Maria P.

I wish I could give Hirt's Greenhouse a zero star rating. But I am forced to give it at least 1 star. The company has an F rating with the BBB in its community and countless 1 and 1 1/2 star ratings in plant-related websites, among them the worldwide-respected Dave's plant forum, as well as the Houzz website.

I paid $17.58, which included shipping charges, for what I thought would be a healthy 4" pot Dwarf Alberta Spruce. But what I received was a dying, yellowish brittle sapling, with dry, bent branches and shedding needles. The soil in the pot was powdery-dry, and the sapling had been sealed to the pot not with paper tape which could have been moistened, but with rubbery packing tape. And then, the sapling was crammed in a small USPS box, surrounded by packing peanuts. There was no moisture for the sapling, or protection from the drying packing peanuts.

I phoned and emailed Hirt's about the problem when the sapling came in. No one answered the phone, though Matt Hirt answered my emails. His responses, however, consisted of only several words. They did not address the problem with the sapling. He did ask that I email to him a photo of the sapling, and I emailed four photos and a lengthy explanation of my many unsuccessful attempts to revive it. He then responded with a few laconic words that did not address the problem. I also called PayPal and Walmart because the transaction was conducted through the two companies. But each time a recording informed me that it would be over two hours before I could speak to a representative. And, finally, in desperation, I called my credit card company, where a helpful person assisted me in filing for a chargeback.

Hirt's may have been a great place to purchase plants 66 years ago, but nowadays it is a place where the owners have zero remorse about selling dying or diseased plants and treating customers disrespectfully. And the behave that way because they know that it is nearly impossible to reach anyone at the financial institution that purchase transactions go through. Plus, Hirt's obviously do not care about their dismal ratings