Lewiston woman gets help in seed company dispute

BANGOR – ‘Tis the season Northeast CONTACT hears from many consumers who have ordered seeds or plants that never arrived. Also, often those plants that do arrive are wilted and unable to survive, or have perished already. We would note that there are many very reputable seed and plant businesses, some headquartered in Maine. There are also others that fail to measure up in terms of product quality and customer service.

CONTACT member Janet Morris of Lewiston got in touch with CONTACT to request help with a company in San Francisco named Seed Links Inc. She wrote, “In January, I placed an order for herbal seeds which I wanted to plant indoors to have fresh herbs for my salads, spaghetti sauce, and other dishes which greatly benefit from the flavor of added herbs. I enclosed a check for $16.99 which covered the seeds, shipping and handling. When I didn’t hear from them within the 21 days stipulated in their catalog for delivery time, I called them. ‘Lena’, the young lady I spoke with, told me that due to unforeseen circumstances, there would be a delay but the herb seeds would be promptly sent.

“Exactly 19 days after the phone call the herb seeds arrived. They were planted in individual small containers that the instructions states would decompose on their own. I waited patiently for the herbs to pop out of the soil. Each morning I would check them, but not one seed germinated. After 30 days, there were still no herb plants to be seen.

“Again, I called the business and once again spoke with Lena and described my problem. She stated that several customers in New England had experienced similar problems. Her thoughts were that perhaps the seeds somehow got frozen in shipment. Lena stated that replacement seeds would be sent by a different carrier and should arrive within 14 days.

“When the replacement seeds did not arrive, I [wrote] to Northeast CONTACT to ask you to contact the company directly to speed up my order or to refund my money.”

Northeast CONTACT wrote to Seed Links Inc. on behalf of Janet Morris and restated the problem. CONTACT indicated that the company needed to provide seeds or a refund within 14 days or CONTACT would take further action. After no response to the letter, a stronger second letter was crafted, which indicated that California’s Attorney General’s Office would be contacted as well as county and municipal law enforcement to examine the business for possible fraud. The company was given 14 days to respond.

Ten days later, CONTACT received a letter from Pamela, who provided no last name or job title, but said she represented Seed Links Inc. She wrote, “We apologize for the delay in sending the replacement seeds. They will be replaced as fast as humanly possible and we have notified Ms. Morris as well.”

The Northeast CONTACT caseworker wrote back to Pamela stating that this response was not acceptable. “If a full refund or the replacement seeds are not received within 10 days, this matter would be turned over to the authorities mentioned in the previous letter. The choice is yours.”

We received a happy phone call from Janet Morris two weeks later saying she had received a full refund of $16.99. Also included was a Seed Links voucher to order any seeds she decided in the amount of $16.99 from the next catalog. She was very appreciative for all that our agency had done to assist her.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast CONTACT, Maine’s membership-funded nonprofit consumer organization. Individual membership costs $25; business rates start at $125 (0-10 employees). For help and information write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329.