Sophie W.
Yelp
We had an unfortunate and disappointing experience with Public Land Store, and want to share our experience so others can make well-informed decisions about whether to shop there.
Last month, we purchased a $260 Dracaena Rikki after specifically asking a staff member whether the plant was safe for cats, which was one of our key criteria for the purchase. The staff member assured us it was non-toxic. We later discovered this information was incorrect, as the plant is indeed toxic to cats. Upon learning this, we promptly returned the plant in perfect condition, expecting the store to take responsibility for the misinformation and to accept a return.
To our surprise, we were informed of a strict no-return policy when we attempted to return the plant, which we had neither seen posted nor been told about during our lengthy conversation with staff prior to our purchase. At the store's suggestion, we reached out to the owners via email to address the situation. Unfortunately, their response reiterated the no-return policy, declined any return or exchange, and cast doubt on our account of the conversation since they were not personally present, suggesting that we were lying. We also told the owners about the personal significance of the purchase--it was intended to commemorate a recent loss--and they did not even acknowledge this fact in their reply.
While we fully understand the necessity of return policies, we believe a specialty plant store, where staff recommendations play a critical role in customer decisions, should stand behind the accuracy of the information provided by their team. At the very least, staff members should (1) clarify if they are uncertain about their answers and encourage customers to verify information independently before purchasing, and (2) tell customers there is a strict no return policy, or direct customer attention to a no returns sign that is allegedly posted near the register (which we unfortunately did not see or know about).
We certainly understand that mistakes and misinformation can happen, and that alone would never affect our choice to shop somewhere. But how mistakes are dealt with matters--here, we encountered inflexibility, dismissiveness, a lack of empathy, and even had our integrity questioned. The owners suggested we were irresponsible for relying on their staff's information, even though the staff member in question presented themselves as highly knowledgeable about houseplants.
We urge shoppers to be cautious when relying on staff guidance at Public Land, particularly regarding anything important like toxicity. We are neighbors of the store and used to love visiting it, but they have lost our business.
