Gardening Express

I received a number of plants over the year from this company, without a complaint about any of them. However this year I received a consignment where a clematis was in "dormant" state in January and accompanying leaflet said to wait for it to leave this state. Certainly my other clematis were not showing signs of new shoots in January. However, at the end of February it was clear that, unlike each of my other clematis, this new one was in fact dead not dormant. I asked the company to replace or refund and that has let to a protracted and rude and repetitive unhelpful stance by the company. They will only communicate by online chat and said their T&Cs said I should notify them within 14 days of receipt which I had not done and now they could do nothing I pointed out that the plant was dormant and had I contacted them I would have fully expected them to refer me to the leaflet and wait. I further pointed out that I had contact them in what I considered a reasonable time to realise the dormant state was erroneous as it was dead. Response was that a variety of things could have cause this failure including customer not treating the plant properly! Whilst this might be true, not in this case as I unpacked it and stored in a heated greenhouse and kept it regularly watered. The plant is DEAD. I have since reviewed the company and got a response that they do not deal with complaints in this way and that I had not contacted them within 14 days. And so it has gone on for 4 days. Emails are received and responded to as a no-reply address and to talk on Online Chat. Round and round in circles. I have written and emailed the CEO but this email also is a no-reply address. All for the cost of £8.97 refund or replacement. Avoid this company, they have proven they want to be contacted ONLY by online chat, online chat staff fail to understand the T&Cs are overridden by Consumer Rights Act and Consumer Contracts Regulation. A V O I D. Arrogance and the attitude the customer is a nuisance and always wrong.

I would absolutely never use this company again. I bought two small trees. The online description states "Hardy Evergreen Photinia serratifolia PINK CRISPY Standard Topiary Tree" and that the tree will be "Supplied as super strong plants in approx 5 litre containers, with a 'lollipop' head of foliage diametre approx 40cms on top of a clear stem, with a total overall height of around 125-135cms." The photo I sent them of the trees cannot be described in any way as "topiary" or supplied as a "lollipop head." or with the measurements. I received three emails from the company after making several complaints and all of them just have a standard response saying the "Nursery manager" has reviewed photos and the trees are healthy. Honestly I wish I could upload the photos here they are diabolical. Two scraggy old trees that look anything but what they are described as. Company refusing to pay for product to be returned They are basically breaching the Consumer Standards Act 2015 but they don't seem to care all. Avoid!

After attempting to contact Gardening Express using their online form, I have heard nothing from them since I sent it nearly 2 months ago... I ordered a number of plants and, although some of them were ok (& the prices were attractive), I sent them photos of: 3x LEWISIA, 1x DELOSPERMA, 4x Echinacea Breeders Mix - all of which were dead -- or nearly dead -- on arrival. I am an experienced gardener, but I am really disappointed with their customer service/support as well as with these plants. I can't recommend Gardening Express as they have made no attempt to resolve the problems with the plants they sent and, since hearing nothing (& they cannot be phoned), I have had to go elsewhere to buy the plants I paid Garden Express to deliver.

Date of experience: 23 July 2023

Think twice before using this Company. First time I've used them & wasn't good experience so will definitely be the last. Received an email from Yodel saying the plant we ordered had been delivered. Got home later to find no sign of it. Contacted Yodel twice & each time they failed to get back to me. Contacted Gardening Express through web chat who after lengthy delays finally said I had to print & complete claim form for Yodel( already told them I didn't have printer) & also said I had to contact Police to get Crime Report Ref no. Really think Police have far more important things to do than check up on courier who probably left it at the wrong address. Citizens Advice website confirms retailer is responsible for chasing up courier & if they fail to do so are in contravention of Consumer Rights Act so if a replacement plant is not received as per the letter sent to them I will refer this issue to Trading Standards. Their Customer Service is abysmal & don't think they understand the concept of customer service ie to help their customer. Think the extremely low rating given on various independent review sites says it all. THINK BEFORE PARTING WITH YOUR MONEY

The rose bush was halve dead an was coverd in Black Spot a waist of money can not get any joy from them i would never buy off them again

**UPDATE**

FOLLOWING ON FROM MY REVIEW I ORDERED A BLACKBERRY NIP ROSE MONTHS AGO. WHEN IT FINALLY ARRIVED IT HAD WILTED AND ALL OF THE BUDS HAD BEEN CUT OFF. HAVING NO JOY CONTACTING GARDENING EXPRESS AS THEY DON'T ANSWER, I PLANTED IT TO FIND THAT WHEN IT FINALLY STARTED TO GROW IT WAS A PINK MINIATURE ROSE (DEFINITELY NOT PURPLE) AND EACH FLOWER DIES 12 HOURS AFTER IT COMES OUT. SURPRISE SURPRISE MY MESSAGES CONTINUE TO GO UNANSWERED. THIS WAS FOR MY PARENT'S ANNIVERSARY AND WAS VERY EMBARRASSING.
THEY EVEN PUT AN ORDER SLIP IN WITH BLACKBERRY NIP TYPED ON IT! NEEDLESS TO SAY ITS NOW SHOWING AS OUT OF STOCK ON THEIR WEBSITE!
PLEASE DON'T BUY FROM THIS COMPANY. THEY ARE A DISGRACE!

IF I COULD GIVE THIS COMPANY A 0 RATING I WOULD.
I ORDERED A ROSE FOR A GIFT 3 WEEKS AGO, IT WAS SHOWING IN STOCK, APPARENTLY DELAYS WITH DELIVERY DUE TO COVID, EVEN THOUGH I'VE HAD NO DELAY WITH ANYTHING ELSE THAT I HAVE ORDERED.
3 WEEKS ON HOWEVER THE ITEM IS NOW SHOWING OUT OF STOCK, THEY WONT REFUND MY MONEY, WON'T TAKE CALLS, SEND AUTOMATED MESSAGES FOBBING ME OFF, TOLD ME I WOULD RECEIVE IT IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS IT WAS BEING PREPARED (EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOW OUT OF STOCK) BUT I STILL HAVEN'T RECEIVED IT.
PLEASE READ THESE REVIEWS AND TAKE YOUR BUSINESS ELSEWHERE. THEY ARE AN ABSOLUTELY AWFUL COMPANY, THEY KEEP YOUR MONEY AND DON'T DELIVER.

Clematis Taiga so called 2year old plant it was only a tiny stick that was out of the soil
Hanging on strip of plastic
Daphne Fragrance just so small

Won't be using them again

DELIVERY IS SHOCKING
PLANTS RECEIVED ARE NOT AS ADVERTISED
CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NON EXISTANCE
SOME ACTION NEEDS TAKING WITH THEIS COMPANY
DO NOT ORDER FROM THESE PEOPLE

Have had to resort to asking the Halifax to recover our circa £84 payment! We will not be using Gardening Express in future.

More then 20 busyness days and no delivery yet. Please do not use this Company, scammers! Take money quick and then nothing's happened.

JUST WANT MY MONEY BACK!

My order took so long that it went past the date needed and had to go to a local plant center for the items I needed. I have tried to ring to cancel my order many times and cant get through. I couldn't believe that they said to cancel an order you have to write in for security reason. I spoke to the fair trading standards and they said there was no need for that and that an email is proof enough and so this is what I have done and heard nothing. I want a full refund immediately for order *******

16/05/17I requested cancelled order and refund so what did they do they finally sent it out today against my request to cancel. This is the worst company I have ever dealt with and will keep posting every day until they give me the refund I requested. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!
Just seen another review on Gardeners corner where many others were complaining of the same problem and would you believe that the address they give is not even a a centre with walls its actually just an internet service. Unbelievable, they are all having problems getting their money back if you dont believe me read them for your selves!

Nobody will reply to me or answer my chat option about my due refund, can somebody please advise me.

Poor Quality Plants, Non-Existent Customer Service & Worthless Guarantee

I find it illuminating that Gardening Express feels the need to bolster their reputation, and refute the very many ‘negative' reviews offered here (and elsewhere) by customers dissatisfied with their plant quality and poor customer service.

In my experience, like that of many others who have taken the time to write of their experience, I found Gardening Express' offering best summed up as ‘Poor Quality Plants, Non-Existent Customer Service & Worthless Guarantee'.

To claim that their net promoter score suggests that mine and other reviews are motivated by anything other than customer dissatisfaction is revealing in itself.

Like others have said the plants I received today (only my second order with GE) arrived in
An extremely poor condition, diseased, dead (or dying). Described on their website as 'in bud or blooming' is flagrantly misleading and false.

The plants delivered can, in no way, be described as in bud and/or blooming.

Thy are simply dead, dying or possibly diseased.

To raise my concern via GE ‘chat' function on their website resulted in a 20 minute wait and then as soon as I began ‘chatting and made clear my concerns' the agent ended the chat… not just the once but twice.

My recommendation is twofold… firstly do not waste you time nor money with Gardening Express as their product is inferior and customer service is inadequate. Secondly, do let your gardening friends know about your poor experience. It is only through customer pressure (and dwindling revenues) that companies like Gardening Express can learn from their customers.

To justify the delays on Covid and blame the delays for the poor quality is unacceptable.

In summary: poor customer service, poor quality products and lack of accountability and responsibility… a worthless guarantee too!

Rotten plants "carefully selected" for me. They don't get worse than dead plants ready for the compost. Outrageous!

Sent dead trees and company ignore emails and live chat. Literally no way of contacting the company, scammers.

Order a 2 stem yuka 19.99 reduced to 14.99.
Received a single stem priced at 9.99
They will not rectify there mistake.

Disgraceful company. Delivered a plant that was ravaged by slugs. Customer service was rude and could not be bothered. Refused a refund.

Not a great experience. Could provide better service. The gardening service was also slightly expensive

Slow delivery, plants were pathetic. All the critical reviews on this site are justified. I shall be claiming refund via credit card company.

Very disappointed - bulbs arrived later than suggested - about 1/3 were almost rotten through.
Planted the others and half of those have grown.

BEWARE - IF YOU HAVE PLACED AN ORDER WITH 'Gardening Express', YOU SHOULD CONTACT YOUR PAYMENT CARD PROVIDER NOW AND DEMAND A FULL REFUND! = This company are still taking customers money but are not supplying any products! They ignore all emails and their so-called 'Ticket System' is switched off! Order placed 18 days ago and not a single email, message, call or anything from them about my order. TRADING STANDARDS HAVE NOW BEEN ALERTED TO THIS COMPANY! It looks as though they could be a company that is going to go bust becuase of the Virus... but are still taking customers money! DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY AS YOU ARE LIKELY TO GET RIPPED-OFF AND NEVER GET A REFUND! THEY PUBLISH A DAILY TWITTER advert but do not reply to any of their customers! AVOID - OR RISK NEVER GETTING YOUR MONEY BACK! PLENTY OF OTHER TRUSTWORTHY COMPANIES OUT THERE... UNLIKE THIS ONE! I HAVE ASKED FOR A REFUND MANY TIMES BUT THEY JUST KEEP IGNORING ME! NO PHONE NUMBER OR EMAIL ADDRESS ON WEBSITE AND THE TICKET SYSTEM IS NOW SWITHCED OFF!

I have used Gardening Express a lot, especially before lockdown, when the method of correspondence was via email. I had a problem then with one of the orders and it was resolved. This year, I have had some good purchases, and the plants and trees I bought were excellent value and delivered in time etc. However, in June this year, I spent £30 on 30 bare root lily plants which I have planted in the ground and in pots. To summarise, less than 50% of them have actually grown, even though they have been in similar locations, growing conditions etc. When I tried to contact them, via their new on line ticketing system, the nightmare began. First of all, they don't answer their quick message. When they do, they just ask for photos and then close the ticket down, unless you are online to respond. When you visit the site again, usually the next day, you have to begin the whole process again. After 5 days of this process, which you can imagine is both time consuming and ultra-frustrating, I managed to speak with a Customer Service (!) agent called Suzannnah. She states that as I did not return the plants within 14 days, and the plants were not covered by their 5 year guarantee, they could do nothing. She refused to accept a complaint and even though I requested this be dealt with as a faulty purchase under the Consumer Protection legislation, she reiterated the policies, wished me a lovely day, and closed the chat down. I have reported them to Citizens Advice Bureau and Trading Standards and to my Credit Card company under the Chargeback scheme. Don't think this will get me anywhere though. My thoughts are if things go wrong, you have no chance with any refunds etc. I will not be buying via this company again.

Two weeks after placing my order, i'm still waiting and staff cant tell me when my order is coming. AVOID and save yourself the disappointment.