I got most of mine, but there are a few things backordered. I called them and they told me I should be getting the rest in a couple weeks.

I am waiting too. I placed 2 orders. The one from November came pretty quickly & I received my backordered items by Christmas. But the order I placed on 12/15 has still not come yet. It's been 2 months...

I have been hearing 'a couple of weeks' for awhile now.

I would not have ordered some things if they were backordered.

I thought 'in stock' meant shipped within a week.

This is pretty frustrating...maybe almost worth it to cancel the order and order from someone else that will ship complete within a week.

Keriann~

SO I CALLED THEM...ARRGG

My first (of three) orders was sent right away except for the backorders (that I did not know were on backorder).

My second and third orders have yet to be seen. I will say, Park Seeds responded to my e-mails within a few hours, but the ship dates kept getting pushed back.... untill March on Begonias and Impatients...so they will bloom in Aug? : ( I got an e-mail tonight that stated they were waiting to ship my second an third order because one or two items on each were backordered...again I did not order anything that was on backorder...and why they wouldnt ship what was in stock like my first order is beyond me.

So I canceled the three items on backorder and my seeds will be shipped tomorrow...

kind of annoying that their shipping polices change by order.... : (

Keriann~

I had this problem last year, they blamed unforeseen interest in gardening for the delays, some seed came to late, but I used in the fall, I also had all my bare roots fail, they refunded for these, $26.97 it took weeks for the card to come through the post...why could they not have e-mailed the code! when they can take you order that way, and when I put it in it was for $26, okay 97 cents not alot but multiply that by a few thousands! I have not used them this year and their catalogs have gone straight into the recycling, not even made it into the house.
I think its a shame because from what I can understand they where previously a good company, but they are never getting me back, and back orders are a fact but the only other company which I have dealt with which had to back order a couple of items informed me of this, not just a vague to follow at the end of the invoice, and the items where received, before I felt it necessary, to ring, even once! and then sent me a letter stating that an item was unavailable due to circumstances beyond their control, which I believe as I ordered beginning of Dec, and the letter arrived beginning Feb.
another thing with Parks is they where extremely difficult to get hold of, I was always told my order was going to be dispatched in the next 2 weeks! after the third phone call, I asked the girl to check with the warehouse that this was the fact, and she came back and said they where working on it! " that's interesting!" says I, because 2 and 4 weeks ago I was told it was ready to send.
the second order I put in, to use the credit note I phoned once. after waiting a month
"you have a freephone number I will phone hourly, until my order arrives, from tomorrow and engage you in conversation, before I state my intent, and if you cut me off, I will phone back 1/2 hourly (I have several numbers and an untraceable) which your company will pay for" I started the next day and did it from open of business to close, (always polite, as I have worked answering phones and it is a thankless task and it is impossible not to take it personally) I continued to call even after they assured me the seeds had been dispatched and all the next day until it arrived on the Friday.

Go to Dave's Garden .....

I guess there are a lot of people that are upset with backorders, credits, CS ect...

lesson learned the hard way!

Keriann~

I don't care much for Park's. I absolutely ADORE Geo Seed, and use them for everything. They have better prices and larger quantities than any other company, and their customer service is top notch. I get emails back within the day; they've emailed me their order forms in PDF and will take orders via email/fax/carrier pigeon, you name it. Can't say enough good things about them.

I got a Parks catalog in the mail and tried to order from them online. Made my selections, filled out all the cc stuff but I kept getting an error. I gave up and ordered from somebody else. Got them yesterday.

I really like Park Seed...but I agree this year I am kinda annoyed! I wouldn't be so upset, but some of the things I have on backorder ned to be started ASAP...so that they will bloom. They should let people know when things are backordered!

Where else have you had luck on flower seed orders?

Keriann~

Other than Parkseed, I really don't order much in the way of seeds and plants online. I am going to give Gurneys a try cause they sent me a catalog with a coupon on it...we'll see how that goes. I usually end up buying seeds from stores here and there when I see them...and I'm not saying that this is a good habit, LOL. I usually end up with way more than I need! I am also interested in hearing other reliable online sources.

Diane's Flower Seeds in Ogden, Utah is a Watchdog 30 company with 100% positive feedback on Dave's Garden. I've ordered from her a few times--quality seeds and prompt shipping plus excellent communication. She has vegetable seeds in addition to perennial and annual flower seeds. She might not have everything you're looking for but you won't be disapointed with what you do order. Hazzard's Greenhouse sells seeds in bulk but I was very impressed with the speed of shipping--got my seeds within a week of ordering and I ordered New Year's Eve. From what I saw on Dave's Garden, there's a lot of unhapppy people waiting on seeds from Parks. Might be a good idea to check Gurney's feedback on Dave's before ordering.

If you will go over to the Rate & Review Vendors forum here you'll find all sorts of info available on who to order from and who to avoid. That is the forum where discussions like this usually take place. There is a nice letter from the CEO of Park seeds there explaining and apologizing for the problems this year.

That said, I have never had any problems with Park Seeds and use them regularly. However I long ago learned that orders placed after the first of the year were often subject to delays. Order early and you have few if any problems.

We should note to be fair that many discussions/articles/announcements ran early this year on the delays encountered by seed vendors in getting their seeds from overseas due to crop failures and shipping problems - few US seed sellers grow their own seeds any longer - so delays in some things were to be expected. Also keep in mind that while web sites are usually fairly current, catalogs are printed well before the vendor could know that some thing won't be available to him after all.

Dave

Dave, coud you post the link to the letter?

I just scrolled through the 5 or 6 posts on the rate and review forum and did not see the letter.

There is also a point in time where backorders are okay but the lack of communication and false ship dates are unacceptable.

Keriann~

I must be unique, as my Park seeds and supplies, both orders have arrived in a timely manner, as well as a prompt reply to my query regarding the first order. I had a bunch of problems last year, but this year has been remarkably smooth. A couple of packets of seeds were backordered and I already received one of them already. they have been quick to email me as to the price that will be charged and when. I think that I may have gone on Dave's Garden, Garden Watchdog to report them. I think they have had a lot of bad press and may be turning a corner.

I gave up on Park Seeds last year. I used them for years, but their shipping charges for seed only orders is way out of line and their service is going downhill. Check out Stokes Seeds. Their prices are much better than Park, more seeds to the package, excellent germination, very good planting instructions and no shipping delays.

If everyone would order seeds at different times then everything would run smoothly. The problem is they get thousands of orders after the first of the year. Anyone can get overwhelmed and run out of stock when this happens. If it's that important to you to get these seeds planted so that they bloom well for more than a month then order them in September or October. It's no ones fault but your own if you don't get them planted in time. I always order what I don't or can't harvest in the fall when I know what I have and don't have. Last minute buys should be done locally. Is there nothing but ungrateful complainers left in this world?

Taz6122-

Wow, I feel the need to defend myself.

I ordered things that were in stockÂthen a month later they said they were out of stock AFTER I called and e-mailed several times.

It should be no surprise to Park Seeds that they are busy starting Jan 1st. Almost every industry has a Âpeak season that they prepare for. Park is no different. Park should be thankful that they are busy in this economy and be prepared for the increase in ordersÂlike they get EVERY year at this time.

If you look at the complaints on DaveÂs Garden ÂWatchdog many people have ordered their seeds in Sept and Oct only to receive them in Feb and March.

Yes, it is my fault that my seeds are not here I get thatÂagain I sayÂÂit is not that I do not have my seeds yet., it is the way the Park Seed handled my requests with lies and statements that I wanted to hear, not the actual truth.

Big Big difference.

Keriann~

In this economy it would be easy to underestimate the # of orders and who wants a bunch of stuff that's not going to move. It may have been in stock when you looked before you ordered but could have been gone by the time your order was placed. I didn't mean to offend you Keriann just trying to show a different angle on this situation. There is no reason for all the lies and companies have been getting away with this too long. What happened to false advertising and being responsible for your actions anyway?

Well, at least I'm not alone waiting for my begonias, I'm about to cancel my order considering how late it is for seed starting, I just finished get the last of my 300 seeds under lights and find the begonias can wait until next year. I'll have enough on my plate this year :)

I canceled my non-stop begonias from park seed and I am getting some tubers from Easy to Grow Bulbs... they have some beauties!

Taz6122- no worrries : )

Order from T+T seeds in Canada. I ordered from Parks right after I got their catalogue in Dec. I got the order except for a couple of things in late Jan. When I called about the rest of the order on Jan. 15th they told me some things had crop failure and others they didn't know when would be in. I cancelled the rest of the order and ordered from T+T. I got my order today.

I would order again from Parks in Dec. because their prices are good, but anything I didn't get in the first order I'd cancel and order somewhere else.

Ok, I have to chime in...

taz6122, I order a ton of seeds each new year...meaning late Jan. and Feb.....and expect and receive excellent satisfaction.

I shop many seed catalogs, and to receive this type of customer service from a seed company is deplorable!!! Go elsewhere!!! Never have I had a problem with my orders. Yes, a backorder here or there, but nothing like what is being described. And I repeat....I order in Jan. and Feb.

Try geoseeds, tomato growers supply, johnnys, seed savers, etc. Never had a problem, and sure don't have to order in Sept. for my spring order:)

Find another source...there are tons of good ones out there.

m

So after I canceled my back orders, my two outstanding orders came within 10 days. Not too bad.

Though I got my seeds, any pack that contained over 25 seeds were shorted by 10-20%.

Lesson learned.

They did send the items in the timeframe that they related to me after I canceled my backorders so I went from a BIG thumbs down to a neutral.

Again...lesson learned. I think I will try placing an order by phone and see the outcome of that on items that I can only find through them

Keriann~

I ordered in mid-December which I think should be plenty early - I just today (over 2 months later) recieved my backorder lisanthus which should be started at the end of January. I ordered from 3 other companies at the same time and recieve all of them before Christmas. I think Parks could do better.

Well, I should have read these posts earlier! We built a group of planters for our deck, and ordered lots of live plants from Park, and the web site promised shipment of April 16 or so. Today, in following up, they claim that "the zone you are in dictates we ship on May 27th". When I brought the rep back to the info on their own website that contridicts that, she said "Well, we really ran out, and had to place more orders from our vendor". I can deal with delays, but I will not buy from a Company that "tells stories". Orders were cancelled.

I have used Park Seed for a few years and have been satisfied. This year my order has been delayed several times without any contact from them letting me know of any problems. This is poor customer service. At least if they would have informed me, I could make a decision as to whether to cancel the order or not and try to order from someone else. This may be the last year I order from them.