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I must state that Seeds of Change has some of the worst customer service I've ever experienced. I am a vegetarian and eat only Organic, so I am a large customer through buyer's clubs, direct ordering, etc.
I placed an order on March 7th for a variety of products including asparagus crowns and strawberries and never received them. I was told multiple times via email that they were at the warehouse/drop shipper/on-their-way and the never showed up. I was finally told on June 12th that they were gone and I would not be receiving any.
Why was I not corresponded with regarding this matter at a much earlier date when I could still purchase elsewhere?
I just got off the phone with a supervisor, who was completely unhelpful in explaining to me why this happened. He proceeded to say "what do you want me to do," for which I stated nothing at all, just wanted to voice my displeasure with the way this was handled.
I was then told that other asparagus crowns were available. I asked, since it's late in the year and because of this fiasco, if he could send a small amount at no charge so that we could try to establish them for next year.
He said he couldn't do that and only offered free shipping if I were to purchase. Very sad.
While I will still be supporting Seeds of Change, I will never attempt to purchase live plants from SoC again; I will make known to others of my ordeal and to heed my recommendation to stay away.
I hope SoC does better in the future and develops a better mode of communication with their customers.
On Jun 3, 2009, scarfingartist Westminster, CA wrote:
I ordered 12 heirloom tomato seedlings in February for April Delivery. I dug and prepared a large new bed for them. It is now June, and they have not arrived.
I have spoken with SOC's customer service company (it's an out-sourced vendor) 4 times. 3 times I was promised that the plants would arrive at the end of the week. Today, in addition to being spoken to rudely, I was told that I was not allowed to cancel my order. It's clear, from reading the preceding reviews, that SOC is not the same great company it once was. How nice for all of us that there are now several other retailers to choose from when purchasing organic seed.
I wish that SOC cared about our business, but I don't think they do.
I am very frustrated with the customer service of this company! They are rude and terrible to deal with. Only buy from them if what you want cannot be found elsewhere. It is too bad because I agree with their mission. I will just have to find another company with a similar mission, and thank goodness there are many of them!
On Apr 27, 2009, BunSmoke Salt Lake City, UT wrote:
Seeds of Change has terrible customer service and has wasted my time. I will never give them my business. I ordered a garden tool, paying significant shipping charge (shipping was 23.7% of the cost of the item) because I really needed the implement. They promptly sent me an email saying that my order was received and that item will arrive in 4-10 days. 17 days later I call them and they shrug and say "sorry dude, that item is on back order". The email never said it was on back order. I canceled. The people at Seeds of Change need to lay off the weed and get their act together.
First, I've supported them in the past because of their socially-responsible company mission: to preserve biodiversity and promote sustainable, organic agriculture; permaculture; becoming carbon neutral; and their outstanding seed donation program. However, their horrible service and excessive shipping costs are inexcusable.
After ordering online I called on 2/16/09 to cancel my orders of seeds and two varieties of potatoes. I did so because I had horrible customer service with these orders--incorrect shipping charges, no order confirmation with corrected charges, no response to email inquiries, several unhelpful calls to customer service, no updates on internal changes made to my order, seeds not shipped expediently (eight days after ordering at time of cancellation). The customer service rep, Joe, assured me that he had canceled my orders entirely. Meanwhile, I ordered organic potatoes from another company (for $15 less than what SOC charged in total).
Two weeks after I'd canceled in disgust, SOC nevertheless charged my credit card. When I emailed to repeat my request --"Please cancel this order in its entirety and remove all pending charges to my account"--I received a form-like response in which they explained that they couldn't cancel my order with their grower! Days later, the charge had disappeared from my bank records. Two weeks later, it reappeared and was processed by my bank!
Not only do i have a lasting headache from this ordeal, but I've got more potatoes than I know what to do with!
I was all set to order 2oz of onion seeds which would of cost just under $50. When I found out it would cost over $11.00 to ship 2oz of seed I canceled the order.
They can say what they want to justify this but I won't buy it. The profit should be in the seed itself and not hidden in the shipping cost.
On Jan 30, 2009, thgardeningfool Orlando, FL wrote:
Positive: they do reply quickly to emails (within 8 hours). However, they seem to lack a bit on the listening and comprehension department (see below for explanation).
Thus far my experience has been negative. Placed an order online. Upon receiving their confirmation email I noticed that there were three shipping charges:
1 for the fingerling potatoes (correctly charged)
1 charge of $4.75 for S&H 2 seed packs (??)
1 charge of $4.75 for S&H 2 seed packs (??)
**Upon reading the comment right below mine it appears there is a trend as the S&H charges for four seed packs added up to $9.50 as well.**
Six emails later and getting replies that indicated the associate did not read my questions (I'll spare you the painful details of their answers), which were basically "Why am I getting charged S&H twice?" & "Could you guys send me all 4 packs in one order so I can save myself $4.75?" I decided to call. The Cust Service associate was kind and polite...but it did take a lot of explaining for her to understand my question (which she had also read on my emailed version). It went like this:
Me- "How much do you charge for S&H of 1 seed pack?"
Cust Svc- "$4.75"
Me- "How much do you charge for S&H of 2 seed packs?"
Cust Svc- "$4.75"
Me- "How much do you charge for S&H of 3 seed packs?"
Cust Svc- "$4.75"
Me- "How much do you charge for S&H of 4 seed packs?"
Cust Svc- "$4.75"
Me: "Are my seeds being shipped all together?"
Cust Svc- "Yes. ***silence*** OOOOOOOOOOOOH, I see what you mean!"
She was slow to get to it but in the end she understood and tried to fix the damage. They will now post a credit on my card and she agreed to email me back saying that they would do so (just for me to keep for my records).
I hope I don't have to again send repeated emails and make additional calls to ensure the refund is taken care of. If you see no further updates it means they kept their word about that...if they don't I'll be sure to post it here.
Why the negative rating? For one, I am suspicious of a company that appears to have a trend of making errors that benefit them (If I was being charged $9.50 but they would only pay $4.75 for shipping...guess where the extra $4.75 was going...). Also, it really should not take frustration and an additional hour to place one simple order of a few seed packs. This felt like homework.
PS: Also placed a very large order with Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (SouthernExposure.com) and their site is easy to navigate and it all went through without any issues. What a difference!
On Jan 14, 2009, Pandora75 Staten Island, NY wrote:
I attempted to place an on line order and was surprised to find that 7 virtually weightless small seed packets generated more than a $9 shipping charge, and so I did not complete my purchase. Many on line companies are restructuring their shipping charges to be fairer and use a "weight basis" instead of a "price total basis" . The inequity becomes very clear for customers buying "seeds only". I spoke to the customer service area but they were not helpful.
Has this company been bought out by a larger corporation in recent years? We have purchased seed and other products for a long time, but this year, the customer service is a disaster. I purchased a $78 Permaculture book from them in early April. It arrived in a timely manner, but inside the box was a $10 Misto oil sprayer instead of my book. I was told that the corporate office had to issue me a return slip through UPS so I could send it back and get my money, which also included a large amount of shipping and handling (supposedly to cover the weight of the missing book!) I have called Helena at customer service multiple times, emailed her multiple times, and also left a message at the corporate office customer care coordinators voice mail. Still no return slip. Am I really going to get stiffed by this company that is supposedly resting on the moral high ground of businesses? Any advice?
I have ordered from SOF for years without trouble until last year. When my order did not come after 2 1/2 weeks I called and was told that my order would be shipped "tomorrow". I waited another 2 weeks and called again. Still it hadn't been shipped. After 2 more phone calls I reached a supervisor and discovered that they had a packaging problem and it still wasn't resolved. When I asked why this had happened, she said "it's not our fault that we couldn't get the machine we needed". I asked why they didn't communicate with their customers about it, she said "gee, I never thought of that". I lost early plant sales over this and was very upset but since I had been a long term customer, I ordered again this year.
I faxed my order in and it didn't come. I called and they had no record of my order! So I ordered again over the phone. I asked if all my items were in stock and was told they were. Half of my order came quickly, the other half backordered. I was furious. I called and was told the remainder would be shipped by a certain date. Again I waited for an order that didn't come and finally called. "I don't know why you were told that!" was my answer. After 3 more phone calls, I finally reached a person who at least acted like she cared, and she helped me get all but one item, even though I still had to wait 2 additional weeks! Again it was a packaging issue.
It's such a shame - it used to be such a good company. If I treated my customers this way, I'd be out of business in no time. I understand that problems arrise, but customers should be kept informed about anything that affects their order. This company has no clue what good customer service is. If they had told me about these problems ahead of time, I probably would have ordered from someone else right then, but would have cheerfully returned in future years. Now I'm fed up and I doubt that I'll ever order from them again.
Sidenote: Their new packaging is horrible! Small seeds stick (from static) to the inside and it's very difficult to get them out without spilling them or hacking the package to bits.
I ordered 6 seed packets which were expensive already, and was then told shipping would be $7.81. I ordered anyway, and the actual shipping was $1.31, and when I called to complain they were completely unsympathetic, offered no reimbursement or credit or even an apology. I even said twice that this would be my last order, due to the extreme high cost and that didn't seem to bother them in the slightest.
On Apr 2, 2008, CintiMG Richboro, PA (Zone 6a) wrote:
I ordered two Cox Orange Pippin Apple trees Sept 21 2007 over the internet and received confirmation of the order. Today, 4/2/2008 I called to enquire when they would be shipped and was told "They cancelled the order - I'm sorry they didn't tell you. Those trees are no longer available"
On Mar 26, 2008, greengiraffe edmonton Canada wrote:
Be wary of ordering from Canada! I ordered seeds from Seeds of Change in Feb 2008. The website would not accept an order from Canada, so I called in to place an order. I was told the order could not be shipped until the shipping amount was calculated at the warehouse, and that this would happen quickly "usually within 24 hours". Noone contacted me with the shipping amount for days and I called the company later in the week only to be told that my order was still being processed and that I would be called. I ended up calling the company approximately 4 times over a 2 week period. Each time the staff were very friendly, but noone seemed to be able to tell me what was happening to my order! Noone ever did call me back with shipping amounts and on my second last phone call to them (2 weeks after my order was placed) I asked the clerk to have someone call me back that day with information as to what happened to my order and a shipping quote. I informed them that I would cancel my order if I did not hear back. Two days later I called them intending to cancel my order. The clerk informed me that the order had shipped already, and sure enough it arrived later that day. Noone ever did give me a shipping quote (by phone or email), it was just automatically billed. To top it all off, the company always sends out a free pack of seeds in your order as a token of thanks for your business...they included the thank you card saying that there were free seeds enclosed but there were no free seeds! I sent an email back to them about my experience and asked to be contacted and noone has responded to me. I have ordered from this company years ago with no problems, but this is the last time I will order from them, I will find a local supplier of heirloom organic seed.
I placed an internet order for a fairly large amount of seed. I noticed that some of the seeds were on backorder. I called customer service to find out what the availability time frame was. I was told that the seeds just needed packaging and that they would be ready in a few days. I placed the order. I called back a few weeks later and asked about my order. I was told that they would have a better idea in a few days. I called back and was told that some of the order was still not available. I asked which items that might be as I could get by without some of them. The operator told me that the only way that she could tell was by looking at each item separately. I said go ahead and do that. Well, it turned out that a large portion of the seeds were on back order. Even ones that did not show that when I submitted. I was also told that they did not know when they would be available. It was getting very close to the time to start many of the seeds, so I cancelled the order. I sent an email to the company describing my experience. I also said that I would like to do business with them in the future. I never got a response.
I started to order online, but ended up calling them after I noticed that a few of the seeds I wanted were backordered, with no information as to when they would be available. The person on the phone did not seem to know when they would be available either, but I placed the order anyway. We received our order noting the items on backorder. About 2 months later, we received all but one of the backordered items, and were charged another shipping charge, even though they clearly state that back orders will not be charged additional shipping. When we called to inquire about the shipping charge, they told us that we placed two different orders, and ARGUED with us when we stated that the backordered items were on our original invoice! They still did not know when the remaining backordered item (peppers) would be available, so we had to cancel those and order from another company, as we need to start peppers now. We are certified organic growers, thus we have used seeds of change as our "go to" company. After this very frustrating experience, we are going to try to buy elsewhere in the future. Thankfully there are more and more companies now offering certified organic seeds.
On Oct 7, 2007, zebraman Venice, CA (Zone 10a) wrote:
I ordered Tahitian melon squash seeds as I didn't have enough from the seeds I bought from Sandhill to grow a healthy germplasm.I had already had the Sandhill seeds sprouting and Sandhill takes Forever to ship.The seeds (2 packs) from SOC came really quickly,however the resulting plants produced everything but Tahitian melon squash,half the squash grew like TMS but stalled half grown,never getting ripe,some were egg shaped,two of them had the seed cavity at the stem end.This is Not the same company now that M&M Mars owns it.They are clearly not saving seed from a large enough Germplasm.I called the Company and the person I spoke too had No Idea what a Healthy Germplasm was.Did Not understand the term "Out-Breeding".I will Never buy seeds from this Co. Ever Again!
On May 21, 2007, sagesue115 Willow Grove, PA wrote:
In March I ordered a six pack of their "top seller tomato seedlings". It is now 5/21. I have called the company twice; I asked to speak to customer service and told them my problem. They said they "are not available". I told them I ordered them in March for a zone6 garden!. She then spoke to her supervisor who said they would be "ready to ship" in a week. That is not acceptable. I was never informed that the plants would not be available at the correct shipping time; nor was I notified that they would be very late. I will NEVER ORDER FROM THEM AGAIN!!
I ordered 30 strawberry plants to be delivered April 30.When I had not yet received plants on May 12, I looked on web site to confirm order, and found order was cancelled. I then called comapny, and was told all strawberry orders for that year were cancelled. When I asked why I was not informed, I was told "I should have received a letter." They had my email address, but did not send me an email stating order had been cancelled. The person I spoke to was very polite and apologetic, but I will never order from this company again.
I placed a small seed order with Seeds of Change. I chose the option of paying for 2nd day express delivery as I needed to get the seeds started quickly for a church plant sale. I waited- no seeds. after 1 week I emailed them. No reply. I tried contacting them again and again. Nothing. I fogot about it until 2 months later I got a letter in the mail from Seeds of Change. It was a generic "Dear Valued Customer" we are out of stock on this item type letter. A week after this the seeds arrived and I was still charged the fee for 2nd day express delivery! SOC used to be an alright company. What the heck has happened? I will never order from them again. To top it off the seeds I ordered have given me less than 20% germination. I sure feel cheated!
On Apr 8, 2007, loveliesbleedin West Plains, MO wrote:
Seed order was placed and took over 3 months to arrive. I placed several phone calls to the company "customer service" and was basically told, they were working on it. No apologies, no explantation except they were still "picking the seeds." Seed order did finally arrive, but way late for my gardening zone in TX. I will never order from them again, not becaseu of the products, but the total laack of conern for customer service.
I placed an order on Jan. 6, 2006, for several items, including a salsa six pack of plants. All the non-plant items came, but on Mar. 30 I called to check on status of live plants. The rep said oh, sorry that item is all sold out. She acknowledged that it probably wasn't sold out when I placed my order. I was NEVER notified of the problem. Not by email or via the partial shipping slips. Little late to start tomatillo seed in New England for me now! Very poor way to communicate and deal with customers.
On May 28, 2002, Sapphireblue Washington, DC (Zone 7a) wrote:
I went to the Seeds of Change website when someone suggested them as a good source of agate soybean seed. I ordered some of that, and then some impulse-purchase seeds while I was at it. I waited eagerly for my soybeans for a week. Then the envelope came in the mail, with everything but my soybeans. The packing slip said they were "backorder cancelled."
If the website had said they were out, I wouldn't have bothered placing an order, saving myself $13.50. They did send some free primrose seed in place of the soybeans, and a nice response to the email I wrote them after receiving (most of) my order, but I won't be ordering from their site again, now that I know that I won't be notified of out-of-stocks until a week after I've placed an order. At least not if it's something I want as much as I wanted those beans.
On Jan 24, 2002, Nannette Signal Mountain, TN (Zone 7a) wrote:
I love everything this company stands for and they have an excellent, informative website. Their catalog is beautiful and informative. But all most all of the seeds I ordered from them last year were not viable and their prices are too high.
I'd ordered seeds from them on and off over the years and was always very happy with the unusualvarieties, and with their general orientation and sense of mission. However, they screwed me badly last year over a garlic order, and I doubt I'll ever deal with them again.I ordered probably 4-5 varieties of hardneck garlic for fall planting. I remember I ordered a little late in the spring, and spent a bit of time on the phone verifying that they indeed had adequate supplies of the varieties I was interested in. No problem here, the person was very patient and helpful. Now, I plant garlic on or around Columbus Day here in eastern Massachusetts. By early October, I hadn't received my garlic yet. Just as I was about to dig out their phone number and chase down my order, I received a letter. A photocopy of a form letter stating that they had experienced bad weather and crop failure---forget any garlic this season. Now the reason I got so ticked off was that the form letter was dated JULY and I didn't receive it until OCTOBER, when it was too late to order garlic from anyone else. VERY SHABBY, UNPROFESSIONAL TREATMENT. If they had mailed me the form letter in July, I could have found another source by fall planting time. Also, they've added a bunch of high-end, over-priced "Gardener's Eden" gift and clothing items to their catalog, which severely dilutes their noble missions of diversity and seed-saving.
