" I spent eight hours today troubleshooting my balsam Hill Christmas tree. There are 10 branches with lights that do not work. I called customer service and was told my 3 yr. warranty ran out Nov. 26, 2018. This is my 3rd year using this Christmas tree so I would think balsam Hill would back their three-year warranty. I am very disappointed in the balsam Hill customer service. I would never buy anything from them again as they do not back their product! A satisfied customer will tell one person about their experience and a dissatisfied customer will tell 10 friends - that is me! Balsam Hill could use some serious customer service training. "
"After years of wanting a live tree, last year I gave in to my wife and we got a Balsam Hill tree. It came out of the box and was decorated. Looked nice.
This year it came out of the box and the top section wouldn't light. On 11/30/18 my wife called customer service and, after discussion, was told we would get a new top section in 5-7 business days. On day 8, we called and were told that those sections would not be available until next October. Had we not called, we would still not know there was a problem. I then asked for a replacement tree under the warranty and was told that couldn't happen So our 1 year old tree would be out of commission this season. We were then sent multiple strands of lights with no instructions or hardware to connect it to the tree. Additionally, we have a very vague description of how the replacement section will be delivered next fall. I am not hopeful.
Having worked around customer service in my career I find it unacceptable that their systems did not alert us, or them, that there was an open warranty problem that wasn't being resolved.
I understand that sometimes products break down. It happens. I don't understand why this company thinks it's ok to simply tell a warranty customer that they won't have resolution for almost a year and offer no other solution short of my wife and I trying to figure out how to tie wrap and power light strands to an artificial tree. Having bought an expensive tree with attached lights was supposed to keep us from this complexity. In short, this isn't customer service. It's an excuse department.
I am not an unreasonable person and if anyone at Balsam Hill wants to reach out to me for a resolution discussion, I'm available. My wife is not. She's at the hardware store trying to figure out what to buy to get us through Christmas.
"
"We felt very misled by this company. We ordered our tree on Nov 25th and received only 1 of the 2 boxes in the mail on Dec 3rd. We called the company and were told they would 2 day expedite the rest of the tree to us. Two days later we had no tree. Called again and were told we would have our tree shipped to us within a few days. No tree. Called again and had our "tax" refunded and were told we would get our tree in 2 days and "the other employees lied to us" which is what they told my wife because they had not shipped our tree at all. We were told we would get our tree in 4 days. We did not receive our tree, and we were told we would get 30% discount "if approved by corporate." Again, no tree. We called again and a supervisor said she would call me back. No call. No tree. I called the following day and they refunded us all our money back and said we could "use a coupon that is already on the website if we wanted a new tree now." One employee said that maybe I could decorate the half the tree that I have now. The supervisor also said we would have never received the 30% discount because corporate does not usually approve that discount.
Almost three weeks later and 11 days from Christmas we have no tree.
Customer service team misled us multiple times. Should not treat customers this way.
"
"I’ve made hundreds of purchases online before, and this Balsam Hill purchase has been hands-down the worst experience I’ve ever had. I ordered a christmas tree at the end of November, and I am still waiting for it to arrive Dec 15th. Seven business days after my initial order, the tree hadn’t shipped, and no word from BH about delays. I had to call repeatedly, and when I did, the customer service rep tried to unprofessionally blame the problem on FedEx when they hadn’t even shipped the order. Finally a tracking number was issued, and six business days later, I’m still waiting for any sign my tree has left BH’s warehouse. Ironically, the tree stand I ordered at the same time arrived within 3 business days. Now it’s just sitting empty where the christmas tree is supposed to be. I’d also ordered a garland, which took more than a week for BH to identify they no longer had in stock. Customer service has been ineffective and frustrating. Customer service promises feedback with 24-hours, which then takes 4 times that. This company has demonstrated problems with accurate inventory, a lack of awareness of what orders they’ve fufilled, and inept logistics. All in all, from my purchase experience, Balsalm Hill is woefully incapable of providing a holiday season product during the holiday season. I’ve resigned myself that that if I want to have a christmas tree at all this year, I’ll have to go out and buy one locally this weekend. "
"I would give them zero stars
I would give them zero stars if that’s an option. I am in day 11 of what another reviewer aptly named by balsam hell. I received half of my tree 10 days ago (the other box never shipped). I have been speaking with customer service about every other day. I have received numerous false promises guaranteeing my tree delivery within two business days. One supervisor even said she would call me back later on in the day to confirm the progress and never returned the call. The next time I spoke with a supervisor they were rude and uncaring about the situation. Currently I have half a tree, no tracking number for the other half and nine days till Christmas, balsam Hill has over $600 of my money. I am starting the return process now I am dreading the upcoming experience. In short, the over promise, lie and don’t care about their customers. Super bummed because the parts of the tree that I have are beautiful."
"I bought a 9' European Fir tree with fairy lights for $1,300. After the 2nd night, the lights stopped working. The power unit that plugs into wall was getting really hot, and failed. I had an electrical engineer look at it and confirm it was under-powered for operating 2,220+ led lights. Balsam Hill wouldn't credit me for the lights, and the only thing they would do is exchange my tree for a tree and lights that cost $1,049 (cheaper lights), but still wouldn't credit me for the difference in exchanging for a lesser tree. This is wrong and I'm filing a claim with the Attorney General."
"Couldn't place order on website, got hung up when I tried to do it over phone, never received confirmation email after I finally did place order, order was a week later than promised, was not told half of my order had been canceled due to being out of stock, had to call multiple times to finally be told that the Christmas tree skirt was never coming. Now I am stuck having to run out to get a tree skirt 3 days before Christmas party. Every customer service rep was very apologetic but none of them seemed to know how to do their job. Will not order from BH again."
"I purchased my tree in November 2014. It is a very pretty tree, pre lit with LED lights that last several thousand hours, according to Balsam Hill. Only a 3 year warranty, though. That should have been a clue!
The tree has always been kept inside and assembled in a temperature and humidity controlled room.
The first two years, the tree was as advertised. Last year, while it was still under warranty, a strand went out. After checking the fuses and lights, I was able to get the strand working again.
This year, I had the same issue with other strands, only this time I couldn't get them to work. I called Customer Service in November, and they gave me some ideas and resources for troubleshooting, which I tried, with no success.
I called back Customer Service last night, and after running through the steps stated above, the representative just listened then said my tree was out of warranty and that I should just string other lights on my with an extension cord.
REALLY??? I didn't pay almost 800.00 for a tree to look like a K-Mart special!
I hung up from this person and got back on the Balsam Hill so I could register my issue via email. Guess what? No email to sent complaints to. I started a chat a with representative named "Bonnie" and ran the scenario to her. I offered to send the tree part back for repair at my expense. I got no response about that, but was given links to buy another tree from their website!
I will be donating the tree to Habitat for Humanity; a great cause and maybe they can fix it. It is a shame, because the tree is beautiful.
HORRIBLE customer service, and a company that obviously doesn't care about keeping customers happy. I have requested that someone from the company contact about this, but have yet to receive a call them.
"
"My tree was fine for only 2 yrs. The 3rd yr, 2 stands of lights were out. Even the extras, and main bulb did not work. No matter what I did it did not work. I called and was told it's only under warranty for 2 yrs on lights. The 3rd yr another strand went out. This year, the 4th, a branch broke off and I had to wire it up plus another row went out. There's a short somewhere but I can't find it. I will never recommend Balsam Hill or purchase another one. NOT WORTH THE MONEY. "
"First purchase of fake tree but this tree looks so real!! Easy to set up and lights (led) are great! Just spend some time fluffing out branches. One of best purchases I have made"
"After years of searching, I ordered a battery operated wreath and garland to match. I was trying to get away from using electrical cords The greenery is nice, but the lights are horrible!!! I have to change the batteries every week and even then they look fireflies dying, not bright at all!!! Our lights are the dimmest on our block. They look so cheap. Next year I will be getting rid of them.
Balsam Hill did refund me, but that didn't solve the problem. I want a nice wreath and garland that have lights that can been seen. Expected more from this company. "
"I bought a 6 1/2 ft tree with both clear and multicolored lights. They lasted 2 seasons. I tried changing fuses and specific lights designated as a type of master lights to no avail. I called customer service and while they were very pleasant nothing they suggested, which I had already done, helped. This is very disappointing considering the cost of the tree. Maybe they should invest in a better product rather than so much advertising. If I wanted to struggle with lights I would have bought an unlit tree! I will never recommend this company to anyone."
"TREE ARRIVED BROKEN. MIDDLE SECTION MUSTY.
BH is sending a replacement - IF, they said, they dont run out of my tree (Colorado Mountain Spruce) b4 FedEx picks up the broken one tomorrow. (They ship once Fed Ex clocks in the pick up.) Today is 12/10/18. We might have a tree for Christmas.
I really really wish I could attach photos of how badly this package arrived and how the plastic white connection for prelit lights is sticking out through the box & is shattered b/c of it. And the smell. I must have received the very last box in the far corner of Balsam Hill's basement. Musty smell permeated the tree. It is quite horrendous. Very stinky. Not ok Balsam Hill."
"After our real tree fell over last year breaking several keepsake ornaments we decided to buy an artificial one this year and saw an add for Balsam Hill. The first thing that impressed me was how well it was packed for shipment: strong box, protective padding for sharp points and metal parts, and tree sections were clearly labeled. A storage bag was included along with clear instructions and suggestions. We ordered a Sanabel Spruce, unlit, in the very realistic style. It is a beautiful color and has strong branches which we need for some of our heavy ornaments. The stand for the tree is nicely finished and has padded feet to protect the floor. It is definitely worth the price."
"It's amazing you get five (5) stars or you get one (1) star reviews. Well this is a one (1) star review.
Buyer beware.
Terrible, Terrible, Terrible.
I contacted your support three (3) times in two days on the same issue. I purchased a new Christmas tree and when it arrived half the lights did not work. I was told the first time that you would send me a replacement tree. I waited over night to receive the return label and instructions. The next morning I chatted will a support person and was told that the email with the return label would be sent shortly. I waited six (6) hours and nothing. When I contacted you for the third time I was told that you would be sending me new strands and I would have to restrand the tree. (WRONG ANSWER). The tree should have been fully functional when it arrived. Your trees are too damn expensive to not be working right out of the box. I proceeded to tell your support person that was it. Send me an RMA and label and I would be returning this broken tree. I will never do business with your company again and I will let others know of my experience. Thank you for making this Christmas memorable (in a BAD WAY). "