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We placed an order from this company on July 30th of last year. The order was for 136 assorted trees, a total of $202.82. We waited patiently, as these were cheap trees, as we fully expected they would ship near the close of the planting season. One shipment of a few trees arrived in September, but come late October, we still had not received most of our order, though my credit card had been billed on August 1st.
Most of our trees arrived in early November, later than we would have hoped, and in really sorry condition, completely dead-looking.
We were disappointed with the late shipping and with the apparent size and condition of the trees, but we planted them into a nursery bed upon arrival. To date none have shown any signs of life, all 136 trees are dead. We find it truly incredible that this would have happened had Burgess actually shipped us live healthy trees, we have a lot of experience with small transplants and cuttings.
Come the beginning of June, we called Burgess to try to resolve this problem, since none of the trees leafed out, or even greened up the twigs, and was very disappointed by their response. We were told that I could not have a refund because we had planted the trees rather than return them within the allowed 14 days. We had planted the trees because we didn’t want to lose the entire growing year and yet lost it anyway. I asked that we be placed at the front of the line for first shipment of the replacements so we wouldn’t lose a second season, and was told that they couldn’t do that and that some of the trees might already be sold out. We asked for a refund, and were refused.
We went through several phone reps and their supervisors, and eventually asked to speak to the owner and was told that he does not take phone calls, that I would have address this issue in writing. We did this, and received on letter with an unsigned note saying 'send original packing labels'. (We had enclosed photocopies with our letter, as well as copies of our order, credit card billing statement, and photos of our Burgess trees planted in our beds, not living.)
We sent them all of this information again, with the original shipping labels... that was one month ago, and we have heard nothing.
We ran a report on Burgess through the Better Business Bureau, and found they have HUNDREDS of complaints, and a D rating! If only we had known this before, it seems as though it's a company practice to defraud their customers. They are basically immune from credit card chargebacks because of the timed nature of plant growth and shipment, and they have many, many different company catalog names, so that the unwary might order again, even after having been ripped off by a different division before.
They don't seem to bother about responding to their complaints here, or at the BBB. No plant, at any price, is worth dealing with these people.
I purchased an 18 plant shade garden from this company. When it arrived, it looked like dead twigs and roots. I emailed them of the problem, received a form letter response and then nothing. We planted the material we received and took pictures the first two weeks. Nothing. Five weeks into this, we have eight struggling plants after much loving care, organic mulching (we make our own mulch) watering, there is no sign of the remaining plants. I don't think they died, I think they were already dead when they got here!
I used this company once before about ten years ago in another state and had the same problems and then just forgot about it. I know forgive and forget is a good line but I just forgot. I think live and learn is a better adage and now I have learned. Penny Jones
On May 14, 2009, NETNGardener Jonesborough, TN wrote:
BUYER BE WARE.I ordered two trees and a blueberry plant from Burgess. They were planted following their instructions. Only one tree lived and the other two are now in my compost pile. I contacted Burgess but because it was after the 14 day return policy (I couldn't plant my trees until after that time anyway because of my frozen ground) they will not refund me money for the tree and blueberry. I was told if I returned the shipping label and a list of the lost items they would replace them. But I did not save the shipping label so now I have no chance of getting any kind of compensation. I just wanted to warn other gardeners that might not know to not waste they time and money on any of their companies. They go under several different company names and they have several hundred complaints against them to BBB of Illinois.
Burgess Seed aka House of Wesley, Inc Additional DBA Names: Richard Owen Nursery
Farmer Seed & Nursery
Four Seasons Nursery
Inter-State Nurseries
Exciting Gardens
Royal Dutch Gardens
Honeycreek Nurseries, LLC
Kelly Nurseries
Plantron, Inc.
Burgess Seed & Plant Company
Direct Gardening.
(Burgess Seed)
We ordered seed potatoes when them came in the mail they were nothing but a runny smelly bunch of mush.said they will give us a refund when we send them back.we refused and told them we would send the shipping label back as we would get in trouble with post office for sending liquid rot back in the mail
In February, 2009 I ordered $70.00 worth of plants, roses and other items from Burgess. They immediately charged my card, and when I did not see any plants at the back door, I sent an e mail asking ship / tracking info. "They will not ship until ready, We will advise when they ship" Seven weeks later I found a duct tape sort of bag on the back step with "plants" inside. Poor concept of plants I moaned but went ahead and un packed the bag. I got to plant some of them and now they are all dead. I went back and looked at the paperwork. They state at least 6 times, No return, refund or replacement without origional shipping label" Well the duct tape bag got tossed when the bag was unwrapped.
Now Today I went to The Home Depot and purchased real, live plants for $45.00 and planted them tonight. I sent letters and e mails to Burgess, but I do not expect a favorable response.
I ordered 95.00 worth of trees/hedge and vines on 4/10/09. On 4/13/09 they charged my credit card the order amount but I heard nothing from them about anything being shipped.
Keep in mind that mail order and other businesses are not to charge your credit card till the item is ready to ship.
On 4/17/09 I still heard nothing so I e-mailed them asking if my order was shipped either in part or whole and if not why was my credit card charged already for the entire order. 4/19/09 I received a answer from them saying that my order was in there shipping department but nothing said about any ship date or a word about the early charges to my account. Also no name was put on the e-mail from them - Just said "Customer Service"
4/20/09 I did a BBB search on Burgess and there rating was at the bottom and they had a VERY LARGE number of complaints about Billing, Warrantee, Product quality and lack of product delivery.
4/21/09 I sent another e-mail asking about my order status and again stated that my credit card should of not been charged till product is shipped and only for what is shipped.
4/22/09 I received a reply back and again I just got a Bla Bla about 1 to 2 weeks to process the order depending on weather and product availability. So my real answer was when ever or if I get what I ordered will be when they wish and nothing once again about the early charges to my Card.
My response to this was- I called my Credit card Company and voiced my dispute about the problem of being charged on 4/13/09 and no product or service was provided as of 4/22/09 and explained the e-mails and they granted me instant credit canceling the charges to Burgess. After I hung up the phone I got back on line and sent another e-mail back to Burgess telling them that this is my official Order cancellation notice to them and that I disputed there charges on my credit card removing the charged amount. Then I further instructed them that if they send anything to me that I will not accept anything from them at all. I'll see what happens now and then after file a complaint with the BBB as well.
On May 8th, 2009, emptypots added the following:
4/23/09 I received a reply e-mail from Burgess about my order cancellation. Burgess mystery customer service said "Your cancellation request has been forwarded to the appropriate department. We will do our best to try to cancel the order before shipping occurs." Well guess what? They shipped the entire order anyway on 4/30/09 that's 7 days after I told them I canceled the order and my Credit card company removed their charge. Well I trucked the Green bag of;
5246 Shade Hybrid Poplar 5$7.97
6753 Tulip Tree 4$4.00
4732 American Arborvitae 12$18.50
6816 Privet Hedge 40$18.49
5252 Rose, Red Robin Hood 2$7.98
7306 Trumpet Vine Hummingbird 2$3.99
6825 Hibiscus 6$3.99
6857 Hydrangea Tree 2$2.01
6749 Red Weigela 1$1.49
6877 Rose of Sharon Hedge 12$7.89
6802 Spicy Sweet Shrub 1$2.99
6875 Lombardy Poplar 12$5.92
Free plants and book was not on the package shipping label so probably was not in the bag. listed below:
Free Gifts as Earned Free
Burgess Seed & Plant Company Handbook of Plant Care1Free
Garden Huckleberry1Free
Ground Cherry Tomato1Free
Giant Ranunculus3Free
Giant Windflower3Free
down to the post office and REFUSED DELIVERY which put them on there way back to Owens Nursery (origin address)
FREE of CHARGE and I got a receipt proving so.
When I returned home I sent a E-mail back to Burgess informing them that the package was on its way back to them by USPS as REFUSED and un-opened in the condition received. Their reply was;
"Thank you for that information. You may wish to contact us again once the package has been delivered if a note requesting the refund was not included at the time of return."
Well good thing I used my credit card and was able to contest the charge getting it removed because no way to put a note requesting a refund in a un-opened package and as stated by them If I do not request it they would do nothing at all. Plus with all their no direct answer run around I'm sure that it would take a long time and aggravation.
If they try and charge my card again either in Burgess name or any of their other business names I will post a update.
Also the main reason the credit card company took the charges of instantly was because they posted the charge and still 2 weeks later product was not received or shipped. On May 8th, 2009, emptypots added the following:
4/23/09 I received a reply e-mail from Burgess about my order cancellation. Burgess mystery customer service said "Your cancellation request has been forwarded to the appropriate department. We will do our best to try to cancel the order before shipping occurs." Well guess what? They shipped the entire order anyway on 4/30/09 that's 7 days after I told them I canceled the order and my Credit card company removed their charge. Well I trucked the Green bag of;
5246 Shade Hybrid Poplar 5$7.97
6753 Tulip Tree 4$4.00
4732 American Arborvitae 12$18.50
6816 Privet Hedge 40$18.49
5252 Rose, Red Robin Hood 2$7.98
7306 Trumpet Vine Hummingbird 2$3.99
6825 Hibiscus 6$3.99
6857 Hydrangea Tree 2$2.01
6749 Red Weigela 1$1.49
6877 Rose of Sharon Hedge 12$7.89
6802 Spicy Sweet Shrub 1$2.99
6875 Lombardy Poplar 12$5.92
Free plants and book was not on the package shipping label so probably was not in the bag. listed below:
Free Gifts as Earned Free
Burgess Seed & Plant Company Handbook of Plant Care1Free
Garden Huckleberry1Free
Ground Cherry Tomato1Free
Giant Ranunculus3Free
Giant Windflower3Free
down to the post office and REFUSED DELIVERY which put them on there way back to Owens Nursery (origin address)
FREE of CHARGE and I got a receipt proving so.
When I returned home I sent a E-mail back to Burgess informing them that the package was on its way back to them by USPS as REFUSED and un-opened in the condition received. Their reply was;
"Thank you for that information. You may wish to contact us again once the package has been delivered if a note requesting the refund was not included at the time of return."
Well good thing I used my credit card and was able to contest the charge getting it removed because no way to put a note requesting a refund in a un-opened package and as stated by them If I do not request it they would do nothing at all. Plus with all their no direct answer run around I'm sure that it would take a long time and aggravation.
If they try and charge my card again either in Burgess name or any of their other business names I will post a update.
Also the main reason the credit card company took the charges of instantly was because they posted the charge and still 2 weeks later product was not received or shipped. On May 11th, 2009, emptypots added the following:
05/04/09 package was refused and returned as stated above. They acknowledged notice of returned stuff on 05/05/09. And now they hit my credit card again on 05/06/09On May 14th, 2009, emptypots added the following:
On 05/11/09 late afternoon the Financial adviser with my credit card company called Burgess because I contested the recharge of the original charges and I was told that they got nowhere with them on this matter so again the charge was reversed again and they were going to contact Burgess Bank about this matter.On May 31st, 2009, emptypots added the following:
05/14/09
I got a letter from a Susan Phelps from Burgess Customer service which was pre dated on 5/5/09 but had a company postal metered stamp dated 5/8/09 claiming I owe them the money because they say they could not cancel the order and also they did not get the stuff returned so they were going to hit my credit card again in which they did for the second time noted here on this board on the 14th. Again a fowl practice of trying to rip off the consumer after they acknowledged the notice of return of their stuff on 05/05/09 which they had the tracking number to verify that indeed it was refused and on its way back. ( sad that they need to falsely date letters in a effort to scam you)
05/14/09
I sent a reply e-mail to Customer service to; Susan Phelps in regards to her postal letter with facts and the package tracking # 420124439102901000428016273162 of their package they sent after I canceled and in turn REFUSED proving the product was REFUSED and returned to them as I stated I would do.
05/15/09
I received a reply to the e-mail on 05/14/09 and I got "Thank you for your email. Your request has been forwarded to the appropriate department. Thank you, Customer Care Department"
05/19/09
I filed a BBB complaint on them about their billing and other related events. The BBB filed it under Business Name: House of Wesley, Inc. ( must be their parent DBA) and I recommend all who had problems or was ripped off by Burgess or any of their sub company listings file a complaint also. The last section of the complaint form which is very fast to file ask you what you would like them to do. I said I would like them to be investigated for fraudulent practices and either have their business license revoked and or fined as well as action to stop trying to charge my credit card.
05/31/09
I heard or received nothing from Burgess sense the last letter from a Susan Phelps and Burgess as of this date and no further attempt to charge my card.
I bought their handful of hostas special and in the discription they say they send their choice of the varities of hostas. I thought that there would be a variety of plants so I order 16 plants total. When I recieved the plants they were very healthy and nice but they were all of one variety. When I called the company to see if I could send some back and get a few plants of another variety to mix it up a little the operater was rude to me and told me they ship the varieties they want to send. I talked to a supervisor and she also said that they ship what they want. I told her that the discription needs to read they you may get all of one type of plant because the way the discription reads it sounds like you get a mix of plants. I never did get any other varities of hostas.
I ordered $350 worth from eburgess.com and just after ordering I called to find out how long it would take to get my plants. The phone operator was very rude and after speaking with them and finding out the estimated time of delivery I told them to just cancel the order, they said sure. A few days later I called to get a conformation of order cancellation and was then told it had to be emailed or sent in writing to cancel. I emailed them and still have yet to ever see a cancel conformation or a credit back to my credit card. If any of the item get delivered my delivery carriers advised me to NOT OPEN anything and to write REFUSE on any packages and they would return them FREE to me. I will the have to file a BBB complaint and a dispute with the bank. They say it can take a few weeks to cancel but they really know that by that time they will probably ship. I was told by the bank not to worry and long as I had proof of cancellation, documentation dates, and DIDN'T OPEN ANYTHING REFUSED ORDER it shouldn't be any problem disputing it.
If they would have been a little nicer and helpful when I called I would have taken the order but they act as if we got you now you cant change anything.
I'll research a companies complaints next time before I rush into ordering.
I ordered $92.00 worth of seeds and bulbs from this company 12/08, and on March 1st called and asked about my order. I noted on my order that I would like the shipment NOW, as we live in south Arkansas and I start planting the second week of March. They sent half of my order (the seeds) after I called and e-mailed several times. The other half of my order (bulbs) "will be sent at the right planting time for my area" I'm not sure who decides this, since all my other bulbs are already coming up, I guess they weren't informed it wasn't their time yet! Guess I will have to enjoy my order next year. I will never order from them again!
On Mar 20, 2009, Armywife08 Bruceton Mills, WV wrote:
I placed my order a few months back, I got it today 3-20-09 and have to say was not happy at all. This company CRAMED 7 trees,6 wisteria, 4 rose bushes, 16 cannas,6 peonys, 50 onions, 2 pampas grass, 12 yuccas, and 100 periwinkles into one green plastic bag. Items were moldy and looked half dead. I called the company and was told to return the items at MY cost then they would replace them. Needless to say the amount in shipping would be more than what the plants cost. I wish I would have found this webpage earlier and I wouldnt have ordered from them. Dont waste your time ordering from these people they are not interested in happy customers, they are only interested in the money. I will be contacting the BBB in Illinois about this problem if they dont fix it. I spent over $170.00 on mold and dead sticks, I think I could have spent it somewhere else and got better service. Stay away from this company!
On Feb 11, 2009, mersiepoo New Freeport, PA wrote:
I've ordered from Burgess and their other companies before, and always got low quality tiny sticks in the mail that grow and then usually die the same year. I should have known that a peach tree under $10 dollars was too good to be true. It still is alive, maybe 18 inches tall, but it's still thinner than a pencil and I had planted it over 2 years ago. I think I'll be lucky if I get a peach from it in 5 years.
I did get a decent wisteria vine from them for only 1.99, and it is still alive. I did manage to keep 1 out of 10 red cedar plants alive that they sent me, and now it's 6 feet tall. That was over 5 years ago that I bought it. I had bought some royal paulowina trees, which were barely alive and died (the main stem was pruned and turned black), they did send me a replacement, but that too was sickly and died even though I took good care of it. I bought a 'dwarf' sand cherry from them, and I kid you not the bare root stick they sent me was 3 inches tall! I thought it was just some stem that had broken off! It never even broke dormancy.
I also got 2 paw paws that were shipped bare root (which you just can't do with paw paws, they have a long tap root that doesn't like transplanting, and every other plant company I have seen them advertised with are ALL sold potted), and were dead on arrival.
However, I AM very happy with the key lime, olive and musa cavendish that I bought from them, they are doing very good. Their house plants seem to be of higher quality than their outdoor plants.
I have ordered from this company twice, both times the plants I received looked like they had been sealed in plastic until they were black and slimey, no signs of life at all. I ordered an assortment of rose bushes, and got 9 of the same variety, all were dead, dried sticks when I got them. When I tried to get them to do something about it they said I'd have to pay return freight, which I would have had about $40 tied up in freight charges just go get a refund. These people apparently are in business only for $$$, don't care about customer satisfaction or return business. I'll never do business with them again,,, Thanks for the list of companies they're affiliated with.
On Feb 4, 2009, blkhand Prospect, KY (Zone 6a) wrote:
I placed an order for a large group of Hellebore plants $49. The plants arrived rotten mildewed and slick. I called and stated that the condition of the plants was that they were dead.
They then resent plants that were in similar shape. Calling again the company informed me that they had already resent plants and that was "all they could do."
I'm out the dollars and the plants, they are out of my business!
Shabby money grubbing operation.
In november I received a coupon in the mail that basically said, fill this out, send us $1 and we will send you some Triple L tomato seeds, so, I sat right down and did so. Now, I noticed the check finally was cashed by them in January, I called and the woman claimed I should have the seeds last week, never got them, it's a week later now. So; I called again, they wanted me to get a copy of the cashed check and send to them. I saw things I wanted, and people that know me, know I don't place small orders when I order something; but, told the gentleman, that I didn't feel secure ordering any more products from them until I have received what I had ordered and that I thought it was a waste of my money to get a copy of the canceled check, enclose a letter and lay out the postage again for what???? That's ok, if a company can not keep their books any better than that, and if they don't care enough to send what is paid for and promised they won't be getting my business again. I will stay with Burpees, RH Shumways, Jung's, Gurney's, Boca Bob's (a person who sells garden supplies and is a member of this site), and the other companies I have dealt with in the past.
joy112854
joy112854
I've ordered from Burgess before and found low quality, but decent prices. I get lots of seed catalogs, but looking at them all Burgess had about the best prices. I placed an order on 1/11 and had about 12 items with a total of $103.51. A few days later I get an email saying:
"While processing your order we did notice an error regarding the price of some of the items purchased. The following items are incorrect on your order confirmation:
2 Std Blk Tar Cherry $1.50
The correct price for this item is 2 for $14.99, which would bring your total to $117.00. Please let us know if you wish for us to proceed with processing at this corrected total. "
Basically prices went up $15 on a $100 order (15%)!
I own a business and if there is a price mistake, I eat the cost and try and keep the customer happy. Burgess does not! They quoted me a price, but did not honor it, so I cancelled the entire order and will place it with Park Seed or Stark Bros.
I've used many catalogs over the years, but never found one as dishonest at Burgess. I will never order from them again.
I ordered some berry plants and two fruit trees (all bare root) early this year for delivery in the spring. Most of them looked DOA and did not grow, including six black raspberries, three boysenberries and two pawpaw trees. The only success was with the dewberries, four of those five grew.
I called and was told that replacements could be shipped if I returned the original packing slip. But I was skeptical that a second shipment would be any better. I was also skeptical of the requirement to send the "Original" packing slip.
I asked if I could drive to the store and pick up replacements and was told yes. But I was *NOT* told then that the address in the Burgess catalog (905 Four Seasons Road, Bloomington, IL) is either fictitious or obsolete!
I drove there on the last Saturday of May to get to my replacements and was very surprised when I pulled up to an empty lot at the address given in the catalog! Fortunately, a couple of local men in the parking lot of a business across the street knew that Owen Nursery (a mile or two away at 1700 Morrissey Dr.) is really where the "Burgess" products ship from.
I went there, described my problem and showed them my original packing slip (which they did not keep) and was given replacements at no charge. I chose to purchase potted pawpaws instead of bare-root plants, and just paid the difference in price between bare-root and potted plants. (After I had ordered bare-root pawpaws, I learned that they are rarely successfully transplanted that way.)
The replacement boysenberries plants grew nicely and the pawpaw trees also did well. Only one of the six black rapsberry plants survived, even though I planted them the same day they left the cooler.
I will not do business with Burgess again. Sure, their prices are cheap, but the quality is low, and customer service: forget it!
We ordered from this company because they were local and the price was fantastic. Will never order again. The product came mold , bug ridden and doa.
The return policy is absurd as they have records themselves. No email of confirmation was sent at any time. Very difficult to deal with and inferior product in comparison to other catalogue nurseries we have dealt with in the past.
Two years ago I ordered two lemon trees, lured in buy cheaper prices than other companies. It took so long to receive my order that I called the company to see if they had lost my order. When I finally received my two "sticks" they were full of bugs. I planted them seperately away from other plants and one died within a few days; it was eaten completely by these bugs. The other suffered badly. When I called the company for a replacement, they instead told me to go to a local garden center for advise and get something for the bugs there. No replacement at all! I will never buy from them again.
You would think with a company that sells plants, more effort would be put into quality. That is not the case with this company. People take great care in all the prep work, only to wonder if the 1 inch dead stick they sent you is going to do anything. After 6 weeks of waiting, to still have a 1 inch dead stick in the ground. Now comes the real fun part of jumping through their hoops so you can get a replacement dead stick. A whole year is wasted so you have to wait until next spring to get your plants from a "real" company. In the end you saved nothing. You wasted your time, hard work, and money. While a few did grow (if you call producing a single leaf growth) here is my success record. The rose bushes were 0 for 2. The rose trees were 0 for 2. The lilacs were 0 for 5. The raspberries were 0 for 5. The butterfly bushes were 0 for 2. The blackberries were 1 for 3. The weeping rose plants were 0 for 2. The climbing roses were 1 for 2. The apricot trees were 2 for 2. The sweet cherry vines were 2 for 2. Now it is important to note that really nothing is a sucess. The few things that are alive are just that, alive but a single shraggy leaf on a dead stick is nothing to brag about. This company does not sell inexpensive plants, it sells CHEAP ones. If anyone is looking for a real bargin, I have some dead sticks you can buy for a real low price. I will even give you some pictures that show what they would look like if they were alive and healthy. Maybe I should start a seed company? Oh wait, Burgess is already doing this.
This was my first mail order from a nursery. Sadly I stumbled upon this site too late. I tried to cancel my order but it was too late. (funny considering how long it took to process in the first place) I decided to do my best to be objective and patient.
I ordered several nut and fruit trees and some grape vines. I did this not just for fun but because I aspire to produce a portion of my families food. Since they take so long to develop losing a season is very costly some day.....
My trees arrived in a very sad state. Dried out twigs in a bag. They did not have soil or moisture as promised by the staff via phone. A few looked way past dead. They also did not measure to the height stated online.
Thanks to this site I very carefully kept my shipping labels. After the stated time requirement plus extra I had to send away for my replacements. I had one walnut, one almond and one maple die right away. I had One apple die and grow in from the rootstock (not exactly a good thing). Admittedly one apple fared well as did my mini citrus collection, grape trio and banana.
I got the replacements today, they look just as sad. One did have moisture in the form of mold growing on the roots. In the end I will still not have everything I wanted even after replanting. Aside from losing a valuable season I also lost a great expense on my modest budget. The quality was very poor even in the items that did survive. I cannot afford to just waste hard earned money on junk. I would have been better off sending twice the cash for half the wares somewhere else. In the end I would have gotten more.
Buyer beware, don’t be fooled by pretty pictures and too good to be true prices.
We ordered "premium Blueberry mix" plants early in 2008 so we could have a blueberry crop this summer. We received 4 premium size plants and 2 small plants. As it happened, only the small plants thrived and the larger plants died. We then contacted them to replace the plants and mentioned the discrepancy between what we paid for and what we received. They ignored this and sent us another 4 plants that were about 4" high and pretty beat up from the shipping. When I again contacted them about this discrepancy, they requested we send back the original mailing label and one of the blueberries. Since we have only 4 blueberries on the six plants I have decided to forego the $9 difference and instead leave feedback for the way our account was handled and the frustration we encountered in dealing with Burgess seed.
Ordered because of impressive catalog and low price coupled with their stated replacement guarantee.
Purchased both a garden order and a tree order initially. The garden order plants arrived in fair condition, small, and poorly rooted. I planted what I could and bought other garden plants locally. The Tree order was even worse, with some trees having no roots at all. Planted anyway with expected results. provided root starter and drip lines, but failure rate was near 80%.
Since after 3 weeks it was obvious to me that some trees would probably never root, I ordered a third order and double planted the trees. The trees received on the second tree order were in the same shape as the original order, and have had even a higher failure rate so far. (90%)
Sent Burgess an email after a month and requested replacement trees to cover the failures of the first tree order Mailed the required shipping label (why they need this is beyond me, since the have the order in house) and then waited for two more weeks before they responded. The customer service responses were very brusk and non-involved. Never did they admit either a problem or suggest a solution. Their last communication indicated I would have to wait for 6 weeks, per their policy. (I thought that a month plus 2 weeks WAS 6 weeks ?) But they further stated that they would only adjust the orders all at once at one time. (Why and where is this policy stated? Seems like they make it up as they go along.)
Meanwhile the growing season continues on and I still have no growth on the Burgess products nor any affirmative action from Burgess. I've written off the company as a scam and purchased elsewhere, but I think it unfortunate that such a company continues to thrive.
Last year I ordered 9 pawpaw trees from burgess. When they arrived I at first did recognize what they were. There was a green bag rolled up and stuffed in the mailbox. When I opened it, there were nine sticks inside. It was obvious where the tap roots had been broken from carelessly pulling them up. Had there been a complete root system, the plants would still not have stood a chance being as how there was NO DIRT OR WATER in the bag whatsoever. Upon scratching off a portion of the bark, it was obvious that they had been dead for quite some time. Regaurdless, I planted them in pots just for the sake of seeing if jesus would raise them from the dead. After a couple of weeks, they were rotten and broken. By this time, the 14 day money-back guarentee had expired, leaving replacement as the only option. I guess I could have returned them for more dead sticks, but what would be the point in that? Then I would just have to pay shipping over and over. Being as how pawpaws are the only thing that I have ever ordered from them, I can't knowingly say that all of their products are bad. I do know that absolutely no effort was put into making these trees live.
By the way... during the same season I ordered two pawpaws from Burnt Ridge Nursery... they came in pots. Strangely enough, they are growing today.
Ordered plants. Dug big deep holes and put lots of sand, peat, and rich organic matter around sickly or doa plants. Lost over 75% of plants. Sent in original shipping lable to Burgess for replacement plants. Never contacted by Burgess. Called, and was told to call back. Called back. Bottom line: Burgess did not and will not make good on bad plant stock shipped to me.
Fool me once....
ANYONE THAT GIVES THIS COMPANY A POSITIVE RATING IS IN THE MINORITY AND DOING THE GARDENING WORLD A DISSERVICE!
Customer service is awful. After trying to contact them by e-mail and never receiving a response I reached them by calling their ordering line. I explained that I had purchased 100 privet hedge last summer, they had started growing, and over the winter every single one had died. I asked what my options were and the rep told me that I could get a voucher for more plants or I could get a refund for the cost of the plants. Per the reps instructions I wrote a letter stating I wanted a refund and sent along my original receipt, and waited. It has been a number of weeks and I finally received a letter with a voucher. They said I needed to read the warranty closer because it states you only have 14 days for a refund. It was their rep who explicitly told me that even though it had been numerous months, I could still get a refund. Their own staff doesn't even know what is going on. VERY FRUSTRATING TO DEAL WITH!!!
On Jun 3, 2008, deadtreesinNJ Phillipsburg, NJ wrote:
Ordered peach trees and received twigs. They are shipped in a green plastic bag. Called Burgess, told them I thought the trees were dead, they told me to wait 6 weeks to make sure they were not just dormant. Waited the 6 weeks, called and asked for a refund, told Burgess I did NOT want a replacement, a credit voucher or other items from them. I am totally dissatisfied with the items I received. Not at all what I expected. Wish I would have seen this website first. Burgess told me that after 14 days I can NOT have a refund. Please help. I do not want anything else from them, expect a refund.
I registered with this site simply so I could share my experience with Burgess Seed and Plant Company. My experience with them consists of two orders in the last 2 years. I'll make the first order experience short and sweet. It was a small order - around 4-5 plants - and all but one was received in mostly dead to completely dead condition. Like a devoted gardener freak, I planted them all just to see if I could revive them. No luck. All died. The order was something like this: 1-2 butterfly bushes (received dried out SMALL sticks), Walk-On-Me plants (thyme). I received 5 tiny, single strand starts. None survived. 1 Spice shrub. Received a dried out, barely rooted stick. No luck there either.
As I stated, the order was small and not much money, so I wrote it off as bad luck and left it there.
My second order was this year (2008). The condition of the order is below:
1 Dwarf Blueberry bush - rec'd FAIR plant and it seams fine.
1 Spice shrub - rec's pland broken down to about 3 inches tall with unwrapped roots which were brittle. No green was to be found. In other words - a dead stick.
1 Star Magnolia tree - Rec's with extremely dry, unprotected roots. I MAY have saved this one through extreme care and time, but it looks pretty weak.
Blue potato spuds (5) - rec'd them in a plastic bag. ALL were ROTTEN and MUSHY upon arrival. Nothing quite like the smell of rotten potatos! I threw them away!
2 French Pussy willow starts - rec'd both extremely dry and one was broken at the roots. No root protection and neither had and green on them. Both died.
5 Red asparagus roots - Rec'd VERY dry in a plastic bag with no moisture wrap at all! If you have ever planted asparagus before, you know they are difficult. Good, healthy roots are the key. Of the 5 roots, 2 seem to be O.K. I was highly dissapointed with this one in perticular as I have a decent bed of Jersey Mail Hybrid asparagus already and love it!
2-3 assorded seed packs - I figured 'who could mess up sending seeds? I guess they can! I rec'd 2 packs of what I ordered and one pack of something else entirely! Again, being the plant loving freak I am, I planted them anyway.
My 2 emails to them have been ignored. Needless to say, I find this company a complete waste of money and time. I could probably plant my $50.00 bill in the ground and water three timed weekly and expect a better plant than they could send! I will no longer order from them, nor communicate with them. Every grower I know will know my exprience with them as well. I have an extensive garden and landscaped yard I maintain and it is simply there loss.
**My suggestion is to not order from Burgess Seed. Not if you truly love plants. Order from them simply if you would like to send them a donation and receive twigs and rotten plants for your compost heap. Hey, at least that helps the O-Zone!
i was so hopeful of my 24 Jumbo Canadian Hemlock bushes id ordered some months ago. The arrived after about 6 weeks in a inhumane sac suitable for referral to the cruelty to horticulture society. anyway. 6 were dead on arrival. the remaining 18 were planted and cared for. 3 days later a spring rain left not one needle left. 2 days later theyre all dead. Before they all succumbed id returned my shipping label with a letter requesting 6 replacements. They were allegedly shipped on 5/9/08. It is now 5/21. nothing. I just called a few minutes ago to check on them and i got the rudest woman i'd ever spoken to. ** dont get confused but after the survivors died i called again after sending in anohter letter. I was told that i must first send in the shipping label from the dead 6 (should i ever get it) before they can re-raplace the entire order. I asked the woman if i could pay extra for the replacements to be overnited. She said sure, just call and arrangment after the first order comes. So, i just called again because im sure theyre somewhere dead on a mail truck and asked about them. I told this 2nd woman how the previous had said i could pay extra for expedited shipping....
"we dont' do that kind a shipping".
"well the last woman i spoke to said i could pay extra for it"
"well she was wrong."
"ok, is there anyone else i can speak to?"
"nope"
"you dont have a supervisor or anybody etc...:"
"nope, well there are supervisors but they're on call.. ill put you on hold and let one know youre there, but a supervisor aint gonna get your order overnited anyway so youre wasting your time"
"fine ill waste it then"
(click)
and here we are. I could have driven to Burgess from NY 6-7 times for this order since may 9th. I've wasted a lot of money in my life but this is by far the worst.
I have purchased plants from Burgess and several of their affliated nursery companies. To date I have been shipped plants sealed in poly bags that did not grow, came in moldy, moldy and mildewed, bulbs rotted, other plants with an 80% growth success. I have my shipping paper work and will attempt to get replacements. To realize bulbs are rotten and not growing takes longer than 14 days. Final statement: I will send appropriate paper work to attempt to get replacements on those things which failed; however, I will not order from this company, its affliates, or any one connected with Plantron, Inc.
Unfortunately, I found this site after I'd already made a purchase. I kept my fingers crossed, but no such luck. I ordered 40 privet hedges, and received literally 40 sticks with roots sticking out the bottom. Paperwork was wet, thrown in the same package as the so-called privet "hedges", which I would not, under any circumstances, call a hedge or anything along those lines.
I returned them in accordance with the return policy, within two weeks with the original shipping label. I sent with a delivery confirmation, received a delivery confirmation, but every time I called to ask about my credit, they could not tell me whether they received them (though I had provided them with the delivery confirmation #), and they would always reply, "well, IF you returned them and IF we received them,...." they were absolutely clueless. I gave them the delivery confirmation #, date, time, etc. via phone and email, and FINALLY (after threatening to dispute with my credit card company) they issued me a refund for product cost, MINUS return and delivery shipping fees.
I WOULD NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY IN THE FUTURE.
On May 7, 2008, supeernana Abilene, TX (Zone 7a) wrote:
Hi. Placed order with this company last year and then found this site. Was hoping I'd be able to post a positive, no such luck. I did try to do something another person had suggested, I planted some of the trees and shrubs in the ground and some in planters so they could be babied. Nothing lived. The plants looked dead to begin with but knew from reading here that had to be sure to let enough time pass for them to break dormancy or would get that line from the company. Well, sent a letter and the package label by certified mail asking for replacements, haven't heard from company yet. Bulbs didn't do well either as the glads had what looked like mold or mildew on them. Will wait and see but think I wasted my money with this company. Learnt a lesson the hard way, check things out first.
On Apr 30, 2008, sparkymarky Rapid City, SD wrote:
They offer a one year warranty. We spent nearly $100 on shrubs and all but a few of them died, most within weeks. We waited to warrant them until this spring to make sure the other few made it through the winter. Now, to spend nearly $100 you know there were a lot of shrubs at their price. Anyway, I saved and sent all the little tags in, and then they tell me they needed the PACKAGING...you know, those muddy plastic bags that they stuff all the little sticks in. So, I'm out the money, another year without shrubs around the perimeter of my property, and hoping I can afford to buy shrubs with my small gardening budget. BURNED!!
"From Eroyal Dutch I ordered 4 Black Magic Elephant Ears (No. 32426747)
From House of Wesley I ordered 2 Bat Flowers (No. 32426755)
Both are part of your Company according to my research.
First of all I am going to say that I find your customer service extremely poor.
I ordered AND IMMEDIATELY PAID FOR the following ON APRIL 9TH.
4 Black Magic Elephant Ears in the total amount of $43.39
2 Bat Flowers in the total amount of $28.99
Grand Total I PAID is $72.38
I have called three times to find out where my plants are. I was given a “parrot”
answer each time saying they have shipped and were shipped on APRIL 19th. No further
effort was EVER made to find out WHERE my plants are. Well, here it is, April 30
and I have YET to receive my plants. So I called again today to get my money refunded
and was rudely told that I could NOT get my money refunded and no attempt would
be made to put a tracer on this shipment until MAY 19TH????????? A MONTH for a
tracer on a shipment paid for (and supposedly sent on April 19th) is more than outrageous.
This should have been done immediately after my first call. THAT’S customer service.
I have also checked your rating with the Illinois Better Business and some other
sites on the web and, not to my surprise, your rating is “unsatisfactory”. Had
I known this, I would never have done business with your company. I intend to spread
the word among my friends and fellow gardeners about your “customer service” and
I how feel I have been ripped off. I know my order is small, but I do expect decent
customer service. Well, I tried to call AGAIN and speak with Richard Owen, President
of your Company, and was told he does NOT take calls from paying customers??? Interesting
and I have duly noted that. Please make note that I have NO intention of ever doing
business with your company again.
I want a refund in the FULL amount of $72.38 credited to my VISA. I should not
have to pay shipping on products that obviously I’m never going to receive. If
I ever DO get these plants, I will be returning them to you and I want to be removed
from your mailing list.
I expect a timely response to this email or my next step will be to contact the
Illinois State Attorney General’s Office"
On April 30th, 2008, Helen_C added the following:
Well, I called this "company" again today to find out why I still haven't received my plants. As per the norm, I got the usual song and dance from their so-called "customer NO service" so I asked to speak with a Manager. I was transfered to "Kevin", who sadly has no last name, and I was treated just as poorly as ever. I could not get any kind of an answer as to where my plants were and when I asked about a tracer being put on my order, I was first told that "policy" will not let them do a tracer for 30 days. THEN this clown told me that "we really don't have any kind of tracing policy with the post office".
I also tried to explain that I had received dead plants and Kevin asked me how I assumed they were dead and not just dormant. I figured that when a plant crumbles in your hand after removing it from their "shipping package" that it is safe to assume that it's past dead. So Kevin tells me that it takes up to 6 weeks for these plants to start to bloom. How does a plant that crumbles able to bloom?
I advised this Kevin guy that I'm finished talking with him and dealing with a company that does nothing but rip off people and my next step will be to file a complaint with the Illinois Attorney Generals Office, which I am doing today.
I'm out almost 80 bucks for the order I'm never going to get, plus I'm out another 25 bucks for dead (not dormant) plants.
DO NOT BUY A THING FROM THESE THIEVES AND RIP OFF ARTISTS!!
The plants I received from burgess were seedlings and the roses had a single pencil size cane. These people should take there operation to the swap meet where they belong. I am still waiting for the last part of the shipment, this is beyond fertilizer
I had a reorder place in Jan. 2008 for items thats didn't grow the previous year. I spoke to an agent on March 7th and she assured me that they received my reorder and it would be shipped in April because I'm in zone 5. Well, today after looking at this website I called to update staus only to find out that my order was shipped on March 19th. I haven't received the order so I asked to trace it. I was told that there was no way to trace the package until it's 30 days lost (april 19th). I expressed obvious concern that if this happened I would be planting in the first week of June the way they ship, and was greeted with 'there is nothing I can do'. I then asked to speak to shipping and was told that they can't contact shipping but wait until the 19th and they will trace our package. Well, if plants are sitting in a plastic bag within a plastic bag, in the back of a mail truck for 30 days, what kind of product will I receive? I asked why can I order something from Hong Kong and get it in a week, but I live in the same state as the company that sells the product and can't receive my product in a reasonable frame of time and got the 'there is nothing I can do'. There is no reason to keep dealing with this organizxation
On Apr 11, 2008, Freds_Garden Varysburg, NY wrote:
Last year I ordered plants and they never usurvided. They were basically dead by the time I got them. We tried and of course the plants didnt.
This year I ordered some additional plants figuring ok. We will try again. Well the trees that came in were broke in half, no root stock and obviously were in that condition before they were shipped and they cracked like a dead twig.
After writing to them, the reply was, well we have this quarantee, of course we will replace it ...... but....... return the label and we will either give you credit or replace the plant. Obviously by the time you get the paperwork, the plants will be gone.
Maybe they are planning it that way and we should all let the attorney general know in your state as well.
This will be the last time I ever deal with these people and I am not afraid to let anyone know to stay away from this company.
First experience with Burgess seed were Blueberry plants which arrived broken and much smaller then the stated 12"-18". Decided to overlook it. Placed a second order for $110.00 worth of Trees, bushes ect. Called Burgess to ask if order had been shipped. No, it had not. Good, because I have had an unavoidable Emergency come up and must leave for a few weeks. I needed to Cancel the Order. I was told, I need to send in a written Cancelation request. And what if you send order in the mean time? Very uncaring customer service person said that was the best they could do. Very unhappy with this co. BEWARE-AVOID-once they get your money, you are at thier mercy and will see just how much they value thier customers.
Please save yourself the hassle and DO NOT order from this company. I wouldn't trust any of its affiliates either. I placed a $300 order with this company. I'm not going to go into every detail of my exchange, however, I will tell of the thing that ticked me off the most. I paid extra for a blueberry collection that was to be potted and delivered at 18-24" height. The cheaper/younger plants were stated as being 12-18" in height. The plants that they sent me and I paid EXTRA for were barely 8" tall, pot and all. I was nothing but pleasant and professional to them on the phone and only asked that I be credited the difference between the older and younger plants. They can't DO that at their call center and you must mail in that stupid all important shipping label and their billing department MIGHT take care of it. I told them that was rediculous in this day and age and I wouldn't be ordering from them again. Please save yourself the hassle. The enticing low prices and pretty pictures in their mailers are not worth the hassle. Spend the extra money and buy a plant from a more reliable and customer oriented business.
I ordered a Climbing Blue Moon rose. Well, a rose arrived. There was no advance notification from the company, so I had no idea when it would come. I came back from a business trip to find an unmarked plastic bag crammed into my mailbox with a bunch of other mail. You would think they could mark the plants so that the mailman has some idea how to handle them! He's amenable to leaving things on the porch if he knows he shouldn't crush them.
Anyway, this poor squashed bareroot plant is not even the rose I ordered. It is a Climbing Blue Girl rose, according to its label. I know these are not the same thing, and I don't know if I'll like the Blue Girl. I received no notice from the company about any substitution. Sigh.... I've decided to plant it and see how it does, but I'm not happy with the company and wouldn't order from them again.
On April 25th, 2009, neon_sky changed the rating from neutral to negative and added the following:
As of April 25, 2009... It survived. It even thrived, although it arrived damaged. BUT, this is not only not the Blue Moon I ordered, but now that it's flowering it turns out not to be a Blue Girl or any other "blue" rose. It is hot pink, with a salmon-coral blush to the outer petals!!
As I was planting a "blue" garden when I put this in, it is quite out of place. And after waiting a year for it to bloom, I am quite unhappy to see that it's some other climbing tea rose!
