Gardening Express

I contacted Gardening Express (via their messaging/chat as no other way to contact them) to explain that out of 6 plants ordered one had died but the rest establishing ok. After a 20 minute wait received a standard reply format giving a link to download a refund form. This form required me to return the plant at my expense, provide proof of purchase (surely order no and my payment is proof), plant label (there was no label), copy of invoice, the guarantee is only valid if planting and care instruction followed - no such instructions given. If a replacement plant sent I will be charged shipping. They have covered all bases for themselves and of course it had the desired effect as due to no fault of mine I could not meet their criteria, so not worth the effort. No wonder they avoid personal contact with their customers. I SHALL OF COURSE NEVER BUY FROM THEM AGAIN AND WILL WARN ALL MY GARDENING FRIENDS (AND ANYONE ELSE I SPEAK TO) WHAT A SHABBY OUTFIT GARDENING EXPRESS IS.

Actually less than half the size of same plants in local garden centre - same price. See first photo of montana clematis from garden centre next to the same price gardening express montana.

Salix at £13 was literally a forked single stick see 2nd photo.
3rd photo all the cleamtis were the same size - about 12 inches high and a single stem

Large circa 5ft Tricolour Hibiscus Tree

The trees were delivered bare rooted (as expected) and I immediately planted/cared for them as instructed. Three months later (from June to August) there is still no growth whatsoever and when snipping a stem back, no green or sign of life. Upon contacting the farcical 'fast messaging service' (as this is the only way to get in contact) and waiting literally hours for a response, I am told that there is only a 14 day return policy (and you have to pay to return the plants yourself anyway too).

When the instructions say that there will be growth in a month or two, how the hell is anyone supposed to know that they are dead sticks before then; and return them.

The messaging agent was totally unhelpful and dismissive. These trees were not cheap, but forgetting about the money, the customer service from this company is point blank the worst I have ever experienced.

PURCHASE AT YOUR PERIL

Like the previous comment, Covid seems to be an excuse for poor customer service. Ordered 10th April - no acknowledgement of my order or when it would be delivered. They debited my account immediately. After a couple of weeks of no correspondence I emailed to cancel as I had sourced plants elsewhere. They acknowledged the email but no refund. 3 emails later asking point blank for a refund - I did NOT want the plants, still no refund. They finally delivered my (pretty poor quality) plants nearly 6 WEEKS LATER and then had the cheek to tell me that as they had been delivered I was not entitled to a refund.

Goods arrived badly packed. And I think the pictures speak for themselves... Between what you're supposed to receive and what you get there is an ocean. A "one leave" plant smaller than a plug plant in a 2 liters container... Instead of a nice big fern. Roots cut too short for the 5ft bare root Magnolia, which is not really a tree but just a slender stem. I do know that there is always a difference between what you see online and what you get, but there is a limit to what is acceptable. Be ready to be disappointed.

The plant that I ordered through Groupon sent by Gardening Express which they said was healthy when I complained that it was on its last legs, has passed away as expected. Not worth complaining again. Total waste of time and money and a big disappointment. WILL NEVER AGAIN ORDER FROM GARDENING EXPRESS.

5 weeks of delay due to COVID is fine, until you then discover that it takes a further 6 weeks for them to lose your quality complaint three times after escalating it twice and basically trying to annoy you so much you give up. These guys are unfortunately scammers exploiting the situation of COVID for financial gain while other garden centres were closed.

The company do not deliver on time and are almost impossible to contact, I finally received the trees I ordered after 3 months and many emails and then only because I stopped the payment through Barclaycard. The trees are OK not wonderful.

Appalling company. Ordered 10 lavender plants and a 5-6ft' wisteria weeks ago. What I got was 10 dying lavender (8 are now dead) and a 3 ft wisteria (they'd snapped the top off to get it in the box... erm BUY A BIGGER BOX PEOPLE OR don't advertise what you can't deliver!) For this privilege I paid almost £130. SEVERAL emails later with these con artists and they are still saying there is nothing wrong with the wisteria...'It'll grow back.' Maybe, but this is not what I paid £79.95 for - a blatant mis-representation of goods. In a REPUTABLE garden centre this poor looking specimen would be around £20. Feel free to return the plants at your own cost.' ERM NO, it is the responsibility of the seller to arrange the uplift of/fund the cost of returning damaged/faulty goods bought online. Know your rights and do not put up with their lies - these cowboys should not get away with this scam. My advice is REPORT, REPORT REPORT! I hope they're out of business very soon.

I purchased a bare root quince tree for nearly £30 in May. The plant arrived bone dry and looking dead, but the advice sheet said that was normal. And that there was a guarantee as some plants fail. We planted and watered as per instructions, waited a few weeks- nothing. In early July I scrapped back some bark as per the instructions and found it dead. Underneath. I contacted customer services to be told that this plant is exempt from their guarantee and I had had it for too long- BECAUSE WE WERE WAITING FOR IT TO ESTABLISH! DO NOT BUY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. We will be applying for charge back via our credit card for faulty goods

This site is a complete con. I ordered a few different items as the shipping was going to be £7 and this wouldn't have evened it out. Withought my permission they cancled all my items only sent me one and charged the same shipping price. The plant has finally arrived and is about a 10th the size of one I brought for cheaper. Avoided at all costs. The first image is what I needed up receiving and the other is one I got for cheaper about a week ago... scam website

Never again the worst online gardening company ever … ripped me right off sent me dead plants with bugs on them! Dead flowers ones that have been cut off! Just a complete mess!

AVOID AVOID AVOID.
Ordered plants before lockdown took months to arrive, when they did 50% where dead and the others where really poor state.
Raised a support call with gardening express in April still no response in September even after numerous attempt to contact them.
They do not deserve 1 star

I ordered plants in April they arrived 10 weeks later badly damaged i then submitted a ticket with photographic proof and then waited and waited and waited and waited ( can you see the pattern forming)
And then finally received the confirmation that the matter had been resolved and the ticket closed
I have not received any refund or replacement plants or any explanation whatsoever these fraudsters are the worst kind of oxygen thief's ever to have walked the earth and i would urge anyone thinking of doing business with GARDENING EXPRESS to take their custom elsewhere
I did read the reviews for these charlatans but thought they can't be that bad and maybe I'll be ok as a few people have had no problems ( probably family members and workers)
Please don't make the same mistake as I and many others have

BEWARE TOTAL FRAUDSTERS... take immediate payment from you, send you your item many many weeks later, you open the box and it's a crumpled dead mess, you try phoning them to advise of the situation... no answer, you email them on the contact form and week or so later you receive a holding email, you respond, weeks later you chase, you then receive a response almost a month later advising you that you are now outside the 14 day return window! All down to their purpose delay! I have now instructed my solicitor to recover my losses...

This company has the worst plants and absolutely zero Customer Service! I ordered an indoor and outdoor plant. The outdoor plant literally looks like it did when I received it in September. It hasn't grown or died, it is genuinely exactly the same. I connected to the live chat for help and was instantly told "these are not covered under the 5 year guarantee" and "it is a young specimen and will take time to grow". Because I could not confirm what soil I bought back in September I was not given any advice or help. I had to ask for this and was then told to research my plants!
The indoor plant looked like it had been salvaged from the bin. I was advised "this plant is alive and well marked as live plants get marked". I have bought many plants online and no other retailer has ever sent something in this awful condition to me. The chat advisor then said that scarring is normal, but never have I had the misfortune to pay for a plant in such an awful condition.
This company had no care or concern and the service was absolutely appalling. They are rude, abrupt, unhelpful and genuinely uninterested.
If I could attach my Twitter conversation and the text chat transcript, I promise you would be gobsmacked how they speak to customers. Unfortunately there are too many images to attach them all.
Please do not be fooled by any 'Invited' 5 star reviews. Read the genuine 1 star customer reviews and you will see a definite pattern of the same issues and same experiences.
There are other review websites out there too and the reviews there are exactly the same!
Please don't throw your money away by using this company.

Ordered a lilac tree on the 10th of May and it arrived on the 3rd of June. It is no excuse saying it is a busy period, try employing enough staff to allow for this. Let's face it, every year is the same busy period so it is hardly a suprise. Took them 5 days to reply to my email for an order update. To round it off, I received an email asking for feedback as to how they had done, before I had even received the order. AVOID!

I ordered plants on 12th April and they arrived today (8th June)! This is DESPITE me sending four separate emails over six weeks asking them to cancel the order. Will be reporting to Trading Standards, just dreadful all round.

You certainly don't receive anything remotely similar to the pictures on their website. Trust me, the cheap price 100% reflects what you'll receive - rubbish.

Haven't received our order after a month and last time we spoke they were a few days behind
Not even answering tickets anymore
Does anyone know how to get a refund off these cowboys

They will take your money and won't deliver anything

Tried contacting them numerous times but no reply.

Am considering reporting them to Trading Standards.

Received my order yesterday after 7 weeks waiting delivered by Yodel very well packaged and a very healthy plant. T he guys from GARDENING EXPRESS need to improve the communication issue which left people baffeled by how their order is doing. See photos.

They send damage and death plants! Returns accepted only at your expenses which can be likely equal to the price you paid for the plant. My worst experience ever about
Buying plants online.