New Banner Institute, Inc

Customer says: “They shipped without regard to current weather conditions”On our website and catalogs, Peaceful Valley clearly states in the item description of bare root items the following: PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATIONWhen placing your bare root orders, please be
aware that AS SOON as the trees/plants are available to ship (Decfor trees, Janfor plants), we will begin shipping IMMEDIATELY - no matter where you are located !!!There are several factors why we must ship immediately:• We can only ship bare root items when they are dormantWith us being located in CA, trees/plants can come out of dormancy well before the rest of the nation is ready to plant.• We receive our bare root items in successive deliveriesWe need to move them out quickly, as our space is limited.• It is very challenging, if not impossible, to keep track of who gets what when dealing with ten's of thousands of trees/plants and varieties over 3 months, hence we must adhere to our policy.Furthermore, on our website and catalogs, our Bare-Root Limited Replacement Guarantee For Dormant Bare-Root Trees clearly states:If your dormant bare-root fruit tree (including fig, pomegranate, almond, kiwi and potted goji) or nut tree does not leaf out above the graft by May 15th, we suggest you do a scratch test - checking for green under the barkIf it is brown, the tree is dead and you should pull it from the ground, take pictures including the roots, and email them ASAP to [email protected] our video for more information about the Bare Root (Dormant) Warranty.Once pictures are received, they will be examined for damage (from rodent, mechanical...) or root rotIf none is evident, we will issue you a store credit for the price you paid for that tree (excluding shipping, not a refund)This store credit is redeemable toward the purchase of any other bare-root item of your choice the following seasonWe reserve the right to not issue credit for replacement of already replaced items.Bare Root replacement claims MUST be received BY JUNE 1st for consideration Concerns received after June 1st will be denied for credit.Even though our policy was not followed, our customer service representative offered a solution This was offered on 7/22, almost months after the original deadline of 6/This is cut and pasted from the email correspondence, “Even though you did not follow the policy as required, we will make a one time exception for you provided you send in a picture of your tree that shows the scratch test and the rootsOnce the picture(s) has been received and inspected for any rodent or mechanical damage and none is found a store credit (no refund as per our policy shown above) will be issued for you to replace that tree for next seasonPlease note the credit does not include shipping and replacements will not be given on trees that have already been replaced.”The customer did send in some pictures of the tree and we will be issuing them a credit for a new tree this coming season.For the record, of which we are quite proud, the failure rate on our bare root trees is historically and consistently under 2% of trees soldWe are more than willing to meet customers’ expectations as long as our policy above is followedWe cannot otherwise accept responsibility for lack of care, generally not enough or too much watering (bad drainage) when the weather heats up and the rains dry off, that will kill any young trees not properly tended to

This customer tried to return for credit a living viable tree, from his complaint you can see that they clearly state that "a so called scratch test was green instead of brown"Our grower has been using this scratch to test the viability of trees for years, and it worksIn this case, the customer
simply needs to wait longer for the tree to leaf out, the purpose of the scratch test is to determine whether or not the tree is alive or is deadWhen you scratch just a little bit from the surface of the bark on a tree, you can easily determine if the tree is living or deadSince the pilth under the bark was green, their tree is in fact still aliveWe can not control weather patterns and growing seasons that determine when exactly a tree will leaf outWe send living viable plantsAll Regions are different, especially now a days with the interesting weather we have been experiencingThe customer also tried to make this transaction after our June 1st deadlineIt has always been June 1st and this customers knows thatIn the past they have received credit for a non-viable bare root itemOur return policy for perishable items is all over our website and on the instructions on what to do once a perishable bare root has been deliveredOur limited replacement guarantee for all bare root items clearly states the steps necessary to receive this creditThe customer did not comply, even after our customer service representative (Laurie that was referenced above as rude and offensive) extended the deadline by daysThe customer's unwillingness to accept the fact that their is still alive is mind bogglingAs for the other items, they were thrown awayWhat proof do we have that these items were not viable? We can not simply hand out credits/refund on hearsay.The growing instructions for the items ordered and screenshots of our website clearly stating our return policy and limited guarantee are attachedWe do not offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee because there are more factors and growing conditions that could kill plants than there is room in this text boxThank you for your time

I am rejecting this response because:A.  I made a refund request only hours after the deadline not five days as you stated. B.  The tree may still be alive for now, but the scratch test is a great way to refuse a refund and then you can simply state, sorry it's past the deadline.  The tree will not survive long without leaves.  I planted the tree months ago and watched as all the other trees leafed out.  I gave it the benefit of the doubt to wait as long as I did.  C.  The other items I requested a refund for where not thrown out.  They dried up and they never grew!!! Therefore I have nothing to take a photo of. You can state your polices all you want, my compliant is against your policies.  They are clearly designed to be able to reject refunds easily.  You can lie and hide behind your policy if you want to, like I said I am just going to take my business elsewhere.

This incident was incorrectly handled by the store employee and has since been resolved to our customers satisfaction. Thank you,[redacted]
[redacted] [redacted]
[redacted]

Our 3-N-1 Multi-Graft Trees come with at least 3 grafts, some come with 4 grafts, however we only guarantee 3 of the grafts to leaf out by 05/15 of the same year planted. The picture provided by this customer shows the tree has in fact 4 grafts, and three of the four have leafed out and she does not...

qualify for a partial credit.However, as I stated to customer, I made an exception to our policy for this customer and issued her a partial credit for one graft that did not leaf out.The credit in on file and a copy has been send to the customer.Please note: Per our policy on the 3N1 Multi -Graft Trees, if for example 2 of the 3 grafts leafed out we would issue a partial credit for the 3rd graft that did not leaf.This customer, although she does not qualify for the credit, I issued her one for the one graft that did not leaf. Thank you,[redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: I fill this company needs to be held accountable for their bad Business practice. They did give me me a refund after I turned them in. If I had not turned  them in, I would've never heard from them again.

Revdex.com:
I have received a response from the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

The garlic you purchased was tested for nematode by the grower (upon our request, as this is our standard procedure before we purchase any garlic seed), it then received a satisfactory phytosanitary certificate allowing it to be cleared through the US Department of Agriculture then customs, and was...

finally cleared by our local county California Department of Agriculture after it was inspected.When [redacted] told you not to plant anything you weren’t comfortable with planting and that you would receive a refund for what you would return, he was obviously not aware that the entirety of the seed garlic you received had been already cracked and then soaked. As our policy so clearly and unequivocally states everywhere (website, catalog, checkout, literature in the box), customers can return any quantities of garlic they received that they not deem acceptable, provided they contact us within 3 days after delivery (to allow time for a thorough inspection) and that the returned garlic be intact and not cracked.  We cannot and will not issue refunds for good, viable garlic that is cracked.You should have inspected your garlic earlier as you took twice the allowed time to do so.  Furthermore, once you cracked a few heads apart and noticed things that were not to your liking, you should have stopped and called us right away.  Instead, not only you cracked every single head into individual cloves but you soaked them in kelp and baking soda (which require them to be immediately planted).  The fact that you found some bad cloves here and there is not in dispute (that’s what Mother Nature does) and we will accept for you to cherry pick the good cloves (the vast majority of what we have seen in your pictures) from the bad ones.  Furthermore, we will make another exception to our policy and accept you to return the bad ones (at our expense) and will refund you for them, although you were 3 days late in contacting us.However, your position (which is to say that because you found some bad cloves, everything is bad) is not only unacceptable but totally absurd.  It is as if an orchardist would quarantine his whole apple crop after finding a few wormy apples or if a potato farmer would abandon his entire crop after finding some rotted spuds upon harvest.What you did, using the same metaphor, is cutting every potato you bought in quarters (rendering them unusable except for immediate planting), then after finding a few rotted ones, changed your mind about the quality of the entire lot, deciding against planting any of them, and then demanding to return cut potatoes (here cracked and soaked garlic) and requesting a full refund.As [redacted] explained to you, the bruising on the garlic will not affect the ability of the garlic to germinate. As the garlic is mechanically harvested, it is unavoidable for some of the cloves to be bruised.  These bruises in turn get moldy while in storage.As far as the origins of our garlic, we buy garlic from various growers from many locations in the USA and Canada. We do not grow anything ourselves, but as our company name clearly states, we are a garden & farm supply business that buy and resell inventory suitable to farmers and gardeners. As we did not disclose where our garlic comes from to begin with, how could you accuse us of misleading you about the fact that some of the seed garlic we sell is from Canada?  If garlic not sourced from the USA (or from any other particular location) was of such a concern for you, why haven’t you asked us where our garlic is from?  By the way, we are somewhat puzzled as to why you would consider Canada sourced garlic inferior to American sourced garlic.  If it would be from China, we could understand, but from Canada?!Addressing another issue from your complaint to the Revdex.com, you incorrectly state that we are certified and that our farms are certified. As above mentioned, we are not a farm but a farm & garden supply business.  However, we are certified by CCOF to handle organic seeds, which is irrelevant to your situation as the garlic you purchased was conventionally, not organically grown.In the meantime, we strongly recommend you talk to the Canadian grower where your garlic was sourced from.  We asked him to call you, which he did but had to leave a message.  This is for you the perfect opportunity to talk to a real professional garlic grower who will give you the right advice and walk you through the path of success, instead of listening to mis-informed or un-commital “experts” you consulted with.  Warren has grown millions of pounds of garlic over 30 years and he really knows what he is talking about.If you still want to have the good cloves (that you obviously need to segregate from the bad ones that will be returned to us) tested before planting, please send a pound of the good cloves right away to the lab Plant Disease Diagnostics 780 Palmer Road Walnut Creek, CA 94596, do so (at our expense for the shipping and the testing, the label for shipping the sample to the lab is attached. The nearest FedEx facility in you area is a FedEx Express Drop Box located at Hwy 51 & Hwy Six in Batesville.), but you absolutely need to dry the good cloves (now that you soaked them) and store them in a breathable bag (preferably netted) or an open & flat container in a fridge (not a closed plastic bag) so that they can stay in good condition until we get the results confirming viability and lack of infestation.  If the lab tests come negative (infestation), we will issue you a refund.  If the lab test come back positive (no infestation), we will expect you to plant the garlic immediately.However, it is essential that in earnest, you do your very best to preserve this cracked & soaked garlic as it will otherwise continue to deteriorate in the meantime if not properly cared for.Josh Duncan[redacted] Gerpheide

09/15/2016   Case# 11705734   Customer: ST380213 Invoice: [redacted]   Billing Address:   [redacted] KS 66749   Shipping Address:   [redacted] KS 66749   Customer was made aware of our Bare Root Policy and agreed...

to it prior to making the purchase online. This customer issue has been resolved directly with PVFS and the customer. We agreed to allow her to use her bare root credit towards the shipping costs of her replacement order [redacted]. $9.99 for shipping was refunded back to her Discover CC on 09/14/16. The bare root credit of $19.99 was moved to her current order [redacted] and was used to cover the shipping fee per customer request. She has credit balance of $10.00 that will be left on her account to be used towards her next purchase.