Last month, I wrote about how my husband bought
hop rhizomes from TheBeerEssentials.com . At first, I was excited that the Cascade rhizome was growing really well. However, the other rhizome we bought, Nugget, never grew at all, see the photo below. Despite the fact that we planted both the rhizomes in the same exact soil and same conditions, one grew and the other didn't. I called the company to complain about the Nugget rhizome root and requested a replacement be sent to us. The customer service rep I was speaking with put me on hold to ask the guy who is knowledgeable of the hop plants. He then got back on the phone and said, "
this same exact thing happened to another customer, one of their roots took off, the other didn't. We special order these rhizomes roots for sale and we do not guarantee the plants." So I asked, "you don't give a replacement or exchange?" And the customer service said, "
No." So then I said, "so it's buy at your own risk?" And he replied, "
yes." Okay, WHAT THE HELL? They should put that on their website that don't guarantee their rhizomes will grow and that they don't have a warranty or exchange policy on them, especially since, I'm not the only one that bought the roots and had this problem. I just totally wasted our time and money trying to grow a root that is a dud. This is what my nugget rhizome looks like today, 1 month after I planted it. Nothing!
To be fair, the Cascade rhizome they sent us is growing well. But this is what you expect when you buy rhizome roots. You expect them to grow. I will never buy from this company again. Any online company that sells plants and don't guarantee them will not get my business or my recommendation... Ever! Buy at your own risk? You got it, you just lost a customer TheBeerEssentials.com!
Do you grow hops? If so, where do you buy your rhizomes? I'm looking for another, more reliable company to order from for next time.
The Willamette Valley in Oregon, have beautiful hop crops, here is a link you should be happy doing business with.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/store/
meems, sorry you went through that! Order your hops from Freshops! http://www.freshops.com/ - all they do is grow hops, and the best homebrew supply places get them from there as well. I tend to stay away from the brick and mortar brewing stores as their selection of recipe "kits" is usually lacking, and I assume the rhizomes are not the best either. Freshops stands behind their stuff, last year 2 of my Cascades were eaten by voles and they not only replaced them, but they FedEx'ed them! Their website has LOTS of info on growing them, best varieties for your area, etc. Good luck, chica!
ReplyDeleteTalk about poor customer service. I hope you find another source you like.
ReplyDeleteWow - how frustrating! Very lame on their part. I hope you have better luck with one of the places mentioned in other people's comments! (and I'm glad at least one of the plants has grown and that you didn't get doubly screwed!)
ReplyDeleteHow frustrating! I'd be sending a letter of complaint to the company even though you've already complained by phone. Keep it in writing! You may have better luck getting some compensation by going beyond the customer service person. Especially when you tell them that you're going to NOT recommend their company both in person and online.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
Judy
That's very poor customer service! I agree with others that you should send another mail, maybe to someone higher up in the company. Hope you find one that stands behind their product. I've seen lots of online garden stores that have some kind of guarantee for their product, never knew there were some like the one you dealt with. Something to remember when I order next time.....
ReplyDeleteThey probably lost MANY customers after all your readers hear about it. Such a shame. It's like, how much would it cost them to send you another rhizome and keep your future business? Cripes. Well I'm glad at least one is growing. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's why I won't buy anything else from a store near us, they don't guarantee their plants.
ReplyDeleteOh how disappointing. Maybe it will still grow - don't give up on it yet....
ReplyDeleteThat sucks! Sorry to hear about that. My source is local, so can't help you out with that. :(
ReplyDeleteWhat a nightmare. That would piss me off so much! I am going to buy from freshops.com - will let you know if they are any good!
ReplyDelete