Insect Lore sells live insect kits and educational products, including butterfly and stick insect habitats designed for home and classroom learning. This page aggregates customer reviews and ratings to help shoppers understand real experiences with the company's ordering, pricing, and customer service.
Insect Lore Reviews
What Shoppers Say About Insect Lore
Insect Lore receives mixed feedback, with significant concerns about misleading pricing and delivery delays. Multiple reviewers report that promotional offers advertised as free (such as complimentary caterpillars or vouchers) actually carry hidden charges, including shipping and handling fees that were not clearly disclosed upfront. Several customers experienced order delays well beyond stated delivery windows, which proved especially problematic for time-sensitive educational projects. One positive experience highlights that customer service was responsive when contacted about shipping issues and provided replacement packages.
The primary frustration centers on transparency in pricing and fulfillment timelines. Shoppers felt misled by marketing language around free items that ultimately required payment, and delays of one to two weeks past the estimated delivery date created significant inconvenience, particularly for schools planning curriculum activities around specific timelines. However, at least one customer noted that the company responded well to complaints once contacted directly.
Customer Reviews (4)
Sorted by: Most recentThere's definitely some misleading stuff going on here. We got the complete kit package where caterpillars and butterflies were supposed to be included at no cost. Here's the catch though: those 'free' caterpillars aren't actually free because they stick you with an $11 shipping and handling charge on top of everything else. The description should make this crystal clear upfront, or they should just raise the price of the kit to include delivery. Marketing them as free when there's a mandatory $11 fee is pretty deceptive. After dropping $27 on the kit itself, expecting to pay another $11 just to get the caterpillars delivered seems wrong.
It's been nearly two weeks since my order went through. The estimated delivery was supposed to happen 8 days ago on a Monday, but nothing showed up. I had a voucher that was advertised as covering free caterpillars, yet I still got charged because apparently you can't redeem the voucher without paying some kind of fee. That's pretty messed up.
I'm done with this company for good. Our school had everything mapped out for a caterpillar to butterfly unit timed perfectly so the metamorphosis would finish right before the last week of classes. I tried redeeming my vouchers over a week ago, then tried again the next day when nothing arrived. Even if they send the caterpillars now, the whole lesson is ruined because we'll be on break before they turn into butterflies. On top of that, they say vouchers get you free caterpillars and you only cover shipping and handling, which is completely false. They claim I ordered kits with unpaid vouchers when I should have selected a kit with paid caterpillars included. It's straight up misleading. The worst part is disappointing the kids who were excited to watch the transformation we promised them. Our entire teaching staff has voted against moving forward with this order even though the butterfly kits are just sitting empty in our classrooms.
My granddaughter was waiting for stick insects I ordered, but after seven days they still weren't here. I reached out to customer service and they told me they'd already sent out a replacement package. It showed up pretty soon after that, and while the delay was frustrating, the company was really responsive. I got back in touch and they helped me cancel the second shipment right away without any extra charges. Their quick response gave me confidence that I'd want to shop with them again down the road.