Gro Smart — Local services in Hillsborough

After being a loyal customer and spending over $12,000 in hay and feed over the course of 16 months, I was treated atrociously by Grosmart's owners. Grosmart's owners failed to provide the service they promised; left me waiting outside in the cold for two hours for a delivery that never arrived; didn't phone to alert me they were not coming after repeatedly assuring me they would show up; charged my credit card almost $700 for the unreceived goods; left my horses and donkeys with no hay to eat in early Jan as we were thawing out from the major snow storm; and refused to take any responsibility for letting down me and my many rescue animals. The owners placed all the blame on me just because I wanted the $700 refunded and my credit card number removed from their file after the unauthorized charge. Then they retaliated by saying they would never again deliver hay to my property. I was shocked. Even one of the regular Grosmart employees felt the need to apologize for the owners' inappropriate behavior. The employee went out of his way to say what a nice lady I was and how he had always liked delivering hay to my farm which I operate and self-fund as a rescue sanctuary for abused and abandoned horses and donkeys (including those being sent to slaughter), goats, dogs, cats, and rabbits. The employee could not understand why the owners were being so rude and unfair. I told Grosmart's female owner we could resolve the matter amicably or I could report their actions to the BBB. She was curt and refused to accept any responsibility for their bad customer service. Then her husband (whom I understand to be the co-owner) phoned, telling me in a menacing tone to stay away from the store altogether. Afterwards, I did my due diligence on that male caller via public records. Believe me, I have every intention of keeping a far distance away. I also immediately filed a formal complaint describing all of the events, including the disturbing phone call, to the BBC. However, the BBB informed me the matter was outside its jurisdiction since I wasn't seeking a remedy to the dispute within its purview (e.g. assistance receiving a refund, replacing merchandise, etc). Grosmart had already refunded the $700. As for the five-star reviews of Grosmart, I would ask their authors these questions:

1. If the owners are so committed to customer service as claimed, then why do they close their store most of the weekend hours when that's the time working people have available for running errands? Grosmart closes early on Saturdays and is not open at all on Sundays.
2. How much business are these five-star reviewers actually doing at this establishment? A few plants and bags of pet food? Because I was a high-volume, regular customer. I spent $12,000 in 16 months and have the credit card receipts to prove it.
3. Do these reviewers not factor in prices when assessing a business? Because most shoppers care about dollars and cents. And merchandise at Grosmart is more expensive than at the big chain stores for farm and feed. I met a few horse-owning customers who told me they only shopped at Grosmart for one specialty item they could not get at TSC. Otherwise, they bought everything else at TSC because "the prices are so much cheaper."
4. Also, are these five-star reviewers claiming they receive better customer service at Grosmart than at the chain stores? Because I receive excellent service at the larger outlets. The managers know me by name and will hold products aside for me.

My rescue horses and donkeys need a reliable supplier for their needs. Grosmart's owners are just the latest in a long line of people who have let down these innocent animals. Grosmart claims to be in the animal care business. But its retaliation against me was a retaliation against my many rescue animals.

Thank goodness I can rely on the "chain stores" to purchase the hay, feed, dewormers, fly spray, etc necessary to care for my many animals saved from abuse...

Really cute locally own shop, super friendly staff, seemed pretty reasonable on all their prices from what I seen, one or two things may have been a dollar more then the big box stores, but I much rather spend that extra $1.29 to know my business is welcome vs feeling like I'm a bothering the TSC or Home Depot employee. While I was there I even saw the lady who owns the place pick up and carry a 55lb bag of dog for an older gentleman. Thought that was really nice. From what I seen they sale flowers, trees, seeds, dog food, yard decorations, all kinds of livestock feed and supplies, baby chicks and other cool...

My wife and I were only in there once. They were one of the only shops open in Hillsborough when a hurricane was supposed to hit, but we only got rain. We wanted to feed the fish in our pond and didn’t even know if there was natural food for them. The employees were both friendly and helpful. I wanted to carry the 35lb bag, but the female cashier wanted to take it herself from the back and then to the car and was glad to...