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I found this business late last fall (2012) while looking for a new source for starter trees. The place I used before simply had gone way down in quality.
I ordered three trees for late fall planting. All of them were shipped together and well packed. The trees all looked very healthy and properly pruned.
This spring just a couple of weeks ago it was clear that one of the trees was not coming out of dormancy and was clearly dead.
I contacted customer service and they responded right away. They asked me to send some pictures to the nursery manager and a description of the problem which I did. I received a response in less than 24 hours crediting me with a complete refund. Everyone I dealt with was helpful, pleasant, and worked quickly to resolve my situation. In the mean time I received another tree from a separate order I made earlier this year. It was properly packaged and arrived in great shape without breakage of any kind.
The two trees I ordered last fall that made it through the winter are doing tremendously. They look healthy and are leafing out. I couldn't be more pleased with the three trees I have planted and growing now. I will definitely use Fast Growing Trees/Empress in the future. I'm already deciding what to purchase with my credit. This was a great experience for me.
I was sent an Autumn Blaze Maple Tree as a memorial gift for my Son who recently passed away. I was very excited about it and saw that this was quite a beautiful tree. I diligently planted it in April and followed all of the care directions. To my dismay, the tree did not come to life from its dormant state and seems to have died. It was a gift so I just figured I would buy another next year and try again. Yesterday I decided to email FGT and was pleasantly surprised by the service I received! I had no order number, just details like the address. Kaci from FGT listened to my concerns and honored the warranty on the tree. I am looking forward to receiving my replacement tree in the next few weeks. Incredible and prompt customer service!
I called the customer service line and told a representative I purchased trees from another website and paid less than I did at Fast Growing Trees. I bought from both websites on literally the same weekend and I felt I wouldn't get satisfaction from FGT. The representative from FGT promptly credit my Amex the difference.
That is great customer service and I now place orders with FGT with confidence that I will never over pay.
On Apr 19, 2013, misstrickey Stillwater, OK wrote:
In January, 2013, I responded to Fast Growing Trees e-mail concerning "almost too big to ship" trees and ordered the Fruit Cocktail Tree. It arrived in a huge box and was beautifully packed. It was about 6 feet tall. It was too cold at that time to plant it so I put it in a pot and kept it in my sunny breakfast room. All of the 4 grafts (peach, plum, apricot and nectarine) bloomed profusely. Not having pollinators in the house, I expected no fruit this year. The tree is now more than 7 feet tall and covered with leaves and 4 peaches and 1 plum.
I also ordered a Lemon- Lime tree. It came promptly and looked great. It was about 2 feet tall and began to bloom right away. It has 4 limes and 2 lemons on it and is ready to be repotted as the roots have filled the container.
I have ordered from Fast Growing Trees for 4 years and have been quite pleased with their service and plants. I also have a 4-foot tall Clementine, a 4-foot tall Hardy Avocado and a 6-foot tall Arbequina Olive that I purchased from them. I would not hesitate to recommend them.
We recently built our dream home and like so many others wanted some trees in our yard - FAST! Online we found fastgrowingtrees.com and over the months of construction we went back to their site several times. We decided it was time to plant and chose 5 trees for our yard. We purchased a Royal Empress tree, a Tulip Poplar tree, a Twilight Crepe Myrtle, a Red Maple, and a Weeping Willow. All these arrived quickly and we got them in the ground. I will say as others have, we were surprised that these were in a dormant state and didn't look like much, however within days we were seeing green! I had a question, sent an email and Crystal A. was right on it. Great customer service! This company has been a pleasure to work with and we look forward to more interaction with them!
I am extremely pleased with Fast Growing Trees.com. Over the past 5 years I have purchased 5 maple trees, 1 ornamental cherry tree,1 Tulip poplar, 1 olive tree, 10 tea olive shrubs, and most recently 2 black bamboos and a wisteria. Everything has arrived in good health and started growing almost immediately. Unfortunately, I bought an Empress tree before I had discovered Fast Growing Trees.com and it took 7 years for it to grow and bloom. Wish I had found FGT sooner. I have not bought plants from anyone else since I discovered this company. I encountered one difficulty with a discount that didn't get applied to my order and it was rectified with little difficulty through their customer service. I could not be happier with a mail-order company.
I have only positive things to say about Fast-Growing Trees and Brad. He is one of the most prompt, helpful people I have ever encountered. He answers emails right away and takes care of problems quickly and efficiently. Our convent of 65 sisters approached his company for a donation recently and he surpassed our request. Fast Growing Trees kindly and generously donated 32 shrubs to our convent...8 Forsythias, 12 White Out Rose Bushes and 12 Autumn Angel Azaleas. They arrived in beautiful condition, lovingly packaged and with in days of our request!
Fast Growing Trees is "Fast Growing" a spectacular reputation in this area. Brad is so helpful on the phone and on email. I highly recommend him and this company. They are wonderful to work with and very prompt and efficient, as well as generous.
We are very grateful to them for all they have done for us. We highly recommend them!
Sr. Genevieve for the sisters at The Community of Jesus, Orleans, MA
I own a landscape design and installation firm in The Villages, Fl. With the average landscape project at $15,000 customers want fresh new and one of a kind plants, to set apart their cookie cutter homes. With this in mind I have been searching for new suppliers to deliver what my customers want. The last couple of month's I have been placing test order with fastgrowingtrees.com, and being sure to over engage the staff. I need to know where their minds are, their standards of customer service, their product health and so on.
Not once has an email I sent not been responded to within 1 business day, and usually within hours if sent during normal working hours. Each question I had was answered immediately. The products I received where healthy and delivered on time. I read some comments left that individuals where unhappy becuase they purchased a twig. I only wish that they had educated themselves on the life cycle of the plant and dormacy times before besmirching the company. We humans want to control everything, but when you are dealing with a living thing, no such luck. Trust me, I wish my kid came out potty trained and with a job, but that isn't how it works. Only time will do that.
Patiance with the plants. If you want immediate gratification, purchase a car, otherwise sit back engage the plant and work within its natural cycle. If you do that you will be delighted by what the plant becomes. Very soon my onsie twosie orders will stop with this company, and an 18 wheeler will be waiting at their door. I am truly confident that their product filling my greenhouses will be to each of my customers delights. Thank you to the staff at fastgrowingtrees.com, and don't be disheartened by the couple of negative comments on this website. You have to sell to everyone, not just those that are novice buyers who expect you to perform miracles and defy natures dormant cycles. Better yet, relocate closer to Florida so I can peruse your inventory!
Gina Brown
Owner of Native Cuts Property Management LLC
I ordered a tree from Fast Growing Trees and received it before I even realized that it was on the way! Lightning fast!! Customer service has been excellent and has answered all of my questions! I am very excited to plant my new tree and will post again later as results come!!
I am a new customer to Fast Growing Trees. This is the first time I have ordered a tree (Crape Myrtle) from a mail order nursery. We received our tree in a dormant state in the fall season, so I did not expect it to appear vibrant. We planted it as instructed. As spring arrived I had thought I should see more life to the tree. As best I could assess the tree was not alive. I reached out to FGT customer service for instructions on what to do. The responses have always been returned in a timely manner. Devin requested I take some photos & email them. I did this. Devin then replied with an email response. The answer I felt was very unacceptable. I then explained to Devin in customer service my reasons I was not happy with the answer. Devin reviewed my response and has now given me an answer I can work with.
I look forward to being as happy with my tree at some time in the future.
On Mar 31, 2013, standianne Port Charlotte, FL wrote:
Posted on March 16, 2013, updated March 31, 2013
First of all, the customer service received by Crystal A. was impeccable. She did everything she could to satisfy me. I bought a pink muhly grass. The first one arrived dead. It was disappointing to open the 3 foot long box and find a one foot (at best) plant. The second one was alive, but not what I expected to see. It was more brown dead than green alive. Unfortunately, I don't think I would buy from this company again.
On March 31st, 2013, standianne changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
UPDATE- I could not believe that this company continued to pursue me to make the situation right and satisfy me as a customer. I received two calls from Chris with whom I had excellent conversations. He completely understood and empathized with my feelings AND he fixed the situation. He also had another associate (Josh) follow up with me. Josh was also very friendly and helpful. Being new to this site, I may have originally posted this in the wrong place. The company Chris, Josh and Crystal work for is BRIGHTER BLOOMS in North Carolina. They obviously believe in their company and want it to be successful. Well, they get a 110% AAA+++ rating from me for the great job they did. I am now a very satisfied customer. Thanks for restoring my faith guys!!!!
Stan
On Mar 27, 2013, Darlenebush Fort Myers Beach, FL wrote:
I have been a customer of Fast Growing Trees for years, and have always been impressed with the quality (and survivability) of the plants I have received as well as how quickly they ship them out.
Until my last order.
I think I was more disappointed than angry.
BUT, Devin, in Customer Service, made it right! He sent out replacement plants and I couldn't be happier!
Thanks, Devin. It's customer service reps like you that will keep me coming back for years to come. Cheers.
On Mar 27, 2013, tnwildwood Eagleton Village, TN wrote:
I had received a fuyu persimmon tree from the company back in September... The tree had a break during shipping, leaves were off and I contacted the company.. They stated to go ahead and plant it and see what happens and that I had a year to replace it if anything was wrong or it was dead. Well the tree broke, I contacted the company, front line assistance was poor, got a lot of flack. I was furious, however Josh from customer service caught wind of the situation, fixed it and sent me another tree, actually 2 days from conversation.. Wow, thanks for the great customer service.. I will be purchasing again!
On Mar 22, 2013, Sylvia_A_M Medicine Hat, Alberta Canada wrote:
I recently purchased three trees from Fast-Growing-Trees.
After many hours of online research, I decided that Fast-Growing-Trees in North Carolina was the best place to purchase my trees from. I spoke with Brad when I needed more information before I placed my order and he was absolutely great! He knew 'his stuff' and took the extra time to answer all of my questions. He was so patient in taking the time to make absolutely certain that I had all the information I needed!
After I placed my order, I had a few extra questions that I needed answered, and I was directed to Jordan. He too was very informative and concise and made himself very available to me when I had a question or concern.
The trees arrived in excellent shape....they DID live up to their claim that their trees weren't just seedlings or twigs. They were budded, matured and pruned in their nursery. It's so nice to purchase something online that actually is exactly as advertised!!!
My trees arrived one day later than I had planned (which wasn't a big deal), and I received two or three emails from Jordan asking me what Fast-Growing-Trees could do to 'make up' for the one day delay, he even offered me discounts on future purchases!!!
I thanked him for such kindness and concern but I declined the offer because it wasn't a huge issue, and after all, we are all human and sometimes things happen beyond our control. In a time where people seem to care about themselves and how to make a buck at anyone's expense, I thought that it was so nice that I was apologized to and was offered discounts on future purchases even though the minor delay wasn't the fault of Fast-Growing-Trees!
Thank you again so very very much, Jordan and Brad for all of your help, information and your patience with me :)
I will definitely purchase from Fast-Growing-Trees again!!
In August 2012 I had ordered 2 Royal Empress trees because we had bought a new home and the yard didn't have 1 tree.Everyone had recommended Fast Growing Trees so I gave it a try. I was looking for something that grew fast and produced a lot of shade so I decided on the Royal Empress Trees. They also have beautiful blooms.They came in and I planted them with every thing and with every step it told me to, They did not do anything. I was so disappointed, so I called customer service in October or November and The representative told me to wait until the first of February and cut them down to the ground and wait until the middle of March and do a scratch test and I did this. They were dead.I called customer service again and talked with another person and she wasn't very much help and told me to give it another couple months.So I e-mailed The company and got a response back and a phone call the next day from a very nice lady. She apologized and did everything she could to make it right. She is refunding my money .And I intend to try the Royal Empress trees once more with Fast Growing Trees.
Not only was the price and the shipping cost very fair, my Meyer lemon tree arrived within 5 days of placing the order. The tree was taller than I expected and it was lush with foliage and there were multiple buds and beginning blooms on my new tree. I am thrilled with this order.
I will order again when I'm ready to start growing avacados!
An error occurred during the online ordering process. It could have been my error , but unlikely. 4 items would need to be returned. I wasnt happy that I would have to pay the shipping. The manager did the right things and was very pleasant . She credited me for the unwanted items AND the cost of return shipping. This is all I could ask for , turning a negative into a positive.Paul from Northfield NJ
I ordered a 3-gallon sized bay laurel tree from this company on a Monday morning and it was received in Texas by that Friday afternoon looking healthy and on time. Customer service rep, Jordan, was courteous and helpful. Great experience overall - would not hesitate to recommend this company or use them for future purchases.
I had to make a change to my order and didn't even have to run through hoops to get it done. I received great quick assistance! Thank you CRYSTAL ALEXANDER!
On Feb 21, 2013, smiledrsmile Cammack Village, AR wrote:
Fast shipping via FED EX. Not the company's fault but Fed Ex just left the 6 huge boxes sitting on our sidewalk. This company was a pleasure to work with and we will order from them again if we need to.
On Feb 19, 2013, Snowbabymama Custer City, PA wrote:
Posted on February 19, 2013, updated February 19, 2013
I have ordered various trees and other plants from this company for the past 2 years. My experience with them, from beginning to end, has been outstanding. The plants are vibrant and well packed; delivery is fast, and their products are guaranteed. Customer Service is attentive, responsive, knowledgeable, and I find them very accommodating and sincere in resolving my inquiries. I have nothing but very high praise for this company--I now order my trees, bushes and shrubs exclusively from them! Simply the best!
On February 19th, 2013, Snowbabymama added the following:
I would be neglectful to not specifically mention Devin from this company's customer service department. I have had occasion to contact this representative recently. Devin has been just super in promptness and efficiency in working to resolve my questions. This individual is shining example of how customer service should work. Excellent!
I have ordered twice from you now and both times have gotten GREAT service! The first order arrived on time and in great shape! I decided to make my garden bigger and ordered more after receiving a 10% discount email for my next order. Well I hit the link in the email thinking that would give me my discount but I was wrong! I needed the code that was in the email. Well I contacted the company and Jordan got in touch with me and told me that everything was taken care of! Jordan was so helpful and very courteous! I would recommend this company to anyone and WILL! Thank you guys soooo much for all your help!!! And... Thank You Jordan for helping me out so much. You helped us keep our faith in your company! We will be ordering from you again and sending friends your way! Thank you!!!
I worked with Josh at Fast Growing Trees. I ordered the wrong Evergreen Trees by finding out that the canopy of the trees would be too broad. Long story short, I had to return these trees and order the Thuja Evergreens. It was my mistep and Josh handled the issue fairly and honestly.
In my book, this is an organization of integrity and I will use them again for any future orders. Thanks Josh...
I had a very good experience with these people. I ordered 3 fruit cocktail trees, and an olive tree, which I will be thrilled to get!!
The phone service was great, even when I had a problem with the order.
I can't wait till the trees are at my door!
On Nov 20, 2012, jking1939 Overland Park, KS wrote:
I ordered an Autumn Blooming Cherry, and the tree wasn't all I had hoped it would be when it arrived. I e-mailed the company and also talked to a customer service representative, Dawn Norris, who exemplfies what a customer service representative should be. She was professional, courteous and considerate, and she had my "bump in the road" smoothed out in no time. She followed up the next day via e-mail to make certain I was satisfied. I seriously doubt I will buy anything online in the gardening area without checking out Fast Growing Trees. I feel I can trust them to do the right thing, and be there after the deal is done.
On Nov 1, 2012, 8209 Louisville, KY (Zone 6b) wrote:
Posted on October 31, 2012, updated November 1, 2012
I ordered a Berry Dazzle Crepe Myrtle Bush from them on Sept. 15th which they said they had in stock. Tomorrow is Nov. 1st and I still have not received it. I emailed them to cancel my order because I couldn't comminicate with them over the phone because I'm deaf. They will not respond to my email. Don't order from this company cause they are a big ripoff. Order# 588861 under Fast-growing-trees company. David Tucker.
On November 1st, 2012, 8209 changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
A kind gentleman named Josh from Fast-growing-trees contacted me about my complaint. He suggested a plan to meet my expections and we have an agreement. I would like to change my rating from negative to positive. Thank you Josh for your concern and help. Good job. David Tucker.
On Oct 25, 2012, daddyksinger Bellemeade, KY wrote:
Posted on August 15, 2012, updated October 25, 2012
Extremely over priced compared to some of their competitors online.
Their website is very nice, very inviting and even very deceptive. We purchased 50 Nellie-Stevens hollies for well over $2,000 and they've actually done very well.
Decided to go back to buy some blueberry bushes, apple trees, an apricot tree and several others for gifts for my brother. These were described so wonderfully and how they would be producing large amounts of fruit in no time at all. I believe they even stated that some of the trees will be shipped with small fruits already growing. My fruit trees are now 4 years old and produce very little blueberries, zero apples and the apricot tree was so small and such a twig, after all my nurturing and care taking, it died.
When I first bought the hollies they were very helpful. Well, Judy was very helpful, very friendly and very knowledgeable. She isn't there anymore and I'm beginning to wonder why??
Anyway, perhaps it was for the larger purchase that I had such good service but have had zero luck and trying to get a refund or exchange for the apricot was like getting something passed by Congress. It simply wasn't worth it.
Steer away and do a little research. Let my (and apparently a lot of others) mistake be your lesson.
On October 25th, 2012, daddyksinger changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
I was recently contacted by someone representing Fastgrowingtrees.com. They had read my blog and wanted to see if they could rectify the situation.
The gentleman was very polite and professional. He told me that they were trying to make things right and as a business owner myself, I can certainly understand and appreciate how bad things sometimes happen to good companies.
They did replace my bad trees with new, healthy, good looking trees.
I will again look to their site for future tree or plant purchases.
Thank youOn Oct 25, 2012, Empress Tree Nurseries (aka Fast Growing Trees, Paulownia Supply & fastgrowingtree.com) responded with:
"On Aug 22, 2012 2:20 PM, Empress Tree Nurseries (aka Fast Growing Trees, Paulownia Supply & fastgrowingtree.com) responded with:
Glad you're hollies are doing well, but sorry to hear about your fruit trees.
There may be some confusion over our web pages. They do not state that our plants have fruit on them when shipped. This would cause us to make continual changes to a wide variety of pages in order to time the short fruiting seasons of each plant.
The 5-7 ft. foot Apple trees, like the ones you purchased, are great performers for a large number of commercial and private orchards around the country. These were 3 to 4 years old when you purchased them, and later in the fall, the remainder of this crop produced apples in our nursery.
Now that your trees are seven years old, you should be seeing a respectable harvest each season. Unfortunately, there are factors affecting your tree that are beyond our control… like soil conditions, watering, feeding, animals, chemical overspray, planting depth, soil contaminants and dozens of other causes that have nothing to do with your plants. Please call me, I would like to have you just speak to one of our Horticulturalist so they can figure out how to correct the issues you are seeing.
The Apricot tree you ordered was advertised as 2-3 feet tall. This is a small tree, especially when compared to the 5-7 footers. These grow quickly, but are too young to develop a branching structure yet, so they naturally look thin. If we pruned a tree this short, to make it look fuller, it would slow its growth and ruin its form.
I’m sorry that your customer service rep was not more helpful. If you first called within your warranty period, I would like to help you with your dead apricot tree. I can assure you that we try to make our warranty process as easy as possible. We don't ask you to return your dead tree like many other companies do. All we ask is that customers email or send us a picture showing that their tree has died.
Wonderful company with beautiful, quality trees. They stand behind their merchandise!! I just ordered my 3rd tree from them & have reccomended to many friends who have admired my new trees.
They have great customer service and are very personable.
I had a problem with one order & they bent over backwards to make it right.
I would like to leave a positive feedback, because I was very pleased by the service provided by an excellent employee of yours (Jason)which I think took great care of me and answer all my questions and guided me through some problems that I was experiencing with my autum blaze maple trees that unfortunatly did not make it , he was very kind in helping replace the trees that were under warranty and shipped the first one in a very rapidly manner and the tree arrived and looks real healthy , the second one is about to be sent out, i want to thank Jason again for his effort and great customer service , it's always a pleasure to do business with companies that take customer service seriously , thank you fast-growing trees.
I was very pleased with the tree I received and even more impressed by the wonderful customer service. They were quick responders to my email and gave me great satisfaction. Super customer service!
On Sep 7, 2012, jaimelemon St. Louis, MO (Zone 6a) wrote:
Posted on June 15, 2012, updated September 7, 2012
Posted on June 5, 2012, updated June 15, 2012
Posted on May 20, 2012, updated June 5, 2012
My fiance ordered a 4-6 ft. Meyer Lemon Tree for Mother's Day. I was a little disappointed with the sparseness of the branches/foliage, but after studying it, it looks like it has been pruned to hopefully fill out and have a nice shape. I will say that when I received it, I immediately repotted it and put it in the sunlight. It began wilting about 12 hours later. I immediately called them and they were very helpful in telling me what the problem probably was. They said that the plant was in shock from shipping and that I should have put it in the shade for at least 3 days and not repotted it so quickly. I took it out of the sun and it seems to be doing better. Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase and have placed a subsequent order of a key lime tree and 4 windmill palms. I will repost once I receive that order too.
On June 5th, 2012, jaimelemon changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following:
My second order has caused me to change my vote from Positive to Neutral.
I ordered 4 Windmill Palms as a wedding gift for my brother (and a key lime tree for me!). They had posted on Facebook that the new shipment of windmill palms they had were taller than the person posting the post. Awesome, I thought. Specs said they would be 3-5 feet, I'm thinking they will be 5 feet plus. Wrong! They were 3 feet maximum, and that included the root system within the pot. My poor brother was expecting these grand trees, and instead got palms that looked more like large houseplants you could buy at Home Depot. My lime tree also left a lot to be desired. It was taller than the specs given, but only has branches on 1 side. I would not have purchased this oddly shaped tree had I been there in person to see it. Also, I wanted to order a bag of their Palm Tone fertilizer for my brother's trees. They were out of it, but said they could sell me the Root Blaster for $15 (a few dollars more than they wanted for the 4 lb. bag of Palm Tone). I received a TINY bag of fertilizer (meaured in ounces, not pounds) with "As Seen On TV" stamped across it. I'm not quite so pleased with this order. Luckily I complained that I missed the free shipping by a few hours and so they did ship to us for free, which was nice. On June 15th, 2012, jaimelemon changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
I have now had both of my citrus trees from Fast Growing Trees for a month now. Both trees have acclimated very well to their new conditions, and I am very impressed because both trees' limbs have grown thicker and stronger since being in my care. Leaves continue to grow, and there are different sprouts on the ends of my lemon branches now, I'm hoping these turn into flowers/fruit. I am changing my rating back to a positive because even though my brother's palms were smaller than anticipated and my lime tree was not shaped very proportionately, they did sell us very strong, healthy trees. By turning the lime tree a certain direction, it is actually becoming more upright, which is making it look less lopsided. These trees are my pride and joy of my garden, and I am extremely happy that Fast Growing Trees sold us a quality product that I can maintain for many more years to come.On September 7th, 2012, jaimelemon added the following:
I won a gift card from a contest held by Fast Growing Trees on Facebook. I used it to cover part of the cost of a Minneola Tangelo tree, which arrived yesterday. It arrived in decent shape. It is much taller than what was stated on their website. 1-3 feet is what I ordered, this tree is over 4.5 feet tall. As with my lime tree from them, it is slightly misshapen (I much prefer a topiary look). It does seem to be in good health, and even came with a little fruit on it!! I am anxious to get this one planted to see how it does. Overall, I'm happy with it, but if I had paid full price, I would be disappointed as their prices are not cheap.
On Aug 27, 2012, Texas_Aggie Huntsville, TX wrote:
Posted on August 27, 2012, updated August 27, 2012
I spent $129 for an avocado tree that the company claimed grows fast and all the other hype they list on their web page.
I am an experienced horticulturist with over 30 years experience as I have nearly 80 trees in my orchard.
The "cold-hardy" avocado tree was not "heat hardy" with the Texas heat so all my money was wasted! I was ripped off as their website boasts about a guarantee.....They were right....you are guaranteed to be ripped off because they do not guarantee trees after 5 days....anyone knows they can go to their favorite discount supermarket or favorite home improvement store and get a one-year guarantee on any tree that is purchased....so buyers beware.....don't waste your money or your time reading all the promises....It is all a big scam to get your money!
On August 27th, 2012, Texas_Aggie changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
I did call the customer service number only to be given an automated response to go to their web page and click on the "Contact Us" link. The reason I posted the original comment was because of the advertised statement about the guarantee for their trees (5 days) to which I immediately felt that I had no recourse in trying to pursue the matter.
Luckily, a very concerned member of their management team (Chris) contacted me within an hour of my posting trying to determine if he could resolve the issue even though the web page steered me differently.
We had a nice long chat as I suddenly sensed that Chris was truly a great company rep who had a similar philosophy as I have in getting what one pays for. I went to Texas A&M, one of the best agricultural universities in the country and having a Masters along with 30 years of horticulture experience, I just couldn't accept defeat so quickly.
Chris mentioned that he read my posts and that he was truly interested in getting the issue resolved. I just want to say that THANKS to his efforts, he stepped out and saved the day for the company and restored my faith in my initial evaluation.
In closing, Chris did offer me a workable solution. We both had to give a little but the bottom line is that he now has a happy customer.
If you had the same experience, please call and ask for Chris.
He gets the award for the Unsung Hero......Thanks Chris for making my day!
We initially ordered and received an Arbequina olive tree a month ago.
This tree took a while to ship after purchasing, but the resulting plant is 5' and beautiful! It arrived on the day indicated via their email and was in fine shape. The trunk and branches were all green, and there was a great deal of healthy foliage.
Right now, the tree occupies a large container outside, on our deck (Zone 6). There's a lot of new growth and absolutely no sign of disease or pests. We'll winter it indoors and hope to see olives next summer!
Yesterday, I received our next order (placed 8/5), which was a Meyer Lemon tree.
It, too, has arrived in fine shape (almost 5')....no broken branches, very healthy-looking, including the large amount of foliage. We'll follow a suggestion from the site and not pot or expose it to outdoor sunlight for a few days. The trees often are in some shock from shipping.
I first made contact with this Fast Growing Trees in March, 2012 & asked for a delay shipment scheduled to arrive in June. Because of unforeseen circumstances, I had to request another delay for August during the extreme summer heat. Customer service was great. I received 4 different Japanese Maple Trees, & several Other plants: Fragrant Tree Olives, Camellias, Azaleas, Citrus Trees, Crape Myrtle, & Raspberries. My large shipment took several days traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast. It was packed on Sunday and arrived on Friday. The packing was exceptional and beyond belief. After reading the "Arrival Instruction" I had expected a lot of branch breakage and leaf discoloration. I also expected to find the soil very dry since they were being shipped in a non-air conditioned Fed-Ex truck. They arrived in good condition and appeared to be very healthy. I watered them immediately and already see new growth. I will order from Fast Growing Trees again. Thank you for the fabulous improvement in my landscaping.
Posted on June 26, 2012, updated June 26, 2012
Posted on June 21, 2012, updated June 26, 2012
I never post negative feedback, however, I ordered an Osmanthus from Fast Growing Trees which arrived in a timely manner and was well packaged. The plant, although large, had yellow leaves, leaves with brown spots, and leaves with worm holes and lots of them. I would not purchase a plant like that locally. I contacted Fast Growing Trees and they did not respond, therefore, the negative feedback. I did not see Fast Growing Trees listed on the Garden Watchdog before I ordered from them. Later, too late, I found them listed under another name.
On June 26th, 2012, jedoody changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
I am now changing my negative review to positive as Pam from Fast Growing Trees called me and stated they never received my email about the Osmanthus. I will believe that as she was very apologetic, and seemed sincere. Also the Osmanthus does have new leaves and seems to be doing well.On June 26th, 2012, jedoody added the following:
I am now changing my negative review to positive as Pam from Fast Growing Trees called me and stated they never received my email about the Osmanthus. I will believe that as she was very apologetic, and seemed sincere. Also the Osmanthus does have new leaves and seems to be doing well. I will order from this vendor again.
I ordered a Windmill Palm from fastgrowingtrees.com & I am very happy with my purchase. The palm arrived in excellent shape & packaged very well. I ordered it in the 3' to 5' foot size range. It is at least 5 feet tall & looks very healthy. I was a little apprehensive about ordering with an online nursery because I was very disappointed with a few other nurseries I ordered from online in the past. I decided to give them a try & I'm glad I did. I had a question about my purchase & Gena answered me in one day. I would highly recommend this company to others & I will definitely order from them again.
Posted on August 3, 2011, updated August 5, 2011
Hi everyone, I have placed my first order with them and thought I'd document the process here. All the negative reviews have made me really worry so I hope this helps potential clients make a decision.
On a Saturday I placed two orders. I received immediate order confirmations by email. Order 1 was for three 3-gallon azaleas, and Order 2 for a 2-4' autumn cherry tree, a 3-gallon hydrangea, a 3 gallon butterfly bush, and a 2-4' witchhazel.
The following Wednesday (4 days later) I received FedEx tracking information for all of my orders, just as promised.
So far, I have had no problems with this company. Prompt response to my online orders, and timely shipping information. I will update this as my plants arrive.
On August 5th, 2011, coolnigh added the following:
Update! Everything arrived in two days by FedEx. The 3-4' cherry tree is AT LEAST 7', which makes me happy. The butterfly bush suffered the most in shipping and came in a 1 gallon instead of a 3 gallon. Azaleas and Witchhazel are all fine. Some dead leaves, small earthworm, etc but nothing i'm upset about. I've watered them all (not that they really needed it, the soil was moist for all of them) and placed them in the shade. Assuming they transplant nicely, I am very pleased with FGT.
On Jun 1, 2011, violetavale Los Angeles, CA wrote:
I ordered 5 fragrant tea olives, 1 royal empress tree, and 2 sunset glow bamboo from Fastgrowingtrees.com, and am so happy with everything they sent. ALL of these plants are alive and thriving, and have grown so much in the past month as late spring weather comes around.
I received the tea olives and empress tree first. I think that they were packed carefully and well but the trip was rough on them, and so they looked a bit tired when they arrived. I was a bit doubtful that the empress would grow as it was clearly dormant, and as it was my first time dealing with a dormant plant from mail order it really looked dead. No matter though - I repotted everything and kept an eye on them and once spring hit everything was shooting. The royal empress is especially impressive, with two branches 6+ inches high and big fuzzy green leaves.
A while later the two bamboo arrived, in similar condition due to the travel west. However, it has only been a month, and a larger pot and water has turned them into lush bushes with lots of shoots and new leaves and so far about 4 inches of growth.
On Aug 24, 2010, Doctor_Janson Minneapolis, MN wrote:
Posted on August 20, 2010, updated August 24, 2010
I ordered an August Beauty gardenia from Brighter Blooms, aka Fast Growing Trees, which was infested by whiteflies and clearly sick upon receipt. The company was quite reasonable and after sending photos of what they had sent to me, they sent a replacement Dwarf Radicans gardenia free of charge. Unfortunately, the replacement specimen which was sent appeared to be infected with a virus which caused spots on the leaves and yellow leaf drop, and eventually death within a few weeks. I requested a refund from the company for the price of the plant, since the replacement which was sent was unsatisfactory. I am still waiting to hear back from the company. Probably just an unlucky experience, and I cannot say if this is typical for this company or not, but I will update further as events warrant and would change my review to positive if they issue a refund.
On August 24th, 2010, Doctor_Janson changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
Company has offerred to fix the problem by sending a replacement of another item.
