Beware of scam from House of Wesley mail order

17 years ago

There is a mail order garden business that operates under 8 names from bloomington,IL. The house of wesley, burgess seed, honeycreek nurseries, etc.

This company scams people by showing attractive photos in their catalog and ships dead product. I have been so upset with a company in the heartland ripping off innocent gardeners I have contacted the BBB of central IL, the attorney general's office of IL and the FTC.

If anyone has any knowledge or information on how to reach executive management or happens to know of any honest person that may work for this business, please let me know.

Your help is needed.

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Comments (7)

prubo
17 years ago
The original owner of this company (I'm sure it has changed hands over the years) spent time in jail for mail fraud in the 1950's.
sedum37
17 years ago
A good reminder to check out a company carefully before ordering. One good source is GardenWatchdog where people post their opinions good and bad on mail order nurseries. Check it out next time...

You can also try the online BBB search but it doesn't contain many companies as GardenWatch Dog.
http://www.bbbonline.org/consumer/index.aspx

Sorry this doesn't help you now but to avoid future disappointments.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden WatchDog Link
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Nothing is a good deal if it arrives moribund or dead. Another thing to watch out for are dubious "guarantees". Here's the one from Direct Gardening's website: "If any item you purchased from us does not live, for a FREE REPLACEMENT just RETURN THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL along with your written request within 1 year of receipt. If you are dissatisfied with any merchandise, return it together with the ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL within 1 year of receipt for a FREE REPLACEMENT. Replacement guarantee is VOID unless the ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL is returned. For a REFUND of the purchase price, RETURN THE ITEM AND THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL, with the correct postage affixed, within 14 days of receipt." I doubt that many people are aware that they have to hang on to the shipping label to get a replacement* (in these days of computerized records this should not be necessary). I would also avoid like the plague any company that makes you ship the dead/dying plants back to them (reputable firms in my experience never do this). And if you receive what's supposed to be a dormant perennial and it turns out it's dead, you won't realize this within 14 days, so sorry, forget about a refund. *If the "replacements" are also dead or dying (as reported by multiple customers on Garden Watchdog), they are no bargain either.
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smlechten
15 years ago
Thanks. I was just noticing that I got a catalog from Burgess seed with outstanding prices, and it occurred to me that the pictures, descriptions and prices were exactly the same as House of Wesley. They show a similar, but different phone number and address in Bloomington, IL. I was just checking to see if it was indeed the same company.

I had an awful experience with House of Wesley before I found the Vendor Ratings on various web sites. They charged my credit card a full month before shipping. I contacted them multiple times by e-mail and phone to cancel the order because it was too late for me to use, and they refused to cancel the order. I disputed the charge with my credit card company and got a refund. Then they shipped me the typical dead plants I've read about. I followed their own instructions and refused the shipment, having it returned to sender. They then sent me a letter advising that they fulfilled their obligation to ship me product and were rebilling my credit card. I'd already noticed the charge and disputed the rebill again. My credit card is issued by Chase, and they assured me that they charged the mercant a fee every time they canceled the charges for me and that it would stop. I also wrote back to House of Wesley threatening to contact the BBB, and state attorney general, as well as the FTC if my card was charged again, and advised them that they had violated state law by charging my card prior to shipment (and without having product in stock by their own written admission), and probably several federal laws because the business was conducted between states, over the internet and by mail. They have stopped billing my card, and I lost nothing but some time dealing with the whole mess.
daviesfj
13 years ago
BEWARE, DO NOT ORDER FROM HOUSE OF WESLEY. THIS COMPANY IS A SCAM.
90% of what they send you will die, they will not give you a refund, only a replacement which will also die. I have a small claims judgment against them but they still refuse to refund my money. Legal action, BBB and the rest does not bother this company, they are skirting the law and they know it. This is not an honest or ethical company, and they are a disgrace to the gardening community. TELL YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS TO BEWARE ALSO.
spedigrees z4VT
13 years ago
Try listing this scam outfit with
http://www.ripoffreport.com/
I've found this site helpful in avoiding transactions with other companies whose bad reputations proceeded them. And thanks for the tip about 'house of wesley.'
ginny12
13 years ago
It sounds as if these companies are as bad as the above posts say. But I am very curious as to why these reports are appearing on the New England forum. Most have never posted here before and are from distant areas of the country. One just registered in order to post here, I assume. Only two are familiar names on this forum. What's going on?

If you're from Arizona or wherever, just say so and be upfront about your information.
isabella__MA
13 years ago
Yes none of these companies has a good or even medicore reputation.... It's buyer beware that's for sure!

Basically you get the quality you pay for. These companies do have a policy of returning the tag for a replacement plant. I have ordered from these folks before, and I would order from them again. However, I would only order very easy to grow plants like Vinca minor or other nearly impossible to kill plants. Don't order any trees or ornamental shrubs.

For some plants I have sent back the label for a replacement plants 3X! Each time the plant label policy was honored, but that really didn't do anything to help further my garden along. Getting the plants at that point was just a matter of getting what I paid for.

Beware of scam from House of Wesley mail order

Comments (7)

prubo

sedum37

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smlechten

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