Tropilab Inc. (tropilab.net) Review

[FuzzyDragon09]

This is my experience with this company:

On 2/27/09 I ordered 10 ounces of Catappa (also called Indian Almond) leaves from their site: Link. The next day (2/28/09) I got a receipt from them. It read that the leaves (the 10 ounces I bought) would be shipped from South America, and when they were shipped I would get a notification forwarded to me. I waited a few weeks and got nothing. So on 3/27/09 I sent an email telling them that I had not gotten my leaves yet and wondered what was taking so long. I got a reply the same day.

It was really short and read:
This order is coming from: SURINAM, SOUTH AMERICA on: NEXT WEEK. We will forward it to: LAURA; upon shipment with: USPS, a notification will be forwarded to: LAURA.
LINDA V.
Customer Relations
TROPILAB INC.

So I thought okay it will be here soon. And every time I saw a package truck go down our street and pass our house I wondered if they would ever come. So fast forward to last night... I got to thinking. It's been about 2 months. Where the heck are my leaves!! I sent them an email last night (5/4/09) telling them yet again that I hadn't gotten my leaves! I've been at the computer all day, regularly checking my email, to see if they sent a reply. And I've still gotten nothing! :sad: I just sent them another (5/6/09) in case they didn't find the last one I sent. (At first when I sent an email I would get a response within a few hours.)

I really hope it works out BUT I found some not so good reviews of these people on a gardening website (they sell alot of plants and seeds).

Here it is: Link 1 and Link 2

The second page is the list of the only negative comments. Some of the other negative comments were changed to neutral after the company asked the user about it.

It makes me wonder if I'm talking to thin air and if I will ever get my leaves or my money back.

[imagirlgeek]

If you paid using Paypal, submit a complaint. That will sometimes get their attention and you can get a response. They have 30 days after you submit a complaint to get it together or Paypal escalates the issue.

[FuzzyDragon09]

I didn't pay with PayPal. I used a credit card.

But I got a reply today:

Laura: The leaves are already at Shipping and are sent to you today; a notification will follow later. I apologize for the delay.

LINDA V.

This is good. I think.

[FuzzyDragon09]

Well I finally got my leaves from Tropilab on Tuesday (5/12/09). Inside the box was a copy of the reciept that they emailed me the day after I ordered them. Also on the sheet were the words: "Backorder: 6 oz". Now I don't know if that means that this is the first 4 ounces of the 10 that I bought OR that this is the 6 ounces. But then where is the first 4? I will email them later and ask. I can't weigh it. The bathroom scale only does pounds. I'm not Alton Brown with his nifty little kitchen scale. But I counted them and I have roughly 70 leaves. All are in varying sizes and quality. Some very few are half shredded so it's a good thing that I don't care what they look like.

Some complaints I have:
When I got the last email that said that my leaves would be delayed, I emailed them back asking them if they could tell me why. The response was that there was "enormous heavy rainfall for the last few months but it's now the dry season". Also I was thanked for my patience.

I'm happy that I got a response and my leaves (still might not be all of them). BUT why didn't they email me earlier and tell me that because of the rain my order would be delayed?? Bad communication or no communication IMO is bad customer service. I also didn't get a notification that they were shipped. Maybe I will get one when the rest is shipped?? I dunno. Customers like to be notified when their stuff will come in the mail.

I highly doubt I will be buying from these people again.

[Delock]

glad you got your leaves

[fishboyt]

Great!