Complain about a product or service

Gardeners' Choice

Lipenwald, Inc.
1 Eversley Avenue
Norwalk, CT

Gardeners' Choice • Consumer Complaints • Order not received • Dead plants • What to do • Company response • The other Gardener's Choice --- News • Gardeners' Choice Complaints Sprout Annually

It's hard to tell who's angrier about their dealings with Gardeners' Choice -- those who didn't get the plants they ordered or those who did.

There are a couple of lessons here, the primary one being: don't use a check to pay for merchandise ordered through the mail or online. You have no recourse if the merchandise fails to arrive or is unsatisfactory. Instead, pay with a credit card. You have 60 days to dispute a charge for missing and unsatisfactory goods or services.

Don't have a credit card? Shop locally and pay cash.

What can those who lost money to Gardeners' Choice do? Not much, although we have a few suggestions.

This, by the way, is an annual event. Come springtime, the complaints blossom, like this batch of seedlings:

Sharon of Caddo Mills, TX June 24, 2009

I ordered a 10.00 Giant Tomato Tree from Gardener's Choice in May of 2009. The company had the gaul to bill my credit card for 61.85. I called my bank and reported this action as fraud and theft. The bank immediatele re-assigned the number on my credit card and put a red flag on the other one.

I tried to call thr company's customer service number. I just got a ringing. No one answered their phone. You can not even talk to these people so they can make things right. Finally I received a little box in the mail from them on May 20th, 2009. I opened it and discovered 10 pods of dirt. I took the box to my local Post Office and had it weighed from their zone to my zone for shipping charges. I was told it only cost around 3.75 to mail the box.

After being charged 61.85 for an order of 10.00, I reported this to the BBB of Michigan. I asked for a resolution of 45.00 to my bank account. The BBB number for my complaint is 37016567. On May 20th, 2009, I watered the DIRT and as of June 24th, 2009, Nothing has grown. On June 4th, 2009, Gardener's Choiced responded to the BBB of Western, claiming to have refunded my bank account for the 45.00. As of June 24th, 2009, my banks has yet to recieve the refund.

On May 23rd, 2009, I recieved a "phony" refund reciept in my email box from a person named Starr of NMMM. The represent Gardener's Choice. It shows that they put the 45.00 into my bank account. I copied and faxed this to my bank. They never had any contact with such people or Gardener's Choice.

Michele of Tacoma, WA June 12, 2009

I was trying to order quick lawn grass seed. My computer was messing up and I kept having to use the back button to try to correct my order. I ended up with 4 orders instead of just the 1 that I wanted. I called within 5 minutes of it happening and their rep said it takes about 24 hours for the orders to get into their system and to call back tomorrow. This was at 6:20PM. I called back at 8:30 the next morning and was told that the orders had already been shipped and I would receive them in 2-3 days. I later got a call from them to confirm my order and I told her the situation. She said to call the customer service number. I got aknowledgement emails at 10:42 that night stating "Your order was received on 06/11/09. And will be shipped to the following address:

You should receive your order within 2 to 3 weeks. To track the status of your order you may go to our Customer Status Web Page at: CUSTOMERSTATUS.COM (it may take a few days for the tracking information to be available on the site)" When I go to that web page there is no record of my order. Since I don't know what to believe: has the order actually shipped? will I receive it in 2-3 days or 2-3 weeks? I will try to call again tomorrow but the only recorse I can see is to refuse the packages and dispute the credit card charges. Where is their common sense? Why would I order 4 small bags and pay 4 times the shipping when I could just order a bigger bag. This is really annoying.

Jim of Haines, AK June 2, 2009

Plants (Tomatoes) were dead when arrived. Charged6.95 to ship then shipped parcel post When you call you are routed around until you get a busy signal. never get to talk to anyone. Don't do business with this company I'm out 15.93 including shipping

Rita of Gillette, WY May 29, 2009

I ordered one product whitch was grassseed and they decided to take it upon themselves to charge my credit card that product which was correct then charged me for other products that i never ordered totaling of 257.00 dollors and i still haven't recieved either and its been a month now. there customer service is a joke. they basically laughed in my face and told me that i did order these product and i will get my money back when i give them there product back. they cost me alot of moneys in overdraft fees and the agreevation of the whole incident

dana of conway, SC May 31, 2009

we ordered pampas plume and it was dead when we received it,creeping thyme and when we received it it was dead jumbo green asparagus it was dead, healthy kick tomatoes and they where dead they did send a second set and they where dead to that was 65.00 and we don't like throughing money away like that

Maureen of Covington, GA May 19, 2009

I ordered their giant tree tomatoes on January 30 in time for Spring for 13.98. I received my order in March - four seedling containers in one box. As per instructions, I placed these on a window sill out of the cold and used a spray water bottle to wet the soil. Two seedlings germinated - one with leaves and the other without. The seedling without leaves then died. The remaining two containers did not germinate. The only seedling that germinated has very slowly produced more leaves and so I transferred it to a larger pot. I am really disappointed that out of four seed pots only one germinated. There was no order number on the box or a receipt inside it. I went on line to contact Customer Service - no response. I telephoned their number which was constantly busy. I found an email address and I requested replacements for the ones that did not germinate as 13.98 for one plant is really expensive. Over a period of days, no response to 6 emails.

Then I emailed again informing them that I had lodged a complaint with Consumer Services. That produced an email response informing me that I would receive a full refund in three weeks. I got the refund last week! Meanwhile the one plant is about five inches high and growing very slowly outside - maybe I will get tomatoes by Christmas!

Jon of hagerstown, IN May 23, 2009

What is up with this Company.....May 23 and still no plants....Corn is supposed to be in the ground by May 13th.... Customer Service line is a Laugh.....Was on hold for 2 1/2 hrs....Ran my cell phone battery down and used my Minutes.... I paid for my plants and i want them.... NEVER AGAIN WILL I ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY.

Judy of Denver, NC May 21, 2009

8 Plants did not survive thru shipment. Returned all remains of such for credit or replacement. Returned 4/23/09 have not heard or received any credit or replacement as of this date. Received very poorly grown plants. Only a few survived and are still very small as of this date.

Amy of Rumford, ME May 16, 2009

I have e-mailed them three times about my order. They have an order from last year on my list to be shipped again this year I did not reorder this item. I cant get threw to call them I am on hold for hours. to complain. nobody will get bck to me. I have been trying since april and it is six weeks later. good customer service I think not.

Arthur of bridgeport, WV May 7, 2009

Expected plants as they advertised got jiffy pots don't even know if theres seeds in them. Part of potting they used was out of jiffy pots. total waste of 21.90. They don't answer phone or respond to emails

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