Gurney's Seed is back; catalog online soon

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Gurney's has returned and will mail catalogs soon. They will also place their catalog online. They are at Gurney's Seed and Nursery.

Mark

-- Mark Sykes (mark@marksykes.net), November 29, 2001

Answers

Yahoo! I always liked the catalogs and have had good service from them.....hope it stays that way!

-- Jason in S. Tenn. (AJAMA5@netscape.net), November 29, 2001.

Here's a list of FAQ's from the website....good news indeed.

Q. I heard that Gurney's went out of business. Is this true?

A. A few years ago Gurney's was sold to a much larger direct mail oriented company, Foster and Gallagher. This summer, Foster and Gallagher declared bankruptcy, unfortunately putting thousands of people out of work, and leaving tens of thousands of loyal Gurney's customers with no place to turn.

A group of lifelong mail order gardeners bought Gurney's at a bankruptcy hearing in September, and, with your help, we'll restore it to the glory days of old.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you've experienced over the last couple of years, particularly over the last couple of months. Please bear with us, and stick with Gurney's. Together we'll make 2002 an historic season as we bring back Gurney's back the way you remember it in the '90s and before.

Q.I had problems with the handling of my order by Foster and Gallagher (also known as myseasons.com) last year. How do I know I won't have problems this year?

A. We have heard reports that some customers weren't treated well by the former owners of Gurney's, particularly those who ordered over the summer. Again, we apologize for this. Although we only took control in late October, we've done a top-down review of everything about Gurney's. We've improved the quality of the plants and seeds we'll ship this year by being more choosey. We've improved customer service because we're focused on just gardening (the former Foster and Gallagher had businesses from toys to gifts to prepared foods). Together, the group restoring Gurney's have several hundred years of mail order gardening and nursery experience. We promise you won't be disappointed.

Q. I ordered from Gurney's last summer (when Foster and Gallagher/myseasons.com was running the company), they cashed my check and never shipped my order. What can I do?

A.Unfortunately, when Foster and Gallagher declared bankruptcy, they owed several banks a lot of money. The final bankruptcy decree ruled that the banks got to keep the cash customers sent in, even if Foster and Gallagher never shipped an order. If you're one of the customers who had this happen, again, we apologize. We don't have your money…the banks to whom Foster and Gallagher owed money do. If you're one of these customers, you'll receive a catalog from us after the New Year with a special savings certificate to allow you to make up at least some of your loss.

Q. I bought a plant from Gurney's (when it was owned by Foster and Gallagher/myseasons.com) last year. It hasn't done so well. What can I do?

A. Again, unfortunately, when Foster and Gallagher declared bankruptcy, the courts put aside no money or resources to take care of customers who needed plants replaced. We promise you two things: 1) We're gardeners who have, together, several hundred years worth of experience shipping plants to customers. The quality of the plants and seeds you get this year will be better than 2001. 2) If you have any problems this year, we'll stand behind what we ship.

-- Jason in S. Tenn. (AJAMA5@netscape.net), November 29, 2001.


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