Balsam Hill Reviews

Name: Balsam Hill
Rating: 1.25

1.3 Rating 501 Reviews

4 %

of reviewers recommend Balsam Hill

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1.3

Based on 501 reviews

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Courier
Average Delivery Time	Within 5 Days
On-time Delivery	Greater than 66%
Accurate And Undamaged Orders	Greater than 52%
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Under An Hour
Returns & Refunds
Returns Process	Could Be Better

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Balsam Hill 1 star review on 1st January 2025

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Sort by: Most Recent Most Recent Highest Rated Filter: None None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“Orderd a tree & a wrap around skirt. Had notification that my deliivery would take place on 3rd December. The skirt arrived but no tree. When i tracked the delivery it is marked as delivered. It took a while to actually get a response from customer services who just told me that my tree had been delivered and go look for it. This tree has not been delivered and if you look at the tracking reference the tree is marked delivered but if you look at the small print it says only part consignment delivered. I dont seem able to get further from this so now i just want a refund.”

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Posted 3 months ago

“Lack CS 👎🏻”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“Extremely poor quality and customer service. The tree arrived with defects (broken leave right on the top of the tree), customer service refused to refund partially or free return (£15 return fee), they said it’s normal. On the other hand, the tree has quite a few cheaper type of leaves, which makes it look cheap and inconsistent considering the high cost of it. Disappointed - do not buy from them!”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“Bad quality product and horrible customer service. Their wreath looks great just on the pictures on their website, in real they looks so cheap. The lights stopped working after a month, I call them, they offer to replace with another wreath, but the other received had the same issue. Then I call back, they offer a return with refund, but after realizing that im not receiving the label I call them back to get told no refund or return possible.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“Poisoned for Christmas - horrific toxic smell caused nausea and headaches Please DO NOT ruin your Christmas and health by going near this company, AVOID AT ALL COSTS, they knowingly shipped a product which has made multiple customers sick for over a year and continue to do so. I purchased a "BH Nordmann Fir Tree", when I opened the box there was an horrific smell, I initially thought it was the packaging so opened windows and continued to assemble and shape the tree for a couple of hours. The smell, which was now clearly coming from the tree itself, became completely overwhelming to the point where I felt like vomiting while in the room, I had to use an inhaler for the first time in 2 years, a couple of hours later I developed a headache, which lasted for over 2 days. It's not the type of smell I would associate with artificial trees (/any plastic type of smell), to me it's a smell of very very strong spices, the others who smelt it did not think it was like spices and said it smelt very toxic. This is not any sort of normal off-gassing which would be expected to cause a certain type of smell from polyethylene products. I cannot come up with the words to describe how utterly overpowering this smell was. I'm not ever sensitive to smells and am not a regular headache sufferer. I have never encountered a reaction like this to any product. The smell also keep intensifying and nobody could enter the room it was in, even the room next door reeked and the smell was so strong it could be smelt upstairs in the house. I reboxed the tree to return it the next day, even while wearing a mask it was utterly noxious and I again was nauseous throughout the reboxing. Nobody could enter the room it was in for 2 days, even with windows open all day. Whatever manufacturing technique Balsam Hill have used clearly involves some hazardous substance. Balsam Hill ignored my emails eventually on the phone their representative asked if the smell was like "plastic or curry", I hadn't mentioned "curry" during our call or email and it did smell somewhat like curry to me (although the others who smelt it said they would not describe it as that as it was too toxic). This query however made me realise that this company was fully aware of the issue before they shipped the tree and after some digging I found that multiple other customers reported the same issue, including illness over a year ago! Balsam Hill continued to ship a product they knew was toxic and causing illness. Balsam Hill initially stated the smell was just from "manufacturing and everything" (a direct quote) later they changed their mind and said it was a "warehouse issue" that it was sitting beside something that smelled, utter lies. The level of toxic smell, the fact that it intensified, even with windows open, indicates it's likely from the manufacturing material itself. The company has refused to provide details of what compound is causing the smell, which has caused nausea and a headache which has not abated in over 2 days, despite my repeated attempts to request these details. They stated it wasn't toxic (how they know this when they state they do not know what the compound is I don't know) and they twice told me that medical treatment wasn't needed, which I found astounding that they could decide a customer did not have a health issue that needed medical attention. The "UK Manager" from Balsam Hill responded to my email with health concerns for me and elderly relative who had also been affected not by providing details of the compound which caused the smell and illness but to offer "15% discount on your next Balsam Hill order"(?!?!), no details of compound, no details of what action they would put in place to ensure nobody else encountered the same issue again. I have no idea what longterm effects this toxin could have, smells of this nature can trigger epilepsy, asthma, migraine etc. Epilepsy and asthma have the potential to cause death, when I tried to explain why this was a serious issue on the phone the manager could not have been less interested. Balsam Hill have still not refunded me, their customer service is a nightmare, none of their promised emails materialized, their courier who eventually picked up the toxic product was seen on CCTV angrily flinging the backing of 5 labels into our garden.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“I’ve had a 7.5 foot flip tree for about 5 or 6 years now. Last year, the top lights wouldn’t light. I got the white and colored lights. I called and asked if there was anything they could do. They said no. I asked if I could buy a new top, they said no. I asked if I could send them the top so that they could restring it, they said no. So, I have 3 choices: I can throw out a tree that is fine for 5 feet and not lighting for 2 feet that I paid over 1k for (and not have a tree b/c of the economy) or I can spend hours and probably days unstringing and restringing the top. Oh, I can throw a separate string of lights on top of the broken ones. Like I have nothing better to do with my time!”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“Balsam remotes all operate on same frequency, my neighbors can control our tree and we control theirs. Balsam Hills solution in to wrap receiver in aluminum foil and no one should use remote.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“I ordered a tree from them .I paid 70 dollars for 2 day shipping.The delivery date came and went and I still don’t have a tree,it’s been 7 days .I let them know and they refunded me the 70 dollars.FedEx lost my package ,I have tried calling both balsam hill and FedEx .Balsam hill puts you on hold and never answers the phone.FedEx emailed me asking what the box looks like.If the box was never delivered how in the hell would I know what it looks like.When I tried to email them back it says the email is full .I would never purchase anything from them again.Terrible experience.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“I purchased a 10’ flip tree… went with all quality decisions and would pay for that. Then I bought a collar that was supposed to fit that tree. It was well over a $250 collar. Went to use it and it doesn’t fit. I was outside the return or exchange window so they offered me $10 discount for a replacement. $10?! The custom service was awful. THEIR dimensions said that their collar and tree should work together but now it is my problem. So frustrated. I expected more from a premium retailer.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“Everything- the tree doesn’t come apart. One section has NEVER come apart from the section below. Locked together and no amount of force could get them apart. Second one screw stripped in the base. So now I have to literally screw into the metal to get the tree stabilized, this year - year 3 - I can’t get it stabilized. Truly a POS. What a waste of money. Yeah the tree looks good - all the other parts literally suck. I wasted my money.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“I purchased five Outdoor Cedar Woods Wreaths from Balsam Hill, and three of them stopped working after just one holiday season. For the price, I expected far better durability and support. Instead, Balsam Hill offered nothing but “troubleshooting,” which felt insulting given the obvious product failure. Trying to resolve the issue was exhausting. I spoke with three separate online chat reps. Two simply stopped responding, and the third told me they couldn’t help because the wreaths were past the 30-day warranty. My first phone call ended with a promise that “the back office” would review my case and get back to me, but no one ever followed up. When I finally spoke with a supervisor, they just repeated the 30-day warranty policy and refused to offer any meaningful assistance. For a company that advertises premium quality, both the product and the customer service were a letdown. I won’t be purchasing from Balsam Hill again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“My pre lit tree came with out color coding or labels. The instructions don’t even show the correct number of connectors. Takes me longer to put this thing together and get the lights to work than it did to shop for a real tree, put it in the stand and string my own lights! Everything I read talks about color coding, not mine. There is no video I can find that show the connections in detail.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“I purchased a tree for $1,699 on November 5, 2025. Just three days later, on November 8, the price was reduced by $300. When I requested a price adjustment, I was only refunded $240 because I had used a coupon during my initial purchase. I do not believe this is fair, especially since at the time of my price adjustment request, the website was offering an additional $50 coupon, which would have resulted in a total of $350 off. Instead of honoring the full difference, the company chose the least customer-friendly option. I also considered returning the tree, but was informed of a $90 restocking fee, which I find unreasonable, especially given the current economy. A smaller restocking fee, such as $45, would have been far more fair and appropriate. Beyond the policies themselves, my experience with Balsam Hill’s customer service has been extremely disappointing. In my opinion, the representatives I dealt with were uncooperative, rude, and disinterested in helping. For the extremely high prices Balsam Hill charges, I expected a premium product and customer experience. Instead, I received an overpriced, underwhelming tree and customer service that did nothing to improve the situation. I am deeply disappointed with both the product and how my concerns were handled. This experience has caused me to lose confidence in the company, and I do not plan to make future purchases or recommend Balsam Hill to others. DO NOT buy their products. This company does not stand behind its customers.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“Terrible customer service. Could care less that our tree lights went on and off after 2 years. We had to restring lights. We paid about 1200.00 for our tree and the lights only lasted 2 years. How pathetic of a product is that. I really cannot believe that they did nothing to make this right. We also bought battery operated lighted wreaths- the lighting on those are so dull - not even worth it. Go to Walmart, Home Depot or any other store- they stand by there product. I do not know how they stay in business. My friends have also had issues with their tress and its lighting.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“We waited for years until we could afford our 6.5 ft. slim prelit Fraser Fir. What a disappointment! What we got was a ratty looking tree with sparse branches that no amount of fluffing can fix. Branch tips keep falling off. The lights are poorly strung leaving dark spots. The tree is wobbly in the stand. Our 10 year old tree from Lowes was much better looking and much cheaper. We were obviously fooled by the Balsam Hill hype. Don't make the same mistake...buy a different brand.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“$600 for the ugliest tree I think I’ve ever seen. Then the criminals asked for $130 restocking fee to take it back. I wouldn’t buy a stick of gum from them.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“Ordered a Frosted Fir tree and received a different tree. Called customer service to exchange the tree for what I ordered and was sent another incorrect tree. Had trouble with customer service getting return labels. Was about to exchange for what I ordered one more time and noticed tree I ordered now offered online for half what it was three week ago. Shouldn’t be this difficult to get the tree you order!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“Canadian customers beware. If you bought a tree from the US before the introduction of the Canadian sites and need service or warranty, good luck. Due to some internal rule, they can't ship parts from the US to Canada. Everything needs togothrough the Canadian site now. If you are lucky enough to have one of the 25 trees offered by Canada you may be fortunate. If it is one of the other 65+ only available from the US site, then your warranty is now useless.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“I am extremely disappointed with my purchase of the Balsam Hill frosty white pre-lit tree. From the photos online, I expected a full, luxurious, and realistic tree, especially given the premium price point. What I received looks nothing like the pictures. The tree has far fewer branches than advertised, leaving noticeable gaps, and it appears sparse and uneven no matter how much time is spent fluffing it. For a brand that markets itself as the “gold standard” in artificial Christmas trees, this one falls well short of expectations. The overall look and quality simply do not justify the cost. I feel misled by the photographs and descriptions, which suggest a high-end, dense tree, but the reality is disappointing and cheap-looking.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 months ago

“We waited to buy a quality x-mas tree from Balsam Hill. Unfortunately, what we received was a Walmart "made in China" special. Then to add insult to injury, you have to pay for return shipping on their subpar product. Don't believe the hype, the trees DO NOT look real because you can see through them.”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 months ago

Balsam Hill is rated 1.3 based on 501 reviews