Rossman Apiaries

I’ve been keeping bees for over 35 years.
You can’t ask for a more honest set of people as the Rossman family.
Additionally, a good friend of mine named Dana Stahlman is a personal friend of the Rossman’s recommended them to me years ago. Top shelf company. As on all farming you can’t guarantee the weather and you can’t guarantee the USPS. So, there you have it.

I was quick to buy my $ 750 worth of start-​up apiary supplies, even with the hefty additional $ 150 shipping costs from this establishment because it was recommended by several of the popular beekeeping books. I was impressed with their high quality items & user friendly website & placed my order since their website stated 3 – 5 days delivery. PERFECT! I could order my bees & have spare time to construct my boxes!
I received a confirmation email on April 21^st, again stating that my items would be delivered within 3 – 5 days. Move ahead 6 days, today, no delivery, & my bees are coming tomorrow! So I called Rossman Apiaries to check on the shipping status & ETA. First, I discovered that many of my items were on back order, despite the website stating «in stock». Even though my parcel should have been received today, it wasn’t even in queue until NEXT Monday! Then, it would take an additional 5 days from shipment! OK, OK, so things happen, I’m disappointed, but life goes on. But I did have a few questions regarding the delay & new delivery ETA. All I can say is «WOW, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO CUSTOMER SERVICE?»
So I inquire as to why the customer was not contacted to be made aware of this 1.5 week delay, which can now be the difference between life & death of a new awaiting homeless bee colony. The answer I received was «Why didn’t YOU call US?» My response, of course, was that there was no way for customer to foresee items on back order, & most companies take the initiative to send courtesy Emails or phone calls if their product is to be that tardy. I spoke to two different ladies, one of which, was the owner Mrs. Anne Rossman herself, who repetitively told me it was my fault for believing what HER website & HER email confirmations told me! That «the smart thing to do» would be to contact her via phone sooner, because «why would you believe what the Internet says?» HUH? Isn’t that YOUR website? What else is the customer supposed to go by?
After much back & forth & my mouth literally being held agape from the absurdly rude comments, lack of professionalism, & complete absence of customer service tactics, I decide to just cancel my order. Then I am told that I am responsible for a 10% restocking fee for cancelling my order. Wait, didn’t they just say that my order wasn’t even queued yet & that many items were still on back order? So what «restocking» are we talking about here? Understandably, I refuse to pay them $ 75.00 just for the privilege of poor service, bad attitudes, & lack of social skills. I instead ask if they would be so kind as to give me a firm ETA so that I can have adequate time to cancel & reorder my bees & construct my hive in time for next week’s delivery. I am given another noncommittal answer of «next Friday, or maybe the next Monday» (so ANOTHER 8 – 11 day time gap).
I will give an update as to the outcome of my product receipt. But as of right now, Rossman Apiaries gets a HUGE thumbs down from this consumer! It’s a shame too, because I am always in support of the little Mom & Pop franchises; I’ll keep you posted.