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My own fault for trying Gardening Express?

My team at work have partnered with a local charity to makeover a house tomorrow for an underprivileged family. As the resident gardener I am on plant duty. Anyway I foolishly placed and order with Gardening Direct and have been checking it daily as website says despatch is 3-5 working days. Everything ordered was in stock and nothing too fancy as its only a concrete small yard so didn't expect problems. Thought if there were delays I would cancel and nip to a garden centre.

Anyway today the order is still not been processed and they have refused to cancel the order and issue a refund so I can source elsewhere. They've said in their small print it says orders can take up to 28 days and they will never cancel an order after 24 hours?! Cannot tell me when my order will be fulfilled and said all I can do is refuse the order on delivery but wouldn't say if the charity would be refunded. They have been so rude with no compassion.

I can't let the family down so will have to buy elsewhere out of my families pocket. Its probably my own fault for trusting a dodgy company but I wanted the charities money to go as far as possible.

Anyway no problem anyone else can solve really. I just want to spread the word about these cowboys to help others avoid. I'm so furious.


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  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    edited May 2022
    I feel for you. You are doing such a kind thing you don't deserve that. 

    Do you mean Gardening Express or Gardening Direct?
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • I don’t think they can refuse to let you cancel you order. It doesn’t seem to fit the few exceptions here https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-do-i-cancel-an-online-order-ah8tt8e97qxi
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Well done for getting involved in such a nice project, and for being prepared to dig in to your own pocket to see it through. Sadly there's not a lot you can do about what's in the small print, and often the person answering the phone/email has no authority to go against the company's policy, but if the plants are in decent condition when they arrive, you could maybe sell them locally to recoup some of the cost? For replacements, have a look at the bigger supermarkets and DIY places (B&Q, Homebase etc). They often have plants at good prices at this time of the year.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    For future reference,  try Secret gardening club. They have a range of plants at 1.99. I think there is a thread about the current offers on here somewhere. 
    AB Still learning

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They've been getting a bad press recently too @Allotment Boy.
    Gardening Express is notoriously poor, judging from the many comments on this forum. 

    Ballyrobert is an excellent online nursery for small plants if you don't have a GC/nursery nearby, or the DIY stores mentioned. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    Oh, OK @Fairygirl, we had some small perennials from them earlier in the year,  I had to grow them on a bit but otherwise they were fine.
    AB Still learning

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @dkssmithR6tNMg15 I think I would check to see if you have a local Gardening club or Hardy Plant Society.Most gardeners are generous people who love to share their plants. Someone may be able to help in an emergency and always worth knowing for any future projects.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I've used them in the past too @Allotment Boy, and the plants were fine [a good few years ago] but there was a recent thread which seemed to suggest there are a lot of problems. I don't know if it's nationwide though. I don't even get the emails now - haven't had those for ages. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    @dkssmithR6tNMg15 Your frustration is understandable particularly as you are trying to help others.
    Agree with @GardenerSuze that local Garden Societies/clubs would be worth investigating for any future projects.
    There is also the Seed and Plant Swap thread here on the forum - you don't have to have anything to swap and most of us would be more than happy to offer plants, cuttings, seeds etc. for projects such as yours.
    In the meantime, very best of luck in completing the garden for your chosen family to enjoy :)
  • Thanks everyone for your comments such great suggestions for next time. The main thing is that we saw the project through yesterday and the family were completely blown away! All the stress, frustration and expense was worth it seeing their reactions.

    @Busy-Lizzie I did mean Gardening Express - I'll try and edit my post if I can figure out a way! 
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