Money Moral Dilemma: Should I return the refund I got for 'dead' plants I revived?

RobM99

No, don't return it. If you bought a duff TV and got it working as new, would you pay extra for it?

Pfffill

You come on here, hoping to have your moral turpitude assuaged by people saying, 'keep the money'. I say, 'pay back what is morally theirs'.

adeo

Pfffill said:

You come on here, hoping to have your moral turpitude assuaged by people saying, 'keep the money'. I say, 'pay back what is morally theirs'.

If something you received is not as advertised. In the case of a plant the seller has used Photoshopped images making the plant looking absolutely 110% perfect, plus detailed text description depicting the plant at a given shape, size, colour and condition etc. And you receive the complete opposite of sellers description, like I've received on virtually 99.9% of several deliveries.
So you would be happy to except that. If that's the case thenm fool you. That's why lots of these online companies take the proverbial. As lot's customers let them get away with it. When customers should up hold their consumer rights.

rach_k

I wouldn't offer them anything.  You wanted alive plants on the promised delivery date.  You received half-dead ones two weeks later.  They shouldn't have sent you them like that.  They could have asked for them back if they wanted them (and they are, presumably, the experts so if they thought there was much chance of them reviving, they could have taken that option but they chose the cheaper option of leaving them with you).  

If you feel at all guilty (which you shouldn't), perhaps put some money in a charity box, or donate some plants to a school or care home or something.  

SpreadableToast

RobM99 said:

No, don't return it. If you bought a duff TV and got it working as new, would you pay extra for it?

All the person did to "get them working as new" was plant them, which they were going to do anyway.

So to answer the more accurate question of "would I return a refund for a duff TV when I found out it wasn't duff after plugging it in?  Yes, yes I would.

crmism

Ordering plants is always going to be a hit or miss affair, but anyone buying them online should reasonably expect prompt service that ensures they are in fair to good condition on delivery, a la some Daily Telegraph offers which have never failed me yet. I can only think that the firm you dealt with is a one-man band or family concern which must have known the state of the plants when they were packed and needs to improve response and delivery times if it wants to generate more sales and remain in business.
I should imagine, given the slipshod way you've been treated, the seller neither wants the plants back, nor is interested in the refund money; at least, he or she shouldn't be, given the less than efficient service you had. It's a price the seller should pay for poor service, so keep the refund.

Black_Cat2

MalMonroe said:

Black_Cat2 said:

I would contact them and offer the refund.  Wouldn't matter to me if a small company or large one,  I paid for the plants and got the plants so only seems fair 👍

The plants were almost dead and they were two weeks late. What on earth is fair about that?!

They got a full refund, no quibbles, no problems. They planted the plants so felt they weren't dead or why would they bother to plant them?  Now they are thriving. So they got the plants for free albeit it with a delivery delay.  The company didn't refuse to refund them or give them a hard time.  Small companies are suffering at the moment as well as some larger garden centres so for me I would offer the money back.  I got what I originally paid for 🐈

SarahLM2211

No need to return, just add a great review online and like their media pages

Kernowek

It depends on whether they made a successful claim agains the delivery company (assuming it was them at fault). Any dispatch notification vs arrival time or tracking number could give a good indication on how long they were actually in transit - if it was the full two weeks then they may have claimed the value of the goods and not lost out themselves. If it was two days, then yes it's the company at fault and your refund is justified with no further action.

If not their fault, I don't think the refund needs to be returned necessarily, but as noted by the poster above a nice social media "Had an issue, but was dealt with swiftly by the company" statement would go a long way. And you could always purchase some more plants with the refund (not necessarily to the full value of the original order).

beaudiddly2008

Obviously a reputable company for giving a refund. I had a similar issue with Gardening Express. These plants were beyond reviving. I sent photos as asked. It's been several months now, they obviously have no intention of offering anything. This company has previously featured on MSE. Don't deal with them they just rip you off.