I'm glad you posted that because I was going to order a Harry & David Heritage basket from Costco & have it sent to my sister. I'll figure something else out. Thank you!!

I've been ordering Harry and David stuff for years and have always found their customer service to be top notch. I'm sure if you called and let them know about the condition of your fruit they would gladly send a replacement.

Did you contact H & D to say you were dissatisfied? They still have a guarantee as far as I know. We were in their fruit of the month club for years and never had any major problems. They can not correct a problem if they do not know it exists.

I've gotten their stuff in years past and always been happy with the fruit quality. I'd contact them too.

If I contact them, they will want to deal with the buyer. At least that's how I've found problems are handled at most companies. The last thing I want is for a complaint to get back to someone who is trying to please us with this gift.
I think I know who sent it, but I'm not sure yet, because H&D forgot the card.

Someone said, "They can not correct a problem if they do not know it exists."

Why don't they know it exists? If I were selling fancy fruit baskets, I'd darn well know the quality of the fruit in them.

Christine, I understand your concern..my husband (boyfriend at the time) sent me a dozen roses from a local florist..they were in awful shape..after work I went to them and took them back and asked for them to be replaced...They of course did..but he felt that I should just have excepted the "gift"..I told him he paid Damn good money and deserved to get his money's worth out of the gift...
I've NEVER gotten flowers again...it's been over 17 years since that flower delivery...

So I know where your feelings are coming from....

We also received a H&D gift assortment with sad looking pears. It was from one of DH's work colleagues. Like cloudy christine, I would never want to slight the gifter.

The pears are good enough to be diced into our morning oatmeal, but I wouldn't set them out on a cheese tray or serve them to company.

We received the very same assortment last year - many little fruit printed boxes with cheese, jellies, choc. truffles, etc. I remember last year's pears were so nice I displayed them in a basket on my dining table till we ate them with Christmas brunch.

Could be just a bad year....

H&D know their items don't go to the purchaser usually--I'm sure they'd be OK with dealing with the recipient. I don't see why the gifter would be notified.

Buuuttttt, maybe it just is a bad year for pears. The weather HAS been goofy.

Sorry to hear this. I'd call and see what they have to say. If they want to contact or deal with the sender tell them to forget it. Hopefully they will stand behind there product and send a replacement.

FWIW, I used them last year and was happy with the product and service.

David

As someone who was married to a man who was head of a company which derived a large portion of it's business form christmas gift orders...I can tell you that Harry and David want to know and I can tell you that it's nothing about the person who paid for the gift...it's all about you and the person who packed your gift.
Call Harry and David and tell them....you will get your good pears, Harry and David will have redeemed their deservedly fine reputation and everyone will be happy.
Don't grouse about poor merchandise, tell the person that is responsible.
Also....for 7 years I was "on the phones"..head of the department who placed orders and handled complaints. and there was a considerable amount of people who called and told us that they didn't like one kind of cheese, could they return it for another kind? And others who would call and say..."my boss always sends us Blue cheese for Christmas and we don't like blue cheese, so could you please just substitute chedder for the blue and not tell him?"...And we would look through the thousands and thousands of orders to try to accomodate her.
Once I remember talking to a woman who wondered where her cheese was. She said so and so always sent them cheese for Christmas and this year they didn't get the package and could we please put a tracer on it....and I had the sad task of telling her that we didn't have an order for cheese for her this year....not telling her that so and so sent a long list but she wasn't on it!
Call Harry and David, they will want to know and they won't tell the donor.
think about it....if they went back to the donor with every problem, that donor would never order gifts from them again!
Linda C

We've gotten carpy pears from H&D as a gift. We told them and they sent us pristine pears. Tell 'em and you'll get good pears. The same gifters still send us H&D so I'm sure they weren't told.

Most of those places that send out gift "whatever" don't grow it themselves, they have suppliers and with the fruit business or the flower business or the Gourmet Steaks business, sometimes a supplier will have "quality issues" and I am sure that Harry and Davids would want to know that you received less than ideal pears.
And...if it's a bad year for pears and they were all like that? Why they will just tell you that,.
Linda c

I would have taken a picture of the pears and emailed H & D. We have got ripped off by other gift basket places. One year we ordered a very expensive gourmet basket to be sent to in-laws in Chicago, which was filled by their local representative. Someone went to the grocery store and picked up a bunch of bananas, oranges and Snicker bars and other off the shelf items, not even gourmet grocery items. When we found out we raised Holy H@!! but did no good. They did not refund our money or resend a better basket so never used them again.
Clare

I think it's important to call just to find out who ordered this gift for you. Who are you going to thank???? And then let them know it was poor quality. I see no reason they would ever notify the sender that you weren't happy.

CC, I have gotten baskets and boxes for years from H&D and the one time the grapefruits were not prefect, I called and they FedEx'd me a replacement without any questions.

your pears may have been bruised and dinged in transit but call and politley let them know.

Cloudy, I don't think this is the norm. for Harry & David. They are pretty good. I have ordered several things from them throughout the years for myself and others without incident. When I worked at the law firm, several clients would give us their Fruit of the Month and it was excellent all the time.

There is only one time when there was a problem and that is when my in-laws sent a package to us with various things including the pears. The pears were damaged. We told my in-laws and they called H&D Customer Service and news ones were sent immediately and were very good.

I just this afternoon ordered the fruit of the month for my in-laws. I am hoping all will be well, they have lived in the tropics for years and are accustomed to the quality of fruit we don't get here in our grocers. If it's not top-notch, I will most definetly hear about it...ugh..;p

I agree with Lindac, why would they let the gifter know they sent out a bad product? It would be in their best interest to make sure the gifter didn't find out by making the receiver happy with a few new pears than loose an order or future customer. Let's hope so.

We were in a H&D last evening and mentioned how nice the pears looked. Several people were in line, to buy them. With the bad weather, maybe they got caught out in the extreme cold during shipping, and it made them look less than their best. It sure wouldn't take long. I think they should be given the benifit of the doubt, as they have a very good reputation. They can't fix it unless they know about it. We have used them for years with no complaints.

WE just received a goody box from H&D and the pears were perfect -- as was everything else included..... as always has been the case.

A couple of years ago H&D sent us a box thru' the USPS and it sat in the hot PO over the long weekend and was a mess when we received it. I called H&D to tell them that they should use a different delivery company. That year they immediately sent us a whole new box even tho' it wasn't their fault; and we now get our annual box thru' UPS.

I ordered an H&D basket for a friend who'd been in an accident. It took so darn long to get there, she was nearly recovered. I was embarrassed.

Another time I ordered flowers for my niece who just had a baby. I went to visit a few days later and I was appalled at what she received. I know she never would have said a word. I called and complained. They said they would have to send someone out to pick them up and see what they looked like before they would refund my money. My niece had her hands full with a newborn and a two year old, so I said no. I continued to press my case and got half my money back.

I have NEVER ordered flowers from one of those online services again. I call a local florist and speak to them directly. It always works.

CC, sorry you had a bad experience.

A few years ago my brother-in-law started a tradition of sending us Harry & David pears for Christmas. They've always been perfect. Before I got the first shipment, I thought the idea of shipping fruit baskets as a gift was just plain stupid. But after I tasted those wonderful pears, I quickly changed my mind.

I'm with the others. Call customer service and let them know what happened. I'm sure Harry & David will want to correct the problem. Plus they'll want to track quality control issues.

I'm glad so many have had such good dealings with them. It makes me hope my experience was just a fluke. I've gotten and sent Harry and David many times over the years until a couple of years ago. My brother sent us a mixed box with all the big stuff and the pears were mushy. I called them and they sent more but they were also bad. I did just give up after that second bad batch and haven't used them since.

I agree with Linda 100%.
Call them. It's got to be a fluke.

I've received H&D many times and only once were the pears not wonderful. They sent new pears out immediately and as far as I know the gifter was none the wiser.

When my fil passed away 3 yrs ago we got a box of H&D pears....they were the most delicious pears I have ever eaten....unfortunately we had to leave to come back to NJ and I could not take them with me....I still remmeber how yummy those pears were. Please call them and complain.

I also recieve flowers from a df every year from ProFlowers....they are usually beautiful...this year they did not open and were floppy as soon as I opened them. I called them to let them know that the transport company left them on my front door in the middle of the summer and I did not get home until that night...hence the wilted flowers. They told me they would send another out immediately. I told the rep that I was going to be leaving in a few days to go out of town and she said to just let her know when we would be returning and the flowers would be delivered then. Some customer service people are wonderful,,,just like some companies

About 4 years ago, we received a HD gift box of pears from my inlaws. At first I thought it was a little silly. Like shambo, I wondered who would order pears when you can buy them at the market. BUT they were wonderful. I've never had pears with such flavor and the texture was great.

Grace

We've had nothing but great results from H&D. Their pears are so juicy they need to be eaten over a sink. I'm not a "pear person", but I do love their pears.

I know H&D use Wa grown pears and apples...what about going right to the orchard?

Here is a link that might be useful: Pakitrite

For three years in a row I gave my mother the Fruit of the Month club. Everything was received in perfect shape. They have excellent customer service; when she went on vacation I would call them so that they wouldn't schedule any delivery while she was away.

One month she received two shipments - one at the start of the month and one at the end of the month. I called to ask why, and they said the fruit had ripened quicker than planned for the next month's shipment, so they sent it early.

For flowers I use Proflowers.com. Same as H&D, my mom got flowers every month for almost four years. One month they only shipped 11 roses instead of a dozen, so they gave me a choice of credit or shipping her one rose for free. She always raved about the flowers, said they were perfect and lasted a long time. It made her happy since she lived in senior housing and no longer had a garden anymore.

I just used Proflowers for a thank-you gift for an old friend who treated us to dinner; they received them on December 9th. They just emailed me yesterday (19th) that the snapdragons had faded, but the pink and white lilies were still in great shape.

What everybody else said - contact them! Our agency has received many H&D fruit gifts, including their Fruit of the Month club, and we were never unsatisfied. Please let them know. They are a very reputable company.

Agreed with H&D and Proflowers. DSIL sent me the most gorgeous bouquet for Mother's Day and I was stunned. Way better than anything FTD ever sent! And there's nothing like a Royal Riviera pear! YUM!

I feel compelled to follow up my post near the top of this thread.....Our pears may be a little rough looking on the outside this year, but they are delicious - at least the one we shared last night was. The inside flesh was unblemished, it was at the peak of ripeness, juicy and flavorful. You couldn't rate it a "10" based on outward appearance, but I'd choose it over a beautiful looking, dry, blah pear any day. Redeemed!

ok it may seem petty but - they use to use chip board boxes - almost like a second gift. Now they use flimsy cardboard things that barely stay together. The portions are much smaller. The pears I got this week are fine except they are small - and when you look at the box you see that they couldn't fit a larger pear in the box, so for this gift these are the size they meant to send.

I have used them for over 10 years for family and friends but I think next year I am going to look for something else.

My son works for H&D and I can assure you that the company would be very distressed to read these complaints here on a well read message board. Do call them at their 800 number and let THEM know that a product is or was unsatisfactory. Their business IS to provide a superior gift product to customers that they value highly. And, they can't discover that a shipping problem exists if no one gives them that information. Nanny

I'm going to chime in on the fresh flowers. It is a crap shoot when you wire a floral arrangement. That said, if I sent flowers to someone, I would definitely want to know if they were substandard or unacceptable in any way.

We pay good money for these services and we have no way of knowing what the recipient is getting.

I don't look at it as a complaint about the send-er...but a complaint about the business who filled the order.

I ordered from H&D many times in past years and sent up to 8 mail order gifts of fruit to friends and family each Christmas. In their thank you notes, all said the fruit was delicious, etc., but one year I decided to send an order to myself to see if the quality of the fruit (it was citrus; grapefruit and oranges, not the pears) was as good as the recipients declared. I was very disappointed. Although the fruit arrived looking perfect and unblemished, both the grapefruit and oranges were dry and juiceless and I ended up composting most of the remainder of my order. I can only surmise it had been picked and stored too long before being shipped. I did not contact their customer service, although I probably should have. I continue to send mail order citrus at Christmas, but I use another company. To be fair, H&D have many other wonderful treats that I sometimes purchase if I come across one of their retail shops. My family in general have sent many H&D mail order gifts over the decades (I remember getting surprise baskets while in graduate school and what a treat that was to a poor grad student), and most of what I remember getting was wonderful, also the baskets were very well made and sturdy in those days and I still have a few of them.

I've never posted here before but was looking for a place to vent. For several years I have ordered my mother-in-law one of the small decorated Christmas trees from H & D. Never had a problem. This year I ordered two, one for my MIL and one for my Dad. I placed the order on Dec. 6 and got an e-mail saying my order was being processed. They were supposed to be delivered by Dec. 16th. On the 15th I checked the tracking and they had not been shipped. When I inquired, H & D at first said they were "backordered" and then said they were "unavailable." In what I considered to be a rude e-mail, they told me that I could order something else but I needed to do it by the 17th or they couldn't guarentee shipping. Fuming, I asked when I was going to be informed that the items were not available. Had I not checked on the tracking I would not have known that they hadn't been shipped. After several e-mails, they said I would have eventually been notified. The other day I recieved a letter in the mail offereing me a 20% discount on my next order within 90 days. I'm still not happy and I don't plan to order from them in the future. I would have had no problem if they had let me know that the items were unavailable within a reasonable time period but to wait until I inquired is just bad business.

This is the second year our friend from the west coast has sent us an H&D gift pack including apples and pears, and they were in great shape...crisp apples and sweet juicy pears.

Came home tonight to find a lovely gift basket from relatives from H & D with an assortment of goodies in a cardboard box. When I opened it, the Riviera pears were green/brown, bruised, spongy and translucent, and wet. It is -9 degrees today with a wind chill of -21. I wonder if they survived the shipping in the extreme cold. I, too, would think the sender would want to know, as well as H & D, because they paid good money for it, and it's not a complaint against them, but the company's product.

We do mail order all the time, with many different companies, and have done so for decades. H&D is one of the best companies to deal with, with high quality fruit and OUTSTANDING customer service. They go the extra mile to satisfy all customers. I just got my DH a Fruit of the Month sub for the full year, and he is in love with the quality/sweetness of their fruit.

The Riviera pears were somewhat speckled from sun; but that doesn't affect the flavor. annelamontj, sounds like your pears definitely got frozen. Just contact H&D and let them know what happened.

There are plenty of mail order companies that are a pain to deal with if there's a problem - believe me, I could really name names! - but H&D, like Eddie Bauer, Amazon (ONLY Amazon products, not the Marketplace purchases!) have top quality customer service.

Hmm, a friend sends me the darned pears every year and every single time they are a total ripoff, worse than regular supermarket pears and in poor condition, often spoiled inside. I would not say they have excellent customer service, either. They didn't seem especially interested when I called to complain, just basically said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah," and that was the end of it.

Certainly they used to be very good indeed back before they got bought out, but I'm stunned that anyone could find them worthwhile now.

Contact the company immediately. They will make it right.

FYI my daughter bought a double box on Groupon this year. The one bos had small pears that were decent, but not that memorable divine sweetness of years past. The second Bosc were late and delicious like always.

FYI Trader Joe's was selling them and sampling right around the Christmas week. I thought what a come down from those high end years past.

H&D are famous for their Riviera pears, not bosc. Must be the new owners.

I have gotten 3 of these for gifts in the last year. Mine were all Riveria pears, and all perfect.

>>H&D are famous for their Riviera pears, not bosc.>>

Depends on when the new owners took over. I've gotten the catalogs for years, they've been offering Boscs for at least a decade. Rivieras are a Comice-type pear, not a long season.

H&D aren't famous for cherries or tropical fruit, either, but the quality was excellent, according to my mom when I gave her the full year's FotM club for the last three years of her life.

Since my DH has shipments coming through Nov 2017, I'll try to remember to report back once the full year is over and give his opinion on the various fruits.

I also got H & D Riviera Pears this past Christmas, the fruits were sweet, but very mushy, nothing like the H & D we had in the past, they were all perfect. Disappointing.