# AZ Gardens



## Nowherman6 (May 1, 2006)

Might be a long shot here, but does anyone know how to get in touch with them besides the normal phone numbers?

They screwed up my order in a big way, i.e. they weren't supposed to ship it but they did anyway. Now I'm going away for a while and have a box of plants and snails with nowhere to put them. 

Convenient that they're closed the day that all their deliveries are made. That's very helpful.

Anyway, just a shot in the dark here. Trying to get in touch with them some way and see what can be done.


----------



## Thirston (Mar 23, 2008)

I don't have the info you are looking for but I can offer this tidbit of info...

AZ Gardens has a reputation on this and other planted aquarium forums.

I was always told growing up that if I couldn't say anything nice, to not say anything at all... hence, I will end my post here and let you research AZ Gardens and come to your own conclusions.


----------



## PlantNerd (Feb 8, 2010)

Thirston said:


> I was always told growing up that if I couldn't say anything nice, to not say anything at all... hence, I will end my post here and let you research AZ Gardens and come to your own conclusions.


couldn't have said it better myself, google is your friend


----------



## patrick1 (May 21, 2012)

I finally got through on 520-742-3777. But you will probably feel worse after you talk to Pete. He is the biggest d bag in the world and they don't care about the dead fish they shipped you.


----------



## brianeagan (Jul 14, 2012)

I just wanted to add my experience here.

I've read some negative and some decent reviews of AZ. 

I just placed & recieved a plant/shrimp/fish order with them - about $100 worth of south and central american things (other than the shrimp and some SAE)

I had a few DOA's - some of my cherry shrimp. I expected this. My fish all arrived a-ok and 2.5 weeks on are all alive other than one SAE.

The quality of plants was high. I did buy potted and 'bunch' types. Almost all of them shipped well and are now growing in my tank. 

The only negative I will add is that they are *hard* to get a hold of. I had an issue with them being out of stock on some cherry shrimp, so my shipment was delayed 2 weeks.

Their box is well packed. It was HOT during shipment and came with an ice pack wrapped in papers to keep it from direct contact. 

My bottom line is that they are a bit pricey and hard to deal with but I have confidence in the quality of product.

Added: I personally feel it is unreasonable to expect zero deaths in transit. I base this on my several years experience working in a "higher end" LFS in the nineties. I unpacked many orders and dead on arrival's were common - for obvious chemical reasons, they tend to grouped by bag. One doa and ammonia levels will rise in that bag, stressing the remaining inhabitants. It is an unfortunate reality to shipping living beings : \


----------



## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

I shoulda done my homework and looked here....I placed an order on 11/24/12, and was told last Monday that it would be at my door before noon last Wednesday. When that didn't happen, I called again today, and was told the exact same thing, that it would be at my door by noon this Wednesday. By God, if it isn't here by then.......I'll probably whine and complain a lot!  In my defense, however, I did place a $200 order with them, so with shipping, I spent over $250. I'm probably not going to go back there again; I don't mind delays, and I don't even mind getting a few DOA's. I just ask that you are straight up with me, and don't hide behind company lines, weird store hours, and what not. 

I felt I had to go them because Amano shrimp, for some reason, cost $5-$6 a shrimp now, which is stupid. I used to be able to get them from traders here 3-4 years ago for $2/shrimp. What happened? Did we go through some sort of Amano shrimp catastrophe?

Ugh. More to come...we'll see if they make it by this Wednesday. This is JUST my experience with them so far. To his credit, Peter has been nice over the phone so far.


----------



## NYREPS (Jun 18, 2011)

DO NOT go to AZ garden !!!! Ever !!!!

That guy is a rip off and send dead plants and after you make your order he knows what he did sending you crap and after you paid he will block your IP address ,never again I tell ya 

The site is a joke ,I'm sorry but its the truth google it! Same thing with somethingfishy.com!!! He also sends you very sick discus and will block your IP address and treating your family if you complain !!


----------



## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

DonaldmBoyer said:


> I felt I had to go them because Amano shrimp, for some reason, cost $5-$6 a shrimp now, which is stupid. I used to be able to get them from traders here 3-4 years ago for $2/shrimp. What happened? Did we go through some sort of Amano shrimp catastrophe?


http://msjinkzd.com/stocklist/

Amanos for $2 each from a quality source.


----------



## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Thanks Aaron! I will try Rachel and see. She has been slow to respond to me in the past though.

Order never came in today. I'm not surprised, though. Asked for a refund, but I doubt that I will get it. AZ Gardens receives an "F" rating from the BBB....I wonder why? I really wish there was something I could do, but it seems as though the law protects and favors the business owners. 

Does anyone have suggestions? I'm probably out my money....but I would like to prevent these people from getting away with doing this to people.


----------



## MrChalouch (Dec 13, 2012)

Call your credit card and stop payment and they will call them for you


----------



## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

I placed it on AMEX, which is set to pay "in-full" every month. Since the order occurred on 11/24/12, the jerk has already been paid. I don't believe that there is much that AMEX could do about it.

Blast my responsible credit card use!!!!!!  of course, you would think that if I could learn to pay off my CC's in full every month, then I probably would be smart enough to do a quick search on a store that I have never purchased from before. Alas, I'm not, I guess!


----------



## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

DonaldmBoyer said:


> I placed it on AMEX, which is set to pay "in-full" every month. Since the order occurred on 11/24/12, the jerk has already been paid. I don't believe that there is much that AMEX could do about it.
> 
> Blast my responsible credit card use!!!!!!  of course, you would think that if I could learn to pay off my CC's in full every month, then I probably would be smart enough to do a quick search on a store that I have never purchased from before. Alas, I'm not, I guess!


Hi DonaldBoyer,

AMEX is *your* credit card company. If you call them, tell them you have been charged for product you have not received, I bet they will work with you.


----------



## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Hmmm......Roy, it is worth a shot!!! I will do that! Thank you for the emphasis!


***Update***---I did call AMEX, and they are going to investigate the matter on my behalf. It will take 6-8 weeks, but I would rather wait then to waste any more effort with this matter. Thank you Roy and MrCholouch for pointing me in the right direction!! Will let you know how it turns out!


----------



## pweifan (Jun 23, 2007)

Good luck, Don.


----------



## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Thanks buddy!! I could use some. Regardless of the outcome, I've learned a very valuable lesson: never trust anyone ever again!! Lol! Err...I mean, everyone should research a company before attempting to make a purchase. Always! Unbelievable that these guys have are still in business!!


----------



## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

NEW UPDATE: 

Well, apparently calling AMEX and disputing the claim lit a fire, because I received my shipment in the mail today. I had a few DOA's, and some of the water that they shipped my snails in was "skunky," to say the least, but it would appear as though MOST of my shipment arrived in decent shape, to be honest. 5/6 bamboo shrimp, 11/12 Amano, and most Rabbit Snails were in good condition. Jury's out still on the nerites, but they can take some time to move around and make it clear that they are "OK."

IF they simply would have said something like, "Dude, we are backed up," or "Dude, we are waiting on stock," I would have been fine with that. I'm never "happy" with DOA's, but it wasn't anything terrible. I wish they would have done this from the get go. 

We'll see if everything survives, but it just makes me wonder: what's the big deal?? A LITTLE communication would help them out significantly in terms of repeat business, and all else being equal, whereas I might not get EVERYTHING from them, I certainly would consider getting more stock or materials from them.

Bad points that still remain:

1. NEED TO COMMUNiCATE WITH YOUR CUSTOMER! We keep you in business, and the least you could do is to make yourself available, or better yet, be proactive and if there is a problem, instead of hiding it, let me know what is going on!!

2. NEEDED TO CALL CREDIT CARD COMPANY to file a dispute the charge claim before anything ships. I should NEVER have to take this step. Ever.

Simple things go a LONG, LONG way AZ Gardens!!! Hire a service to answer calls and communicate what is going on, good or bad!! Yikes!


----------



## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Donald,

I'm glad you received your shipment; it's a shame that some companies need that kind of motivation to do what they are supposed to do in the first place. AMEX is a good company and backs up their customers better than most credit card companies out there; been an AMEX member since 1977.

You are not alone, as a result of my own experiences I always research a company before I do business with them.


----------



## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Well, Roy, you make a great point, and it was a mistake on my behalf to not do my research first. And, it was such a "basic" mistake...and obvious one!! I don't know if I implicitly trust people or have just gotten lazy over the years. I find that I do research when it comes to trying new products, such as "lighting" or "filters," or new livestock, but not usually the company as I typically stick with a known group of stores and merchants that I have been in contact with, some as far back as 2004 or 2005. Regardless, I won't do that again!!  But it would be so simple for them to become very reputable quickly! They have a nice selection, and a nice website that makes it easy to order. Just nothing to support the order once it's placed, you know??

Yes, AMEX is awesome! I love it because it forces me to pay off my balance every month. So, I get awesome credit and very little debt. Ka-ching!


----------



## Duque (Nov 19, 2012)

Let me add my 2 cents, ....err, ....$1,000 to the conversation.

Yes, I decided to stock up for my 4 aquariums (now 9). Over the past 6 months I have spent almost $1,000 over the course of four orders. ....rookie mistake.

Livestock: VERY small fish. I had about a 30% DOA rate. If they're not DOA, then 80% of the remaining fish die off within a few days. Snails and Shrimp are particularilly susceptible to weather-related death. I've had whole bags of livestock arrive dead.

Plants: Varied success. Yes, some show up mushy, while others are healthy. 60-70% success

Packaging: HORRIBLE. Fish are wrapped in about 2 sheets of newspaper. There is no insulation on the sides of the boxes, just a square foam piece on the bottom. The heat packs are always worthless and everything shows up near freezing cold.

Communication and Guarantee: NONE I follow instructions, take photos, and notify them on time. Not ONE fish has ever been credited to my account. I've followed up with e-mails and calls, ....no response. Now I've discovered that they've put me on a list of "recurring orders". I hope my removing it from the website will do the trick.

I tried to resolve the backlog of DOA's and all I've gotten is silence. This is no way to run a business.

Final opinion: Their website is beautiful. ...that's where it ends. They're non-responsive, don't care about guarantees, and the quality is a toss-up. I guess I've made four orders because I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. All I can say is "enough". If they don't value the $1,000 I've spent, then screw them. It's an expensive lesson for me.

Please don't make the same mistake. Someone should take legal action against them.


----------

