Comments regarding Green Mountain Transplants, Inc.

I ordered several trays of plugs from this company. All orders were complete, and the stack was beautiful.

I would definitely order from Green Mountain again.

I have to report that at present, my experience is almost identical to the previous poster's. I received no confirmation when I placed my order online, nothing arrived within a week of the requested ship date, none of my emails were responded to (including one with a list of alternate selections, or a second advising gmt that I'd had to cancel my credit card and wanted to call them with a new number), and nothing has shown up on my doorstep.

A charge for about $40 more than the total based on my website order was placed 8 days ago, after I'd called on a Monday (and spoken to the gentleman who answered the phone) giving him the new credit card number, after he'd called back confused the following day saying that there was a problem with the card (the old number), and I reminded him of our previous day's conversation, and a final call on my part on Wednesday (10 days ago) to confirm that everything was okay. I tried to call today and got a message about a voice mailbox being unavailable.

I'll be happy to upgrade my rating IF my plants turn up today, or IF and WHEN gmt sorts things out. If I haven't received my plants within 28 days of the charge, I'll dispute the charge with my credit card company.

After a positive experience last year, I am sorry to report a negative one this year. I submitted my order via mail in February and received no order confirmation from them as they sent in previous years. When I called in March to confirm that they had received the order, they said they will have someone check and call me back. When I called back in April (since no one called me back) they said, the same, and again, no call back. The order was supposed to have arrived last week, but nothing came. I have tried calling several times over the last few hours and, after choosing to speak to a customer service rep, the calls gets dumped into an invalid voice mailbox.
If they misplaced my order, I would have been happy to re-submit it, but it seems they really could care less.

I placed an order in March to be shipped in late April but didn't get any kind of confirmation. I called in mid April explaining that I had never ordered from them before and I just wanted to know if my order went through. He took my name and number and said he'd call me back. Two weeks later, I again called to see if they had my order. Again, the man took my name and number and said he'd call me back. Today is May 7th and I still haven't received any communication or plants. So I called to cancel my order.

Customer service is important to me. There are too many companies who are trying for my business to worry about those who don't care.

I shop there all the time. Their plant selection is fantastic as are the prices. Plants are huge. The owners are very friendly and share their knowledge freely. They even take me in the planting area to show me different ways and products to use for MY OWN transplants. A great place to do business with from plants to birdseed, they carry it all.
kdcon

I placed an order with them, and forgot it. They don't acknowledge that your order was placed or went through... so, if I was only rating them on communication it would not be a positive rating.... but one day, I got this big box delivered... WOW the plants were fantastic, as others have said, many were already blooming. I was impressed, and will definitely order from them again.

If you need your plants in a specific time frame, I wouldn't order from them... but if you're not particular about delivery time, or knowing when you'll get delivery, then by all means, order away!

I ordered one flat of perennials, 32 size, and they were very impressive! Most easily could have fit in larger pots, and some were even blooming. All of them looked healthy and they were packed so well, there was no way anything could have gotten damaged during shipping.

I'll definitely order again in the spring to get bulbs, and a few more flats. The prices were very reasonable (they haven't gone up in at least 5 years!) and the selection is huge.

The staff is very helpful, too--I had ordered from an outdated catalog, and they called to let me know about new varieties I might want to try that weren't listed in my catalog. Very thoughtful!

These guys are great! I live close to GMT and I visit them frequently. They have so many choices you can spend hours looking. The staff is great- they are so knowledgeable about the product and planting conditions. They also work year round to make sure everything is top quality.If you are ever in the Southern Maine area-plan some time to visit the nursery, it is worth it!

I think these guys are Terrific! I am already making out a new order for them. My plants arrived 3 weeks ago - they were in great shape and are still doing great (well, except for one that I left in the sun and forgot to water - but that was definitely _my_ fault). Yes, they are not great internet age communicators, and yes, it was a bit tough to get them on the phone to confirm that they'd gotten my order and to confirm when it would arrive, but they did get back to me. And, look - they are a mom and pop business. That's is one of the main reasons I ordered from them. That and their great prices. There were a couple of plants that they substituted for others, but then I ordered a couple hundred. There was one that I was a bit disappointed not to receive, but, hey, with Green Mountain's incredible prices I can go out and buy a replacement at the giant chi-chi garden store near my house. If I had my heart set on instantaneous service and shiny exactitude, I could go to that garden supercenter or some of the other glitzy websites. But I would pay at least 5 times as much for that surface shine. Would I prefer that Green Mountain be a bit more polished and exacting? Yeah, sure I would. But so much of what I read about them makes it sound like they are growing into the business, so I'm assuming that they'll be getting better at some of these business practices. In the meantime, I am thrilled to be their customer now.

My previous experience with GMT was in 2003 and the plants were beyond expectation - just excellent. I decided to try them again this year and ordered 1 flat of 32 plants, all to be planted in containers. They arrived on 5/18 and were a huge disappointment. When planting them on the same day, I found most of the annuals spindly and sick-looking. Most did not have a sufficient root system - it appeared as though they were plucked from the germinating tray, placed in one of the 32-size pots, and shipped the same day. The soil just fell away when I removed them from their pots. One was DOA, to date 9 others have died, and 8 are still struggling for survival so I'm buying replacements for those locally now. Only the perennial grasses and heuchera are thriving. A further note: I had ordered one each of 3 different varieties of heuchera and their packing diagram also indicated all 3 varieties. However, what I received was 3 of just 1 variety. Of course they have not responded to my e-mail and I will not order from them again.

just received 2 trays
1 with 32 cells, 1 with 72 cells
Everything is in perfect condition, The price is very good compared to what I have seen from other suppliers, I am thrilled. Excellent quality for the price. All the plants were clearly identified

I admit to being apprephensive about submitting my order this past winter after reading all the negative feedback on this site. But am I glad I did! The plants arrived yesterday and were practically leaping out of their box. Very healthy and HUGE.

The only drawback in dealing with this company is the fact that they don't call you to tell you that something is holding up your order. You have to be proactive. But when you call, they are courteous and get the problem solved.

SUPER POSITIVE FEEDBACK !!!

These plugs are huge...72pk tray plugs should be in 4" pots already and the 32 pk. trays can go right straight into gallon trade pots...:-)

I have nothing but GOOD to say about the size of the plugs...rose_petalzz and I ordered 1-72pk.tray of mixed perennials and 2-32pk trays of the larger mixed perennials...The plants are huge and super healthy..I highly recommend them...

The only problem is they don't keep a good inventory...
(I don't think they know much about using the computer and are at the mercy of a Daughter,Son or a Friend)...you'll need to include a list of substitues...if they are sold out of the plugs you order...I don't have many of the perennials that they are selling so I was thrilled with any of the subs..asked for and I received...
They are very nice on the phone,but sometimes hard to get a hold of....

I think they are a Mom and Pop business..which to me is even more reason to order from them and help keep them in business...(I don't know them...I just wanted you all to know that..I wasn't pushing their company because they are related or anything like that)!!!!

I AM SO HAPPY WITH MY ORDER..I JUST E-MAILED THEM AGAIN TODAY FOR A LIST OF THINGS THEY MIGHT HAVE LOTS OF OR KNOW RIGHT OFF HAND WHAT THEY HAVE...I'm not shouting just super happy with the order...I hope to order several more trays before fall...:-)

The first of 2 orders came today. I am extremely please with the fine plugs I received. They have very big root systems and the packaging was first rate as was the map which identified all the plants very clearly. You can't beat the price. The only slight thought of improvement was in the size of the bulbs I received, but the price was good. I'll be back if the second order arrives in this condition.

I just received my order from GMT and am very pleased. Everything is big and healthy, arrived on time, and no where else can I get the selection and price that these people offer. They seem to have fully recovered from last year's move. I will continue to use them for the bulk of my mail order plant purchases.

After a very favorable experience in 03 and a very unfavorable one in 04[plants did not come and I could get no response as to when they might-my money was returned, however], I decided to try again last year and ordered several flats.
I was very,very pleased-I did not lose a single plant-they were healthy, with a great root system. I ordered again this year.
My only warning is that they are not great communicators- they do not acknowledge orders , for example, or let you know when they will ship your order.
Their website this year I found to be very helpful.

The problems are not just with mailorder and they are perennial, so to speak. I did business with them for a number of years on site in Vermont. My one experience with mail order was a disaster, but I attributed that to the chaos surrounding the move to ME. So with a large new garden area to fill, last spring I traveled with a gardening buddy 3 hours to go on site to GMT for a day trip. We spent all day in the greenhouses selecting plants. About 5:45 we took our carts of flats to check out... they close at 6. Between my friend and I we probably spent close to $500. The owners who checked us out were very angry (and let us know it) that we came to them with a large order so close to closing. I was so distressed by their attitude that I wanted to just walk away with my $$ and leave my large order for them to clean up. I didn't, though and the orders were all processed and we were out the door and had our car filled, and pulled out of the parking lot by about 6:07. They were quite upset that we kept them a couple of minutes late and were smouldering and rude througout the transaction. You'd THINK they'd be greatful for the loyalty and sale.

These folks do not have a clue about the people part of business -- they didn't when in VT and nothing has changed in ME. The owners are consistently arrogant and rude to customers.... as if we are a bother to be endured while they collect our money. Their STAFF in the greenhouses who process orders for mail order customers are great -- friendly and often knowledgeable, but the owners are awful, just awful. This is too bad because I like their products... Will I go back again? I don't know.

I have had two orders handled by this company - one by mail order, the second picked up by me at the Maine facility in 2005.

The '05 order was to include a plant of Cimicifuga 'Black Negligee'. It was only after I returned home with the flat of plants that I noticed that the Cimicifuga was labeled 'Brunette, a less desirable variety that I already had. I sent multiple e-mails to the company about this - they were returned as undeliverable. I also left a recorded phone message. I received no response. As of 10/28/05 the Green Mountain website lists no e-mail contact, and there is no way to leave phone messages at the listed number.

I regret that this one episode of poor business behavior will keep me from ordering from Green Mountain again, as they have otherwise offered a good value and service.

ordered flat of 32 ajuga chocolate chip A great groundcover by the way- GMT aknowledged order by mail and sent about 10 days later. Excellent quality large very well rooted plants. I cancellled an earlier spring order as became aware that would no be filled for close to 3 weeks. My take on feedback comments for 2005 is orders may not be filled promptly which could be important isssue for some.

I have received 4 flats from Green Mountain this year and will definately order considerable more in the future. Good size plants arrived packed very well without all the peanuts. They are the perfect supplier for gardeners with a large amount of ground to fill and who can appreciate the need to keep low overhead to be able to continue to offer plants in excellent condition at reasonable prices.

I purchased one 72 cell flat from GMT in April and received it in the second week of May. I went ahead with the order despite reading all the complaints registered for 2004, hoping these experiences were simply an abnormal development due to the company's move to a new location. I should have paid closer attention to those negative comments. Two of the cells in the flat I ordered were left vacant; I received only nine of twelve Wave Petunias I ordered. The twelve Diva Cucumbers
barely had the start of one true leaf and half of the group had hardly any root system at all, a far cry from what the owner states on his website where he says you can expect a strong well developed root ball. Moreover he states that Tomatoes are typically 10 to 14 inches in size ; my twelve tomato plants measured between 4 and 6 inches, nothing like what GMT claims you will receive. Accordingly, I am very disappointed in what I received and tried to convey this complaint by both phone and e-mail, but have received no response whtasoever from the company. My conclusion: beware buyer and proceed at your own risk!

Like many customers of Green Mountain, I suffered through their debacle last year, finally hearing from them in mid July, 2004 as to whether I wanted my order(no thank you, annuals in Mid July in zone 4 don't work very well, but I appreciated the call though it might be two months old). Having ordered previously, and receiving quality material, I reordered again for 2005. I received confirmation that my order would be here the week of the 16th of May, so I took the Friday off from work knowing that UPS normally only delivers weekdays. Of 4 flats ordered, only one arrived. Attempts to call to no avail, email sent to no avail. How they stay in business is beyone me. Must be the excellent product, certainly not the non responsive service.

I haven't actually received my plants yet (I requested delivery week of May 23), but I was very pleasantly shocked yesterday to receive in the mail some actual paperwork relating to my order, listing the charges that have been made against my credit card. Early this year I also emailed them for a catalog and received several documents from them. It looks very much like they're cleaning up their customer service act. If the plants this year are as big and healthy as they have been in years past (I skipped using them last year), then this is going to be my absolute favorite gardening company.

Just wanted to post a positive note on GM in '05 after a rocky experience with them during their move '04. I ordered 3-32 cell flats and 1-72 cell flat full o f a mixture of veggies, herbs, annuals and perennials. I was very impressed with the size and condition of the plants upon receipt, and after a long weekend of work am pleased to say that all plants are inthe ground and doing well. In addition to that, it appears that they have worked to improve their customer service side of the business. I will definitely order form then in the future.

After finding this company on the Garden Watchdog website, I placed a large order last spring (I think 5 trays in all). Like many other customers, I experienced enormous frustration through most of the spring as my plants failed to arrive, and as I failed to get through on the phone. But at last in May someone from the company called, and she took me carefully through all of the items on my order, as it was a mix of perennials and annuals and it was too late to put in tomatoes, for instance. When the plants arrived, I was enormously impressed by the size and quality even in what had apparently been a very difficult move. A few of the plugs were pot-bound, a few too were tiny second starters, but the vast majority were perfect--big, healthy, good root balls. The packaging and packing slips were incredibly well-done, and they had handled all my substitutions exactly as requested (with the exception of the wrong variety of nicotiana). Despite the late arrival, most things settled into my garden well.

In mid-summer, I visited a friend who lives about 45 minutes away from their new place. I drove up, and bought some odds and ends. They too did well, both in my garden and my friend's. My friend and my mother, who witnessed the arrival of my main shipment, were so impressed that we've all placed our major orders with them this year. Fingers crossed on a return to form (as indicated by past comments on this site)! I'm only sad they don't offer even more varieties.

It is definitely the work of several hours (and, in my case, time with an excel spreadsheet) to figure out your order so that you fill the right number of trays with the right stuff to arrive at different times. But given the prices they charge, I figure it's worth it.

I ordered from GMT in 2002 and 2003. I guess I was lucky not ordering in 2004, with all their misfortune in moving. I'm glad they moved though! Now I can visit them in person in my own state. The plants I received were beautiful! Big healthy plants. My only problem was that they really need to be transplanted RIGHT AWAY! And I don't do anything right away :)
I was very pleased with their service. I'll be ordering again this year to repair damage to my perennial bed from the sewer going in :(
An update and improvements on their website is badly needed, but I use their catalog anyway.

I called the company, (used the phone listed in this thread) and actually spoke to a live person, may be the owner, who assured me that things are back to normal, and all the mess of 2004 was created by their move to a different state. He was friendly and positive, and I decided to place an order with them for spring 2005. The website is however not updated, and very difficult to use - you'll have to manually calculate all your transplants to make sure you have the right amount to fit 72 cel trays- took me over two hours to select, print, manually calculate and re-group the plants. There must be a better way. Prices are great though, and I really hope to get healthy plants this spring. I'll keep you posted.

This is my first and not my last experience with Green Mt. I received their catalog and found their prices and selection to be quite attractive. I happily placed my order and was expecting my shipment in early spring 2004.

I became concerned when they did not arrive. I went to their website, and it informed me that they were a few months behind schedule because of their recent move. Rather than hold harsh judgement, I sympathized with their situation.

Several months past and I received a call from them. They were just getting to fill my order. While most of the items I had selected were available - a few were not. They provided alternative suggestions.

Within a week or so, my order arrived. Yes - about 3 months late, but from my research - this is not normal operation for them - everything up till their move pointed to a wonderful company - which is why I selected them.

Now, if the plants had arrived dead, or if the order had really gotten messed up - I think I would be ticked, but the plants were awesome! They were large healthy and for the price - I have yet to see a mail order catalog compete with them. Heck, I can't even find better plants at local nurseries for the price I paid through Green Mt.

I'll gladly do business with then again and again and again. The packaging alone, demonstrates their commitment to providing quality plants. I was so delighted with my order that I immediately started planning 2005 order.

I've ordered before from GMT and have been very happy. That said this year was and IS a disaster!
I ordered in February for April delivery. Mid june 1/3 of my order arrived, with some substitues (that I didn't want). The rest of the order never arrived. Phone calls where not answered and email and snail mail unanswered. NO MONEY BACK.

I drove from Connecticut to GMT and spoke to the owner, who was less than cordial. He said I was on the list for a refund for September. ( This was July that I stoped by)
He refused to refund my money then, and guess what? Here it is the end of Octover and I still am owed about $130.00, with no further communication from him.

He had a good customer base, once. I understand his problems, but he is destroying his following with his poor busniess practices.

I'm considering small claims court.

GMT obviously had a hard time with moving their operation to another state, but I can recommend them now without hesitation.

I got my 32 plants of perennial tray just yesterday. It was impeccably packed and the plants were in great shape. Excellent root system, some plants arrived blooming. I am very impressed with this company and I will definitely order from them in the future.

AFTER HAVING POSITIVE EXPERIENCES TWO YEARS IN A ROW, THIS YEAR WAS TERRIBLE. I PLACED MY ORDER EARLY AND IT DID NOT ARRIVE IN APRIL AS I REQUESTED. THEN I RECEIVED THE FORM LETTER SAYING THE COMPANY WAS BEHIND IN FILLING ORDERS AND ANYONE COULD CHANGE OR CANCEL THEIR ORDER. I WAITED A WHILE, TRYING TO CALL INNUMERABLE TIMES WITHOUT A RESPONSE IN RETURN , IF I WAS ABLE TO LEAVE A MSG. AT ALL. I BELIEVE IT WAS IN JUNE THAT I CALLED AND SPOKE TO A HUMAN BEING. I TOLD HER THAT I WANTED TO CANCEL THE TOMATOES IN MY ORDER IN ADDITION TO ALLL THE HERBS, ANNUALS AND THE BUTTERFLY PLANTS. I THEN TOLD HER WHAT COULD BE SUBSTITUTED IF THERE WERE BLANK SPOTS IN THE TRAYS. MY ORDER ARRIVED IN THE LATER PART OF JUNE. FIRST OF ALL THE PACKING SLIPS WERE ALL MIXED UP ON THE BOXES (19). THE SECOND THING WAS THAT, ALTHOUGH THEY HAD ELIMINATED THE TOMATOES AND ANNUALS FROM MY ORDER, THEY DID SEND ALL THE HERBS, BUTTERFLY PLANTS AND OTHER PLANTS WHICH I HAD CANCELLED. MANY PLANTS ARRIVED DEAD, APPEARING OVERLY MOIST. ON ONE OF THE PLANT DIAGRAMS THAT CAME WITH THE PLANTS SOMEONE HAD WRITTEN A NOTE ON MY PHONE CALL AND WHAT TO CANCEL. I CALLED WHEN I RECEIVED THE ORDER, COMPLAINING WHEN I FINALLY REACHED SOMEONE. THIS INDIVIDUAL DENIED EVER SPEAKING TO ME BEFORE. I TOLD HER SHE HAD WRITTEN A NOTE ABOUT MY CANCELLATION AND I HAD IT. SHE INDICATED THAT THEY KEEP NO COPY OF THESE DIAGRAMS ONCE THEY ARE SENT OUT. SHE STATED SHE WOULD TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT A PICKUP. I DID NOT EVEN HEAR FROM THEM UNTIL I TOLD THEM I WAS GOING TO DISPUTE THE ENTIRE CHARGE UNTIL THE MATTER WAS SETTLED. THEY LEFT A MESSAGE, BUT AS USUAL ARE UNREACHABLE.

This is the first year that I placed an order with this company. I ordered the first week of April and was told my order would be shipped the middle of May. That passed by and after a number of attempts to contact them, I was informed that they were running about a month behind because of construction delays. As my order was a flat of 72 plants, all perennials, plus 4 bulbs, that was okay with me.

June went by, still no order. I attempted to speak with someone and had no success. The phone calls went to a machine and then later to just weird noises. Finally, I received phone call on Fri. July 2, and the lady was very pleasant and apologetic. She offered to cancel my order or make any substitutions I wanted. I kept my order the same and she told me it would be shipped on Tues., the 5th. It was and arrived Fri. the 9th. I am pleased with the plants. A few are tiny, a few are pot-bound but overall, they look good. Eight plants are a yellow cultivar instead of the red I ordered, and 2 are substitutions. The bulbs are large.

I decided to give them a positive rating but they do need to do a better job of informing customers of delays in shipping, and have someone answer their phone or return messages and empty the answering machine when it is full. I will order from them again.

I also placed an order in the early spring, though unlike some of the other posters, I have not received my plant order. I have emailed and called them several times and have not ever gotten a response (heck - I don't even know if they got the order). I did get through to talk to someone in mid-May and I was told that my plant order would be delayed, but would still be shipped in the first or second week in June. Its almost July! This was my first time ordering from them. I have been using Bluestone for the last few years and have always been pleased with my orders from them. I liked the variety and pricing at GM and thought I'd give them a try. This has not been a good experience - I don't look forward to planting in July (or August?!).

I've ordered from these folks for several years, and have always been happy. Although my order was delayed quite a bit this spring, when it got here, the plants were the usual high quality. Sounds like this company has had quite a time this spring, and although the communication has surely been lacking, it sounds to me like they are trying to rectify the situation as best they can. I believe that they will get things up and running in a more orderly fashion, and I will gladly order from them again.

We purchased plants from Green Mountain last year on the advice of a neighbor and thought they were terrific. We were looking forward to doing business with them again this year and in the future. We placed an order with Green Mountain Transplants on March 12th but received no communication about our order once it was placed. The plants were due to arrive early May but they never arrived. After repeated attempts to contact Green Mountain Transplants we decided to give up and cancel the order. We waited as long was we could before canceling but we had no choice because we needed to salvage what we could of our growing season. It was difficult to contact them because the website was not up to date, the e-mail addresses didn't work, and the phone message machine often appeared to be full or was malfunctioning and couldn't take messages. We never spoke to an actual person. In the two instances that we could leave a phone message, we left a clear message indicating that we wished to cancel our order and we asked to be contacted to confirm the cancellation.

Imagine our surprise when we received a shipment on 6/12, nearly six weeks past our ship date, around two weeks after we had cancelled our order. Imagine our additional surprise when we saw that it was only for part of the original order and some of the plants appeared to be in poor condition. A number of the plants were out of their cells and lying on the container itself. The size of some of the plants was disappointing, especially the lavender which was quite a bit smaller than last year. This is not the quality we expected based on the previous year’s experience.

There was no explanation for why the order was shipped after being cancelled and why only part of the order was sent. We attempted to call and e-mail again but to no avail. We were desperate to find out what we should do with the plants because we had no use for them and did not want to be charged. After some creative internet sleuthing, we discovered that Green Mountain Transplants has an additional number that seems to be answered more frequently (207-282-7779). This was the first time that we had spoken to a person since the placement of our order on 3/12. The woman was very apologetic and explained that they had had a very difficult transition to the new location. She mentioned some problems with the greenhouses and she said that she felt bad for all of the customers that they had inconvenienced, including us. She said that they would issue a UPS pick-up for Monday (this was on a Saturday) and we could open the boxes and give the plants a little water over the weekend, which we did, and brought them into the house at night until there were too many bugs on the boxes to bring them in any more. We dutifully repackaged the boxes and left them near the garage as instructed. UPS did not come on Monday as we were told. After 5:30 pm on Thursday night, after 4 days in 85+ degree heat, and seven days after the cancelled order was delivered, we decided that GM Transplants wasn’t sending for them after all. We had tried calling again but no one answered and there was no way to leave a message, and it is impossible to track pickups on the UPS website without a tracking number. The trash pick up was the next morning so we put the sorry looking boxes in the trash. We dumped the dead and near dead plants into the compost pile, and salvaged a few of the remaining plants to try to give them a chance (we hate to throw out anything with some fight in it), and tossed the boxes.

On Friday morning we discovered that UPS had tried to make a pick up on Thursday after we had left for dinner. We called GM Transplants immediately at their 207-282-7779 number and explained that the plants were gone because we had given up on their coming for them and we had placed the dead and near dead plants in the compost and the boxes out to the curb for the trash pickup. The man insisted that without the return of the plants he would not credit us with any money, even though we had cancelled the order and the plant should never have been sent. Furthermore, nearly all the plants were basically dead and useless. He was rude and unapologetic. It is amazing that they would treat repeat customers this way given the inconvenience they have imposed on us. We went out of our way to contact them despite their total lack of communication and up to this point have tried to remain sympathetic to their moving troubles. At this point we are frustrated and angry at having to continue to deal with this, particularly since we cancelled our order and should not have received any plants at all. We are being charged to buy dead plants from a cancelled order, our garden is not what it should have been, we had to spend more money to buy plants locally, and ended up planting weeks after we would have liked. We have tried to work with them in every way possible, including watering the plants, finding new methods of contacting them, and leaving boxes outside our house for most of the week. It is hard to believe that any company would treat customers this way, particularly at a time when their business is likely to be seriously negatively affected by these problems.

We’ll post again when this is finally resolved. It is not over yet, which only adds to our frustration. We wish the rest of you the best of luck!

I have been a customer of Green Mountain Transplants for several years. I have always been happy with the quality of their plants, the low prices and the excellent packing. Because of construction delays during their move from Maine to Vermont, my plant order that was scheduled to ship in the 3rd week of April did not ship until the 2nd week of June. Obviously, I would have preferred to have received the plants at the requested ship date. However, I am giving them a positive rating because a) the plants arrived in excellent shape and b )the construction problems were out of their control.

In my experience, GMT has always been poor at communicating with their customers. Even now, if you Google GMT you get the old website with the Vermont address. I know from the comments I have read here and on other garden sites that many customers are very frustrated with the lack of communication. I think if GMT had done a better job of letting customers know what was going on, many of them would have been willing to wait for their order. Those that couldn't wait would at least have had the option of canceling and buying plants somewhere else before it was too late in the season. I am afraid that GMT may have alienated a lot of customers by keeping them in the dark. Overall, I think they are one of the best mail order sources for plants that I have dealt with (and I have dealt with a lot). I hope they invest some time and money in the communications department.....word spreads fast in the gardening world and it would be a shame if such a good plant source lost their customer base due to poor communication.

Despite the delay, I am pleased with my order and looking forward to doing business with GMT again next year.

[Negative rating this year; Excellent rating in the past]

Green Mountain Transplants, Inc. earned my loyality as a faithful customer because of the superior quality of their transplants and service. For years I'd mail ordered plants from other companies--national "big-name" companies & regional ones--and always had been disappointed. The plants arriving in shock and ill-health.

Then, Greeen Mountain Transplants, Inc. came along. I was astonished at the difference! Here was a company doing things right--superior quality of transplants, friendly service, and honest communication. I recommended them to many gardening friends across the nation.

For months now, I've been eagerly anticipating the usual remarkable transplants from GMT. Trusting the previous years of GMT quality.

But, this year it's like GMT has been taken over by an "evil twin" company! My story is much like the others posted here: placed my sizable order by phone in early April (April 1st or 2nd); GMT representative seemed stressed and annoyed; representative took my entire order of a 72-cell flat of vegetables and 3 five-pound packages of seed potatoes & took credit card information before mentioning that their recent move meant she couldn't guarantee a shipping date; I commented that she should have mentioned that before so I'd have a choice whether to order; representative promised May 24th shipping; received no email confirmation as is GMT's custom in previous years; when no plants arrived I tried calling company and got the same "no message/machine noise" that others have mentioned; still not hearing anything nor receiving my transplants, on 6/1/4 I faxed a letter to their new address requesting honest communication about the status of my order; no response from GMT at all; cannot reach them by phone; will fax GMT again today.

Last night I discovered the comments on the Garden Watch Dog site--and was amazed at how widespread the GMT problem is. Based on my own good history with GMT, I still had hope that GMT would finally get their act together.

To Green Mountain Transplants, Inc.: on the basis of the superior quality of your transplants and service in the past, you have earned a loyal and enthusiastic customer base. Most people understand the enormity and confusion of a big move. Most people will try to be flexible, and work with you if you communicate honestly with your customers--because you have earned our trust in the past.

The nature of your business means that folks don't have a lot of leeway in time--many of us have trusted GMT for most if not all of our transplant needs so we are now left with no plants, no garden, not many options at this late date.

Find a way to "make this right." Be creative.

Get someone in your office who is diplomatic and can field the angry phone calls/emails/faxes. Figure out a strategy to put the GMT stamp of quality on this bad situation--most of your customers will come back (like me) if you will communicate with us honestly and make a gesture of good-will. "Make it right." by figuring out some way to compensate your customers. I own a small business myself; and, I know the value of making a generous gesture when you've screwed up.

Most people will be understanding and try to work with you--if you do the right thing. It would be a shame to lose what you've built up.

The 3-4 years of superior GMT quality and service still outweighs this year's bad, bad performance. There simply is no one else out there who (normally) delivers such healthy, vital transplants when promised--at least that's the GMT performance record in the past.

Here's hoping you figure out a way to win back your customers....

I live in the area where Green Mountain Transplants has moved to. After a long, long winter of setting up their new store & greenhouses they are finally open for business and sending out orders. The people in the area all seem to be very pleased and MOST people who have ordered plants have been very patient and understanding. I love the new store. It seems to have everything a gardener could dream of. I'm sure next season will be back to normal for Green Mountain.

Absolutely horrible. I placed an order with them in March. They never confirmed my order. After one week I emailed them to find out if they received the order. They did not respond so I sent them another email which they again ignored. At this point I assumed they did not receive my order so I filled my needs elsewhere. It is now June and my garden has been filled. So guess what arrives at my door today? Of course, my order from GMT. I have absolutely no place to put these plants. I never received an order confirmation, a response to my follow up emails, or a notice of shipment. I am livid and do not know what to do. To make matters worse, half the plants from one of their flats were not even in their cells, they were laying on top of the other plants completely dried out and negative. I am amazed a company like this can remain in business.