The scoop on 'Gurney's Seed & Nursery'

Feedback History and Summary   176 positives 70 neutrals 183 negatives

Comments:

Rating Author Content Negative madampolo (3 reviews) On November 20, 2008, madampolo Giddings, TX wrote: On 7/4/08 I ordered 1 Blackberry Triple Crown Spec Value, which was an order for three thornless blackberry bushes. From my order status it said they would be shipped in early October. I never received them. I checked the status again, and the date had moved to mid-October, and I never received them. I checked the order status and it said they'd be shipped in early November. I sent an email asking why the date keeps moving, and why they aren't filling the order like they advertise they will. They didn't care enough about me as their customer to respond to me. Now when I check the status, it says cancelled. I wasn't notified that it was cancelled, and I have no idea why. It must be because they can't sell what they advertise. I am so disgusted with their company that I will not order from them again. Negative giantgardener (1 review) On October 17, 2008, giantgardener Providence, RI wrote: After ordering from Gurney's for almost 15 years, I had the first and worst experience from any seed company ever. I ordered a Hanson's Bush Cherry plant and a packet of expensive seeds w/ $9 s+h fee. Received the seeds later than expected (after 3 weeks), but no plant. Nothing on the order form even hinted that it wouldn't be sent. They certainly charged me the $9 s+h, tho. And so, I waited, thinking they'll send it/info on the status along later, knowing seed companies sometimes ship separately, etc. And I waited, and waited. Finally after almost a month, still not a peep re: the plant's status, so emailed them to enquire. They replied they weren't selling Hanson's Bush Cherry anymore. That's it. That's it? No notice whatsoever I wouldn't be receiving an order, after sending them some pretty hefty cash after 15 years worth of business? I was totally insulted Gurney's hadn't sent a word re: such and told them so; reminding them planting season only lasts so long, and now I had to scramble to obtain one! Still no hint of apology. Gurney's then sends me a measly $5 off coupon with no apology of lack of service. I re-emailed them back re: shock at their surprisingly total lack of alerting a longtime good customer that an advertized product was no longer available, and most importantly, no alert I would not be receiving it. Why put it in their catalog if they weren't going to sell it any longer, and now had to scramble to find a Hanson's bush from another vendor (sent within two weeks, looked great, and rushed to plant it within hours of receiving it; more expensive than Gurney's non-existant bush, but well worth knowing it has a year's start.) They didn't care. No acknowledgement of their bungling. Sent Gurney's a final email telling them so, and wondering why they'd still charged my credit card the $9 s+h for a single packet of seeds? Then and only then, they "readjusted" the s+h fee. Huh? Had to remind a "professional" business to do this?? That was the last straw. What happened to that great customer service we used to enjoy at Gurney's? Seems having relocated to Illinois from South Dakota they've gone thoroughly downhill, having seen the high number of negative comments. Were they bought out by a lesser owner? Who knows. Won't be ordering anything from them ever again. If they can't admit, let alone realize their customer loyalty and service practices is at best horrific, why set yourself up for further frustrations? On October 17th, 2008, giantgardener added the following: Gurney\'s, we don’t want your bribes for coupons, refunds, gift certificates, or endless apology after apology after apology for increasingly poor service! We want your customer “service” policies FIXED, our ordered plants and seeds, and most importantly we want to receive timely notification if we will NOT be receiving an order, whether later than expected--or at all! If we receive no notification re: back order/no order placement, do you honestly think we’ll do business with you again instead of moving on to another more reliable vendor? Of course not! It’s an insult to your customers, if so. You or any gardening company is not doing yourselves any favors with a “no notice policy”, thinking perhaps, oh, they’ll just reorder next year. Oh, no we won’t! It’s one thing to have crop failure, bad weather, late shipments, etc. We, as gardeners and consumers completely understand those things (or should). But its another thing to receive NO timely word that there even was a problem, especially since you have a web-site you can update. Gurney’s is in the gardening business. Has it ever occurred to you that your company should clearly understand timing is of the essence to a gardener, perhaps necessary to the health of a family with growing their own produce w/o chemicals, that prices will only go up next year, causing potential customers to research into the best company for timely plants NOW? We are not one dimensional. (Thank you Dave’s Garden!) Your company has had my email address for many years. Your employees are getting paid by the hour, so what would it have cost to zip a quick email stating to a longtime loyal customer that you were no longer carrying the Hanson’s Bush Cherry for sale? No apology necessary, just timely info re: such. In fact, you would have received points for telling me asap! Suck it up quickly or pack it in, Gurney’s, because as you hopefully have realized it’s cut-throat in the nursery business today. No business can survive w/o good service and good products, with limited dollars and patience becoming the norm. We’re more savvy than you think, and willing to pay more for a great product that shows up when expected and grows... and we well remember where that company’s ordering page is. If any company has those two simple factors going for them, does it need a Customer Service Dept. AKA Deficiency Department? If you can’t see the negative patterns developing within your company, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised to see you out of business in a few years like so many others. As a formerly loyal, longtime customer that would still be a rather sad circumstance. And finally, why is Hanson’s Bush Cherry STILL listed on your website as available, after four months notice to me that you “no longer carry this product”??? I rest my case. Negative MaTais (1 review) On September 18, 2008, MaTais Minneapolis, MN wrote: I wished that I would've seen this website before ordering from Gurney's. After reading many of the posts here, I have decided to cancel my order because it will probably not be worth the wait. Below are the details of my order. Order Date: 07/07/08 Order Number: xxxxxxx3700 Order Total: $35.65 Original order detail. Items Not Shipped: 1 BANANA DWARF Delivery Estimate: 08/15/08 – 05/17/09 1 LIME DWARF KEY/3G Delivery Estimate: 08/15/08 – 4/19/09 1 ORANGE DWARF VENOUS û Delivery Estimate: 08/15/08 – 0914/08 1 STRAWBERRY GUAVA/1 Delivery Estimate: 08/15/08 – 09/14/08 Order Date: 07/07/08 Order Number: xxxxxxx3700 Order Total: $35.65 9/18/2008 Delivery dates. Items not shipped: 1 BANANA DWARF Delivery Estimate: 05/18/09 - 10/09/08 1 LIME DWARF KEY/3G Delivery Estimate: 04/20/09 - 10/09/08 1 ORANGE DWARF VENOUS û Delivery Estimate: 10/15/08 - 10/09/08 1 STRAWBERRY GUAVA/1 Delivery Estimate: 10/23/08 - 10/09/08 As you can see, I placed my order on July 7th. It has been well over two months and I have yet to receive any shipment. Many of you have mentioned that the delivery date of your order was changed a couple of times; well, in my case it was changed everyday. There were days where I checked the status of my order for days in a row. I'm finally fed up with waiting as I wanted to order the banana tree for my husband's office and the orange tree for my sister to bring back to school but it did not arrive in time. She has moved back to school and won't be returning until next year when she graduates. Gurney's had all of my personal contact information and yet, they failed to informed me that they decided to push back two of my items until next year. What kind of customer service is that? They didn't need to contact me in person, an email would have suffice. I spoke to a customer service agent named Chuck, who informed me that two of my items are "ready to be shipped any day now" and the other two will be ship in the spring. Because I have no confidence that they could be shipped "any day now" and the others wil be shipped in the spring, I have decided to cancel my order. All I want now are definite dates and I can't get that, who's to say that they won't push the delivery even further back. In all, I will never, ever order from Gurney's again. Neutral tootiem (1 review) On September 4, 2008, tootiem Greendale, WI wrote: My first experience was with pretty bad. I called because the first part of my order showed on their website that it had shipped. It being a week later and I'd not received my order I called ( you can't track your orders online?) and spoke to NICKY. I gave her my order number right form the website and she kept saying she could not find my order. She was very short with me. I suggested she look up my orders by my account number. She hung up on me. I called back and told all this to a nice older woman Jane? She was extremely apologetic and told me if I did not see my shipment ( she found my order right away) I should call back in a week. I did call back and they will be re-shipping my first order. I see they also resceduled my other shipment? I don't think I will be doing anymore business with them. I work on the phone with customers all day. If I spoke rudely or hung up on anyone I'd be fired on the spot. Good customer service goes a long way. Negative iboya (2 reviews) On August 27, 2008, iboya Milwaukee, WI wrote: My first order with Gurney's went well so I placed 4 more orders. I didn't receive confirmation for 2 weeks on all 4 orders. I checked my orders on line and noted that the dates kept changing. I was concerned and called customer service and was told by the young lady on the phone that the dates on the on-line orders are computer generated and "don't mean anything", that the end of August date "really meant" October. I was getting concerned about the constantly changing dates and was checking my orders daily. Then I found one of my orders was canceled by Gurney's. I did not authorize the order to be canceled nor was I notified it had been canceled. When I called Gurney's the young man told me that they "thought" I made a mistake and canceled one of my orders. When they corrected the order they overcharged me and I had to call them again to correct the overcharge. Today was the last straw, I received a letter in the mail telling me one of my four orders couldn't be shipped due to "improper credit". I was furious and called Gurney's yet again. The young lady told me that Gurney's had a "computer glitch" and sent out this letter in error. I asked about the status of my orders and requested assurance that my credit was in tact as I have an excellent rating. I was placed on hold for 10 minutes. Finally the young lady picked up the phone and rudely told me everything was fine and "they made a mistake." Her flippant attitude was out of line, so I asked to speak to the supervisor, again I was placed on hold and another rude employee explained that this was Gurney's busy season and things like this happen. I asked for addition contact information and was rudely told I was speaking to the highest authority and they would not give me any additional names. My experience with Gurney's: 1. They didn't confirm my orders for 2 weeks. 2. They canceled an order without authorization and never notified me. 3. They overcharged me when they corrected the canceled order. 4. They send out letters telling their customers that they have improper credit "by accident". 5. When you ask to speak to someone else or for a name to file a complaint with they won't give you any more information using "security" as the excuse. I will not order from them again. Gurney's obviously is very poorly managed and has very poor customer service. Neutral SavinMaven (3 reviews) On August 18, 2008, SavinMaven (Zone 8a) wrote: I've read great reviews of those of this company, so I thought my bumpy experiences were the exception. My shipping date always moves into the future just as it becomes time for them to ship. It was annoying before, but I wasn't trying to put in a "real" garden, so I overlooked the problem. My latest order, which was placed on 7/29, has already changed dates at least 2 times now. I am in the process of trying to landscape an area for a much deserved party my brother will throw when he gets to come home. So, I need reliable info this time. (It is fine if some plants are coming in Oct, but I needed some degree of certainty there.) I called and explained the situation to the rep (how the date kept changing, etc). Her solution was to read my invoice aloud in a grumpy tone twice. Again, I explained that I had that info, but I just needed to know if the order would indeed ship according that estimate or would it continue to change. She didn't like that question and told me they couldn't promise anything b/c they don't know if the plants will grow, etc. That's fine I appreciate the seasonal/delicate nature of plants, but other companies seem to have their stuff together. I just cancelled my order. So now I've lost 3 weeks of time I guess I should have spent starting seeds of my own. Additionally, their email contact form did not work. I sent it, and received a no server message the following day. Instead, I had to contact them via their toll number. On August 28th, 2008, SavinMaven changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following: I was beyond through with Gurney\'s. I just posted to share my experience with others. After which, I realized DG forwards these comments and that companies may actually reply. I was very surprised to receive a d-mail from Gurney\'s CS Donna. She was apologetic and helpful. In the interest of fairness, I will change my rating to neutral. I am willing to try Gurney\'s again (although not at crunch time) and re-rate at that time. Thanks Donna and DG!! On September 20th, 2008, SavinMaven added the following: 9/16 Received coupon for $20 off MAIL IN order for my inconvenience. Neutral ferret18 (1 review) On August 3, 2008, ferret18 Middletown, RI wrote: I ordered from Gurney's last year. I purchased 2 dwarf blueberry bushes as I live in a town house (I have neighbors on each side of me in the same building so to say.) so I really have to be considerate of my neighbors and can't really plant trees. I just so happen to have a bad downfall for blueberries. Well the plants died on me. I did contact Gurney's. I got the blueberry bushes the following planting season and they where doing wonderful but unfortnuatly the "deer cat" (my ignorant rude neighbor's cat) got to them and bit them in half. This year I ordered some dwarf northsky blueberry bushes. The only thing that upsets me is that they keep pushing the delivery date up. But hopefully I can trust them as they have proven so far that I can. Negative whitakerlinda (1 review) On August 1, 2008, whitakerlinda Irving, TX wrote: I used the website to order seeds. No mention was made that they might be out of seeds for fall gardens and that they might hold my order for as long as 9 days, which would make it 2 weeks before I would get the seeds. When I didn't get an email saying the seeds had shipped, I tried to contact the company by email, but it bounced back as a server unplugged. So I called on my dime since they don't have and 800 number I could find, and discovered they were holding the order. I cancelled since I don't have the luxury of waiting 2 weeks to get some of those seeds in the ground. Positive mdyblu (2 reviews) On July 7, 2008, mdyblu Heber City, UT wrote: I ordered some vegetable seed tapes from them because I haven't been able to find them here in UT and I used to use them in WI. Am glad to have found a source and will probably order again next spring. Negative Rhubarb1 (1 review) On June 30, 2008, Rhubarb1 Falls Church, VA wrote: STAY AWAY!! Worst customer service I have EVER seen. I literally have had better experiences with the Department of Motor Vehicles in all 3 states in which I lived. They are rude, disorganized, uncommunicative and apparently unable to ship ONE SINGLE PLANT to us even though they had confirmed our order in writing. Maybe the DMV should take over their business - it would be an improvement. We ordered $260 in vegetables from Gurneys, consisting of 9 different varieties; all were quite expensive, but they weren't carried by our local garden store and we wanted to pay the premium to get these in time for this summer. We ordered in May, and were promised delivery of everything by June 13th at the latest. They kept pushing our delivery dates back every time we checked the status of our order, including pushing some back to OCTOBER. The original delivery confirmation and the delivery schedule published on their website list says we should have had our plants by June 13th. Then, 7 of 9 plants disappeared from their confirmation system entirely!!! The 8th was canceled by post card, and the 9th (Garlic) was pushed back a YEAR!! The customer service agents were completely dismissive and casual about this in spite of our obvious disappointment - they just didn't care. We called their telephone number June 30th, and the rude reps told us that everything we ordered was out of stock when we ordered it (!) even though they listed ALL OF IT in stock on their website at the time. In fact, their website STILL SHOWS IT IN STOCK!!! They weren't even apologetic! The customer service supervisor said that we should be understanding because they would have sent us cancellation postcards "someday". I can't warn you strongly enough to avoid Gurneys. Negative DotnToTo (1 review) On June 25, 2008, DotnToTo Shawnee Mission, KS wrote: I ordered blueberry plants & food, rhubarb & some perennials in early June because they were having a sale. When I first checked my order status it said most of the perennials would be shipped in fall. I was gardening NOW, so I called & cancelled those items. BTW - no 800 number. Then two weeks later I checked again because I was going on vacation & didn't want the plants dying on my porch. Also, I'd pre-dug huge holes in the yard for the blueberries. Only one item showed on the order - the Blueberry Food. I emailed asking what was going on & received no response. I had to make another call on my $$ to be told that they'd cancelled the plants & my Blueberry Food was on the way. I said that I certainly didn't need it if they weren't sending the plants. Was told to refuse shipment & return. So now I've lost a planting year on two plants that don't produce for a couple of years. I will NEVER order from these people again. Negative dahicks (3 reviews) On June 22, 2008, dahicks Hickory, KY (Zone 6b) wrote: I ordered red lillys and when they bloom they were yellow.Several other bulbs i ordered didn't live either. Neutral amisheliot (4 reviews) On June 22, 2008, amisheliot Lima, OH wrote: I recently placed my first order with Gurneys. I ordered about $50 worth of trees and seeds several weeks ago. I received the seeds within a couple of days of ordering when I checked the status of my trees. They had been canceled. I now had paid $1.50 for the one packet seeds I ordered and $9.95 for shipping. So I called and demanded my shipping charges back. After 30 minutes of waiting on the phone and dealing with a grumpy guy by the name of Ryan, who wanted to mail me a refund in 2-4 weeks. I told him to just put it back on my credit card since that is how I paid originally. Not a good way for my first order to go. I WILL NOT REORDER from them. On July 9th, 2008, amisheliot changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following: After posting this, Debbie from customer service contact me. She looked into my problem and made an attempt to make this right for me. The CSR\'s at Gurney\'s should be taking lessons from her. I am changing my rating from Negative back to a Neutral stance and will give Gurney\'s another chance. I will let you all know what happens at that point, either later this fall or next spring. Positive CarolineC (6 reviews) On June 17, 2008, CarolineC Berwyn, PA wrote: I had emailed this review to Gurney's privately about a week ago, but received no response, so I am posting it here. I had high hopes for Gurney's. I placed an order in May for a bundle of 25 Sparkle Supreme strawberries, and a Deluxe Standard Contender peach tree. I was told that the order would arrive in 2-3 weeks. The strawberries came about a week and a half after I placed the order. The estimated delivery date of the peach tree kept getting pushed back first from early June, to early July, to late July. Now I look on the estimated delivery time, and it says that my peach tree order has been canceled, which they gave me no notice of. I am really rather displeased that the peach tree order was pushed back and back and back and then canceled without notice. It is too late now to order this tree from anywhere else. And I will have to wait until next year to try again. An extra year of waiting is quite a long time since the tree already takes 4-5 years to bear fruit. They still have this tree listed for sale on their website. In addition, they had it listed for sale on an insert that came with the strawberries. I'm out of a peach tree, which I had hoped to have in the ground this year being that they take so long to mature. I keep debating whether to rate this experience negative or neutral. The strawberries did arrive in a timely manner and are doing well, however it was primarily for the peach tree that I placed the order to begin with, as strawberries are available through many catalogs. I had so been looking forward to having the Contender peach tree, with its resistance to late spring frosts and good flavor. And I thought that by ordering the deluxe, I would perhaps get better service. I certainly didn't expect to have it canceled without even a notice. If I had known that they were not going to send the peach tree, I probably wouldn't have placed the order with them to begin with. Prior to placing my order with them, I had also had a copy of their catalog sent to my neighbor, which now I'm thinking I probably shouldn't have. I am willing to change my rating to positive should there be a good resolution to this situation. On June 26th, 2008, CarolineC changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following: Shortly after posting this, I received a very nice note from Debbie in customer care. She apologized for the inconvenience, requested my address, and promised to look into the situation for me. I just received a check for $7.58 since I had originally been charged $9.95 for the shipping of the strawberries. In addition, they now have a standard deluxe Contender peach tree set up for delivery in September, for which Debbie applied a $20 off coupon, bringing the total for the peach tree to $12.67. Thank you, Debbie. And thank you, Gurney\'s. I am changing my rating to positive, in light of the customer service response. I would definitely order from them again. :) And I really look forward to my peach tree. :) Negative jensea16 (3 reviews) On June 17, 2008, jensea16 Maple Park, IL wrote: Gurneys is an incompetent and unreliable company. I garden organically using the bio-intensive method, which relies on companion planting. Thus, although I prefer to get my plants from local nurseries some items like potatoes and garlic must be ordered via catalog. I naively thought that I could trust Gurneys to fulfill my order, or at least communicate to me in the event that they would not be able to do so. I placed my order May 16th. As of June 17th I had not yet received any part of it except for my fennel seeds. Outstanding items were, Red Pontiac Potatoes, Pioneer Soft Neck Garlic, Northsky Bluberry, Sweet Bell Pepper Mix, Potted Mint Mix, Asparagus. I decided that I should call and see what was up, considering that planting this late would barely net me a good harvest before frost. You know what they told me? "Ooops. We stopped shipping on June 13th. You won't be getting your order." What jerks. I know you can't control the weather, but you can certainly control your level of communication. If they weren't planning on sending the plants, they could have let me know so that I at least could try to get them from some where else. I will never order from Gurneys, Spring Hill, Michigan Bulb, or any of their affiliates again. They are a young, fly-by-night operation that can't even properly communicate with their customers. If you want to make sure you are going to get the plants that you order, don't order from Gurneys. Not only will you never get your plants, they won't even bother to tell you that. They will let you wait until half way through the growing season to find out for yourself. I am mad at myself for naively believing that these jerks were eventually going to send my plants, instead of buying them elsewhere sooner. Now I will not be able to plant garlic or potatoes this season. But hopefully, I will still be able to get some sweet peppers. I repeat, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER order from this disorganized and incompetent company. They can't handle your business and you are better off going with a more reliable company. Some how Burpee managed to fulfill my order completely and on time. Company representative comment on June 26, 2008: On Jun 26, 2008 7:58 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery added: Emailed Customer for possible resolution; they did respond, but furnished no information so I could look into their account. Positive hookjb (2 reviews) On June 13, 2008, hookjb Columbia, MO wrote: I was worried about my order, because I found this site after I had placed it. I must say, that my experience has been a positive one. I ordered 6 raspberries, 6 blackberries, 20 asparagus and 50 strawberries. One raspberry and 1 blackberry did not come up and they are replacing them. The strawberries and asparagus were 100%, and I ended up with 62 strawberries and 23 asparagus, so it was a nice little bonus. The raspberries and blackberries shipped within a week, but the strawberries and asparagus took a month. The delayed shipping would be my only complaint, but it was worth it for the good value and quality plants. They often send bare root stock, so it isn’t always pretty, but take care of it and have some patience. Customer service was also very friendly about replacing my two plants that did not grow. Negative Heidillyho (2 reviews) On June 12, 2008, Heidillyho Stanwood, IA wrote: I will never order from Gurney's again. In the past we have ordered many MANY trees for our acreage (we keep falling for the "coupon") and we end up with spindly stock that can't seem to make it through one Iowa winter. I've HAD IT! I went to the nursery this year and laid out the cash for some hardy saplings and evergreens and from now on, the Gurney's catalogs will go in the woodstove. Company representative comment on July 31, 2008: On Jul 31, 2008 3:21 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery added: D-mailed Customer on June 16 to see if I could possibly come up with a resolution/compensation for the Customer's inconvenience, but as of today, have received no response from them. Neutral MorsisX (21 reviews) On June 10, 2008, MorsisX Lockport, IL (Zone 5b) wrote: I use Gurney's for planting supplies only. There are much better places to order live plants, even other Garden's Alive companies (Brecks is superior). Always use a coupon! Negative 4ubugs (2 reviews) On June 5, 2008, 4ubugs Muncie, IN wrote: I ordered my plants in mid May, and now they say they will not be delivered until July Wish I had found Daves Garden before I ordered Company representative comment on August 1, 2008: On Aug 1, 2008 4:22 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery added: D-mailed Customer on 6/16/08 and 6/25/08. The Customer's items that can be shipped in the fall are being shipped at no charge, and the Customer was also sent a gift certificate. Positive donicaben (10 reviews) On June 5, 2008, donicaben Ogdensburg, NY wrote: Though my order caused me a LOT of frustration I have to honestly give them a positive because in the end - the problems weren't their fault and the plants they sent look healthy and were packed nicely. I do, however, wish they would stop shipping things via UPS's "Basic" service. The first time my order was shipped it got to within 30 minuts of my house and mysteriously dissappeared somewhere between the local UPS and my Post Office. Gurney's replaced what they could (they were out of the asparagus I orderred) and I had to wait another two weeks to get the blueberry bushes and brugmansia. However, they both look healthy with only a couple of brown spots on the blueberries (due to shipping time). Everything was carefully packed in cardboard supports and plenty of shipping peanuts. Thank you. Negative Majisto (1 review) On June 4, 2008, Majisto Smithtown, NY wrote: Hello Boys and Girls, Let's play a little game... Look at the order date, then look at the estimated ship date, and then look at the posted information about when they ship and why: - - - - - - - - Order Date: 05/15/08 Order Number: XXX Order Total: $35.50 Ship To: MAJISTO XXX XXX NY XXX Items Not Shipped: 2 CALADIUM RAINBOW MIXED /3 Delivery Estimate: 07/01/08 - 07/22/08 2 CALADIUM ELEPHANT EAR Delivery Estimate: 07/01/08 - 07/22/08 1 CALADIUM BLACK MAGIC Delivery Estimate: 07/01/08 - 07/22/08 2 CANNA / DWF PINK BEAUTY Delivery Estimate: 06/11/08 - 06/25/08 Spring Shipping Schedule All Other Plants & Bulbs 7B Feb 23 - Jun 13 7A Mar 2 - Jun 13 Last Order Date June 9th *Due to hot weather conditions, we are unable to ship most plant items July through August - - - - - - - - Does anyone see a problem with this?? I wish I would have found this site earlier. I wouldn't have wasted the money. It's almost a half a tank of gas! :P Company representative comment on June 25, 2008: On Jun 25, 2008 9:25 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery added: Emailed Customer on 6/16; received their response on 6/24, but they provided no information so I could look into this matter. Negative danoh (1 review) On June 3, 2008, danoh Akron, OH wrote: Order sent by FAX to the FAX number listed on the order form on May 8. Received confirmation from my fax that it had gone through. Didn't hear anything from Gurney's for 4 days, so I called and spoke with someone in customer service. I don't have a record of your order, sir. However, the FAX/input group is VERY busy as this is our busy time of year. what number did you FAX it to ? Oh no, that isn't the right number, try this one instead". I did that...it was NOT a fax number, it was actually the customer service voice line. Waited almost a week and called back. No record of your order sir, but they behind inputing order. What number...etc. etc. etc. same routine....Called May 22...I'm sorry sir, no record of your order. What number did you FAX it to ? I don't know what to tell you sir. I asked to speak to a customer service manager and was told one would call me back. By the next afternoon I called them back and spoke to a nice man who told me supervisors don't call customers back, they are too busy. I told him about the FAX number "error" and he explained what they had told me was incorrect that the number they were giving me was the OLD fax number that in fact I had FAX'd it to the right number. I explained to him my situation and suggested he take my order over the phone, pay for shipping and expedite the order. Of course, by now they were out of a number of items I had ordered three weeks earlier ! My seeds finally did arrive, though I am not sure they were expediated. Gurney's has LOST me as a customer forever. BAD BAD BAD customer service. I don't understand how a company with such bad service can stay in business. I cannot reward bad service and behavior with my business in the future. Company representative comment on July 31, 2008: On Jul 31, 2008 3:24 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery added: Customer was contact (via phone) by a Supervisor on 7/1/08 to resolve the issue. Customer was also issued a Gift Certificate. Negative DMK51 (1 review) On June 3, 2008, DMK51 Ithaca, MI wrote: I order in place an order in April, and recieve half the order and am still waiting for the rest. When I order off the web site show that items were in stock. I probably will not order from this company again as they keep pushing my shiping date back father even after I talk to customer service! Company representative comment on July 31, 2008: On Jul 31, 2008 3:26 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery added: D-mailed Customer on 6/16/08 to get their information to see about a possible resolution. As of today, I have received no response. Negative scifijunkie (1 review) On May 29, 2008, scifijunkie Bloomfield, NM wrote: I expect more from an online company in 2008. I ordered tomato plants, strawberry plants, some ground cover, and vegetable seeds on May 8. On May 20, I checked the status of my order. It said the tomato plants would arrive the second week of July! Around here we're getting tomatos by then. It said the seeds would arrive by May 19. I sent an email--big mistake. They said the plants would ship within 2 days, and give the seeds 10 business days to arrive. It's May 29, and nothing. I emailed again. The reply said: "I apologize for the inconvenience. A reship has been issued for the item(s) requested, as it was lost in the transit. Your order number is 81500438500, and your order should ship by June 13." OK, so now my packages of seeds will arrive the end of June? I replied and said, "Please cancel my order. I'm not planting carrots in July. Thanks for your help." The reply? "Thank you for your email. I have deleted the carrot from your order, as per your request." She ONLY cancelled the carrots? I checked. Sure enough, everything but the carrots was still coming. I called the non-800 number. I didn't receive any apology, and in fact, the rep couldn't understand why I wanted to cancel my order. If it were a roll of paper towels from Amazon.com, I'd have it in 2 days with free shipping. A month and a half for paid shipping on three flat weightless packages of seed is inconceivable. She could not cancel my order for plants, because "That order has already printed. It's packed and will ship tomorrow." She then said it would take a week by UPS to get here. If I were about to lose a customer, I would ship it 2-day at least, but they didn't seem to care. At this point, I can't even get the plants around here, because they're gone. I didn't buy locally, because I'd placed the order with Gurneys. I've got all these raised garden beds with nothing. I'm missing the season, and if anyone should understand that, I would think it would be a plant company that's been around for 100 years. Even worse than Gurneys' terrible shipping arrangements is the complete lack of customer care. I'm very disappointed, and unfortunately my hands are tied so that I can't even cancel the remaining order or get it in a timely fashion. Positive troman1973 (6 reviews) On May 23, 2008, troman1973 Jamestown, ND wrote: One thing about this company I have always had good customer service when I have called there. I have not always been happy with email responses, but customer service is excellent. I have ordered from them several times and yesterday I received 2 reliance peach trees that arrived in excellent shape very thick and at least 4 to 5' tall. One tree looked like the roots were damaged, but I am hoping it will still survive. Over all it was a good experiece. I have ordered from other copanies and all I got was sticks! Positive sjp8987 (4 reviews) On May 22, 2008, sjp8987 Round Rock, TX wrote: I ordered a Jackmanii clematis, dwarf pomegranate, and a smokebush from Gurney's. -I received all three in one order. -The smokebush was shipped bareroot and basically looked like a stick, however after following their planting instructions, it's now happily growing leaves in my backyard - the clematis and pomegranate were small, in 2-4 inch containers, but I believe this was made clear in their product descriptions -the clematis sat and did nothing for a couple weeks, but is growing slowly now -the pomegranate is doing great. If you have the patience to nurture the plants that come in small pots, this is a great mail order website. Positive WinterStinks (13 reviews) On May 21, 2008, WinterStinks Peabody, MA wrote: I placed an order in March for 3 items, I received 2 of the 3 items in the middle of April reasonably close to when they originally stated they would arrive. They were small plants but respectably packed and reasonably healthy looking,I wasn't expecting anything that large for the price and they have grown since being planted. The third item they claimed they were out of stock and could not supply it. They however never notified me of this fact but at least nothing else was substituted and I was not charged for it and they didn't charge my credit card until the plants were shipped. Overall I would say my experience with Gurneys was OK, not probably good enough to order with them again but certainly not as bad as other on-line companies. On May 30th, 2008, WinterStinks changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following: Soon after this feedback was left I got a Dmail from Gurney\'s apologizing for not being notified of the out of stock item and told a postcard was sent. They also sent a $25 gift certificate for the trouble which was more than generous, so I will use that at some point and give them another chance and for now I will change my rating accordingly. Positive Chuck1933 (2 reviews) On May 18, 2008, Chuck1933 Springfield, MO wrote: I ordered a Tree wisteria and 5 live Maximillian Sunflowers. I was surprised at the packing of the Maximillian Sunflowers, wet disintegrating newspaper on barerroots - but they all came up and are doing fine. The tree wisteria was very slow to leaf out - but has now come on strong. I will order from them again. Negative chezmoosetoo (1 review) On May 17, 2008, chezmoosetoo Cadillac, MI wrote: We placed a relatively small order this year and it arrived in stages. The first part of the order included a packet of peas that was supposed to contain 225 peas. It didn't seem to have very many peas in it, so we decided to count them: 71 peas. When I called Gurneys (no toll free number) I was told that they are packaged by weight, not volume. Well, this wasn't even close. They agreed to replace the peas and they arrived a few days later. The second part of the order arrived yesterday. The box contained a package of blueberry food and a 6-pack of live groundcover (plumbago). The plants were laid on their side on top of the blueberry food with packing peanuts tossed on top. No additional protection whatsoever. I paid $15.95 (sale price) for the plumbago and the plants are so tiny that I will have to mark them somehow to even find them in my garden. The blueberry bush we ordered was no longer available, so we're still awaiting a refund on that. We've ordered from Gurneys for years, but I'm sure this will be the last order. Company representative comment on June 26, 2008: On Jun 26, 2008 8:17 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery added: Because the Customer was not satisfied with the size of the plumbago plants, he was also issued a refund for the purchase price. Negative stu828 (1 review) On May 16, 2008, stu828 Oregon, IL wrote: DO NOT FALL FOR THE $25.00 COUPON SCAM or the BUY ONE GET ONE FREE PROMOTIONS! I did and boy am I paying for it now! I placed my first order in February for vegetable plants then placed another order for a variety of flowering plants in March. After the orders had been placed is when the problems began! I had to cancel the order for vegetable plants since they took forever to send them out (even after they agreed to place a RUSH order on them - twice!) Before I knew this company's bad habits, I fell for the BLUE FLAX - Buy one, Get one Free scam. They all arrived dead looking. I decided to plant them anyway since the packaging said they were "dormant". (I was being optimistic). They have yet to show any signs of life! I also ordered and received the LITTLE BUSINESS DAYLILY and STARFIRE GARDEN PHLOX. Three of the eight DAYLILY plants never sprouted and all of the STARFIRE PHLOX are lifeless. This is the FIRST AND LAST time I will order from this company! I should have checked this site before ordering - HINDSIGHT! I'm sure I could call to get replacement plants but I would probably just get more dead stuff. So I will move on and tell everyone of my experience. PLEASE BEWARE OF THIS COMPANY and their sister companies. If you've already ordered and have not received your product yet then I wish GOOD LUCK TO YOU, YOU'LL NEED IT! Company representative comment on July 31, 2008: On Jul 31, 2008 3:31 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery added: D-mailed Customer on 5/17 to get information so I could locate account and come up with a resolution to satisfy the Customer. As of 7/31/08, no response has been received. Negative bzeau (1 review) On May 14, 2008, bzeau Bow, NH wrote: Ordered shrubs, plants and seeds online. Coupon offer was rejected. Seeds were shipped promptly but fewer than the "30" per packet (did have prompt service to replace). Then phlox plants arrived: dead. Shrubs were to ship by early May; but when checking order status, I saw my order was canceled. Over 10 days I sent 3 emails to cust. service; NO RESPONSE. When I phoned (no 800 no.!); on hold 8 mins., then told: well, they had sold out, so my order was canceled; and that I "would be getting a postcard" telling me that---(this, 7 weeks after my order, which I placed ONLINE where they had my email). Note: they had a shrub promotion of the variety I ordered AFTER I placed my order. No apologies, no replacements, no excuses, unbelievable. Some of the worst service I have ever experienced. Meanwhile, it is too late to order what I want locally. When I asked if Gurney was a member of BBB or Chamber of Commerce, the Customer Service Person "did not know." Glad I found you: Caveat emptor. Company representative comment on August 1, 2008: On Aug 1, 2008 4:28 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery added: D-mailed the Customer on 5/17 to apologize and asked for information (name and address) so I could locate account and check into the situation. The Customer responded back (not very pleasantly) on 5/19, but furnished no information, just telling me to "LEAVE ME ALONE". I then again d-mailed, saying that I would remove them from the mailing/email list, but I did need to know who they were in order to do this. As of today, there has been no further communication from the Customer. Negative blufour (5 reviews) On May 14, 2008, blufour Cantril, IA wrote: I wrote a review recently for my experience with Breck's Bulbs and now I have the same type of experience with Gurney's. I have been gardening for a lot of years and mostly my experiences with gardening companies has been good. I am seeing a trend here. So many of them are connected. These companies supposedly have a gaurantee for lifetime. BUT, if you have too many failures they apparently get suspicious of you. I had emailed Breck's last year regarding failed Day Lilies and received seperate answers, one saying I would get replacements, one saying I would not and stated that I was not a good match for their company. Now I have received the same email from Gurney's! Word for word the same email except for filling in some information! I am "not a good match for them", I have had so much percent of failures. I realize I have had more than normal amount of failures but I'm beginning to think it has more to do with the companies than me. In the past the only time I had trouble was when I ordered from the cheap places like Michigan Bulb. Now I get plants from Gurney's and they seem to struggle to grow. I don't get it. I have enough experience at my age that to get an email like that is an offense and makes me feel like they distrust me. Positive Lil_Bitty (1 review) On May 13, 2008, Lil_Bitty Lonsdale, MN wrote: This has been my second year ordering from Gurney's and I have had great service. Last year I ordered english aster and bee balm. This year I ordered 30 canadian hemlock, 10 japanese yew, 10 caragana, hostas, lilies, and various vegetable seeds. My first order this year I asked the shipment to be shipped in May and it arrived May 5th. The second order I asked to be shipped as soon as possible and it arrived a week before the shipping date on the confirmation. Very impressed. Everything I have ordered has been healthy and grown nicely. Although, you are receiving plants at a pretty cheap cost (compared to local nurseries) that have been packaged and shipped to you. It takes a little work to get them to five star quality. I live in zone 4 and find most of the plants I've ordered to be pretty hardy. Don't order from a mail order company and expect to get what you see in the high buck local nurseries/stores without a little green thumb magic first. Negative gardenback1 (1 review) On May 11, 2008, gardenback1 Seattle, WA wrote: I ordered on 4/25 and in the remarks asked to have shipped quickly as we were ready to plant. As of 5/5, none of my seeds had been shipped. They had shipped the Asparagus on 5/1 or I would have cancelled the order. I called and was told to expect 3-4 weeks. I checked my order status on-line and it says I will receive them 5/6 to 5/10 and they aren't shipped yet. I suggested that their website should state shipping times. The representative had a hard time believing that over 95% of what I order on-line is shipped (not received) within 2 days. She just said that's how long it takes. With something like seeds that one needs to get planted on a certain date, this company should properly quote shipping times. Who would think seeds would be backordered? I just got the seeds and they are all in Gurney's envelopes, no brand names. That's fine as long as they grow well. The big question is, why such a delay when it is their own product. I have ordered hundreds of things on-line and this is the slowest to get something shipped that I've ever faced unless it has been clearly stated on the site that the item was backordered. I'll find somewhere else to buy my seeds next time and read reviews on purchases from now on even for large companies. Company representative comment on June 26, 2008: On Jun 26, 2008 8:22 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery added: Emailed Customer on 5/17/08 for possible resolution; have received no response as of today. Negative eanourse (1 review) On May 7, 2008, eanourse Reston, VA wrote: I too fell for the $25 free gimick, and ordered a number of items in March. The seeds arrived ok, along with the lavender (small but ok) and the coneflowers. I ordered three basil plants- one was very dead upon arrival and the other two were rough. I called to ask for one more basil plant to replace the one that was dead, and she did send me another- which was also dead. Apparently these plants don't ship well. I also ordered 12 tomato plants and 6 bell pepper plants. The shipped 6 tomato plants in late April, but according to their own site, I was not due to get the remainder of my tomatoes and peppers until JUNE! I live in Virginia! People start harvesting in JUNE! So I called to cancel the rest of the order, but the rep said they had shipped, so he couldn't cancel it. Which is not true, but he said he was unable to cancel my order. Eventually, after emailing, another service rep did cancel the order, and no, they hadn't shipped. The experience was a pain. They probably aren't bad all the time, but shipping tomatoes and peppers that late in the season is inexcusable. I won't be re-ordering. Company representative comment on June 26, 2008: On Jun 26, 2008 8:24 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery added: Emailed Customer on 5/17/08 for possible resolution; have not received a response as of today. Positive my5rgr8 (1 review) On May 4, 2008, my5rgr8 Fort Atkinson, WI wrote: I ordered from Gurney an American Elm, diesease resistant, as well as other seeds. I am happy with all. The tree had a great root system, and is now 3 weeks later, leafing out. The seeds have not all been planted, but so far so good. I am very pleased Negative moosegepp (9 reviews) On May 1, 2008, moosegepp Telford, PA wrote: This the first time I've ordered from this company on the recommendation of my dad whose been ordering from Gurney's for years. I ordered a seedless grape vine and some shallot bulbs. I figured I'd place a small order just in case this company isn't all that great. So far, I've received my grape vine which was really large with very large roots. That's a good sign. It was also tagged with the name of the variety and packaging was okay. We'll have to see if it grows over the next few months. Gurney's said my shallot bulbs are on back order. I really want them for my Earth Box this summer. (Have you seen the price of shallots in grocery stores lately???) Hopefully they will arrive soon. I am rating Gurney's a "Neutral" for now until I get the rest of my order and see what happens with my vine. On May 18th, 2008, moosegepp changed the rating from neutral to negative and added the following: I received my shallot bulbs and all but three were moldy and/or rotten!!! This is the last time I\'ll order from Gurneys. I\'ve decided now to start vidalia onions from seed and plant the seedlings in my Earth Box instead. I do NOT recommend them. Company representative comment on June 26, 2008: On Jun 26, 2008 8:25 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery added: I emailed Customer on 5/17/08 to get information so I could check on their order; received no response. Positive mcollum83 (6 reviews) On May 1, 2008, mcollum83 Hay Springs, NE wrote: I ordered some strawberries that are supposed to be as big as peaches...I was slightly sad that I couldn't order them in smaller amounts, but I could find room for fifty,so I ordered. The order was sent out on a Thursday...well, first off that is dumb, send my plants out right before the weekend so that they can sit in a post office for a couple extra days! I might add that I placed this order on monday or tuesday morning i believe. Well anyways, the package literally sat in Sharonville, OH in the post office until the next monday, before it even started on its journey, I know this because of the tracking number I was provided. So every day I just kep thinking, they will be dead. And nine days after beginning their journey, the strawberries are here. They are a bit worse for the wear, but they are healthy, and have great root systems, and I planted them immediately. I'm sure that for the most part they will be ok. I'm looking forward to some big strawberries! I would be scared to spend a lot of money here, because I have seen the bad reviews on these companies, but they are worth a try. My experience was good, after I got the package and realized that the plants were safe and sound! Positive mom2boys (1 review) On April 25, 2008, mom2boys Warsaw, IN wrote: Used the "free" coupon and was ready to post clever comments about "you get what you pay for." After all the negative comments on this site, I was shocked. Ordered 25 Ft. Laramie strawberries, received 34. All 34 are doing fantastically (2 or 3 took a little coaxing, but hey...) 136% success - not too shabby! We ordered lettuce seeds and they sprouted 3 days post-planting and it sure looks like most of them germinated. We have okra seeds, too (the expensive variety) but it'll be a while before I've got any feedback on them, way too early. One of the best mail-order experiences ever :-) Positive reeann55 (3 reviews) On April 24, 2008, reeann55 Smyrna Mills, ME (Zone 4a) wrote: On 3/17/2008 I placed an order with this company. Since I live in Northern Maine and we have had a very bad winter, I added a note not to ship until the first week in May. On April 8th they shipped half of my order. 3 Cherry trees to an area of the country that still had 5 feet of snow! I called Gurney's and told them I had put a note not to ship until May, the woman on the phone said the note WAS there but it was too late because it had already been shipped but they would replace it if I couldn't keep it alive for 6-7 weeks indoors. Since there is nothing I can do now, I asked that they don't ship the rest of my order until the requested date of May. Well, I just received an email that the rest of the order was shipped April 23rd! I don't care if they will replace dead plants or not. Who wants to go through all the hassle with a company who will not listen to a requested ship date. Stick a fork in me.....I am done. I will NEVER order from them again. I should have listened to all the negative reviews! On May 23rd, 2008, reeann55 changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following: I have changed my rating to a positive because Gurney\'s contacted me after this comment and said they would look into it. I hadn\'t asked for any replacements, I was just going to consider it a lose. However, they sent out the entire order again at no charge and the plants were nice & healthy. I am very please with how they responded and corrected their mistake. Because of this I would try them again.

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