. BAD BAD BAD customer service. I don't understand how a company with such bad service can stay in business. I cannot reward bad service and behavior with my business in the future.
On Jun 4, 2008, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:
