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On Aug 27, 2011, Youngtreegenius Yellow Springs, OH wrote:
I got two clematis Niobe and two jackmanii and they are in terrible shape really. Stock looks like the garbage clematis tied to a shady tress u would see out side of walmart or kmart.they are broken held to the support with twist ties u would see on your loaf of bread. My plants are badly wounded they are terrible Containers where stapled to the box, leaving holes in the bottom of the pots. Never buy from this place ever ever ever 3 months after I ordered I received my stock. Unacceptable
On Aug 26, 2011, kelly2000sarah Phoenix, AZ wrote:
I was weary about ordering from this company when I saw all of the negative reviews. I choose them because they had the palm trees that I was interested in. I ordered my brother a windmill palm tree as a house warming gift on Sunday and he had it in IL in less than 1 week on Friday. He said that the plant was in excellent condition. I am very happy with the communication with this company. I received an email instantly after my order and then I was notified when it was shipped. I could track the package and see where it was at and it was delievered ahead of schedule. Thank you Brighter Blooms for your quick processing and shipping time and picking out a quality product for my gift. Kelly from PHX.
I only ordered because my other favorites did not carry the product I wanted. After 3 weeks with no shipping notice, I followed up and they said that they would ship in another 1-2 weeks. Plants I had ordered the same day had already been in the ground and growing. We have a short growing season and a 5 week turn around was unacceptable and frankly unheard of for ordering plants unless they are not available.
I cancelled my order before they were even planning on shipping and was assessed a $10 charge. That is 1/3 the price of my order. My suspicion is that this is the the business model for the company in that they live off the cash flow of billing without incurring costs and the cancellation charges. Quite a racket.
Sure wish I had reviewed this site before I placed the order. Terrible, disreputable company.
On Jun 29, 2011, greenthumbdude Holtsville, NY wrote:
Hey Charlie Brown! I found Linus' Christmas tree! No wait, it's my just delivered apple trees from Brighter Blooms Nursery. They are more like two twigs with some brown,withered leaves. I spent $300 and could've gotten a better looking plant pulling a weed from my driveway. Do not but from this company! Boy my wife is gonna kill me!
I wish I had known about Dave's web site a couple of weeks ago. I have lost about $300 in plants and trees purchased from both Brighter Blooms and their sister company Fast-Growing Trees. Dead on Arrival was a razzle-dazzle crape myrtle accompanied by two walking wounded rose bushes. This company does not mind selling the runts of the litters. I too called and complained with a response that their 'expert' would help me bring the plants back to life. I will never buy a plant from them again. They also sent a Japanese Maple with no branches on one side ( a complete180 degree arc) of the trunk. It looks like it had been leaning against a wall from germination until now. And I pray for the rest.
On Jun 10, 2011, Claudia4 South Hamilton, MA wrote:
I ordered a gift for mothers day. When not received after 2 weeks I called. I are on hold forever then must leave a message and they do not call you back. They do not answer e mails. Finally after days of calling I got a rude live person. I was told the lemon tree I ordered would ship May 30th! I could not request for credit because they have 30 days to ship. They were rude and uncaring. It is now June 10th and no lemon tree. Time to call credit card company to put in a challenge, better business bureau.
I do not recommend anyone to use this company, just read all of the bad reviews!
I am an experienced gardener. The local nurseries did not carry a "Whiteout" rose. I ordered two, 1-gallon sized roses and some other plants from Brighter Blooms Nursery. The instructions were to let the plants rest a few days before planting them. After a few days, I planted the roses and discovered that one of the rose bushes had all but one of its canes broken. The plant will probably live, but it will be very small this year. I wanted a partial credit, but no, only consideration I would receive was an extension in the amount of time to report a dead plant.
Should have read the blog posts here first. I won't purchase from this company again.
On Jun 1, 2011, TriniStar Ridgefield Park, NJ (Zone 6b) wrote:
I was a bit skepitcal ordering from this company @ first because of all the negative reviews I've read on here. But I decided to take a chance because they had the Encore Royalty Azalea's I wanted.
I was informed the plants would be shipped in 2 weeks, but to my surprise they were delivered within two weeks.
2 of the plants looked bit brownish and dried out, but that's most likely due to shipping (they are a bit neglected because they are boxed up). They are planted and I'm waiting to see the outcome of the 2.
So far the company gets a POSITIVE from me, because the sales person was VERY friendly, helpful and the items shipped and were delivered within the time frame. I will keep you posted on the outcome of the plants.
On May 23, 2011, jeeziebell Wading River, NY wrote:
last fall I bought over $700 worth of plants/shrubs from this company to refinish my front walkway,had them professionally installed by a local landscape company with a new walkway .....EVERYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY DIED!!!!!
I wouldnt buy from them, I contacted the company by phone and by email and no response.No customer service at all heed my words dont buy from them. Please Please
On May 18, 2011, beachguru Delray Beach, FL (Zone 9a) wrote:
I my plants had lived I would not be complaining right now. I called and informed the office that my plants were dead and not sprouting this spring and I was instructed I couldnt get a replacement. I
Ordered plants and paid for them and I did not even get a confirmation or plants been waiting for something from them nothing I will either get the plants or my money back I will pay them a visit when we go to North Caroling in July for vacation.,
I spent another 24 minutes on the phone yesterday with this company trying to reach Customer Service. This brings my total time to 77 minutes. At the end of 24 minutes an automated message came on saying they had high call volume, and I would need to email them. This is my third such attempt at reaching this company. I ordered 4 different kinds of plants. I received 1 Rutgers tomato, not the quantity of 3, I ordered--no note, no "this is all we have," nothing. I have yet to receive anything else from them, and no communication from them either. I would like to respond to the person answering for the company : It becomes difficult to resolve issues, when you cannot speak to someone on the phone. I will try to email once. If I do not hear from them, I will dispute the charge on my credit card. Don't waste your time ordering from this company!! You will spend lots of time trying to reach them!!!
Let me join the other negative respondents concerning Brighter Blooms. My prior orders for Knock out roses and azaleas were acceptable. Plants a little smaller than I anticipated but healthy and arrived in secure packages. However my order for three rhodos and a frost tolerant gardenia was a totally different story. The plants arrived in February, zone 7, freezing temps and snow on the ground. The company prompting picked the plants up and promised to ship at the "proper" time. Didn't happen. Phone calls were made promises were made but not kept. Gardenia finally arrived, smaller than I anticipated and didn't look too bad. A week of TLC and the little guy is coming around. Now, the rhodo's still had not arrive and when they did the packaging was fine but the plants were very small. At best seven inches tall, supposed to be one gallon plants, but there is no way they are one gallon size. Planted them the next day and noticed one rhodo was looking rather peaked. It is now black. I called BB and was told I hadn't called within the 48 hour window so their was nothing they could do. I could down load a form and take pictures but that was my only recourse. I asked to speak with a supervisor and was advised that she was training and I could leave a voice mail, which I did. Tuesday evening, no call back so I used the web sit "contact us" feature. Still no response. Now Thursday, ten minute wait to speak to a human being, also known as a customer service rep. To rub salt in the wound, I visited Home Depot this morning and they have beautiful three gallon rhodos for $24.98. Three dollars more than I paid BB for small one quart plants sold as gallon plants. Will I ever learn??
On May 12, 2011, jessica_nj_17 Cream Ridge, NJ wrote:
STAY AWAY! I'm wondering if I'll ever get my plants. Backordered plants never arrived, two emails and a phone call to customer service completely ignored for weeks. Finally received lame email below weeks later with no commitment still to send the plants I've already paid for. Worst customer service I'm ever experienced from a gardening company. I wish I had googled them before I bought from them and found this website, there are lots of other good companies out there who work hard to get you what you've ordered and I would so much prefer to give them my money rather than these jokers.
Details:
I ordered 18 azaleas/hydrangeas and after the order arrived only partially shipped, I used their "email us" customer service form to inquire on the ship date for my backordered plants. A week went by, no response. I emailed again. Another week, no reply! So I tried calling the 800 number--after holding for 15 minutes I spoke to a seriously disinterested woman, gave her my order number and asked how long the backorder delay would be. Didn't even get a chance to tell her that I had already emailed inquiries twice. Without so much as a word, or a "hold on" I was flipped on hold again and left there for 28 minutes! I finally hung up and of course she never called back even though she had my order number and therefore my contact information. Today, another week later (so it's been about 6 weeks now since I ordered my plants) I got this note:
From: Denise at Brighter Blooms
Date: Thu, 12 May 2011 11:35:40 -0400
Subject: Order#1023281
Hello,
We apologize for the delayed response. This item is on backorder, and hopefully it will be in next week. Once it is in stock you will receive notification from FedEx as to when it will be shipped. Thanks
Denise
Brighter Blooms Nursery
On May 11, 2011, T_W_J WESTPORT United States wrote:
I ordered 5 flowering trees last autumn from Brighter Blooms / Fast Growing Trees. None survived the winter. I am currently in the process of applying for a replacement or refund / store credit.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE COMPANY'S CLAIM OF A 1 YEAR GUARANTEE IS FALSE. Read the fine print (the credit is only for 50% of the purchase price): "Fast Growing Trees Nursery offers a full one-year replacement guarantee. If your tree dies within 90 days of delivery, we offer a 75% store-issued credit that can be redeemed on any future purchase. If your tree dies after 90 days, but before one year, we offer a 50% store-issued credit that can be redeemed on any future purchase. Store credits do not cover the cost of shipping."
My rating will remain "Negative" unless the company provides an actual full one-year replacement guarantee (a full refund or a full replacement with no additional charges).
I ordered 5 plants. I received three promptly. the other two I waited three weeks and then called. It continued to hang up on me due to too many callers. i tried email help page and no response. I finally got through. Woman said they didn't have my item, and they don't call or contact to tell you that information. She said she canceled the order and I would get a full refund. 3 weeks later, still did not have my refund. Called again today to find out that it had not been canceled. Now, I guess, it has been canceled again....maybe. Both times, the operators were rude. I will not order from here again. Too much hassle!
On May 5, 2011, Rottenpiecez Staten Island, NY wrote:
Posted on May 4, 2011, updated May 5, 2011
I have placed an order with the company for 20 boston ivy plants on march 31st, 2011. They said they would ship the plants in 2-3 weeks after placing the order. After over a month of waiting I still have NOT received the plants and the customer service is NOT responding to my inquiries. Oh and the funny thing is they actually tell you to contact them if you wish to receive your products earlier or later, well obviously contacting them doesn't do anything because they don't even respond. Somehow I have a very hard time believing that they would actually ship an order EARLIER. I can't even get mine at their regular shipping speed. I'm very disappointed with their service and I will never order from them again. TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE!! STAY AWAY FROM THEM !!
On May 5th, 2011, Rottenpiecez changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following:
Ok they finally shipped my order yesterday evening. Once I receive the plants in satisfactory condition I will change my rating to positive.
I gave up on this company. You should stay away...
I ordered several Boston Ivy plants, then waited the 3 weeks they require before contacted them. (see my final comments below). Was told my plants were on back-order but "a shipment came in this week", "check back next week."
I checked back the next week, and was told to check back Monday. Same run-around. I AM CERTAIN THEY LIED TO ME. Then I checked their website and noted they had listed Boston Ivy as "sold out". Ya think they could tell me that??
Finally after 5 weeks I contacted them and asked them to fill my order that week or cancel it. For ONCE they were prompt and cancelled my order. But I'm STILL WAITING FOR MY $51.90 REFUND.
>> Meanwhile, I ordered from Hirt's and Forestfarm on Friday, and BOTH orders shipped over the weekend. Any company that tells you to wait 3 weeks before inquiring isn't worth the trouble.
I ordered six snowball bush and they all arrived in horrible condition. They were also overpriced for the size. I contacted the company and they would not refund the money. I would not recommend them to anyone and will never use them again.
Should have read the other reviews.
I ordered a Heritage Raspberry and received a Snowball bush Viburnum instead. The plant was sure packed well - I still haven't
been able to get it out of the stapled box but at least did find the plant label finally. Don't want to go through their rigamarole of taking a photo of the plant then arranging to return it and then wait for my correct plant (maybe) so will get my raspberry somewhere else and find some place for this.
They e-mailled an offer for shrubs but failed to warn they were not for my area. They also shipped them way too early to plant so they were already failing when I did get them planted. They will not refund or credit me back. I will never use them again!
I will never order from them again....I ordered six knock out rose plants in Oct 2010...thought they would ship out when safe to plant in Indiana...but they shipped them out...I planted them in planters kept them in my home in full sun but all six died. I contacted the company requesting them to be replaced and I was told I would have to send them pictures of the plants! I was never informed of this at time of order...they claim they offer full one-year replacement but this is obviously not true. Most places will provide all the information with the order or time of order or will not ship until its safe to plant. Now I am out over $100.00. I will NEVER order from them again!! I should have done my research on them more before placing an order. An expensive lesson learned!! Because I was done so unfairly by the company I contacted the Better Business Bureau and filed a compliant with them....people need to know...if I can prevent someone else from losing money like I did...I have succeeded!!
On Jan 31, 2011, seashoregarden Round Pond, ME wrote:
I ordered a Gardenia through the website to be sent to Florida as a Christmas present on 12/16/10 - thought it would be close to ship. My mistake. After Christmas I phoned and learned their standard shipping time is 2 to 3 weeks. After the 3 week wait I reached customer service and was told the Gardenias would be in January 17th or 18th ( they were not listed as out of stock when ordered) and mine would ship "next". Well it's January 31st and I'm wondering which "next" I'm waiting for....
Disappointed. Dissatisfied. I ordered 3 of the Frost-Proof gardenias. The specimens in the video on the Brighter Blooms sight showed the plants as, oh I'd say 20"-24" and covered with tiny blossoms. What I received was 3 plants in a 7-foot long box with foliage trimmed to about 12" and no trace of buds! I wish I had come here first to see the reviews of this vendor! You won't find any negative comments on the Brighter Blooms website. The gardenias were unboxed, fertilized and watered within minutes of arriving on my doorstep. After 2 days one of the plants' leaves literally dried up and were crumbly to the touch. They said these gardenias "thrive on neglect". Well they got TLC from me. We'll see if the one plant survives but I'm not hopeful. I am dissapointed and frustrated with the purchase, though because the photographs of the plants on their website were so beautiful and what arrived was so ugly.
On Dec 25, 2010, Brighter Blooms Nursery responded with:
Because this is an anoymous review I cannot contact this customer and it doesn't sound as though this customer has contacted us.
Certainly if an item arrives damaged we will replace it.
In addition, all of our items are covered under our One Year Warranty.
Please contact us so we can assist you, as we do stand behind our products and expect them to be of high quality."
On Oct 13, 2010, cjparker Kennewick, WA (Zone 7a) wrote:
Posted on August 7, 2008, updated October 13, 2010
Warning: If you get their email about the "bizarre nursery mishap" that "Mischeivious Grandchildren turn $11.95 Daylilies into 1.99 ones."
The daylilies that they say "Many are Premium grade, collector quality plants that easily sell for $11.95 or more." will show up in a box that weighs a total of 9 pounds.....for one hundred so-called daylilies. That's because the box will contain a couple of cups of slimy mold and a few pieces of green stuff. The "daylilies" are about the size of a blade of grass, if that, and look like this year's sprouts. All of this mess will be in one plastic bag. Nothing else, just the slimy stuff that is supposedly a hundred daylilies.
I got a refund in a timely manner, but that does not change the fact that they are advertising slimy blades of grass as daylilies comparable to ones that would be worth $11.95. Nor does it change the fact that my husband and I spent two full days preparing a site for these so-called plants before they arrived.
My first order was my last with Brighter Blooms.
On October 13th, 2010, cjparker added the following:
Here we are, two years later, and apparently those mischeivious grandkids are still at it! I just got an email that said this:
"Last year a friend and local farmer was overrun with more than 60,000 daylilies. His grandchildren removed all his plant signs and his buyers cancelled their orders since he could no longer tell what varieties they were."
This is the same story I got in 2008. And I'm guessing they are still selling the same blades of grass and calling them daylilies worth $11.99 each. NO THANKSOn Oct 13, 2010, Brighter Blooms Nursery responded with:
I am sorry that this customer had a bad first experience with us.
I am glad that she said we handled the problem immediately, although I wish the fact that we stand behind our products and have great customer service people would have had a more positive impact and that perhaps this customer would have felt comfortable to try again.
We do strive to make every customer a repeat customer by offering high quality items combined with knowledgeable and friendly sales and customer service people.
As for the story about the grandkids...
We do not label our daylily plantings in order to offer a true mixed lot. It is just a fun story for our customers; most customers seem to enjoy it. "
On Aug 24, 2010, Doctor_Janson Minneapolis, MN wrote:
Posted on August 24, 2010, updated August 24, 2010
Posted on August 20, 2010, updated August 24, 2010
I ordered an August Beauty gardenia 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. On August 24th, 2010, Doctor_Janson added the following:
On Aug 24, 2010, Brighter Blooms Nursery responded with:
A HUGE Thank you to this customer!
It is really awesome when a customer will take the time to say nice things.
I am so glad that we were able to come to an amicable solution.
Enjoy!"
I was shocked at the box of dead Knock Out Roses that arrived in via FedEx ground yesterday. These plants were ordered on 7/23/10, shipped several days later and arrived on 7/29. I can only conclude that they were shipped that way. You would expect to see blooms on the bottom of the box, but no blooms. You would think maybe there are buds, no buds. Dead, dead, dead and by the way these are 3 varieties of Knock Out Roses, yet all 3 arrived dried out and with half naked branches. Too bad that I can't post the picture here. In addition one of the plants if backordered with no info about delivery date.
On Jul 30, 2010, Brighter Blooms Nursery responded with:
I truly wish this customer had allowed us an opportunity to correct this before posting a negative review.
If an item arrives dead our policy is to replace it.
That said, we have arranged to ship 3 new roses out immediately.
Also, the fourth rose that was not ready to go at the time of the order was shipped via FedEx yesterday.
I hope that this customer will be comfortable ordering from us in the future as we do stand behind our products and we are very sorry if this has caused any inconvenience."
I purchased four Emerald Green Thuja trees advertised as "5'-7' tall". I measured the trees after arrival and the heights varied between 48" to 52". Eventually, I filed a complaint with the BBB. Better Blooms Nursery manager Alyson Smith requested that I upload photos of the trees to her, and I did. The trees were photographed with a ruler next to them. After viewing the photos, Alyson concluded that the trees were of the advertised height because they also calculate the container size in the height of the tree. I visited several local nurseries to shop for and measure new trees (all of their trees were advertised with accurate height information) and questioned the merchants about the practice of adding the container size to the trees, and the common response was that although unethical, its just something that some nurseries do. Mmm.....Brighter Blooms Nursery refused to replace or pay the difference relating to appropriate tree height. Their final offer was to offer me 10% off for future purchases! My advice is if all possible, go to a local nursery. Do business with these people at your own risk.
On Jul 29, 2010, Brighter Blooms Nursery responded with:
First I'd like to say that this customer never contacted us directly. Her first course of action was a complaint with the BBB. After at least three separate responses and rebuttals the BBB closed this complaint stating "Your company has made a good faith effort in an attempt to resolve this issue; therefore we are closing the case at this time."
This customer never wanted to return her trees, in fact they had been planted upon arrival. When I received the pictures they did appear to be of the correct height, but we still offered her a 10% discount on a future purchase as a courtesy.
I am sorry this customer is unhappy, and after getting no satisfaction from the BBB she has continued to post bad reviews.
Certainly if she had been this disappointed in her trees she could have returned them rather than plant them.
On a positive note, our trees are very healthy, and these are very hardy, fast growers. We wish her our best. "
On Jul 2, 2010, suep1220 Thornwood United States wrote:
Posted on June 24, 2010, updated July 2, 2010
I ordered 2 yellow rhododendrons from Brighter Blooms. One seemed to be doing well while the other was shedding its leaves daily. Upon closer inspection I have now determined that they both have weevils which is something I have never experienced before. I have other rhododendrons 3 feet away that are growing beautifully and this problem didnt crop up until I received these. Customer service "Carla" is unwilling to replace or refund until they completely DIE. When I sent pictures, she said they looked great. I don't think brown leaves and notches made by weevils look great. Poor service, plants shipped with bugs!!! Never will buy from them again. Don't recommend!!!!
On July 2nd, 2010, suep1220 changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
I have to so change my review!!!! I have since spoken with Brian who shipped me a new plant free of charge. Unfortunately it got beat up in shipping. When I called them to let them know, I spoke with Summer who was so wonderful and sympathetic to provide a refund. This definately changed my feelings about their customer service and decided I would like to do further business. When I called to place a new order, I spoke with Alison who was so sweet, helpful, patient and knowledgeable to work with. What a pleasant experience I have now had!!! Now that's customer service!!!! I will definately be looking to do future business and will always look to speak with Alison, Summer or Brian!!! Thanks so much!!!!
I paid for a 3 Gallon but it was not nearly the size of the brighter blooms video where the woman says "look at the size of our giant 3 gallon roses." What arrived was something 10 inches tall and similar to the 1 Quart size she pooh poohed as being too small. I emailed customer service with a picture of the 7 inch high rose bush when I paid for a 3 Gallon size and they didn't offer to credit me for the difference.
Posted on June 1, 2010, updated June 3, 2010
This relates to the experience, rather than the product, because I have not received my order. I ordered 6 tea olive bushes on May 13. As of today - June 1 - nothing has been shipped. You cannot call the company - they have only recorded messages - and e-mail responses take over a week. But you can have an "instant" chat. I was told that my plants have arrived and would be shipped soon??. I could have driven to their nursery and back about a dozen times since May 13. It's getting too hot in MS to start planting. I would recommend other online sites before ordering from this one.
On June 3rd, 2010, kflierl changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
Just wanted to revise my rating to positive. My plants arrived today. They are green and healthy and I am very satisfied with them. I will let them rest in their pots for 3 days, as recommended. Looking forward to new growth! On Jun 3, 2010, Brighter Blooms Nursery responded with:
The customer did place her order on 5/13, but we were out of the tea olive bushes at that time. They did come in on 5/27, but because of the Memorial holiday we could not ship her order until 6/1. It did ship out on 6/1 and she will receive it tomorrow. We have both sales people and customer service people answering phones between 9:00 am - 6:00 pm, and chat is available from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. If anyone calls the sales line, they can leave a message and someone will return their call. Emails are answered the same day, or possibly 2 days at the latest. These plants are used to the heat and can be planted with no problems whatsoever. We apologize for the inconvenience to the customer."
On Oct 5, 2009, JiminPA12 West Pittsburg, PA wrote:
I could not find the Sunny Knockout locally, so after a long search, I purchased on-line from Brighter Blooms. Delivery was fast, and the plant arrived in great shape. Over the summer, the rose continued to grow quickly and produce large quantities of blooms all season. The flowers were beautiful and brightened my garden. My experience with BrighterBlooms was a positive one and I highly recommend them.
I was very skeptical of this company but i must say the plants i ordered (3 frost proof gardenias) were packaged very nicely, the plants were as green as they could be. I am VERY happy with this company and plan on buy more from them in the future.
I have made several orders with Brighter Blooms - bought 4 bazoo bannana trees and not one came up. 2 bushes that have died (may have been the oklahoma heat) but we followed all the planting and water instructions.
Decided to give them one last chance - ordered a empress tree and have not recieved any info on the delievery date. We did send an email enquiring about any other problems with people that order the bannana trees, have not gotten any reply.
My hopes are that Brighter Blooms will respond to this post and make right the problems we have had. Then we can change our experience to positive.
I ordered 3 Annabelle Hydrangeas from BRIGHTER BLOOMS. They arrived, more than 4 feet tall, spindley, few blooms, broken, damaged leaves, and the poorest example of a hydrangea I had ever seen. I promptly contacted the company, and they agreed to replace the sick and broken plants, and now 2 and a half weeks later, I received replacement plants that are in WORSE shape than the original plants they shipped me. I have contacted the company again, and will change my negative experience to a positive if they FULLY rectify the problem.
We ordered 42 dwarf boxwood bushes because it said they were in stock and could order now with shipment in the next week. The total was almost $800. That was fine but after I ordered and checked in to my order number, it read 42 ordered, and 0 available........delayed shipping item! No shipment date of any kind. That means they could wait until 2012 to ship if they want to! We decided to cancel since reading the negative feedback and their lies of having them in stock before we ordered. Guess what??? There is a 15% cancellation fee even if you cancel the very next day. What a way to make money! So I have gone to our credit card company and they said they will take care of it. Since then, they have sent me an email and given me back 15% less of what the total was. The credit card company has the money in a holding space, they don't even have it but keep lying and then even when the credit card company went to them, magically, they sent me an email and said 42 ordered, 42 available, BACKORDER FILLED. That was their way of trying to get the $$ out of the credit card co. Of course there was no hint of a shipping date. Just that the order had already been filled. This is one of the most dishonest websites I have ever ordered from. Please, don't believe their lies that these items are in stock, they aren't and they will try to keep atleast 15% of your total you ordered.
Don't waste your money with BrighterBlooms.com, which also goes by the alias of fast-growing-trees.com. I ordered a 1 gallon Rhodo from them, and what arrived was a 7" seedling with a root ball the size of my fist in a half gallon container which contained mostly loose mulch. A 1 quart container could easily have contained this plant. I contacted BrighterBlooms customer service, explained my situation and forwarded pictures of both the pot and the plant. After giving them every opportunity to correct the "mistake" by either shipping a plant that met the specifications on their website or by offering a discount, they were completely unrepentant -- even offering up the explanation that pot sizes vary depending on the plant and that a half gallon pot is the correct size for a one gallon Rhodo.
I ordered 150 of the "mistake" daylilies last spring. When they arrived in one bag in a tangled mess I was surprised. I followed the directions that came with them which told me to soak them in a bucket of water before planting and then I planted them directly. They were difficult to separate without pulling apart other plants. I know several were damaged but since I had 150 I figured if I lost a few it would be alright.
Over the summer I tended to them nicely. I fed them with a good fertilizer, I watered them often and I still lost 50 of the plants. I thought maybe I would get them back in the spring and the roots would recoup. This spring I counted what came up and I am down to 47 plants, total! Yikes, I have been gardening for a long time and I have hundreds of perennials for any type of sun or soil. I know my parenting wasn't the problem so I contacted Brighter Blooms via email.
After 2 weeks of not hearing a thing, I resent the email with more information and begged for a response. I finally got the email message stating it was their busy season and it may take 2-3 weeks before they got back to me. When 21 days passed I sent another email in which I included the first 2 emails and still I got no response. So last week I called their customer service line and spoke to one of the representatives there, she was shocked that it had been over a month and no one had gotten in touch with me, further, she informed me that their policy is on 90 days on the plants. However, since my service was terrible and my order was large she told me to email "Wendy" the manager with all of my concerns. So I did. That was Friday and I still have not heard a word. I will never purchase from this company again and I will tell all of my gardening friends to avoid them at all cost!!!! Do NOT buy from them; there are companies out there that will do whatever they can to give you the best service. As a professional salesperson I would like to just add that the customer is always right, if you think they are wrong, I tell you they are right, and the best way to resolve any situation is to acknowledge the problem and work WITH the customer to find a solution that you both can live with.
