Monterey Bay Herb Co — Local services in Watsonville

I placed an order on July 1, 2023 on July 24, 2023 I reached out to the company as I checked the tracking and it stated it was returned. When I spoke to the rep that answered the phone she told me that the package was refused. I told her the address was the post office. She looked up the address and said yes this is a post office. Didn't understand why it would be refused, stated the manner in which I put the address was correct. She said she'd resend the items at no additional cost. She stated she give me a call back after she spoke with her supervisor. That call never came but I did receive an email from Adriel Berger stating my package was marked return to sender, receiver did not want refused delivery. If you want to send it to an updated address you'll need to pay for reshipping fees.I responded to the email stating I spoke with someone and what the convo entailed. The response was you chose ups for shipping, you put two different addresses, ups does not deliver to the post office and maybe your address is incorrect. I sent a screenshot showing the address I sent was indeed correct as it was the post office and the second was the po box within that address not two separate address. I explained I didn't pick ups it was preselected by their system and I left it as it was the least expensive delivery option and asked why would that option be made available if ups doesn't deliver to the post office. Her response remained the same, you choose ups if you want it shipped to a po box you have to pay $12 for priority shipping or get a refund. Now I annoyed as it's not about the $12 it's the fact that they can't acknowledge that their system allows and preselect shipping options that don't ship to the address you input. I never shopped online and had to check if the shipping options the company provides will actually ship to the address already provided. Now I either pay more money for shipping or get a refund of part of what I paid you guys because of your mistake. Make...

They sell counterfeit milk thistle seeds. They do not sprout, they dont make a mention that they are not intended for sprouting until after you purchase and then refuse to return opened package where only 10-20 seeds were used to test for sprouting under the guise they dont take back unopened packages. How else is one to test for authenticity? There is a reason they are sold at such a cheap price. They are well aware of the quality. Do not purchase these or any seeds for that matter without sprouting. The health benefits are zero if they dont sprout. In fact it probably made me sicker taking other brands that didnt sprout for testing purposes.

Lots of poor quality milk thistle herbs going around. A documentary could probably be televised with the amount of scandal going on and every company is doing it and its likely because they all have the same suppliers in eastern europe but what is more shameful is that the american businesses know it and dont care for the sake of dollars. They dont have the peoples health in their best interest. Do your homework.

Reply to reply: "As you noted, our seeds are not marketed for sprouting, which is a specialized use."

There is no misunderstanding. Look up the definition of a "seed". You are marketing them as intended for sprouting the second you label something a seed. Ladies and gentlemen this is the type of gaslighting these companies do, they all have the same canned policies to evade accountability. Once again, dont consume unsprouting seeds. We have little verification to the organic label as consumers. This isnt the end all be all but its one step closer to consuming a product that is actually intended to be consumed and definitely stay away from pre powdered products. Only god knows the true contents of the mystery that ends up actually being sold....

I have purchased herbs through Mt Rose Herbs for 15+ years but recently looked into alternatives. With the higher and higher prices with Mt Rose Herbs and their super slow shipping time on top of steep shipping costs, I looked at a handful of alternatives and settled on Monterey Bay Herb Co. Spent about $300, which came down to $250 with a new customer discount. Arrived within a week with free shipping. I found the quality to rival Mt Rose Herbs. Monterey's wildcrafted white sage is better quality than Mt Rose Herbs' cultivated imo. Everything smelled and looked fresh. The only semi sub-par item I got (in comparison to Mt Rose Herbs) were the pink rose petals, which were a little yellowed — but smell amazing!! Same with the chamomile... like a lot of chamomile "shake" and flowers just look a little rougher than Mt Rose Herbs' chamomile, but it smells amazing. The only downside to Monterey Bay is some items don't have an organic option and also things sell out quickly — but they also get restocked quickly, and they give you an estimated restock date (usually within a month... unlike Mt Rose Herbs which can take a year). Mt Rose Herbs also has a bigger selection, and i wish Monterey sold essential oils but I don't think that's really their niche. In short, it's Monterey Bay Herb Co for me going forward. I don't need my money going to a fancy website, glossy catalog, and marketing emails (Mt Rose Herbs)... Monterey is simple and efficient, and whatever I could not find with them or things that were out of stock or not available in organic, I was able to pick up at my local co-op's bulk herb section (shoutout to the Common Market in Frederick, MD). I was nervous about a big order but so happy I switched. Time to make teas...