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ksmithSo the new raised bed kit arrived today. I came home to find a great big box in my driveway next to the garage. Given the issues with the first kit, I decided that I would unpack this one immediately and count the pieces.
Well.
Did I mention that the box was really big?
The main issue with the first kit had been the packaging. Original vendor box, weak cardboard tightly packed and poorly sealed. Box was beaten up and torn during shipping. Parts were lost and broken.
This time...not the original vendor box. Instead, someone had cut the ends off two big boxes and capsuled them together into one really big box, about 4x the size of the original box. However. They pretty much just shoved the same amount of stuff into this bigger box without any additional anchoring or cushioning or anything, which meant that hard plastic pieces rattled and banged around. Of the 8 corner joints I need to hold the boards together, 6 arrived in various stages of broken, ranging from chipped to shattered.
Did I mention that whoever did the packing this time joined the two boxes together around the middle with a couple of loops of tape, like a capsule belly band? Problem with that was that the tape didn't adhere to the box in places, which meant that there were some really large gaps through which pieces could fall out. One rod/dowel thingie was also missing, and it was a miracle that more parts weren't lost.
So, I called Customer Service again. Told agent about the missing parts. Then discussed the apparent issue with the packaging of this item. The rep thanked me for taking the time to explain the issues, and expressed her appreciation that I didn't yell. I replied that I was quite happy with all the other stuff I had ordered--the seed tray and the grow light and the compost containers, but that there just seemed to be an issue with the raised bed kit that needed to be resolved. FWIW, the company is the Gardeners Supply Company. Their Customer Service is very responsive--I phoned about the first damaged kit lastFriday Thursday, after having waited one month after its arrival to even open it. That kit was picked up on Monday as arranged, and the replacement arrived today. They are going to get the replacement corner joints to me asap. So, not the optimum situation, but the company is responsive and will work with you to make things right.
Well.
Did I mention that the box was really big?
The main issue with the first kit had been the packaging. Original vendor box, weak cardboard tightly packed and poorly sealed. Box was beaten up and torn during shipping. Parts were lost and broken.
This time...not the original vendor box. Instead, someone had cut the ends off two big boxes and capsuled them together into one really big box, about 4x the size of the original box. However. They pretty much just shoved the same amount of stuff into this bigger box without any additional anchoring or cushioning or anything, which meant that hard plastic pieces rattled and banged around. Of the 8 corner joints I need to hold the boards together, 6 arrived in various stages of broken, ranging from chipped to shattered.
Did I mention that whoever did the packing this time joined the two boxes together around the middle with a couple of loops of tape, like a capsule belly band? Problem with that was that the tape didn't adhere to the box in places, which meant that there were some really large gaps through which pieces could fall out. One rod/dowel thingie was also missing, and it was a miracle that more parts weren't lost.
So, I called Customer Service again. Told agent about the missing parts. Then discussed the apparent issue with the packaging of this item. The rep thanked me for taking the time to explain the issues, and expressed her appreciation that I didn't yell. I replied that I was quite happy with all the other stuff I had ordered--the seed tray and the grow light and the compost containers, but that there just seemed to be an issue with the raised bed kit that needed to be resolved. FWIW, the company is the Gardeners Supply Company. Their Customer Service is very responsive--I phoned about the first damaged kit last
