Gardening Express

Order placed over month ago, money taken on day 1, no plants supplied and do not respond to email.
FRAUDSTERS
1 star because you cannot give less, wish I had seen reviews before placing order, live and learn

Waiting over a month still no order or any contact from my correspondence chasing the order and indeed requesting to cancel. Shocking customer service but very quick to take your money

Please avoid at all costs! You will most likely be very disappointed. I've attached some images to let you decide for yourselves. Even if they want to argue their case it would all be apparent from the evidence. The state of the plants they sent me were shocking to say the least, plus they were packaged with cello-tape over many delicate leaves. To put simply, out of the 20 plants I ordered (order number in case Gardening express question this review can be provided) less than half were acceptable. I wasn't even sure where to begin when I completed their online form to open a complaint ticket. Having read some of the bad reviews (only after making my purchase) I realised it may be a waste of time and energy to try to rectify it all with them. So all I did was bring up just one of the plants in question to gauge how they respond in these situations, and of course they dismissed it, attempting to just reassure me that the plant was healthy and nothing was wrong. Also, please bare in mind that the images they have on their website is not in any way an accurate representation of what you will receive. It is at least a 60% exaggeration of the level of quality and maturity in reality. Yes some customers may have had a better experience for varying reasons, however it is apparent that this company firstly do not respect the plants the way a garden centre should, and secondly have unacceptable "customer service", and make it challenging for you to question their horticultural department.

Avoid at all costs, I've lost nearly£50 to this outfit; ordered plants in April waited patiently as knew there maybe a delay - DEAD AND ROTTING PLANTS received in June

Contacted them immediately with photos and am still waiting for an answer - pictures clearly showed that what they sent were probably dead before they packed them - and sent out over a week later (after they packed them tightly in tape and saturated them with water and shoved into a box) and never even received my full order

Please don't waste your time and hard earned money this is not a reputable company

Took 4 weeks to arrive. When it arrived all items were packed in the same box squashed together, on top of each other and some upside down. I ordered 3 trees, 1 Bush, 6 succulent plants and 2 large pots for trees, basically squashed in a box 18" x 18" maximum. The succulent plant pots squashed, 9 small heads broken off plants. The Bush had 2 broken stems and the smaller tree was damaged with twigs snapped. It was like, let's see how many items we can squeeze in the box to save on postage, sod the care of the plants. I have ordered trees elsewhere from other suppliers and they come in individual boxes each. Needless to say I won't be recommending them to anyone. If you want to contact them, good luck, as website contact details take you onto questions and answers, but no messaging facility. I replied to ask where they were by the first email received confirming order, and in fact asked if they hadn't posted them to refund me and I will go elsewhere. No answer, but a week later received an email confirming being picked, waited 3 weeks by now, how long does it take to pick them! Then had to wait for delivery. It was with the delivery driver for 5 days, so no watering during that time.

Joke?"Specially selected to give you FIVE fantastic plants highly sought colours.
AD photo showed 5 different colours I received 1just bare stems two the same, the rest no resemblance to the photo. After nearly 2 weeksof emails and 2 tickets and 2 lots of photos sent was offered a £5 voucher to becashe in a short time for another plant. Have explainedthat I wantwhat I ordered no reply!
This company is fraudulent stay away.

I ordered a specimen Acer which was delivered later than communicated. I was extremely disappointed with the poor quality of what I'd received, The Acer only had a few small branches and some foliage at the very top, the rest can only be described as a twig. I fully expected to receive a healthy plant. I've sent numerous messages to Gardening Express, without any response. I WOULD DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY!

Initially, they appeared to be good, the plants were in good quality and arrived within a decent time period. However have since placed 5 other orders and each time the deliveries are slower and slower to the point they are exceeding the 10 days they say. Customer Service is non existent and disgusting. Availability not great either. Whilst the quality of plants have been good for the most part, it is not enough to keep my custom. Have since used one of their direct oppositions, not only did the plants arrive within 2 days, they were well packed, excellent quality and did not charge for delivery unlike Gardening Express. Once the last two deliveries eventually arrive, they will never get my business again. NEVER heard of a company that treats loyal customers so badly, you would think they more you spend the more they would look after you, but it is the complete opposite with gardening express. Of all the plants only one was not at all happy with as was diseased but then only cost a pound so just destroyed it, was a Cucumber plant.

Spent well over £200 on plants and shrubs
They arrived in very bad condition and at least 40% died. I complained and got no response. What remains are not doing well. Waste of money

Paid for a tri coloured hibiscus, got a pot of sticks a month later which cost me £20.00, will forward links of all the negative reviews to watchdog. It may stop others getting conned

If you are thinking of buying from GardeningExpress.co.uk - do yourself a favour and walk away and spend your money somewhere else. My plants/trees arrived damaged and squashed into inappropriate packaging. Sent photos with my complaint but they kept saying that the photos were not good enough to make a decision. IF YOU GO AHEAD AND USE THIS COMPANY - YOU WILL COME TO REGRET YOUR DECISION. - AS I HAVE

This is my second year buying from Gardening Express. I have 2 standard Holly trees, 2 Standard Gardenias, 2 Patio cherries, and various other plants Orchids, Christmas cacti, Pointsetta. I was concerned at first when I read all the negative reviews, all my plants arrived well packaged, and all very healthy looking, I will continue to purchase as such good value for money and very healthy plants. Well done Gardening Express

I took advantage of the £1 sale of Christmas plants on offer. Items marked as dispatched took 8 days to turn up. Delivered via a courier company and obvious on opening the box that the plants had been packed wrong way to the signage arrows on the box so had been stored either on the side or upside down. Plants were bone dry as they only have water for 3 days and were badly damaged with cracked pots, broken and crushed leaves and blooms and soil all over the box. 3 plants damaged beyond reviving despite TLC. Customer services in the form of "Marina" have procrastinated and won't acknowledge the cheap and shoddy service offered by repeat asks for more and more photographs of the dead plants which I cannot supply as they were dead, brown and had to be composted. I just wanted them to say sorry. I didn't ask or expect financial compensation but it seems this is beyond the company's ability. Business model seems to be sell cheap, package cheap, dispatch cheap and then move on to next customer. Repeat business doesn't seem high on their list of priorities. There are absolutely NO contact details on their website (should have realised communication was not high on their agenda) and had to go through facebook. Wont ever recommend or but through them again. AVOID. You have been warned!

Decided (having read other reviews re costly returns and then no response) to cut my losses. NEVER DEAL WITH THIS COMPANY - I WILL POST MY PHOTOS AND REVIEW ON AS MANY GARDENING FORUMS AS POSSIBLE. GARDENING EXPRESS LIKES TO DO BUSINESS ONLINE SO I SUGGEST OTHER REVIEWERS WHO HAVE BEEN TREATED WITH SUCH CONTEMPT PUBLICISE THEIR EXPERIENCES' OF THIS COMPANY AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE VIA INTERNET, FB, TWITTER ETC...

I have used internet shopping for many years and without doubt, these are the worst firm I have ever came across.
Like many others, I have waited weeks for my order and they completey ignored my emails.
In a "this is money" article, they responded to the criticism by saying "anyone can cancel their order as long as it hasn't been shipped"
So that's what I did and guess what? They just ignore your request!
I eventually got a reply back today, saying that I couldn't cancel because the order has been sent out but "may be delayed by the courier owing to the volume of orders!
They have, apparentley used the same line on numerous other people.
This firm has just taken advantage of the garden centre lock down and taken everybody's orders (and money) without any concern that they wouldn't be able to fufill the orders in an appropriate time scale.
Stay well away from this firm!

I first ordered from Gardening Express during the first lockdown and they took almost two months to deliver - in fact by the time they delivered all the garden centres had reopened, so I would have liked to cancel my order, but they didn't give me that option. I could have got much better plants much cheaper from my local B&M at the same time they finally sent my order. Against my better judgement, I gave them another chance this year as there were a few specific plants that I wanted and they were not available in my local garden centre. The plants they sent me are barely alive - I doubt they will ever recover. I've just wasted 50 quid - again! But I've learned my very expensive lesson now - I've wasted my money so you don't have to - don't get fooled by their swanky website - the plants they send you look nothing like the ones they advertise - nobody would ever pay for these if they had seen them in real life! Looks like something they retrieved from the scrapheap because they ran out of stock of the good stuff. Gardening Express should be reported to Trading Standards for false advertising! How are they still in business? Update: I have now added some photos of the plants they sent me. Would you pay £10 each for these in a Garden Centre? Of course not! It would be ridiculous!

DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY, they sold me a dead bare rooted tree and now won't respond to the tickets other than to delete them without any contact, the 5 year guarantee is worthless.
IMO Scammers, you owe me £45 Garden Express
It has been over a year since I informed them of the dead tree and they have no interest in refunding or replacing the tree.

Ordered on 16th nov, received very strong and healthy plant on 24th, took a little longer than I expected to arrive and after coming across this site I was more than worried but I have to say very pleasantly surprised and will definitely use this company again.

Absolute disgrace, avoid at all costs. Not as advertised - no full refund offered

Pictures advertised do not represent the products that were delivered

Bought a claredendrum a month ago which died and can't get any contact with company after several attempts. Never again. Useless company. Rip off. Guarantee phoney

Worst ever company do not reply to calls emails, take your money and that is end of the service called
And emailed them but they never replied
Six weeks waiting time and I was on holidays when they arrived which they ignored also do would advise anyone Not to
Use this company

Plants arrived months after they said they would and weeks after being cancelled 7 times by emails
Chat/phone and emails not working or just ignored
False legal statements given out that you cant cancel and yet the consumer rights act says you can
Plants are appalling for the money paid(and again I cancelled these 7 times and they still sent them to rob you of your money!) they want you to send them back at your own cost (more money!)
Absolutely rubbish company, DO NOT USE EVER DESCRIPTIONS OF THEIR SERVICE AND THEIR PRODUCTS DO NOT LIVE UP TO THEIR WEBSITE and you cannot cancel which is ILLEGAL!
MILLIONS OF US ARE SO ANGRY!

Very disappointed by the arrival of my snowdrops which I have ordered in memory of a friend who died and whose favorite flowers were snowdrops. The company obviously sells with an oblivion poor quality flowers which will not survive and I will not waste my time and money (I paid 5 quid for a poor courier service too!) to return them. My 2 pots of 5 bulbs (in each one) snowdrops arrived in a huge box which was crushed and turned upside down several times as the soil of the pots was outside everywhere in the box. I had to carefully collect it and put back the bulbs inside. The soil was very dry, like dust, the pots were too small for the bulbs and the bulbs were not moistened. No one cared to water them before shipping. Apart from that, out of 10, only 2 were fully grown snowdrops and they did not smell at all! They looked like tiny plastic hybrids. Will never ever use this company again, nor I would recommend them and My Hermes courier service too! Next time, shall I need flowers, I'll take my time and visit a few gardening centres.