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Sunday, February 16th
Gift Tree started in 1997 out of a small apartment in Key West, Florida. Craig Bowen and his wife Esther Diez wanted to start an online company, and they landed on the idea of an online gifting service. They went viral that same year when Yahoo featured them on their website, and in the early 2000s, the founders wanted to see the company fill a need in the corporate world by selling a gift service that was specifically tailored to corporate gifting. In the 2020s, Gift Tree seems to have shifted its focus from corporate gifting to affiliate marketing and average consumer gifting, despite the challenges they faced.
Limited options
In the past, Gift Tree had more selections to choose from. Selections are basic, with a large number of customers saying that no matter what is pictured, substitutions are inevitable. Others say that in many cases, items are just missing. Customers also almost universally agree that the basket you get will not look like the one pictured on the website, if it even arrives at all.
Reasonable standard shipping, but limited
When purchasing some of the best selling meat and cheese gift baskets, we found that the standard shipping rate of around $18 was not unreasonable. There are only certain dates with standard shipping available, however. Expedited and next-day delivery were much more expensive, and any shipping to arrive on a Saturday was exorbitant. Based on what we found, we wouldn't recommend paying for a specific date of arrival, as there is a very high probability it won't arrive on time, will arrive too early, or it won't arrive at all.
Website is incomplete, no social media updates
Gift Tree completely revamped the website in 2021, yet its FAQ page is still in development. With "lorem ipsum” text filler and the answers to every question being cut and pasted copy, we wonder why this isn't complete. At the time of this review, the Facebook and Instagram channels had not been updated in over a half a year. This does not engender a lot of confidence in the Gift Tree website. As an exclusively online retailer, social media channels and the website should be updated regularly.
Discounts offered
Gift Tree consistently offers pop-up discounts. Unfortunately, many customers report that they won't honor the discount when they try to apply it at checkout. Worse, some customers believe they have gotten a discount at checkout and then get charged full price.
Satisfaction guaranteed
Gift Tree claims a 100% satisfaction guarantee but is vague about what that actually means. The returns policy is basically a store credit policy. No actual refunds are given, just store credit minus shipping. We weren't really thrilled about this policy, considering that most complaints are about missing baskets, subpar quality of food, or baskets that are misrepresented on the website. With only a store credit, it doesn't compensate the customer if it is a quality issue or an issue with misrepresentation, especially since the customer is covering shipping for a company error or shipping mishap.
Viscerally angry customer complaints
When reading about Gift Tree customer experiences, we were pretty surprised at the high level of actual anger consistently expressed. Customers were not only left feeling scammed with a high level of misrepresentation, but when they finally did get to talk to a customer service representative, they said they were treated with no respect and, in some cases, hung up on.
A gift basket company to avoid
Gift Tree's past is built on an idea to give high-quality gifting services to clients, but somehow that has been replaced with misrepresentation of products, shipping delays, missing packages, overcharges, rudeness to customers, and more. We sadly can no longer recommend Gift Tree as an option for meat and cheese gift baskets. We suggest looking at other options that we've reviewed for a great gifting experience and hope that positive change will come to Gift Tree in the future.
Gift-giving can be a daunting task. With the trending popularity of charcuterie boards, a meat and cheese basket can be the perfect gift. After all, whether for a birthday or client celebration, there's a meat and cheese gift basket that will cover it.
Valentine's Day? There is a meat and cheese basket that comes with chocolate and wine. What about a romantic gift for your husband? There are heart-shaped boxes full of laser-engraved hearts for him. Additionally, a variety of gift baskets are available to accommodate any budget, ranging from under $25 to extravagant arrangements priced at $400 and beyond.
Meat and cheese gift baskets also come with picnic hampers, beautifully carved and crafted wooden charcuterie boards, sturdy, well-made crates, and more. Some companies specialize in creating unique presentations for gift baskets, while others offer a more straightforward option with high-quality foods at a discounted price. You can get a plain block of cheese and sausage or go for a decadent array of fine wine and gourmet cheese and meats to commemorate a long-anticipated promotion.
Not all gift basket companies are created equal, though. Some companies misrepresent baskets in online pictures: when the gift is delivered, it is much smaller than anticipated. Still other companies may overpromise delivery dates and times, and you end up with a ruined event because the gift basket didn't arrive when it was needed
Consider these criteria to help you narrow down the possibilities and find the perfect gift basket for your recipient:
To help you find the best meat and cheese baskets for your gift-giving occasion, Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked the most popular companies on the market. So, the next time you're struggling to find the right gift, consider a meat and cheese gift basket. It's sure to impress and delight the recipient!
Select any 2 Meat and Cheese Baskets to compare them head to head