Garden Buildings DirectReviews 51

Was delivered at 9.30pm which was ok but did not realise would have to unload the wagon all done put it all on bearers to protect and covered with a tarpaulin.
Next day carried it all to position reedy to build checked all there but was surprised at the flooring bearers they come in 3 sections and you have to screw them together with some little blocks so opened the bag of fitting and was shocked the nails screws had all been weighed out in one bag took 30 minutes to sort them all out into containers a joke.
Once put frame together and squared up which took hours of fitting together i red the instructions which were no good as being in the building trade for over 40 years i just worked it all out got to the last 3 layers and found the panels so badly twisted they could not be fitted so tried contacting customer service well that was a start of a nightmare to cut a long story short 5 weeks on and hours of being on hold and trying to sort this out still can not give me a date for the spares to come i have never in 40 years as a tradesman been treated like this please take my advise and buy from another company forgot to mention had 2 previous log cabins from dunster no issues better quality mind you they are more expensive suppose you get what you pay for hope this saves someone a bad experience

Ordered a shed told it would be 4-6 weeks, 3 months later no shed, asked for my money back told it would be 14 days, 21 days in and no refund, broken promises and lies DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!

Purchased an Dojo E Insulated Garden Building in Mar 25. After a series of customer service own goals including all the usual suspects of being basically impossible to get hold of I ended up cancelling the order. Turns out even that is hard. Been on hold for half an hour and still not speaking to the person I need to actually push through the cancellation. They aren't that busy, they just don't want to talk to you. Do yourself a favour, watch a few videos on YouTube and build it yourself. It'll be better built, last longer and you won't shorten your life with the stress of dealing with these scammers.

AVOID this company. I bought a log cabin in August, took 5 weeks to receive it. Parts missing. Tried for 6 weeks to get them delivered with no luck. They just lie to you in the hope you will give up. Eventually we agreed that I would get the parts made in a nearby sawmill, which I did. However when it came to paying me back THEY REFUSED! They're despicable. Shame on you. They never call you. I must've spent 30 hours on the phone and sent 50 emails. If you have the misfortune of having bought something, the Customer Support Manager is Carlo Datu (public information). He won't speak to you but will hide behind his poor support team. Don't waste your life. Can't wait to see the counter comment from them.

Ordered a shed wich didn't arrived within promised period of 11 weeks. Cancelled and asked for refund, wich didn't arrived within promised period of 2 weeks.
The rest was very good...?

Absolutely appalling customer service
Absolutely appalling customer service. Multiple calls to try and sort a delivery of a shed. Call handler hung twice with no reason or explanation. Each time you call you get a different tale. Complaints service is just as poor bland meaningless responses.

Thought I had a solution on 5th September for delivery by 13th or 16th September. Told today this may not be the case.

Promised a call back from a manager this never happened.

Spent further time on the phone following lack of phone call.

When you call and ask to speak with a manager you are told either they won't tell you anything different or no one is available.

I have now spoken with a manager and this wasn't terribly helpful either.

I have been trying since 19th August to get a delivery date from them - no joy. Product needs to be with me by 16th September.

Company needs to sort out their customer care - customer does all the chasing.

To date a terrible experience.

C Sandy

Date of experience: 11 September 2024

Totally ignore this Company' time estimates to deliver your product. Once they have your money delivery dates and promises go out of the window. The telephone line that takes orders and your MONEY is answered in seconds. If you have a query or something other than handing over your money expect to be put on hold for a long time. I was on hold for over 40 mins before I gave up. If you are looking to buy a shed, stay clear of thios company, there commitmet to deadlines and customer service is awful.

Do not buy from this company! Products are poorly made, bits missing and broken upon delivery and when you ring or use the online portal, they fob you off with dodgy excuses and no assistance.

I had a carpenter fit my shed and still it didn't measure up, he had never seen such a poorly produced piece of wood work, let alone a shed!

Upon complaining about the 5 week wait and lack of contact as well as damaged upon delivery and missing goods, they told me the won't give any money back and would potentially exchange damaged goods. I cannot wait another 5 weeks for them to put right what they should have done correctly in the first place!

Stay away!

I have purchased a insulated log cabin but when it arrived one batch was missing. We contacted the company and it took 10 days to receive but they did not deliver what was missing! I have called them to get an explanation still no response! They did not all the nails we need. My log cabin is now part build for 3 weeks but not sure when we can complete. Instructions are not very clear either.

Bought Fraya Log Cabin, great price and delighted. It's made of wood so I guess you have to be realistic to what you're buying as Wood moves just like doors in a house do. Overall went up well, and delighted with my new home office

After spending £12,000 I thought I'd be getting a quality item. Delivery 8-10 weeks it stated. It was 17 weeks and my builders had moved to another job. Then only by chance I checked my emails at 6.15am and saw one at 6am that said delivery was in 40 mins!
Driver spoke no English and his girlfriend did but moaned it wasn't her job to be doing this. Eventually got around to building and the wrong instructions had been sent.
Eventually got the right instructions and got half way through and realised there were lots of missing uPVC parts and trim.
Despite constant emails and using the online chat (which is useless) I've now been waiting 2 months for the missing items. It will be a year at the end of January since I placed the order.
I wouldn't bother with this company in any way shape or form.

We ordered the above item in Sept 2022 and still haven't received ALL the items as per the two different conversations I had with the sales department in October 2023. Both Sales people said we will be getting bearers which weren't included in the delivery. We had recorded the chats with GBD who still haven't rectified their error. The product wasn't of the best quality and they NO LONGER communicate with us. THIS COMPANY IS A SCAM so please save yourself lots of hassle and DO NOT ORDER from this company.

Order number GBD*******

Ordered shed 12' x 8' 25th of may delivered 1st June missing parts; both doors and the roof missing, one gable end broken, delivery driver on video call at time of delivery and for whole duration of delivery had no interest in me the customer, I suspect this is why he drove away with some of my order still on his truck.

Parts to be delivered couple of weeks later but delivery driver reported that nobody was at address and nowhere safe to leave parts. I have Ring doorbell and my front & rear gardens are enclosed with fences and gates, regards anyone calling at my door Ring recorded nothing other than myself, family members & the postman on that day, so it would be reasonable to say that the delivery driver had not called to attempt delivery at all.

Nearly two weeks later missing parts delivered along with gable to replace damaged one, gable end delivered was for wrong side despite having sent pictures to help identify which side needed replacing.
One week later correct gable delivered.

On starting to build the shed I discovered that I had not been supplied enough rails to finish the panels as had only been sent rails for 8' x 8' instead of 12' x 8' shed also missing was the gap fill times 2 for rear of shed. As I had started the build I could not wait another two+ weeks for parts to be sent so had to buy four lengths of 27mm x 44mm x ******* from B & Q.

When doing the roof felt I followed instructions as given; measuring shed then adding 140, shed was 3570 + 140 x 3 which leaves the felt short by 130 on the last strip from a 11m roll I also found that four of the six sills were unusable due to being twisted and bent. I contacted Customer services again on 3rd September and was told over the phone that parts were ordered and would be sent within two days. I then received an email requesting pictures which I provided. 11th September I contacted Customer service again as nothing had arrived to discover that none of the items had been ordered at all. Ordered over phone after a lot of debate and received two weeks later.
As others have reported build quality is very poor gaps between panels, roof supports not thick enough to support 8 foot roof (sags in middle). Customer service poor. Valued as a customer again poor.
As advised on other reviews here, do not buy from this company service & quality is awful.

Date of experience: 25 May 2023

We ordered a Billyoh Peardrop Extra Wendy House, all very efficient with ordering and advice.
However I am now one EXTREMELY unhappy customer.
The delivery arrived 2 days earlier than advised with no warning and no one at home to receive it.
Upon unpacking the myriad of separate pieces - almost 300 bits of wood - there was no sign of instructions. After waiting in a phone Q for 30 mins, instructions were sent by email. After trying to understand them it turned out they were for a different building.
A second 30 mins in a phone Q another set of instructions emailed through, They too turned out to be for a different building!
Another 30 mins phone Q we were told that the 8'x7' Wendy House was a fairly new addition to the range and assembly instructions had not been produced yet!
We were told a manager would call the same day to resolve this issue. No one called that day or the next, after another time consuming phone Q we were told a manager would indeed phone, needless to say 3 weeks later still no contact.
After me sending email outlining the issues GBD replied saying the the Wendy House delivered was correct and the instructions sent were correct [not true] and that they would collect/refund but would charge for the collection!
The detail of the assembly problems:-
No assembly instructions available
The website indicates its easy to assemble, mainly panels- not true, the floor, roof, bunk bed, shutters, flower boxes all need assembling from many individual pieces [273 individual bits of wood, in total -almost 1,000 nails and screws!]
- some floor T&G planks badly damaged
- Roof trusses were too short, needed remaking
-floor bearers too long, needed cutting down
-wall panels different shades
-2 edging strips missing
-roof T&G, 5 planks damaged
-missing facia boards for both sides.
This was a special present for my grandaughter so doubly frustrating.
All in all I am extremely unhappy as, while I understand mistakes happen - GBD have been dismissive in their response and disinterested in trying to resolve the issues and retain the customers goodwill - they just don't appear to care.
We deliberately didn't buy the cheapest option in the market and thought having spent nearly £1000 on a Wendy House it would have been good quality and if any issues they would be addressed and resolved.
Had GBD engaged with us to address the issues in a reasonable manner I would have been satisfied and happy to give a generally positive review. Their lack of engagement and apparent dismissive response have left me disappointed, frustrated and prepared to consider legal action under the Consumer Protection Act 1987. I am, however still prepared to engage with GBD if they wish to resolve the issues in a resonable manner.

They deliver you a dreadful, poor quality and difficult to assemble shed. When you finally get it up (which is not a given), it leaks like a sieve and rots. Spend a bit more money with a proper company than with these Scabs

So i took the dive as i liked the design of the Billyoh Winchester log cabin with its advantages over other suppliers that it was under 2500 mm for regards to no planning needed.

I read all reviews before purchase and before laying out the £3700 i spoke to one of the main guys in sales about my concerns with the quality of there supplied cabins and terrible reviews i had read, he assured me they were just "Diyer reviews whereas people did not know what they were doing" and there cabins come with no problems apart from the ones that are man made by the customer.I am a carpenter by trade so based on this i had no concerns.
Based on this i placed the order with a promised delivery date of Friday 5th May if i placed my order now,to which i did.

So firstly the cabin arrived later than the promised date of 5th May.
The roof gables supplied with the cabin were the wrong size, all materials packed and banded into various different packs that once opened were soaked with black mould growing and the packing lists inside to check the parts were unreadable.
The floor and roof to which i paid an additional premium to upgrade to 19mm thick turned up as a cheaper 4" T+G board not 6" as stated in the parts list, with this there were 2 different batches supplied which varied by 1/4" on widths ( Makes it impossible to match to floor which is in 2 pieces which is a stupid idea, floorboards should be one piece for strength).
So because 4" was sent and not 6" i was over 40 pieces short to complete the cabin, these were requested on 22nd may on a 3-5 day turnaround, i did not receive these required parts until some 10 days later due to a "Glitch".
This company recommends that this cabin needs to be fully assembled within 1 month of purchase,Ha Ha no chance, good luck with that one it will take you longer to receive All the correct parts.
Also not enough roofing felt was sent, 25% of the 44mm timber side walls were split,twisted and looked like driftwood washed up on the beach!.T +G floor and roof boards had more shakes and knot holes that i have ever seen in timber( Carcuss grade timber).

Ok so if you do decide to purchase from this outfit beware of the following-
Timber is of cheapest quality available split, twisted, shakes and an abundance of knotts!.

So enough is enough you ask to speak to a Manager to try and get sense out of the Customer team, Ok so got put through to Carlo( supposed manager he told me) What a load of rubbish he is a glorified Team Leader of the blind leading the blind and did'nt have a clue what he was doing.
Then there is the helpful members of the team who are illiterate and who can only reply to your emails by there email template! Just sending you round and round in circles, these monkeys are obviously fed peanuts!.

The customer service team is useless they are not interested in any problems you have, do not return your calls as promised, over 10 hrs on the phone to rectify all the problems being had, 30+ emails, passed from pillar to post.

I had enough and decided to go direct to the CEO of the company for a resolve ( Details of the this companies CEO are readily available i.e Email and direct contact phone number just Google CEO of Garden BuildingsDirect/Billyoh.
I had no response whatsoever but something must of worked because within 4 hours a i had a delivery date for all missing parts i had been waiting for and chasing for the past 10 days, Thanks, shame an email to the CEO was needed,just backs up the comments about the useless, absolute hopelessness of the Non Existent Customer Service Team.

So to round up this worst experience ever from an online supplier bear in mind the following that the CEO of this company used to be part of family who owned another Log Cabin company until sold by other family members to an outsider,their Log Cabins they sell there quality is far more superior.

There policy seems to be to send out any old sh** even if wrong then once the customer complains send a another few bits over the course of the month!
So to round it up if you do make a big mistake of using these clowns beware and get the following ready-

Have plenty of wood coloured filler to fill all knot holes, shakes and splits, make sure you have a sander with copious amounts of 80 grit sandpaper to sand the fur off the carcuss timber which should be planed as well as the deep scratches and black mould.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED YOU WILL BE SORRY!

99% of the 3* plus reviews are for other items apart from garden buildings!Also check out All the reviews on Billyoh! Dont be duped!*************************

If I could give this no stars I would! Awful company ruined my sons birthday with sending a shoddy playhouse!
They are happy to send replacement parts but don't offer any kind of compensation. Been told by at least three members of customer service team that they have complaints especially about the gingerbread max house but nearly all their playhouses!
They will offer a refund but only if you dismantle it!
This company is a joke.
The problems we have had no communication when you have ordered it, you have to chase them to find out when being delivered.
The hard plastic split on my 2 year old sons hand when he knocked on it, I mean he didn't even knock that hard and he certainly isn't the Incredible Hulk!
Diabolical company that want to take your money and send you rubbish!
Parts delivered split, wrong parts sent!
No help! If you want to order a play house don't do it from garden buildings direct you ruined my sons birthday!

Initial dealings with the company were good. They did notify me at 9.30pm saying that delivery was going to be the following day ( bringing forward the previously ( 2 days prior) advised date. A long phone call at 9. 00am the following morning eventually reconfirmed the originally advised day for delivery. The delivery day resulted in having on end panel incorrectly delivered so could not build shed. My partner noticed straightaway after the kerb drop off and called immediately to hopefully arrange redelivery. They would not accept this, and 5 days later I had to call again having failed to be able to upload the images on their website ( on phone, tablet or laptop), Eventually on the phone they did confirm they would send out replacement panel. This arrived 6 days later. Rang to complain about time taken and the inability of website to be able to resolve complaints. So two weeks later my builder could start. Spent Saturday pm & Sunday assembling only to tell me issue with glazing. It was not the size on the packet. My Partner rang ( he is the name on the account!) to report issue, told to email image. Emailed image. Another week went by no replacement parts. Rang again at the end of the week and after continued argument with representative telling that their website does not work. Have received an email from tghem to say being actioned. So 4 weeks on I have a builder on retainer that is having to come back for a third time ( he is NOT happy!) and as yet no guarantee the part will arrive- BUYER BEWARE!

Unfortunately I had to provide 1 star as there was no way to give lesser than that. Delivery wise stuff arrived on time so full marks on that but quality wise I can't believe how poor quality stuff they can sell. I had hired contractor to build the shed but he just after he spent some time building it we all started realising that there are so many issues with the parts. Almost all the panels have holes in it. Yes all the panels has board with holes or very large knots which are coming out with a slight touch of finger. Some panels has broken boards or support beams. Truss was not fitting so I had to unfortunately ask contract to disassemble it half way. I reached to customer care and they asked me to list down the issues and pictures of the parts. They said that wood being natural material its ok to have knots and it along with the broken boards are not structurally making it weak. What the hell is the logic, can someone really keep stuff in the shed which has so many holes in it, what worth it would be? They sent me a guide describing "acceptable limitations and characteristics of wood" even it states that any holes larger than 5 pence coin is not acceptable. I asked them to take this back and I am happy to even bear return charges or replace it good quality stuff and I am ready to pay even more money, but still they are not ready to take it back or replace the parts. I suggests to keep yourself away from them. Literally wasted £950 and £200 for contractor fee.