Blooming Direct -delays, dead plants and refusal to refund

scottishminnie

Whilst the company I hid the misfortune to deal with is called Blooming Direct I’ve since discovered they trade under more than 20 names. So anything where “Peter McDermott “ touts himself as the head gardener are part of the same outfit. Posting this as I’d hate anyone else to be ripped off by them. 

i ordered £96 of bedding plants at the end of April with a 21 day delivery quoted. Payment was taken immediately, confirmation email received following day then silence. After 30 days I emailed them as I couldn’t get through by phone. Within 24 hours I had a dispatch email - for less than a third of the order.  Four days later the courier delivered a box of lifeless minute plants. The entire order was “jumbo plug plants”. It’s safe to say in 30 years of gardening I have never seen anything as immature as this on sale to the public. The plants had also clearly been eaten as the tiny leaves were full of holes.  I planted them immediately in a single container so that any disease didn’t spread. A week later not a single plant remained. 

10 days late4 I chased for the remainder of the order. Again I received an immediate despatch email followed 2 days later by a courier delivery. This time the plants were in plastic packaging. Pity they had been watered before packing. Again, utterly lifeless and despite significant efforts only 2 of 42 petunias have survived. I finally got through by phone  to them yesterday only to be told they will Not refund, not interested in any photographs and “guarantee” that whatever i claim the issue is has been caused by me. 

I estimate that to have bought the same amount of healthy, large bedding plants from a garden centre or supermarket would cost less than £25. Whilst I expected that they were taking advantage of the fact garden centers were closed and increasing prices i at the very least expected healthy plants. 

With no chance of any kind of resolution from the company I will now speak to my credit card company although I’m not hopeful as I think they will simply  claim the  goods were delivered regardless of the condition. 

I’m astonished that the reviews of this company (which I did look at before ordering) don’t give ay indication of either the appalling standard of their goods or the shocking attitude of their staff.