Carolina Biological Supply is an educational supplier serving schools and students with science materials, living organisms, and lab platforms. This page aggregates customer reviews and ratings to help you understand shoppers' experiences with the company's products, shipping, customer service, and educational tools.
Carolina Biological Supply Reviews
What Shoppers Say About Carolina Biological Supply
Carolina Biological Supply is rated 1.1 out of 5 by 9 shoppers, with the vast majority of reviews expressing serious dissatisfaction. The primary complaints center on live organism shipments arriving dead or in poor condition, with customers reporting that tadpoles and toads frequently die in transit despite replacement attempts. Shoppers also cite significant shipping delays (orders taking weeks to arrive or never arriving), unresponsive customer service, non-functional digital lab platforms that hinder rather than help learning, and pricing described as exploitative relative to product quality and value.
While one reviewer noted receiving toads quickly in a previous order, this positive experience stands in sharp contrast to recent transactions. Customers report that replacement organisms also arrive dead, help tickets go unanswered, and communication from the company is minimal and slow. The digital learning platform has been criticized for technical failures, poor usability, and inadequate support. Overall, shoppers express frustration that the company's service does not meet expectations for an educational supplier, particularly given the premium pricing.
Customer Reviews (9)
Sorted by: Most recentGot six bullfrog tadpoles that were way smaller than they should have been. Most were only about an inch and already growing legs. That's not how bullfrog tadpoles normally develop at that stage.
My larvae didn't ship for over 12 days, and when they finally arrived, they were completely dead. I contacted them and they sent replacements that got here two days later, but this time packed in heavy bubble wrap and they were dead too. My kid was devastated. I've messaged them again with no luck. This feels like they're being careless and rough with how they handle and transport these insects.
Got my toad order last year and it came pretty quickly, but when I ordered again a few months back, those three small toads keep going in and out of stock status and still haven't shown up at my door.
Really let me down as a student. The platform just gets in the way instead of helping you learn. A lab that should take an hour took me six hours. Plus the system can't locate my images from my Google Drive even though I granted permission. Now I'm stuck troubleshooting this mess and frustrated my school didn't just give us a printed guide with instructions to turn in through their normal portal.
Overpriced everyday items with subpar safety gear. This supplier exploits school district budgets by charging outrageous markups for products that don't deliver real value.
I'd rate this zero stars if the system allowed it because the whole thing was a disaster. The promised delivery date isn't when you actually get your order, it shows up way later. And the communication is nonexistent. They ignore messages and calls, emails get answered days later if at all. Help tickets just disappear into a black hole. There's no reason to work with this company. If you enjoy being misled and having your time wasted, this is your place.
I ordered and paid for caterpillars for my PreK class, got a confirmation on the receipt, and checked my credit card to verify the charge went through. Then they called asking for my card info again because the original authorization expired. I didn't have the funds to cover a second charge, so a staff member put me on hold and disconnected the call. When I called back, they said there was nothing they could do. My money's tied up until it eventually processes back, and my students won't get to observe the butterfly lifecycle. Really disappointing experience.
The ammonium hydroxide product they're advertising as 10% concentration is a total lie. The safety data sheet actually shows it maxes out at 2.5%. And when your order shows up, it's even a different brand than what's pictured online. I got my money back after finding this out.
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