Ooooooooooooookay....Peckham's Greenhouse, where do I start? Well, I guess I'll start with the pros and save the big, gargantuan sized con for after.
Okay now then, I'll explain the good points, which are many. The selection is awesome, and the staff members take good care of the plants...it's always nice to go to a nursery/greenhouse and see a selection of HEALTHY potted plants, lacking in the brown leaves department *cough*Wal-Mart*cough*, amongst other places. Also, the staff members themselves are always asking if you need any help with anything and seem to have, for the most part, a decent knowledge of horticulture, always a plus. The prices themselves are not dirt cheap (no pun intended!), but of course you do get what you pay for, and the quality is normally good, and I'm sure there are other places that would charge much more anyway for crappier quality.
Now, on to my problem with Peckham's. It's the only problem I do have, but It's big enough to keep me from ever going there again. In fact, I'm going to take their pamphlet I kept the first time I went there and was impressed and throw it directly in my fire pit and toast some delicious s'mores tasting of satisfaction over it! I make myself laugh, I truly do...The owner, Rick, was so rude to me when I asked a simple question about a return. Rude is an understatement, actually. Now, I am "green" to the whole gardening/landscaping deal. In fact, this is my first year trying it out, just to give some background about myself in this hobby. Hence the reason why I called and asked this particular question.
What happened was I bought a perennial costing $8.95, which is a good price, don't get me wrong. But when I went to plant it, I got it into the dirt and began to press around it, ensuring it took the soil/compost like I always do, and the whole top of the plant broke off. Obviously, I saved the receipt and called back, and I explained my situation to him and asked if I bring the broken plant in with my receipt if they'll give me a refund/new plant. The conversation went as such:
Rick: "Whose fault was it? Was it OUR fault you did that to the plant?"
Me: "Well, no, obviously it was an accident by me, but I DO have the receipt and I was just wondering if I could....
Rick, cutting me off: "What do you think it is??? An ice cream cone or something??? You expect a free plant from US? That's an $8.95 plant ya know."
Me: "I understand that, and I realize that, and if I have to pay for another plant, that's okay, but I was only curious."
Rick: "Well whoop-de-doo, you just got yourself a free plant, you happy now?"
Me: "You know something? Don't even bother. Thanks anyway." (click)
Okay, if I knew I couldn't exchange it, do you think I would call? Ya know, I'm not omnipotent, so I am so sorry, Rick, for bothering you, gods forbid. I am only a curious customer asking about a simple policy, I meant you no harm, I promise. And no, I wasn't born yesterday, I know a plant is a tad different than an ice cream cone, but because I am new to gardening and had no clue whether you do refunds or not....guess what, asshole? I CALLED!!! HURRAH FOR ME!!! I WANTED TO MAKE SURE SO I KNEW WHETHER OR NOT I WAS GOING TO SPEND ANOTHER 9 BUCKS OR NOT!!! WOW! JUST LIKE ANY OTHER CAUTIOUS PERSON...Now, don't get me wrong, a policy is a policy, and that's not at all what I had a problem with...it's the way I was treated and spoken to over the phone. I work at a grocery store and If a customer is pissing me off I bite my tongue, go home, and open a bottle of ol' grand dad...not insult them for asking a simple question, and I wasn't being rude to him or asking him in an abrasive way by any means, only because I do know mean people can simply suck, and why ruin someone's day anyway? But anywho, that's my big gripe about Peckham's and I will NOT be going back because of this. But that's just me personally, and I really can put up with a lot of crap, too. read more