Gardening Express Reviews

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

1.2 Rating 1,803 Reviews

3 %

of reviewers recommend Gardening Express

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

1.2

Based on 1,803 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 7th December 2025

Anonymous

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

636

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Filter: Rated 1 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“Dead Acre arrived months late - I had a response to my second ticket raised - Just stated my complaint is at tire 2 (whatever that means??) I now email the company daily, politely asking for a refund but of course no response from them! Fortunately I am only £30 out of pocket for the dead tree they sent (we now call it the STICK) but it is not the point, as they sent out a dead tree that defo did not die in transit. The level of disappointment is outrageous for so many people and for this company to continue trading is something for the police and or trading standards to investigate. I have now contacted watchdog and trading standards so let's see where this goes. Not really expecting them to do the right thing but live in hope. My next step will be small claims court - just out of principle REFUND - NOW PLEASE”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 12th June 2020

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Posted 5 years ago

“Ordered 25th April, emailed several times re non delivery, phone does not connect with person just leave details. Read other reviews & decided to ask for refund as quality of goods will likely be poor as seen in many other complaints. NO STAR”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“I have received a dead Dwarf Patio Apricot Tree - Prunus armeniaca. Tried to customer service but have been ignored. They took my money and no contact from them”

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Posted 5 years ago

“I would not even give them 1 star!!!! They are appalling, ordered a shrub listed as 'in stock' and available for delivery, they immediately debited my credit card. That was 5 weeks ago, since then nothing but placating general emails saying sorry etc., nothing has arrived and have no idea when if at all the shrub will be delivered. I have therefore purchased and planted a replacement shrub sourced from a local garden centre. Gardening Express offer no means of contacting to cancel and or arrange refunds. Disgraceful, would advice anybody considering purchasing plants to not even consider Garden Express.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“I have had a very bad experience with Gardening Express. Bunch of robbers hiding behind COVID19 to explain their delays in delivery. I ordered plants from them on 3 May 2020 and they eventually came yesterday 10 June 2020. It would have been expedient of them to state on their website that they were experiencing extremely long delays on delivery and that the customer may wish to shop elsewhere. However they did not do that they just took my money and after a couple of weeks I began to get automated emails from them with no means of replying. In fact it stated that the email address was not manned due to COVID19. I did eventually managed to get a reply from them after raising one of their so called tickets. Automated response with a little apology. I asked for a refund and surprise surprise the next communication I got from them was to say the plants had been shipped. I checked with the carrier and they had not collected the plants. I was gracious and gave them another couple of days. Eventually the carrier company delivered them. Not the carriers fault. The packaging was not damaged when they arrived. However on opening them only the larger of the 10 plants was intact. The other smaller plants were squashed into a small box on top of each other. Many pieces of the plants had broken off and several are dying with brown and black dead parts. Also a white filament is all over some of the plants. No idea what it is but it does not look healthy. Don't buy from this company you have been warned.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 11th June 2020

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“I have used internet shopping for many years and without doubt, these are the worst firm I have ever came across. Like many others, I have waited weeks for my order and they completey ignored my emails. In a "this is money" article, they responded to the criticism by saying "anyone can cancel their order as long as it hasn't been shipped" So that's what I did and guess what? they just ignore your request! I eventually got a reply back today, saying that I couldn't cancel because the order has been sent out but "may be delayed by the courier owing to the volume of orders! They have, apparentley used the same line on numerous other people. This firm has just taken advantage of the garden centre lock down and taken everybody's orders (and money) without any concern that they wouldn't be able to fufill the orders in an appropriate time scale. Stay well away from this firm!!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Don’t touch this Company with a barge pole!! I placed an order in April and still haven’t received the goods. Trading Standards are now looking into the matter, as according to the Consumer Protection law of 2015 goods ordered should be delivered within 30 working days. You cannot contact this Company to complain as the phone number provided proved to be obsolete. There is no email address to write to, and the only option left is to write “a ticket” on their website. All of my “tickets” have been completely ignored and my queries unanswered. They were very quick to debit my bank account of £50 plus though!! Totally unreliable, unprofessional and somewhat iffy Company in my opinion. The only reason it got 1* was so that I could write this review! Avoid avoid avoid!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Made an order for three plants on 14th April 2020 even understanding these are difficult times this is unacceptable if you are actually trading and taking peoples hard earned money. Tried to cancel order but no reply. Apparently the plants were being boxed 11 days ago after an email saying they were a real company and not a scam. Don't make an order with them!”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Finally after 10 weeks waiting for my delivery, which i had cancelled on 3 occasions, what finally arrived Beggars believe!! At least 80% of the plants where dead either by lack of water or just crushed during packing. This company should not be allowed to keep on trading, the service is the worst iv ever seen. A total disgrace, you should be ashamed of yourselves, do not buy from this company..”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Our order is, apparently, out for shipping, 9 weeks after they took our payment, and after several messages, tickets and eventually a phone call after we found a number. The MD, Chris Bonnett, also runs about 10 other gardening companies from the same address in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. Some other reviews on Trust Pilot for 'Plantstore' are equally bad. 150+ people have joined a facebook group called 'Unhappy Customers', check them out too. I've never dealt with a less professional, less customer facing company in my life. The MD should hang his head in shame.”

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Posted 5 years ago

“After 7 weeks I am still waiting for plants. They do not respond to e-mails or telephone. If struggling stop taking new orders and catch up with old orders. Appalling customer service!”

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Posted 5 years ago

“placed order on 10th march part of order arrived last week i broke down crying as the plants i got was for my 60th birthday iam dissabled and was looking forward to seeing the plants in my garden . you guessed most wore dead emailed company numerous times no response as to date 10/6/2020 still no sign of missing order 3 months later this company need shutting down they steal money and send dead plants”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 10th June 2020

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Posted 5 years ago

“Ordered 3 plants on 11 Aprils and I am still waiting. They refuse to issue a refund despite my request 3 times to do this. I have now submitted this to my credit card for a refund. They are taking it up with Gardening Express.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Ordered 11th April money taken 14th April, picked them over a local company who said upto 14 days delivery time, delivery time changed on their website to 2 weeks. I was assured that they would be here the week after. Nothing! Got to a month and still nothing & no communication. Got to a month & cancelled the order & asked for a refund. 10 days ago order status changed to preparing despite regular requests for a refund. Today 9th June I finally get a response to be told they can't refund or stop thd order as it is being prepared. Total rubbish, of course they could stop the order and refund it hadn't been shipped and courier collection and delivery hadnt even been arranged as I had no tracking info. AVOiD”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Ordered and paid for £90 plants on 13th of April. Nothing. Have contacted them several times and requested cancellation and refund but to no avail. Today contacted citizens advice after advice from trading standards and also government website for companies who are not working well during lockdown. Disgraceful company. Do not use them.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Well I can only repeat what everyone else is reporting. Ordered £109 8weeks ago and still nothing except a glib " Hi we haven't forgotten you" email!! I've sent 3 emails cancelling and raised a dispute through their customer support ticket plus Resolver but it's a waste of effort as all you get is an automated response. I have purchased the plants elsewhere now SO WILL NOT ACCEPT THE DELIVERY. PLEASE PLEASE AVOID”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Understand long long wait but 2 packages delivered to the wrong address, one yesterday, it was also badly damaged. Kind house owner re-delivered. 2nd was apparently delivered today - not to my house it wasn’t!!. Goodness knows where it is. Your courier - your problem, my money - wasted!! Never again.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 9th June 2020

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Posted 5 years ago

“they took my order and money from my account knowing full well they did not have the stock in AVOID AVOID”

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Posted 5 years ago

“Ordered on 19 April for a birthday gift in May. To date no plants no refund and just emails which tell me its being processed. I asked a refund but they cant seem to process this?”

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Posted 5 years ago

“Honestly, I want to be forgiving in these current times but this company does themselves no favours. I have ordered from 4 other gardening companies in the 10 week period since i ordered from Gardening Express. All have arrived since. I have emailed them asking them to cancel my order, after no replies to any support tickets I submitted. Hey presto, I got a response saying my item was marked for dispatch and ignoring the request for my order to be cancelled. I have since had an email telling me it's been despatched via DX next day delivery. DX have no record of the order and it didnt arrive the next day. They have ignored subsequent emails from me asking to cancel the order. I'm currently getting my bank to force the refund. If their comms were better, I might, might, just accept the fact that the order is 10 weeks overdue. But it's a total mess.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

Gardening Express is rated 1.2 based on 1,803 reviews