"I have ordered plants for my tank from,the place a very long time. This,last time I was unhappy with the plant they sent. It comes in,a cup with gel for the roots. It was literally like 4 tiny chopped up pieces and no hel,on the roots and the gel was all chopped up. I emailed with my complaint. This is the latest reply from,the.
I began the patenting process for this product in 2005.

· I have a contract with the company in Croatia that produces these for us.

· I pick up each shipment from the airport in Orlando each week.

· I handle each and every one of these and inventory them in our walk in cooler.

· I packed & shipped your order.

· I guarantee that none of them are ever opened before shipped

· YOU ARE AN IDIOT. YOU MUST BE A DEMOCRAT
Pretty mature company. Never will I buy from them again. I beg you not to as well. Many other places to buy. Extraplant took great care of me and they are cheaper too.

"

"Despite what their web site says, they do. It ship daily. It has been over a week since I placed my order. They. Liked my card right away. The items still have not shipped. I left an email earlier in the week with no response. Called them, finally got through said it would fedex that day. The label was finally created, but no shipping"

"I paid 15 dollars in shipping that was marked as 2 days shipping, but they informed me that the products will take 15 days to arrive. 2 minutes after I placed my order, I went to cancel it (because of the shipping) and it was marked as "already shipped and cannot be cancelled." However, that is a lie because it wouldn't ship until next week Wednesday, 8 days from now!

I wish I could give them 0 stars.

-Cryptic shipping information. In the world of AquariumPlants.com, '2 day overnight' actually means '15 days I don't know how to ship things.'
-If you order on Sunday after 10 PM, they don't ship you the product until the Wednesday AFTER the upcoming Wednesday, because Sunday to Wednesday is apparently too short of a time for them to organize their scam artist selves.
-You can't cancel your order, they just don't give you that option.
-If you try to cancel your order, they take 40%, claiming it's a 'restocking fee' even if they didn't even process the order yet!"

"If you are planning a planted aquarium, you need to know what you are in for. Anywhere you buy plants, whether locally or off of the web, you run a risk. Plants in a nursery for your backyard are no different. If you start with bad substrate, problematic water, not enough nutrients, your success with your plants, either full aquatic, semi-aquatic, or outside garden is limited at best.
Aquariumplants.com has gotten scathing reviews here. I can't answer for dissatisfied customers. You will find those everywhere. I can only say that I had the best experience with my first order with them I can possibly imagine. I asked them questions ahead of time and I got several e-mails back on my topic and although I sent many e-mails back for complimenting them and have not heard anything from them, it is not disappointing, nor would it dissuade me from ordering from them again.
I have had significant growth from the plants I ordered from them. In some cases several of the "stem" plants have grown as much as a foot in less than two weeks. This is even with failing to follow some of their basic instructions which was to freshly cut the bottoms before planting in the substrate. That was a amateur mistake and I won't fail that again. I should have known better but I was hurrying late at night and forgot to print their very informative directions.
I was doing a low-tech (no CO2) 55 gallon tank and loading it with plants. I had a substantial order for several items with only one being backordered although it was shown "in stock". That is always a risk you take. I ordered what I thought to be extras due to actually expecting to receive some dead plants (always a possibility) and yet all arrived healthy, green and packaged very well. I was naturally impressed. I received no dead plants and only one which seemed a little wilted.
I ordered from their tissue culture selection as well and was shocked at how green and full of roots they were. I had more plants than I could possibly imagine and wound up with the greenest, fullest planted aquarium I could have hoped for. Every plant I ordered outside of tissue culture was snail-free even though they warned me up front that might not be possible.
I can't answer for all the negative feedback below. I don't expect to be able to rationalize why some people didn't get what I got. I did pay close attention to their website; I followed their recommended shipping time of year for temperature; and I listened closely to their advice. I did not choose their aquascaping service so I can't comment over what people think.
Aquariumplants.com did help me with my first planted aquarium. I know I will order more from them when I create my second. I appreciated all their assistance and know that success or failure in a planted aquarium is very much a balance between what I created for my substrate and water; the types of plants associated with the inhabitants; and the quality of the product/plant introduced. For the latter, Aquariumplants.com fulfilled not only my expectations, but all their promises. They did not promise me a successful planting experience, only that they would do their best to supply me with good starts. That they did. In three cases, I have plants sprouting nearly 2-3 inches each night now that they are established. I will definitely praise them and recommend them over and over. Any business can have bumps for quality and not receive praise from all their customers. I can only say that as far as I am concerned, they have my full support and continued business. "

"First I ordered the consult service for a new planted tank. That was 2 months ago and they never responded to the emails or voice mails. I canceled the order through PayPal yet their website still shows the order as processing. Next I decided to take a risk and order a small plant package to try out with overnight shipping which I paid for. The PayPal went through and I received a order verification and order number, but when I tried to get a order status on Thursday for an ordered that was supposed to ship on Wednesday per their shipping policy no order shows up and no response via email or voice mail. If it doesn't come tomorrow I will cancel the order through PayPal and never even try this site again. I wish I had found these reviews before I ordered instead on the ones on their website."

"I contacted this company about pricing for a aquascape for a 55 gallon tank. I was told I would have to purchase the service first (20$) and then a consultation would follow. I purchased it and waited nearly a week before I called them. I was then informed that I would have to get some more information and tests done before I could have my order filled. I did the tests, and called back and left a message saying to call me back. After not receiving a call back or email, I then called. It was then that I was informed that they were filling my order without so much as the requested call or still any further information being given as to what I would be purchasing. I requested that my order be canceled in email as well as a request for my consultation fee to be refunded as I was not counseled at all on anything that I felt I needed to know as a customer. The responding email was as follows:
"Your order will NOT be refunded
You have NOT been truthfull in your statements.
Your claims in this email are pure lies… you must be a democrat.
Between 2 of us, we have spent 23 minutes consulting you. You lied and told me that
Randy was rude and did not offer any help. You also stated that he did not recommend the “AquaDert” substrate.
We always record “custom Aqua-Scape” phone calls for later reference.
Take your dishonesty elsewhere.

The only conveyance of the substrate that he mentioned in the email was a mumbled suggestion to get that product, which I had read reviews about and did not want to purchase. Anyway, I hope this helps someone out there before they try to decide on this company. They do not help you when you want it, they are rude, and lack basic integrity on how to run a company.


*update* Upon further research of the owner, I found that a) Mark Hamran is a sex offender, b) and address to his home (listed on the sex offender website in Florida) is the same as the "facility" address listed on the BBB website, thus, unless they have another address not listed for the growing warehouse, they do not grow their own plants."

"When I wrote to complain to this merchant, I was informed I had better be careful not to "libel his company."

From the vendor, "Be DAMN careful NOT to libel my company. Once again: Be DAMN careful NOT to libel my company."

Okay, noted.

If you decide to order, pay CLOSE ATTENTION to the very confusing shipping terms.

As I recall, 2nd day shipping ($25) was required for my order --- the merchant is in Tampa, I'm near Lauderdale. UPS Ground in Florida is delivered in one day, at a cost much less than $25.

And while I paid for 2nd day, the vendor sent the items ground.

Huh?

WTF?

The vendor emailed, "I chose the shipping method." Okay, so then why didn't you send it 2nd day? The vendor chose the cheaper method, yet billed me for the more expensive method.

And the packing was a padded envelope with the plants wrapped in papertowel and stuck inside a ziplock back.

Quite obviously, I could have saved a bunch of money.

But alas, that wasn't to be.

Look elsewhere for your plants, is my opinion. No need for nastiness."

"THE MOST UNPROFESSIONAL PLACE I HAVE EVER DEALT WITH . I BOUGHT PLANTS AND wHEN I GOT THEM THE BOX WAS CRUSHED AND MOST OF WHAT I RECEIVED WHAT WAS DEAD. I CALLED AND SPOKE TO THE OWNER. I TOLD THEM I WOULD SEND THE PLANTS THAT WERE DEAD BACK FOR A REFUND OR REPLACEMENT. THEY TOLD ME I DONT HAVE TO SEND THE PLANTS BACK JUST SEND A PICTURE. I WAS INFORMED THE OWNERS MOTHER PACKED THE PLANTS AND SHE DIDNT REALLY KNOW CAUSE ITS NOT HER JOB THE GUY WHO USUALLY DOES IT WAS OUT. SO I SEND THE PICTURES AND IM TOLD THEY WILL NOT REPLACE ANYTHING. ALSO THEY GAVE ME ONE PRICE FOR SHIPPING AND POSTED ON THE BOX THE PRICE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS. ANYWAY I FILED A CLAIM WITH THE BBB (WHICH IS ALSO A SCAM) AND FOR MONTHS AQUARIUM PLANTS DIDNT RESPOND. THEN ONCE THE BBB SAID THEY WOULD GIVE ME HALF OF MY MONEY BACK BECAUSE THEY COUDLNT GET IN CONTACT WITH THE COMPANY. MYSTERIOUSLY AQUARIUMPLANTS.,COM (9 MONTHS AFTER MY BBB CLAIM) HAD THE PICTURES I SENT THEM WHICH CLEARLY SHOWED THE PLANTS WERE ALIVE (OBVIOUS FAKES) THEY LOOKED INTO WHO PACKED THE PLANTS AND IT JUST SO HAPPENED TO BE THE PLANT MANAGER WHO IS VERY EXPERIENCED BUT YET WHEN I GOT THE PLANTS I WAS TOLD "MY MOMMY PACKED THE PLANTS", AND THEY HAD THE AUDACITY TO SAY I WAS TRYING TO DEFRAUD THEM AND MADE THE CLAIM IF I REALLY WASNT TRYING TO DEFRAUD THEM WHY DIDNT I OFFER TO SEND THE PLANTS BACK . WHICH IN ACTUALITY MY FIRST MENTION OF THE DEAD PLANTS WAS CAN I SEND THESE BACK FOR A REPLACEMENT OR REFUND BECAUSE THEYRE DEAD. THE SITE ALSO CLAIMS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION GUARANTEED SO EVEN IF THE PLANTS WERENT DEAD WHICH THEY WERE I SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN A REPLACEMENT.

HERES A SAMPLE OF THEIR UNPROFESSIONAL INCONSIDERATE RESPONSES

""First of all, let me tell you this: I don't care for your tone of your email(s). We did NOT ship you dead plants. I studied the photos that you emailed, and it is our opinion that you are simply (for the most part) attempting to get something for nothing.Moss balls are nearly indestructible, yet you claim that 1 of them are dead. Most of the bunched plants appear to be just fine with the exception that some of them are removed from the weights. Furthermore, you sent a photo of the box, indicating that it was crushed...this is not our fault, we don't control the UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE. You should have been honest with you initial phone call and told us the box was damaged. Then, a claim could have been applied for. Furthermore, the photos indicate that the plants actually appear to be in great condition. Keeping in mind that you are supposed to remove the lead weight anyway and plant each stem individually in the substrate (after giving them a fresh cut at the bottom) We will not be bowing down to your false accusations and false claims. If you cause any problems with PayPal, they will be met with our full attention. We are actually happy that you sent the photos, as they will undoubtly aid us in prevailing if any dispute should arise... Our advice to you is to contact the USPS if you wish to pursue any claims. Please don't bother us in the future, we prefer to use our valuable time dealing with honest people. Regards,Mark Hamran (owner)www.aquariumplant.com""""

"no phone connected. no reply to e-mails. thieves!!!!"

"So its been almost 30 days on an order that should have only taken 3 days to arrive. I ordered a peice of equipment, whenI called I was told that they ddidn't understand why it wasn't shipped and someone would return my call in a couple of hours. Well that was last week, and I'm still waiting."

"Placed my first order with them for dry goods (a pump and co2 reactor) and paid for ups ground shipping (rather than usps) because it's a 2 day transit to my address. Included a note in the order that I wished to be contacted if they could not ship same day, so I could make arrangements for someone to be home to accept order on a different day. Called 11/11 and order still had not shipped and had been on backorder. They said the order was placed 11/7 instead (incorrect) and that they'd tried to call me (they had not.. no voice mails, no emails, etc). When he asked me if I wanted to cancel and I said I wanted an immediate refund, he was an absolute jerk about it and hung up on me. Took a chance on the company-- never again. The delay of my order meant that my aquarium has been running without CO2 for well over a week. Should have paid more to go through a better company. The ONLY positive thing I can say about the experience is that I received a paypal refund within minutes of him slamming the phone in my ear."

"Please read annap12345's posting from Jan-10-2011.I'm really glad I found and read it too. I had bought the Amazon colored gravel for my 30g aquarium first which was fine. Then I bought the Black Diamond for a 55g. That was the beginning of a horrific nightmare. Blue-green algae! I tried everything to get rid of it, not to mention if I moved the gravel around it puffed black silt. I had rinsed as recommended. Then after months of tears,stinky tank and worry I dumped the gravel.I started over thinking I just got a bad batch and ordered the Red River. It took awhile but the nightmare of thick stinky slimy blue-green algae is happening again. It grows in sheets now so that I can pick out with my hand. BTW my plants never grew at all or very little. I never called the company because I thought it was something I was doing wrong. Now that I know the truth I will never buy from them again!!!!!"

"Having read the reviews on this site, I was a bit reluctant to buy my plants from this company. However, I have now purchased from them twice. On the first occasion, I purchased driftwood and some java moss. On the second occasion, I purchased java fern, an anubia plant, and more java moss. On both occasions, I was happy with the quality of the product that I received. The java fern and anubia I received the second time were better than expected, being healthy and robust plants. The only issue is that the company only ships once a week (this is clearly stated on their website, incidentally), which means that you will not get your shipment as quickly as you expect."

"I gave a negative review for a plant on their website (the plant died very quickly for me), and then later the review disappeared from the website. An older review for the same plant is still there. My reviews for other plants are still there. Only my one negative review was missing, I presume because it was negative. I e-mailed the company's customer support. They e-mailed back, essentially saying that customer reviews are "permanent", but their website's "shopping cart version changed", and that could have affected some things.

"Shopping cart version change"? I'm not buying that as the reason my one negative review disappeared. A company that filters, edits, or deletes customers' reviews has no integrity, and I can't trust them and won't do business with them. What if we gave them a huge benefit of the doubt and accept their excuse? In that case, I still lack confidence in a company that allowed serious technical issues to affect customer feedback and the ability of customers to judge potential purchases. That's a significant problem that degrades my trust in the company. So, either way, I cannot recommend aquariumplants.com to anyone."

"Boy I wish I found this review site before ordering from aquariumplants.com. I received a disintegrated algae mess - couldn't distinguish amazon swords from java fern. To add injury to insult, the owner, Mark, was extremely uncaring and rude when I tried to work out an agreement. I normally don't write reviews, but it's worth it if I save one person from the treatment I got from this incredibly inept and rude company."