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My family and I have ordered from Burpee since time immemorial without any negative or neutral experiences. For this year's planting, I ordered several vegetable seeds and, as usual, they arrived very quickly. Burpee always tends to put full labeling on their seed packets which can eliminate a lot of note-taking or re-researching when it comes time to remember what needs to be started indoors or not as well as where, when and how seeds need to be prepared and planted. I have always had very good germination with them and don't foresee anything different this year. Likewise -- perhaps because Burpee is so big -- I don't ever remember receiving any substitutions or being told something I ordered was out of stock.
On Mar 25, 2009, figaro52 Oak Lawn, IL (Zone 5a) wrote:
This was my first and LAST order with Burpee. First of all I took advantage of their coupon for $5 off a $30 order. I placed an order in the amount of $35.30 BEFORE SHIPPING. An item in the amount of $9.95 was out of stock (and I was never notified). Needless to say, they took away the $5 discount. Had they contacted me I could have added something else to my order. I made the mistake of being lured by the glitzy catalog. The seed packets are very skimpy compared to other mail order seed houses, and twice as expensive. How big of them to include a new $5.00 coupon good on my "next" $30.00 order. Well, there won't be a "next" order. Burpee products are so much cheaper in the retail stores. W. Atlee Burpee would be very disheartened if he knew how today's customers are being treated. What a fool I am to have actually paid $8.95 to have 5 packets of seeds mailed to me!
On April 1st, 2009, figaro52 changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following:
In all fairness to Burpee, I am changing my rating from negative to neutral. After I posted my original comment, Paul Hofer contacted me and offered to make good on the $5.00 coupon. A credit has been issued (although it's not yet hit my credit card account!). Even so, they've lost a mail order customer. If I use Burpee products going forward, I will purchase at the retail level.
On Mar 23, 2009, gmap Santa Cruz, CA (Zone 8a) wrote:
Recently I ordered several plants from Burpee and selected a ship date. The plants arrived in a timely basis and were in great condition. They were small but very healthy.
I ordered one packet of seeds. I called their 800# ten days after placing my order. I was told that my order was cancelled because they're out of seeds. No explanation as to when they might have contacted me. They never emailed nor have they changed the order status on the website. And the same item still says "In Stock" on their website! Poor customer service and on such a simple order.
Ordered some seeds and trellis netting from burpee.com on 2/28. On 3/17, I phoned in to see what the status of my order was and was told that only the seeds shipped. The netting apparently was out of stock with no restock date. When asked why their site still shows the netting as "in stock", and why I was never told even after more than two weeks that they were out of stock, they had no clue. My seeds finally arrived on 3/19 (7-10 business days....right.) and on my invoice it says "(netting) cancelled due to item not being in stock". Thanks burpee for sending me an $11 packet of seeds and wasting 3 weeks of my time while I waited for my trellis that was never in stock to begin with. To this day, their site still shows the netting as being "in stock". Ridiculous. I will never order anything from them again.
Burpee has a great variety of products, however I have been extremely disappointed by the shipping price and speed. After reluctantly paying $9.95 for shipping an order of seed packets (which is extremely high compared to other online merchants), I've been surprised to not receive any word about shipping status, order update, etc. since placing my order on March 8th (today is the 17th). I followed up with a phone call today and was told the order had been filled and that it would ship out "sometime this week"-- no more details.
I order everything online-- clothing, shoes, books, even some groceries. I can't think of the last time that it took an online merchant over a week to put the items in a box, and then a few more days to send it out... and all for a hefty shipping charge!
I won't be ordering from Burpee again. There are too many other options for online shopping that have a more streamlined process.
I purchased some Burpee tomato seeds at my local nursery, based on the description of the tomatoes produced. No where did the packet mention disease resistance, however. The nursery looked it up in all the Burpee literature they had, but could find no mention of this seed ("Burpee's Summer Choice"). I called Customer Service and spoke with a wonderful person who could not find the seed in her info, much less the disease resistance. She said she'd research if further and call me back, which she did (thank you), but she did not have the info. I researched it on DG--no one knew--so I emailed Customer Service.
I got a nice reply in a few days, saying they would turn the matter over to their "Research Dept." That was 9 days ago, with nary a word. So, customer service employees, GOOD. Selling a seed about which your own employees know virtually nothing-BAD. No comment on the elusive "Research Dept." Will I purchase anything from Burpee again? Highly unlikely.
On March 17th, 2009, yotedog added the following:
Edited to say, I did finally hear from Paul Hofer at Burpee, at about the two week point, who did eventually send me the info that this variety has no specific disease resistance. So, again, they definitely have great employees. But I'm still wondering why it was so hard to get info on a seed they have on the market, in a timely fashion.
I've been in the process of swapping over to heirloom veggies only so the sheer volume I order from Burpee is decreasing with time but it is sure no reflection on their service!
I've always received my orders, no matter how large or small, in super quick time. They are very responsive to feedback on the germination of their seeds, after all, hybrids can perform very differently by location and they do their research.
Good and fast service, intuitive website and a very nice selection if you're not entirely focused on heirlooms.
I receive their always-beautiful catalog in the mail this past January, went to order, and had filled out an online order form and was preparing to check out. To my chagrin, the shipping charge was WAY beyond what I had expected. I had been prepared to order about 20 packets of seeds, which would weigh, oh, maybe a few ounces. Since I've received orders from them in previous years via the US Postal Service, I figured that the shipping charges for my order shouldn't have exceeded a few dollars. When $10.95 was tacked on to my order for shipping, I immediately cancelled the order. (Those must be SOME heavy seeds!) Burpee's prices are high enough (too high IMHO), and to have that kind of shipping charge added to my order was beyond belief. If I need Burpee seeds in the future, I'll buy them at the seed kiosk in my local garden shop. There is no sense in endorsing such ridiculous shipping charges (and in many cases, exorbitant seed prices)!
Like most gardener's, I really look forward to those beautiful catalogs in the mail and trying to decide what I want to plant for the year. I have about an acre of flower beds so every seed is really important to me.
Having said that, I had a problem with some seeds that I ordered from Burpee. They just did not come up. The rest of the seeds I had going did just fine. I called Burpee, and Liz in customer service was so nice and friendly. She replaced the packet and assured me that they were on the way? WOW! No trouble, no hassle, just, " HOW CAN I HELP" Way to go Burpee, you have just earned a repeat customer!
I recently tried to order from Burpee because I wanted to try their Sweet Seedless Hybrid tomato. I noticed that their website wasn't set up for international orders, and emailed them as to what I could do to place the order, since I couldn't even enter my billing address correctly. I got a prompt email telling me what to do, and also informing that my card had been accepted. Good service. I needed to have the packet of seeds sent to my friend in NY, and then she out it in an envelope and sent it to me. The only reason I'm not giving this company a positive is the shipping cost. I ordered 1 packet of seed costing $4.95 and had to pay $6.95 shipping! (and not even to me in Italy, but my friend in NY). Perhaps they could work out another system for shipping small orders of SEEDS ONLY, otherwise it isn't fair. My friend put the packet in an envelope and it cost one first class forever stamp plus 84 cents (to send to Italy), and I had to pay $6.95 to have it sent to her in NY!
On Jan 9, 2009, amazondoc Knoxville, TN (Zone 7a) wrote:
I ordered many vegetable and flower seeds from about 7 different companies this winter, all in mid to late December of 2008. I ordered a lot of seeds from Burpee.
Nearly all of the seeds that Burpee sent me were packed for 2008, and marked "sell by 12/08". Amongst ALL the other seeds from ALL the other companies I ordered from, all but ONE of those other seed packets were packed for 2009 and marked "sell by 12/09".
Burpee unloaded their old seed on me. The other companies sent me good fresh seed. Guess which companies I'll be looking at first, next time?
On Jan 9, 2009, Burpee (W. Atlee Burpee) responded with:
"
On Jan 14, 2009 12:18 PM, Burpee (W. Atlee Burpee) added:
Please be assured that we only send out seed that meets our highest germination standards and that we test our seed frequently. Also, all of our seed is stored in climate-controlled facilities to ensure it stays at the optimal conditions for excellent germination. Further, W. Atlee Burpee offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so that if you are not satisfied with our product, we will either replace or refund your purchase price.
This is the first year that I ordered plants from Burpee, previous years having ordered my seeds.
My seeds arrived more than early enough to start them indoors. I ordered their Tomato Hall of Fame which includes 9 of their best tomatoes, including the 4th of July variety, which bears fruit in 49 days!! The tomato plants arrived a little later than I would have liked, but right on time in regards to my hardiness zone. I can't blame them for not taking the chance that I would plant them too early!
8 of the 9 tomato plants arrived looking good, a little tired from their travels, but good. Of course they were a tad smaller than those growing in my local nurseries, but I knew they would catch up. The only problem was that one of my tomato plants didn't come at all. It was just an empty container with dirt and the identification tag. Sure enough it was my poor little 4th of July tomato, or what was supposed to be my 4th of July tomato.
I called Burpee's toll free number immediately and their response is the number one reason that I am rating them positively. They immediately sent me not one, but three replacements of the 4th of July tomato. They apologized and I got the replacement plants within a week.
They have great customer service. I would have been happy with just the one plant I had ordered, but sending me two extra guaranteed them my business for life.
Also, I must note, that I put my tomatoes in the ground and they shot right up. They already look much better than my neighbor's tomatoes which she bought at a local greenhouse and planted 2 weeks earlier than mine!
I will be ordering from Burpee again and again. Mostly because I know that if I have a problem they are easy and quick to resolve it.
On Jun 15, 2008, todgor West Caldwell, NJ (Zone 6b) wrote:
Look if you're ordering seeds I suppose they are alright. But don't order potted plants from them! Why? Because they don't know the slightest thing about packing plants so they will arrive safe! I have placed several orders this year, and the coleus plants were all destroyed, so were the majority of the lisianthus, and some of the perillas. Amazingly bad, stay away! Breaks my heart too because I really want to have those beautiful plants in their catalog without the whole seed growing process.
On Jun 15, 2008, Burpee (W. Atlee Burpee) responded with:
"
On Jun 16, 2008 8:32 AM, Burpee (W. Atlee Burpee) added:
Hello,
Thanks for your feedback on your experience with Burpee. We are sorry that you have had a poor experience. We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Please provide me with your name and we will refund your money. Thanks.
Paul
"
I have dealt with Burpee for several years. Even when I get seeds that don't germinate as expected, they have always sent me a replacement. I got live strawberry plants and Zavory Hot Pepper plants this year as well. Other than the apes at UPS shaking up the dirt to the pepper plants, I was able to transplant them and all is well. Burpee might want to modify their shipping to allow for this. The strawberry plants came up excellent. I have always received my packages on time with no problems. I am another satisfied customer and look to do business with them in many years to come.
On Jun 10, 2008, Idahoan Boise, ID (Zone 6a) wrote:
My first negative review on DG!
I have dealt with Burpee for many years. Normally I start my own tomato plants. I have ordered seeds, plant starting trays, but I never have ordered live plants from them.
I ordered 3 Brandy Boy tomato plants from their website on May 31, 2008. I received the box today. It contained 3 pots, 3 plant labels, a pile of dirt, 3 dead root balls and dead shredded plant matter.
I am requesting my money back, no credit. Needless to say I will not be dealing with this company again!
On Jun 10, 2008, Burpee (W. Atlee Burpee) responded with:
"
On Jun 11, 2008 10:38 AM, Burpee (W. Atlee Burpee) added:
Hello,
We are sorry to hear of your poor experience with Burpee Seeds. Please be rest assured that we have a 100% satisfaction guarantee and will provide you with a complete refund.
Paul
"
This is my second year ordering annuals from Burpee. Last year I had no issues or complaints. My Lisianthus flowered into October. They were so beautiful and easy I ordered more this year. Half of the shipment was fine although they seemed smaller than I remembered. The other half were smaller with most of the plants were broken. Burpee told me they would refund the damaged plants.
The seeds I ordered last year were wonderful. I had left over seeds that I started this spring and while I was expecting them to not do very well I have been pleasantly surprised, 100 percent germination and strong healthy plants.
I ordered a mixture of plants and seeds from Burpee on April 14th. My comfirmation letter said it would be 7-10 days and listed both the plants and the seeds. I got confirmation from ups that my package would arrive on april 24th (10 days). When I got the package I was surprised it was so small and that my plants were not in the box. I figured that since I had ordered in April and the delivery for my area was supposed to be April that I would get my plants. So I looked in the box and there was a reciept for the seeds, but there was nothing to tell me when my plants were coming, just that they would be shipped seperately. I waited till May 12th to contact Burpee by email and didn't get a response that week, so I called them and waited on hold half an hour to be told my package wouldn't arrive until the first week of June and if my plants don't perform this summer then I can have my money back. A couple of days later I got an email response (7 days after I had sent the email) saying that my package would be there in early June. So, after ordering in April I should be finally getting my plants on June 9th. But from the other comments I guess I shouldn't be relying on that package for my garden. Good luck to whoever orders from them in the future.
I'm still a novice in online discussions ... just did not find a need to bother going through the posting steps (it turned out easy). Yet there was one point that Park Seeds really irritated me. So I posted a negative rating for them. Now, I'm into this related series of comments. I posted a positive one for Territorial Seeds.
I mention this because during a recent positive experience with Burpee's, I confirmed that all in all, gardeners truly love plants and can get sensitive/demanding/emotional/etc about them ... to the point that this has got to be one business where good customer service can make much difference. I believe gardeners are not out to maliciously try to get refunds or free replacements from businesses where they get their plant stuff. Gardeners just seem to have an expectation of sustained good feelings when they buy their seeds/plants. For them to take the time to communicate (complain) with the business means they really need to to sustain that good feeling and correct something that does not seem or feel right. Is it too much for these businesses to compromise or do a balancing act between losing a few dollars or so and maintaining goodwill with its customers?
For example, I ordered tomato plants from Burpee's. When they arrived, I was so excited opening my package of goodies. The plants all looked fine, but smaller than I thought. Instead of feeling let-down, I told myself, oh, I did not check the plant size on the catalog, I just assumed the plants will be bigger ... but no biggie ... if I put them in the ground at this time, they will quickly fill out. Then one day, I checked my tomato plants and two out of nine seemed fizzling out, getting ready to die. My thought, was no, oh no, especially not the Sungold! Then I remembered they were smaller than the others, so maybe they were prematurely included among plants that were shipped out. Perhaps they needed a week or two more in Burpee's cozy facilities, not boxed, shipped, and introduced into a different environment so soon.
Note that I did not think Burpee's intentionally meant to short-change its customers. They're in the business of moving fragile little things subject to weather and other factors beyond their control, so not everything can be perfected. Although I did not think negatively of the plants in 2"-pots they sent me, now that two of them looked unable to survive (I followed care instructions, by the way), I thought: "I want my money's worth, but most of all, I want to see my little babies go from this seedling to a tower of yummy tomatoes. I will really be sad if they do not make it. And I will miss the Sungold. Maybe I should go to the nurseries and see if they have Sungold. But I already spent the money for a nice future crop of Sungold. How about if I call Burpee's and ask them to replace what I got with a plant that would clearly have a chance to survive, or refund me so I can re-buy them from somewhere else? Then all will be back to normal and I will have Sungold tomatoes this summer and also taste what Health Kick is like."
I did not seriously want my $6.50 back, but I was disappointed and I wanted to do something about it so I can go back to feeling good during my gardening moments ... that of course include nurturing my tomatoes and imagining the joy during harvest time. It's all psychology. Gardening, after all, should be more pleasure than stress.
Well, Burpee's offered to refund my $6.50 since they cannot promise they could send replacements. Imagine, for $6.50, it made much difference to my psyche! I felt I was treated fairly, with goodwill, that I went ahead and ordered more from Burpee's. Just to make a gesture that, Burpee's, you may be out $6.50 now, but you are looking at a more-certainly lifelong customer. If in the future I will need to complain again, and a less "evolved" or less "aware" customer service person takes my case and messes it up, do you think I will turn around and hate Burpee's? No, because I will still give them credit for the past goodwill.
Customer Service is such a tricky area. As they say, one just cannot please everyone all the time, no matter what the business does to respond accordingly. But just the act of trying to be responsive to a complaint (not auto form letters or canned responses) is commendable enough. You lose some, but you win some. I believe most people are not chronic or malicious complainers who complain for the heck of it. There is no pleasing those rare cases. But, an unhappy customer just knowing that some effort is being made to try do something about a complaint is precious enough .... especially in the zen world of gardening.
I had a mainly positive experience with Burpee. I ordered tomato blossom set spray, some fertilizer, and the tomato best of show collection. The spray and fertilizer got here in a timely manner, and my tomatoes came on time as well. One box of tomatoes was pretty smashed up, with broken stems and what not. But the other box on the top arrived beautifully. I don't, of course, blame them for the condition of those tomatoes, as the box they came in looked kind of beat up, and I know that has a lot more to do with being thrown around. My only concern is customer service.
Before my tomatoes arrived I sent them an e-mail asking a few questions, and it took two weeks to get a reply. Even before sending an e-mail, I had called customer service, and never got in touch with anyone. So, I just recently e-mailed them again asking if I could replace the broken-stemmed tomatoes I have or if there was anyway I could save them, and I'm afraid it will take weeks to get back to me again. I'll update and see how this goes.
On May 30th, 2008, KKraver added the following:
I recieved an e-mail from Mr. Hofer yesterday, and got a call from customer service today. The woman I spoke with was very friendly, and my replacements should be shipped monday! Hopefully UPS doesn't just throw the box around this time.
And by the way, my three healthy tomato plants that arrived safely are doing very well.
On May 21, 2008, formisfunction Bethesda, MD wrote:
Had a nightmare experience with these guys ordering tomato plants.
We waited until too far into the growing season to start plants from seed, so we decided to pay the substantial premium to have them ship us plants instead of seed packets. They assured me at the time I ordered that the plants I wanted were in stock and that they would ship them in 3-5 days for delivery in 7-10 days. Instead, three weeks went by without their shipping out the plants. Three weeks! I could have started my plants from seed in three weeks!! I'd ordered three different kinds of tomato plants. They didn't even ship one kind at all. Why? Because it was out of stock. What about the fact that they assured me it was in stock? Their first reponse was to say that I was wrong and no one there could have done that. Then, after I point out to them that this is silly, why would I make that up, they go, oh yeah, we'll we're very sorry that you had this experience. Another of the plants I ordered? They shipped me an empty pot. Not a pot with a little baby plant that died. No sir. An empty pot. The person who made up that package couldn't possibly have thought he was shipping me a plant. There was no plant. 3 weeks late they shipped me an empty pot. Yes, they offered immediately to refund that purchase price. But honestly, how ridiculous is this?? Why do I have to even go through the hassle of waiting on hold for 10 minutes to receive a refund for being shipped an empty pot? 3 weeks late?
Lesson learned.
Will always make sure to start plants from seed ourselves.
On May 18, 2008, FlyerElite Philadelphia, PA wrote:
I placed an order for Brandy Boy tomatoes and the hot Pepper Zavory. They were delivered last week and except for a bit of loose soil were in great condition. They've transplanted well and don't appear to have any transplant shock. Very happy with this transaction.
I'm a new gardner and ordered three beefsteak tomato plants from Burpee. When they arrived they were obviously dead. But new to gardening, I read the instructions and they said they may be wilted upon arrival. (they were more than wilted but I gave it a try)
So I tried for three weeks to get them back to life.
After the first week, I emailed customer service to let them know so they could contact me and maybe send me new plants. I received no email back. I tried to email them once again. Still no response. I called them last week, Monday May 12,2008. I talked to a woman in customer service who apologised on the plants and she said she would refund my money to my bank account.
I just checked my bank statement today and I still haven't been reimbursed.
I emailed them again today and this time I was very angry. I told them if I found the number to their corporate office I would call them.
I was planning on using Burpee for years to come. I've heard they were a very reputable company but my first experience tells me that maybe I should start looking elsewhere.
I am getting ready to retire and planned on gardening for a hobby. I wish they would of just stood behind their Burpee guarantee and I would of used them for all of my gardening needs.
Now I have to look elsewhere.
On May 21st, 2008, deehall5 changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
I changed my rating from a negative to a positive for Burpee because:
After reading some other posts I found a specific persons email address at Burpee. Mr. Hofer emailed me the very next day in regards to my complaint. I also received a phone message from a woman named Jesse who also apologized. They explained that my credit card was credited on the day that I had called but after reviewing my account with Burpee realized it didn't take. They put my credit card info back in and it worked this time.
So it possibly was just a mix up.
I don't blame Burpee for my dead tomato plants. Who knows it could of been UPS throwing the boxes around. I don't know it was the first time I had ordered from them.
I will order from Burpee again, just not tomato plants.
I think I will pay the extra money and go to my retail store or farmers market and get those.
But on everything else. BURPEE'S it is.
Both my parents and I have been using Burpee seeds for over 20 years now and have never had a problem. We buy them more from local shops than through the mail but have been very happy with the quality of seeds we have purchased- without exception. I will continue to use Burpee seeds- and ONLY Burpee seeds- and will pass this on to the next generation of gardeners in my family. Thank you, Burpee!
I placed an order on April 15th for some tomato plants. The website said the plants should arrive within 7-10 business days. After 14 days, I called (because you cannot track your order online) and was told that I would receive my plants in two weeks. I sent an email to the customer service center last week and hadn't heard anything. I called today and was told that my tomato plants would not ship until the end of May or the beginning of June!!!! I live in the south and ordered my plants at the appropriate time and they were not going to send me my tomato plants until June! I would not have tomatoes until end of August or beginning of September. I understand you want to order seeds early (which I did and received fine from Burpee) but why should it take so long to get my plants? I asked the rep this question and she said that there was a high demand and I really need to order in January or February. I have to order that early for plants!!! Give me a break!!!! This company took my money on April 15th and they weren't going send my plants until June - that is unacceptable. I promptly asked for a refund and we will see if I get my money back timely. I will not be ordering anything from Burpee again and that is sad because I ordered over $200 worth of stuff from them this year including my tomatoes. My husband told me that they are too high on their stuff anyway.
On May 8, 2008, outdoorguy217 Saint Cloud, FL (Zone 9b) wrote:
I ordered Sweet Potato plants and seeds on April 14th.
Positive:
I had to call the company to find out when the plants would be shipped as they had not arrived in the 7-10 days indicated when ordered. They told me they would ship the following week from the nursery. They did arrive this week in good condition.
Negative:
I ordered seeds at the same time as the plants. The seeds have yet to arrive. I was given two different ship dates during my first 2 calls to Burpee. On my last call I was told they were shipped on April 21st and I should have received them by now. The Lady said she would send a replacement seed order then said, um…we have one of the seeds you requested on backorder and they appear to have been on backorder for a while. She said she was confused because she was not sure if the backordered seeds had been originally shipped. She then said that she would send out a replacement order of all seeds they have in stock. She told me to call and cancel the replacement order if the original package shows up in the next week or so! So I guess they are holding my replacement order for a week???
The other “negative” about this review…The seeds on backorder are still on Burpee’s web with no mention of a backorder. The web page allows you to place the seed in your shopping cart. When does Burpee tell a customer that they can’t order something not in stock…after the order is placed?
On Apr 29, 2008, marylandgarden Baltimore, MD wrote:
Just had my first great experience ordering from Burpee. My plants arrived on time, and in great condition. Can't wait to watch them bloom this spring and summer.
I received a wonderful gift from a friend today and she directed me to this site.
She had ordered too many perennials from Burpee and brought me her "leftovers". WOW, I am so lucky. The plants are so healthy looking and will be such a nice addition to my garden. Thank you to Jill and to Burpee.
Several of my neighbors and I have already received our plants from Burpee and there are NO complaints. The packaging was great, plants look just fine, and they were delivered when promised. Customer service was very helpful when one of my neighbors made a mistake on her order and had to change it in mid-packaging. Can't ask for much more than that.
Looking forward to another great summer of plants thanks to this company.
Nothing but good from Burpee. Good plants, good service, good choices.
I had a great selection of plants from which to choose and all arrived in excellent condition. Took well to their new "home" and all is well. ....as usual, with Burpee.
On Apr 28, 2008, jmhewitt Hampstead, NC (Zone 8a) wrote:
I have ordered from Burpee many times in the last five years, and all experiences have been positive.
my most recent order was for 6 cherry tomato plants at the end of march.....they arrived at the beginning of April and were beautifully packed and now are growing vigorously.
I have also ordered seeds and seed tapes, and tomato cages in the past, all arrived correctly and promptly.
also ordered some tomato plants last year and they also arrived well.
On Apr 27, 2008, mommie Weslaco, TX (Zone 9b) wrote:
I too had a very bad experience with this company. My plants were out of their pots & dead! UPS must have had a ball throwing this package around. When I called them the woman said they get a lot of complaints about this.I realize I live far,far away but,other companies get my order to me in a timely fashion with no damage to my plants. I suggested to her she tell the delivery dept. to switch to FedEx. I trusted this company because of their name & they let me down. I will never order from them again!! BTW : She said They would refund my money.As I haven't received my statement yet I cannot tell you if they did. I assume a company of this size & reknown will stand by it's word. I am not worried about my money.
On Apr 27, 2008, Miarka Ware Neck, VA (Zone 7b) wrote:
I ordered a cone flower in October. It was a special 'saul' one that I really wanted. It came up in March and then promptly 'disappeared'. I emailed them regarding their policy and they said they would replace it. Well, the replacement came about 2 weeks ago - at least a month after I complained, and it had no growth at all. Just roots in a pot that was somewhat displaced in the mail. My cone flowers at the time all had leaf showing, so I'm a bit dubious. I planted it immediately, but it's been in 2-3 weeks and nothing is happening. I check on it every couple of days. All my other cone flowers are huge. I will have to email them again I suppose, but I'm quite disappointed. They are a big, well-known company and it was an expensive coneflower which I wanted for a specific spot.
I ordered 12 Lisianthus plants from Burpee,since these plants are
not very easy to find. They arrived in a timely fashion, yet all plants
fell out of container and the box was a total mess, not to mention
the roots all tangled up. I planted them right away and prayed for
their survival. The plants themselves looked fine upon arrival that's
why I give a neutral rating. Burpee can definitely do more to improve
their packaging.
I recently received my order of three "ice tomato" and three super sweet tomato plants. I was horrified upon opening the box to find that the soil (and plants) had completely fallen out of two of the containers. Two of the others were half way out of their containers, as well. There was no plastic bag or newspaper around the individual plants for protection. The "This Side Up" arrow ran perpindicular to how the plants had to be arranged in the box inserts. I'll just have to see if they make it, but I will never order live plants from Burpee again.
On Apr 19, 2008, Burpee (W. Atlee Burpee) responded with:
Hello,
We are sorry to hear about your problems with your recent plant order. We would like to apologize for your problems with Burpee. Please know that Burpee will stand by its 100 customer satisfaction guarantee and will refund your money. Please check your DMail and send me a note back so we can process your refund.
Cheers.
Paul
"
I have bought seeds from them before with success. Recently I tried buying plants. The first box arrived and the plants were dead. They were no longer in the pots & were laying without soil. I wasn't sure if it was the way they were packed or the post office being rough. Then my next 3 boxes arrived. Out of 4 boxes of plants, one. . exactly one had plastic around the plants to keep them in place - so they were still in the soil/pots. The tomato plants were broken into pieces. I had bought plants from other companys, and since Burpee was rated well here - I took a chance. I may continue to buy seeds, but will never buy another plant from them.
I wrote them about replacing the plants - just the onces that didn't look like they would recover. Haven't heard back. However, even if they stand by their guarantee - if they pack & resend in the same manner, I don't see a better outcome.
On April 23rd, 2008, dato63 changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
I was very upset to see how the plants were packed - but realistically I don't know if it is the fault of Burpees or the postal system.
A very nice woman from Burpees helped a lot. She asked me for a list of what plants died and promptly refunded my money for those. She further said if others died as well to let her know. Also, she made suggestions as to how I could try from seeds next spring. I bought quite a few varieties of vegetable plants, as it is hard to find different varieties in neighborhood nurseries. The plants that were wrapped with plastic seemed to survive the shipment better than those that were not.
Anyhow, although I probably will not buy vegetable plants again - I would still like to try the seeds next year - with the Burpees employees suggestions. And I have to say regardless of the plants condition - the customer service was excellent in both response and mannerism. On Apr 18, 2008, Burpee (W. Atlee Burpee) responded with:
Hello,
We are sorry to hear about your problems with your recent plant order. We would like to apologize for your problems with Burpee. Please know that Burpee will stand by its 100 customer satisfaction guarantee and will refund your money. Please check your DMail and send me a note back so we can process your refund.
Cheers.
Paul
In late February or early March I first placed an order for lisianthus and some heirloom tomato plants. Only after I placed the order did I realize the plants wouldn't be arriving until April, so I canceled the order and instead bought some celebrity tomato plants locally. Here it is April, 16th and I already have a small green tomato on one plant. Waiting until mid-April to ship tomato plants to New Orleans is too late!
I placed another order for blue lisianthus and added tuberose bulbs. I thought they would both ship on April 4th, but I didn't receive the lisianthus plants until April 14th, and I have still not received the tuberose bulbs. When the lisianthus 12-pack arrived via UPS, the box was battered, half-crushed, and poorly packaged. The 12-pack tray was crushed and not a single seedling was in its compartment. I dug through the pile of dirt and pulled out what was left of the plants, but I'm not sure they will grow with what roots were still intact. That box of dirt was not worth $26.00.
I emailed Burpee yesterday and attached two pictures of how the plants arrived, but have yet to hear from them.
On April 21st, 2008, govinda8 added the following:
It took Burpee a week, but someone emailed me and told me they would be issuing a refund for the 12 lisianthus plants. I'm bummed that all the plants died because I can't find live lisianthus anywhere else, but I'll take the refund. I think Burpee needs to revise their methods of shipment for live plants or stop shipping live plants all together. On Apr 16, 2008, Burpee (W. Atlee Burpee) responded with:
Hello,
We are sorry to hear about your problems with your recent plant order. We would like to apologize for your problems with Burpee. We have a 100% guarantee and will process your refund promptly. We are always reviewing our ways to ship live plants and will be conducting additional tests this summer to improve our methods to provide well-packed and happy plants to our customers.
Cheers.
Paul
"
