When a bargain isn't a bargain (plants)

juliebunny

So I ordered some plants from one of the MSE Weekly offers. After a month or so I thing it's fair to say I'd completely forgotten about the order. Got a post office card, no idea what it was and with the many closures now it's a royal pain to get there so I'm only finally going tonight to collect what I expect to be 48 dead lavender plants. Am I the only person who does this? How can I avoid this happening again - my Postie obviously exhibits no common sense as they do tend to come labelled as live plants - surely he could have just left in my garden, I mean that's where they are going to end up?


I'm not trying to pass the blame just feeling a tad cheesed off. At myself as much as anyone else )-:

tonyh66

I think my lavender plants fitted through my letter slot, otherwise the postie leaves them round the back (stuff that doesn't fit)

juliebunny

You are lucky Tony, mine have been sitting in the Post office and most were dead, I'm trying to revive a few that look the least dead... Despite the packaging clearing saying 'live plants' my postie decided not to leave them or with a neighbour (I know of several who are home all day). What can you do though, I suppose they can't win because if they leave them and they get nicked then they are in trouble. The annoying thing is that at mimimum you can't even collect until the next day from the Post Office and in our centre, they are so short staffed, even then that's not guaranteed.


Think I'll have to stick with just buying them in the old fashioned way in a garden centre.

Davesnave

juliebunny wrote: »

Think I'll have to stick with just buying them in the old fashioned way in a garden centre.

Well, it would give local people who workthere/own it some support, wouldn't it? My local garden centre, being small, is always on the edge of extinction.



But you're wrong that the old fashioned way to buy plants is via a garden centre. Before garden centres, there were nurseries without all the tea rooms and tat that actually make plant sales viable.


And some of those nurseries are still there, just not on many people's radar, surviving via plant fairs and mail order. They usually offer good value, healthy plants, because if they don't, they have nothing else to attract repeat business.


Offers on MSE seem to be a curate's egg. They can sometimes represent large wholesalers selling off surplus stock, somewhat out of condition, through middle men. I wouldn't buy that way, but I buy regularly from real nurseries on-line. Never had a problem, but then I know my postie by name, and the couriers too seem to have delivery here sussed.



I think you have been unlucky.

Soot2006

My lavenders came through the letter box, a tad squished ... the poor things had no idea they were only here for a week of respite and then on to France to my mother's balcony.





In a similar experience, I ordered a rare breed fish. I only had to leave the house for 10 mins unavoidable. Left a signed letter on the front door saying PLEASE LEAVE PARCEL ON DOORSTEP. I TAKE RESPONSIBILITY ... On the parcel itself was written "LIVE FISH" etc etc was NOT signed for/recorded .... Came home, opened door, little red card. ARRRRRRRGGGGGGH ....... Raced up the road and caught up with the postie van and begged and pleased until got my stupid fish.

stator

Royal mail service is so poor compared to other couriers.
With many couriers you can collect a parcel from the depot as soon as the delivery van has returned to the depot, so you can pick it up the same evening. Royal mail everything takes days, probably due to spanish practices.