Spreading a tale of customer dissatisfaction - summary at bottom
Been a long time since I posted. Back to fulfill a promise to a bad customer service rep. in a bad customer service company.
Do not order from Gurney's Seeds
Do not order from Gurney's Seeds. Used to be good, reliable, responsive. Now, NOT. Apparently they have been sold to a group which also includes Gardens Alive. The customer service now sucks.
The tale: I ordered a bunch of seeds, including some for very early planting in March, hoping to start planting by month's end. The site shipping info page says they ship seeds immediately, plants at the proper planting time. Within a few days I got a email saying that my turnip seeds had shipped. Foolishly I assumed this applied to all the seeds, as I have gotten that kind of confirmation before.
The complication: None of the seeds had arrived 10 days later. The bulb of garlic had, a good sign I thought. By then I had a tilled garden begging for seeds, and a window in the weather that would close soon. I finally thought to check the order status, and it had an anticipated arrival date approximately another 10 days out! Over that weekend I bought seeds locally and planted, figuring I would cancel those seeds on Monday.
The conversation: When I called the company (no 800 number) I was told that the order could not be modified, as it had been sent to the warehouse. Delivery was still not anticipated for 10 days. I said I would cancel the entire order. Not possible.
I asked for a supervisor, and requested a return postage label so I could return the shipment promptly. "We don't do that." He said I could return the shipment by paying for shipping. I declined. He said I could refuse delivery. I said that I wanted a note made in the record of our conversation so that I would be assured of proper credit for shipping. He said "No."
Oh, the confirmation email? The supervisor denied that it had ever been sent. I emailed back a copy while we talked. The delayed delivery? Not their problem. I should have checked on the order status on line earlier. The complete satisfaction guarantee on their web site? Yeah, right. I promised to tell everyone I could about their lousy service.
The follow-up: I returned the seeds, a trip to the Post Office, paying for a return confirmation. I just got a check for the return, which is short. Even if I were to pay full shipping for the garlic (making it an $11 bulb), the check is still $5 short. I would spend that much on the long distance.
The summary: I ordered in good time, got a confirmation email of shipping (their mistake), didn't check my online order status early enough to cancel the order 10 days before shipping (a policy no where on the website), was refused a pre-paid return label (they don't do that), and was significantly short changed on the refund check.
DO NOT ORDER FROM GURNEY SEEDS.
A dissatisfied customer.
Epilogue: The early planted seeds are all up and running: turnips, beets, rutabaga, spinach, swiss chard, peas, mixed greens. Also already harvesting sorrel, red sorrel, chives, assorted herbs, wild onions and violets. Happy Spring!
Do not order from Gurney's Seeds
Do not order from Gurney's Seeds. Used to be good, reliable, responsive. Now, NOT. Apparently they have been sold to a group which also includes Gardens Alive. The customer service now sucks.
The tale: I ordered a bunch of seeds, including some for very early planting in March, hoping to start planting by month's end. The site shipping info page says they ship seeds immediately, plants at the proper planting time. Within a few days I got a email saying that my turnip seeds had shipped. Foolishly I assumed this applied to all the seeds, as I have gotten that kind of confirmation before.
The complication: None of the seeds had arrived 10 days later. The bulb of garlic had, a good sign I thought. By then I had a tilled garden begging for seeds, and a window in the weather that would close soon. I finally thought to check the order status, and it had an anticipated arrival date approximately another 10 days out! Over that weekend I bought seeds locally and planted, figuring I would cancel those seeds on Monday.
The conversation: When I called the company (no 800 number) I was told that the order could not be modified, as it had been sent to the warehouse. Delivery was still not anticipated for 10 days. I said I would cancel the entire order. Not possible.
I asked for a supervisor, and requested a return postage label so I could return the shipment promptly. "We don't do that." He said I could return the shipment by paying for shipping. I declined. He said I could refuse delivery. I said that I wanted a note made in the record of our conversation so that I would be assured of proper credit for shipping. He said "No."
Oh, the confirmation email? The supervisor denied that it had ever been sent. I emailed back a copy while we talked. The delayed delivery? Not their problem. I should have checked on the order status on line earlier. The complete satisfaction guarantee on their web site? Yeah, right. I promised to tell everyone I could about their lousy service.
The follow-up: I returned the seeds, a trip to the Post Office, paying for a return confirmation. I just got a check for the return, which is short. Even if I were to pay full shipping for the garlic (making it an $11 bulb), the check is still $5 short. I would spend that much on the long distance.
The summary: I ordered in good time, got a confirmation email of shipping (their mistake), didn't check my online order status early enough to cancel the order 10 days before shipping (a policy no where on the website), was refused a pre-paid return label (they don't do that), and was significantly short changed on the refund check.
DO NOT ORDER FROM GURNEY SEEDS.
A dissatisfied customer.
Epilogue: The early planted seeds are all up and running: turnips, beets, rutabaga, spinach, swiss chard, peas, mixed greens. Also already harvesting sorrel, red sorrel, chives, assorted herbs, wild onions and violets. Happy Spring!