Gardening Express Reviews

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

1.2 Rating 1,646 Reviews

3 %

of reviewers recommend Gardening Express

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

1.2

Based on 1,646 reviews


Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Courier
Average Delivery Time	Over A Month
On-time Delivery	Greater than 15%
Accurate And Undamaged Orders	Greater than 32%
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 17th May 2024

Anonymous

Gardening Express 2 star review on 10th May 2024

Anonymous

Gardening Express 1 star review on 5th April 2024

Andy Holland

Gardening Express 1 star review on 25th August 2023

Jo F

597

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

“Ordered Chitalpa tree almost 2 weeks ago, tracking record shows that from 8 days is kept in our local depot but yet not delivered.... I can only guess what condition the plant will be when will deliver... if will be deliver....”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Received this tree - package damaged and tree bent even more It cost me £90 I was at least expecting some leaves or buds not a very large bent twig Don't waste your money to to a garden centre and pay a little more and get what your paying for rAther than be disappointed Customer service appalling”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 18th April 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Before I state what happened to us, I would like to point out that anyone receiving an unacceptable or not as described plant should complaint and ask for a refund, and not be fobbed off. Please read "The Consumer Rights Act 2015" article on the MSE site, where this is all explained simply and clearly. If what you have contracted to receive, and what you receive is not broadly similar, then you are entitled to a refund. Don't just shrug it off and let them get away with it! This is our experience ............. Awful shopping experience! (Order # 601269159) Ordered Photinia which looked wonderful online. What we received was a pathetic specimen with only 3 small and sparse branches. The top of 1 branch was broken. No means of discussing this with a person, so had to spend 1.5 hrs "chatting" online. Got nowhere - apparently the plant was acceptable and therefore return would have to be at my cost. They would not accept that the item was "not as described" and therefore contravenes the Consumer Rights Act 2015 which states that if an item is not as described, then the seller pays for the return. It was talking to a brick wall, and by this time I had been transferred to the Customer Services Manager !! She told me the plant was a "JUVENILE", and that it would be lovely in a few years time !! I didn't buy a juvenile plant, and if this is normal practice, then the Consumer Rights Act 2015 stipulates that this key information needs to be prominently stated, and not hidden somewhere. She told me that this (the juvenile plant) is clearly stated on the website. I checked and asked where? She refused to answer, clearly a lie. Absolutely ridiculous !! I asked how to raise a complaint, and was told to write a letter. Their motto "refuse to co-operate and make the customer's life as difficult as possible in the hope that they give up" - (most probably do, but I don't and there will be consequences as a result). Naturally, the reply to the complaint was "we will refund", and not even an apology for the 3 hrs I wasted on this matter, plus the frustration of it all. And they did not ask for the plant back, because they knew they would have to bear the cost of this. Never again will I order from Gardening Express, and I will make every effort (online and face to face) to share my experience with other gardeners, family, and friends. This will be a just reward for Gardening Express who treat customers as if they are totally unimportant.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 11th April 2022

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Posted 2 years ago

“Disgusting company AVOID AT ALL COST‼️ What an absolute joke of a company my primulas arrived today and half of them were snapped off dead and had been de headed also bugs on them. No phone number to contact them only a robotic chat after a long lengthy time of actually speaking to a human Cassie and Tia I got told to send pictures which I did and then got a reply that my flowers were healthy and I wouldn’t be getting a full refund and if I wanted a full refund was to send the plants back in a box! I am literally fuming and I wouldn’t recommend buying anything from you again! Stay well clear from this rip off garden company. No refund nothing!”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 5th April 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Terrible quality plants, poor customer service. Beware these cowboys will rip you off. Claiming bare root roses are in dormancy for 6 weeks but also saying that you can’t make a complaint at the end of this time when there’s still no growth at all in spring, an absolute scam. Despite trying to be reasonable and providing photographic evidence. Don’t trust them.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Hi, I’m very disappointed with the order. Most of the plants I’ve ordered said they were ‘flowered plants’. What arrived we’re just a bunch of dried sticks, which may not even flower this year. Talked to customer and they were of the opinion that flowered means ‘flowering plant’ that has the potential to flower - and that the misinterpretation was on my end. However that’s not true and we all know that a flowered plant is a verb and means it has flowered. So in any case, both the misleading titles and the defensiveness of customer care left me very disappointed with this online order, won’t recommend and won’t plan to do it again. That was a lot of money to spend on some dry sticks. Thank you Mari”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 4th April 2022

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Posted 2 years ago

“Absolutely disgusted with this company. Worst company I have ever came across for quality and customer service. Totally ripped off. I bought 5 hydrangea glam rock plants that cost £94. Arrived all bashed in and split right down pots and just brown twigs in each one. Appalled at this company. Impossible to send back 5 pots all bashed in and ripped and broken and to have to pay YOURSELF. DO NOT give this company your money AVOID Please.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 1st April 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“I wish I could give 0 stars, completely disgusted with my order, I ordered 2 pairs of rose trees, only received 1 pair, went backwards and forwards for 3 weeks trying to resolve the issue, I was originally told that the second delivery would follow, it never came and I’m left out of pocket with no rose trees at all because the 2 that did come have died. Please think twice about making an order !”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Recent reviews reflect a poor performance; this is no surprise to me. My review is in line with those. I purchased 3 magnolia trees from Gardening Express on 9 June 2021. Although the trees were entirely bare of growth, I was assured that the trees would flourish in due course. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. I contacted the company recently (some 8 months after purchase) through an on-line agent. After a series of exchanged messages and some photographs from me, the company agreed the magnolias were dead. My only option, to quote the company, was to return the trees by post at my expense (under the 5-year guarantee). The company would then replace them. This was unacceptable to me; I had clearly been sold an inferior product and was seeking a full refund. I did not wish to receive more trees from this company and had no intention of increasing my costs. I exchanged several emails with the company but its ‘cut and pasted’ responses ignored my comments and failed to response satisfactorily to any of my requests. If anyone is thinking of using this company, I would warn against doing so. I have learned that if any customer identifies a problem outside the 14-day period that the only recourse is to return the plants, at one’s own expense for replacement plants. Bottom line, if this company sends you a product that is dead, it will cost you money to return the item! That is a very poor business model and one I would avoid at all costs. DO NOT USE GARDENING EXPRESS.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Beware — avoid at all costs. Bought an expensive tree (especially considering the market price of them) being persuaded by the online pictures. Received a stump with two short dead sticks grafted onto the top of it. Tried to complain to customer service (online chat only available), sent photographs but they did not want to know. They did not care about the quality of the tree, only whether it was alive or not, claiming it was deciduous and that was that (despite no signs of life at the end of March). These people do not care; they are shameless.”

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Posted 2 years ago

“The pictures on the web sight very misleading,they are fully grown plants. The one you receive are very small, not worth the money, no phone number and you have to pay for returns, anywhere is better to shop for plants shrubs Not gardening express.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“I thought I had checked the reviews on this company before spending £180, the 4 Bay trees I bought were half dead and misshapen, despite sending pictures they expected me to pick up the cost of return ( they were quite large so expensive to return) . I’m gutted as their response was appalling and ruined my weekend. I DO NOT recommend this company”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“I purchased 2 trees from this company, they were apparently delivered when I was not home. However, when I arrived home there was no parcel. Gardening Express have taken no responsibility and will not issue a refund or replacement. They have the contract with the courier yet they are holding me responsible for the delivery driver leaving a larger parcel outside the front door. So I have now lost my money and have no trees. Disgusting customer service.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“It’s a lottery.. i ordered £100 of plants, most came nice, but some were not. I had bulbs that never came through and a hellebore that was advertised as a large plant in bud or bloom in season that just had a couple of weak damaged leaves. Contacted customer services, was told the plants are fine. They are so rude and condescending and would not listen. would’ve never bought those plants if I saw them in a shop. Never dealing with them again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Awful company. Placed an order and tried to cancel within 2 hours of placing the order. Their website clearly states that if your order is still at the processing stage AND it's within 24 hours you can cancel from the my account area and get a refund. Both these conditions were true in my case but the cancel order link did not function at all. I mean, it was a physical link but when clicking it - nothing happened. No email address, no contact form and the only way to speak to someone is through their chat function, which I couldn't use until 36 hours after the order was placed. Even though the order has not been dispatched they say they cannot cancel the order as my account area is password protected. I have never heard such a terrible excuse - I mean, which company does not have access to their own systems? Laughable. Avoid, customer service is awful.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Rubbish product, non existent customer service.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“I wish I had Checked them out before buying as my experience with Gardening Express is so similar to the other reviews here. I have been advised that the plants look healthy by them which is far from true. Would not buy again from this firm. Do not recommend. Avoid”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 14th March 2022

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Posted 2 years ago

“Bought three indoor plants in December 2021. All 3 plants were sent in same box. The two ferms dod not look too clever, but thought i would give the plants time. Notified company within 3 weeks plants were dying (with Christmas and new year in-between). Sent in photos of the dried up leaves plant they told me plants looks healthy and it was after the 14 days. But on Ebay there is a 30 day return window. I believe the plants were infected and they just don't care.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“No way to contact them 08448044253 is 'unobtainable' about the issues of a delivery, no email, no chat available, NO GOOD AVOID AVOID AVOID I will try to upload my pics an evergreen with no foliage at all. A magnolia, main stem broken 3 hellebores ... yellow they have been out of the light for so long 2amyrillis... never seen them this tiny 3 paoeny ... dried and shrivelled up WHY DO GOOGLE list them??”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Last year in autumn I purchased a clematis from Gardening Express, and was very disappointed in the condition it came in, as it should've been healthy in the month I received it, yet all the leaves were dead and falling off, and I was just left with grey dead looking woody stems. I reported the problem straight away, and upon request of the GE chat agent, I cut a couple of the stems to see if there was any healthy looking sap in the stems. There wasn't. I sent photos of proof, but was told to wait until this year (March 2022) to see if it would come to life. The plant still has no signs of life, so I approached Gardening Express through chat again, and was just told to send it back...Not happy about that, having already spent £17 for a dead plant...Ridiculous that their policy insists that the customer has to pay return postage costs, even for a plant reported dead on arrival. I will AVOID in future...”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 9th March 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

Gardening Express is rated 1.2 based on 1,646 reviews