Gardening Express Reviews

Name: Gardening Express
Address: Gardening Express, Chelmsford, Essex
Rating: 1.16

1.2 Rating 1,790 Reviews

3 %

of reviewers recommend Gardening Express

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

1.2

Based on 1,790 reviews

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Courier
Average Delivery Time	Over A Month
On-time Delivery	Greater than 16%
Accurate And Undamaged Orders	Greater than 30%
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 2nd September 2025

Varese

Gardening Express 1 star review on 24th July 2025

Anonymous

Gardening Express 1 star review on 27th June 2025

Anonymous

635

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

“I cannot stress how terrible this company is. High ranking website but Shocking customer service and terrible, badly cared for, broken, dead and half dead plants shoved in boxes that were too small from them. No response from them after I sent them pictures. No phone. No address.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“My experience of GE not good 13 May – Lockdown luckily with a small garden, decided to order plants in the nice – browse some sites and find a month delivery times, but then find GE, only 3-5 days, in very exceptional circs 10-15 days. Ok, looks good, I can wait 15 days if I absolutely have to but maybe it will only be 3 and I’ll be lucky. 14th May - £97 taken from my credit card. 15th May – Get an automated email saying delivery times are extended – it may be 2-4 weeks now. That’s too long, I decide to cancel. Go onto my order, cancel button removed, can’t cancel. Look for a phone number, doesn’t exist, look for an address to see if they are local, postcode only, seems to be the middle of an empty field in Essex. Can’t see an email. Bit annoyed really. 16th May – decide to browse reviews of GE – OH MY GOSH! Boy should I have read them before. Seems people are waiting 2 months, no I’m not waiting that long. I try and contact them again, find the owner’s name, also find he is due to be on Radio 4 to answer questions about bad service, also find he owns another nursery as well as the online only one somewhere in Essex, and I read an itnerview saying as a garden centre owner thinks they should stay closed during lockdown for everybody’s safety – putting safety over profits and all that – doesn’t mention he also has an online version. 17th May – still angry. Read more reviews. One directs me to Companies House, where I see the registered address is a snooker in some town in Essex. The reviewer also gives the owners home address, which I won’t give here as that’s totally inappropriate and harassing, but it’s no small pad, let me tell you. 18th May – I go onto their site again, ticket system in operation, the only way you can contact them. I raise a ticket saying, politely, as you have changed your delivery terms since I ordered and blocked the refund option on my order, please would you cancel it at your end and refund me. No answer beyond the automated email that I’ve already got 19th May – a real reply from a real person, but all they’ve done is cut and pasted one of the FAQs about not getting a refund after 24 hours, no answer to my other questions about why they took the money when they knew they couldn’t deliver. I was polite still, I said as the terms had been changed it was an idea to, at that point, offer customers an option – continue waiting or have a refund. That may stop some of the angry reviews and bring a few people back on board, give them a choice, a fair one, and they may appreciate it. May even have been willing to wait if you gave them a choice. No response. 20th May – no response 21st May – no response 22nd May – no response 23rd May – no response Are you getting the idea?? I keep writing, getting more and more angry. It’s the lack of communication more than anything. 17th June – FIVE weeks, multiple unanswered messages, no cancellation, no plants, by now I’ve got steam coming out of my ears, five weeks is a perfectly reasonably time to give them when it was originally 3-5 days. I call my bank and ask them to process a refund based on non-delivery after 30 days, a perfectly legal thing for me to do and the bank confirmed that. I should get my money in a month. I post a message on as many review sites as I can find as that is the only way to vent my frustration, I don’t like to do it, but I feel they forced me by their ‘hands over hears singing’ approach to this. But there are some good reviews, not nearly as many, but they all have the ‘invited’ stamp on them, seemingly they are prompted by GE to write, sounds a bit strange.. But maybe some people do get their plants and they alive, I’d like to think so. But not me… I’m still furious 18th June – I add another note to my unanswered and now very angry tickets, saying I have started the process of a refund via my bank for non delivery. I copy them the confirmation from Barclays. Lo and behold a few hours later I get a message saying it’s too late to cancel now, the plants are being packed. I see similar has happened to other customers when I read the reviews. No response until evidence of money being refunded. I reply to say sorry too late, I’ve already contacted my bank and I cancelled my order in writing 4 weeks ago via the ticket system as that is the only method you offer. If you choose not to read the messages when they are the only way we can contact you, that’s your choice. I say if they put out my delivery I will refuse it. 19th – No reply but get an automated email saying ‘good news! Your delivery is on it’s way!’. The reference they give for tracking doesn’t work, so I can’t do anything to stop it. However I find the delivery company number and talk to them, they find my order and say it is only at their central unit not far from Essex and they can return it to sender. I send a final message to GE to say, refund underway, delivery cancelled, I never want to hear from you again. 20th – tomorrow, I am looking forward to going to my lovely little garden centre to buy some beautiful plants, 15 mins away, owned genuinely by a local, and I will have them the same day. Then I am going to put this GE experience well behind me and learn from it, next time I will check reviews before I order! I feel so bad about the companies that were honest about their delivery times, as I didn’t buy with them, as I was fed the lies from GE, more fool me. Please don’t let this happen to you”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Just terrible customer service. Plants are very expensive and no signs of refunds. Ridiculous company who I imagine won’t survive post covid”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“May 10th places an order. It is now 30 working days.Customer service an absolute joke. Keep getting gratuitous emails apologising....taken £65 of mine. Don’t answer the flag ups. Don’t answer anything. Still advertising though. Covid is just an excuse.....”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Beautiful healthy plants delivered.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Not good. Ordered on 14 April. Plants well past their best delivered on 16 June. Numerous emails telling customers that there was a pandemic. Yes but the money was taken immediately. I won’t be ordering from them again.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 19th June 2020

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE FROM HERE !!! Covid is no excuse for this horrific service especially when supporting them in this crisis..Had I read previous reviews I would never have trusted or purchased from this site. I placed an order 12th may 2020 and appear to be missing some plants! Have raised numerous complaint tickets to no avail have I had a response to resolve matters. NOW READING other reviews and know now I just have to get in contact with my credit company to try and retrieve a refund as they will not get back to you. The experience has been extremely frustrating and stressful and would not want others to go through this.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Would have preferred to give 0 rating we placed our order 25 April still haven't received anything. Have requested refund but all emails tickets ignored until today 18/6/20 I had an email confirming they received my complaint and refund request . Said they can't refund as my order is with a courier. No mention which courier. I've had no message from a courier. Utterly disgusting customer service the company are con artists & fraudsters. Do not order anything from them.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“18th April I placed an order after many emails it was according to them despatched to courier on 2nd June. I have STILL not received it. I have raised many support tickets which has received an automated response. Do not buy from this company they take your money under false prentences.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Absolutely disgusting service Plants order early April. After many texts after 4 weeks status change from processing to packing after another 2 week courier said awaiting your parcel so it now June we requested money back , no response. Today parcel of dreadful condition plants arrived. The label on box said 4th of June today is the 18th of June! Don’t get sucked in by them”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Worst company on the planet. can help thinking 5 star ratings are from friends of the company but all in all atrocious company that need to be reported for trading standards, police and watchdog plus anyone else that can stop this company trading. Please see the photos of my lovely Acre”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 18th June 2020

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Gardening Express....Should be called Gardening Excuse. I order £125.00 of shrubs in April. They perorated to have in stock and managing delivers. Made several attempts to contact them. Absolute no way can you get a response. It would be easier access to the Queen. Sent several "tickets". But did received several "Sorry we are too busy to reply. We are busy packing thousands of order each week ...Your order is on its way " I've informed by bank FRAUD. This company needs to be closed down with immediate effect. Stealing money and or sending goods not fit for purpose . One Star is too good for them.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“The worst company I have ever dealt with. I ordered over £100 worth of plants nearly two months ago. I have tried to cancel the order numerous times and they ignore all my “tickets” and emails. They are now insisting that I have to accept my order as it is being “ processed”. The law states that I am entitled to a full refund after 30 days, so they are breaking the law. Utterly awful experience.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“I ordered a acer tree for a friend in the beginning of May,it took was to arrive and when it did the box looked like it traveled around the world the box was all battered and the tree not only battered but dead,it was no good sending it back it took long enough to get here so took photos sent them off.Had 3 emails off them all the same still processing, their costumer service is diabolical.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Atrociuous Sent me a dead tree three months ago and just igore all emails. I wish i had read the reviews. They truely suck.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Ordered 4 giant cordalynes which when arrived were no where near the size ordered. Emailed 3 times, got a ticket number so I would be in queue for a reply. 6 weeks later, still no reply . I will not be using them again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Ordered goods 30/04/20:goods arrived 24/05/20:plant looked dead. Sent email including photos requesting full refund but received no acknowledgement or refund. Have tried contacting but all avenues have been closed. Have now contacted my credit card supplier who have put it into “dispute” to try to resolve my complaint. Advise anybody in similar position to try this course, hopefully Banks will have more clout than an individual”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Terrible customer service. I ordered plants on 17th April and 2 months later they have still not arrived. I understand certain delays due to COVID but this is farcical. I have emailed twice with a response asking me to be patient. I have since requested a refund which has been completely ignored. Beware !!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Extremely disappointing. Took over six weeks to get my plants. They finally arrived badly packed, covered in sellotape and extremely TINY.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“I have contacted my credit card for a refund of my money as this company will not communicate with me despite about 13 attempts. When I ordered the delivery time was 3-5 days with exceptional circs due to covid of 10 days max. They took my money immediately, then next day, after it was beyond the 24 hr period to cancel, mailed to say expect 2-4 weeks delivery. It's now 5 weeks and nothing. When they changed the terms they should have offered the customer a choice, a refund or to continue waiting, that would have saved them a lot of reputational damage. But instead they switched off the phones, and chat function, refused to communicate, refused visitors in person (not sure the address actually exists anyway it's only a postcode) and refused to discuss refunds. But left customers waiting and waiting, some over 2 months. Some say when the plants arrived they were dead anyway. AND they are still taking orders! Flabberghasting!! So I will eventually get my money back from the bank, and then I can spend it on a proper gardening centre, but by then it will be the end of the summer, so thanks Gardening Express for cocking up my summer. don't shop with this company even if you life depends on it. Hundreds of people have reported them to Watchdog so watch the TV in the coming weeks!! you have been warned”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

Gardening Express is rated 1.2 based on 1,790 reviews