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sandy2525_gw

My experience purchasing a mini EarthCare greenhouse from Amazon

Sandy2525
11 years ago

I purchased an EarthCare greenhouse through Amazon in January 2012, and it lasted less than 9 months before the plastic deteriorated. Since EarthCare states on its website that it has a 100% satisfaction guarantee (the reason I chose EarthCare in the first place), I contacted the company to see if I could get a replacement or refund. They refused-even after I contacted the Better Business Bureau.
So I went back to Amazon, and gave the product and EarthCare a one star review. Amazon deleted the review!
I was pretty shocked, so I googled "amazon deletes negative reviews". Wow! now I was really really disappointed! I had always naively gone to Amazon for what I thought were unbiased customer reviews. Now I see that Amazon deletes reviews (even well written, objective ones), and censors others.

This is just a head's up to all those looking for gardening supplies on Amazon. It may be wise to research products elsewhere. I for one, am going to find a different online company to order from. No more Amazon for me.

Comments (6)

  • oliveoyl3
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the heads up about the reviews.

    We bought ours 2nd hand. Then after a few seasons of use repaired holes with clear packing tape. It's not perfect, but it did the job to hold it together for this past years' seeds. I've stored it out of light & purchased a replacement covers on sale to use again in spring.

    The other one we bought 2nd hand for $5 had no cover, but it is useful for growing on plants hardy to the elements.

  • JeffDM
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Could you post the Amazon review here so we could see if there might have been a reason for Amazon to delete the review?
    I've done a lot of business with and through Amazon and have always had great customer service.
    Even when an expensive computer part was most likely stolen off my porch after delivery they shipped a replacement the next day free of charge.

  • mudhouse_gw
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That is interesting, I also read reviews on Amazon. I never really stopped to think about Amazon choosing which comments to publish. I suppose they can do as they please, being a private company, but I appreciate the heads up.

    Thanks also for posting about the Earth Care greenhouse. Lots of people read here for advice about which greenhouse to buy as a starter. Your comments can now be found by folks doing a search, and may help them decide. Forums like this can be a goldmine of personal experience info, if folks just take the time to post.

  • Fori
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Is it the popup 3 greenhouse? There is a review for that one that looks like yours.

    Of course they don't have any good reviews, so it could be anyone!

  • Sandy2525
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm sorry for the delay in answering your request to post my actual Amazon review. Here is the word for word review that Amazon deleted. The greenhouse that I ordered (a 7'x7' with a plastic slip over cover - which when I got it, actually turned out to be less than 6.5 feet square) is not made any longer, so I posted on Amazon on other models. I don't think Amazon has found the reviews yet, but when they do, I'm sure they will be deleted too:

    I purchased an EarthCare greenhouse through Amazon in January 2012. It lasted to September 2012.

    I was excited when I got the greenhouse. It was just the right size for my small backyard. The first thing we noticed is that the plastic cover is too small for the frame. We thought it might stretch out. It didn't. Then, after putting it up and securing it with the small pegs that are provided, it blew over within the first 48 hours (not even that big of a wind). One of the legs broke in half and another bent in half. Luckily, my husband is handy with fixing stuff, so he fixed the legs better than new. We put it back up with massive stakes at each corner. All seemed well until I went into the greenhouse in September, and everything in there was covered with small things that looked like fish scales. I couldn't figure out what they were for a while, and then it dawned on me to look up at the roof.
    Almost every small plastic "window" between the green mesh was empty. I now have a screen house with very large mesh. The plastic cover is shot. This is an unacceptably short life span for this greenhouse.
    I contacted Earthcare and asked for a replacement because their website has a 100% money back guarantee.
    This is their exact reply (lack of capital letters and all)--------
    “our supplier on these only offers a 30 day warranty against any defects in the merchandise. We also do not carry this model any more. We had a sticker on the box that says to remove the cover during the summer months as they get very hot and that affects the cover. what I would recommend would be to buy some greenhouse film and put under the existing cover for the heat and just use the other cover to hold the greenhouse film in place and beable to use the zip up door.”
    thanks
    butch
    ------
    First, there was NO sticker on the box, and my (actual cut and paste) response below explains why heat was not a factor in the deterioration of the plastic: I live right on the coast and I use(d) the greenhouse all summer because it's so COLD. Heat is NOT a factor in the deterioration of this plastic. Thanks for honoring your warantee. I will remember this and recommend to my many gardening friends NOT to buy ANYTHING from earth care greenhouses.
    And also, your lack of respect for your customers is obvious when you don't even care enough to use capital letters. Pretty disgraceful.
    -----
    There was no response from Earthcare after that, so I contacted the Better Business Bureau. They attempted to have EarthCare honor it's guarantee, but EarthCare refused. So the case has been dropped.
    If you purchase an EarthCare product and it is defective or of poor quality, EarthCare WILL NOT honor their guarantee."

  • squirrellypete
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is not the first I've heard about Amazon removing negative reviews. They don't remove them all, you can still find negative reviews on products. However, they do seem to remove an alarming number of them and I'm not sure why or using what kind of discretion. I ran across this in particular when researching computer games for my gamer husband. Negative reviews about really hot newer sellers were mysteriously disappearing.

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