seeds of love [re•view]

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links and mention of a product which I received in exchange for my opinions which are my own.

It's March 5 and I'm home on a snow day...

...and blogging again about gardening.

I really have no right to be doing so; I bought 4 ivy plants back in the early fall to keep the air fresh and one is dead. The rest are hanging in there.

Regardless, I love the idea of picking my own vegetables this summer. I also love the idea of some cheerful flowers adorning the outside of our home.

Vremi, the folks who so kindly sent me the veggie seeds I previously mentioned, also produce Seeds of Love organic flower seeds.

Actually, they produce organic flower seed "greeting cards."

I was pretty thrilled when I heard this. Would they be made with that cool seed paper? Or just be pretty cards that happen to include seeds?

The answer is neither. These are, in fact, organic flower seeds. I'm totally cool with that.

They are not, however, "cards." At least not the way I think of them. They are your normal seed packet that just happen to also have "Happy Birthday," "Thank You," etc. printed on them. So greeting? I guess. Card? Not so much. You can't write your own greeting. There isn't even a TO/FROM field to fill out.

I was looking forward to a unique, less-waste greeting. But this won't be the case. They're not cards. In fact, to use these, I'd be putting them in cards:

If you just want pretty organic flowers? Sure. Grab them on amazon: $20 for 10 packs of seeds. Is that a deal? I don't think so, but what do I know. I'm the only negative review on their amazon listing so far.

Which brings me to two issues: 1. blog ethics and 2. customer service.

1. Blog ethics: this serves as your friendly reminder that you can trust my reviews. If I say I like something, you can trust that I mean it since you know I don't shy away from telling you when I don't. I wonder how many reviews on amazon really like the product and how many are just kissing butt because they got free seeds.
2. Customer service: it goes a long, long  way. I contacted Vremi not once, but twice, when I realized I found the product as advertised to be lacking. They completely ignored me. Rude (also, I knocked an extra star off of my amazon review just for this reason). Sales are competitive right now; new businesses are always popping up (especially on amazon), and the companies that have the edge are the ones who communicate with their customers and offer services like follow up e-mails and how-to resources. If you can't be courteous enough to have a conversation with someone who is going to represent your brand to a large audience, how should an average paying customer be treated?

The bottom line? These are flower seeds. I'm sure they'll grow lovely flowers...if spring ever comes. But the branding? Needs a little work. And the company? Better customer service is definitely available from other comapnies. I loved the veggie seeds they previously sent me, but based on this experience, I'd recommend that paying consumers get their seed needs met elsewhere.