You get what you pay for!

CurtisWilliams · #1 10/10/13, 11:13 AM

At the end of July I placed an online order for some nut and fruit trees. This is the series of communications that happened since.

Them:
Thank you for shopping at House of ********.com!
This email confirms receipt of your order
request *********. A summary appears below.

Please allow 1-2 weeks for your order to be processed. After your order has been processed, we will ship according to weather and the availability of the plant material.

Me (two months later):
Can you please tell me when my order will ship? Order number *******.

Thank you.

Them:
Thank you for your email regarding your order. We have received your order and it has been scheduled for fall shipment. We begin fall shipping in September based on the availability of the plants.

As always, when you receive your order, be sure to hold onto the original shipping label from the outside of the package for the one year replacement guarantee.

Thank you for your patience and Happy Gardening! Thank you,Customer Care

Me:Maybe I didn't make my self clear. WHEN WILL MY ORDER SHIP? A definite someday with a two month old order is unacceptable. If you cannot let me know the circumstances regarding my order, then cancel it. I will spend my money elsewhere. Still waitin' to know when my order will ship. Sometime around September is just a little too vague. Order Number **********.

Them:We apologize for any inconvenience, however, we are unable to determine an exact date as this does depend on availability of the products. We have begun receiving the rest of our Fall items and expect the order to ship at any time, however, if you would like we can forward a request to ship whatever is available now.Me:An exact date? I would be happy with anything other than a definite maybe. When I placed my order two months ago, I was NEVER informed that it would take more than two months, and that no one would be able to tell me when my order would ship.Them:We do expect the order to ship at any time. You may check back with us next week regarding the status.
Thank you,Customer Care

Me:Is that "any time" as in a day or two? A week or two? Or a month from next 'someday'? Your "any time" is as vague as a definite maybe.

This is the third time that I have ordered from your company. I have never had a problem until now.

Is there anyone at your end who knows what is going?

Them: We have begun digging the dormant trees and do expect to begin shipping them next week.
Thank you,Customer Care

Me: Thank you. That wasn't so difficult after all, was it?

Them

Their latest response) Thank you and you may check back with us at any time regarding the status of your order.
Thank you,Customer Care

It was very gracious of then to give me permission to check on the status of my order AFTER they had my money for more than two months. I will never buy from them again.

floyd242 · #2 10/10/13, 11:44 AM

Don't fruit and nut trees always ship in the fall/winter? Especially if you're buying bare root?

CurtisWilliams · #3 10/10/13, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by floyd242

Don't fruit and nut trees always ship in the fall/winter? Especially if you're buying bare root?

I don't know. Both times that I have ordered them previously, I had always gotten them within a couple of weeks. Maybe my timing was a coincinecse. My irritation was in that they NEVER let me know that they wouldn't ship my order until they were good and ready, despite me asking repeatedly when I could expect my trees.

floyd242 · #4 10/10/13, 12:17 PM

I agree that they could've been more upfront with you and explained it a little better, but it's my understanding that you can't ship bareroot trees until they go dormant and when they go dormant depends on the weather. So there's really no way to give an exact date if you want them as soon as they possibly can get them to you.

CurtisWilliams · #5 10/10/13, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by floyd242

I agree that they could've been more upfront with you and explained it a little better, but it's my understanding that you can't ship bareroot trees until they go dormant and when they go dormant depends on the weather. So there's really no way to give an exact date if you want them as soon as they possibly can get them to you.

"Me:An exact date? I would be happy with anything other than a definite maybe."

I would have been thrilled if they would have given me the month!

floyd242 · #6 10/10/13, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CurtisWilliams

"Me:An exact date? I would be happy with anything other than a definite maybe."

I would have been thrilled if they would have given me the month!

If you'd asked me in July if I'd still be picking tomatoes mid Oct. I'd say you were crazy, but I just had a kickbutt BLT last night :P

I agree that they were way too vague though.