Tree ClassicsReviews of treeclassics.com

After receiving my new Christmas tree a month or so ago, I unpacked it today. I was a little disappointed that the needles were so obviously plastic but I was really disappointed that it did not include a storage case. My last Tree Classics did and it was much used, making it so much easier to remove and return to the attic. I had seen references to the storage bag in the write-ups and thoroughly expected one to be included. Big disappointment!

Web site is very user friendly, but customer service on the phone is less than friendly.

Although our 9 ft tree is beautiful and looks very real, it is very heavy even though it comes in 4 parts. Our other complaint is how many bulbs we need to replace each year. We end up spending way too much time replacing bulbs. We purchased a prelit tree for the main purpose of avoiding all the time we used to spend stringing lights. Now we spend all our time replacing bulbs. Very disappointed.

The tree is beautiful but it is very heavy for a 41/2 foot tree. Also, the white pellets (snow) falls off very easily. Messy when assembling and dismantling the tree.

The website shows the tree I ordered and the "description" refers to clear LED lights. The tree with all white lights are NOT LEDs but old fashioned incandescent ones. The tree is also so heavy it is impossible for one person to set-up.

After ordering, I found the same quality at the wholesale club for almost half the price of my sale-priced tree. Also, even though the regular branches on the tree were realistic, the accompanying branch wraps (to camouflage exposed sections) were cheap pieces -- unlike the rest.

I've had two pre-lit Christmas trees from Tree Classics. The first I bought in the early 1990's when the company name was American Tree Classics. That tree was very beautiful. There were over a thousand lights on it, and they were the type for which you could buy replacement glass (mini lights) bulbs anywhere. I kept that tree for 10 years, but I must say it was a hassle to keep all of the lights lit on all 3 sections all through the Christmas lighting season (Thanksgiving to New Years in our home). By the time I bought the second tree (pre-lit) the company name had dropped the "American" and now they were offering Real-Feel branches. Again, the tree was breathtakingly beautiful -- but the lights were an absolute NIGHTMARE!. The instruction sheet packed in the tree box said that they were 2.5V lights, but they were much brighter than any replacements I could find anywhere -- and I mean ANYWHERE except treeclassics.com. The first year was uneventful and the tree lit beautifully and was awe-inspiring to behold. However, year two the nightmare began and didn't stop. Finally, treeclassics.com began offering replacement bulbs that would fit my tree, so I ordered literally HUNDREDS of them in multi and clear. I also locally purchased a Light Keeper Pro to aid in detecting burned out bulbs and replacing them. Each year, before decorating the tree, it had to be carefully inspected section-by-section to find all the bulbs that needed replacing. Some years we had to replace nearly 200 bulbs before ever beginning to decorate. Then as the season progressed, many more would need to be replaced. We attempted to keep all burned out bulbs replaced promptly because Customer Service had told us that the tree may have problems if more than 4 bulbs were out at any time. We were diligently on the lookout for unlit bulbs any time the tree was on. After several highly exasperating years, I threw up my hands and said that was the VERY LAST pre-lit tree I would ever purchase. I went to treeclassics.com to look for a Real Feel, unlit tree. I've never seen ANY Christmas trees in any store, catalog or website that could even come close to comparing to the fullness, realism and beauty of treeclassics.com so I purchased an unlit tree last year (2014) and went back to hanging my own lights. Way back in the days before pre-lit trees, people would always complain about the hassle of checking light strings and hanging them. Then, voila, manufacturers felt our pain and began offering pre-lit trees. We thought it was an answer to our prayers. Not so! If one light string on a pre-lit tree is determined to have gone bad, it cannot be removed and replaced with a brand new string. If a fuse has to be replaced on one string -- GOOD LUCK finding which fuse goes with which strings of lights on a pre-lit tree. The wires are hidden from sight, which is lovely, but they are wrapped and secured (taped, I believe) around each branch. It's nearly impossible to trace the wire among all the hinged branches -- EVEN before the tree is decorated (don't even consider trying after decorations have been added). Until the day when a pre-lit tree can be made much more reliable and user friendly, I will stick with my trusty unlit treeclassics.com tree. If I ever need to purchase a new tree, it will definitely be from treeclassics.com, but it will be unlit. If the day ever comes when a pre-lit tree can be made much more reliable and user-friendly, I will stick with unlit trees.

I received my tree in only a few days, set up quickly and is beautiful, however I was looking forward to being able to store this tree in a bag that was designed for this tree. The bag was supposed to have straps to secure the tree in place so when you lifted up on the handle to roll away, the tree would stay in place. No straps, so when you pick up on the handle, all 3 of the tree sections slip down to the bottom of the bag and the weight is all at the base of the bag which makes it nearly impossible to lift and roll. This bag should have support poles that can telescope and attach to the inside of the bag to make the bag more rigid, thus allowing you to lift up and roll to your storage area. As it is now it basically is a big red bag that you are dragging to your storage area. Weighs a ton.