Comments regarding Michigan Bulb

I have been gardening all my life and have never had the results I had this past year using MBC's products - plants arriving barely alive and the company claiming them to be in dormant state. Planting them anyway (because of their replacement guarantee) watching 95% not come up. Then filing the paper work that the company requested to receive the replacement. I received a voucher, sent it back to them to receive the plants that could in fact be planted here in the fall I was informed that all of the plants were now out of stock! I suppose there is one good thing that has come out of it. I have no longer received any catalogs from this company. (I was bombarded before I ordered) but rest assured that I or my neighbors will never be doing any business with Michigan Bulb Company.

We ordered various bushes, bulbs, etc. last April. Some of the bulbs and the tomato plants grew. The bushes etc. didn't do anything, but I am left with a lovely collection of twigs. In September we faxed them a letter demanding a refund, and of course we heard nothing. In November we faxed them the same letter, but added into the letter a statement that we would be contacting the MI Better Business Bureau. Well, this got their attention and a week later we received a $56 credit. I would have preferred a refund, oh well. I plan to use the $56 on SELECTED bulbs only and the tomato plants, since they did well last year. After I use the $56 I swear never to order from them as long as I live, and I discourage anyone else form doing so.

I've had mediocre luck with Michigan Bulb. They have promptly filled all my orders. Some lived, some died. But the prices were so low that I was expecting that. Fortunately, I didn't sink a lot of money into it and was just trying to fill empty garden space cheaply. It worked for that purpose. And their freebies grew as well as the plants/bulbs I paid for. But I don't think I would use them for a plant that I had my heart set on growing!

I received 2 dried up roots without any description today. I have no idea what they are. The 15 tulips arrived looking like daffodil bulbs. It will be interesting to see what grows from them. So far I have received one envelope a day with some dried up piece of junk in it. I think I have been charged shipping on all of them. I can't decide whether or not to plant their trash or just can it and NEVER mail-order ANYTHING to plant again.

I have ordered from Mich. Bulb Co. for several seasons. Up to now (Fall 1997) I had been satisfied. This year my bulbs and plants arrived in November! How do you plant in Michigan in November? I, too, was "guaranteed" a prize in Aug. 1997. This was supposed to be $1000. I'm still waiting! I also receive at least two mailings a week advising me that I am a "winner". Sucker is more like it!!!!! This company should have all of its letters filed in the "round" file under the desk.

Yes, I have bought plants from Michigan Bulb, too! Three out of ten garden mums (all bits of root) survived--and they were all the same color. Lucky I like the color lavender. They have the nerve to sell a scented geranium as a Mosquito Plant! What the heck is that anyway?! In order to repel any bugs, you'd have to rub the entire plant on you to release the scent. I'd save my $4.95 and pay less for another one of many, many scented varieties. Of all the plants I've bought, though, their glads DID perform well, blooming profusely this past summer.

I can't believe I was stupid enough to place a recent order with Michigan Bulb, now I remember why I quit ordering from them years ago! Everything was dead or dying & what they call Creeping Phlox plants I call cutting up one plant into itty-bitty branches & sending them as individual plants. AND HOW DO I GET OFF THEIR MAILING LISTS? I think they've sold/given my name to every tom, dick & harry in the JUNK mail order business!!!!

I have ordered flower bulbs from Michigan Bulb Co in May. My check was cashed within a week. It is October now and I still have not received any bulbs. I wrote a letter three weeks ago to the company asking for my bulbs or refund. Of course, there was no response. I learn a lesson. Next time I will browse the internet before I do any mail order.

I just ordered 2 types of tulips and lilies from Michigan Bulb Co. I received the bulbs in three packages but still have not received my lilies. I was billed for them - in fact they said I owe 4.95 shipping on a 3.98 order and 2.84 on a 7.98 order - I paid for all three items - and they said I had a free sweepstakes gift - what I received was a planting guide and some more advertisements. I won't order again.

This was my first year of gardening, after purchasing a home. I've given a few catalogs and local nurseries a chance. My orders with Michigan Bulb, were naturally, prompted by the winning envelope, which I knew was a crock from day one, but took the chance anyway. After reading about other customer's horror stories, I will not order again. If you must see it to believe it, place a SMALL order. Ask your local nursery for an easy care plant, then order that. If you can't grow it, don't order again!

I, too ordered from this company. I ordered their Rose collection. I was to receive 12 plants. I got 12. Five grew - 7 died. I wrote them a letter and they sent me a voucher for the full amount of my purchase so that I can reorder in the spring. After reading all the negative feedback on the internet, I'm not sure I want to reorder. As of today, I am still waiting for the bulbs I ordered for fall planting. My daughter received her order three weeks ago. Mine still has not arrived.

I have currently been a faithful customer with Michigan Bulb Co. and was just curious if anyone has ever won their contests that they advertise.

I ordered about $80 worth of perennials/annuals from Michigan Bulb Company in the Winter of '96. My plants arrived very late (almost summer!) and were in poor condition. I received a "gift bonus" of summer bulbs, which never came up at all. I guess you don't get something for nothing. All the plants I received either died immediately, or struggled to survive. I will never order from them again. My mother also had terrible luck with them (and she ordered completely different plants.)

They sent back a postcard saying I hadn't sent enough money and owed $4 and wouldn't send the plants. Fair enough. However, I couldn't figure out the additional shipping charge. I had to make two directory assistance calls only to find they promptly close shop at 5:00. An additional long distance charge next week and I will have spent more than the $4!Lesson: NEVER, never order from a company that avoids giving out its number

I have order roses that did not come in the colors they said, have not come close to the colors asked for! The roses I got are doing well but I wanted 'Nearly Black, and got 'Tiffany'

I'm sick of trying to communicate with Michigan Bulb. I have written at least 6 letters to them with no response! I've sent back plants that didn't grow and nothing back not even an acknowledgement. They got the dead plants back and we have all our receipts to show we have spent over $200.00 buying from them. Not only no replacements or credit, but they love to charge you more then once for shipping so they mail several different packages, instead of one. When you order you figure one price in for the shipping and you don't get it that way; if you charge it to your credit card they really keep sending you numerous packages then you are charged two or three times for shipping. If you call the card company and cancel they tell you to call MBC to cancel and you can't ever get through. I wish I would have seen this page two years ago before we started ordering.

I actually dealt with these folks in the past (10 years ago) and had good luck but not so this time around! I wrote them twice and got no answer so finally mailed a letter, "registered, return receipt requested" and all I got for my trouble was 10 twigs of creeping myrtle. In the last letter I sent them I explained that about 70% of my $68 order never grew at all and of the 30% that did actually come up, only the gloxinia bloomed. A lot of what I ordered was for partial shade and their many substitutions were for full-sun plants! I have almost no full-sun areas so these were destined for failure! Anyway, I will keep dogging this company until I either run out of steam or they make good, and then I will NEVER order from them again! This is a great Web page and will hopefully have some results.

I have ordered from Michigan Bulb. If I have to reflect on past experiences, there are definitely more "cons" than "pro's" But I will still pore through their catalogs to see if there is something there that still catches my eye. I have even had them replace plants that proved to be "unworthy" by placing a toll call. If only I could remember which are the MB plants I ordered vs. plants I have bought from my local nurseries to replace MBC "bare spots"

I have been fighting with MBC for four years. I have ordered more than $300 worth of plants - got suckered by hoping to win BIG on their sweepstakes. The only thing that I won was a free 8 X 10 from Olan Mills and a bunch of diseased, inferior plants. The only things growing from MBC are two peonies and a few lilies. I have just sent another letter to MBC about my disgust with their plants. Last year I received a voucher for $97 to replace to replace over $300 worth of plants. Of course, when I sent for replacements I had to use some of that money to pay postage. I told them that their famous guarantee isn't worth the paper it is written on. Am anxiously awaiting to see what plants I will get this time around. I am a persistent person and I plan to keep writing until all of them grow.

I've been trying to get them to refund me for a small order they totally botched up last spring. All I get are letters saying how sorry they are for the inconvenience and asking for more information before they can process the refund. You're right about the lack of a phone number too. They don't want to talk directly to anyone. Outfits like this give the legit ones a bad rap. They ought to be run out of business.

My order also did not do well. I wrote to them and about 6 weeks later I got a reply with a $14.95 credit. Just what I want: a credit from a company that sends you things that don't grow. Thanks for the phone number. I am going to try my luck at calling them since they have never sent me my free bulbs that was supposed to get with my order. Oh well live and learn.

I will never order anything from them again, nor will my friends. I wrote to them 3 months ago about 15 different kinds of plants not coming up. Multiply that times at least 3 plants per order. They still have not responded. Throw away the mailings. I never won anything, except maybe a few packs of seeds. They used to be a really great company. I've dealt with them at least 10 years.

We ordered Pampas Grass and never received it. We ordered Tiffany Rose (bare root), and it was DOA. Not even the most meager thread of life after long term caring for it in best soil condition.

I too have received bad bulbs; I ordered pink daffodils - expensive kind. The company sent me yellow daffodils. I have tried to call them; they put me on hold for a long time. Now I have to write them. I hope they will get me the replacement and send me the correct color. Nothing worse than taking time to plant the pink daffodil bulbs and they came out yellow daffodils. How many more got the wrong bulbs?

Like many others, I wish I had seen this web page earlier. I ordered iris from Michigan Bulb Company, which now I'm sure I'll never see, and received tulip bulbs that were more the size of crocus bulbs! The pink daffodil bulbs were of good size, though (and seem healthy).

I wanted to share my experiences, both good and bad. Roses: they're all thriving and blooming beautifully. Bad - several of the roses were the incorrect varieties. For the others, they sent me a replacement certificate for the price of the *whole* collection (not just the two roses that were incorrect). When I asked for a refund, they immediately credited my credit card. Bulbs: All the lilies are growing and blooming beautifully, but they are the wrong variety of oriental lily.Bonuses: The gladiolas were incredible! Everything's bloomed.Other: Their phone number is *not* toll-free, and the wait times can be incredible. It seems that at least 75% of the "customer service" reps (and I called *a lot* so I have a survey sample) have no clue about their own products or even plants in general. If you ask, you may speak with their resident horticulturalist, who *does* seem knowledgeable. According to the MBC catalogs, I should be able to order their trees, bushes, and vines, and have no problem with them bearing fruit as advertised. When my friend began to educate me, she urged me to speak with MBC's horticulturalist and ask how many cold hours their trees require. I would have had trees and foliage but no fruit had I gone by their advertising. Caveat emptor--let the buyer beware! The prices are inexpensive, but don't expect a lot of accuracy in the varieties they ship to you, although everything I've gotten has grown and bloomed and thrived.

My dad was the one who ordered the bulbs for me - 144 of them. They all came up. The ones I saw as not Minnesota hardy I planted in pots so I could bring them in for a longer growing time. They also grew, but no buds. I am most happy with the Tiger Lilies. They didn't get tall this year, but they are blooming. I will order from them again. I want 100 more Tiger Lilies. They seem to do the best in such a short time. As for the free bulbs, 50% of them weren't recommended for our Zone, which made me mad.

I apparently am one of the few who has had a relatively "okay" experience with Michigan Bulb. I had always professed to not being able to keep any plants alive, although I love flowers. My purchases stayed small, and I only bought what I thought would be sure things for my climate (I live in southern Indiana) - $10.00 dollars here, $15.00 there, I was sure I was going to have a lovely flower bed, especially with all the free plants I was going to receive along with my purchase. It took forever to receive my bulb. There was plenty of planting information to help give me confidence in my new endeavor. All the tulips bloomed beautifully the next spring, after we had sold the house. I bought a hyacinth bulb in a glass container to give to my mother-in-law as a gift. The work involved to get a 1 week bloom was not worth what I paid for it. As for the freebies, very few of them did very well, but I wasn't expecting much, they were free. I probably spent as much in long distance calls trying to find out the status of my order, as I did in the purchase of the bulbs. My overall opinion is I got lucky, and won't gamble again. I don't recommend this company.

So far I have fairly good luck with their service. Only problem I have encountered is they failed to fill an order and sent me my refund, but every week they advertise the same item in the newspaper. Now if they couldn't fill my order how can they keep advertising it each week? I wrote to them and addressed this but they never responded. At least I am not out any money and have wonderful plants from the order!

I've been bombarded with Michigan Bulb Co's mailings for years but I finally ordered because of the sweepstakes. At least I only spent $15 on some herbs. They all but one arrived DOA, actually they were so decomposed that I couldn't find any evidence of there ever being a plant in the little container full of dirt. Well, after finding this site today I'm mailing it all back - on their dime - by not putting any postage on and by not putting my return address on the package and just dropping it in the mail. I'm requesting a refund so let's see what happens!

I also am a VERY dissatisfied customer of Michigan Bulb. I recently purchased many, many different flowers and bulbs. Most of which have died. But to top all of that off I ordered A LOT of pink Pampas Grass when it arrived, all of it was in a box about 3in. wide and 4in. long, the Pampas Grass was about 1/2 in tall. I was very upset with this kind of insult. It would take around 2 to 4 years of growing this plant in pots to ever be able to plant it outside, and expect it to ever make it. I also have received letters stating I had won $500-$5000. The letter stated I should receive my prize by such and such date but I never received anything but more catalogs. I will not be ordering anything from MBC again!!

I too, received a mailer with $250 guaranteed to those receiving a green label (only 10 sent out LOL). I sent it back with a small order and have heard nothing. I will now refuse the order if it should come even with all the free bulbs they were supposedly giving me. I have also ordered from Spring Hill in the past, and received dead items, but, they did refund my money. My advice is to stick to nurseries - the plants grow.

This May, while I was paying my bills, I accidentally put a check written out to my Student Loan in an order that had been prepared for MBC by mistake. I did not have enough money to order from them at that time, but was hoping that I would have enough in the near future. To my surprise, Michigan Bulb cashed the check that was not written out to them and received payment for it from my bank. When I finally found their phone number, hidden in a Flower of the Month Club brochure, they promised that they would send me a refund in about a month, after a copy of the check was faxed to them. Two weeks later, I received a letter stating that they had sent the order already and wanted me to return it first before they sent the refund, which I did. Now it has been over a month and a half since they promised the refund, and I have not heard from them. It looks like I will now have to have my bank investigate them for check fraud and go through lots more hassle. This has been a real migraine for me. I hope anyone reading this who doesn't have extra money to "throw away" is very careful with these people.

This was my first-and probably last-experience ordering plants from a mail-order catalog. I wish I had checked out your Web site before I ordered. I was snookered by the wonderful photos in their catalog and placed an order. I was shocked by the poor condition of the plants when they arrived. Half the order did not arrive. It became a family joke when I would send the kids outside to water "my sticks in the ground". With no 1-800 number to call, I wonder if I will have any luck getting a refund or a replacement.

Have had considerable problems having my guaranteed replacements for rose bushes sent. Contacted them in April and, as of June 1st, have not heard anything. I plan on telling all my gardening friends about their lack of service. Out of 12 roses ordered, 6 failed to grow, probably due to the shape they were in when they arrived.

My wife never ordered anything from either the MBC or the Flower of the Month Club. We have been receiving a package from the club every month we've sent back several packages and even sent back their bill unopened with cancel written across it. Today we received yet another shipment, if anyone could help us with this problem please contact me.

What a disaster! The plants (bulbs, etc) were either not a described or were dead. The old saying, "You get what you pay for," appears very true for this firm. I now trash their catalogs immediately.

I normally have a lot of buyer beware in me, but the catalog that Michigan Bulb sent to me was to much of a temptation. I bought, I received, I planted, I cried… I feel as if they planted a bulb in me

I would never recommend Michigan Bulb Company. Their customer service really does very little to make a customer happy. As a seasoned gardener, I figured I could grow almost anything. About 3 years ago, I had ordered a bunch of bulbs and plants. Only one of the items actually grew and that was the FREE lily they sent me. The response I received said to dig up all the bulbs and send them back. I just laughed.