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I just ordered from this company for the first time and am very disappointed in their plants. I feel their prices are very high for the size and quality of plants. The hollies were tiny plants in a big pot. Several other plants were spindly, floppy, or yelllow, even though I immediately opened the box. I will not order from this company again.
I placed an online order on 02/23/09 and printed invoice stated May 10, 2009 as ship date. Afew weeks later I called to change the credit card used and was told that my order would not ship until the fall. I indicated that the order was placed to arrive for spring planting and that the ship date given was 5/10/09. I was not given a backorder notice as the invoice indicates. I emailed them about the inconsistent information and was told my order would not be ready until "some time in June" I emailed again in response and told them I expected them to arrive in time for "spring planting" as agreed this time being told it would be the end of June. Well, I decided to call "Mary" one of the original owners who told me my plants would not be ready until sometime in June. I sent another letter as it surely seems they do not have a good grip on their shipping. I got a return call from them wanting to set up my order for "fall delivery". I told them my order was placed for spring delivery and I would will wait until the end of June to receive my order however, I have good reason to believe they will not arrive by then. I will cancel the order at that time. I also found the plants in stock elsewhere. If you have a specific time you need your order you may just want to check around.
On May 2nd, 2009, dansb changed the rating from neutral to negative and added the following:
Received an email today, 5-2-09 stating my order was canceled and I would be placed on a "want list". What I want is what I have been waiting for since Feb 23! I really do not believe they have a good sense of inventory-shipping. I have received several different excuses and ship times only to be canceled in the end. If you plan a garden and need to purchase, you may want to avoid this company unless you can wait for the unexpected to occur. All I got was a run around!
On Jun 18, 2008, hammerhugger Belle Plaine, IA wrote:
I ordered 3 double knockout roses and 1 clematis vine and the I received an email from the company telling me that they would be shipped on May 19. I waited a couple weeks and finally called. They said they were back ordered and would be sent June 2. I called a couple of times and they reassured me they would be sent. Finally on June 17, they sent me an email telling me that they could not ship this summer. This is the poorest service I have ever received from a mail order company. I would not recommend them to anyone, let alone ever ordering from them again.
Placed order on 5-27 and never recieved a shipping confirmation. Only when I requested a status, was I informed that one of my items was on back order AND the order had already shipped.
Order arrived on 6-8. Plants were fine, except that the tag markers had fallen out, so now I can't differntiate between them. Ugh.
Lastly, they billed me for the item on back order and listed it on the invoice as being included. I am awaiting a refund on the over charge. Very disappointed with my decision to order from this site.
On June 18th, 2008, ReinaYvette added the following:
To Clarify- I did contact Great Garden plants and they responded back on 6-10-08 with "I'm sorry you have been disappointed with your Great Garden Plants experience. ..We apologize for any inconvenience". That WAS your resolution.On Jun 8, 2008, Great Garden Plants responded with:
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On Jun 12, 2008 10:51 AM, Great Garden Plants added:
We regret to hear of your recent experience. Please contact our company so that we may come to a meaningful and fair resolution on this matter."
On Jun 7, 2008, sarazen Glen Rock, PA (Zone 6b) wrote:
After a about 10-15 mail order experiences this spring, my purchase with Great Garden Plants is proving the biggest disappointment. To begin, I found them here in the Dave's Garden files. At that time they only had a couple of reviews. None of the reviews were particularly recent, but I checked out their website, which looked great, and so decided to take a chance; I'd buy some plants from them. I placed my order back in mid to late March, and according to their e-mail confirmation, they predicted a mid to late April delivery of my Creme Brulee Coreopsis, Clematis, and Geraniums. Yet April came and went with no plants, nor any e-mail to explain the delay. They had not charged my credit card though so I wasn't terribly concerned. I was however beginning to suspect that maybe they had gone out of business, because I had heard nothing from them since that March confirmation e-mail.
Apparently they were still in business, because finally in late MAY, the Coreopsis, and Clematis arrive. The Geraniums were absent and listed as back-ordered. The box itself was a disaster. From the outside it looked fine, no dents, scuffs or tears, but when I opened it, dirt was everywhere and came tumbling off of the plants as I tried to carefully lift them out. The plastic pots had been damaged and contorted, one was almost completely crushed. They looked as though they had been jammed into the box despite having been just slightly too large for all of them to fit. Though the Clematis seemed to have taken the brunt of the damage with over half of the soil missing from its pot, all the the plants had lost some. Two of the Coreopsis were so completely unseated that even when re-potted, the plants could not stand up without support. I was really concerned that they might not make it.
I unpack and resettle everything. I do what first aid I can and hope for the best. As if the state of the box wasn't enough, after placing my order so far in advance, I am annoyed that some of my plants are back-ordered. I call to find out when I could expect my Geraniums to finally arrive, which they had now charged me for since I got them as part of a special combo with the Coreopsis. I was told they would be shipping the next week. The next week comes and goes, and nothing, no plants, no updates. Two more weeks pass and again I must call. I was told that they started shipping the Geraniums the prior week, and they could not figure out why my order had not also been sent. I have now been given a new window of perhaps next week or the week following as a projected arrival time. By the time these finally arrive, I will have paid for these plants over a month ago. It will also be mid June, or nearly July and so far into the growing season they will be at a disadvantage compared to my other plants. With that late a start, I can only hope they can do enough growing to make it through the winter.
I can say that all the plants I have been sent thus far have survived, some despite having been almost totally uprooted, I expect this may be because the plants were for the most part healthy and large, however that does little to mitigate what a huge disappointment his entire experience has been. There are a number other places where I could have gotten these same plants and many for a cheaper price as well. When I do choose to pay more for something that I can get elsewhere cheaper, I expect a superior product and first class service to come with it. I should not need to do mass first aid, just for the plants to live. I should definitely get my plants around the stated time and not so far into the planting period that I could have purchased the same items elsewhere at an end of season sale. If there is going to be some significant delay I should be informed as to why, and when I can expect them. Based on this experience, I see no reason to buy from this company again, and I would encourage others to check elsewhere as well.
On Jun 7, 2008, Great Garden Plants responded with:
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On Jun 12, 2008 10:47 AM, Great Garden Plants added:
We deeply regret to hear of your unsatisfactory experience. Please contact us so can come to a fair and meaningful resolution on this matter.
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I placed an order with this company on March 25th. The shipping date was listed as April 21. When the plants did not arrive I called them. They said that due to snow they wouldn't be shipped until May 5; then it was postponed until May 17. Promised calls were never returned. I called today and was told the shipping date would be June 2nd--no explanation for the continuing delays. I cancelled my order. Two months is too long! I'm very disappointed as I had wanted those plants to be up and blooming for a garden tour June 14th. Even though positive comments on this site raved about the quality of the plants they received, I'll take my business to other companies with a better track record.
