Need to file a complaint?
BBB is here to help. We'll guide you through the process.
Complaint Details
Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. See details.
Initial Complaint
06/02/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
They sent me rose of sharons too early i tired taking taking care of them in the house, way too cold to plant outside, they died. They gave me a credit so I purchase bulbs and 3 pack of Peony. Only one Peony is growing out of 3...refund of send me Peony that will grow. Plus have 11.00 credit left they billed me 2.96! What! Just take it from the 11.00! So disappointed I use to order from them all time now its like they don't care...Business response
06/02/2023
Hello,
The customer was advised by phone that their invoice has been corrected and that we are reshipping a new order of peonies to her. Also provided the customer with an in-house credit that she may use towards her next order and advised that this credit will not expire.
Kind regards,
Michaela. WCustomer response
06/03/2023
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
***** *****Initial Complaint
05/15/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Answered
I brought two blueberry plant {patio} for $25.00 dollar,,,,,,shipping & deliver .They sent the plant & i planted them. they look like they was died when i planted them...I call them back & they sent me Two more....One had some {Green} laeve on them & the other look like it was died....That been about two week...One still look like it's died......All i want is my Money back Or a plant....I pay them with my {credit card........They told me to wait for about {Four} week & call them back.Business response
05/16/2023
Hello,
Advise the customer via Email that he will be refunded for the items in question and the shipping fees. As well provided the customer with a store credit that they may use towards their next order that will not expire.
Warm regards,
********* *Customer response
05/22/2023
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ** ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.I don’t want to { order} anything……they sent me a credit to buy something else,,, {in house} but there is nothing I want but my blueberry plant…….The first two didn’t live & they sent me two more…..One have some {green} leave on it & the other one look like it was already died……I been {Water -ing them ever cent they sent them to me…….they are sending me mail to buy some more plant ,,,,but don’t want to give me what I’m asking for
Regards,
****** *********
Business response
05/22/2023
Hello,
The customer was advised via email that he will be refunded for the items in question and the shipping fees the total refund was $28.93. As well I have removed complementary store credit as per the customer request.
Warm regards,
Michaela. WInitial Complaint
03/30/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
I purchased several items from this business from this company in the past months; however, I have had trouble with most of them. The Hollyhocks did not survive and i have not received replacements. The ******** ******* plants arrived very badly and were replaced; however, these also looked bad upon arrival and i do not expect them to survive. I would like a refund for the plants and my shipping fees. Order # ***********, Acct. #********.Business response
04/07/2023
Two refunds in the total amount of $132.68 have been issued to the ****** account used to make this purchase. $132.68 is the total purchase price paid, based on the offer code used shipping and handling was not charged on the order. ****** transaction IDs are as follows $55.05 Transaction ID: ****************** $77.63 Transaction ID: *****************. Please let us know if we may provide additional information. Thank you.Customer response
04/12/2023
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.Per phone call from the customer 4/12/2023.
Please close my complaint has resolved.
Regards,
*** ********
Initial Complaint
07/21/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Delivery Issues
- Status:
- Answered
I ordered plants from this company on 4/2/2022. At the time the order was placed, the plants were all in stock and "ready to be shipped" and I was told they would arrive in 3-4 weeks. 8 of the 12 plants were shipped in June (much later than initially indicated at that time of ordering). It is now the end of July, and 4 of the 12 plants have not yet arrived, and the company's website now states they won't arrive until September.Business response
07/22/2022
Ms. *****,
Thank you for your correspondence, I apologize, when your order was placed, the product was due to be inhouse so that it could be shipped out in the spring. They were unavailable and the Butterfly Bush and Princess Nadia Ajuga were moved to fall shipment. We are no longer shipping for spring, and we do not have the product so we are not able to ship the plants at this time. If you would like to cancel the remainder of your order, you can do that on our website or by contacting customer service.
Sincerely,
Kim J
Michigan BulbInitial Complaint
07/19/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
I bought a lilac called the "Josee Reblooming Lilac" from the Michigan Bulb Company located in Lawrenceburg Indiana for $14.99. The one they sent died. I called the customer service center and asked for this particular type of lilac to be replaced and I was told by the representative that this type of lilac was no longer available. I asked for a refund and I was told they would give it to me and that the amount would appear on my credit card statement in 3-5 business days. When I received my last credit card statement for the month of June thru July no such reimbursement had been made by this company. I want a refund for the lilac and that's the issue for which I am seeking help. They have outsourced all customer calls to the Philippines. One cannot talk with anyone in the United States. They have been accredited by the BBB with a rating of "B".Business response
07/21/2022
Ms* *****,
Thank you for your correspondence, I reviewed your account and see that a refund in the amount of $14.32 was processed back to your Visa ending in **** on 07/06/2022. This refund was for the $12.99 Josee Lilac and tax. The Gardens Alive family of brands owns two Contact Centers that handle calls for all of our brands, one in the U.S. and one in India. We also work with an Overflow Contact Center in the Philippines to ensure we have coverage for our customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week year round.
I have attached a copy showing the refund processed and amount along with the order showing the amount paid for the item. I am sorry the lilac arrived in less than perfect condition. Please let us know if we can be of any additional assistance.
Sincerely,
Kim J
Michigan BulbBusiness response
07/25/2022
Ms* *****,
Thank you for your correspondence, when we process a refund back to a customer, it can take 3 - 5 business days for it to show up on their account. This refund was processed back on 07/06/2022 and there was a holiday that week that may have delayed it as well. The account number on the statement show the last four numbers as **** and the last four numbers on the card that was used on the order was ****. If this is the statement for your card ending in ***** it may not have shown up until July 9 - August statement.
Sincerely,
Kim J
Michigan BulbCustomer response
07/25/2022
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ** ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I apologize for not checking my ATM card statement. I thought I had bought the lilac using my credit card. I want to thank the BBB for all their help in this matter with apologies to Michigan Bulb.
Regards,
******* *****Initial Complaint
07/17/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
Order Date: 05/02/22 Order Number: *********00 $18.08 Purchase specific plant in spring. It arrived dead. Contacted company to get replacement as I really only wanted this plant. Was told to wait 8 wks to see if it will come back to life. Waited during this time item became black and disintegrated. Contacted again for replacement was told out of stock and sent a store credit instead of refund. Checked site and item is still listed for fall shipment but at full price. Advised store that didn't want credit wanted plant as on site. Told couldn't receive it bc it's no longer on sale. Credit is only enough for plant not shipping. Advised that cannot use the credit to get the plant wanted. Contacted several times to no resolve. Want charged reversed and credited back to my card if company still refuses to ship plant. Do not intend to ever use company again after this experience and do not want store credit. Feel this was classic bait and switch to fraudulently obtain funds for something they never intended to provide. Am now seeing in several other complaints here that I am not alone with this experience.Business response
07/18/2022
Ms. ********,
Thank you for your correspondence, I reviewed your account and see that a new order was placed today (07/18) giving you the item at the same price and discounted the S/H, it will ship in the fall. If you would like to cancel this order (***********), you can do that on or website or contacting customer service.
Sincerely,
Kim J
Michigan BulbCustomer response
07/18/2022
****** ******** *******
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ** ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
*** ********
Initial Complaint
07/06/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Answered
On May 13, 2022, I ordered several items from Michigan Bulb. The total cost was $85.67. To this date I have not received any of the items and was told that they are no longer in stock. The company offered me a credit that I declined because I could not buy the items I wanted with it. They then promised me a refund for the total amount of $85.67 (see second attachment), but they have only refunded $38.37. I have talked to customer service, and corresponded with them by email several times, and now I want my full refund without any further delay or time wasted in getting this issue resolved.Business response
07/09/2022
Ms. *******,
Thank you for your correspondence, order *********** was placed on 05/13/2022 and included June Hosta, Hollyhocks, Johnsons Blue Geranium and Mixed Glads Super Bag that shipped out on 06/04/2022 and showed delivered on 06/14/2022. With Shipping, that portion of the order was $54.32 and we refunded $38.37 back to PayPal for the remainder of the order.
Sincerely,
Kim J*****
Michigan BulbCustomer response
07/09/2022
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, reasons for rejection are included below.
Regards,
******** *******Initial Complaint
07/02/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Answered
We ordered Stella D'Oro lilies from Michigan Bulb last March. As the 60 bulbs we ordered bloomed they did not look anything like what pictured on their web site. I matched them to another lily on their site-the fragrant returns lily which was a cheaper priced bulb. I emailed them about this numerous times only to receive a standard reply stating that they did not ship the wrong bulbs. The pictures attached show the difference in the two lilies. The color and size are not even close to what we expected or shown on their web site. Also, our neighbor has the Stella D'Oro lilies and they look nothing like what Michigan Bulb sent us. We waited a year to file this complaint as we wanted to see if indeed the flower would change in a years time. It. Did. Not. They boast of a satisfaction GUARANTEE, yet they did not want to acknowledge my problem and quickly explained it away. We are not satisfied with what was sent, we were expecting the Stella D'oro bulbs which are a deeper orange color rather than the yellow that we received. We had just finished our forever home build and these specific bulbs were part of our vision for our property. Pictures and emails will be included. The first 3 photos are the web site photos and the reply they sent regarding our issue. The next 5 are the flowers they sent that are growing here on our property. The last are our orders through Michigan Bulb. In acc*****ce with their satisfaction guarantee, we are not satisfied in any means with the flowers or their reply to our problem, we expect a refund since these are NOT the Stella D'Oro bulbs. Thank you much. Regards, **** & ********* *****Business response
07/09/2022
Thank you for your correspondence, the pictures shown on our website and in our catalog are of a 3 year plant. You can fertilize to enrich your color of your daylily. I am including information from our website, the Stella De Oro can vary from a yellow to golden yellow in color.
Sincerely,
Kim J*****
Michigan BulbCustomer response
07/09/2022
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, reasons for rejection are included below.
The document they provided mentions they are a golden yellow. Ours are not, as shown in attached files they are a bright to pale yellow. There was never a mention of a 3 year plant and it is year 2 and they look nothing like the lilies that are actually Stella Doro. Also, we live on a farm and fertilize all of our flowers and plants naturally. Our neighbors bought theirs and did nothing
and theirs are actually the right color for Stellas. They did not send us the correct bulbs and are attempting to explain it away every time with a different reason. They claim a satisfaction guarantee but this is false. We are completely unhappy with what they sent us. These are NOT the lilies we ordered.
Regards,
********* *****
Business response
07/11/2022
Thank you for your correspondence, we initially issued a refund for 5 Daylily as you stated you only received 47. I have issued a credit back to your card for the 47 daylily, please allow 3 -5 business days for processing.
Sincerely,
Kim J*****
Michigan BulbCustomer response
07/11/2022
Better Business Bureau:
The company issued a refund for our 2nd order, what about the 1st order for 6 bags of bulbs.
Regards,
********* *****
Business response
07/14/2022
Thank you for your correspondence, I have issued a credit back to you for the 6 bags from 1st order, please allow 3 -5 business days for processing.
Sincerely,
Kim J*****
Michigan BulbInitial Complaint
06/28/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Delivery Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
I placed an order on May 27, 2022 with Michigan Bulb Co. As of June 28, 2022, I have not received my order. It has not been shipped. They charged my debit card as soon as I placed the order. The items I ordered are now past the planting dates for my area, so the plants will not grow to their potential. Customer #: ******** Original order confirmation information: Qty Ordered Item Number Item Description Ship Date Estimate 3 ***** BLUE PASSION FLOWER 05/31/22-06/14/22 3 ***** RED PASSION FLOWER 06/06/22-06/20/22 1 ***** ANEMONE MIX SUPER BAG 06/02/22-06/16/22 1 ***** PEONY SUPER BAG 06/02/22-06/16/22 Current order information: Items not yet shipped: SKU Product Description Qty ***** BLUE PASSION FLOWER - Shipping Estimate: 07/01/22-07/15/22 - Available for Shipping 3 ***** RED PASSION FLOWER - Shipping Estimate: 07/01/22-07/15/22 - Available for Shipping 3 ***** ANEMONE MIX SUPER BAG - Shipping Estimate: 06/30/22-07/14/22 - Available for Shipping 1 ***** PEONY SUPER BAG - Shipping Estimate: 06/27/22-07/02/22 - Batched for Shipment 1 Order Total: $66.63Business response
06/29/2022
*** ********,
I apologize for the delay in shipment of your order. The Peony Super Bag should be going out this week and then the remaining items should follow shortly after that. They do not all ship from the same location so the order will have to split. The plants are all dormant starter and establish their rooting system the first year so that you can enjoy them for years to come.
If you feel it is too late to plant them this year, once the Peony ships, I can cancel the remaining items if that will be better for you.
Sincerely,
Kim J*****
Michigan BulbCustomer response
07/05/2022
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, reasons for rejection are included below.None of my ordered items have shipped. One bag of bulbs was taken off of my order and a refund issue sent according to an email from Michigan Bulb Company. Here is the current order status according to Michigan Bulb:
Items not yet shipped:
SKU Product Description Qty
***** BLUE PASSION FLOWER - Shipping Estimate: 07/08/22-07/22/22 - Available for Shipping 3
***** RED PASSION FLOWER - Shipping Estimate: 07/11/22-07/25/22 - Available for Shipping 3
***** PEONY SUPER BAG - Shipping Estimate: 07/08/22-07/22/22 - Available for Shipping 1
Order Total: $61.25
Regards,
***** ********
Business response
07/09/2022
*** ********,
Thank you for your correspondence. Initially, the order was in process but did not ship. The Anemone Mix is out of stock and the Peony Super Bag is on backorder. The Red and Blue Passion Flower show they are available for reshipment but are not currently processing. If you no longer want your order, you can cancel it on our website or by contacting customer service.
Sincerely,
Kim J*****
Michigan BulbCustomer response
07/17/2022
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, reasons for rejection are included below.I cancelled my order, which I did not want to do because the remaining items are now backordered to January 2023.
I am rejecting this response until my payment has been refunded.
Regards,
***** ********
Business response
07/18/2022
*** ********,
Thank you for your correspondence, a refund was processed back to PayPal, $5.38 on 06/30/2022 and $61.25 on 07/17/2022, please allow 3 - 5 business days for processing.
Sincerely,
Kim J*****
Michigan BulbCustomer response
07/20/2022
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.My return has been processed.
Regards,
***** ********
Initial Complaint
06/12/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Billing Issues
- Status:
- Answered
I have been ordering from Michigan bulb for several years and until the past two orders have always had success with their plants. However the last two orders that I have placed, most of the plants were either dead or almost dead upon arrival. I have spoken with customer service on numerous calls. I once again was trying to place an order and during the call everything in my cart changed prices. Not only would the representative give me the original price that I had when I placed the items in my cart but then hung up on me. I've always recommended Michigan bulb in the past but I don't think I will be doing so in the future.Business response
06/13/2022
*** *******,
Thank you for your correspondence, I apologize for the issues you experienced with customer service and when placing your order online. We only allow one offer code per order. If you went into the website from an email and then put in a different offer code, that may be why the prices changed, each offer is tied to specific pricing.
If the pricing issue happens again, just reach out to customer service and we will be happy to assist you. U.S. representatives are available to assist you 8:00 - 5:30 EST, Monday - Friday.
Sincerely,
Kim J*****
Michigan Bulb
*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. ↩
BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.
BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile.
As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation.
Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating
Customer Complaints Summary
25 total complaints in the last 3 years.
7 complaints closed in the last 12 months.