I purchased two Bowhall Red Maple trees for nearly $300. I specifically chose this variety of maple tree because it does not get too wide. My order arrived by FedEx and the shipping box was in good condition. I opened each box only to discover they sent me two Sun Valley Red Maple trees instead of the Bowhall Red Maple trees I had ordered. The invoice in the box even stated Bowhall Red Maple trees. The trees were barely a foot wide since they cut the branches and roots to fit the tree in each box.
I assumed the trees would have been in pots with an established root system, but the roots are nearly non existent because they chopped most of them off when they dug them up. I later learned they call it balled-and-burlapped, but they are essentially bare root trees in my opinion because there was no root ball. Just a burlap bag of dirt with a bare root tree stuck in it. If I had known this, I would have never purchased them. They advertise them as 6-7 ft which they were, but do not mention the trees are balled-and-burlapped. I find it to be a very deceptive marketing practice.
I immediately chatted online with customer service explaining the situation. They had me take pictures of the trees and tags showing what I received. They also wanted to verify the tree to really make sure it was the wrong type of maple trees and not just wrong tags on the trees. The representative then says "Oh it is impossible to tell since the tree is still in it's dormant state." I thought to myself well duh...it is not quite spring yet.
The representative told me they would send me the correct trees out right away and to just donate or dispose of the trees I received. I told her I did not want to go through the headache again and was also not happy about them being essentially bare root trees. I told her not to ship me any more trees and kindly requested a full refund. She told me they do not give refunds so I essentially had no choice, but to receive the correct trees.
They new trees arrived about a week later. I opened up the boxes. Like the first time, the tree branches and roots were cut short to fit in the box, but at least the tags said Bowhall Red Maple. Time will tell if they are indeed Bowhall Red Maple trees. One of the trees had a broken branch and extremely curved towards the top part of the tree. Hopefully, it will straighten up on it's own as it grows, if it grows. I essentially paid $300 for two long sticks. I do not recommend Fast Growing Trees to anyone.
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Thanks for stopping by! We're Fast Growing Trees, and we're America's #1 online nursery. We started selling trees in our backyard in 2005, and we still do (only now, our backyard is nearly 100 acres). We pioneered the concept of farm-to-backyard plants, and made it possible to grow happier, healthier and easier than the garden center or big box store.
What sets us apart? We’re as close to the farm as it gets. Our plants are sourced from the best growers across the country, cared for by our in-house Plant Experts and shipped straight to your yard. This means you're shopping straight from the source and guaranteed (yes, we guarantee them!) fresh, thriving plants. Forget the leftovers—with us, you get first dibs on the biggest, freshest selection of privacy trees, shrubs, shade trees, fruits, flowering trees, house plants, perennials, tropicals and more, all from the comfort of your home.See more
