Burgess Seed & Plant Company

I am rejecting this response because:I sent in my original Shipping labels on June 24 2014 not the end of July I still have the receipt from when I mailed it to them. So there time I sent in a request is wrong. This is why I am rejecting this.[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/03/31) */
Dear Mr. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your recent correspondence indicating that some of the items you received from us have died. In addition, you state that you are unable to comply with the terms of the guarantee, which require the shipping...

label be returned.
We are sorry you are unable to return the shipping label. The guarantee which is clearly stated in all of the advertisements, the acknowledgment of each order, as well as the literature contained within the package, all clearly state that in order to receive an adjustment the shipping label from the package must be returned. In addition, "IMPORTANT! SAVE THIS LABEL. You MUST have this shipping label for your GUARANTEE to be valid" is printed on the label itself. Such a requirement is necessary in order to have the proper proof of purchase and to insure against multiple refunds for a single order. It is our equivalent to a sales slip.
Based upon the above, we do not believe we have any further obligation to you. However, since we do attempt to satisfy all of our customers we are willing to make an adjustment if you will send us a photocopy of your charge card statement.
Please included a list of how many of which items are dead. Upon the receipt of the needed information a replacement order will be processed and shipped. At that point, we will consider this matter closed.
Very Truly Yours,
[redacted]
Customer Service

Dear Mrs. [redacted]We have received your response stating that you will send the information that we have requested. We will await its arrival. Please send all correspondence to my attention for faster processing.Very Truly Yours,Customer Service

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/29) */
Dear Sir or Madam:
Thank you for your inquiry concerning a complaint fro one of our customers [redacted] of Haverhill, MA.
Mr. [redacted] original order from 3/24/15 for $43.72 shipped in three packages on 4/1/15, 4/17/15 and 4/21/15....

We processed a replacement on 5/12/15 for 3 Harlequin (value $8.99) which shipped on 6/23/15.
Thank you again for your inquiry and we hope our methods of handling this matter is satisfactory.
Very truly yours,
BURGESS SEED & PLANT COMPANY
[redacted]
Customer Service
SP:RR

Dear Ms. [redacted]:We are in receipt of recent correspondence regarding your order placed with us 3/28/17 for $215.62. Please see the copy of the enclosed email to you dated 4/27/17 confirming that your order has shipped.A subsequent email to us 4/30/17 confirmed that your order was received but that...

your were missing some items. We responded on 5/1/17.Please return the requested information to my attention if you have not already sent it.Very Truly Yours,Burgess Seed & Plant[redacted]Customer Service

I am rejecting this response because:
The credit card company has issued a temporary credit. They are waiting for Burgess to reverse charge.

I am rejecting this response because:
I am rejecting this because I did my due diligence as they informed me I emailed a written request to cancel the entire order they sent it regardless and I will not be responsible for their error. I am not at the property to receive this shipment however I looked up the postal tracking number that they provided and their response to this and it said it was left at the front door on October 20.  They are rude to assume someone's availability and to set a limit  of 14 days return.  I want this credited to my credit card and if they want the item returned, they can email me a return shipping label postage paid and I will return their package for their error

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/16) */
Dear Mr. [redacted]:
We are sorry to hear that you're not pleased with the merchandise you received.Therefore, in accordance with our guarantee and to expedite the handling of your adjustment, just RETURN THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL FROM THE...

PACKAGE OF REPLACEMENTS of Pecan trees to my attention, as it contains full information concerning your replacement order.
Thank you again for your letter and as soon as we receive the shipping label in accordance with our published guarantee, we will process our adjustment in a timely manner.
Very truly yours,
Burgess Seed & Plant Company
[redacted]
Customer Service

Dear Mr. [redacted]: We have received your recent correspondence regarding the order you placed with us.We are very sorry to hear that you are not pleased with the stock you received. However, we are unable to make an adjustment until you RETURN THE ORGINAL SHIPPING LABEL FROM THE PACKAGE, as it...

contains full information concerning your order.  The shipping label is the colored paper from the front of the package, which shows your name and address and a list of the items enclosed. Our printer guarantee states:“If any item you purchased from us does not live, for a FREE REPLACEMENT just RETURN THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL along with your written request within 1 year of receipt.  If you are dissatisfied with any merchandise, return it together with the ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL within 1 year of receipt for a FREE REPLACEMENT.  Replacement guarantee is VOID unless the ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL is returned.  For a REFUND of the purchase price, RETURN THE ITEM AND THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL, with correct postage affixed, within 14 days of receipt.”Therefore, please return the original shipping label and a list of what items are dead to receive a replacement.  Please send correspondence to my attention to ensure the proper adjustment will be made.  We will hold the label for the duration of your warranty in case you have a problem with any other plants. Thank you again for your inquiry and as soon as we receive the shipping label, in accordance with our published guarantee, we will process your adjustment in a timely manner.  Very Truly Yours,Burgess Seed & Plant [redacted]Customer ServiceSP:RR

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/09/08) */
Dear Mr. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your recent correspondence regarding the order you placed with us in July. The shipping label, that is required for our guarantee, is the brown paper that would have been taped to the outside of the...

package and lists the items in the package and your name and address. According to what you have written, we believe you have the information/paperwork we need. Please send the label, along with the additional paperwork to my attention for review. Be sure that the information included provides a list of how many of which item is dead.
Very truly yours,
Burgess Seed & Plant Company
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/09/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The question is "Why is a large, profitable seed and plant company giving a new customer such a hard time replacing a simple $40 order of plants, most of which died in transit or soon after receipt?"
This should have been a simple no-brainer response to a replacement guarantee, but instead the Burgess company has now sent me nearly 10 responses over 3 months denying the replacement because it "believes" I have the mailing label in question that I needed to provide, despite the fact that I have told them repeatedly that the mailing label was damaged, the bulk of which was thrown away by my grandchildren after opening the shipped package.
I'm not a plant expert; I'm just a retired guy who likes colorful plants. I simply used a catalog I got in the mail to let my visiting grandchildren pick and plant some seedlings for some recreation and learning when they visit me. When the package came, the kids ripped it open, damaging the mailing label and tossed the wrapper in the trash. I was, however, able to retrieve most of the mailing label, which seemed to include the relevant order information. What troubled me was that, of some 22 delivered seedlings, only about 4 survived or were not dead on arrival.
So, I took the opportunity to get the Burgess replacement "guarantee" and sent them the attached letter and all of the pieces of the now discarded mailing label. I figured that the label contained enough information and that Burgess could also verify my order from their computer records for any missing information. I clearly stated in my letter that the label had been damaged and partially lost on opening and I was providing all that I had.
No such luck. Not only did Burgess not apologize for the defective plants, they told me no replacement was forthcoming in the absence of a complete mailing label. You have to wonder, what kind of 21st Century multimillion dollar business wouldn't be able to just enter my name in their computers and pull up the order information? To add insult to injury, they kept insisting that they "believed" I had the complete mailing label. Now, why would I withhold other label pieces if I indeed had them? Furthermore, they were implying that I must be lying and was trying to rip the company off for $40 worth of plants. As a retired business executive, what galls me the most here is all the staff time (read $$$) that Burgess has spent arguing with me has to have cost way more than $40 for the plants. Why not just replace the plants and get rid of a likely unhappy non-returning customer?
In my numerous correspondence exchanges with Burgess, they wouldn't budge on the "produce the entire mailing label" until they finally said, as a substitute action, I had to provide my credit card statement that documented that I had actually purchased the plants, which I did, even though the company already knew that the purchase was legitimate since it sent me my order.
As of right now, Burgess seems to have decided I was a legitimate customer and qualify for the replacement plants, until earlier this week when I got a new demand: I needed to document which plants lived and which died. I personally only selected 3 of one plants; all died, and the rest of the ordered seedlings were selected and planted by the grandchildren. I'm not a professional gardener; neither I nor my grandchildren kept records or labels for the planted seedlings, so I have no idea the names or which plants lived or died; all I have to show are a bunch of dried-up seedlings. Besides, one of the ordered items was for a bunch of miscellaneous seedlings, so I would have little knowledge of the contents. I have sent Burgess my list of the problem plants 3 times now, yet they're still saying I need to provide the information (this original letter attached).
This all comes down to unbelievable poor customer service. Instead of apologizing for the order problem and simply replacing the entire order, the Burgess customer service people have been creative enough to keep throwing obstacles in my way, probably just so I would give up. In my business dealings of over 30 years, we had a saying: "Bureaucrats can think of 9 reasons to say NO instead of 1 reason to say YES." It's not like it was an order for hundreds or thousands of dollarsmore like $40. My mistake was criticizing their performance. Clearly they decided to show this customer who's the boss here.
Burgess has spent hundreds of dollars denying me their guarantee over a 3-month period that included nearly 10 exchanges of letters and e-mails. Their latest e-mail to me says they will no longer communicate with me on this matter. Why can't they just live up to their guarantee? I certainly will never do business with them again, and I would never recommend that any of my friends use them either.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/26) */
Dear Mr. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of a recent concern from you regarding the order you placed with us. Please note our guarantee is as follows:
"If any item you purchased from us does not live, for FREE REPLACEMENT just RETURN THE ORIGINAL...

SHIPPING LABEL along with your written request within 1 year of receipt...Replacement guarantee is VOID unless the ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL is returned. For a REFUND of the purchase price, RETURN THE ITEM AND THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL, with correct postage affixed, within 14 days of receipt."
Therefore, we would ask that you return the original shipping label along with a list of what is wrong by the item and quantity, in order to receive an adjustment.
Very truly yours,
Burgess Seed & Plant Company
[redacted]
Customer Service
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/10/27) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I believe the point being missed in my complaint has to do with their "Receipt Policy." I had this problem before with this company, but let it drop at that time as it was not worth the hassle. However, this time I'm tired of being ripped off. Let me explain.
If they make any type of mistake on an order, or send a defective plant, and you wish to complain (i.e. seek replacement or refund), you have to send in your "original" shipping label. Since they say they will warrant plants for one year, and if one or more die, they demand you send in your "original" shipping label in order to claim such. How can you do this if you've already sent it in earlier due to an original mistake on their part? You can't. It is a total scam! They know exactly what they're doing, and they know that most folks are not going to pursue the matter over a dead plant 3-12 months down the road. In addition to this, I'm expected to pay all the return postage and shipping costs, even when they ship the wrong material.
I'm not the only one who has had this problem. You can find a number of websites where folks can complain about poor service or products. You will find Burgess Seed & Plant Company listed many, many times for the same problem, plus countless similar problems. Customer response is listed as very poor. I only wish I had all this information before, as I would never have placed an order.
Since this problem originally started, I've had 4 more plants shrivel up and blow away. Add this to the incorrect plants sent in the original order... I'm out 50% of that I paid for. Sure, I can send in my original shipping label for the 50% I'm out now, but what do I do in the spring should more of these plants die, and they demand the "original" shipping label again?
Surely you can see the scam here. What is the point to requiring the "original" shipping label? They know what I ordered. They have my original order. They know what was sent, and who it was sent to. Why should I have to pay for return shipping costs for "their" mistake?
In closing, they know exactly what they are doing, and are counting on the majority of folks not following through on their request for replacement or refund, due to how difficult this company makes it.
Final Business Response /* (1000, 14, 2015/11/17) */
Dear Mr. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your recent correspondence wherein you state your concerns regarding returning the original shipping label.
Please be advised that once the original shipping label has been returned, we will retain it in our files for the length of your one-year replacement guarantee. If any other items from the original shipment(s) die you will simply need to contact me to receive on those items.
Therefore, please return the original shipping label, and a letter listing how many of which items need to be replaced, and a replacement order will be processed to ship Spring 2016. Return the information to my attention for quicker processing.
Very truly yours,
Burgess Seed & Plant Company
[redacted]
Customer Service

Dear Mr. [redacted]:We are in receipt of correspondence regarding the order you placed with us 3/23/17 for $53.98, which shipped 4/8/17 (tracking # [redacted]). The information with the tracking number and trace results was sent to you by email on 7/17/17. Also, by email on 7/25/17, we...

explained that a merchandise credit certificate had been issued for the lost package.We apologize for any inconvenience you have been caused with this order. It appears that [redacted] lost your package after it left their [redacted] location. Since you no longer desire the merchandise or the credit certificate, we are issuing a credit to your charge card for $53.98.Very Truly Yours,Burgess Seed & Plant[redacted]Customer Service

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/08/15) */
Dear Ms. [redacted]:
Kindly be advised that we have received your inquiry in which you state you are unable to comply with the terms of the guarantee which required the shipping label to be returned.
We are sorry you are unable to return the...

shipping label. The guarantee which is clearly stated is all of the advertisements, the acknowledgement of each order, as well as the literature contained within the packages, all clearly state that in order to receive an adjustment the shipping label from the package must be returned. In addition, "IMPORTANT! SAVE THIS LABEL. You MUST have this shipping label for your GUARANTEE to be valid" is printed o the label itself.
Based upon the above, we do not believe we have any further obligation to you. However, since we do attempt to satisfy all of out customers we are willing to replace the unsatisfactory merchandise if you will send us copy of your proof of purchase (a photocopy of your charge card statement of both sides of your cancelled check) and a list of the unsatisfactory stock. Or, if you do not wish to return a proof of purchase, you may return the unsatisfactory merchandise.
Kindly indicate your acceptance by returning this letter along with the requested material. It will also assist us in expediting this matter. Upon shipment of the replacement order, we will consider this matter closed.
Very Truly Yours,
Four Seasons Nursery
[redacted]
Customer Service

I am rejecting this response because:
I do not want replacement products from this company. I replied in writing with the requested information on 5-8-17.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/08/01) */
We are in receipt of recent correspondence regarding the order you placed with us in March. Please note, our guarantee is as follows:
If any item you purchased from us does not live, for a FREE REPLACEMENT just return the original shipping...

label along with your written request within 1 year of receipt...Replacement guarantee is void unless original shipping label is returned. For a refund of purchase price, return the item and the original shipping label, with correct postage affixed, within 14 days of receipt.
We are sorry you are unable to return the . Based upon the above, we do not believe we have any further obligation to you. However, since we do attempt to satisfy all of our customers we are willing to replace the unsatisfactory merchandise if you will send us a photocopy of your proof of purchase (charge card statement or both sides of your cancelled check)and a list of the unsatisfactory stock.
Please send all necessary information to my attention for quicker processing.
Very Truly Yours
Honey Creek Nurseries
Susan Phelps
Customer service
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2016/08/02) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I sent this information to them twice. The first time per e-mail (which they rejected) and the second time per Mail which they returned to me saying they need the original shipping label.
They knew all along that I don't have the original label and told me a copy of the credit card and order [redacted] be ok and they would replace.
They didn't
Final Business Response /* (4000, 27, 2016/10/05) */
Dear Ms. [redacted]:
We have received your inquiry regarding an order you sent to us. You state that you have not as of yet received your replacement order.
We regret that you have been inconvenienced in any way. However,we have checked with our shipping room and find that your replacement order was processed 8/23/16 and was shipped 9/8/16. Tracking of the package shows that it was delivered on 9/20/16 (Tracking # XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX). Our letter did not say that shipment would be made next Spring, and we are sorry if there was any confusion in that matter.
Thank you for your interest in or merchandise, and we shall look forward to serving you again soon.
Very Truly Yours,
Honeycreek Nurseries
Susan Phelps
Customer Service
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 33, 2016/10/07) */
I received the replacement END of September. This is not the best time to plant especially since I requested replacement in JUNE.
This experience taught me a lesson NOT to order from catalogues and I [redacted] tell my friends from the garden club the same.

March 12, 2018[redacted]Athen, AL 35614-3912Dear Mr. [redacted]:We have received your complaint regarding the unwanted catalog that you received. We have removed you from our mailing list at this time. Unfortunately, since the majority of our mailings for are already in the works or...

printed, you receive other catalogs until the spring cycle is completed.Thank you for your understanding and for your correspondence letting us know of your concerns.Very Truly Yours,Burgess Seed & PlantSusan PhelopsCustomer ServiceSP:KC

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/10) */
July 7, 2015
[redacted]
[redacted]
Hancock, NY 13783
Dear Mr. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your recent inquiry regarding the order you placed with us on 3/20/15 for $287.38. Our records show that, due to the nature of...

the products, the order shipped in two packages. Package 1 shipped on 4/10/15 and Package 2 shipped on 5/19/15.
On 5/18/15 you contacted us stating that Package 1 had not been received and requested that it be reshipped. A trace of the original shipment found that the package had been damaged. Further investigation showed that we had not received the package back.
A reshipment of Package 1 was processed on 5/29/15 and shipped on 6/15/15. Upon tracing, we found that the reshipment was "refused" on 6/20/15. Our guarantee states: "If an item you purchased from us does not live, for a FREE REPLACEMENT just RETURN THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL along with your written request within 1 year of the receipt... For a REFUND of the purchase price, RETURN THE ITEM AND THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL, with correct postage affixed, within 14 days of receipt."
As of today, we have not received the package back but we will watch for its return.
Very truly yours,
BURGESS SEE & PLANT COMPANY
[redacted]
Customer Service
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/14) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
After receiving this response I contacted Burgess to let them know that I never refused any package delivered to my home. I asked them for the tracking number for the package and after about a half an hour waiting on the phone they were finally able to give me a tracking number for the package that I supposedly "refused". For some unknown reason the company decided to completely change the address that the package was shipped to. Different house number, different street name, different city. They don't know who or when the call was made to change the shipping address. I cancelled the order 2 weeks before they shipped the package to a completely wrong address. Of course the package was refused...they sent it to someone else! And now the package has yet to be returned to Burgess. THIS COMPANY IS A JOKE!!! I don't know how any company can mess up something this bad. Also, I will not except a replacement for all of our plants that we received that are dead. We were told when they arrived that we had to plant them and wait 6 weeks to see if they thrive. Now they say we can only receive a replacement after 14 days, not a refund. Burgess are crooks, they are a so called company hiding behind absurd policies so they can legally rob people. A replacement will do no good at this point. It is already mid July and since it takes them months to send out packages we probably won't receive the replacements until fall. What good is it to plant something in the fall?!? We wanted to plant these in May. You can't offer replacements on time sensitive products.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2015/08/13) */
Dear Mr. [redacted],
We show a record of a phone call on 5/26/15 to change the address of the reshipment to [redacted] Deerpark, NY 11729". A manual change was made on the package before it shipped to send it to the Deerpark address.
We have received the merchandise back and are therefore issuing a credit to your credit card in the amount of $150.38, in accordance with our guarantee.
Very truly yours,
Burgess Seed & Plant Company
[redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: Initially I was to get a voucher coupon for the prior 'guaranteed' merchandise and NEVER ORDERED REPLACEMENT ITEMS - a letter was sent to Burgess, which was attached to the required label. I was told numerous times by Burgess that my voucher coupon to...

order new items was sent to me, on: 3-22-17 Faith said I'd hear back the next day from her supervisor (which never happened), 3-24-17 Cynthia told me my voucher coupon was printed on 3-22-17 and was going out in the mail, 3-30-17 Kesha talked to her supervisor and I was told the credit voucher had been sent out, 4-7-17 I sent a chat message but I still have not received the voucher, 4-21-17 Loren told me it waas sent out on 3-30-17 and that I should give it another 2 weeks to get to me. I still DO NOT HAVE THE VOUCHER COUPON FROM Burgess. All I have from Burgess is empty promises regarding their having sent out my voucher coupon - but I still have NOT received it. This is a shady business!

Dear Mrs. [redacted]:We have received your inquiry regarding an order you placed with us. You state that you have not yet received your order.We regret that you have been inconvenienced in any way. However, we have checked with our shipping room and find that your order has been shipped (tracking #...

[redacted]) to David [redacted], Milton Frwtr OR 97862, which was the name/address you provided at the time the order was placed. it should reach the recipient in the very near future, if it ha not already done so.Thank you for your interest in our merchandise and we shall look forward to serving you again soon.Very truly yours,Burgess Seed & Plant[redacted]Customer Service

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/29) */
We have received your recent inquiry regarding the order you placed with us in January. You indicate that some of the items you received are dead. In order to complete the guarantee, please return the ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL from the package,...

along with a list of what items are dead and need to be replaced. The shipping label is the brown paper that lists the items in the package and your name and address.
Please Send the above information to my attention for quicker processing. As Soon as we receive the above items, we will process your addjustment in a timly manner.