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On Jul 3, 2009, kenrnoto Westminster, MD (Zone 7b) wrote:
Isn't it funny that almost all, and I mean just about all, the Positive Remarks were made from members who signed up the day they made the positive remark!
Seems like that company will make a new member, have them post a very Positive Remark, then that's the last you ever hear of them.
Now, I saw an advertisement for this company on Facebook. I decided to check them out. What I saw is what many have posted here - it's basically a scam.
They tell you you're getting this great pruner and trowel for free - but they leave out that they are poorly made. The one photographed isn't even the one your supposed to get.
The Scam is that they'll give you all this stuff during your free 30-day trial. You get a magazine plus these two garden tools (that's their current offer).
Then they'll bill you for your subscription - $12 annually they say. But what really happens?
According to the reviews on Dave's Garden and other websites that I checked - you get a bill for $24 - two years.
If you agree, then they'll send you an offer for a lifetime membership - $200. I guess they figure since you were a sucker to pay the $24 instead of the originally offered $12, then you're enough of a sucker to pay $200 for a lifetime membership.
As P.T. Barnum used to say: "A sucker is born every minute!"
And what about the testing of tools and all? They claim if you qualify they'll send you a garden tool to test. And they say that you may also qualify to keep it. Sure you can keep it if you pay for it! Or if you pay for the "P and H", where the "P" now stands for "processing fee" and the "H" stands for "handling fee". Gee, I thought processing and handling were the same thing, didn't you? Years ago the "P" stood for postage, but now these scammers have changed it to processing. Check that out, more and more ads on TV are saying "P + H", then in the fine print you find out the P is for processing, not postage.
Anyway - this company will send you items then bill you for them. They could be items you think were free, but then a few weeks later you find out that they want you to pay for them. If you don't pay, they'll send you threatening letters demanding that you pay up.
Shoot folks - check out this company on other websites that review companies - you'll see for yourselves.
And don't forget to disregard any POSITIVE POSTS by "members" that just joined that day. Those posts are usually by reps of that particular company trying to sucker you.
Check out the Better Business Bureau too -
Find out the truth about these company's offers.
You'll be glad you did!
Ken
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me
On Feb 22, 2009, gardengirl1000 Virginia Beach, VA wrote:
I got the offer in the mail yesterday from the National Home Gardening Club, sounded like a good deal and was thinking about joining. But after reading the reviews it is going in the trash. Thank you all for sharing your experience so others don't get scammed.
Does it seem a little strange that one gardening club forum has an entire area dedicated to reviewing what I assume is a competing club? I appreciate the Garden Watchdog with mail order companies but something just seems odd about this. I'd feel better if Dave's Garden stuck to reviewing mail order companies who aren't necessarily offering the same membership services as Dave's offers. Less perception of a conflict of interest.
Note from the Garden Watchdog editors:
The Garden Watchdog contains a category for gardening-related magazines. This listing for the Gardening How-to magazine was created in 2004 to provide information about the magazine, and an opportunity for the magazine subscribers to add reviews for it.On January 29th, 2009, brokein09 added the following:
Thanks for the feedback, Garden Watchdog editors. I guess what still doesn't feel very good to me is that this really doesn't seem to be about rating the magazine - most comments seem to relate to bashing the other club and attempting to convince people not to join that club. I'm not defending this club because I don't have any experience with them - I'm just saying some things don't feel quite right. I rely on Garden Watchdog a lot regarding mail order companies and I hate to see things that might decrease the credibility of the good work that Watchdog does in that area. Jack
I got a promotion from National Home Gardening Club today and thought it looked too good to be true. The negative and neutral reviews here confirmed this. There is a reason that not a whole lot of joiners got tools to review. They state that they have currently 600,000 + members. Further down the same page, they say that 380,000 members over the years have tested products. Do the math: only about half the members got one tool to test.
I collected my mail from the mailbox one day, and as I sorted through the various items, lo and behold! there was a letter addressed to one of my cats. I opened it on her behalf, and it was an application to join the National Home Gardening Club, complete with a personalized membership card! I was unaware that she had any horticultural interests other than rolling in the catnip and digging in the mulch. Needless to say, she did not become a member. I still wonder how her name got on their mailing list. Cats are smart animals, but they don't apply for garden club memberships!
On Mar 25, 2008, patina23 Neptune City, NJ (Zone 7a) wrote:
Hi,
I became a member three years ago, paying the yearly fee.
I received the items promised for joining and used all of them.
I decided to pay the membership for life fee last Spring, and gave $150 of the $200 due and made small increment payments since to pay the total off.
I was also told I would receive the three years of payments I sent in, back to me and I have to call about this because I just thought of it now, after reading these posts. The $75 was not deducted or mailed back ot me in a check.
Lifetime membership gardening products arrived at the house, then a testing product- a weather proof chaise lounge cover made of durable material and this product did cover three stacked chaise lounges, over this past winter. This cover turned out to be a very good product.
But-an item came to my home when I joined and paid the lifetime member ship fee, and I was not happy.
A small sunflower trinket like box that opens, containing a sunflower pin and something else, I forget now. With a bill stating to mail in a payment for this item or mail it back. The bill also stated if I did not return it, I was to expect three more items similar to this item, every few months.
I was bummed to receive this unexpectedly. I do not deal well with having to return something I did not ask for to begin with and also feeling like "What did I get myself into?" I sent in the $29.95 payment a month later and should have returned it ASAP, but I forgot about it.
So far, nothing else has been sent in the mail to my home. I wrote on the bill that I did not want to receive any more of these items--PLEASE!
I want to see how it goes with this lifetime membership. I hope I did not make a mistake.
Patina
Okay, I seem to have the same issues as several others. I actually got suckered in because I was told in the original mailing that membership dues were much less what they ended up charging me (just over $200.00). If I recall correctly, I was told (in the original mailing) that membership was only $24.00 a year. So, this past summer I decided to join because the price was reasonable, and at that price if they weren't all they said they were (which I suspected they couldn't possibly be for that price) it could still be worth it because of that low low price.
After I wrote that check it wasn't too much later that I got a box of stuff. At first I was excited because this seemed to be just as the company advertised. It was mostly seeds, a book, and that was pretty much it certainly nothing to test and nothing to write home about. And, imagine my surprise, when a couple weeks later I ended up getting a pricey bill for the crap in said box! (Because of these additional charges, I suspect I've actually paid $300.00, if not more for my membership)
Sometime after that I got a hugh box, but after that first time I was wary rather than excited, so I opened it very carefully in case I needed to send it back. So far, I haven't gotten a bill for the contents, however, there was very little actually in that big old box.
It was after this that I got my biggest shock of all - a bill for the cost of my membership, which I had already paid. Worse still, this new bill was charging me over $200.00 dollars. WTH?
At the time I got that bill I'd been a member for three/four months and saw nothing that was worth $200.00, and in the time since then (stupid of me, I know, but I thought maybe after I paid I'd see something worth it) I still haven't gotten anything to justify paying a $200.00 membership. NOTHING! All I have now is regret, because I could have bought many new plants for my garden with that money, instead I've completely wasted it!
Also, none of those products that they claim to send to members to test and rate have come my way. So I feel like I'm paying over $200.00 for a magizine subscription that isn't worth more than the $24.00 I originally paid even if you include the three/four packets of free seeds they've sent in that original price.
Honestly, I can go to my local Dollar General Store and buy better seeds for a quarter a packet, because the so-called free seeds I've gotten have never even attempted to grow, even when I finally got fed up and dumped the whole packet in one pot, not one came up. And going to my local Dollar Store I get much less hassle and no threat of a hidden bill showing up later - that's certainly worth a quarter, especially when you consider that even the following year most of the seeds from Dollar General can be planted and while by that point less than half will come up, it's still better than those so-called free seeds from this company.
My first negative review on this site (though at this point I've only given three ratings), and I honestly find myself hoping it is my only one. The sad thing is that I would have probably rated them positive or at least neutral if they had stuck with that original price of $24.00.
However, I would be willing to change my rating to at least neutral if the company shapes up come spring - I'm willing to accept that maybe they have nothing to send in winter, but I actually hold little hope of getting any of the so-called free products.
To be honest, at this point, they would have to send me something really nice to have any chance of keeping my money coming, because I just can't afford $200.00 a year for what amounts to a magizine subscription.
On February 25th, 2008, ConGar changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following:
Changed my rating to Neutral after it was suggested that I check over my paperwork again. I have now done that, and from what I can gather from the rereading is that I won't (or shouldn't be) charged $226.00 every year. It would seem the $226.00 is a one time charge, I can't help but have my doubts, BUT until proven otherwise I decided it was only fair to change my rating from Negative to Neutral since the large charge was the main (but not only) reason I was so very unhappy.
The other reasons (mentioned above) are the reason I'm not whipping out a Positive, and after rereading things there's a new reason I'm not completely satisfied.
There is a disturbing lack of clarity in the original paperwork, because everything in that indicates that my original $24.00 payment was for a lifetime membership and not merely a magizine subscription. It would have been much nicer knowing up front that a lifetime membership was much more expensive than that before getting such a large bill slapped on me.
On Oct 16, 2007, jcpaul Alexandria, MN (Zone 3b) wrote:
After viewing the magazine on Amazon.com, I subscribed for what turned out to be a two-year subscription (I also thought it was for one year). I have enjoyed the magazine but also agree that it is pretty basic. I especially enjoyed the articles on garden critters and garden design. I resisted signing up for the Lifetime Membership because, after receiving their free hand-held pruner, I realized that their items were not quality products. As a veteran of several book clubs, I was very conscientious about reading all the details of what they sent me, and this prevented a lot of headaches and returns. I did call the company and told them not to send me anything further of any kind without a notice first. The Customer Service Representative was cordial about removing my name from all the different products they mail out (including little porcelain boxes, CDs, books, etc.). I did get about four of their books and felt they were not comprehensive or in-depth enough for my taste and for what they were charging. I still enjoy the magazine (I'm also a gardening magazine fan!) but will not resubscribe when my two-year subscription is up. The customer service representative also asked me if I wanted to sign-on for product testing. I told her that if the products I had already received were an example of the kinds of products they sent out that I was not interested. I never received any products to test that were worth keeping. Soooo, if you sign up for this club/magazine, realize that you are essentially signing up for a series of book and product subscriptions. If you enjoy getting gardening goodies in the mail and especially if you are fairly new to gardening, you might enjoy this group. However, if you are more advanced and only want quality products and in-depth information, you might want to go elsewhere.
On Mar 16, 2007, nevadagdn Sparks, NV (Zone 7a) wrote:
I found a copy of this company's magazine in my doctor's waiting room. The magazine wasn't half bad--I thought I might like to subscribe. Since there wasn't much information on subscribing in the magazine, I went to the website once I got home. I still didn't find the information I wanted--just information on a "trial" membership and that the magazine would cost a dollar a month. I wasn't too sure about that, so I didn't subscribe.
Coincidentally, I got some junk mail from the same company a couple of weeks later. I figured that perhaps there I'd find the sort of definite, reassuring list of prices I wanted. Nothing, and I read every scrap of paper in that envelope.
Needless to say, I didn't, and won't be subscribing. Given the comments here, I just don't feel comfortable getting tangled up with this company.
On Aug 5, 2005, flowermaiden Saint Maries, ID wrote:
I have mixed feelings about this company, both positive and negative. I am a life member. I have found some of the books they sent me very useful and informative, and have voluntarily purchased those I liked. When I sent others back, I never had any problem.
However, I feel I have been badly treated in one respect: In their magazine, Gardening How-To, there is a section called "Home Grown". This is where us "average folks" members can submit good quality photos of our personal gardening achievements, and have them published in the magazine. In 2001, I sent them ten of my best gardening photos, figuring that out of all those, they would find at least one they liked well enough to publish there. I was only expecting one, and no more than that. I also sent them a nice cover letter explaining that I am a life member and sharing some of my gardening philosophy. They never published any of these photos, and, quite frankly, I don't think anyone ever even looked at them! I complained to the editor of this section, and got the usual platitudinal excuses editors make in this situation. These were good pictures which adhered to their submission guidelines, and I felt that at least one of them deserved to be published there. I have seen photos in this section that, in my opinion, have been at least as good as the ones I sent, and many not nearly as good. I would have liked to have been able to share these with fellow club members, and I still feel disappointment every tIme I turn to the "Home Grown" section. I feel that my submission was thrown onto some heap and forgotten.
They did send me products to test, free of charge. These were various flower and vegetable seeds. I planted them, then filled out the evaluation forms and sent them in. I got to enjoy some good-flavored cucumbers by this means.
It's a good club if you don't expect too much. The magazine does have some good articles, and one needs to choose which are most helpful to their particular needs.
Just a suggestion.
Before logging on to the National Home Gardening Club website it may be wise to look at the "Terms of Use, Use of Material Supplied by You".
On Jan 6, 2005, AngelSong Victoria, TX (Zone 9b) wrote:
I joined for a year to try NHGC out. The magazines were too general, and too broad on the regions they covered. I got more information out of magazines I purchased locally. I did not resubscribe.
On Jan 2, 2005, missmuffit Des Moines, IA (Zone 5a) wrote:
I have been an annual member of the NHGC since it's inception. I continue to renew because I am a gardening magazine junkie, and while I don't consider this the cadillac of mags, I enjoy certain aspects of the magazine ; seed exchange, best new plants of the year, member's photos, etc.
I am frequently badgered to become a lifetime member and while I realize that they need money to continue their venture, I feel they waste a lot of money on the mail and telephone assaults.
I don't feel that they offer me anything else for the 'dues' that I pay besides the magazine. I probably will not renew again, but am sure that I will receive several phone calls and mailings during the next year that I am still an active member.
On Dec 1, 2004, adina72 Pennellville, NY (Zone 5a) wrote:
I was a member a couple of years ago and found the membership to be dissapointing. I got some pruners that were so-so and a bunch of seeds that never grew and tons of membership stickers and notepads that I could care less about. What really annoyed me was that I somehow got on their mailing list for a book club. It was very difficult to get off the mailing list. The hardcover books were nice at first, but each one got smaller and was not worth the $20-$25 I had to pay for them. I started returning them, but this was a hassle to me. I did enjoy the magazine. This year I found that you could subscribe to the magazine without joining the club, so that is what I did.
I tried it for a year. What I basically got was a magazine subsciption - any "product testing," other than a few small packets of free seeds, never materialized. The seeds were always small packets of baby's breath, red corn poppies, and the large-flowered sunflower seeds you grow for seed - most of them were sent when they tried to get me to join and again when they tried to get me to renew. Personally, I didn't find much of interest in the magazine, so I cancelled.
On May 13, 2004, DonnaMack Grayslake, IL (Zone 5a) wrote:
Just a warning to anyone joining this club on-line. The offered option of declining to have your name "shared" with a few vendors is put together such that it is very easy to default to the option of giving them permission to share (do they mean sell?) your name. Since joining, my mailbox has ben jammed with not only any catalog even vaguely related to gardening, but some relating to apparel and furniture. There have been dozens. When I joined the American Rose Society last November, I was very pleased by the fact that my name, address, and e-mail were not shared. If you do not want to be bombarded, tread carefully if you want to join but opt out of mailings.
