The Tree Center Grade: C+
The Tree Center Grade: Overall rating: 78.5
Top 20 Rank: #10
Recommendation: Good quality, pay attention to ship dates
Website: www.thetreecenter.com
Location: Davidsonville, MD
Why do we list location? This is so you can know, in most cases, where the evergreen shrubs you buy are coming from.
We evaluate and score 10 different categories. You can read details on what each category means and how we score it here.
The Tree Center Review
TheTreeCenter.com rating came in at 78.5 this month, which puts their grade at a C+ and #10 in our top 20. Our biggest issue is finding products in stock. They make it hard to view all evergreen trees or shrubs in one place but it seems barely half of their plants are in stock.
Tree Center Makes More Changes
The Tree Center updated its logo, and slogan and made a few site upgrades late in 2022. We like their latest design and layout the best. They also removed their latest slogan; “Lowest Prices Online Guaranteed! Show us a lower price and we’ll match it!”
The slogan seems to be one of the casualties of their latest changes. That’s not surprising. They weren’t offering price matches. That had to be problematic. At best, you would get a gift card. It was a bit cheesy, even for my marketing roots.
You can tell it’s a couple of men leading the charge, especially when their email sign-up at the bottom of the site references getting 6-pack abs?!?!
Some changes are smart. Others, in our opinion, not so much. Considering some of the recent tweaks, we’re guessing they’re realizing that not all the changes have helped. We also saw some pretty high prices.
If nothing else, they have always come across as very savvy marketing people. I’m sure they will get it all figured out and optimized but right now the site is less intuitive than before.
We finally placed an order on TheTreeCenter.com and it helped answer a few questions. You can view pictures of the unboxing and read our complete The Tree Center review of plants delivered here.
When we last checked in the summer of 2023, The Tree Center had 931 Google reviews with a 4.1 average rating. Somewhere along the line, all of those reviews went away. Now The Tree Center had 58 reviews with a dismal 2.1 average rating. You can view Tree Center Google Reviews here.
We ordered 2 bushes and 2 evergreen ground covers (Bowles Periwinkle). All 4 plants came from the same address in Maryland. They all came in one box. They were impressively packed, which we show & describe in our review. From searching the address on the shipping label, they do have their field but it does appear to be someone’s relatively large backyard.
We traded a few emails with someone in customer service at The Tree Center after we took delivery, Their replies were prompt and they were very supportive.
We also traded a few emails with the owner in 2021. He comes across as a very genuine, sincere businessman who has a good knowledge of website marketing and plants.
Our opinion of The Tree Center has increased since we received good quality plants delivered promptly from their field.
Dueling Arrive Alive Claims.
Fast Growing Trees & The Tree Center have very similar plant guarantees. ’30 Day Alive & Thrive Guarantee’ for fast-growing-trees.com and the Tree Center uses ‘Arrive & Thrive Guarantee’.
The Tree Center plant guarantee is spelled out in pretty simple language. The Tree Center Terms of Service, however, is still a beast. One of the longest we have seen for an online nursery.
Like other online nurseries, The Tree Center offers an optional 1-year extended warranty for an extra cost. Everyone else we have seen charges 10% of the product cost. The Tree Center charges 15%. And, like all the others, you only qualify for a replacement. And, you have to pay for shipping to have the replacement sent to you. 15% is a lot. These extended warranties, in our opinion, are not worth the added cost.
Without the extended guarantee, there is a small 7-day window to return anything. You have to pay for shipping and products must be returned ‘in the same condition in which we shipped the product‘. Even then, all you get is a store credit.
The Better Business Bureau has a LOT of complaints! The BBB lists a whopping 65 complaints. You can read The Tree Center BBB reviews here. They do use a third-party review service called Shopper Approved which has a lot of reviews. Over 10,000 total. They have also made a push recently to add user content with a lot of specific product questions.
The Tree Center is a bit of an enigma for us. Despite some concerns, mostly around their obvious desire to remain anonymous, they do carry a good selection at decent prices. We were impressed with our order including the way they pack & box their plants.
What were the red flags?
- Their Terms of Service are a beast! One of the longest we’ve found.
- They offer a phone number to call in BUT it is only available for new orders. You have to use their contact form for any existing order. They may be great at promptly responding to customer service inquiries, it’s just been our experience that there are some situations where you need to speak to someone, not just trading emails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is The Tree Center located?
Their mailing address is a PO Box in Davidsonville, MD. Plants shipped have a different address in a neighboring town.
Does The Tree Center offer free shipping?
The Tree Center offers free shipping on all orders over $199. No coupon code is required.
Are The Tree Center and Garden Goods Direct related?
They’re both located in the same general area. The owners are from the same family but the two nurseries do not work together. Just the opposite. Let’s just say family gatherings are probably awkward if both owners are attending.
Does The Tree Center guaranty their plants?
They offer an “Arrive Alive Guaranty”. The fine print says they will give you a 50% to 100% store credit depending on a few factors. They don’t offer refunds.
Disclaimer
All the information on this website – www.BuyEvergreenShrubs.com – is published in good faith and for general information purpose only. Buy Evergreen Shrubs does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability, and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information you find on this website (Buy Evergreen Shrubs), is strictly at your own risk. Buy Evergreen Shrubs will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website.
About the Author
- Why Fall is the Best Time to Plant Landscape Trees and Shrubs - September 6, 2024
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