Gardening ExpressReviews 594

Agree with other recent reviews - this is not a company I would use again, or advise anyone else to. Advert said plants would be delivered between 3-5 days. After 5 days I contacted Gardening Express to be told they are working day and night, but no date given for delivery. After 3 weeks, in damaged boxes, these listless, dying and deadheaded flowers arrived. I complained. After 9 days their response was

"Thank you for very kindly sending over photographs of your recently ordered plants, having reviewed the photographs with our Nursery Manager I would like to assure you, your plants are as we would expect them to be.

Please be assured these will continue to grow and thrive so please ensure that you follow the care instructions provided.

The main picture used on the website is of a full sized, specimen plant to show you the effect you can recreate over time if the plant is given the optimum growing conditions and care"

9 days stuck in tiny pots (waiting for the profuse apologies, and offer to replace them that never came, did nothing to help the health of these plants). So, if you don't want plants past their prime, which if they survive the journey will only be good by the next season, it would be best to avoid this company.

Absolutely nothing express about this company! Have waited 4 weeks for my order to arrive Complained after 2 weeks that my package label arrived without a parcel attached! A new order was dispatched only to arrive a further two weeks later with the plants I had ordered in either dead or completely dried out state unlikely to survive. Customer services couldn't have given a toss.
Absolutely disgusting service and I will be sure to pass my experience on to any one I know who orders online.
Avoid, avoid. Avoid.

DO NOT BUY from this terrible company. Don't be mislead, as I was, by the guarantee' which states that it cover ANY plant' for five years. IT DOES NOT. There are exceptions which mean the you must cross-check the reference numbers of the items in your basket with a list contained within the small print. This goes against trading regulations and I shall be contacting Trading Standards to discuss their deliberately misleading website offer'.

I recently purchased about a dozen perennials for my garden. They took about two weeks to arrive, but when they did eventually arrive, most of them were dead and the remainder in very poor condition. You cannot contact them by phone, so I emailed immediately advising them that I would like a refund. They didn't reply, so I re sent the email a few days later. That too was completely ignored. I feel so disappointed and angry as I spent a lot of money on the plants. I had to go to my local garden centre, but by that time they had very little left. The plants that I did buy however were strong and healthy. This company should be closed down. It's appalling that they can only be contacted by email, but perhaps it is deliberate, so that they can get away with sending dead plants to customers with no come back. I am considering reporting them to The office of fair trading.

Had genuine concerns following reading some terrible reviews on this site... after I'd placed my order of 2 Cordyline Australis.

I messaged GE and they replied swiftly reassuring me that I would receive my order in excellent condition, and they acknowledged that due to the vast amount of orders they send out each week that some customers on occasion may submit negative reviews.

I have today received my order, I opened the boxes in trepidation and was relieved to discover 2 fantastic trees in great condition.

I would urge anyone concerned to contact them & give them an opportunity to provide you with some reassurance, as I did.

Stay away from this company. First of all they failed to deliver part of my order. Then when
The remaining part of the order arrived, the plants were in poor condition. Some were damaged and despite sending photos of the plants, they refused to replace or refund and I was told to plant in the garden, and see if they survived. The paeonies did not flower and other plants had pot bound roots. I must have had tens of e -mails re the original complaint and they kept closing down the complaint without resolution, or offering any refund. Previous review branding them as THIEVES is TRUE.

Ordered two small lilac trees from them. Took Hermes 12 days to deliver them. When they arrived they were dead and I mean dead. All dried up and leaves all flaked off

I emailed them twice with photos of the trees attached. This was two weeks ago and they haven't replied

Correspondence is shocking. You can only try and contact them via email and then you will only hear from them if they decide to reply to you

They took my £31 and sold me sub standard goods. Shouldn't be allowed to continue operating. There is no way I can get my money back as they wont contact me. So angry

Appalling, awful, disgusting, rotten, unhelpful... i could go on. What they picture online is a complete misrepresentation of what you receive (see picture) i was sent old lavender that is leggy and dead. Dead branches. Dead heads. I'm so upset. They just advised me to cut it back! I paid £3.95 x 5 = £19.97 for what i could pick up at Homebase from their sale section for a £1 each in that condition. I also ordered a Magnolia Tree and their choice of courier (which cost me £4.99) is questionable too (see picture) i'm left with 6 leaves on it after it's travel ordeal. I can only hope that someone else will read this and save themselves £44.77 and NOT shop with gardeningexpress.co.uk! AVOID!