Gary's Garden Mart LLC

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I bought a small amount of wood on Saturday, but because of the cold weather, they had run out of 1/4 cords. I came back on Sunday with two cars and loaded up on 1/4 cord of firewood. The smaller amount was well seasoned, so I expected the 1/4 cord to be similar; but I was disappointed as it is not well seasoned at all. I've found it to be about 2/3 green, so far, it's been 3 weeks, regardless of the size of the particular piece. The woman was very courteous and professional, and did say that they were running out of wood all the time, and that this supplier was not their first choice. In addition, the quoted price had gone up $10 from 125 to 135 when I came back on Sunday. I've had to put small amounts of the wood inside and heat it up a little in order to use it for the next fire, as it is too green to burn properly. I chose this vendor due to the high ratings on Angie's list. I don't think I will return.

They did great and I got the firewood exactly as I ordered it. The driver placed it exactly where I wanted it. There was some confusion about the delivery time and I felt they could do a better job providing an expected delivery window. I enjoyed working with them and I will use them in the future.

I am very pleased overall and I will call them again when I need firewood. I would like to summarize the PROS and the CONS. Of note I am typically very critical, take that into account. PROS: 1. The actual guys (2) who brought and stacked the firewood were outstanding. One of them, who I really interacted and seemed to be the more senior of the 2 (Justin) was awesome. I find that even when reputable companies with a fairly good front office provide service, the lower level guys, who actually come to your house can be a and quot;hit and missand quot;, with some that you would not trust at all. I appreciate when the actual laborer gives you the impression they know what they are doing and you can trust them. This certainly was the case here and these guys I would hire myself if I was in a business like this. 2. They said they would come Sunday, they did, they delivered. They called me back a few times. At one point in the communications I felt frustrated and thought it was a waste of my time, but then they called me back and made it happen. I was particularly happy, as I ran out of firewood just that morning, so I was perfectly fine. 3. I was hesitating where I should put the wood quality. Finally I decided to put it among the and quot;PROSand quot;, after I actually burnt some tonight. At first I was hesitant to make the call, because the wood quality was their top selling point (and quot;95% hardwoodand quot;) and when I looked, it was certainly less dry than the load I just finished, cut in very long pieces (doesn't fit into my smaller stove, whereas the previous load was actually very small cut), and I wasn't convinced about the 95% either. However, it is a mix, I can sort the smallest pieces to go to my secondary wood burning stove (which is actually pretty small), it is not wet (burning nicely as we speak), and after all, all the pieces I just brought in seem to be hardwood (if this 12 piece set is representative...). So the quality is actually good and should be a PRO. 4. Price. Definitely a PRO. Out agreement was initially $475, but they asked an extra $25 b/c some car parked in front of my house and when they gave me the estimate they assumed it would be clear. But even at $500, it is an incredible price (for a truckload of good quality firewood, stacked up -by 2 guys working more than 1/2 of Sunday, with delivery. 5. Overall, even though I would have appreciated email (as explained below), I am putting their communication to the PROS list. Mary called me multiple times and was on top of things and I appreciate that. I certainly felt like there was personalized attention. CONS: 1. No email communication. 2. Receipt was rather low tech. 3. I have to say that I was getting frustrated during the process of their trying to figure out what it takes for them to stack. We were going through Google Maps (satellite), while I was trying to explain my yard, but then they went off line and looking at off line images of the wrong house wasn't helping me explain the situation. Actually, while I generally appreciate thoroughness, I would have been fine with whatever their higher estimate was, to move on, as spending 1/2 hour on the phone, apparently accomplishing nothing, wasn't my idea of spend my time. That's when I felt I was just going to drop the whole thing, but they called me back later and verified that they found my house and got the picture. Again, this could have been done by 2 emails, in which I provide the link to my house on Google Maps and whatever question they have could have been easily handled by email. 4. The fact they asked for extra $ is not exactly professional, although not a big deal, really. Again, if they told me $550 to start, instead of the $475 that had to be upped post-fact, I would have been fine. Again, this is not a big deal, because even then I came out much better than expected.

Professional Shop...I have used them before...they are timely and you can always count on them. The quality was good and consistent. If you are looking for a deal this is not the right place. This is a place that no matter what you get what you pay for....consistent service and quality for a retail price. I paid $175 1/2 a cord with a $25 delivery fee.

I called Gary's Gardens this morning after seeing them on Angies List. The people I spoke to on the phone were friendly, professional and informative. Within ONE HOUR, the wood was delivered right at my garage door. The wood is dry, seasoned and a mix of white and red oak. The lengths are a little inconsistent, but I have a big fireplace, so that will not be a problem for me. If you have a wood stove where size matters, should should discuss that with them before delivery. I wish I would have called them last fall. I sure wasted a lot of money buying those expensive bundles of wood at Safeway.

It was delivered the day I was told it would be. Because I was worried that the wood might be put on the street, it is busy where I live. I told the company that I needed the driver to put it in my driveway. The person I spoke with assured me that the driver would place it where I wanted it. The driver was professional and helpful when he delivered the firewood. I would highly recommend this company!