Last year i decided to order a little bit from everybody just to see, luckily for me i didnt order from Chamblee. But i did put my email on waiting list for Evelyn at One Love and Gardens and I never received an email to tell me that this rose is available, so i got lucky again.

It is a shame. I agree that they should refund folks and stop taking orders if they are unable to do business. It's a tough field to be in, but there are certain legal expectations.

I agree with Lily that it's a disappointment especially about the Jalbert roses. They're such great roses and so hard to find. I think many people here know how much I love Peter's Joy.

I

Hi Moses, ”I think bad weather coupled with financial difficulties have caused the current dilemma for you current customers. I believe you will find no other recourse than to suffer your losses, and move on.” LOL

Those are just their lies to defraund others and keep our hard earned money. The two guys are still taking money from people who have no clue. There should be some consequences for defrauding customers and they should not be in the business anymore.

Moses, you are incorrect. The family who bought the nursery from Mark Chamblee in 2019 did a good job with the nursery. BUT, they sold it to these new guys late 2022, and they are the ones who are the crooks. They may have had good intentions at first, but once they started having trouble, it seems that they doubled down and decided to milk it for all it's worth. Quite a few people have received refunds from Pay Pal or their credit card companies, so there is recourse. Something similar happened with a company called For Love of Roses. He bought the company from the famous Whit Wells. He sent good roses for several years, then got into financial trouble in the late 2010s, and kept selling roses he didn't deliver and just collected the money for years.

Susan, I was thinking that this is like a flashback to For Love If Roses.

Something doesn’t make sense…
When I Google “Chamblees Nursery”, a full website comes up. A lot of nice roses with decent prices as well as some out of stock. Everything looks above board. But I understand that they sold out in 2019 and then again in 2022 and now are under the One Love name…if this is all one company, why two separate websites? Are they both suspect? Is there something rotten in the state of Denmark? I have no experience ordering from either of these websites, but have read a lot about Chamblees on this site.

JudiJuneBug, here's a brief overview. A family with a fruit nursery bought it from Mark Chamblee in 2019, and did fine with it. Then in late 2022, they sold it to a young couple who have a landscape/nursery business in Dallas (called One Love). That’s when the trouble started. They keep selling plants and not sending them, with tons of excuses about weather and illness. But unless you know about it, you would easily be sucked in, since their website and FB page are kept up-to-date with announcements on the roses they’re selling. It just breaks everyone’s heart to see Chamblee’s good name be dragged through the dirt like this! A good reminder to check for current reviews if you're not familiar with a nursery. The Yelp reviews are blistering.

Is there a way to report to FB what they are doing? Maybe the sites can be closed?

I ordered two roses from One Love Farms last month and received them quickly and in great condition. I contacted them through Facebook for it; not their website.

Some gossip I have heard: the owners were in a bad car accident which caused for a lot of late deliveries. I also heard that a lot of the orders from their website were custom propagation orders, but their website did not make it clear what is a custom propagation order and what's 'available now'. So, a lot of people who placed "custom orders" didn't know that's what it was and didn't understand what's taking so long.

I don't know who owns Chamblee's, so I can't chime in on that.

When my recent order arrived healthy, I contacted One Love Farms again through Facebook and placed a custom order for two roses, so I'll let you know how that goes. I don't expect the roses before next year.

I have bought from other small nurseries and didn't always hear back in a timely manner. In fact, I have contact David Austin roses twice without ever hearing back and for a while their phone system was down and I couldn't even call. I've contacted David Austin Roses many times over the years, so these instances last year and earlier this year were one offs. And I have heard David Austin Roses have staffing issues. They need more people, but aren't hiring. From everything I have read, being in the nursery business is hard. And with the unprecedented weather patters we have I am happy to not be in that industry.

I live in Texas and I lost two roses to the unprecedented cold fronts we got over the last two years, so as skeptical as I am of what companies say, I actually do believe David Austin Roses when they say it affected their inventory. I also heard it affected the Antique Rose Emporium's inventory. So, I would expect that all nurseries in Texas were affected to some extent. And the heat and watering restrictions this year in Texas are another challenge, that even I as a home gardener, am contending with.

Side note: The Antique Rose Emporium is also under new owners. Mike Shoup sold it late last year. I heard the new owners are looking for a rose breeder. I also heard that this summer is affecting ARE's inventory.

I don't personally know who runs any of these businesses, I just ask a lot of questions when I speak with their employees. Maybe I ask too many questions.

Good to know about ARE, but their prices are up high.

@SoCalGardenNut If you don't mind me asking, where on ARE are you looking? On their website I see $30 for 2 gallon roses. I only know of one other nursery online that is that reasonably priced. I want to know where you buy your roses so I can shop there, too.

Sharon,

Here it is, i dont rember paying for this price for my 2 Boleros,

https://antiqueroseemporium.com/products/bolero-romantica

@Kelvin L I see on your Molly Mok Houzz account that this is the only post on Houzz you've commented on. Since you have already filed with all the appropriate organizations, "Report Fraud FTC, Texas Attorney General, BBB", and you say you haven't received a refund or your roses in a year and half. That indicates that those organizations sided with One Love.

@SoCalGardenNut Where do you buy your roses? I want to shop where you shop!

Big box stores excluded, I thought a 2 gallon rose for $30 is a great price. O.o

Sorry for the off-topic comment, but wow, I received an email that ARE was raising their prices from $23 to $25 just last August, but did not expect them to jump to $30 so quickly! Shipping was about $8.50 for me per rose for four roses.

@Sharon z8b Texas Does it matter how many comments I have left on Houzz if what I stated is true same as hundreds of others have experienced with these two businesses? You are the lucky one who received 1 in 100 orders from them most likely because you live in Texas. I noticed somehow they have fulfilled the orders to Texas addresses. I have not received my refunds from them because they defrauded customers intentionally not ”BBB, FTC, and Texas Attorney General sided with them”.

I ordered mine from Bay Laurel, both roses are priced at $21 for bareroot. I paid $24 something for my Bolero from Regan Nursery last year.

i think i paid $45.90 for my 2 Boleros from ARE a few years back,maybe 2021.

i buy mostly bareroot roses.

I prefer to give a business a fair chance and the benefit of the doubt. If indeed Chamblees/ One Love has hit on hard times(I’m not disputing this), then hopefully they will in time catch up with their orders and do right by all those who have in good faith ordered from them. However, the fact that they have NOT put a clear statement on their website describing their current situation and letting all customers and potential customers know what to expect… well, this doesn’t speak well of them. Be upfront, honest and fair, Chamblees/One Love. I hope someone in their company reads this forum and sees how everyone is feeling about them.

@SoCalGardenNut Thank you SO much!!! I'm on their website now.

@Kelvin L I recommend you send another certified letter with signed proof of delivery to the organizations you listed and tell them your issue is unresolved.

@sharon z8b Texas I exposed these two scammers online just like some others who posted online, on Yelp, and Facebook groups to warn others not to be the new victims and lost their hard earned money. These crooks should be suspended their business licenses and punished for defrauding customers.

BTW I can have any user names I like and It’s none of your business. It’s fine if you want to defend your favorite business but you can’t discredit the victims…unless you are part of the business.

@Kelvin L is probably being paid by the Rose Geek to post this.

I am certain that any company that intentionally engages in fraud and is reported, the organizations you mentioned would step in quick, and it would end up on the news. Most especially since you say many people were affected and complained. I don't think the BBB would sit quiet for this long.

I am not a part of their business and am not affiliated with them.

They are not my favorite business, and with how much I have seen you repeat the same negative report across multiple mediums, I will make sure to never mention who my favorite business is. I'll give you a hint: they don't sell roses.

@sharon z8b Texas It’s very funny that the two scammers and their friends always blame on Rose Geek or any excuses rather than their own illegal and unethical practices. The next thing you may say is all the victims are paid by someone to defame the business LOL

@sharon z8b Texas I got it…It’s time for ”preorder” and you desperately need new customers or victims LOL. You sound exactly like the two scammers who threatened Rose Geek as a retaliation when she brought up her concern for the business.

Wow, this thread took a turn.

Not sure what the point of how many posts we've written, or who we believe someone is, or isn't, matters. Or why someone is so mad about what so many ppl have said, this company is no longer a reputable business and none of us are going to order from them.

I was also disappointed ARE raised their prices again, but they do send big, healthy bare roots, so I guess their new prices are in line with most other companies that aren't selling tiny bands.

@Reb Z6-KS5 I have only bought from the Antique Rose Emporium in person at their store. Do they send bareroot for their online orders? Their website says they send two gallon roses. Is that not up to date information?

In the spring, yes.

@Reb Z6-KS Thank you. This is good information. I was considering buying from their website because the shipping is cheaper than the gas to drive there. I would have been very surprised to get a bareroot. I am not saying bareroot is bad. I buy bareroot all the time. Just that I would have been surprised since I always thought of ARE as potted roses only.

They send bare roots depending on where you live too. For example, Ag restrictions in Oregon mean that they only send bare roots in January to Oregon.

Hi, I also had issues this spring with the new owners of Chamblee's. I waited one month after the supposed shipping date for my roses, and then contacted them via email.

“Hello, I apologize for the delay in your order, there was a recent tornado that destroyed our shipping department, and we are currently behind about 2 1/2 weeks on all orders. I went ahead and expedited your order and moved it up on the queue, it will ship at the end of these upcoming weeks. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

I did not receive the “expedited” order, nor any further correspondence. Fortunately, my Visa card credited my account.

Just FYI,

Priscilla

Did you ever check to see if there was actually a tornado?

Hi sautesmom, I did try but couldn't establish with certainty, there had been some severe thunderstorms in that area about a month before my roses were to ship. But what I did find online were many other similar complaints - plants not received, no contact from vendor/unable to reach vendor. It was particularly concerning as some customers had complaints w/ earlier dates so prior to "we're behind 2 1/2 weeks d/t recent tornado". I'm very patient and like to support small businesses and especially the few rose vendors still in business but unfortunately there's a something wrong here.

There's a thread on the Garden org rose forum about this ex-Chamblees/One Love nursery, in case anyone is interested...https://garden.org/thread/view/173893/Chamblees-Rose-Nursery-Now-Defrauding-Customers/

Weather Underground: "Severe Weather Sweeps Through Dallas-Fort Worth; Brief Tornado Reported"

https://www.wunderground.com/article/news/weather/news/2023-03-16-severe-weather-texas-oklahoma-news

"Kelvin L

They say their bank account frozen so they can’t refund but they can still sell online and collect money from new people."

"What Is a Frozen Account?

A frozen account is a bank or investment account that doesn't allow out-going transactions. Account freezes are normally the result of a court order, though, in some cases, they may be initiated by the financial institution itself. Freezes typically occur when the account holder has unpaid debts to creditors or the government, or when suspicious activity has been detected in the account.

Frozen accounts do not permit any debit transactions. So when an account is frozen, account holders cannot make any withdrawals, purchases, or transfers. The account freeze will not allow you to withdraw money in any way, including through ATM machines or automatic payments, by writing a check, or through other transactions... money can be deposited into the account but no money can leave the account.

What Happens to Automatic Payments During an Account Freeze?

Any bills that you have arranged to be paid automatically from your account, such as utilities or a monthly gym membership, will stop while the freeze is in effect. In that case you will need to pay those bills in some other way."

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/frozenaccount.asp

I think they told you the truth, Kelvin. If their account is frozen, they can't issue refunds even if they want to.

And if they can't even pay their bills, then, wow, they are hurting bad. They are stuck in between a rock and hard place. I don't think there is anything they can do other than send out as many orders as possible. And if they lost inventory from storm damage and this brutal summer, they are SOL with no recourse. I don't know how business insurance works in these scenarios. My guess is their insurance put a hold on their policy until all this controversy pans out. So they are just screwed from every direction.

I don't know these people, but I sure feel sorry for them.

I once considered starting a nursery, but after doing the math I realized it's not for me. And after reading all this, heck, no, I am never starting any business of my own.

"Chargebacks cost merchants significantly more than the price of the lost goods or services.

In fact, industry insiders estimate that chargebacks cost merchants anywhere from 2.40x to 3.60x the chargeback among. That means for every $100 a shopper charges back, the merchant loses $240-$360. This is because there are several costs and fees that pile up:

lost goods/services

payment processing fees

chargeback penalties

overhead spent handling chargebacks

operational expenses, such as shipping fees

reputational damage to the brand"

https://justt.ai/blog/refunds-vs-chargebacks-merchants-guide/

Ok, I have to stop all my research. This is making my heart hurt. I need to walk away.

Hi, please note, the day before the brief tornado/severe storm that you noted above occurred, the owners stated they had tornado damage earlier in the year. Therefore, this particular storm isn't what impacted their business.

Regardless of storm damage, a reputable business would not continue to take $ and promise shipment if they were not able to fulfill the orders.

I checked their Facebook page, and they are open for business with a "huge" quantity of roses, "come visit us Labor Day Weekend!", and encouraging customers to shop through their website! I don't feel sorry for Chamblee's/One Love, I feel sorry for the customers.

@Kelvin L I am not complaining. I am not affected by the chargebacks. I am simply sharing what I read. I found what you wrote interesting. You talked about things that I have never heard of and processes that I knew nothing about. I am a curious person and looked them all up for my own personal knowledge.

The articles I read said frozen accounts continue to accept money, but nothing can be taken out. If the articles would have gone into more detail, I would have shared that.

I don't know how One Love or Chamblee's do business so I can't speak to that. I also have never had my own business and don't know how that works... but I'm going to look this up, because I want to know.

I do know that the ordering process on websites is a completely separate process from the bank account to which the funds are going into. It's actually 3 different parties/processes: the website order (1 party, the computer that holds the website, managed/attended to by the company that made the website), the processing of the order (another separate and independent entity), and the funds going into the account (3rd party, this is the bank). From a technical perspective, and I mean technical like computers and internet technology, none of that is handled by the company you are ordering from. Only the bank account, the final destination of the entire process above, belongs to the company you are ordering from.

I promise you, unless you are looking at a company that builds websites, every other website you look at was not built or made by that company. When you look at Chase bank, they did not make their website. They paid another company to make their website. When you look at the David Austin website, they did not make their website. The employees at David Austin do not process the orders or payments, it is another company that does it for them. Even if they take your credit card over the phone, they submit it to the company that processes the payment.

In addition, when you do online transactions directly with banks, it is also another company that handles that process and not the bank itself. The only time a bank handles the transaction is when you go there in person and physically deposit cash or take out cash. All other transactions, checks included, are processed by another company.

The reason is simply: online financial security is a big deal and requires extreme expertise, technical and legal. Companies that handle the technical online aspect of money are held to, as far as I know anyway, the strictest possible standards set by the federal government, international law, AND other overseeing organizations, national AND international. They have to answer to a whole set of regulations that banks don't in addition to the regulations that banks answer to as well.

Whatever! It’s VERY simple. if you can’t deliver the roses, then refund the money.

Even if they are helplessly accepting people's orders and money because of a frozen account or a total lack of control over the financial aspect of their website, they COULD just put up a notice on Facebook,telling people that they are way behind in sending out orders and requesting potential customers to only place an order if they are willing to wait a long time for it to be shipped,right?

I also believe that if they had made any attempt to communicate, show some sort of transparency regarding whatever situation is causing the delay in shipment, they likely would not have been hit with the number of chargebacks they did. I saw that there were some customers that had $1,000+ tied up in orders so when you take that significant amount of money from a large group of customers and don’t respond to inquiries on the status of their orders, it screams ”theft” and ”scam”. Of course they are going to involve their credit card company at that point. I have attempted to contact them many times through several avenues of communication and not once have I received a response. There is no excuse for that, in my opinion.

@bart bart, you made me laugh with" helplessly accepting people's orders ". I don't know if you mean that to be funny. But I really liked it.

They could pause website for maintenance and save the monthly web $ so that people couldn't buy. But they are victims. I am picturing them saying "why won't people stop buying, we don't have roses to ship and no way to refund them"

Glad you liked my joke, Carlos. Yeah, they seem to me to be "Victims", too.

@bart I also laughed when someone renamed them "Sham-blee".

"Sham-blee" would be funnier if it didn't have to use a pun on Mark's surname. It's certainly on point, but I hate that Mark's good name has been dragged through the mud, even though he has no connection whatsoever to the new owners. I can't imagine the pain he feels to see his life's work destroyed.

Mark is a good, honest man who deserved a peaceful retirement, not having to see his name associated with scandal.

I am sorry fig. I am new to roses and didn't know it was the owners last name. I agree. Very sad that they ruined a company name. It is too bad they sold the name with company.

We live in a fallen world. People lie, cheat, steal, and worse. I strive to not be one of them, but I am also a fallen creature just like everyone else. No excuse for bad actions am I giving, just a reason.

One lesson to learn in the One Love Rose & Garden/Chamblee's Roses dilemma is to make only small purchases, i.e. two (2), roses, no more, at a time, regardless of volume discount incentives especially on postage saved for large orders. The sting of a scam is less painful this way.

Moses

Carlos, I wasn't being dismissive or disapproving of the joke. It IS funny. Leave it to the internet, and someone WILL get snarky, lol.

Mark Chamblee is the one who built up a VERY reputable business over many years. Most everyone on these rose forums bought from him and had very satisfactory experiences, both in quality roses and great customer service. His good name was a great selling point, I'm sure, when he sold the business to the first buyers. They hoped to capitalize on the name, and continue to grow the business. For whatever reason, they then sold to the current owners, which is where the issues began. So Mark is twice removed from the current mess, but his name is still unfortunately attached. I'm sure he is regretting selling the name instead of just the business!