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1000 times my negatives. I don't believe that the people are diabled. I'm disabled too but my work is always near perfect. First of all, there must be someone to texh those people how to pack the plants and supervise them with everything they should know, this is their living. Let me tell you how my plants came to me, I was so shocked and so ashamed that the pack the plant so badly. They came in an inside out DHL plastic bag with tape to close it, they charge me over $28.00 and I looked at the stamps, it was only $2.51. Packing in a old plastic bag, Open it and there were the plants, more packed in little plastic bags that was open , the soil was everywhere, the plants looked burned from the heat, they were suffering from the heat inside . I could cry and I was very upset and darn mad. Please folks any body who handle the bag with little plants can destroy it in a minute or two, They did not get any fresh air at all, it looks like soup. I believe that this is a BS story about working and helping the poor disabled people. Those people takes pride for what they are doing, Kids play I believe is taking place , one or two years old. If this company want something good selling plant (Oh excuse me) giving away I mean, They should have classes to teach the people that works there, sorry no sympathy from me. Please don't let this company fool no more good folks. Don't buy from them until they do the right thing.. I will call them tomorrow too.. BEWARE MY FRIENDS
On June 2nd, 2008, adikld added the following:
Humbuk I have yet received a refund. But what I have said is the truth. I will never recomment this company. I had ask for the money back, I have not seen it yet. I love anybody who can help the disabled people and the poor and that is why I bought their plants. I never seen any other dealers send their plants the way they do. Slappy. Hope anybody else will be happy with their plants and maybe it help them to send the plants with more care and love. Good luck. Can that be that I'm the only one that gets those darling plants? Just beware.On May 12, 2008, Free Trees and Plants responded with:
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On May 22, 2008 2:29 PM, Free Trees and Plants added:
As I understand the negative evaluation above, the writer has four areas of concern.
1. That Free Trees and Plants does not employ workers with disabilities.
That is simply untrue. We hire fully accredited sheltered workshops that are managed by certified professionals. Anyone who needs documentation is welcome to contact us regarding third party confirmation.
2.That those workers do not get training.
This is also unfounded. As part and parcel of every well- run workshop, trainer/teachers work with every client to set and meet training, work, and life goals as part of their work experience.
3.That the amount of postage on the package was less than the reservation, processing, and shipping costs that we charged.
This observation is true on its face, but the writer gave no consideration to, or further examination of, what the charge represents. Each plant goes through a 13 step procedure
that is fully explained on the site.
We know that every visitor or customer won’t read that information, but not doing so before contacting us and misrepresenting the project in a public forum is unfair. The bell cannot be un-rung, nor can we reasonably expect that a reader will not merely react to the fact that the
review was marked negative.
This writer indicated that the review was written before contacting us. We are always willing to work with anyone, customer or not, who has any need in relation to the project or our products.
In a nutshell, the charge pays the workers, the rent, the utilities and office expenses of maintaining the site and providing customer service. The plants themselves are free, come as a two plant unit, and when all factors are considered, are less expensive than the same ordered from a traditional catalog or similar website.
4That the package arrived in poor condition.
That is only one of the many reasons why we offer a full guarantee of customer satisfaction. The huge volume of mail handled by the post office requires that it be machine processed . In that situation there is always a chance for damage or delay. Through our guarantee we provide customers with the assurance that are protected against that outcome.
The writer of the review received a full refund, an apology ,was treated with respect, and when
asked, indicated satisfaction.
"
On May 21, 2006, sleepycookie East Elmhurst, NY wrote:
Bought rosemary on 3/28/06. Waited for about 2 months, emailed them on 5/15/06 regarding the whereabouts of my plants, received response on 5/18/06. They said they'd check on it and if it were not sent out it'd be sent out on 5/22/06. On 5/20/06 I recieved my plants, postdated 5/18/06. When I received it, the plants were in a tyvek small envelope with no padding, just two plants. The plants were crushed and were DOA during shipping. They have a guarantee so I emailed them.
It's a great thing that they are helping people but very slow process and bad organization.
On May 21, 2006, Free Trees and Plants responded with:
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On May 21, 2006 12:46 PM, Free Trees and Plants added:
We truly are accomplishing our goal of creating a way for disabled workers to get a paycheck and we're saving plants that would otherwise be destroyed. However, as a young organzation we are still ironing out the complications in computer efficiency and customer service.
Our rosemary plants are part of our green and growing perennial plants. These can not be shipped until we are certain that the plants will not encounter freezing temperatures during their journey to our customers homes. As gardeners we know that last date of frost is officially May 15. Many parts of the country have been encountering very unseasonable weather and we monitor this so we don't have thousands of plants arrive dead. We began shipping thousands and thousands of perennials near the end of April.
We have just changed the manner in which our perennials are packaged. We no longer use tyvek envelopes. They are now enclosed in a clear plastic container serving as a "mini-greenhouse" and then they're enclosed in additional package depending on the size needs. Perennials can take almost any amount of abuse except for lack of water and extreme temperatures. The plants mentioned by this person will most likely grow. We will contact this customer and will also send replacements in our new packaging system. The replacements will be shipped tomorrow.
Regardless, of the errors we may make in the earliest stages of this project. We are honest and will not allow anyone that we know of walk away without being satisfied. Everything is guaranteed.
One additional note. The plants you receive are truly a good value. Remember that the low shipping and processing fees are the only funds we receive to run this project. There isn't any room for large staffing needs, advertising, or the latest customer service programs. We have to deal with thousands of calls and emails each week. We have a very small office staff to do so. As you may notice by the date of this complaint and my response, it is around noon on Sunday, May 21st. We're here in the office responding to our customers needs.
Thank you to all who have supported the Freetreesandplants.com project.
On Jan 25, 2005, trueepicure Alexandria, VA wrote:
While the plants (lavender and blackberry lilies) arrived when promised (September), they arrived in poor condition. The lavender was musty and wet when I got it, and when I got the lily bulbs a week or so later, they were dry and shrivelled looking.
I planted the lavender anyway, in case the instructions saying that the plants were dormant was true. I should have stuck with my original feeling that they were DOA. I waited a week or so, but there was no new growth, and in fact the "branches" had gone from moist and musty to dry and brittle.
I contacted the company to get replacements. The customer service was pretty good. I was told that another set of plants would ship, but I got a refund instead. I appreciate that.
I guess I have to wait for the lilies, but I'm not holding out much hope. I probably should have soaked them first before I planted them, even though the instructions didn't say to. Some of my other bulbs are popping up now, so I'll give it a while. I don't think I'll bother to try to recoup costs on these.
