Gardening Express Reviews

Name: Gardening Express
Address: Gardening Express, Chelmsford, Essex
Rating: 1.17

1.2 Rating 1,702 Reviews

4 %

of reviewers recommend Gardening Express

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

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

Phone:

08448 044 253

Location:

Gardening Express, Chelmsford
Essex
CM1 4UA

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Gardening Express 1 star review on 28th October 2024

Mark Ramsden

Gardening Express 1 star review on 2nd September 2024

Olga

Gardening Express 1 star review on 2nd August 2024

Anonymous

623

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Sort by: Most Recent Most Recent Highest Rated Filter: None None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“Very impressed with the condition of my order when delivered, well packed & the plants were beautiful & healthy, I will definitely come back”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Anemone Hybrida Bressingham Glow Japanese Anemone SKU P22155 £14.99 and Anemone hupehensis Splendens Windflower SKU P22183 £14.97 delivered 23 August 2022 I expected these to be delivered in a similar condition to the Anemone hupehensis 'Red Riding Hood' Japanese Anemone Windflower, that is, 'in-season, strong, healthy, full of buds, flowers and shoots'. They weren't. They aren't. These are short, stubby scrawny, almost lifeless plants with wilting foliage, no flowers, no buds, highly unlikely to have any flowers at all this year 2022! 'Autumn', Gardening Expresses' Quick Messaging System agent advised me 'This is a young specimen and will thrive once settled'. If I wanted two 'young specimen' I'd have ordered two 'young specimen' and they wouldn't have cost me £29.96 but more like £4.99 each! It is already mid-Summer heading into late-Summer with Autumn 'just around the corner'. I've not spent £29.96 for Gardening Express to deliver me two 'young specimen' in 3-litre pots for me to grow myself, I've spent £29.96 to have premium quality 3-litre 'in-season' plants delivered full of buds and flowers! Furthermore, the Plant Passport shows A ANEMONE, B BE-2.085.018.364 C week 13/16 2021! And Gardening Express expects us to pay 'return postage'? Unbelievable!”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 23rd August 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Just tried to implement the 5 years guarantee. Photos dont suffice although I have sent some. I have to dig up the plant and return it at my expense and pay postage on replacement plant and arrange the transport....totally impractical to package up a hydrangea. Be easier to dig it up and return it to Essex in person”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Inexperieced staff who attempt to fob you off when goods arrive "damaged"or "unsatisfactory " Submit photos of the bashed and squashed box the plants arrived Complete refusal to replace let alone refund. Use the full extent of the law sec 9,10 and 11 Consumer Rights Act 2015 and use " 'Chargeback' for breach of contract Don't mess around with these cowboys a k a Chris Bonnett and Co. Mr Bonnett ' C E O ' You can't even communicate via email The message you get is an automated reply to be directed to the dorks employed on the chat web. Exercise extreme caution with Gardening Express,take your money and refuse to help when things go wrong.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 13th August 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“They make extravagant promises about a five-year guarantee/a refund/replacement if you aren't happy - but definitely buyer beware! Before issuing you with a refund - even in the event of an unsatisfactory/damaged item - they will expect you to post the plant back to them (at your own expense - a cost which they then won't refund the value of), which is of course ludicrous and not something any other online plant company demand. Even if you provide pictures of the dead/dying plant they still make you return the plant before issuing a refund! I've received some items from them which are in an OK condition, but one hibiscus just arrived dead, two daphne died within two weeks of arriving and an enormous (expensive!) cherry tree looks like it will be lucky to survive another month. I'm an experienced gardener and their patronising tone when I tried to reach out really took the biscuit. No attempt to make good or apologise, just condescension and bluntness. Also worth pointing out there is no phone number or email address to contact them on in the event of any customer service complaints. Just an unreliable instant messenger service with very limited 'open hours'. And to top it off, everything comes triple-wrapped in plastic bags and parcel tape! Seriously? When every other online plant company I've shopped with is making such massive strides away from single-use plastic! So you might be lucky and get the odd good quality plant or two, but bear in mind that if you don't you'll be left massively out of pocket. Back to Crocus.com for me - twice the price, but ten times the customer service!”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Beware, this company will only interact via a robot chat system.. should have thought this through..when they have no customer service dept…. On receipt, plants was woefully inadequate for the cost(£60), nothing like the ‘specimen’ photo and unbelievably pathetic in quality and size. Sarah, this Company’s customer service remote chat, has been most unhelpful.. you cannot actually speak to this company , person to person, that actually says it all. After a lengthy… remote online message service, over a very lengthy time, I was eventually told return at your cost , Goodbye… I informed Tia (Manager) I felt that the customer service somewhat lacked and I had no alternative than to post a negative review. The response was that basically no one read reviews anyway as it was always a negative posting! PLEASE , go elsewhere, I feel scammed on an image in relation to what I ACTUALLY received. I would so welcome a conversation with someone at this company.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 5th August 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“PLEASE PLEASE DONT USE THEY SHOULD BE REPORTED TO TRADING STANDARDS AND PUT OUT OF BUSINESS ORDERED A LARGE 5FT PALM BEAUTIFUL LUSH GREEN LEAVES THIS IS WHAT I RECIVED.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 3rd August 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“solutely terrible - rip off merchant! Absolutely terrible. Purchased 3 small trumpet flower plants for over £27 in total last September. Three small twigs with a couple of leaves on each plant were sent in oversized pots! I rang to query the size & quality of plants but was assured they will soon grow and flourish. Kept them indoors over winter and brought them out in May this year. Despite taking every possible care, the plants never grew any leaves and have now completely dried out and dead! Complained to the Gardening Express customer services but was simply told that these plants had no guarantee! Find their response from this cowboy outfit to be totally unacceptable. Stay well away from this rip-off supplier.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Don't buy trees Gardening Express - purchased 5 trees from you and now there all dead? Items Ordered Product Name SKU Price Qty Subtotal Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd' - 150-180cm Specimen or Hedging Conifers K20723 £49.99 Ordered: 5 Shipped via Courier : 5 £249.95 and they refused to do anything about it. Stay away”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Ordered 50 dahlia tubers. When they arrived they were all single blind tubers broken off from the parent plant. These had no eyes or shoots. Complained as these blind tubers will not grow. Was told that this is normal and how they sell them and to plant them. I have grown dahlias for years and know these will not grow or produce shoots/plants. Either the company does not know the slightest about plants or are just selling rubbish, or both. I contacted them and they refuse to refund unless I post the rubbish back to them at my cost. Be warned avoid this company!!!”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 15th July 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“AWFUL COMPANY!! AVOID!! Poor quality plants. Not as advertised, size stated describes pot and not plant! Customer service absolutely useless. Have to pay your own postage to send dead plants back (although they won’t accept they are dead!) It says it all that they’ve got so many bad reviews. I wish I’d read them before buying. Don’t be conned like I was😤”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“This “company should not be in business. Appalling website, appalling plants and inaccurate and misleading information. Customer service non-existent . Avoid at all costs”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Beware of the adverts posted by Gardening Express on Google. They use pictures of healthy well grown plants that other companies have grown, then they send you worthless rubbish. Their con-artist owner has structured the business in such a way that makes complaining very difficult (no email address and useless chat line). This company needs taking down, together with the con-man owner.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 11th July 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“This company is awful. Rammed two large hydrangeas into a box that wasn't big enough and cut off the top of the plants so they would fit. One hydrangea is in a terrible state with yellow leaves with brown spots on them, possibly diseased, but certainly not healthy. They charge you full price. Customer services offer nothing. My advice - go to your local garden centre - you'll pay the same and at least you know what your getting. Avoid this company like the plague.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 8th July 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“I wish I had checked the reviews first. I bought a magnolia tree for a gift. 3 months later it is still ‘resting’ according to the replies I got from them. Not a leaf or bud in sight. Not the gift I imagined I was giving. It arrived well packaged but dormant. It was bare rooted so I planted it in a huge planter with lovely flowers around the bottom. The flowers thrived and it remained bare. Trying to communicate with the company through their ‘chat facility’ is difficult as they take so long to respond that you go do other things. I was sent a form to complete and return with the dead tree! How easy is it to package a tree? Unfortunately I have a huge garden that I am in the process of renovating but I will not be wasting my money on this site.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 1st July 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Have written of two Magnolias I received from them and put it down to experience. I just wish I had read these reviews before I made my purchase. Will DEFINITELY NOT be using them again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Lavender arrived after four weeks, one week of which was sitting on a hot delivery lorry without sunlight, water. Needless to say they arrived in terrible condition. Tried to revive but could not. Awful customer service which is only by chat message, no phone number or email. Would only refund for some of the plants. I would love to post pictures of the truly awful state they arrived in. Will not be using Gardening Express again.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 29th June 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“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 it's too big to include. Please do not be fooled by all the '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.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Made a mistake i should have checked the review before i purchased 10 standard roses from them in April. It is now June only 3 have come into leaf. I enquired why they have not established and had to provide bark test and photos. I was informed that two were dead and the rest were dormant. I asked how I could wake them and was not given a reply. I am 74 years old and I was looking forward to having the new roses flowering in the summer. That is not going to happen so I have resolved my self to purchase new roses in the autumn. My advice is stay clear”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Received 3 bags of bare root plants each mark TEN plants one had ten one 6 and one 7 ! TRY finding an email address to complain to? You would be lucky ! Then the only option is "chat" where all they do is fire pre typed spiel messages asking for photos of MISSING plants!!!? they they are extremely rude esp "Tia" then ask for PHOTO of packing slip? I gave ALL details on it which were completed ignored then another copy pasted we want photos (as if nothing better to be doing!) This is SECOND time I have had cause to complain and get the same insolence from their staff "help" who haven't the FIRST idea about customer service Ive spent a few hundred this year again with them but thats it I'm boycotting again and hop you all will also! DREADFUL CUSTOMER CARE cant even count to ten when packing! PITIFUL!”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

Gardening Express is rated 1.2 based on 1,702 reviews