My wife placed an order with BetterBee for my Christmas present. The same day I called to confirm the order and questioned the $40 shipping fee for the $140 order. The shipping fee was more than doubled what last year's fees were. I asked to speak to a manager. The girl refused to help me or let me speak to a manager. "I'm not going to let you talk to a manager."

The incorrect products were sent to me. I ordered and paid for two honey buckets with gates where the holes are drilled into the buckets and the gates come with it. I received the honey buckets without the holes and did not receive the gates. My wife called again and spoke to another girl, asked how to send back the products and if BetterBee could send us or e-mail us a return packing slip to cover the cost of shipping so we could mail the products back. (Walter T. Kelly, Dadant, & even Cabella's can do this). The girl said their company didn't do this or she didn't know how to do this.

She mentioned that she would figure this out and call me back that day or the next. I waited for her to call. She did not. I called that afternoon and was told this girl was out sick. My wife called again that Monday and talked to the manager without realizing she was the manager. My wife spoke to the original person she had spoken to earlier, but this person could not help us. My wife again asked to speak to a manager. She was told the manager was not available and that she'd call us back. Leah did return our call and explained that their company was too small to deal with returns in this way. (In business for 31 years--why can't they deal with returns by sending a return packing slip). She said BetterBee did not send us the wrong products, she got very snotty and said we could drill our own holes in the buckets, and told my wife to be quiet so she could explain their procedures. My wife was trying to explain the situation to Leah in a pleasant, composed tone without sarcasm or nastiness when my wife was told to be quiet. She didn't appreciate that. The manager said we would have to pay to mail the products back and then BetterBee would reimburse us on our credit card for the shipping fee. How do we know this would happen?

Between the two of us, we spoke to about five different nasty women. What would lead us to believe that we would get reimbursed for shipping if we decided to go this route. We chose to just have BetterBee send us the gates and drill our own holes in the honey buckets. BetterBee sent us the gates without any problems, but we will never ever deal with this company again. As a new beekeeper, I was ready to order quite a bit of supplies from this company; and I have now chosen to tell everyone I know in my bee association about the attitude and policies of BetterBee. How can this company possibly still be in business or employ such unhelpful, rude personnel. BEWARE!!!