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I was so very excited to be ordering from this company for the first time since I had heard such great reviews! I am sad to say that the rose shipped did not meet my expectations (it was a sunny knockout rose)! Firstly their packing job was less than desirable (the rose was placed into the bottom of the box and the remaining space was packed with newspaper breaking many of the branches on the rose). As for the plant, it was obviously just transferred into a gallon sized pot when it clearly should have been kept in the pot it was already in.
SO, the plant was already small, and many of the branches were broken off so I decided to email them and tell them of my experience. Luckily they responded promptly and I am pleased to say they sent me a new plant that was better than the first, but still packed in a less than desirable way!
All in all I am not too happy with the company, I think that they really need to try and do a better job of shipping their plants, which seem to be very good quality I might add! The two roses that I received from there, the one I ordered and the replacement, are both doing well now despite the harsh treatment they received initially.
On Jun 13, 2009, Chamblee's Rose Nursery responded with:
"On Jun 15, 2009 9:14 AM, Chamblee's Rose Nursery responded with:
As mentioned in the negative review, we did respond promptly to your concerns. Customer satisfaction is very important to us. We are glad that both of your roses are doing well for you. We apologize for any damage you received to your plants during shipping."
On Sep 16, 2007, charlenesplants Buffalo, TX (Zone 8b) wrote:
I went to chamblees to purchase roses. I told them I was new to roses and wanted good quality roses.
I bought 20 plants that were only 5$ each. The person said you want to look for one that is healthy and has a good system with three good canes as she pointed to the canes in the pot.
As a newbie, I would've appreciated more honesty.
I saw them later at a garden show selling the same plants for $6.97 each.
The plants all had three cuttings in them instead of three canes on one plant.
When you took them out of the pots, they were distinctly separate plants and were not very old rooted cuttings.
They were not what I was told and not what I expected to recieve.
After three years of learning about roses, I now look online about what to expect before going out to buy roses.
For the same amount (acutally 3 cents less) I bought roses from Wal-mart that were bare root, wrapped in plastic with compost keeping the roots moist. They were actually three cane roses and had a strong root system. No babying or pampering was needed when they were planted out.
Chamblees has own root roses and they are not graded by any standards. Only grafted roses are graded.
Having learned this, I personally will not buy their roses again.
I like own root roses, but I prefer healthy roses grown for at least two years. They are much less stressed and have a much better chance of survival.
Now if they (chamblees) had told me that I could get healthier and older plants by paying more, I would have done that. The problem I have is that they were asked to give me guidance as a newbie and some advice on roses. I actually went there to buy 20 roses and would have paid $10 - $15 a plant had they given me the proper advice.
On Sep 16, 2007, Chamblee's Rose Nursery responded with:
"
On Sep 19, 2007 1:17 PM, Chamblee's Rose Nursery added:
We politely take the time to reply to this negative rating, but would like to list the inconsistencies in the negative claim:
1) The only garden show in Tyler, Texas, that our roses have been sold at were not sold for $6.97. If this was the price, these were not our roses.
2) The roses we have for $5.00 at our nursery are very old plants that have been discontinued due to slow sales of these varieties. Our sales staff would not have introduced these roses to a customer claiming to be "new" to roses, as larger, well-established varieties are much more appealing. We also stay in business by selling our higher quality roses. The "bargain" roses are geared toward gardeners who are not looking for specific varieties and want a low price.
3) All of our roses, including the $5.00 roses, carry a 90 day guarantee and we will be glad to replace them if they do not perform. We were not contacted by you for this information.
4) Although you refer to yourself as a "newbie", you state that you have been learning about roses for three years and have taken a class at ARE. We are always happy to educate our customers properly. In fact, we hold an annual Rose Adventure for those customers who study roses as deeply as you claim to.
5) Bare root roses are grafted roses and require much care in order to survive. Grading laws do not apply to own-root roses, as governed by United States Department of Agriculture. We only carry own-root roses, and our product cannot be honestly compared to a grafted rose sold at Wal-Mart. Numerous rose growers would support the fact that own-root roses are hardier, and easier to grow than grafted roses.
As always, had you contacted us regarding your displeasure with our staff or our products, we would have been more than happy to correct the situation. As you can tell, we are highly regarded when it comes to customer service. We are pleased to here that you are a happy customer of Antique Rose Emporium as they are a customer of ours, and friends in the rose community.
"
On May 21, 2005, ajincolorado Colorado Springs, CO wrote:
I have having a really hard time deciding whether or not to post a negative rating. I’ve decided to go with neutral now and provide an update depending upon the outcome. I purchased 2 roses from Chamblee’s and was very excited for their arrival. I had requested a May 9th arrival date and I called on that date just to check on my shipping status. As I was in the process of moving, I supplied a separate billing address and shipping address – which I indicated on my order. The roses ended up at my old address in another state.
My issue is not the fact that my roses went to the old address, I understand completely that mistakes happen. My issue is that I called and spoke with the folks from Chamblee's 3 TIMES! checking on my arrival date – and not until my last call did they pull my file to see that they were shipped to the wrong place. On my previous calls, I simply got the “they are on their way” or “they are probably being held up by the ag inspector” response. If on the first call, they had pulled my file, the roses could have been re-sent and received within the 8 day window that I waited before making my next phone call.
After this last phone call, I just asked for a refund. The man on the phone said that he would refund my money right away and send a confirmation email. That was May 17. I haven’t heard anything yet – but I’ll update when/if I do.
On June 4th, 2005, ajincolorado changed the rating from neutral to negative and added the following:
How I do wish that I could at least hold my experience with Chamblee’s at a neutral rating. I wish that I had a good experience like the other writers here. As you can see from my previous postings, I have been trying to get a refund from Chamblee’s for what has now been weeks. I have called. I have emailed. And, each time I do, the response is “the president has mailed a check.” I called on Monday, May 30 and was told it was in the mail and I would receive it by Friday, June 3. Now, I know that the mail can be slow so I’ll post again later next week to see if I actually get it. The ridiculous thing about this whole experience with Chamblee’s is that it has been going on for nearly a MONTH. I am exhausted in dealing with this company. And, it shouldn’t be that way. That is unacceptable for a business holding a 100% rating, in my opinion.On June 4th, 2005, ajincolorado added the following:
How I do wish that I could at least hold my experience with Chamblee’s at a neutral rating. I wish that I had a good experience like the other writers here. As you can see from my previous postings, I have been trying to get a refund from Chamblee’s for what has now been weeks. I have called. I have emailed. And, each time I do, the response is “the president has mailed a check.” I called on Monday, May 30 and was told it was in the mail and I would receive it by Friday, June 3. Now, I know that the mail can be slow so I’ll post again later next week to see if I actually get it. The ridiculous thing about this whole experience with Chamblee’s is that it has been going on for nearly a MONTH. I am exhausted in dealing with this company. And, it shouldn’t be that way. That is unacceptable for a business holding a 100% rating, in my opinion.On July 1st, 2005, ajincolorado added the following:
I just thought I’d let every know that I received my refund check. Exactly one month after my original call date.On May 21, 2005, Chamblee's Rose Nursery responded with:
"
On Jun 6, 2005 9:33 AM, Chamblee's Rose Nursery added:
Chamblee's does apologize for the inconvenience with your order. After the package got shipped to the wrong address by mistake, the company asked the customer how they could best remedy the situation. Chamblee's asked if they would like the order sent to the correct address, a refund on their credit card, or a refund check. The customer first stated that they wanted the roses sent to the correct address. The order was ready to be shipped when the customer contacted Chamblee's and said they would rather have a refund instead of the roses.
The letter sent to the customer last week stated:
"In reguards to the errors concerning order # 4446, we offer our sincere apologies. The president of the company will send you a refund check in the amount of $32.90 this week.
Thank you for your patience in this matter,
Chamblee's Rose Nursery"
Due to the size and structure of the company, checks are only cut on Fridays. A check was issued last week on Friday, June 3, 2005 in the amount of $32.90.
