Gardening Express

HelenMiddlemas

I bought a voucher for 4 hanging baskets. They arrived late after having to chase them up. They are nothing like the 'Hanging Baskets' in the picture, but are hanging cheap 6 inch plastic plant pots. I rang Groupon, they offered me a £5 voucher and said basically it had nothing to do with them. Gardening Express who sent the plants have done this to many people, not just with the hanging baskets but with many other plants sold through Groupon. Google have lists and lists of unhappy people. And Gardening Express are one of the most arrogant company's I have ever dealt with. I tried contacting the Managing Director Chris Bonnet, but they 'apparently and allegedly' were in Holland!

I asked for the Managing Directors name as I want to contact them. Groupon's Customer Service response was to ask if there was anything they could do. Clearly not! A lot of the time the Customer service have not even replied.

I went through their Facebook page and they asked to see photos, so I plastered these chatty hanging plant pots in all of their glory (not) in their page. And low and behold they removed my photos. In a very short space of time they apparently contacted their local Trading Standards who assured them that a hanging plastic plant pot could be deemed as a 'Hanging basket'. Gardening Express tell me 'Hanging Basket' is just a terminology!

I am concerned that their Trading Standards did say this, as both their Trading Standards (Essex) and my local Trading Standards are dealing with it. I will not be ripped off. They have been very interested in Groupons response, as I am of the opinion that they have a 'Responsibility' towards this. they advertise Hanging Baskets. The have a picture of a Hanging Basket (The photo shows a hanging basket with what looks like a metal chain). They are falsely advertising the items, and giving time-scales which are totally different to reality and what Gardening Express say.

Please, please, please contact Trading Standards about them if you feel you have been ripped off. The more people that do it the better.

nellie21feet

I purchased 4 hanging baskets from Gardening Express using Groupon. The baskets eventually arrived,resembling nothing like the advertised product on the Groupon site. The baskets were plastic,containing 2 rather sad plants.
It is impossible to contact GE via their premium number line. Left in a queue only to be cut off at your turn with an automated message stating no-one available. Their FB page deletes any negative message you leave regarding the product.
There are numerous complaints about them on review sites. Someone called Natilie keeps responding on behalf of the company. She apologises claiming the plants must have been damaged in transit. but too many poor products have been received for it to be a delivery error.
I would contact trading standards but not sure how to do this. this company is awful. Please do not use them. I hope Groupon will cease to trade with them too.

HelenMiddlemas

Hi, The trading Standards dealing with their complaints is Essex Trading Standards

Email: Trading.Standards at essex.gov.uk

Also a great tool is Trust Pilot. I am presuming that you have been in touch with Groupon already. groupon will make you think that it is nothing to do with them. But at the end of the day, the bottom line is they sell you the voucher. trying contacting them via your account for them, and if they do not give you the response you want, leave a review for them on this


They got in touch in under 24 hours, and refunded my payment. But you need to do it the correct way first.

BUT, please email Trading Standards. i think this is the way most people are going these days with the complaints against them. And the more the better. i have a contact of Lisa for Trading Standards


Good luck

kmmr

Hi,

In the interests of balances, I thought I would include my experience with gardening world and Groupon. You all had me so worried.
I ordered two fuschia trees, and they arrived in Friday. Took about a week from ordering to delivery, and they look healthy to me. Here are to two:




I'll see how they go after a few weeks, but for the moment I'm pretty happy.

Here is the ad:
http://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/national-deal/Gardening-Express/21766217

The trees clearly aren't at that stage yet, but there are lots of flowers about to bloom, they are a good size and look in good nick. I don't work for gardening world, I'm just a fairly satisfied customer (so far!).

nellie21feet

Groupon won't refund but has issued a request to Gardening Express
to contact me to return the baskets to GE. When GE informs Groupon they have my baskets I will get a refund. I will have to return the product at my own expense.

GE have been only contactable via a Facebook and after a chain of PMs now wish to send me replacement baskets of a higher quality to restore my faith in the company. They maintain the fault was in transit but the damage is to uniform to be a random travelling hiccup.

Managed to get through to company on phone , only to be told company policy did not allow refunds. Requested to speak to CEO Chris Bonnet who left me an ansa phone message but only offering a replacement. I'm not convinced.
Think I will contact trading standards mainly because of the amount of contradictions GE have made in our conversation.
Very disappointed with Groupon. Popped a review on Trust pilot.

Gillybean4

Well if my experience is anything to go by, my order through groupon for 2 hibiscus trees is shocking! I received them ok but they nothing like they advertised. All the tops had been cut off so they could fit in the box and there are virtually no buds!
Well done to anyone who gets a decent tree! It would be good to know if such trees are ever delivered by Gardening Express or if it merely a rumour! I would certainly call their description, misrepresentation and certainly feel that Groupon should stop promoting them if this is their usual standard!

HelenMiddlemas

Hi, If you bought your plants from Gardening Express using a Groupon Voucher, then Groupon MUST be the one where you claim from.

Put your complaint on to Trust Pilot must go through the Groupon Uk section. It is currently showing as 'Very Poor'.

I did this and I got a response within a few hours. Groupon must be well aware now of all of the complaints, and they refunded my PayPal payment asap. But also contact Trading Standards.

Sunshine1997

I purchased via groupon after seeing what I thought was a good deal from gardening express and the plants looked lovely in the pictures.. The deal unfortunately was not a good one, so please shop around before purchasing and know that buying plants online, well especially from gardening express, is not a good option - they never looked like the pictures! I was very unhappy with the quality of the products from gardening express - I purchased a number of products and all were a joke.

They delivered in good time but the plants were half dead and like twigs when they arrived. When I contacted them I was asked to send pictures - I did and they said they were as they expected them to be - I am unsure however of their definition of quality!

I asked for a refund, but for the hassle it is worth and the additional expense to post them back it really was not cost effective for me to only get half the refund I should actually be entitled to for receiving damaged plants!

The fuchsia trees were really not acceptable as I would never have purchased them looking like this, the quality is appalling. They said I should water and feed them for the plants to flourish, but they are not as described and I should not need to do this. I, as the customer do not 'expect' them to look like this. Again it is not worth the hassle and cost to send them back to only get half the refund I am actually due as a result of receiving appallingly poor quality plants.

I will not be purchasing anything ever again from gardening express.

I urge you to do your research on this company and make your own mind up as to whether or not purchasing from them is a good idea - they really are not worth the money.

If they had faith in their product they would do free p&p on returns. Also I sadly found products after for less than half the price in my local garden centre that were absolutely beautiful - lesson learnt!

Munchbunch

Like CMMR, I purchased the two fushia trees via Groupon/Gardening Express & received them within a week. Both my trees were like those pictured by CMMR. They were healthy, full of buds & are doing well. I've also ordered & received two healthy sago palms, my sister had already bought these, I got them because I was impressed with hers. She's bought other items from them via Groupn/Gardening Express too & all have been good quality & healthy. She ordered 5 laurel trees which went astray between GE & the courier but after contacting the company these were replaced straight away. There was a bit of a variation in height of the plants but not enough to be a problem. Just wanted to say that not all experiences with them are negative or maybe we've both been exceedingly lucky!

Davesnave

Munchbunch wrote: »

Just wanted to say that not all experiences with them are negative or maybe we've both been exceedingly lucky!

Thre is a more recent thread than this:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5460279

If you go there, you can visit their premises, courtesy of Street View. Follow the road from their rear entrance to their front one and you'll maybe spot some of their staff.

Then compare with their slick web site and make up your own mind.

By the looks of things they are middle men, not growing all they sell. Mind you, neither do Thompson & Morgan or any of the other big players.

I prefer to support nurseries that are 'proper' growers and which allow visits, but it's your money/your choice.