Comments regarding Berries Unlimited

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Rating Author Content Negative mcwniles (1 review) On Apr 8, 2012, mcwniles Montgomery, VT wrote: I am a farmer and permaculture designer with over 15 years experience growing trees and small fruits from bare root stock purchased from nurseries all over the country. I have extensive experience dealing with companies and am skilled at recognizing quality nursery stock from stock that is diseased, poor quality and packed improperly. I don't often make the time to write reviews, but feel compelled as my experience dealing with Berries Unlimited was such a nightmare and hugely disappointing. A number of the other reviews on this forum echo the situation I experienced. I originally ordered 8 Honeyberry plants In January 2011 with a shipping date for the week of May 9th, 2011, which I confirmed via email with Lidia. My credit card (via PayPal) was charged at the time I placed the order. On May 4th I sent an email to Lidia making sure we were all set for shipping the next week. She emailed me back saying the Honeyberries were not going to be ready until the end of May, but even more concerning was she had no record of my order! Fortunately, I keep good email records and immediately emailed her my order # and confirmation of payment. She was then able to find my order in their system and assured me the plants would ship end of May, which was fine since we have a lot of trees/small fruits to plant in the spring and I am happy to space things out. The last week of May came and went and I heard nothing from them. I left a phone message which was never returned. I sent an email on 5/30/2011 and here is the response I got: Dear Mary- now they scheduled late June! Can do NOTHING about.I can switch them with anything You desire, just let me know and i'll ship everything we have .. Respectfully Lidia Here is my response: Hi Lidia, Thanks for your reply. I appreciate the update and the offer to ship other plants. However, the only plants I am interested in are the honeyberries. Can you explain to me why they are so late this year? I am willing to wait until late-June, but if they are not ready by then I would just like to have a refund issued to my PayPal account which is how I originally paid. Thank you. She then wrote a long, rambling response about the weather in Oregon, tsunamis, earthquakes etc. HMMMM? So, needless to say, June came and went and I did not see my honeyberries. I emailed July 20th (yes, July 20th!): Greetings, I am inquiring again about when I can expect to receive my Honeyberry plants. I left a phone message yesterday but did not hear back. I understand that there have been many problems with the plants, but would like to know if I can expect them in the next couple of weeks. If not, I would like a full refund as I paid in full for these plants back in January and yet, almost 6 months later have nothing to show for my $. Thank you. Amazingly enough, the Honeyberries had just that day miraculously appeared: Dear Mary! We got honeyberries today! I replant them into 4 inch pots.They have very nice rot system.I can ship them in an instant but I can keep them here for a while untill they are rooting in the new 4 inch pots. I can refund with the bank interest as well or You can get more plants for the long waiting and unpleasant weather all over the country, especially in Oregon what moved our berry process 3 months back.I promissed them in Mid April but It did not happen! I gave plants for tissue culture 1 year ago expecting them in 8 months for sure but no one can control the weather and our website policy shows that clearly. We are all very dependable on weather! Please, do not order next time if plants are not in stock. It is easier for me and it is better for You.Because weather games sometimes break everything in Plant World and I have to be patient about replying for 100+ e-mails a day.. But as a rule they are kind ones, with understanding.. sometimes it is not.. Respectfuly Lidia Here is my response: Hi Lidia, Thanks for the reply. I appreciate the update. I am willing to wait a couple more weeks for the plants to be well rooted and more likely to thrive. Ideally, I would like them no later than mid-August. I do, however, feel confused though about why it should have been my responsibility to not order them since apparently they were out of stock. The website indicated nothing of the sort. The packages of 4 were available for spring shipping or at least that is what was indicated on the website. Usually if an item it out of stock it is clearly shown and you can't actually order it but rather can be emailed and notified when something comes back into stock. It feels difficult to be reprimanded and told I shouldn't have ordered it when your website allowed the order to go through and gave the impression that the plants were available. I appreciate all the challenges you've faced in getting the plants ready and yes, as a farmer, I am very aware of weather and the critical role it plays in our growing season. I have been homesteading in far Northern Vermont for 15 years and if ever there was a rugged climate to farm in, this is it. I am not trying to be rude or difficult and feel as though I've been pretty patient waiting for the plants. I so hope it works out to get them this season and they will be a wonderful asset to our food production. If they are not ready by mid-August then I would like a refund on my PayPal account which is how I originally paid. Thanks again Her response: Dear Mary I can ship them tomorow but I still would love to watch them for a week or so to ship stronger plants. They are fragile enough being this size.. They ARE strong and came in perfect shape but still need some reast befgore replanting and new shipment..It has ben a mess with the weather all over the country. Now we are in the heat stroke here. But If they survive this they will be just perfect anywhere else, especially up to the North.. Please, give me just a week or two to get them rooted in( they have perfect root system) and then I'll be sure they can get through any winter anywhere.. I would advice to put them with the pots in the pile of compost soil til September, then I'd replant them into gallons and keep this way in the compost pile too through the winter and then I would replant them in the beginning of April when the soil not frozen. Last frost can chanmge nothing for them they will easy get through.. Thank You! I was floored that at the end of the day I wasn't even going to receive plants that were ready to put in the ground but should be overwintered in pots in a compost pile. Seriously?! So, when the plants finally arrived in AUGUST, they were so pitiful looking and some of the most poorly packed I have ever received. They were simply plugs and some of them were laying on top of the potting soil of the 4-in pots, they had not even been properly planted into the pots leaving the rootlets (I can't even call them roots) dried out. In addition, 4 of the tags marking the varieties were loose in the box so I had no idea which plant was which. I did replant the plugs and tend them for another 4 weeks before putting them into the garden. In that time, 3 of them (the ones that were badly dried out upon receipt) died which really did not surprise me at all. The remaining 5 were planted out with not a lot of hope that they would survive since they were so fragile and puny. So far, they are either dead or have not yet broken dormancy; the verdict is still out. I did email Lidia after receiving my order to tell her how disappointed I was the quality of the plants and the entire saga of getting them but never heard back. What a waste of $98! I will never buy from this company again; too much work for such little return. Negative Kandi7 (13 reviews) On Oct 24, 2011, Kandi7 Tekamah, NE wrote: Posted on October 13, 2011, updated October 24, 2011 Posted on October 13, 2011, updated October 13, 2011 Posted on October 13, 2011, updated October 13, 2011 I placed an order for Elliot blueberry, Bluecrop blueberry, Loganberry, Marionberry, Tayberry, Midnight Blue honeyberry, and Night Mist honeberry on May 4 based upon the good reviews on this site. They sent the payment through immediately and also sent me a message asking if they could ship everything together in June as there had been a problem with their honeyberries. They didnt' come in June. When I emailed to follow up- they said they'd start shipping July 10. On July 28 they said they'd ship them tomorrow and send me a tracking number. It's now October 13, no tracking number, and still not a single one of the plants I ordered and paid for have arrived. The July 28 emails said she'd left them for me as booked and added a free plant in with them; however, they must be sitting in limbo somewhere since they are not here. On October 13th, 2011, Kandi7 added the following: If you do order, be sure to do so through paypal and do not wait beyond 45 days for her to send the plants before escalating for a refund. On October 13th, 2011, Kandi7 added the following: I received a rather hostile email from berriesunlimited after I left my feedback. They indicated they had sent the order and provided tracking numbers. One of the tracking numbers noted part of the order was mailed July 26 and was placed on my porch on July 28; however, the seller told me on July 28 the order would be sent the next day and she would supply the tracking numbers. She did not supply the tracking numbers for any part of the order until today. When she emailed me on July 28 she knew I had not received the orders, why didn't she provide a tracking number at that time since part had already allegedly been delivered that afternoon? I would've changed my rating to neutral as I still have not received the order and it is not the seller's fault if it was removed from my front porch or the wind blew it away or whatever happened to it so I cannot comment on the quality of the plants- except that communication is also a good part of customer service. It remains that after several delays in sending the order, she did not provide the tracking number as she had promised and consequently, the shipment appears to have been lost. If I had the tracking numbers, I would've known to anticipate, expect, and scour the neighborhood for any windblown boxes or had someone at home to accept the delivery. On October 24th, 2011, Kandi7 added the following: my error the honeyberries did arrive- when I was tucking my plants in for the fall, I noticed they were not in the yard so I checked through my emails and records which noted they had not been recieved. I have three children with special needs so I hadn't noticed they had gone missing earlier- I have had other plants dug up from my yard so that may be where the honeyberries went. As to the other plants I ordered, those were not received. For all I know, the individual who removed the honeyberries may have taken those as well before I ever saw them. Because the seller did not send a tracking number as she had promised, I did not know they had been delivered. My contention is the lack of communication and customer service as well as the long delay from order to shipment. With that much of a delay how would anyone know those had actually been sent, especially since there was no tracking number as she had promised; and I had already sent the seller several messages and had been told that they would ship the beginning of June, after July 10, and on July 18. The seller did not contact me regarding the delays in shipment. I had to contact her each time after they had not been recieved as she had promised. also in Zone 5 a delay from May-July makes a tremendous difference in environmental conditions. On Oct 24, 2011, Berries Unlimited responded with: "On Oct 13, 2011 8:32 PM, Berries Unlimited responded with: We delivered plants right after we got them from the lab( they was delay due to weather and I informed My Customers about this on the website and answering their e-mails), we replanted them and watched them for a week to see how they were doing.Then I shipped everything I owed. Tracking no.: *****************5595 E-mail notificationsSelect time format: 12H | 24HDelivered Initiated Picked up In transit Delivered Signed for by: Signature not required Shipment Dates Ship date Jul 26, 2011 Delivery date Jul 28, 2011 1:23 PM Destination Tekamah, NE *************26240Tracking no.: *************26240 E-mail notificationsSelect time format: 12H | 24HDelivered Initiated Picked up In transit Delivered Signed for by: Signature not required Shipment Dates Ship date Jul 29, 2011 Delivery date Aug 1, 2011 2:54 PMDestination Tekamah, NE Proof of Delivery On Oct 13, 2011 10:07 PM, Berries Unlimited added: The second part of berries were shipped the next day.The confusion happened because This nice lady uses two different last names. And I could not figure out this in an instant.In e-mail I got one name and in the invoice it was the second one. If the second part of the order had not been delivered on time why I got this negative rating on October 13th? not in the begining of August? Why didn't the customer contact me first,before putting negative here? I shipped as I promissed and I checked with FedEx management if both packages were delivered. They were there as scheduled.Only Three days for the plants to be delivered so there was no any need to send Tracking number in addition.And I kept this order on the control because of previous confusing names. And I added the extra plant as I promised. I reply hundreds e-mails daily, I am nice to My Customers trying to help. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Berries Unlimited Date: Thu, Jul 28, 2011 at 4:03 PM Subject: Re: Hello! To: Kandace [personally identifiable information removed] They are scheduled for tomorrow Shipment! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Kandace [personally identifiable information removed] Date: Thu, Jul 28, 2011 at 3:51 PM Subject: Re: Hello! To: Berries Unlimited I received the two honeyberries but not the tayberry, marionberry, loganberry, or blueberries that you had asked if you could ship with the honeyberries. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Berries Unlimited Date: Thu, Jul 28, 2011 at 9:03 PM Subject: Re: Hello! To: [personally identifiable information removed] Tomorrow 100%.I'll give You T #!! They ARE Your plants!! I left them for you as booked ones!! And I added one more plant there.. --- On Mon, 7/25/11, Berries Unlimited wrote: From: Berries Unlimited Subject: Re: Hello! To: [personally identifiable information removed] Date: Monday, July 25, 2011, 2:49 PM Tomorow!! We got them on July 18th!! I replanted so I have started shipping accordingly the list!! December- begining of January so far.. Respectfully Lidia On Mon, Jul 25, 2011 at 11:33 AM, [personally identifiable information removed] wrote: Have the berries shipped? Kandi [personally identifiable information removed] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Berries Unlimited Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2011 16:41:50 -0500 To: Kandace [personally identifiable information removed] Subject: Re: Hello! Hello! i'll start shipping them after July the 10th! They are still in Oregon! You'll have to replant them into 1 gal pots and to keep this way untill the heat is gone, then to move them into the ground.This way it is easier to treat them through the spring-summer and it is the better way for them to gain more roots by the winter, i always recommend to grow them this way! Soon.. respectfully Lidia On Oct 24, 2011 11:52 PM, Berries Unlimited added: "My contention is the lack of communication and customer service as well as the long delay from order to shipment" I am not going to mention that My Husband and I have 7 kids. Here is about lack of communication.Who is not against to waste their life time can read: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Berries Unlimited Date: Mon, Jul 25, 2011 at 2:49 PM Subject: Re: Hello! To: [personally identifiable information removed] Tomorow!! We got them on July 18th!! I replanted so I have started shipping accordingly the list!! December- begining of January so far.. Respectfully Lidia On Mon, Jul 25, 2011 at 11:33 AM, [personally identifiable information removed] wrote: Have the berries shipped? [personally identifiable information removed] ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Berries Unlimited Date: Wed, Jul 6, 2011 at 4:41 PM Subject: Re: Hello! To: [personally identifiable information removed] Hello! i'll start shipping them after July the 10th! They are still in Oregon! You'll have to replant them into 1 gal pots and to keep this way untill the heat is gone, then to move them into the ground.This way it is easier to treat them through the spring-summer and it is the better way for them to gain more roots by the winter, i always recommend to grow them this way! Soon.. respectfully Lidia Te weather has been crazy in the West coast and they mised two early months because of the cold to grew blueberries in their greenhouses and that is why honeyberries were delayed.. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Berries Unlimited Date: Sat, Jun 18, 2011 at 10:42 PM Subject: Re: Hello! To: [personally identifiable information removed] Honeyberries will be here in 1-1,5 weks, then I'll start shipping.They were delayed due to Oregon weather.They had blueberries later out of the lab and did not have place to produce honeyberries.. and al schedule was moved!! Respectfully Lidia On Sat, Jun 18, 2011 at 7:58 PM, [personally identifiable information removed] wrote: Have the berries shipped yet? --- On Wed, 5/4/11, Berries Unlimited wrote: From: Berries Unlimited Subject: Re: Hello! To: [personally identifiable information removed] Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2011, 8:48 PM Thank you! Respectfully Lidia On Wed, May 4, 2011 at 7:35 PM, [personally identifiable information removed] wrote: Please ship them all together [personally identifiable information removed] From: Berries Unlimited Date: Wed, 4 May 2011 17:35:02 -0500 To: [personally identifiable information removed] Subject: Hello! Dear Kelly Honeyberries will be rady in the beginning of June! I'l ship you everything but them tomorow Or I can ship in June all together.Let me know,please! respectfully Lidia How was it possible to forget about those plants for 1.5 month? Thanks to everyone for being patient."