How long does it take to ship a packet of seeds?

Most of the seed companies that I deal with online are models of efficiency. When I place my order, I receive an email acknowledgement of it, usually within minutes. Within 24 hours, there will generally be another email either telling me that the item has been shipped or when it will be shipped, and I normally receive whatever I've ordered within a very few days.

On January 4, I placed two online orders, one with Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and one with Henry Field's. I received prompt acknowledgement of my orders from both places, and within five days I had received my entire order of 18 packets of seeds from Baker Creek. Around the same time I received an email from Henry Field's informing that the seeds and most of the other items I had orders would be delivered on January 13. The Jerusalem artichokes and strawberry plants I had ordered would not be shipped until March 3.

It is now January 17, four days after I was told to expect delivery and I have received nothing from Henry Field's. According to the tracking, the shipment has been turned over to the postal service in Conroe for delivery and has sat there now for four days. Conroe is about 30 minutes from my house.

I am extremely displeased with the service I have received which you can be assured I will make known to the company in question. There is nothing in my order that should have taken two weeks to reach me, and, needless to say, I will not be ordering from this supplier again.

One good thing about the incident is that it just makes me appreciate even more those suppliers like Baker Creek who are efficient and timely in filling and shipping their orders.