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Gardening Express  Reviews

1.2 Rating 1,702 Reviews
4 %
of reviewers recommend Gardening Express 
1.2
Based on 1,702 reviews
Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods
Courier
Average Delivery Time
Over A Month
On-time Delivery
Greater than 16%
Accurate And Undamaged Orders
Greater than 31%
Customer Service
Communication Channels
Email, Live Chat, Telephone
Queries Resolved In
Over A Week
Customer Service
1.1 out of 5
Returns & Refunds
Refunds Process
Difficult
Returns Process
Could Be Better
Read Gardening Express  Reviews

Phone:

08448 044 253

Location:

Gardening Express, Chelmsford
Essex
CM1 4UA

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Anonymous
Anonymous  // 01/01/2019
My first order with them and would never order again, ordered on the 12th April and received the plants 6 weeks later, they were in a bad way, packaging was battered and the plants were half dead but I planted them anyway and its taken all this time to get them to a reasonable level, still waiting for a "to follow" plant, opened up a support ticket but its pointless because they send a generic email and then ignore it, I wish I had read the reviews and ordered from the company I have been using, so do yourselves a favour and order from Plants Direct!
Helpful Report
Posted 4 years ago
If I could leave no stars I would.  I ordered plants at the start of lockdown. They took 9 weeks and 5 days to arrive.  In that time I requested a refund twice - due to the fact that it was an excessive length of time and garden centres were now opening- both requests were completely ignored.  I received an email to say my order was being prepared 18 days before it was eventually dispatched.  I kept optimistic as facebook comments were suggesting the plants were worth the wait despite the delay, and I do appreciate it is a difficult time, but nearly ten weeks was far too long. It also seems that it's only positive comments that are showing on Facebook.  The plants arrived in a terrible state - some dead, some dying. I emailed pictures and requested a refund only to be told that is how they would expect them to look and if I wanted a refund I would need to pay a courier to return the dead and dying plants!!  Shocking service, terrible communication, awful product. Could not be more disappointed and frustrated with them and will never use again!
Gardening Express  1 star review on 24th June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 24th June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 24th June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 24th June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 24th June 2020
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Posted 4 years ago
Dead on Arrival. What the blazes is going on with this company? IMO, this situation has gone beyond poor customer services and tipped into criminality. I have contacted Trading Standards. Has anyone managed a refund yet?
Gardening Express  1 star review on 24th June 2020
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Posted 4 years ago
I ordered wallflowers in march Cutting a long story short. After waiting all this time and raising numerous of their forms which is the only way of contacting them I told them it was in the hands of the credit card company. We received four half dead wallflowers. Still waiting for the refund we requested weeks ago. Goodness knows how much money these con artists have made but let's stop them making any more.
Helpful Report
Posted 4 years ago
Arrogant and inefficient company. I ordered some plants 5 weeks ago and they still haven’t been despatched. The website makes it deliberately difficult to communicate with the company or raise a complaint - no phone number, no email &c. Instead just a lot of blah blah about the impact of Covid19. Ok, but don’t take people’s money if you can’t provide the goods: it’s called theft. The company should get some ethics and close its website as other much better nurseries have done temporarily during the lockdown. Avoid,
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Posted 4 years ago
DO NOT USE!! Absolutely horrendous!! My first purchase from them and never again! As all the other reviews below, a ridiculous wait time with automated email rubbish asking you to be patient and to not contact them again. They’ve shut down all social media messaging access for customers and you can only send them an email which gets lost in hundreds of messages that they are no doubt getting from irate customers who now have realised that they’ve been duped by this website. Logged my issue an auto sends an appalling list of instructions that basically in an eggshell tell you to not expect a reply from then but they will try and they can’t refund an order etc. Feels like these cowboys have just taken my money and run or if they do fulfil the order they are sending out plants you may has well discard in the bin by the sounds of the reviews. I heard they made the news last week too due to their lack of service and orders unfulfilled for months. I really wish I’d read reviews before placing my order!! I will certainly be referring their details to Trading Standards and the Ombudsmen and suggest all others do the same! They shouldn’t be in business and I can’t believe they still continue to take orders. Shameful!
Helpful Report
Posted 4 years ago
Absolutely horrendous! DO NOT USE!! My first purchase from them and never again! As all the other reviews below, a ridiculous wait time with automated email rubbish asking you to be patient and to not contact them again. They’ve shut down all social media messaging access for customers and you can only send them an email which gets lost in hundreds of messages that they are no doubt getting from irate customers who now have realised that they’ve been duped by this website. Logged my issue an auto sends an appalling list of instructions that basically in an eggshell tell you to not expect a reply from then but they will try and they can’t refund an order etc. Feels like these cowboys have just taken my money and run or if they do fulfil the order they are sending out plants you may has well discard in the bin by the sounds of the reviews. I heard they made the news last week too due to their lack of service and orders unfulfilled for months. I really wish I’d read reviews before placing my order!! I will certainly be referring their details to Trading Standards and the Ombudsmen and suggest all others do the same! They shouldn’t be in business and I can’t believe they still continue to take orders. Shameful!
Helpful Report
Posted 4 years ago
Ordered begonias and hydranga in mid may. Supply time 7-10 days. As did not arrive attemepted to contact supplier. They have disconnected phones and email so impossible to contact.Communication impossible. They sent out email once a week saying would be a delay but unless you cancelled them in first 24 hours you had to receive them. Plants arrived today 23rd June. Packaging was damaged . The potted hydranga was yellow and sprawling and the begonia corms which needed to be planted at least a month ago had broken shoots due to the fact they were stuffed down side of the pot.If you return them you have to pay for the postage. They are rubbish. This is the worst company I have ever dealt with. DO NOT USE THEM
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Posted 4 years ago
Plants ordered 18th April they arrived today mostly dead ,dried out broken plants!!! and several missing says to follow at later date but their season is now over? Not the fault of courier packaging arrived intact I ordered lupins that would have been in season when I ordered them but as only arrived today their season is over. Plants also so tiny I think they must have only been sown when ordered? Surely they should realise these plants were not suitable to send to anyone what a waste of my money. BIG MISTAKE ORDERING FROM THIS COMPANY
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Posted 4 years ago
Dreadful company. Advertise plants they cant supply in any decent condition. When they eventually do arrive they are damaged and out of date. No way of contacting them or cancelling DO NOT USE
Helpful Report
Posted 4 years ago
ordered lots of plants in may 2020 and time of ordering delivery time 2 weeks, now has been over five weeks I have nothing. i send quite a few enquiry via their so called ticket which a robot and keep getting same reply, deliveries are delayed by further two weeks due to covid which we know lockdown started in march 2020 therefore it should state at time of deliver. found an email which bounced back not delivered there is no contact number although its a uk based company so very disappointed. i don't read or write review as its opinion, in this case i checked so negative i wish now having read them i would have not made an order
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Posted 4 years ago
Such a disgrace. The wait was almost 3 months, and while I understand issues were caused by COVID, the company had no right in taking more orders than it can handle! Even if I was to forget about the wait, the state in which the plants arrived was appalling. They were all blended and wrapped in plastic bags, half dry and already out of season! Ridiculous experience that I will get reminded of every time I look at the poor sad plants.
Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020
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Posted 4 years ago
Having waited 2 months for £78 worth of plants 5 in total this is the quality you get absolutely disgusting what a total rip off you can get them much cheaper in b and q etc very bad customer service ie no contact at all please do not use these
Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020
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Posted 4 years ago
Terrible service. Ordered twice one on 12 th April for around £80 and second on 13th April for £60. First order two months later received two boxes of 40 succulents 80 total. Second order not received at all. Support ticket raised for last order as well as lst. Can’t plant them and some have died. Want my money back. Not going to give up.
Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020
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Posted 4 years ago
Absolute joke of a company no contact for 6 weeks even though they state 2-4weeks for delivery. After chasing them constantly for 2 weeks; you can only raise tickets which they cancel or send canned responses to which state 2-4 weeks when you are already 5-6weeks waiting!! When I demanded a refund they instead finally sent the plants and refused me one! When they finally arrived after yodel play football with them the box is completely ripped plants hanging out. I opening fully to find a set of badly packed plants some chucked in a box all ways up one taped to the box so lots of stems and leaves damaged and lost. Roses with clear signs of disease and all plants were bone dry. So yet again only contact option is raising a ticket and you’ve guessed it I’ve been ignored again ive been waiting a week now for a reply! I believe this is the worse company I’ve ever dealt with please avoid this company there are many better businesses out there who actually appreciate their customers.
Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 23rd June 2020
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Posted 4 years ago
I am very happy with my Buxus plants the size and condition was excellent. Also some free bulbs along with the order Thank You.
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Posted 4 years ago
I have now been waiting since 12 April for plants I have sent letter to the owner raised support ticket. I had a reply eventually from customer services saying that my query had been escalated to Management team and they would send me my plants or refund me this was 8 June it is now 22nd June still no plants and no refund. What annoys me is they are still advertising these plants for sale. I will not ever deal with this company again wish I had read reviews before ordering.
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Posted 4 years ago
I have just read a positive review!!! Really? Was it genuine? I am convinced that the fruit tree feed which was not the branded one I ordered but two plain bottles with just an ingredient label on it did something really bad to my trees. Oh and it came nearly six weeks after ordering.
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Posted 4 years ago
Excellent service, delivery was quick and plants were in excellent condition
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Posted 4 years ago
My order Was delayed for two months. Not all plants were delivered. Majority of plants dead or dying (seriously!) Shockingly poor communication: my only option has been to raise yet another on line “ticket”. I spent over £70 with this company, and I am determined to get my money back. Wish me luck, and in the meantime my advice is to steer well clear of this dreadful company.
Gardening Express  1 star review on 22nd June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 22nd June 2020 Gardening Express  1 star review on 22nd June 2020
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Posted 4 years ago
Gardening Express  is rated 1.2 based on 1,702 reviews