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My Little Giant Blueberries Experience


This is a review of my experience with Little Giant Blueberries. I will post relevant updates as my plants grow (hopefully!)

Update: Wow! People had a lot to say on this. Click here to skip to comments and updates.

On Sunday, March 21st, I placed an order for some Little Giant Blueberries. 3 plants, to be exact. After clicking on a Facebook ad—yes, a Facebook ad!

I hardly ever pay attention to ads anymore. In fact, I don’t really see ads because I have the Ad Blocker Plus extension for Firefox. However, I disable it on certain sites like Google search results and Facebook. On Google, I am interested in seeing the Sponsored Listings and on Facebook, I find some of the ads amusing though some seem like obvious scams and pyramid schemes.  I have never bought anything from them.

Until now.

I love blueberries and the thought of “producing up to 4 pints of juicy blueberries each day” was really appealing to me. I watched the very cheesy infomercial on their site and rolled my eyes at the exaggerations made (I have never seen blueberries for $10 a pint!). I knew their buy 2 get 1 plant free deal was just a way to make more money on the “processing and handling” and I knew that this offer wasn’t a limited-time thing as they pushed. It’s all standard marketing 101, and also techniques used by scam sites.  I didn’t like the super-funneled website with limited information and a one-step order form on the front page. Despite all this, I ordered 3 of the blueberry plants anyway.

Actually, I did do a bit of research first. I did a search for reviews and blog entries, but didn’t find anything much beyond fake testimonials hiding affiliate links. There was another site that discussed various nurseries and mentioned one as being the company behind Little Giant Blueberries, but the nursery name on my package didn’t match. I also checked with online nurseries and priced out the cost of buying from them versus buying from Little Giant Blueberries, and in the end, it was cheaper to buy from Little Giant.

So I placed my order and waited. Eleven days later, on April 1st, I got a call from my mailbox place that I received a package from “Something” Nursery (I can’t remember!) and because I was still at work, I asked Tim if he could pick it up on his way home. I didn’t tell him what it was because I wanted him to be surprised when he picked up a plant!

Little did I know, I was the one in for a surprise.

I got home and asked Tim where my package was. He said “Over there? What is it?” I looked over there and didn’t see a big box.

“Where?” I asked, my eyes searching the room. “It’s 3 blueberry plants.”

“There’s a plant in there?” Tim said in disbelief.

And then I saw it. On the kitchen island. A small brown box. A tiny brown box. WTF?

It should be noted that I have abnormally small, childlike hands.

It should be noted that I have abnormally small, childlike hands.

It was totally not what I expected at all.  I had read the FAQs on their website and knew that the plants were just bare-root cuttings without soil. However, I expecting them to be bigger and more substantial. What I got were more like twigs:

My Little Giant Blueberries plants slash twigs

My Little Giant Blueberries plants slash twigs

I was surprised and disappointed, but it quickly passed. I wasn’t expecting much to begin with based on the website and I didn’t pay that much for it so the sting was lessened.

I went ahead and got some peat moss and a box of fertilizer for acid-loving plants (I did a lot of research!) and potted the 3 tiny cuttings in a mixture with potting soil.

My Little Giant Blueberries potted in a soil-moss-fertilizer mix

My Little Giant Blueberries potted in a soil-moss-fertilizer mix

The pot is on my north-facing balcony.  It was pretty hot the day I planted it, but then it rained for a few days and got chilly. I don’t know if any of this is good for the plants! However, in just a few days there are little shoots and leaves coming out of 2 of the cuttings:

9 days after receiving my Little Giant Blueberries

9 days after receiving my Little Giant Blueberries

I’ll be keeping a close eye on them even though I don’t expect much. Their website says that “they will likely bear a light crop this season” but I don’t really see how these little cuttings will give me any type of fruit-bearing plant this year!  I don’t have high expectations for next year either (if it makes it), but I’ll keep updating.

In other news, my Ismene came back! I didn’t do anything you’re suppose to do in terms of digging up the bulb or preparing for winter, etc., and it just started sprouting on its own a few weeks ago. I hope I get more than one bloom this year!
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Effective April 2011: Rude comments, affiliate links and spam comments will be deleted. This includes all you SEO "gurus" who leave vague, generic comments to try and get a backlink. I can spot you from a mile away so don't even bother. If you would like to legitimately advertise on this site, please contact me.
  • NaunRee
    RUN from this company !!!!!!!!!!!  I, too, got twigs, but all three were dead.  But the worst part was the email SPAM that began - a condition that never existed before my encounter with Little Giant Blueberries.  This company seemed to have gotten me added to every spam list in the country.  Hundreds a day.  My guess is that this is their real game.  I filed a complaint with BBB because I could not get a customer service rep to respond (my opinion... SCAM, YES!).  I will say that I got a CALL from a slick talking gentleman a few days later and I did receive a full refund.  But 18 months later, I am still dealing with the spam and may just need to close my email account.
  • Kschill
    I ordered these, too, because I have a son that LOVES blueberries and I thought it would be fun to grow so many of them. We got twigs, too. One dead, two clinging to life. That was spring of 2010. I do have to say that they looked pretty weak by the end of the summer, but we kept them through the winter and this summer, they have grown a TON! Both plants have taken off. No berries this year, but each plant is 18-24" high now. Maybe there is hope!? As for the customer service, I agree. There is none! Good luck, all.
  • Daniel Price
    I work on the technology side of the blueberry industry. Depending on the growing region, newly planted bushes take from 3-7 years to produce a crop. Judging by the looks of these cuttings it may be longer.
  • Acoburn21
    I was skeptical but ordered the little giant blueberries anyways. I was irritated that no shipping cost was shown until my card was actually charged. My plant arrived (finally) a few months after my order was placed. I've had the same experience, tiny twiggs that have not grown at all in the 2 !/2 months since i Planted them. I am an avid gardener and I have other blueberry plants that are thriving. I would suggest purchasing plants from local nurseries or reputable nursery catalogs. If you purchased from giant blueberry and were over charged or are dissatisfied please report to the BBB! Also I am a letter carrier with USPS, it does not cost $12 to ship a tiny box like this. I'm not sure if there is anything that can be done about that but, if anyone has any advise please post and DO NOT order from this company!!!
  • K80shim
    errrrrrr I'm on the phone right now have been redirected twice and hung up on!!!!! I never reply/post whatever about anything. This is rediculous they should be sued
  • Tvoter
    I have such limited sympathy.  I was looking at their website and it is such a joke.  Can people really not tell this is a scam without purchasing this crap?  Will you really believe ANYTHING you are told.   Be grateful you were only scammed out of a little bit of money before someone comes along and really takes advantage.  Smart'n up
  • Jackjohnson1
    at least you got your plants.  I called to see where my plants were after a couple of months.  an obnoxious guy answered and i was calm at first but that didnt last long. you dont know how bad i want to hurt him now.  he said my card info was bad and did not go thru.  he would nor give the date or amout so i could track it down easily.  i always check to see if my purchases go thru and it did.  and no credit had been given.  i asked to talk to a supervisor and he said she was away and it would take 48 to 72 hours to call back.  no return calls were made and in checking with the bank no rejections were made.  i have never ever had a problem with my card.  also  a few weeks after placing the order i got a sales call from same company trying to sell me more.  i asked where my blueberry plants were and she said they had already been shipped.  this giant blueverry company is nothing but a bunch of liars and scammers.
  • Wintemp_1
    I ordered the plants and before I received them four other companies charged items to my credit card. Companies I had never heard of and for products I would never order. I asked how they got my credit card number and address. They all got it from Little Giant Blueberries. I highly resent them selling my info to unauthorized companies. Apparently that is their policy. If you don't want your credit card info to get into other hands. don't order from this sleazy outfit.

    Win Templeton
  • isaidso
    I just saw their ad on TV and decided to check it out. I've always believed in the saying that "if it sounds too good to be true, it usually isn't." BUT, I've always wondered if I missed out on something good. Thanks to sites like this, I won't wonder about this one anyway. Thanks, everyone, for the heads up.
    By the way, we bought two blueberry bushes from a local nursery last spring and had one bowl of berries by the fall. They're already showing signs of new growth this year.
  • Martypdji
    Yeah that's all I got, a bunch of small twigs, I put them in the ground anyway just to see, cause even if I ask for a refund of my 20.00, I'm still out the $25.00 that they charged me for shipping....they know this is a ripoff, that's why they charge you more for shipping than for the actual plants because they don't refund shipping even if you do ask for a refund. $25.00 to ship a 3" x 8" box. It's been a month now and so far no activity, the twigs are still twigs with no green on them.
  • Eileen Eulich
    Wow, thank you so much 4 posting this. I wish I had read it before I got the buy 2 get 1 free deal. I have a major problem here because I don't know what to do with my huge
    piles of juicy fresh blueberries every day. They should really warn you that once these things bloom, that everything tastes better with the massive amounts of blueberries your gonna have to deal with. I seen the commercial but I didn't know what to believe. With my brown thumb, I had to ask my friend Sue who told me the secret -- U need to add peet moss to the dirt for 1 week.
  • Vh651
    What is the name of the company that billed you? If you used credit/debit card what name showed on it? vh651@yahoo.com
  • I just realized I never updated this post with how my blueberries turned out. My tiny little sticks remained as such, eventually turned brown and died. I'll readily admit that I don't have a green thumb but the advertising and infomercial made it seem so easy and simple to get grow your own blueberries. From my personal experience, and it looks like the experience of many others, this is most definitely not the case here and you are better off buying older plants from a local nursery suited to your soil and climate.
  • Starsy267
    My husband brought the TV add to my attention because we both love blueberries. I just finished reading all the comments to your note above. We recently moved to GA from upstate NY where I grew up on really good BIG blueberries. My recommendation is this: buy from a local nursery who is reputable and you will be more likely to get species for your area. Haven't been able to decide if the ad is really an association of Gardener's Choice, but I will say that I have purchased from them and so far most of what I got is growing. However, if you get bare root plants, you must plant them right away and keep them watered. I bought one of those 5 fruits on one tree plant. It was a bare root, looked like a stick. I did keep it watered and eventually a plant grew from the roots, not from the stick itself. It is now a year old and thriving. I think it said it would take almost 5 years for it to bear fruit, and everyone I've told about this tree is waiting anxiously to see if it really will have more than one type of fruit. Even if I only get one type on it, I will be happy. The leaves on the tree look just like peach leaves. Oh, and I also bought the kiwi plants which are doing well, but I'm not sure if they will bear fruit cause I'm not sure they are meant for this climate. Time will tell. Hope this helps someone.
  • Robyn7225
    Well...I bought the plants before I tried to find reviews...I will have to monitor my credit card I guess for overcharges. Does anyone have any Ideas to make the little buggers grow? I was going to just throw them in the dirt outside with the other blueberries but that isn't sounding too promising. Has anyone gotten them to grow?
  • gg23mich
    Go on down to WalMart and check out their garden section. 2 year old blueberry plants with lots of green parts for $10, and 1 year old shoots for $5. I was just there today! And I'm SURE Walmart will refund if they don't work out.... Well, I hope they will. Enjoy!
    Oh, and don't order from the Blueberry Giant... come on... if you read the fine print, it is at least 2 years before they bear fruit! 2 years! And you have to be suspicious of that Postage and Handling charge.... anything that charges more for P&H then they do for the product cannot be legit! No unicorns for me! GG
  • Jamesseiling
    I ordered my blueberries 2 months ago and my card was just charged yesterday. I forgot I ever ordered these things until my card was charged. what the heck? I wish I read this before I ordered my blueberries and bananas. I hope they all grow...
  • Rmwyer
    DON'T BE SUCKED IN. The product is crap....twigs with no instructions and no invoice or receipt. My credit card was charged TWICE and because it's pre-paid, I was charged an overdraft fee. Now I'm jumping through hoops trying to get the extra charges back. Not cool :(
  • Unosepick2
    Its a rip off, don't waste your money. The pictures above are huge compared to the toothpicks i got.
  • Zellko
    Did anybody else get charged for several plants? My order which showed up as $30 was charged to my card at $87.
  • Minibellabucca
    Please, just try your local nursery. Your plants will have a one year warranty on them, they will be at least a two year old established plant and they will come with a warranty unless they have been steeply discounted in the fall. No shipping, no scams, just supporting your local business community.
  • Christine_beauford
    Yes I got charged for several plants. I called to cancelled it then I was curius why i was being charge for $21.90 if I am only going to buy blueberry set for $10 plus the shipping. I was going to buy the blackberrries then decided not.
  • No berries 4 me
    Thank you all for saving me from a scam! Not to mention solicitor phone calls! These bastards need to be shut down! I hope that everyone who got ripped off contacts the BBB.

  • Mcarthurdw
    I bought the same item over a year ago. Took great care to plant them correctly are care for them.
    I have three slightly green sticks and have yet to see a blueberry a year later.
  • Adogg13
    You guys are crazy. My plants came on time and were a steal for the price! I planted them and was amazed at how fast they grew. In only a few days, I had so many blueberries I didn't know what to do with them! Unfortunately, I came home yesterday to find a wild unicorn had eaten my plants! I had no idea they lived on this side of the rainbow!?!
  • Cole
    Even unicorns love blueberries.. This deal is definitely too good to pass up.
  • Matt
    Uh, Adogg13 was being sarcastic people. You took a comment that mentioned wild unicorns seriously? :rollseyes:
  • Hah, I noticed that too but decided not to say anything. I found people's responses to be a bit amusing but at the same time I understand that people can get caught up in their emotions regarding this topic; they neglect to finish reading the whole thing before reacting. I can't blame them. This purchase was quite disappointing for me.
  • You are a lying asshole
    Liar liar your ass should be on fire.
    Crook!
  • jim
    This is a BS reply by the vendor. come on..you had berries in "A FEW DAYS" you are a liar or delousinal, pick one !
    Gardners Choice is the parent (SCAM) company. they are a rip off! Outrageous shipping and handling charges, junk nusery stock.
    and also 'seed" the reviews of their JUNK product!
  • guest
    what an idiot you are; I know you think you are extremely clever and funny, but me? not so much. People are looking for reviews not stupid comments
  • Jasonnye
    All I can say is be patient and make sure you use peat moss. Peat moss is the key since blueberries need a low pH. A good guide on how to plant these little giant blueberries can be found at http://LittleGiantBlueberryPla....
  • FYI folks, the above link is to an affiliate site meaning the person who runs the site (probably Jasonnye) gets a cut out of Little Giant Blueberries sales so obviously it's going to be favorable "reviews" and "experiences"
  • Agentmommy
    <vuthy> He's just stating a fact. Not an opinion. It is a helpfull fact by the way.
    I'm looking at reviews to decided whether to buy. I will not by since bad reviews. Thanks guys. So, nope, don't care about Jasonnye. No financial gain here. It's just a valid point.</vuthy>
  • I'm not quite sure what you're responding to. I never said anything about blueberries needing peat moss not being a fact, I was merely pointing out that the site Jasonnye linked to is an affiliate site which is my 10+ years of experience in online marketing is usually filled with fake reviews and experiences because the whole point of an affiliate site is to make you buy so they can make money. Now that is a fact.
  • Planter
    I got ripped off from these guys last summer (Gardner's Choice is the name of the parent company) and I still check online for more sites to warn others to stay away from them. Just found this site today. Bottom line is that this is a SCAM. Out of 12 plants that I ordered last April only 2 arrived alive (I planted all of them anyway) and none of them are alive today. They also turned my cell phone number over to telemarketing companies. See my venting below...

    I tried to buy 2 orders of Little Giant Blueberries online for $20. Without giving me an opportunity to confirm my order (For example… a page showing my final order with shipping charges asking you to confirm the purchase as one does with every other online purchase ) the website brought me straight to a page thanking me for my 4 orders (not 2 which I had intended) and charging me $88. I immediately called them them to clarify the order, but it was Sunday and they were closed. I called at 9am on Monday morning (the next day) and was told that the order had already shipped and there was nothing they could do. I didn’t believe them and asked for a tracking number which I was told would be supplied via email. That email never came and when I called again for the tracking number I was told again that they would send it via email... never came. The plants arrived 2 weeks later. Two of the 12 plants were alive at the time, but they didn't last more than a few months with regular care.

    Look at the Postage & Handling charges! The plants come in bundles of 3. Each bundle costs $10, but the P&H is about $12 per bundle. The package shipping fee on the box that came to me was $0.87 for 12 plants, yet I was charged $48 for Postage and Handling which is why they can offer a 100% gurantee and supply dead plants because they already have your money in the $12 per bundle handling fee that is non refundable.

    BUT WAIT!!! THERE’S MORE!!!!! Not only did all of the above reak of a scam, but within 3 days of placing the order I BEGAN RECEIVING UNSOLICITED PHONE CALLS from mortgage companies and credit card companies on my cell phone for the first time in the 7 years that I’ve had that number (the number provided to Gardner's Choice). The people on these phone calls immediately hang up on me when I ask to be taken off of their list, and proceed to call again the next day. One of the solicitors stayed on the line with me and told me that they got my number from an online purchase that I made recently... The only online purchase I made was with Gardner's Choice. After getting on the do not call list, the calls stopped after 2 months of 2-3 calls per day. PLUS my cell number is from the east coast and I live on the west coast now. Most of the companies that called must have been going off my area code to figure out what time zone I was in because the calls were coming in at 6am. I had to keep my phone in another room when I went to bed on weekends. This company needs to be stopped.

    I highly suggest against any dealings with them.
  • Thizzled
    There is a national do not call list you can be added to to stop ALL calls and I am not sure if they still do but in the past offer a cash settlement from any UNSOLICITED PHONE CALLS that are made to you
  • Gtkitchens
    You need to file a complain to your state attorney general
  • ladypamela
    Thank you sooooo much for all of the info you wrote. You just saved me a lot a heartache. I, too, have an east coast # and live on the west coast.
  • Thanks for all the comments and different perspectives/experiences everybody. This blog entry is starting to get A LOT of hits again so I guess Little Giant Blueberries has started advertising once more for the 2011 season. I hope the information here helps people make the right decision for themselves. I personally will be buying any plants now from the OSH near me because they have a lifetime replacement guarantee which, as someone with anything but a green thumb, is a big plus for me!
  • chrissycali
    Maybe i should cancel my order also. I am trying to find a nursey that carry blueberry and blackberries plants. I would like to plant it. To have the blueberry and blackberries grow in my own backyard it does save money to go the supermarket that charge ridiculous price for nearly $4 a basket. I should have read the reviews or blogs before I purchased. Im going to call them now to cancel. thanks for the eye opening.
  • Gonefishing51
    Get your plants from Nourse Farms in Ma. and save yourself a lot of greif.
        I bought 60 blueberry plants from them 3 years ago and they are all doing well and bearing fruit.I will be ordering more plants for next spring from them.
        They also have a great staff who can guide you as to the plants physical requiements if you are new to gardening or are trying something new.
    They have an online catalogue. noursefarms.com
  • Ziemannfamily
    Christine...we just bought blueberry, raspberry and blackberry bushes at home depot. They gave a year guarantee in their plants. We live in Colorado.
  • Oregon Fisherman
    Be careful planting those blackberry's. I live in Oregon where they grow wild and that is just what they do - grow wild. Thay can take over your whole yard in no time with the most thorny tangled mess you've ever seen and be prepared to bleed when trying to cut them down and then they just grow back. OUCH!!!
  • Brucecarson2008
    Hey I just wanted to say that I've had these blueberries for about a year and a half now and they have started producing a pretty good amount of blueberries, but it did take until about now to pay off. I think they are well engineered hybrids and better than similar plants from Home Depot, not sure if they are genetically engineered or not but I personally have nothing against GE. That said they should really include more cuttings for the price, maybe ten or so. Also they sould be more honest about what they are selling.

    It's a shame because growing your own food is something more people could do but dishonest sellers like this will turn people off of it.
  • WarY
    Keep us posted on how many pints per day you get! Thanks.
  • Hope i can help someone
    well I bought some plants before I read all of this but we will see how this goes.
    Other then that It sounds like lots of the first comments dont know what to exspect from plants in the mail so for future readers I would like to try to help because this is the only site i found that talks about these blueberries.
    When you unpack your bare-root plant, check for the following signs.

    If roots feel totally dry or are shriveled, immerse them in water for an hour or more. If after that the roots snap off easily and the stems above the plant are shriveled, your plant is probably a goner.

    If roots are soft and mushy when you unwrap your plant, you've got root rot. A sure sign that you have this problem is that distinctive odor of rotting vegetation Your plant can be saved if just a few roots are mushy, and about two-thirds appear firm and healthy. Remove the soft roots, and rinse off the remaining roots with warm sudsy water before planting.

    Healthy roots will be flexible, bending rather than snapping off. Many may have little white filaments, the beginnings of new feeder roots. All bare-root plants should be put in the ground as soon as possible, but especially where there is new root growth visible, because that means your plant is no longer dormant.

    If you absolutely can't get your plant in the ground for a couple of days, repack it and tie its plastic wrapper securely to keep roots moist. The roots must not dry out. Leave the plant in a cool place, but not where it will freeze.

    If you can't plant your bare-root plants for more than a couple of days, it's best to heel them in: That is, dig a small trench and lay the plants along one side, then cover their roots with soil until they are ready for planting. But even with this technique, get those plants in the ground as soon as you can.
    You should also know that blueberries like well drained acidic soil that is a ph around 4. a great cheap way to add acid to the soil is with your used coffe grinds.
    i also think that if you can get them to grow that just like regular blueberries it will help if you have a differant type for pollination even though most blueberries are self pollinating. sure hope this helps anyone growing anytype of blueberries. heck hopefully it will help me with these ones.

  • John874
    Little Giant Blueberries Scam - Little Giant Blueberries as Seen on TV is a Scam!! The plants advertised on TV are a big scam and you will not get 16,000 berries off a single plant. Beware of Little Giant Blueberries Scam - Little Giant Blueberries Scam - by plants from a real grower. Not these liars!!
  • sher
    I agree with the guy below -- they are shipped dormant, which looks dead til spring comes. I have a huge fruit orchard & every tree I've ever ordered is bareroot - no dirt (which harbors insects) and comes dormant for you to plant in early spring, before it "wakes" up. I suppose most people would think they are dead - ha! for the price those blueberries are, of course they are tiny cuttings. Wait for home depot or lowes, you can get a small, but 10" plant for about $10 every spring .... Or order from reputable fruit companies like Stark Bros, Miller Nursery, Willis Orchard or Grandpa's Orchard - some of my favs for fruiting plants online.
  • Metaled222
    Sounds like no-one here knows a thing about ordering plants by mail. Order a tree, it is going to be a dormant "twig". Order a plant and it will look like it is dead. Most people here sound like they expect it to be potted and a flowering plant.
    That can't be done via mail. Because of pests, the plants usually ship while they are dormant. There is no soil included since insects and other pests can be transferred via the soil. They are then held in quarantine by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture. To verify there are no larva or insects that are going to infest your area and decimate your local crops.
    When you get any mail order plant, follow the directions as soon as possible to get it growing again.
    This is how all mail order plants from a different state are handled and are required to due so by law. This is what you will get when you mail order ANY type of live plant via mail/ It's not a scam. It's what you ordered, just that you are not aware of how the system works. search for any live plant order company and read the reviews. tons of people yell "SCAM" when they receive their packages. They are first time growers who should at least give the plants a chance.
    I am not associated with these blueberries, but I have bought mail order "dead" plants before and have only had a couple that actually were dead because they were held in quarantine too long. The companies have always replaced them.
    Too bad they didn't quarantine more plants in So. Calif. A single moth from China is destroying all the 100+ year old Eucalyptus trees. Nothing can stop them, just going to wipe out another species of tree. Gone from the face of the earth in less than a decade.
    A little more research on how things work is in order.
  • Sonji Hill
    ok but what about them charging more fro shipping an handeling than the plant? or doubleing the charges or orders to people credit cards. or selling peoples cell phone and/or credit card numbers?  you make a good point, your post is informative for first timers me included, however little giant blueberries, their parent company and sffiliates sure sound like scammers to me!
  • SCAM!!!
    Don't buy them the blueberrys come dead and dry and have no chance of growing anything in one season. Go to Home depot or another garden store and buy them it will work out way better!!
  • Minibellabucca
    WTF! Do any of you people realize the struggles the independent garden centers are going through to make ends meet since the housing crash? Why are you buying your plants from a box store like Home Depot or Walmart? Independents are owner operated, provide real jobs with benefits and pay high local taxes to local governments to do so. WE are the people supporting your community with locally grown plants that support local economies and real knowledge about what works in your area and how to grow it. Is it really that important to you to save a buck fifty on your plants to support big corporations that consistently use loss leaders to draw in customers while driving the small business people into the ground. Next time you think about buying something from big box, think about your unemployed neighbor who is as much a victim of your buying habits as he is a victim of the greed of the financial institutions. Supporting big business that does not provide good jobs and loopholes out of their fair of taxes, is shooting you and your neighbor in the foot. Shame on you!
  • STEP OFF!
    This blog is about getting ripped off by a scammer - not about buying from Home Depot or Walmart.
    GET A GRIP!!!

    BY THE WAY, YOU WON'T EVER BE ABLE TO CONVINCE ME THAT YOU HAVE NEVER SHOPPED AT A HOME DEPOT, WALMART, SEARS, LOWES, KMART, SAFEWAY, JC PENNEYS, MCDONALDS OR ANY OTHER MAJOR CORP CHAIN STORE.

    GET DOWN OFF YOUR SOAP BOX BEFORE YOU FALL OFF!!!
  • Michael
    Dude get a grip. It's adapt or get trampled if you don't like the big box stores because they found a way to appeal to the masses do something to change it yourself. Sorry that I shop at sears for my tools because the local true value doesn't have the selection and the quality of the product is not as good and they want more for it. Maybe if they had better product for a reasonable price i would buy there. and that local grocery store with the aged produce and meat that looks like it's rotting oh yeah that's what i should support with those again redick prices and poor quality. I say show me a store where there is something i need/want with a good price and a smile and you will see me there and telling the other stores to f off. It's survival of the fittest it's a cruel world out there you either eat or get eaten these ancient stores will continue to go bankrupt because of improper management and marketing as well as price an service. as far as taking away there job's i'm sorry Tom lost his job that he's been working at for 12 years and he's just started making 11 bucks an hour with limited insurance sounds like a real awesome business doesn't it. that's below the poverty line so that must be a great job right??? as everyone should know education is the best way to better yourself, you could always just be that good and build your empire without it but that piece of paper is what you need to get your start after that it's all you. and as far as this blueberry thing goes if you don't know what you are doing go buy one at a nursery or where ever you can. do some research and find what's good for your area. and if you can't afford school there are ways to get financial aid or you could just join the military and get your school paid for like i did.
  • Minibellabucca
    One more thing Michael I want you to think about. What do you think will happen to pricing and selection when there are only 4 or 5 players left in the market? The same thing that is happening to the stock market, in particular to the commodities market. At the whims of the rich and famous who are trading stock... This may not happen in our lifetime, but maybe your kids or nephews will feel the pain. We formed unions to give us the weekend, fair wages and to stop child labor. Now, we are heading backwards to owners and stock buyers controlling the markets. WE need to control our own local markets with our buying habits, plain and simple.
  • Minibellabucca
    So, Michael, are you saying instead of going to your local nursery for help you should put yourself through Hort school so you know how to grow blueberries? I think I'm missing your point here. Or are you suggesting I go back to school because I'm an idiot without a degree who is 'stuck' in the business because I have no higher education? 'Either or', not so enlightening, because you are wrong on both accounts of the situation. Or is your point that all private businesses be shut down because Walmart, Menards and Home Depot are such better employers and provide sooo much better service. I'm feeling the brainwashing of the military showing through here, cut you down to nothing, so they can build you back into what they want.

    Secondly, improper management 'enlightenment' may well have something to do with our businesses failing, but let's get real here. We don't want to work for or own a Walmart. But... Walmart, selling their vast array of products in thousands of stores, sets their own pricing with every manufacturer they buy from. I personally pay more wholesale than they sell their products for! Is that lack of education, greed and and poor marketing. NO, it's called monopolizing the market, which is suppose to be illegal, but is apparently not the case in global retailing. I see your point, but you don't see mine. We are being crushed by big business who is willing to take a loss for a long term gain, called strategic planning, a term I'm sure your familiar with. If I had 30 million or whatever they spend to run an ad campaign, you can bet your ass I could do better business.

    By the way, who laid your friend off? A locally struggling business?
  • Izzy
    They don't want stuff from China either -- but for some reason don't want to pay a 100-300% premium for similar goods made in the USA. (I've been in consumer goods, including DRTV products, for most of my career.) Know that most DRTV products are not scams, but oftentimes the original manufacturer has trouble fulfilling orders when it's underforecasted demand.
  • Swindled in Canada
    Like everyone else, we bought 3 my little giant blueberry plants earlier this summer and paid approx $30 with shipping, etc. to Canada. We received 3 tiny little 2-inch plants - 2 of which were dead brown sticks and have since not been revived. The third had about 5 tiny leaves, but has not done anything in 3 months.
    Don't buy!
  • Twinoaks
    Ripped OFF Too !
    I need not tell my story,it is just like all the rest.This is a HUGE Marketing LIE and a SCAM Deluxe. What we need is a Class Action Lawsuit to recover our monies and stop further abuse by these scoundrels.
  • Rnewell
    Scam! Fraud! I ordered 12 plants and they never ever became more than dead twigs. I called them and they resent the plants. Again nothing ever became of them. I called them back and they said "sorry, our season is over". They gave me two options. 1. Wait another 8 months until their season began again or 2. they would refund my money $20, however they would not refund the $25 in shipping and handling.

    Don't buy them! I read the reviews prior and didn't believe them. Believe me this is a huge scam!
  • Buttonsetc
    I purchasded it, they charged my card, and I never got the plants...they do not respond to emails.
  • Mdewald
    You can challenge this charge on your credit card.
  • Disgusted
    I ordered these blueberry plants, and they arrived as they have for everyone else complaining...3 dead twigs. They sent me new ones, 3 more dead twigs. When I called for a refund, they refunded the product amount, but refused to refund shipping, even after I threatened to file a report with the BBB. Truth is, the shipping was more than the plants. They ended up making a profit anyway. The bastards! I will file that report. How does one get this stopped???
  • Apockalipse2
    Challenge the charge on your credit card. It will work. I have done it before, but not with these people.
  • Lord Heisinger
    Here's my update. I filed the BBB complaint and 14 days later they responded and said they refunded all of my money and I will get it in 5 days. Well, I got all my money back on time. However, the people responding and paid me were not from Gardener's Choice. The email contact was from a website that sells die cast cars, motormint.com The contact name was Taylor Web Spec. I don't know about you, but something is a bit strange with this.
  • Disappointed in NJ
    Just wanted to give an update. I called Little Giant Blueberries/Gardeners Choice and spoke with a customer service rep., Linda. I gave her my zip code, name, and order number. Told her exactly what happened -- ordered on 6/7/10 received everything a few days later in little tiny boxes wrapped in plastic and everything was either brown sticks (blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries) or shrivelled and withered looking (strawberries, tomatoes, and peppers). I planted EVERYTHING promptly and waited. Ironically, I had purchased some tomato and pepper plants locally and planted at the same time. My locally grown plants are thriving and producing tomatoes and I even have tiny peppers already. Everything else is DEAD DEAD DEAD.

    She refunded the full amount of my order of $104.72. This was for the amount of all of the plants ($69.96) as well as the shipping and handling ($34.76).

    I am honestly not big on calling customer service to complain, I usually prefer email. But the Little Giant Blueberry scam site is GONE. Any remaining links to the video, that then push you toward the buying site, are DEAD as well.

    The woman I spoke with, Linda, is NOT affiliated with Little Giant Blueberries or Gardeners Choice. She is an independent operator. She said she herself has had several calls recently about this product/company and has been instructed to do complete refunds.

    I called 866-518-2290. Just wait thru the instructions, don't press anything, and you'll get an operator.

    My refund should be coming to my Mastercard in 3-4 days. I will be sure to post to let you know if it happens.

    If you have ordered, it's worth a shot to get your $$ back.
  • Disappointed in NJ
    I got my full refund as promised. The refund on my credit card is posted as Little Giant Blueberries.

    Ironically, I was going to pull up the dead sticks over the weekend, and discovered one of the blueberry plants has leaves, and one of the other sticks (maybe raspberry) has some leaves as well. Interesting. Though it fully goes against their claim of having bushes of berries this season. I will have to see how these turn out.
  • Tinapduguay
    Well, they have now started to rip off the Canadian people as well cause I am seeing on the tv guide channel here in Atlantic Canada. Canadian People beware, I will not be taken in, I thank you for posting these comments so I won't fall for it.
  • Lorindajeffery
    I seen the same Commercial, & often wondered how good they really are .
  • Irish0471
    saw, not seen. I saw the same commercial...
  • Whatajoke
    I got 3 dried sticks wrapped with a piece of plastic. NO SOIL..... 3 blueberry plants in a tiny box. I guess i just paid for a good laugh.
  • Shaunaleabutler
    i would love the name of the company so i can reort LITTLE GIANT BLUEBERRIES TO THE BBB . as a matter of fact i am going to report them right now. ALSO I AM NOTIFIENG THE CHANELL 3 PROBLEM SOLVERS ABOUT THIS RIP OFF!!!!!!!! SHAUNA
  • Lord Heisinger
    Gardener's Choice is the name you will find them at the BBB.
  • Nancy W.
    I have had the same experience. I did not get the first shippment, so called and said "where are my bushes?" they sent me 3 more. Only 2 were alive, the 3rd was just a dead twig. I have them planted and they have leaves. I will just have to wait and see. -Nancy
  • Whupddu
    My order came in and my plants are still brown after 2 weeks of planting. I called the company and they are going to refund my credit card. There was not even an argument.
  • Lord Heisinger
    I ordered 7 blueberries and 2 strawberries and 4 blueberries are the only ones alive. They are growing very slowly at that. I even checked the BBB before i ordered and there were NO complaints. I'm disappointed. I'm going to file a complaint because i'm not scared or embarressed to say I fell for it. My shipping & handling was 30.00. Box came just like everybody else's and said .87 cents.
  • TexGEOas
    Checking the BBB is no protection. If the company "pays its dues" you won't get any negative reports out of BBB. BBB itself is, in my opinion, a scam. It just a "membership" organization. If you get to a serious complaint stage... the BBB wants money from you... for "arbitration". Do your research online... just like this forum. Don't rely on BBB.
  • Lord Heisinger
    FYI: They are under the name Gardener's Choice for the BBB name. They even have an A+ rating for some reason. They have 670 complaints. Which is different from what I saw.
  • Lord Heisinger
    Make that 671 complaints. I'll keep an update of how they treat me and how they plan on trying to resolve my case.
  • Bluegazoo
    I was amazed when i first saw the commercial: 4 pints a day?!?!?! How could that be normal?
    "roger t" has some interesting comments below.

    Are mega blueberries the same? There web site is now just a message to users saying "if your order was after this date it was cancelled".

    Does anybody know if these plants are patented? Are the GM foods?



  • Sally Eidson
    Here's another "believer" only to be very disatisfied. I made a mistake ordering and spent over a stupid $100. Don't know how or why I did it. A friend came over and said what are these? When I told her they're my blueberry plants I ordered, she said "You're kidding." She's also a gardener like me. First of all, they're unrealistically tiny plants. Secondly, there was NO paperwork inside the box. I've called the company about where to send them back, and a rude man answered the phone, gave me a different address than what's on the back, and then said either one would work. My husband is extremely upset and wonders how we'll get our money back bacause there's No Paperwork inside the package. I'm writing a letter, sending them back, and saying they will be reported to the Better Business Bureau if I don't receive credit FAST! It's a poor quallity for a plant, the shipping is way too much, and with no paperwork they don't want you to have any records or contact information in my mind. This has to be a SCAM. DO NOT BUY! Sally Eidson
  • Disappointed in NJ
    Did the same thing. Got 4 blueberries, 3 blackberries, and 2 raspberries. And however many strawberries, maybe 6? Strawberries all died within days of planting, even with me keeping a close eye. Blackberries...nothing. Raspberries...got a leaf the other day, but it disappeared. 3 blueberries still alive.
  • Lord Heisinger
    I made a mistake and ordered strawberries and get a free blueberry plant. I clicked on it thinking yeah sounds good. They had abunch more offers for other kinds of fruits too. So I just clicked no, no, no and finally got through it all and thinking I'll change anything at the check out screen, where normally one would be able to. Not this site, it went right to this is what you ordered and this is the total you were charged and an email will be sent out shortly. I was like dang, what if I clicked on a few more, I would have been over 100 too. I just went ahead with it since I like strawberries anyways, but the fact they use this method is sneaky and underhanded.
  • Jix Logan
    I was tempted to purchase from these scammers also, thank goodness I found this website before doing so. I will pick up my blueberry bushes from the nursery, not these useless twigs.
  • UPDATE: Hey everybody, I just wrote a new blog entry that you may find very interesting: http://www.vuthy.com/blog/2010/06/24/blueberry-...
  • Blue in the face
    Yes, I received a few sticks also.Not a big loss. It appears on average, we all lost 30 dollars.However collectively, these practically prime-time pirates have cheated us out of much? Maybe hundreds of thousands or millions? The Little Giant Blueberry fairy has stuck it to us. Their ad ran many times an evening for quite some time. If the reviews I have read are any indication, 99 % were ripped off. I would like to know how many consumers paid for this scam. My money is not the issue, it is ALL of our money that is the issue. Any consumer advocates or lawyers that read this, I ask you for all of us to find out what they got away with, and then squash em' like a ''BIG,JUICY, ANTIOXIDANT RICH" berry that we will never get to taste.
  • Llynemiller
    I also bought the Little Blueberry Giants and nothing nothing nothing - I am disappointed but lesson learned - I will find a real nursery and purchase my plants there - Save time, money, and energy all the way around and if the plant doesn't grow you can always take it back and get help - but they do tell you it is a bare root cutting so "Buyer Beware"
  • etch69
    This is a scam, these little plants are useless......As you can see they got me too, but I am going to do something about it.............I tried contacting the company with no resolution, they said send it back, there is nothing to send back........I basically started out with nothing, and now I truly don't have anything........Please do something about it, I will be contacting the bbb.
  • Ccartwright
    I am so glad I found this website. I too was excited about the thought of these blueberry plants and was THINKING of ordering. I'm so glad I looked online first and thanks to everyone for sharing your stories. I guess these kinds of scamming companies with never quit as long as there are gullible people like me.
  • Jo
    Sure wish I found this site before wasting $30-plus. My "delux" package consists of 15 dead twigs. Probably a silly question but do they have a facebook page where you can leave comments (complaints)?
  • Innocentbych
    Any new pics? I would love to know if they ever grew..
  • I'm a bit embarassed/reluctant to show any new pics. My 3 "plants" are basically dead. Didn't grow much beyond that last picture I posted above. Looks basically the same, just dry and brown, which isn't much different from how I got them! Imagine all the blueberries I could have bought with that money!
  • Crashq
    My mom bought three of these plants. When they showed up, they were tiny brown twigs about two inches long with very few inch long roots. I read the instructions, and purchased garden soil that did not contain fertilizers (like most "potting" soils do) and mixed in sphagnum peat moss to acidify the soil (as the company indicated that they needed acidic soil and peat moss could be used to acidify it). So far after a week, they are still dead brown twig.
  • Wjupper
    My wife ordered the "Little Giant" fraud as well. We received 3 twigs, 2 of which were dead. The survivor does not look very long for this world. These people should be put out of business

    Bill & Jo, N.C.
  • BingoRingo
    Look at the reviews online, all positive reviews are without a doubt paid shills!

    Stay away from companies who have to pay people to write positive reviews.

    And if you want blueberries, buy seeds for about $1.00 at Wal-Mart and grow your own plants.
  • Thanks for all the interest everybody! My "plants" aren't doing so well. Perhaps someone with a greener thumb that I would have better luck, though I must admit it's not like I had much to start with. Will be posting details and pictures soon. On the bright side, now that it's summer, fresh berries are on sale at my local supermarket for about $1.50 a pint so I can get my blueberry fix that way (not $10 a pint like in the informercial!)
  • roger t
    These plants were a sham when they first came out back in the late 1970's,they are nothing new,first time I remember seeing them they were being sold at woolworth department stores,I think they were sold under the Ronco brand as mammouth blueberries or some other goofy name..
    Back then they were actually in 4inch pots and about 6-8 inches tall,suposedly they were to make blueberries all season,but of course it was Ronco so they only ended producing about the normal season,and no where near the 2 pints a day they advertised back then...they were also prone to bugs and berry worms so you had to use an insecticide dust.... then I didnt see them for a while until the late 1980's they were being sold under another name Giant blueberry bush at K-mart garden centers and at some of the Acme grocery stores in the flower/plant section they use to have when you walked in the doors...still same crappy plant....

    So now they are called little giant blueberry plants and they say They were only recently discovered and cultivated by U.S. Plant Scientists!!! WOW....but its a lie,,,the little giant plants are a cross subspecies of rabbiteye blueberry and Northern Highbush Blueberry...they did this so the same blueberry plant can grow in mississippi or even in maine...so they have no need for temperature/weather zoning plants species....Another lie is they say the plant produces berries all season long and to the untrained person it may seem like it does,but it really doesnt....its just that since little giant is a cross breed its berries get ripe at different times,small example is you may have say 20 berries that are ripe and ready so you pick them,but you still have another 60 berries that are in all different stages of coming ripe,so every few days you will be able some...but its never near the 4 pints per day from one plant...or 16,000 berries fromeach plant in a season....lol...

    think about it in a logical business type manner....
    Fresh blueberries are always a little pricey,now if just one of these plants can produce 4 pints a day all season long wouldnt you think the wholesale blueberry farmers would be using them to bring in even more cash?? why waste time waiting on the yearly harvest just plant 150 acres of little giants and make a huge fortune on blueberries....lol
    the main reason they dont is that these plants dont produce like the ad says,they never ever have.....I have tried them...they are OK for the novice blueberry lover,,but if youre into making blueberry jelly,cobblers,freezer jellies,breads ect...its better to just buy 6-8 pure bred blueberry
    bushes and you will have more than enough berries for years to come...
  • Perhaps I will have to try these. My question though is whats going on...

    Are there really 2 sites by this company or not.

    I see

    and

  • You might want to try and be a bit more subtle about the fact that you're affiliated with the company. Next time when you try to put in SEO-friendly backlinks, make sure they aren't broken. I'm deleting your other comment. No need to send link juice back to such a shady company.
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