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My experience was EXCELLENT and I would highly recommend Park Seeds to anyone. Their prices are reasonable and the shipping is not as high as many other seed companies. Their seeds are enclosed in foil packs to keep them fresher, which is great if you are getting seeds for spring and fall.
Very poor order fulfillment this year (2009). Ordered flower seeds, wooden plant markers, and seed starter trays 2/17. Got the seeds over 5 weeks later; got the markers after 7 weeks; still don't have the seed trays over 2 months later. They're using "supplier problems" as an excuse. Pretty sure that translates into poor management or financial problems. The other 5 seed companies I ordered from this year had normal shipping times - about 2 weeks. Won't be using Park Seed again.
On Apr 18, 2009, listerjen Perryville, MO (Zone 5b) wrote:
I had placed an order 3/10/09 for 4 seperate flower seeds and 2 groups of seeds for children ( unique plants for children).
Have gotten my flower seeds.
I have not recieved the seeds for children. Which has been a BIG disappointment for me and my daughters class. I had talked with her teacher before order and we thought it would be neat for the children in her class. No show on seeds as of today and I have made 3 calls.
Call 1: 3/20/09 The seeds are in the bin and would be sent shortly.
Call 2: 3/24/09 The seeds should be in Friday and since they were for a class would be put on priority.
Call3: 4/6/09 Final call having problems with suppliers. Would ship very soon. Again priority because of class and my complaining.
Checked and was charged for these seeds on 4/13/09 even tho' I have been told they can not deliver.
Oh yea that class I need them for are handicapped children and they were told this.
I wanted an early start this year and ordered from Parks. I did not order any live material, only seeds and supplies. It took 1 month for my order to arrive. No notification was given to me about the delay. I will not order from them again. On the positive side I love their BioDomes, but the price has gone up $5 this year.
I placed my order with them on February 28. I got a shipping confirmation without a tracking number on March 6. The seeds came today, on April 13, more than a month later. Way too late for my plans.
This is not a good year for Parks --- one for the vendor failure history books. I had my order in status of "shipping soon" for three months now. Supposedly, they are having trouble with their suppliers -- not a good excuse. They are just getting in the Cauliflower seeds -- and it's April! What a mess. They sent me a packet here and there and then sent me a card that I was being refunded for some seed that is sold out. Of course, the card nor the website informs you of which one. I feel sorry for the CSRs but whoever is responsible for the massive breakdown in getting the products from the vendor to the customer should be demoted or fired. They spend a lot sending out pretty catalogs but this year they literally can't deliver. They owe their customer a big sincere apology. This is a difficult business environment and I bet you that Park's has lost a lot of customers this year. They did me.
On April 28th, 2009, mbabbitt added the following:
This company should be charged with fraud and incompetancy. The Cauliflower I ordered in February and have been waiting for since is now scheduled to be shipped May 4th! The CSR told me that the company was just packaging the seed. I said that was nuts, that the harvest should have occured last year and that the failure is from a different source. I canceled that. Also: The two Irises I ordered are now not going to be shipped at all. So they were canceled by default. The only thing left is a dahlia and the CSR told me she would try (couldn't promise) to have it shipped by the end of the week. I am not holding my breath on that order either. Can you believe this company? I told the CSR that this year Parks has suffered a PR disaster that it would not recover for years, if at all. Stay away from Parks and all affiliates, which have beautiful catalogs but terrible service.
I received my black magic elephant ear "plant" and nine canna bulbs this past week, the "plant" is three leaves. The bulbs appear to be okay, but no planting instructions as to the depth or spacing for them. My future purchases with this company will depend on my success with growing these items. will report back later this season.
On April 23rd, 2009, plantgnome changed the rating from neutral to negative and added the following:
these people don't give two hoots about customer service nor do they pay much attention to zones. Don't even try these people there are too many really good companies to order from. Bluestone, Gardensoyve, highcountrygardens, nature hills, etc. On April 28th, 2009, plantgnome added the following:
As with Wayside Gardens-this company also sucks. Backordered items that I ordered back in winter. DO NOT PURCHASE ANYTHING FROM THEM.
Once upon a time when you placed an order with this company, you received your order all at one time or no more than two separate mailings. That would happen if you ordered plants and seeds. I placed an order for three packets of seeds and one plant on 2/11/09. First pack of seeds shipped 2/16, second pack 2/18 and the third 3/14. The plant, understandingly, will arrive at proper planting time. Sure is a waste if time and energy. Thankfully there are better companies out there as this will be my last order from them.
On May 7th, 2009, qbs changed the rating from neutral to negative and added the following:
Received the last shipment. The plant was packaged in Styrofoam peanuts, not very environmentally friendly. Also the plant was terribly root bound. This company and it's affiliates have gone down hill in the past number of years. I used to make major purchases from them. No longer.
I ordered online and my order was acknowledged right away.
I requested three corkscrew vines and the order was for
plants.
I placed the order on 3/30 and had a shipping confirmation
on 4/07. That's quick enough.
The plants arrived and are absolute beauties. I have had
these before from other sources and these are as good
as the best I have had and better than others.
I will use them again. I have for years, I know they time
orders, and they have in the past even gone ahead and
sent me things sooner than they had planned because I
asked.
Ordered 10 packs of seeds March 25. Shipped March 31. All of that is o.k., and as advertised.
Here it is today, April 8. No seeds. Tomorrow is Good Friday, traditional planting day.
Call the customer service number, which is of course a call center (asked that question). They said that they shipped the seeds USPS "and of course that takes longer." Well, maybe. I'm a whole 95 miles from Park Seed, and even USPS doesn't take that long. They do not have a response to that, except "wait 15 days."
They say that I have to wait 15 days, even though the shipping policy on their website says 5-7 days. They don't know nothing about any website.
Just so there's no doubt, here a quote from the website:
"BestWay- This is our standard shipping option. Park's BestWay is always your least expensive option and may take about 5-7 days en route after leaving our building. "
So can I get my money back. Well I have to "refuse" the shipment. Well, exactly how can I refuse a shipment that I haven't gotten. So when will I get my money back. "It will show up in 30 days on your next statement."
Uh -- I paid with a debit card and I'd like to get it back as quick as you took it out. "It will show up in 30 days on your next statement."
So I want to speak to a supervisor. As usual, "she" is busy helping other customers. O.K. I can wait. Put on hold. "It will be a while before she can help you, can I have her call you back." "Sure, who can I expect to call," Well, we have many supervisors, it might be any one." WAIT A MINUTE -- I thought "she" was busy" "Oh, all of our supervisors are busy helping other customers."
BTW, for the Park's People who are supposed to read this, The person at the call center insisted that she was a Park's employee, which is a lie also.
This used to probably the best seed company in the South (other than Hastings, which they bought) you would talk to someone right there in Greenwood, but like a lot of other companies, I guess they've sold out to lowest common denominator.
NO DELIVERY -- NO REFUND -- LYING EMPLOYEES-- DON'T CARE.
On June 22nd, 2009, oneroundtrip added the following:
After getting the run around and being outright lied to by the call center, I registered a complaint with the BBB.
LO AND BEHOLD, the charges that could not be reversed within 30 days were reversed in 24 hours. Of course the amount was wrong -- too little -- but I got a bank officer to call and we finally got that straightened out.
Hate to impute evil motives to someone, but when you under-refund a single charge, that looks pretty intentional.
I admit I was hesitant to order from this company given all the recent negative comments I read here, but I have used them many times in years past and never had any major issues. I also had a credit to use, so I gave it a shot.
My order consisted of some vegetable and herb seeds and supplies. I placed my order on line on 3/30. A notice there said something to the effect that due to heavy demand, processing time would be 7-10 days. I was notified that one item I wanted was out of stock so I deleted it from my order. Well, I got everything today which was earlier than I expected given that I chose regular shipping.
As an aside, I've never experienced problems with germination. In fact, depending on the variety, I've had success with some Parks seeds that were 7 years old!
Count me in as another disappointed customer. Shame on me, because I read all these negatives and decided to still take a gamble and hope it worked out...not. Take it from me, DO NOT gamble that you won't be one of the unhappy ones---you will! I ordered strawberries from them on March 3rd. I called on March 13th to check the status and was told they'd be arriving in the nursery and shipping out in the middle of March--so, a few days from when I called. Since then, no word, no nothing. I called today and was told that they are back-ordered until the end of April. When I mentioned that it is kind of getting late for planting, the (admittedly very nice) girl on the line said I completely understand, but we are back-ordered. She was nice, but I'm still not getting my strawberries for at least two months after I ordered. Oh, and yes, of course my card's been charged already. Truthfully I've given up all hope that I'll get them at all. I wish I had gotten them from someone else---I was suckered in by the cool hanging bags that Park's offers that I didn't see anywhere else.
Don't take a risk--find your stuff somewhere else! It will save you a lot of frustration.
Placed an order for asparagus plants and strawberry plants in February, website said they would ship mid March. Called 3rd week of March, was told it was not shipped, not sure why since it was in stock. Was told it would ship on the 1st of April. Called again on April 4th, not yet shipped and now one of the items is on back order.
So disappointed. I have ordered from them for 10 years, never had a problem. Use to be a great mom and pop place, great plants and seeds.
Obviously in a whole lot of trouble now. Hope they make it, as this economy will not forgive this large mess up. I now I will not order from them again if these plants to make it here in the next week.
On Apr 3, 2009, bsetiawan Corryton, TN (Zone 6b) wrote:
I placed a small order in Dec for a spring delivery of strawberry plants and my charge card was immediately charged. After not receiving my plants I checked my account and it said your plants will be shipped soon...but soon never happened. I then emailed to receive an email saying this is their busiest season and they could not return my email..Duh! After steaming over this a few days I called and spoke to a man that never gave me his name. He said yes..they had my order but they didn't have the plants and he didn't know how my order had fell through the cracks..he was very polite and said he would personally see that my credit card was credited. Ok...only it hasn't happened yet. I received my card statement yesterday and it wasn't there. I will wait til next month and then report a complaint to the card company. I have since ordered with another company and received the plants in 4 days. I was told by that company that it is not legal in New York to charge a card before the item is mailed. I told the man at Park's this and he told me it was easier for their company to go ahead and charge..yeah right! I guess the law doesn't apply to him. I will never order from this company again but I will not let up until my money is returned.
On May 2nd, 2009, bsetiawan added the following:
Well...after calling and being promised that my money would be credited to my card...it's not! The statement came in yesterday and no Park's listed. I've decided not to bother since it was such a small order...but I will Never order from them again. I guess they need the money enough to start biting off the hands that feed them now. Wonder how they'll like it when enough people get sick of it and they have to close down for cheating people?
On Apr 3, 2009, sanrocci Dover Foxcroft, ME wrote:
I ordered before reading all the reviews and was totally bummed out cause the order was for $75 worth of seeds. Lucky for me, they came in as planned and none were backordered so I have to give them a positive review for this order. But after reading all the comments, I'd be CRAZY to re-order anything so that is a negative comment which equals out to neutral!
In the past Park Seeds for me has been a little better than others describe tho it appears they are getting worse. Their customer service is unreliable and will give varying answers for which the candor is in question. In my last order to them originally to be delivered 2/14, still has not arrived by 4/1 - ONE packet of seeds. I was told several times it had shipped, that it was backordered by an affiliate of theirs, that a similar seed would be substituted, and most recently that they would reorder the seed. Lastly they gave me two "tracking" numbers that I could use for the US postal service and that somehow they could not track their own order. I agreed to call the US post ofc and was told the two tracking numbers were invalid and not their format. I won't be doing business with Park Seeds in the future. I would like to somehow get other poster's opinions on what flower seed companies are well thought of however....Thanks.....
On Mar 31, 2009, Brandiva4me Wake, VA (Zone 7b) wrote:
DO NOT ORDER From THIS COMPANY. I wish I had read some of these reviews before I did. I ordered 8 packets of seeds on 3/2/2009. Now here it is almost a month later and I have nothing. I have called 3 times and still no seeds. I have emailed them. They email directly back and say there will be a response to my email within 48 hours.....nothing. I am a Master Gardener and we have a yearly plant sale to raise money for our charitable causes. We have missed 2 greenhouse dates where I had volunteers scheduled to plant seeds and now our entire plant sale is in jeopardy. Please do not give this company your business.
I really should of read about this company before I did business with them. So my bad. Anyways, It has taken 3 and half weeks to get my partial order from PS. Everything in my order said it was in stock and when I call them I get a completely different story. The kind southern lady Barbara, had not a clue to any of my questions. Do you have my order? "I don't know sir" , Did you get my order "I don't know sir" , When should I expect my order? " I can't be sure sir" , Do you work at Park seed? "I don't know sir". I wonder if Barbara is a vegetable herself. Oh, the best part is that my complementary banana pepper seeds are on back order. I bet they charge me shipping on those.
Do not deal with this company! Otherwise, you will get your orders after the season has come to pass. Plus, it's just all around pain in the Ass!
Ordered seeds on 03/11/09, and didn't get them by 03/30/09 so I called to find out the status.
The operator said they'd "gone to print".
What does that mean? I asked.
She said they would be shipping soon!
How soon is "soon", I asked.
She could not tell me, but it would be soon.
She was unaware that Park Seeds had already shipped one package of the 8 different items I ordered. Some German Chamomile seeds advertised that there would be 100-seeds in the packet. There weren't. At best there were 50.
On Mar 28, 2009, Chumuckla Sautee Nacoochee, GA wrote:
I have ordered from Park's for many years. Only last year did the service get so bad. They made totally unacceptable substitutions and claimed they would issue a credit. Then they did not do so.
This year, they charged my credit card twice and I am still waiting for my lettuce seeds. By the time they come, it will be too late to plant them for a spring crop. When I call, they assure they're being shipped. They have also assured me they will issue a credit for the extra charges on my credit card; I'll believe it when I see it. I won't be doing any more business with Park's.
On Mar 28, 2009, sautee Sautee Nacoochee, GA wrote:
It distresses me that Park Seed has had so many negative reviews, and that I am adding one after many years of satisfactory dealings with them. It is the same scenario as others - briefly, I ordered (and was charged) on 12/23/08. All seeds except the herb collection (which I needed a month ago for starting in the greenhouse) shipped - one or two at a time over many weeks. The latest correspondence (of many) indicated that the herb collection was "due last Friday." When I asked if it actually arrived, of course, it had not. "Apologies for the inconvenience, etc." My order number is 5498204. It's sad that Park has followed Wayside's example....
On Mar 28, 2009, Splintergroupie Stevensville, MT wrote:
Another negative comment. I ordered seeds 8 days ago online. The online shipping information says they are still "shipping soon". I emailed a cancellation of my order and asked for acknowledgment when they credit my CC, as they state they bill the CC at the time of the order.
BE PREPARED FOR SUBSTITUTE TREES OR SHRUBS OR SEEDS. PACKETS OFTEN FALL SHORT ON SEED COUNT. GERMINATION IS LOW. PLANTS OFTEN DIE, I HAVE YET TO HAVE A ROSE BUSH LIVE THAT I GOT FROM PARK SEED. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND PARK. 10CENT AND 25 CENT DOLLAR STORE SEEDS GROW BETTER THAN PARK SEED.
On April 1st, 2009, hemlockhaunts added the following:
IN LESS THAN THE TIME IT TAKES TO ADD A COMMENT ON WATCHDOG THE CONSUMER CAN FILE AN ON LINE COMPLAINT WITH THE BBB OR STATE ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE. YOU CAN ALSO DOWNLOAD A FORM AND ADD A STAMP AND MAIL THE COMPLAINT IN. IF COMPANIES LIKE PARK GET SWAMPED WITH BBB REQUESTS, IT MAY GET RESULTS.
On March 5, 2009 I placed an order with Park Seeds out of Greenwood SC. The order had a total of 109 seed packets of vegetables, herbs and flowers. Last week I received 1 seed packet -- still missing 108. This evening I received an e-mail that said 2 more seed packets had been shipped -- so that means that there are still 106 left to be shipped. When I called Park's this evening to find out about the 106, the gentlemen told me that my order had been in processing since March 10 and to think it is now March 24. I wonder if next week I will get 4 more of the packets I ordered?
I have always had very good service from Park's as did my father before me and my grandfather before him. My great Uncle's and great grandparents in Lexington County, South Carolina swore by Parks. Growing up I remember how everyone "poured" over the Parks Catalog when it came in. Park's no longer has the seed selection that it once had for Southern farmers and gardeners, but they do have seeds that I have not been able to find easily elsewheres, but if I can not get the seeds in a reasonable amount of time -- then it does not matter if they have them or not.
How disappointing it is to have a company that my family has ordered from for generations go from being a top notch seed company to one that loves to take your money and then make you wait and wait - almost like they hope you forget that you placed an order with them. I guess since it is taking the order so long to come in, I will just freeze the seed and have it for next year crops.
On April 2nd, 2009, Weavingator added the following:
I received the majority of my original March 5th order yesterday (April 1) delivered by UPS -- the other 3 shipments of the order came by USPS - there are still 9 seed packets on back order. My sister and I checked in the order this morning and found all the seeds they listed to be there, except after going over the original order and comparing it to the 4 invoices that I have recieved, we found that they had added 3 extra seed packets that I had not ordered and charged me for them. I called customer service and was told that I had ordered the extra seeds. I told the CS rep that according to my original order that I printed when I placed the order that these were not on there and I would be more then glad to put the 3 seed packets in an envelope and return them. I was then told that it was not necessary and that they would issue me a credit. I asked about the back ordered seeds and I was told that they expected the seeds in on Friday and that they should be shipped out on Monday. Although I am glad that the bulk of the order has finally come in, I am still not a happy camper, as their delay in shipping the seeds that I ordered has put me at least two weeks behind my planting schedule and is now costing me money for not having the plants coming up getting ready for the farmers markets I participate in and it is now to late to plant some of the seeds -- they will just have to wait until the fall planting season.
I made my usual order on Feb 25,(30 packets of seeds) on 3/15 I called and asked where my order was? I was told they were still waiting for their online exclusive packages that I had ordered. I told them if they didn't send me the total order by 3/18 then cancel it. on 3/18 they email me stating they sent out a partial order. (the day I said to cancel if they didn't ship the total package). I received this partial order 3/24 six days after the order was allegedly shipped. I live 6 states away from them. That's 1 day travel per state. What seed company doesn't stock their seeds in the Spring? especially their online exclusive items. It has taken them a month to package and ship a partial order. I find that totally unsat.
Who knows when they intend to ship the rest of the items. My seeds should be planted by early March for a May transplant. I emailed them 3/19 with complaint, received an automated response with a 48 hr. return response. No response to date. Over a $100.00 of seeds were ordered and I receive this is the type of treatment . This is not the Park Seed company of yesteryear. Time to find another company with another company that keeps their customer's best interest in mind. Unfortunately Park seeds deserves to fail if they don't want to treat customers right.
I also have been a customer of Parks for well over 20 years. The service has not always been perfect, but in the end I was satisfied, and continued to come back year after year because of the wonderful variety of seeds. This year, however, has been a total disaster. I placed my order three weeks ago, and it still has not been shipped. My emails have all gone unanswered. There have been no notifications of delays or items out of stock. My first phone call resulted in the customer service rep saying she'd put a "rush" on my order. No results. My last phone call(yesterday) resulted in a very nice rep saying that she was making a list for her superviser of people whose orders should be shipped immediately. She also told me that my order had been packed on Mar. 10 and was just sitting there waiting to be shipped. I have no clue why it hasn't been.
I'm about at my wits' end. To make things worse, my order was paid for with a gift certificate given to me by my best friend, and now she is really upset too, as she thought she was giving me a great gift. Actually, the email gift certificate itself took over a week to arrive, which was bad in itself. I don't know if my order ever WILL be shipped. I intend to call every day until the end of the week, and then I am going to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau if my order has not been shipped. I will also cancel my order and never order from Parks again. It's a shame to see a good business destroy itself like this.
On March 25th, 2009, alicesanimals added the following:
I have just noticed that the Better Business Bureau's rating of Parks has fallen from B to B- since Monday. I just called Parks AGAIN and was told by one of the supervisors that my order was STILL sitting waiting to be shipped, and she couldn't give me a date. Mentioning the BBB upset her a little but made no difference. I'm about done. I will be filing a complaint. Terrible way to treat loyal customers!On April 17th, 2009, alicesanimals added the following:
A few days after my last comment I called yet again, and asked to speak to a supervisor. I told her that if the seeds weren't shipped within a week I would file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, cancel my order and never shop with Parks again. She said she couldn't promise and was ever so sorry. Well, lo and behold, my order arrived four days later, though the status on the web site still said, "shipping soon". I don't think I will be back. Especially since several of the seed packets had only half the number of seeds they were supposed to contain. I'm glad I got my seeds after all this, but am still disappointed.
I ordered blackberry plants from Parks and have waited over a month for them. When I checked my order status, it says "shipping soon", yet they have had my money for over a month. I see from other commentors that "shipping soon" means they have no idea when it will ship. I tried to log onto my account and received a message saying that they have changed their site and my old password won't work. They said they would send me a new password after which I sign on and can change my password again. Well, I've been waiting quite some time now and they have not sent me the temporary password, so I cannot access my account. I think they have done this deliberately to lock me out of viewing anything. I won't deal with these people again, and I recommend that no one order from them in the future.
Placed an order online March 8th for seeds and fertilizer. Checked website a week later and saw that the items would be "shipping soon". A week later I still had not received my order and checked online. It still said "shipping soon". I called the company and they told me that the items were "being processed". After a few days, I called back to see if it had been shipped only to be told that the order was "being processed". I ask what the problem was and was told they always wait approx. 14 business days to process an order. I told them that was unacceptable to me and I wanted to cancel my order. They said they could not do that now because the order was "being processed".
I have ordered from Parks for many years and have
NEVER had this much trouble with an order. Needless to say, I won't be ordering from them again. There are too many other good companies out there that will take care of me as a customer.
On April 18th, 2009, blembry added the following:
Just noticed that there are 33 recent compaints to the BBB of Upstate South Carolina about this company.
I have been a customer of this company for years but this year I have been saddened by my experieince. I placed a large seed order and also ordered some starter equipment. I phoned to be sure it was in stock and was assurred it would be shipped right away. I got a nice order confirmation by email saying it was being shipped....NOTHING was said about anything not being in stock.A few weeks later a package arrived with a few packages of seed and most of the order missing. When I called I was told that the missing items were not in stock and it would be weeks more before they "would probably" get them in....I asked why I had been told both on the phone AND by email that they were shipping . The answer was that they were working on fixing the confirmation notice . A bit later a few mmore items arrived but the order was still incomplete. Again I called. I was further upset to find that my credit card was charged immediatly upon placing the order even though I eventually had to cancel much of the order as by the time they said I might get it, it would be too late to be starting the seeds. It seems very wrong for them to take our money and use it for weeks before they ship...especially as the products may never become available. I just hope the promised credit actually shows up.
I reluctantly will join the chorus of negativity about this company. I placed an order online, and weeks later the promised 'order number' has yet to arrive, and email to the company goes unanswered. Needles to say, no product either.
It's sad. I'm a long time customer of this company, and have regularly visited their plant in Greenwood to tour their flower and vegetable show beds. At one time they were a fine company. It's sad to see a venerable old seed company trash its heritage, but that's what has happened here.
I would advise everyone to go elsewhere for their seeds. Thankfully, there are reputable, competent sources to replace Park's.
Sad.
On March 25th, 2009, SC_weedz added the following:
An update: I finally called them to get the promised order number which never arrived, and without which I can't check on the status. When requested, they refused to cancel the order since it was "in the warehouse for shipping". Two days later I called again, and you guessed it- "in the warehouse for shipping". I then used the local pnone directory for Greenwood SC to call directly to the facility, and the person answering did agree to cancel the order. Now to see if I get my money back.
The issue for me is- has Park's been taken over by an incompetent bunch who simply can't run a business, or are they now criminal scamsters taking orders for which they have no intention of fulfilling?On April 12th, 2009, SC_weedz added the following:
Final update on my Final Park's Order: After assuring me that the order was cancelled on March 25th, a package arrived from them two days later. It had all but one of my ordered items. It's too late to start the peppers now for my planting season, so I suppose I'll have to keep them for next year and hope they are still viable. I'm afraid to return the order- after Park's performance thus far, I doubt that they would ever refund my money.
An interesting fact- in the time since placing and finally receiving this Park's order, I've placed and received three orders from Johnny's Seeds, all accurate and timely, with no need to call or email. I have drawn the obvious conclusion...
I placed an order with Park for 8 items on Tuesday. I was really hopped up on the Bio-Dome. A friend of mine has one and she said it works great and she needed refills.
Anyhow, after checking the order status of my web order daily, today it still says will ship soon; so I called to find out what the deal was.
Half of my items are not in stock I was told.
The customer service rep was nice enough as I explained to her that I find it rather disturbing that a company of Parks magnitude did not have a web system that lets one know that the item is back ordered.... AND even worse that I was not e-mailed that items were back ordered.
I asked her to remove my name from their snail mail and e-mail list, which she supposedly did.
On December 28 I placed an order, and was immediately shipped the Park Starts kits, one package of tomato seeds and one package of (free) sweet banana pepper seeds. Other seeds, which also were marked "ships now" have still not arrived and this is March 16. I also ordered asparagus and strawberries, which were supposed to be shipped in late January or early February. I have since been told the plants would ship on March 15, but the status still says "shipping soon". They are ignoring my questions about the rest of the seeds.
On March 21st, 2009, MaggieA added the following:
Just reviewing all the emails, etc. I have to post this as my favorite of all time as a response to a query:
On 2/14/09 I got this message from Park:
"Re: order #5501459 (dated 12/28/08)
Thanks so much for contacting us! Your concern is important, and we're glad you took time to write. Please accept our apology for not shipping your order sooner. Our records indicate that your order is under review by our Nursery Manager and has not been released for shipment. The process should be completed and your order will be shipped as soon as possible once released."
Today is March 21 and there has been no further info on this review. However, the status on the website says "shipping soon" as it has for the last three weeks.On April 20th, 2009, MaggieA added the following:
Well, I finally got a refund, after cancelling the unfilled order, and refusing a company credit. It took several calls, but the credit was finally posted. The interesting thing is that my local provider of wonderful stuff, Hyams, defended them by saying they have had a thirty percent increase in orders this year and just got overwhelmed. My suggestion would be that if business is that good, they should (1) be upfront about the time involved, (2) hire more people and especially (3) not charge the credit card until the order is being processed. Excuses really don't cut it. I would like to see a comment from the company.
On Mar 13, 2009, 1indyfan North Salt Lake, UT wrote:
Here is some info. that might be helpful to those who negative issues with Park Seed Company. I have just placed two orders with the business and will keep you all updated with my experience. Anyway, if you go to the Better Business Bureau US Organization you will find some helpful numbers and find that Park has a "B" rating, due to number of complaints, and there head honchos name, Mr. Chas Fox. Hope this helps those frustrated, and might I suggest that in your future communiques with Parks, you mention the BBB.
Park Seed needs a course in communication. I placed an order on Jan 30, 2009 for their "Right Light Collection." When I placed the order, the status for the item was "Ships Now." This was my first experience with Park Seed so I thought now meant, well, NOW. Not so.
It is now March 11, 2009. I have called three times and was told all three times the order would ship the next week. I called twice in February and just today. Same answer.
There were no emails to explain the delay, no communication whatsoever. I am a patient individual, but it'd be nice to know why the product has not shipped. Most reasonable people understand delays as long as they are kept apprised of the situation.
The order status for my order on their web site has a comment "Ships soon." Soon meaning when exactly? Next spring, I'm thinking. Too late for this year. Unfortunately I had also ordered a large variety of vegetable seeds and supplies on a separate order before I discovered what "now" and "soon" means to Park (maybe never) and I am experiencing the same type of delay on some of their seed and supply orders even though all the items I ordered had an ordering status of "Ships Now." It didn't. But, hey, it does say "Ships soon"...which is not at all encouraging.
I also agree their web site is excellent and informative, their newsletters timely and educational, but it's mere window dressing for poor customer service lurking within. Luckily it was my first (and last) Park experience. I'd order elsewhere if I were you.
I ordered various items from Park Seed in October 2008... I ordered quite a few flower seeds (monarda, shasta daisy, blanket flower, larkspur, snapdragon, foxgloves)... they arrived about 2 weeks later in envelopes with individual directions on each as to recommended sowing instructions. It seems like they have difficulty when something isn't in stock and they are still selling items.
I just recently placed another order for more seeds and still haven't received them yet. I called and talked to someone saying that they expect delivery in mid March... so I'll update everyone as to how that turns out.
All in all I love their website, the variety of what they offer, and the sales they have on a lot of seeds, etc. I realize it is frustrating for people who anticipate their orders being sent right away however.
Order number 5532805
I am really dissappointed for myself but more so for Park Seed. I am a second year customer that they are very close to losing for good. In my business if you tell a customer you are going to do something and you dont you lose them as customers. If you dont return emails follow thru on what you say you are going to you lose customers. Customers are tough to get and a lot easier to lose Its too bad because I enjoy their website, catalog and product. I have made numerous phone calls sent numerous emails ultimately getting no where on the last item on my order the corn mirai collection. At the beginning of February I called and was told it was going to ship in mid February. It didnt. At the beginning of March I sent emails got no response and called again and was told that inventory was being done and would most likely ship in the following days. It didnt. I followed up with another phone call on sunday March 8. I asked what was up and was told they were waiting on seed from their supplier. Shandra the manager had no explanation of why I was told it would ship in mid February and did not.. Although very nice she could not handle my objection. Instead she offered me twenty percent off on my next purchase. Essentially I construed it as a backhanded sales pitch. I told her I didnt feel it was appropriate to pitch me when I had a negative issue pending.
They are great at sending numerous emails selling their websites products many times per month but do not have the technology to handle customers concerns in a prompt resposible manner. I am considering cancelling the last item on my order (corn mirai collection) and considering sending my business elsewhere in the future. I wonder if I will get a satisfactory response to this statement. I would like to hope they can turn around the negative feedback that is prevelent on this website. If not they endanger losing people like me.
On March 21st, 2009, brettl added the following:
Order number 5532805 I was told the corn mirai was going to ship this last week on March 14 and was even told the seed was in and shipping would be expidited that week. Today March 21 I called out of curiousity to see if it shipped and was told that the seed had not even arrived from the supplier ! For the second time I was given what sounds like a canned answer that they were doing inventory and it may be in but were not sure. Its too bad Park is able to brush aside customers with false misinformation.
I have wasted enough time and told them to cancel the item although I wanted it At age 41 I figure I have a lot of years of gardening left in me and I was well on my way to buying with them every year. I dont think that is going to happen. To be honest the rest of the order went well with only Pincushion flower shipping late. I didnt even need the corn until May but was so put off by Parks false promises that I cancelled the last item. Genuinely sorry the company is having such problems with reviews on this site but am thinking they may be justified. I have not heard back from anybody at the company yet and at this point do not expect to. If I dont get any response I will not only probably stop using Park but not even give all of there affiliates such as Wayside, Jackson and Perkins, Dollar Seed Store, Parks Landscape, or Perfect Plant a look. With a different approach by customer service and just a straight forward answer that the seed had not been recieved from the supplier I would have been fine till May when I would plant. Very bummed because the actual product is great !On April 4th, 2009, brettl added the following:
April 4 - Called Park today because I got a response from one of my emails but the response was what I suspected a form response. The customer service rep for surely did not read my email. It upset me so I picked the phone up and spoke to someone who was actually very,very responsive. I told him my story and he actually advised me that two of the three Mirai corn had been in stock the whole time one type of the three was not. I asked why no one told me that and he was straight up that some customer service were not experienced. He explained that everyone in the United States has decided to grow a garden and that they werevery busy. I explained my dismay in the customer service and he offered me the two Mirai corns in stock. They finally did the right thing. The question is will they charge me ? If they dont they lose me as a customer. I undrstand the people at Park are working hard. That impressed me and if they follow thru they keep me as a client and I change the rating. I guess we will see !On April 12th, 2009, brettl changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following:
Apr 11, 2009 Although having to bird dog Park has sent me two of the three Mirai collection (corn white and yellow free of charge and shipping ) . Also, I had problems with germination of begonia and columbine seed. After getting off the phone with them I still wasnt completely clear what they were going to to do but I was assured what was wrong would be fixed and I would be treated properly. I have not still recieved a refund on my credit card but they have finally begun to work with me. Because life is not perfect I have decided to upgrade my rating from a negative to a neutral. I believe that in the future this company will work with the customer if you work, and work with them. I am going to hope that this kind of customer service continues because they will be able to retain customers like me and stay a prominent source for the foreseeable future...
If my order ever gets here or the status changes, I will amend my review as needed.
I ordered fast...way ahead of my local area garden curve..on Jan 16, 2009. All I ordered were 3 packets of Sea Magic, 1 trellis net and one of their strawberry hanging bag specials.
Now, knowing that the strawberry plants will ship in feb, I didn't expect to receive the other items till then either since they tend to pack together. By mid Feb, I called and wanted to know why my order status still said "ships now" but nothing is every updated.
I got a scripted response, "I show this is to be shipping by the end of the month". I said, okay..gotcha, I'll keep monitoring the site.
Now it is the end of the first week of March and I look for updates and voila, "ships now" is still in the column. Grrr.
I call and get the scripted response, "I show these items will be shipping at the end of the Month." Now I say, hold on there, we harvest Strawberries in May, this is ridiculous. Nothing, nada, nichts. Crickets could be singing here in the silence.
Finally, the guy on the other end of the phone says to me. If I were you, I would buy them someplace else. I keep saying the same thing about shipping times to people and there is something wrong with what's going on with us and our suppliers.
Now, this guy would lose his job for telling me this instead of keeping to the party line so I'm very grateful. My order is fairly small and I'll just order from someone else and keep this one open to see if and when it ever does get filled.
I'm really shocked at how far down hill this place has gone. Used to be good and reliable but certainly not anymore.
I have to agree this company is horrible. I ordered seeds the first week of February and only recieved about half of them the next week. Slowly, the last few seed packages have been coming in the mail. I am still waiting on two tomato seeds. Each time I call them, they say that it is shipping out this week. On Monday, I just told them to exchange the seeds for others that will ship out that day. I was assured that the varities exchanged were in stock and would ship out that day. What a lie. I am still waiting for them to be shipped out. What is worse, they have already charged me for the difference.
This is crazy!!! It is way past the time for me to start the seeds indoors. I already have volunteer tomato seedlings popping up under my row covers.
Do not order from this company...ever. If you want seeds for less there are much better companies to buy from than Park Seeds.
