Gardening ExpressReviews 594

Just taken delivery of a very sad, badly damaged Trachycarpus Fortunei in a box that was held together by sellotape. However the damage was clearly not just caused by the poor packing and I was disappointed that they would even consider sending a plant in this condition. If I saw it in a nursery I would have left it well alone and certainly not paid £49.99 + delivery for it.
The company did respond quickly to my complaint and offered to accept a return after I sent pictures however I didn't have a suitable box to return it in as the one they sent had fallen apart when unpacking and they knew this. I told them I would keep the plant but would ensure that future customers were aware of my experience, and won't be using them again

This is a large plant
A fully hardy evergreen plant that does not die back in winter
This is what £30 will get you with gardenenin express
Customer service is appauling there is no phone number no email contact, just one of those irritating live chat things that only opperates fir a couple of hours a day When you do manage to leave a message it takes them 24hours plus to get back and they just brush you off

The company is a joke. No method of contact, no delivery of plants, absolutely no interest in resolving customer issues whatsoever. AVOID. I think they are actually a scam company and am taking legal action.

Anemone Hybrida Bressingham Glow Japanese Anemone SKU P******* £14.99 and Anemone hupehensis Splendens Windflower SKU P******* £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!

Not yet received items worth almost £40. Wrote to company yesterday but today all I got was a request for feedback. Very poor. Please either send items or refund money.

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Items that have shipped

Salvia patens Dark Blue
x3

Some orders may have been split and could arrive in multiple packages over different days.

When you receive your order, please ensure you unpack the boxes in full and water your plants immediately upon receipt, they can be a little thirsty after their transit and this will help them flourish.

Please note, the notches often cut into our cartons are intentional and are to prevent the movement of plant pots in transit. On the rare occasion your package has sustained the odd dent with the couriers - your plants will be fine. The cartons are designed to protect your plants and will ensure your plants arrive with you in much the same good condition as they left us.

Should you need any assistance once your plants have been delivered, please click HERE to view our FAQs or connect with our care team

I have tried to contact this firm but nothing works. If I try to send a message i finish it and try to send. All I get is oops something went wrong.

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

I ordered fruit trees last year that was a nightmare trying to find out when they would be delivered, bearing in mind I live 10 mines from their nursery! They lied about them being sent then over 2 weeks later they turned up. They were in poor state, but I persevered and did as the instructions said. Last week I contacted them for a refund as they were all dead or should i say as i had received them! To be told im not covered by their so called 5 year guarantee but the shorter one that expired a few days before i asked for their refund and a snotty message back saying dont bother to try and contact us again about it as they wont do anything. Avoid, the majority of their reviews are horror stories like this. I have attached a picture of the sort of rubbish they are sending out

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!

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.

Absolutely terrible customer service and even worse quality of product! We received two topiary trees for a Christmas gift from our parents. Within a few months after daily watering they were both dead. I tried for 2 months to contact the company after several failed attempts finally got hold of them to be told there was nothing they would be prepared to do. Not even interested! Don't purchase from this company!

Haven't even received my plants zero customer service shouldn't be in business thank god I paid with PayPal

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 rockery plants
One plant missing went to call only to find out its a robotic virtual. Customer service then very slow person typing
Gave me wrong order picture took ages communicating. In the end said they will refund but don't know when
If you want an online ONLY with no telephone contact DONT buy from this company
Plants also waterlogged

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!

Appalling customer service and incredibly difficult to contact. Can only communicate via VERY SLOW online chat and insist on multiple photographs.
I bought 4 standard white roses in March in order to have 2 for my daughter's wedding in July. They arrived mere sticks which I have nurtured. Two have started to flower -deep pink and now a third is deep pink- so disappointed

Very disappointed in the Clematis Armandii plant I received today at £79 I expected a flourishing plant instead I received a tall plant with not much fullness and dried leaves and a broken branch. The worst issue is their customer service, you cannot speak to anyone it's all done via their"online chat" and they are not forthcoming with an apology for your dissatisfaction, they are quick to dismiss any issues you may have and quick to let you know if you want an exchange or a refund that you have to organise this at your own cost and once the plant is received then they will assess the plant and see if it's worthy of any action. The good versus bad reviews on trust pilot are equal which should have been a red flag but unfortunately I didn't visit trust pilot before my latest purchase. Absolutely appalling service.

Flowers arrived damaged and wilted. Extremely difficult to contact the company and don't bother to reply. Eventually contacted their site chat. Feedback " oh good news the plants will be ok with water." tried to continue conversation but just blanked off.

Could never recommend or use again. Think carefully

The plant I have received has nothing to do with the plant they advertised. The picture is fake and belongs to a different species of lilac.
I have spoke to one of their advisors, Tia,
and she was adamant that what I have received is the same as the picture on their website. She was anything but helpful and requested many many pictures like a child that doesn't take ownership of a mistake!
It's not the first time I'm having issues with this company and same as now they were not helpful. I can understant they have made a mistake, probably, but so many mistakes with no one taking responsibility for them it's actually their bussiness style!
They post very misleading/fake pictures!
I will attach pictures of what I ordered and what I received so it can clearly be seen that there are 2 different plants. Even after I have sent them the pics with the obvious difference ( I was asked to take many pictures from different angles) they still said that it's the same plant.

Purchased 240 ilex crenata at £270 which is good value but still a big outlay. Leggy, yellowing plants with leaf drop delivered. Trying to get a refund has taken 3 hours with no resolution so far. I won't pay to return these as they will be dead and consumer credit act means I should get a refund without outlay myself. I will update when and if I get a decision on a refund. Can't understand why they have no quality control and even worse no guarantee of refund unless you pay to return goods that aren't fit for sale. So disappointed.