Totally Tomato Order

[Adenn1]

On March 9th I placed with Totally Tomato for one tomato variety and two cucumbers. I had not received the order and called yesterday. The service rep told me the order was filled on the 15th and sent stardard mail.

The kicker was that she told me delivery could take between five and fourteen business days...and as such, I should have the order by April 4th.

This was a small order...barely more than the $4.95 S&H. Am I crazy in believing that this delievery window is a little ridiculous? And for the S&H...should not the order have gone out first class?

I hope I get the order...this was my order for County Fair cucumber which I desperately want. Parks and Gurney's are the only one's that carry it.

[jungseed]

Adenn1,

thanks for your comments. I printed your post and have placed it in the inter-office mailbox of the owner of our company. Everyone here in customer service would also like to see us move away from the old system of bulk mail. But with our cost of shipping continuing to rise we don't know when that will happen.

Thanks again,
Ruth
Totally Tomatoes

[Adenn1]

Ruth:

Thank you for your response and comments. I was under the impression that "standard" shipping and handling would mean first class delivery...not bulk rate. The bulk rate delivery time of 5-14 days does seem excessive and I can understand why you would want to move away from it.

I am not sure if this shipping issue is discussed in detail at your site. If not, I would suggest that customers be notified what the delivery window could be for them. I procrastinated in placing my order and would have not done so if I knew that the order could take upwards of fourteen business days to get to me.

Again, thank you for your prompt attention.

Adenn1

[Mischka]

Originally Posted by jungseed

Adenn1,

thanks for your comments. I printed your post and have placed it in the inter-office mailbox of the owner of our company. Everyone here in customer service would also like to see us move away from the old system of bulk mail. But with our cost of shipping continuing to rise we don't know when that will happen.

Thanks again,
Ruth
Totally Tomatoes

My sincere thanks to you Ruth, for your assistance and concern for our members orders at TT.

[jungseed]

No problem. The people here are soooo nice. I am amazed at the accuracy and depth of information that is shared on this site.
I do have one problem with the site--- a serious case of veggie garden envy. I keep seeing and hearing about the wonderful things people are growing. Makes my mouth water.

[Adenn1]

Ruth:

My ordered arrived on Saturday the 31st. Thank you for your follow up on this order.

[peppereater]

I ordered from Totally Tomatoes 6 years ago, my first year growing heirlooms. I don't recall how long delivery took, but I had no compaint. It seems the USPS could get the delivery to you sooner than 14 days...
I have to say that I was pleased with what I got from TT, just thought I should mention that.

[sirtanon]

I have ordered from Totally Tomatoes quite a bit over the years...

...and HPS, forget it. I think I've placed at least 7 or 8 orders with them so far THIS YEAR.

With one minor exception, I have always received my seeds quickly and without problem. The only problem I've had was an apparent back order on Big Beef seeds, which took about 10 days longer to arrive.

Other than that, I've been very pleased with what I've received.

One observation - HPS orders arrive MUCH faster than those placed with Totally Tomatoes. After speaking with a customer service rep, it seems apparent that HPS ships quicker and with a better method because most of THEIR orders are for commercial or production customers rather than backyard gardeners. Larger quantities too, which I suppose means larger profits.

[Granny]

I haven't ordered from Totally Tomatoes, but last Friday (the last Friday in March) an English author offered me some autographed posters for my classroom. She mailed them on Saturday morning. They arrived in VT from Cambridge, UK on Monday afternoon.

14 days for $4.95 does seem a bit excessive. A flat-rate Priority Mail is less than that.

[jungseed]

It probably does seem high unless you realize it is not only a shipping charge. Our handling is also covered in that $4.95. I get paid from that to download the order from the internet. The girls that answer the phones to take orders and answer questions, the ladies that open the mail, the people that put the order together, packers and shippers. Then it covers the postage. The field people and administration get paid from the mark up on the seeds and plants. Now you know why none of us get paid much!!!! I just need to ask.....
Wouldn't you all like to pay just a bit more shipping and handling so I could get a raise?????

[Granny]

I don't buy this malarkey in the least jungseed. We order via the internet all the time - including seeds and plants. In fact, I ordered some two days ago. Shipping and handling - $3.95. They arrived from Florida this afternoon via first class mail. Perhaps you need to rethink how many people you have involved in the operation, because your S&H is quite high for an order of seeds.

[jungseed]

Granny, thanks for your suggestion. I will certainly pass it along. Guess I have to admit to being awfully selfish... but I like the raise idea way more than the being fired idea. Thanks again.

[feldon30]

The packet prices at Totally Tomatoes look reasonable to me. I suppose they could increase the price of each packet by 40 cents and then lower the S&H by $2. Not sure who that would help. Ordering just a few packets of seeds is always costly.

[Soilsniffer]

What on earth is 'handling' anyway? I went to the store and bought some cornflakes ... 2.99, zero for handling. Bought a couple Papa John's pizzas ... $20, zero handling. I tipped the guy though, is that 'handling'? I'm sure I don't have to give more examples.

Rhetorical question, anyway. Here's what handling is: An additional upcharge on something you buy, that some folks don't notice. They'll see "Oooh, lookie, packs of seeds only $2 each!". The 'handling' charge can double the final price of those seeds, but no matter, $2 each makes the buyers feel like they're getting a bargain.

Every day on Ebay I see small trinkets for 99 cents each, plus $7 for shipping and 'handling'. "What a bargain, I got a charm for my necklace for only 99 cents!!" Uhhhh, no.

TV commercials: Exercise equipment, diet pills, et al ... Only three easy payments of <whatever price>, 'plus postage and handling' in REAL small letters. That upcharge isn't revealed though, you gotta call and get the figure. "Full money back guarantee if not delighted!! 'minus postage and handling' in REAL small letters again. Company makes money even on returns.

It's just another way for a company to increase sales. Instead of saying "Diet pills, $150", it sounds much cheaper to say "Diet pills, just three easy payments of $39.95 plus shipping and handling".

It'll be Helena Handbasket the day those aforementioned cornflakes cost $2.99, plus 'handling'. Me: "What, handling??" Storekeeper: "Yes, we have to pay the stockpeople to put the cornflakes on the shelf and the janitors to keep the floors clean and the baggers who pack the cornflakes and ... "

[feldon30]

Originally Posted by Soilsniffer

What on earth is 'handling' anyway? I went to the store and bought some cornflakes ... 2.99, zero for handling. Bought a couple Papa John's pizzas ... $20, zero handling. I tipped the guy though, is that 'handling'? I'm sure I don't have to give more examples.

You think the grocery store buys the corn flakes for $2.99 and then sells them to you for that price? Heck no. Stores typically pay 50-80% of what you pay and the rest of that money goes towards salaries, profits, etc. You are paying $2 plus shipping, handling, etc. etc. If you want to spend less money on those costs, go to CostCo or other wholesale club.

Totally Tomatoes chooses to list their seed prices closer to the actual cost and then adds $5 shipping, packing, packaging, employee wages, phone, lights, etc. Their seed packets are a very reasonable ~$1.75 for 30 seeds.

If you would prefer, they could set their prices 25 to 50 cents higher per packet of seeds and then drop the shipping to $2. For small orders, you'd come out ahead. For large orders, it would be more expensive than other websites. Why would they want to encourage small orders?