MCFARLANE'S BARK INC

The office staff was always friendly and load up was very quick for the amount of customers they have on a weekend.

The driver dumped the barkdust in such a way that it extended into the street, 5-6 feet beyond the driver's side of my SUV. The company had delivered bark before but had dumped it so that it was not in the middle of the street. Sharon, or Shannon, McFarlane, the owner, refused to acknowledge that that was irregular or even dangerous. She refused to acknowledge any responsibility for the location in which the bark was dumped. I know I spend the next hour shoveling it out of the street. Sharon said she would investigate (speak with the driver) and get back to me. That was one week ago. Despite another call and message she has not called me back. She was inflexible on any accomodation for the delivery charge since I did what the driver should have done-removed the bark from the street-and instead stated that since my son was there, they were covered. I will not do business with them any longer and would not recommend that you do either.

The company failed to tell that their delivery policy had changed from our last order, so instead of a minimum delivery of one UNIT, they now deliver one YARD. We have used them for years, and the minimum has always been one unit, which is about five cubic yards. So we paid $50 delivery charge to get about a bag of bark delivered! When we called to find out what happened, they were not at all helpful. One person said she tells people about the new policy, but that we had spoken to "someone new." We asked if they'd deliver the rest of what we had been expecting and waive the delivery charge, as we were longtime customers. They said no.

Heavy smokers from their workers which I consider unprofessional, but did a good job for a competitive price. Also very late on one occasion without a phone call. But, I would use them again.

I have to preface this with the fact that I've had deliveries from McFarlane's in the past, and I've been satisfied with the barkdust. Period. In this case, I made the mistake of compounding my bad experiences (with gravel) with ordering what they call ''Scottish Blend'' soil. From their site: ''This mix is 50% Fine Compo-Stuff, 40% Screened Soil, 10% Sand.'' What I was delivered was clearly clay and their medium compost mixed together. There were many softball-sized clay chunks, a tennis ball, and paper clips. This is, without a doubt, the worst ''soil'' I've ever seen. When I put it in my beds (they wouldn't take it back) it crusted over immediately. I've been amending it since, trying to get it to be workable. McFarlane's does barkdust reasonably well. They do not do gravel or soil well. Do yourself a favor and act accordingly.

WE HAVE USED THIS COMPANY MANY TIMES TO PURCHASE SOIL. HAVE DONE U-HAUL, AS WELL AS DELIVERY, AND HAVE BEEN PLEASED WITH THEIR PRODUCT, SERVICE AND VALUE.

MY OVERALL EXPERIENCE WITH MCFARLANE'S BARK WAS EXCELLENT, THE EMPLOYEES WERE HELPFUL AND PROFESSIONAL. MCFARLANE'S INVENTORY IS SECOND TO NONE. THE DELIVERY WAS ON TIME AND QUICK.

WHEN I CALLED MCFARLANE'S BARK AND ASKED THEM HOW MUCH THEIR BARK DUST WAS, THEY WERE VERY POLITE. THEY WERE ABLE TO DELIVER IT THE VERY NEXT DAY. THEY UNLOADED IT RIGHT WHERE I WANTED IT AND DIDN'T SPILL OVER THE EDGES OF THE TARP. I WAS VERY SATISFIED.