Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  12/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchase two sets of ***** from this company. They came in the mail and I stored them in a cool and dry place because I was sick. I was down for about two weeks, and when I went to plant the bulbs, I noticed that they were old, damaged,d and dead. These bulbs didn't die in the two weeks they were in my home. These bulbs were never going to grow. I have been gardening for years, I know what sickly bulbs look ******* I took pictures and attached them to the request to replace them. I followed their guidelines to a tee! I got a very rude email from customer support telling me that the dead bulbs were not covered and I needed to attach pictures. I responded again, letting them know that the pics were attached, and asked again. Fairly quickly, I get a gift certificate from customer service, telling me that this is a one-time courtesy. But here is the kicker, This gift certificate doesn't cover the shipping just the bulbs, so when I ORDER THESE BULBS AGAIN, I WOULD HAVE PAY FOR SHIPPING AGAIN. I have been trying to get a hold of customer service, usually having to leave a message, every day this past week, asking that they take back the gift certificate and just send out replacement bulbs. I got one call back, but I missed it, The voicemail says that they would be willing to do that but I have to call back.BUT NO ONE PICKS UP THE PHONE. TRYING TO CHAT WITH THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE ISN'T HELPFUL EITHER.I don't understand why I'm being treated so poorly, I didn't kill the bulbs, they were bad and it happens, so why is Holland Farms acting like I'm stealing from them?

  Business response

  12/06/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us regarding your Fall order.  I'm sorry you are not satisfied with your experience.  After reviewing your account, I do see the order was delivered on November 23, 2024 via USPS.  I also see you did call us on Monday December 1.  l do see we  did contact you by phone on 12/3/24.  You did also reach out through our live chat on 12/4/24 and did talk to one of our representatives.  At that time, he did inform you of our policy found on our website and also on the back of your packing slips that all damaged items need to be reported within 5 days of delivery.  We do send viable plant material and cannot be held liable if items are not inspected and any damage reported right after delivery.  These items require very specific storing conditions and, as our Grow Guarantee also states, we do not cover items if they are stored for any length of time.  I am sorry you were ill and as a courtesy, our team did provide you with a store credit for the items that arrived in poor condition that you can use at any time to purchase replacements or choose another item.  The credit was provided via email.  I understand this isn't the results you were looking for but our Grow Guarantee was expired but we did offer a courtesy solution despite the Grow Guarantee being void.  Unfortunately we are unable to offer a refund since we cannot know for sure if the items arrived in that condition or if it was due to improper storage techniques.  When kept in the boxes and packages for any length of time, the viability can be affected very quickly.  Again, I am sorry you are not satisfied with the solution we were able to offer but unfortunately since we were not notified within the 5 days required with the images, we are not able to provide any further solutions at this  time.  

  Customer response

  12/06/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

  I stated that I store the bulbs properly and was sick when the bulbs were delivered.   That's why there was a delay.    But I have to say, whoever answered this compliant didn't bother to read the complaint to the end. 

  I have attached pictures of the bulbs, and there is no way these rotten, dead and moldy bulbs die in a matter of 4 or 14 days.  These were bottom of the barrel, dead or dying bulbs     Your customer service has already given me the gift card, I just wanted the shipping fee waved.   When I spoke with your customer services yesterday, I was told that your a small business owner and can't wave shipping.   That is an a bull c*** statement-   I'M A SMALL , WOMAN AND VETERAN OWN BUSINESS OWNER, YOUR COMPANY SELLS ***** IN *******, ****** AND SEVERAL OTHER STORES, I have that call recorded too.    YOUR A BIG COMPANY, and it's getting ridiculous that your customer service is acting like they are doing me a favor and that your company is struggling.   And it's insulting that your customer service department is acting like I'm stealing from you.  

  HERE ARE THE FACTS:  ************ sent me dead bulbs, and when I ask for a replacements, your company stating that was perfectly fine to replace them if they were in stock, but that I had to pay for shipping again.   When I already paid for shipping once, and got dead bulbs, why would I have to pay for shipping again.  I didn't send myself dead bulbs. 

  If the bulbs are not replace and sent to me with shipping charge waved.  I will contact my Attorney general and file a complaint.   I'm not the only customer that your company has sent dead produce too and then cited all the hoops we have to jump through for your guarantee to replace kicks in.  And the list of complaints are long.    I will also contact my credit card and dispute the charges.    

  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** ******

  Business response

  12/13/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for your response.  When kept in the boxes for 2 weeks, it is very possible the bulbs did rot in that short amount of time.  The bulbs give off gases and without proper air circulation they can't breathe which does cause them to rot. This can happen very quickly.  They are kept in a cool location within our facility and provided plenty of air flow prior to shipment.  Our staff does check quality upon shipping, all of our packages are hand picked by humans, not automation.  If any bulbs are not fit to ship, they are discarded.  I do apologize you don't agree with our findings but as we are a family owned business with generations of experience, we have set up our policies in accordance with what we know can happen to bulbs if they are stored within the box for even a short amount of time.  That experience has taught us that just a few days can cause them harm and form rot easily which is why we do have it stated on our website and also on the back of the packing slips found within all packages delivered that all concerns need to be sent with images within 5 days of delivery.  After the 5 days, it is very likely they can rot if not kept in proper conditions.  As you didn't reach out within the timeframe required per our policies, the Grow Guarantee is technically void and replacements and refunds are not offered.  We cannot be held liable if our  Grow Guarantee is not read and understood before the order is placed or after the order is delivered as we do provide the information clearly in multiple locations throughout the ordering process.  Although the Guarantee was void, we still did offer the store credit.  If you are not happy with the outcome, we can certainly cancel the store credit but unfortunately since you did reach out well after the timeframe laid out in the Grow Guarantee, we are not able to offer another solution.  We would always recommend to read through policies prior to ordering on any site so understand fully expectations if items are not delivered as expected.  Thank you.

  Customer response

  12/16/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  The Company continues to blame me for the rotten bulbs,  And are not willing to wave the shipping charge to send the replacement bulbs.        

   
  Regards,
  
  ******** ******

• Initial Complaint

  11/21/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  #1 - I asked for a refund due to the bulbs being moldy and non-viable in with in the 5 business days required.#2- I was told that I did not place an order with them even though I uploaded the invoice/packing list. My credit card has been charged.#3-As you can see by the picture of the bulbs that the bulbs are moldy and non-viable, will not produce flowers. #3- I have sent 3 times the same pictures that I have uploaded, and they denied that I had placed the order. The informed me that I did not place an order with them. Please assist in any way that you can, will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

  Business response

  11/25/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  I do apologize for the confusion with the order.  The order number you provided and the email address used did not match what was in our system.  It was difficult to find the order.  The email address on your account appears to be missing part of the address provided.  You also provided images for the Pretty Woman lilies only in the emails you sent to us but I do see more images were provided here.  Now that the correct order number has been provided, your email has been updated in our system, we can go ahead and refund those 2 packages you provided images for.  Please allow 1-2 business days for that refund to post back to your account.

  Thank you for your patience and we do apologize again the items arrived in poor condition.

• Initial Complaint

  10/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I placed my order for 100 stargazer Lillies during their end of season sale on 8-1-24, our wedding flowers and something we LOVE the fragrance of. When the flowers arrived I immediately got them in some soil and hoped for the best so late in the season, they grew pretty well probably about ***** plants grew and several had buds, but when the flowers bloomed I quickly realized these were not what I thought I purchased, although pretty none of the flowers were stargazer Lillies but they were asiatic Lillies (pretty yes, but absolutely no fragrance). I went through weeks of emails and sends pictures to prove the flowers were wrong and in the end the offered a $35 gift certificate, I asked for my order to just be shipped correctly instead (I even offered to wait until they are restocked) they refused to reship my order and told me they would only offer a $35 gift certificate I received the gift certificate on ************** 10-23-24, 10 days after receiving the gift certificate, I tried to purchase some other flowers and my gift certificate was not valid, I confirmed it was correct and tried again still not valid I contacted customer support and after several messages telling me I was doing it wrong, they told me my gift certificate was canceled on 10-16-24, 2 days after issuing it, and issued a refund instead. I was told I already received a refund, but I didn't receive any refund at my bank ( I didn't ask for a refund so I don't understand why they canceled the gift certificate without notifying me and customer service is incredibly frustrating to deal with and not helpful at ****** this point I'm not sure this company isn't a scam, I see other reviews that said they received their order and were happy but that defiantly is not my experience and right now I have flowers I don't want (and offered to ship back the bulbs) and no refund, or gift certificate, this whole experience was horrible and their customer service is very unprofessional and unhelpful.

  Business response

  11/11/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  I'm sorry to hear you were not satisfied with your experience with our company.  After reviewing your order and your previous contacts, I do see you provided images of the Stargazer lilies that bloomed incorrectly at which time we did provide a Store Credit.  However, after more contact with you, the credit was cancelled and a refund was issued to the original form of payment on 10/16/2024.  The amount you paid for the item was $35.00 which was the amount that was refunded to you.  The item you purchased was part of our Clearance Sale at the end of Summer which is reflected in the discount you paid for this item.  Unfortunately, we are not able to provide replacements for items shipped in the Spring and Summer in the Fall as they are then out of stock. We also do not offer replacements for items purchased on Clearance to be shipped the following season when new bulbs are sent.  We did provide the full refund for the item that bloomed wrong per our Grow Guarantee.  Please see below:
  Mislabeled Items
  Although uncommon, human error can occur during the packaging process and items may be mislabeled. If you have received an item that is not true to the variety as labeled, please contact us during the first growing season* with an image of what you received. Submitted images are necessary to help correct any mistakes for future seasons.
  Once images are received and reviewed, our team will be able to offer a merchandise credit or a refund back to the original form of payment.

  As you can see we do not provide replacements for items that are mislabeled or grow incorrectly.  Since the refund has already been issued to you in the amount you paid, we are not able to find any other solution at this time.

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  10/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We purchased a bulk pack of 100 tulip bulbs as well as 30 ******** bulbs on 8/15. They shipped 10/4. 15 of the tulip bulbs were moldy. I took an example picture but they are refusing to do anything without a picture of each individual bulb. That is both just ridiculous and counter to the grow guarantee. I want some of the amount refunded or the bulbs replaced.

  Business response

  10/29/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  I'm sorry to hear you were not satisfied with the bulbs you received.  I do see you did reach out to us regarding the condition on 10/17/24 and did provide an image of 2 bulbs.  We did reply on 10/18/24 apologizing for the condition of the items and did ask that you provide more images as you did claim at least 15 of the 100 were in poor condition.  We do state in the Grow Guarantee found on our website and on the back of the packing slip that we need images of ALL items that arrive in poor condition.  Since items are perishable, those images are required within 5 business days of receiving.  We are happy to refund you for the 2 bulbs you did send images of but without images of the rest, this does void our Grow Guarantee.  Please understand, if we were a brick and mortar store, all items would need to be returned to our facility for an exchange or refund.  Since we are online only, we don't need the items back but do require images of all of the items with concerns.  If items are thrown away and not returned to a brick and mortar store, a solution cannot be found.  Again, if all images are not received, there is not proof if they are in poor condition or viable.  A refund for the 2 bulbs you sent images of has been issued to your original form of payment.  If you are able to provide more images, please forward them to our email directly and we can still find a solution for you.

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  09/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The company sent plants that failed to show ANY signs of life after giving them plenty of time in the ground, and now they refuse to refund, only give a merchandise credit. I have refused the merchandise credit because I will only get more dead plants. In the past (not part of this complaint) I have received the wrong cultivar. The company sends whatever they want to, and they send dead plants, knowing they will just issue a merchandise credit for more of their junk. I am requesting a refund of $28.88 of the $92.57 I paid them. This company has had many complaints and needs to be held accountable.

  Business response

  09/18/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out and I'm sorry you did not have success with the items purchased on our website.  We do certainly Guarantee all items to be delivered in good, viable condition.  Per our Grow Guarantee, if you do have concerns about the condition we do require images to be sent within 5 business days.  If images are not received and the item is planted, it does mean then that it was viable.  If the item does arrive in viable condition and fails, it could be due to planting techniques or environmental factors that out of our control which is why we state we do not issue refunds for those items that do not thrive.  We do however, offer a store credit in which our customers can use to try the same item again or another item that may be better suited for the environment.  Below are the portions of our Grow Guarantee directly from our website stating these policies:

  Shipping & Delivery
  If there are any concerns or discrepancies with an order upon receipt, please contact our customer service department within 5 business days of delivery.
  If you are concerned with the condition of any of the items you received, we require images of the item(s) to be provided via email. Once the images are reviewed, a replacement will be automatically sent if the item is not viable. If the item is no longer available, a refund will be issued in the amount paid for the item.

  Failure to Grow
  Holland Bulb Farms provides planting instructions and requirements needed for each item on our website. Please refer to each items page to ensure the item(s) purchased are best suited to your individual growing conditions and climate. If an item fails to grow, please contact our customer service department during the first growing season*.
  Our representatives will work with the customer to help determine the cause of failure. This investigation may require the submission of images and/or the unearthing of the items. If the failure to grow is due to poor quality control, merchandise credit will be issued in the amount paid for the item less shipping costs.
  If an item that fails to grow is part of a collection or bulk item, a merchandise credit will be issued for the same portion of the amount paid for the item.
  Seeds are not covered under our Grow Guarantee.
  We do not offer refunds for items with failure to grow.

  Although we certainly do understand it is always disappointing when an item doesn't grow as expected, we do offer a solution for those items in the way of a store or merchandise credit.  You can clearly see the last line of the Failure to Grow portion of our Grow Guarantee states we do not offer refunds for items that fail to grow.  As stated in the emails to you, the credit has been issued to you and can be used on any item at any time during the next 2 years.  Unfortunately we cannot make exceptions if the Grow Guarantee was not read and understood prior to placing an order.  I would recommend reviewing the Grow Guarantee on our site or on the back of your packing list for the future.  Our representatives are available if you have any questions or need any clarification on any of our policies.  Since we did offer the solution laid out for you in our policies, there is not need for any further solution at this point. 

  Customer response

  09/18/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [Please type your response here.] The plants are shipped dormant, and it is impossible to determine within five days if the plants are viable or not.  Further, there is no way to tell if the cultivar is the one ordered until the plant has bloomed, which, obviously, takes far more than five days.  The company is left in a position of complete immunity to discipline because they have your money, and just recycle it through their merchandise credits until a person gets tired of the game.  They ship the cultivar they want to ship (not the one ordered), and they ship dead plants, because they CAN.  Almost certainly, if I had notified them in five days that the plants didn't appear viable, they would have told me the plants were dormant and I needed to give them time.  Their business practice gives them total immunity.

  Regards,
  
  *************************

  Business response

  09/19/2024

  Thank you for your response.  Even though the items are dormant, it is very easy to tell if the dormant root/bulb is viable or not.  If there are any questions or concerns about the viability, we do ask you reach out within 5 days.  Again, if it was planted we can then assume they were shipped viable and the reason for the failure is not due to the viability or environmental factors or planting techniques out of our company's control which is why we do not issue refunds.  I do apologize you are not satisfied but again, we do post our policies to review at any time.  *********** did follow up with the solution stated in those policies.  Unfortunately there isn't anything else we can do regarding the items that failed to grow.  We clearly state we do not issue refunds and only issue store credits for failure to grow. That is exactly what we did.

  Thank you but we are not able to offer any further solution at this time per our Guarantee. If you have any further concerns regarding the policies, you are welcome to reach out to us directly or click on the link found in multiple places on our website.

  Customer response

  09/19/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [Please type your response here.] I stand by my previous statements.
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  08/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hello!I'm looking for a refund of a purchase (Perennial Cutflower and Drought Tolerant Perennial Garden Collection) I made on 1/5/24. *** has issued a credit of $168.63. I called in April to request when I would receive the shipment as all my other flowers/plants were growing/blooming. *** was waiting for a couple more items. I received the package on 4/20/24 and immediately planted:Back flower beds (newly dug out and created for the *** items): Liatris, Caesars Brother ****, Stargazer, Blue Boy, *************************** Peony, Blue **** Baby Sage Front flower bed: Thistle, fireball bee, ***************************, *******************, ******, black eyed ***** The issue is that the majority of the plants did not grow/bloom (autumn joy and 1 star gazer bloomed), but more importantly, crabgrass grew instead and ground cherry plants grew. I did not have crabgrass in my garden b/c I had weed guard. I had contacted *** through numerous emails and they are putting the blame on me claiming I did not follow directions. However, I have grown and re-grown flowers (gladiolus, mums, asiatic lilies, dahlias) purchased from Lowes. They multiplied this year! I added special soil that helps flowers grow. I provide a good environment as I'm growing everything else, including ground cherry plants and crabgrass from ***. I have also sent picture evidence. I told *** that a credit isn't sufficient as growing flowers takes hours/days/weeks/months of watering, etc. I shouldn't have to waste time and energy on items that do not grow. I have purchased bulbs/roots from *** in the past (2023). I grew tulips and allium but 6 tulips grew back in spring 2024. The allium grew back. I had purchased snowdrops, but the plant grew, but no flowers in early spring 2024. Only 1 buttercup flowered in 2024. 1 begonia came back this year, but did not flower.I tried to resolve this first with ***. I don't believe it's right to cheat people who actually work hard in life.Thank you,

  Business response

  08/19/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  I'm sorry that you are not satisfied with your experience.  After reviewing your order and multiple emails with our representatives, you wrote to us claiming most items had failed to grow on an order placed in January, 2024.  Due to the large size of the order and as stated in our Grow Guarantee, we did need to investigate a bit more since it is highly unusual to have this many items fail on the same order and in the same season.  Throughout the investigation, we did ask you some questions regarding your planting techniques.  Within that communication, you had stated that all items were planted 12" deep.  Every item that you had claimed failed to grow states on our website and also on the packaging that they should only be planted 1-2" deep.  This is why the items failed, they were planted far too deep and not within the planting depth recommended on the packaging and also on our website.  Although our Grow Guarantee should have been voided at that time since planting instructions had not been followed causing the items to fail, we did provide a courtesy credit in the amount you had claimed failed to grow.  Please see the portions below regarding our Grow Guarantee policies:

  100% Grow Guarantee
  Here at Holland Bulb Farms, we pride ourselves on our strong commitment to premium products and excellent customer service. Therefore, it is our goal to treat all of our valued customers with the utmost respect and consideration while providing them with accurate quality control on all of the products we ship.
  All customer comments regarding our products should be directed to our *************************** either by way of telephone ***************) or email us within the first growing season as defined below*. As our gardening community understands, there are many environmental factors that are needed for a plant to successfully grow. These factors, including but not limited to, poor weather, planting outside of recommended growing conditions, improper planting techniques, moisture/sunlight needs, location, timing, etc. are out of our control and therefore cannot be covered under our Guarantee. We recommend all items be planted immediately after arrival. We are not able to guarantee the viability of the items if they are not planted upon arrival and stored. Please keep in mind, every plant is individual and unique and, just as in Mother Nature, perfection is not guaranteed. However, we can guarantee that you will receive the highest quality available in a timely manner.

  Failure to Grow
  Holland Bulb Farms provides planting instructions and requirements needed for each item on our website. Please refer to each items page to ensure the item(s) purchased are best suited to your individual growing conditions and climate. If an item fails to grow, please contact our customer service department during the first growing season*.
  Our representatives will work with the customer to help determine the cause of failure. This investigation may require the submission of images and/or the unearthing of the items. If the failure to grow is due to poor quality control, merchandise credit will be issued in the amount paid for the item less shipping costs.
  If an item that fails to grow is part of a collection or bulk item, a merchandise credit will be issued for the same portion of the amount paid for the item.
  Seeds are not covered under our Grow Guarantee.
  We do not offer refunds for items with failure to grow.

  I have also attached our email exchange letting you know that there is nothing more to do.  We have already gone above and beyond what our Grow Guarantee policy offers.  In the future, we do recommend you read and understand the policies in their entirety as they are available at any time on our website.  We also clearly state all planting instructions on our website as well as printed on all packages we ship.  If instructions are not followed, our company cannot be held liable in the future if items fail to grow.  Since a credit was provided as a courtesy, we are unable to offer any more of a solution at this time.

  Customer response

  08/19/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  Hello. In the e-mails, I've provided detailed information about the products, including pictures.  HBF has provided no evidence that they provided the correct or quality products.  They also claim they did not provide $200 worth of crabgrass and ground cherry plants.  If the crabgrass is connected to the roots of their products, then that's what they sold me.  In one of the email strains, they admit to growing products in a place of crabgrass.  Then later claimed that they do not provide crabgrass.  The issue is that they sold me faulty products and deny selling me ground cherry plants (in my pictures) instead of flowers.  If I've never had ground cherry plants, and there are not anywhere in our yard, and it's in the only place where I planted HBF products (a specially carved out place in my yard for HBF products), then HBF sold the wrong product.  How can these plants thrive and yet HBF products don't grow?  They sold me faulty products and are trying to blame me for them.  They did not provide the products on time and probably substituted other things for the products I purchased.  Where else did ground cherry plants come from if they are only in the place I planted HBF products.  They also claimed that I said autumn joy did not grow--which is not true b/c I mentioned it did in prior emails.  They  mentioned the roots should be planted 1-2 inches deep.  That's not true for bulbs.  Only the stargazer plant grew and only 1 flower bloomed.

  Please advise as they sold incorrect and faulty products.

  
  Regards,
  
  *************************

  Business response

  08/23/2024

  I do apologize again you are not satisfied with our solution.  The items in your images, the ground cherry and crab grass, are very common weeds that can easily grow from areas around the planting areas as well as by seeds being spread from the wind or birds.  As mentioned to you in our previous conversations, crab grass and ground cherries are not grown or found within the fields the bulbs our suppliers send us.  All roots and bulbs are carefully inspected in customs when leaving Holland as well as entering the US.  If the items are not true to what is in the package, they are destroyed and cannot be distributed for sale anywhere.  As you had stated in your emails, you planted the roots you received from us 12" deep.  **** grass and ground cherries wouldn't grow if they were planted that deeply.  Crab grass spreads with runner roots just below the surface of the soil and ground cherry seeds, not roots, are planted just below the surface as well.  Again, none of our suppliers can even send crab grass roots or ground cherry seeds to anyone for resale and they are not found on their farms.  I'm sorry you don't agree with our solution but again, the Grow Guarantee as stated many times should be void since the following planting techniques we provide to all customers was not followed.  However, we did still issue you a one time courtesy store credit with along with information to planting properly in the future as well as links to our Grow Guarantee to further understand our policies.  We are not able to do anymore than we can since we have already gone above and beyond what our policies state.

• Initial Complaint

  08/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased vegetable plants for my daughter's garden on 5/29/2024. The company sent plants with a 100% Growth Guarantee. The plants were planted according to the included instructions immediately upon receipt via **** shipping. The plants did not appear to be in good shape upon receipt. They were planted immediately. The plants failed to show any growth after one month and the company notified. They made me wait an additional month to assess growth. The plants NEVER grew. Upon contacting the company they refused to issue a refund of the purchase price. They stated only merchandise credit would be issued. They wasted the entire growing season, failed to provide viable products, and refused to issue a refund. Today is 8/1/2024 and still no signs of life from these plants. I would like a complete refund of my purchase from Holland Bulb Farms.

  Business response

  08/02/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us. I'm sorry you are not satisfied with your experience with out company. We do have a 100% Grow Guarantee on our items for the first growing season and we do stand behind the terms listed in that Guarantee on both our website and on the back of all of the packing slips included in each package.  As stated in our Grow Guarantee, we do require images of any items that arrive in poor condition to be sent to our email within 5 days of delivery.  If items are planted and images are not sent, we are not able to determine if the items failed to grow due to poor condition upon arrival or environmental factors that may have contributed to the items not growing.  Due to these factors that are out of our control, we do not issue refunds on items that fail to grow.  If items are shipped in poor condition and images are sent prior to planting, we are happy to refund or replace those items.  Once planted, we issue store credits for items that fail to grow.  Please see the portions from our Grow Guarantee below stating these policies:

  Shipping & Delivery
  If there are any concerns or discrepancies with an order upon receipt, please contact our customer service department within 5 business days of delivery.
  If you are concerned with the condition of any of the items you received, we require images of the item(s) to be provided via email. Once the images are reviewed, a replacement will be automatically sent if the item is not viable. If the item is no longer available, a refund will be issued in the amount paid for the item.

  Failure to Grow
  Holland Bulb Farms provides planting instructions and requirements needed for each item on our website. Please refer to each items page to ensure the item(s) purchased are best suited to your individual growing conditions and climate. If an item fails to grow, please contact our customer service department during the first growing season*.
  Our representatives will work with the customer to help determine the cause of failure. This investigation may require the submission of images and/or the unearthing of the items. If the failure to grow is due to poor quality control, merchandise credit will be issued in the amount paid for the item less shipping costs.
  If an item that fails to grow is part of a collection or bulk item, a merchandise credit will be issued for the same portion of the amount paid for the item.
  Seeds are not covered under our Grow Guarantee.
  We do not offer refunds for items with failure to grow.

  We did stand behind our product and did issue the credit as stated in our Grow Guarantee.  That credit can be used on any item.   You can certainly choose to try the same item or something that might be more suited for the planting conditions.  I would recommend in the future to review and understand the terms of our Grow Guarantee before ordering.  Since we did follow the terms in our policy and stood behind the Grow Guarantee, there is no need for any further solutions at this time.

  Customer response

  08/02/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  The photos included illustrate that the environmental condition of the growing plot was more than beneficial for healthy plants to grow. The growth of Tomatoes, Squash and Cucumbers purchased locally thrived exceedingly well. The stubs of the Raspberry & Blackberry plants provided by Holland Bulb Farm were planted immediately upon receipt. Not knowing the condition of the plants at the time of shipping did not provide enough baseline data to determine if they were viable upon receipt or not. The flower plants were also pre-packaged without any comparison of viability prior to receipt. They were also planted immediately upon receipt and following the provided instructions. Denial of return of purchase price constitutes fraud by the policies of Holland Bulb Farm. Merchandise Credit offered does nothing for this growing season and there is no trust that any subsequent products will be in any better condition. I am requesting return of my purchase price for these items. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

  Business response

  08/08/2024

  Thank you for getting back to us. Again, we are sorry the items purchased from our company did not do well for you this season.  Per the Grow Guarantee, we do not offer refunds or replacements for items that fail to grow but do provide a merchandise credit.  The credit is valid for 2 years and can be used at any time.  You can choose to use it to try the same item again or an item that may be better suited for the environment.  Generally using black shade cloth or weed fabric is not recommended to use for ***** plants unless there is mulch on top. The sun on the black fabric causes the soil to get too hot.  ******* prefer the roots to stay cooler.  That may be why these items in particular didn't thrive in the planting conditions.  I'm sorry you don't agree with our solution or policy.  It is available to read and understand at any time before or after ordering and is again offered on the back of all packing slips included in all shipments.  We did issue a credit and although you aren't able to use it this season to find replacements since it is the end of  Summer, it will still be valid next season.  We did follow up with the solution we offered per the Grow Guarantee.  Please review the Guarantee in it's entirety on our website for  more information but again, it is stated we do not refund items that failed to grow.

  Customer response

  08/09/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  Your poor excuse for why the plants did not grow is a pathetic attempt divert responsibility. Every other business I have worked with on internet purchases refunds purchase price for defective products. You shipped me dead plants. What guarantee would you offer for purchasing using the credits? What guarantee do I have that a repeat of shipping dead plants would not occur again? All of the other plants in the garden have thrived under the same conditions. The attached photos are representative of other plants thriving in the same conditions. Dead plants don't grow in any environment. You owe me my purchase price returned as you cannot guarantee a repeat of your previous failure.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

  Business response

  08/19/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for getting back to us.  I'm sorry again you don't agree with our policies.  Unfortunately I can't speak for the policies of other stores, just our own.  Our policy on our website clearly states if an item arrives in poor condition, we do need to be notified with an image within 5 days of arrival.  We are always happy to send a replacement if the item is indeed not viable per the images.  If images are not received and the item is planted and fails, unfortunately we are not able to refund at that time since we were not provided proof the item failed due to poor quality upon delivery or if it failed due to environmental issues outside of our control.  We do state very clearly in our Grow Guarantee as well that we do not issue refunds for items that fail to grow.  If you were concerned about the condition of the plant when it arrived, it should not have been planted and the images should have been sent to us right away as our policy states.  Below is once again the portions of our Grow Guarantee stating we need images provided if an item arrives in poor condition as well as our failure to grow policy:

  Shipping & Delivery
  If there are any concerns or discrepancies with an order upon receipt, please contact our customer service department within 5 business days of delivery.
  If you are concerned with the condition of any of the items you received, we require images of the item(s) to be provided via email. Once the images are reviewed, a replacement will be automatically sent if the item is not viable. If the item is no longer available, a refund will be issued in the amount paid for the item.

  Failure to Grow
  Holland Bulb Farms provides planting instructions and requirements needed for each item on our website. Please refer to each items page to ensure the item(s) purchased are best suited to your individual growing conditions and climate. If an item fails to grow, please contact our customer service department during the first growing season*.
  Our representatives will work with the customer to help determine the cause of failure. This investigation may require the submission of images and/or the unearthing of the items. If the failure to grow is due to poor quality control, merchandise credit will be issued in the amount paid for the item less shipping costs.
  If an item that fails to grow is part of a collection or bulk item, a merchandise credit will be issued for the same portion of the amount paid for the item.
  Seeds are not covered under our Grow Guarantee.
  We do not offer refunds for items with failure to grow.

  Again, I do apologize you don't agree with our policies.  We have them available to view at any time during the entire ordering process to understand.  The Guarantee is also printed on the back of all packing slips to review and understand again once an item is delivered.  Unfortunately we cannot be liable if a customer chooses to not understand our policies and doesn't abide by the timelines clearly stated.  In this matter, we did not receive the images required if an item arrived in poor condition and did follow up with a credit when the item(s) failed to grow as stated in our Grow Guarantee.  We are following the policies clearly stated on our website, again, I do apologize you don't agree with them but we provided the proper solution as stated in the Grow Guarantee. There is nothing more we can do other than provide the credit for the items that failed to grow.

  Customer response

  08/19/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  The response by Holland Bulb Farms is identical to their previous response. I am still requesting return of my purchase price for the non-viable plants. Holland Bulb Farms makes no additional guarantee that any replacements will be any more viable. They have proven to be unreliable and need to return my purchase price. The growing season has passed and their failure to provide viable plants in a timely manner is unacceptable. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  07/24/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hello ! I have multiple orders with this company and nothing I've purchased from them has either grown or thrived. Even some of the specimens sent were DOA or in very poor shape. NOTHING but the potato seeds I've ordered actually grew. Some things started and just died. I recently reached out and was told I can get store credit. I explained since I'm not going to waste time or money there I don't find that as an option. I believed this was a stand up company and that I would be able to explain what happened and they would take care of me, especially since I did quite a bit of business with them. I'm very disappointed and ashamed that I didn't learn after the first few orders that they are scamming people. I just tried to give everything a chance to grow.. I've grown plants and flowers most of my life and lilies are one of the easiest and when they wouldn't come up you know something has to be wrong. I bought varieties and nothing grew. My first order contained an Amaryllis and it had green leaves but never flowered. I did wait on everything thinking I was covered but I realize now I was wrong. I hope you can help. I can follow up with order #'s and exact dates as everything was purchased through PayPal. Thank you for your time and assistance.. Have a wonderful day! *************************************

  Business response

  07/26/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out.  I do apologize you haven't had good success with our products.  We do stand behind our products and do offer a Grow Guarantee which can be viewed at any time our on our website as well as on the back of all packing slips when orders are shipped.  We do state in our Grow Guarantee that if any items arrive in poor condition, we do require images to be sent within 5 business days of arrival and we would be happy to either send a replacement or issue a refund at that time.  It doesn't appear any images have been received regarding the condition of any items on your orders before they were planted.  Once they are planted, we do ask to provide time for the item to come out of dormancy and sprout.  If items do fail to grow within the first growing season, we do offer a store credit per our Grow Guarantee, we do not offer refunds.  If items are deemed viable and are planted upon arrival, the reason for the failure *** be due to environmental or planting techniques which are out of our control.  That is the reason why we don't offer refunds as stated in our Grow Guarantee.  The customer can then choose to try to the same item again or an item that *** be better suited for their environment. Please see below:

  FAILURE TO GROW
  Holland Bulb Farms provides planting instructions and requirements needed for each item on our website. Please refer to each items page to ensure the item(s) purchased are best suited to your individual growing conditions and climate. If an item fails to grow, please contact our customer service department during the first growing season*.
  Our representatives will work with the customer to help determine the cause of failure. This investigation *** require the submission of images and/or the unearthing of the items. If the failure to grow is due to poor quality control, merchandise credit will be issued in the amount paid for the item less shipping costs.
  If an item that fails to grow is part of a collection or bulk item, a merchandise credit will be issued for the same portion of the amount paid for the item.
  Seeds are not covered under our Grow Guarantee.
  We do not offer refunds for items with failure to grow.

  We are always willing to work with a customer if items fail to grow, offering assistance with planting techniques or helping to choose an item that *** be more successful.  However, due to the number of factors out of our control, we cannot issue a refund.  

  Thank you and please reach out to us directly if you have any further questions.

  Customer response

  07/26/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [Please type your response here.]
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************************

  Customer response

  07/29/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [Please type your response here.]
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************************

  Customer response

  07/30/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  Hello ! I'm so sorry to continue on with this complaint but how are you supposed to know if something is going to grow or not? I'm not an amateur to growing. I've grown bulbs, lilies, etc. most of my adult life. You can't look at a bulb and decide it's not going to grow in 5 days. ? I planted everything in a greenhouse per Hollandbulbs instructions. Nothing thrived and what did are very weak specimens. My lillies didn't grow and the few that did fell over when the flowers started to open. The very first order consisted of amaryllis bulbs and I brought some from another vendor and they grew and bloomed, Hollandbulbs did not. They are just green leaves without flowers. One is still growing and may produce next year and the other is doing nothing. I have everything a chance regardless of their guarantee. You can't tell me that all my orders that consisted of a variety of different bulbs and types of flowers were a failure on my part when other plants I purchased this year are doing well. There's something very wrong with their specimens to not have even grown at all. I purchased excellent soil and again planted them according to their instructions. A lot of the specimens sent were very poor in quality but I still soaked them and planted them as I should. If you do happen to read online about people that have purchased from them they have much the same complaints as me and didn't get any help with their orders either. As I stated before why would I want to buy from them again when I've wasted this much time and money. I will take pictures of what I have but a lot I threw away because I had to clean up my growing area to make room for the things that are actually growing. I am off of work on Wednesday and will do my best to provide as many pictures as possible.  Thank you for all your help! Best regards, ******************;
  

  Business response

  08/02/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out to us again.  We understand other items that you have grown *** have done well and that you are an avid gardener.  We certainly don't expect to know if an item is going to fail or not within 5 days.  However, we do know if items arrive in poor condition they will likely fail to grow.  The condition of a bulb/root/tuber can be determined within the 5 days of arrival which is why we ask for the images within that timeframe.  If items are stored or kept in the package longer than that 5 days, the condition *** deteriorate which is out of our control.  If the condition of the items arrives in good condition, which would be visible upon delivery, it is likely that item would grow successfully if planting techniques are correct and the environment is suitable for successful planting.  If the items do arrive in good condition and fail, it is likely due more to environmental factors that are out of our control.  That is why we do not offer a refund for items that fail.  We also do not offer replacements.  If an item failed once already, the conditions *** not be ideal for that item to succeed in the future as well.  A credit is issued at that time for the customer to choose whether they want to try the same items again or to try an item that *** be better suited to the growing conditions.  Again, it is not possible to tell if an item will grow within 5 days but the condition is, that is what we need to know within the 5 days, not if they grew or not.  If items are in good condition and planted, we will still cover them the first growing season as stated in our Grow Guarantee and a credit will be issued.  I do see we've had several emails back and forth with you concerning your recent order.  We are more than happy to find a solution for those items that failed but we have asked several times for more information and some clarification on some of the items.  Once we have a reply to our email with those replies, we can find a more accurate solution for you and offer the credit as stated in the Grow Guarantee.  You are welcome to view the Guarantee at any time during the ordering process right on our website and again on the back of the packing slip once the order arrives to you.  Please review for future reference so there is a clear understanding of our policies and procedures.  Again, once, we get a reply to our emails with more clarification, we are more than happy to stand behind our Grow Guarantee and issue a credit to you.

  Customer response

  08/03/2024

  Hi there ! I was communicating with someone and stated I would take pictures but I've yet to have time. Their guarantee covers them apparently even on faulty bulbs. When you follow their directions to initiate planting that in itself takes longer than 5 days. A lot of the specimens looked poor but I decided to give them a chance and no, they didn't survive. I expected better from this company. They can send you garbage and if you don't take action within 5 days you're screwed out of plants, time and your money. It's not right. I still have quite a few of their plants and I took them to a local growers and he said same as I thought - poor specimens. Thank you for continuing to try to help me with this. I spent more than $700.00 and this is how they treat a customer. I was willing to negotiate but not with a store credit. Best regards, ******************;

  Customer response

  08/05/2024

  On Mon, Aug 5, 2024 at 9:13 AM Kat <************************> wrote:
  Good morning! I took a screen shot of some of the order #'s I submitted to Hollandbulbs. I am also sending some pictures. I have a few more to send. The few items that did grow are sad. It's as if they are stunted and can't even support their own flowers. I feel I will not get anywhere with this company because of their guarantee. I understand it but to have bought so many items and None of it grow is a scam with or without support. I gave everything a chance as I believe would be normal. I honestly can't believe nothing but a few plants did anything at all. I used excellent soil, fertilizer (rabbit poo) , sufficient watering and plenty of sun as I live in *******. The peonies and lilies love the sun and all they did was come up with a few leaves..I have more pictures to send. I'm hoping to get at least half my $ back as I think that would be fair, not a credit. In the pictures you will have to look closely because those are lilies. That's all the did. There is a peony that's small with just leaves and then there are two Amaryllis that never did anything. I sent my daughter one also and it did the same, just a few leaves, not any flowers and she lives where the company is at - *********, **. I am so sorry for all of this. I honestly should have read reviews before I bought from them but I was excited to have flowers in my life again and my husband gave me an allowance and they had some beautiful advertisements. I am understanding if some things didn't do well but not everything. I also believe you have dealt with this company before because I seen them on the BBB after I contacted you and they sound awful.. Please know I'm grateful for any and all efforts made ! Have a wonderful day! Sincerely, Kat B.

  Customer response

  08/07/2024

  I did get some more pictures but I haven't had the time to upload. I apologize for that. I have decided if the company will give me a credit on all my orders I will take it. It's entirely my fault that I didn't do more research on them before making my purchases. I will be moving closer to ********* come fall so perhaps I can get support on my new bulbs as I plant them if there are again any issues. None of us have time to debate and argue when they will not go past their unreasonable guarantee. Please advise when it's convenient.

  Business response

  08/08/2024

  Thank you for getting back to us.  I do apologize again you are not satisfied with your experience with our company.  We do have our Grow Guarantee stated on our website and do recommend reviewing it before placing an order to fully understand the policies and our requirements.  We also include a copy on the back of all packing slips to review again once an order arrives.  I do apologize you find the policies unreasonable.  When working with live plant material, it is important for us to include expiration dates and require images for items that are in poor condition up on arrival.  These images do help with improving our quality control practices but do need the images sent right away to know if it was a quality issue on our end.  Once items are stored, it may be due to the storing conditions our company would not be liable for.  Since all items are to arrive in viable condition, we do expect they will grow the first growing season.  After the first growing season, items may fail for a number of reasons out of our control.  Again, I do apologize you don't agree with them, that is why we post it on our website to understand before an order is placed.  We are always willing to help find a solution to any concerns a customer has within our Grow Guarantee.  Outside the Grow Guarantee, those policies are void as stated on our site.  As with most retail operations, there are expirations dates for returns and refunds and there are requirements customers need to meet to help find a viable solution.  Please reach out to us directly and we are happy to try to find a solution for you.

  Customer response

  08/11/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [Please type your response here.]
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************************

  Customer response

  08/12/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  Hi there! So they offered me a store credit and now they renigged on that ? They act like they are easy to.communicate with and that is not the case. I did call multiple times and no one got back to me or answered the business phone. I work 10 - 12 hours a day so I don't have time to constantly make phone calls. I gave all their plants a chance to grow and they were just sad, little specimens. They know what they send people and then to have someone come after them to make it right they hide behind their unreasonable guarantee. I have done business with other plant companies and NONE of them treated me this way. They checked in, offered to meet me half way and we always had a happy ending. I don't want to hear about their guarantees anymore. They need to state what and how much they are going to compensate me for whether it's credit or cash and that will be the end. Everyone is wasting time here and they wasted A Lot of my time with their horrible products. I can't stand liars and I don't want to deal with them. I'm very sorry this is dragging out. I thought if I accepted their 'store credit ' it would be over.. Thank you for your support and assistance. Please tell me if there is anything I can provide to further assist this case. Have a wonderful day!  

  
  Regards,
  
  *************************************

  Customer response

  08/14/2024

  Tell them they won. I'm too mentally exhausted to continue with this back and fourth. If you read the failure to grow it reads they will support their customers. I know how to grow and I did everything as instructed. I work A LOT but in the morning I check all my plants and in the evening when I get home..I have a moisture detector I know when to fertilize and about diseases. I gave everything a chance to grow..why wouldn't I ? Then when so much time has passed and nothing grew or bloomed I had to believe it was the company's quality of items. All my other orders have done well. So I called and emailed for support and you can't get anyone on the phone and no one replied to my email. I am not allowed on my phone at work and I only get a 15 minute break so that's not enough time to do anything and I do not get home until 6:00 and by then I have to feed my livestock. So time goes by. In the end I honestly wanted a refund because no matter their unreasonable guarantees their plants have problems and I'm not the only customer that had problems with them. I believe people that are not familiar with them do business there and or they have big contracts and cater to them with better specimens. I saved all the packages my plants came in but quite a few of my packing invoices I already filed and packed in my storage. I have all my orders on my email so I took that I was going to be good with everything for granted.. The attached items are their guarantees and the picture is a toad **** bulbs that was barely alive. I received two like that and the other was worse. I did my best to bring it back but it was too far gone. I imagine if I had more time I would use their methods of getting assistance and guarantees pushed through with them done but they are time consuming. That's on me. So many of us don't have the time to do anything and that has been used in a sad way with this company. They are quite smart to put their guarantees in place so that most people don't let them know within 5 days if their products received are in bad condition. I happen to be very rural and my items go to a store first and I pick up twice a week. 7 orders were picked up within 3 days and it took me a day to unpack and sort them. By the 5th day I was starting to take pictures and write down the ones that didn't look well and wasn't ' on time ' submitting my claim. Again that's on me. So I'm out of all my hard earned money and I hope they are proud have it. Their karma will come back and I will make sure and share with all my gardening friends and communities about their practices ( in the appropriate manner ) and keep people well informed on how this company conducts itself..I do a lot of business all over the world and they are by far the worst in the plant industry I've ever dealt with but it is my fault for not being more educated about them. As for the Better Business Bureau and all that are employed there are outstanding. I am truly grateful for ALL your support and assistance - always ! Please close this case at your earliest convenience and I will move on and try not to cringe at the mention of this company's name.        Best regards and all well wishes, ******

   

• Initial Complaint

  07/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I placed an order on April 12 for $81.16 with Holland Bulb Farms for various bulbs and plants. The items received had missing items and received in poor condition. I contacted the vendor which was only available on their website through a messaging service. I also attempted to email several times through the email I received the invoice from.There was no response but on May 7, I received a refund for the amount of 3.55. I believe this was a refund done in bad to faith. I sent another message through the vendor and again did not receive a response. I created a dispute with my credit card and the vendor fought it. This was an ongoing issue until July ********************************** that no resolution can be reached. I believe this business is using bad faith practices to sell and ship poor products, make it difficult to get into contact with them and then do a slight refund to dispute chargebacks.

  Business response

  07/19/2024

  Hello.

  Thank you for reaching out to us regarding your Spring order.  I'm sorry you are not satisfied with the customer service you've received. We do have customer service representatives available by phone and live chat during the regular business hours listed on our site as well as the email messaging service found on our website. I do see you reached out on 5/1/24 asking about the order status.  We were still shipping all pre orders at that time and we did reply with an email the following day with the tracking information showing it had been delivered.  I do also see you emailed again on 5/4/24 stating an item was missing from the ******s from your mixed package was in poor condition.  We replied on 5/7/24 letting you know we were shipping out the missing item as soon as possible and refunding the one ****** that was in poor condition since we do not have smaller package counts to reship just one.   The pro-rated amount refunded was for $3.55 for the 1 tuber.   That package contained 5 tubers and you paid $14.20 for the total package.  You also reached out again stating 2 of the dahlias grew and the rest failed to grow.  At that time we did reply on 6/12/24 with a store credit in the amount of $73.01.  As stated in our Grow Guarantee, we do not issue refunds for items that fail to grow since there are a number of environmental factors out of our control that can cause an item to fail.  After reviewing all the communication, it does appear we did respond to you in a timely manner to all of your email concerns and have reshipped the missing item, refunded the one that was damaged and issued a store credit for the others that failed to grow.  All of the concerns you reached out about do seem to be taken care of.

  Thank you and reach out to us directly is you have any additional concerns.

  Customer response

  07/22/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  First off to say, I had never been contacted by anyone regarding this order or you company until today, 7/22/2024.  All my messages, calls and emails went ignored and unanswered.  

  
  I spent several days now messaging and calling your foreign call center.  After finally speaking to someone they emailed me a gift certificate that didn't work.  After several mere hours, they claim it no longer works because of the credit card dispute I did because I couldn't get a response from your company.   

  This "gift card" you create was after I had already filed a credit card dispute.   You clearly used this as an opportunity to prevent the chargeback from occuring claiming you provided store credit.  Store credit that I cant access.  Once again, this was obviously done in bad faith if I cannot access this store credit.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  07/26/2024

  Hello,
  Thank you for reaching out to  us.  I'm sorry you haven't been satisfied with the experience you've had with our company.  After reviewing your orders and communication, we replied to every one of your phone calls and emails.  

  On May 1, 2024, you emailed asking for the status of your order.  We replied on May 2 with the tracking link showing your order had shipped.

  On May 4, 2024, you emailed you were disappointed with the order stating one of the packages was missing the root and another was shorted tubers.  We replied May 7 letting you know that we created a replacement order for the item that was missing and refunded you for the partial package you received for another item.

  On June 3, 2024 you emailed stating you've had 2 items grow from the order.  We replied to the email on June 12, letting you know that we issued you a store credit for those items that failed to grow.  You were also sent an email that same day with the credit information. 

  On July 2, 2024 you filed a chargeback with the credit card company.  

  On July 22, 2024 you emailed stating the store credit could not be used.  We replied to you the same day letting you know that since you filed a chargeback with the credit card company, the credit was cancelled.  Once the investigation is complete with the credit card company, if the card is not refunded, we are happy to reinstate the store credit issued to you for the items that failed to grow per our Grow Guarantee.

  Again, I do apologize you were not satisfied with your experience but our team did reply to all of your contacts and found the appropriate solution per our Grow Guarantee and did inform you of the resolutions we did put into place.  The credit was issued weeks before the Chargeback was filed as per the emails that were sent to you. Unfortunately that credit cannot be used until the chargeback you filed has a resolution.  

  Thank you again and it does appear everything you've reached out to us about has been replied to and resolved.

  Customer response

  07/29/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

  
  Once again, you never replied or contacted me anytime in the many months period regarding this order.  The only time I have had any contact from your business was on July 22nd as explained in previous message.  The majority of my contact with this business has been through these messages through the Better Business Bureau.  The only response I received was a refund to my credit card in the amount of $3.55.  I attempted to contact you several more times but after no respond filed a credit card dispute on June 3rd after not receiving any responses from you.  Not on July 2nd like you are claiming.   You issued your store credit on 6/12/2024, following the dispute.   
  The credit card dispute was settled on July 11th, 2024 in your favor because of what I assume was, you informing you were going to provided me with store credit.   Which you have not.   Once again, I believe this was deliberate and done in bad faith.   It is a dubious practice at best and straight up fraud at the worst.  As on now, 7/29/2024, I have not received store credit, or a refund. 
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  08/02/2024

  Hello, 

  Thank you for reaching out again.  I have attached a PDF of the email transactions along with the CC dispute.  All of the dates in my previous communication do match exactly what I had stated. The dispute was issued after the credit was issued.  Our company did originally win the first dispute you filed at which time you can see you opened a second dispute.  Since a dispute was opened twice, we did need to wait for the investigation to close until we could reactivate the credit.  We are not able to offer a credit in addition to a refund.  Since the second dispute is now closed and it does appear our company has also won that one, the credit will be reactivated for you to use on a future order.  It does appear all communication as shown in the attachment was answered in a timely manner and a credit was issued before both of the disputes you had filed.  

  The reactivated credit will be sent to you in an email.  

• Initial Complaint

  07/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered 100 Stargazer **** bulbs . I was sent the wrong kind. I was asked to send photos of the 65ish plants that bloomed. I did . This is the guarantee that is on the website "MISLABELED ITEMS Although uncommon, human error can occur during the packaging process and items may be mislabeled. If you have received an item that is not true to the variety as labeled, please contact us during the first growing season* with an image of what you received. Submitted images are necessary to help correct any mistakes for future seasons.Once images are received and reviewed, our team will be able to offer a merchandise credit or a refund back to the original form of payment." I have asked for a refund, they have offered a credit to their website. The person on the phone was very rude . They are not honoring the Guarantee.

  Business response

  07/19/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  I do see you did reach out via Live Chat, not via phone call and did explain the items were in fact growing wrong.  Per our Grow Guarantee as you indicate in your message, we do require images of all items that grow wrong so we can use them to help correct any mislabeling or mispackaging mistakes for future seasons.  At that time an image was received with only 10 plants.  Since you did order 100 bulbs, we did ask at that time for more images to help find a suitable solution.  Unfortunately we did not receive the required amount of images but we did offer a courtesy store credit or replacements for next season.  It doesn't appear we have not received which option you would like.  However since a claim has now been filed with the form of payment, we will have to wait until that investigation closes to be able to find a solution.  We certainly do help find a solution for any concerns per our Grow Guarantee. Unfortunately since you did order 100 bulbs and only provided images of a small portion, we did need to ask for more images to be able to help find a solution.  We do stand behind our products and certainly honor our Grow Guarantee when requirements listed in our Guarantee are met. 

  Thank you.

  Customer response

  07/19/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  I sent pictures of 68 that bloomed. I sent several emails, I contacted chat, I phoned, I contacted though Yelp reviews. I have received the refund after contacting payment method. I consider the matter closed.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩