To warn you all NEVER to buy plants from Thompson and Morgan!!

[Sheepareawesome]

At the start of May, with the garden centres closed, I thought why not order some plants online for the first time. Looked through my Gardeners' World mag and saw some ads for Thompson and Morgan. They looked good, their website was good and had quotes from satisfied customers, so I placed an order for 3 items.

BIG MISTAKE!!

The first 2 deliveries took one week to arrive from being posted, so were obviously dead on arrival. Emailed them (website said phones were off so email only) to complain and ask to cancel remainder of order which hadn't been sent yet as I didn't want to receive yet more dead plants. Got a reply with an apology and then a refund for the dead plants, but she said I couldn't cancel the remaining item that wasn't sent at that time as it was being picked and they couldn't stop it being sent. She said to reject or return the delivery and when they get the items back they would refund.

Hmm, bit strange but I thought OK as they said picking took 5 days so I was expecting them quite soon so should get the refund quite soon. That was 28th May and they still haven't been sent! Or refunded!

I looked into Consumer law as I was sure I had the right to cancel, and sure enough it says online you can cancel any time after placing the order up to 14 days after you receive the items. Since I haven't received the items, nor have I had an email telling me they have been sent, (nor an email telling me they are delayed from the original date of 21 days which has now long passed) I emailed them again 2 days ago, yet again asking to cancel the remainder of the order.

Yet again I was told they can't cancel as it is being picked. I asked them about the Consumer Contract Law in my email and they completely ignored this - just sent the bog standard 'sorry we can't cancel send it back if you don't want it sorry for any inconvenience' email.

So here I am, 6 weeks after ordering items that were supposed to take 3 weeks, still waiting for a company who so far have taken 19 days to do something they said would take 5 days, to send me an order I don't want which I then have to reject or return to them and then wait to get a refund.

If they can pick and post an order they can cancel it. What a complete farce of a company! Looking at their Trust Pilot and the various FB complaints groups, I am amazed they are still in business. Shame I didn't look before I ordered...

And to top it all, I paid using PP so I thought that would be OK so I tried to dispute it. PP opened the dispute and I got an email saying my email was passed to T & M so to wait for them to reply.....not the most helpful!

I expect I will get my money back at some point but for goodness sake how crap a company is this?!?

Anyone who can't get to a garden centre and who is considering ordering online - I strongly recommend you AVOID Thompson and Morgan! AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!

[Sheepareawesome]

Ooops! Looks like I was more cross than I thought - apologies for such a long post! I do feel better for getting it off my chest though....!

[TwangBadge]

Yep, also had plants arriving dead. We got issued a new set, which were also dead on arrival!! I second this, avoid avoid avoid.

[Sheepareawesome]

Oh FFS I didn't mean to enable voting! Oh I give up

[Gunpowder]

Don’t buy from Primrose either. Won’t start my rant as I will never stop.

[AssangesCat]

My dad's been really disappointed with Thompson and Morgan this year as well. He has said never again.

[LockdownLoppy]

I have always had excellent service from them. They have given you your money back for the dead plants, I would cut them a bit of slack given the difficult circumstances they are now trading under, it's not like they have refused to refund you. I understand you are frustrated about not being able to cancel the order but it's not the end of the world if it takes a bit longer.

[Sheepareawesome]

You would think that a company whose sole business is to sell plants online and send in the post, would be set up to sell plants online and then send them through the post. Sorry to hear you got dead plants too @TwangBadge it is really disappointing - opening up a pack of dead plants was like some sort of vegetarian Godfather moment!!

TBH it isn't the deadness of the plants that is annoying me the most, it is the complete inability to cancel the rest of my order before they send it that is really winding me up. And their failure to actually explain why not in light of my asking specifically about the law on cancellation. It wasn't a big order so not much money but that isn't the point.

[KingofDinobots]

I don’t know, we’ve had several orders from them this summer and previous years and I’m happy with them.

There have been significant delays this year - they do say in their emails and on their website that they’re doing their best but covid is causing them problems.

Primrose has been terrible quality when I’ve tried them, but everything we’ve had from Thompson and Morgan has been fine.

Sarah Raven is great quality but expensive.

David Austin are best for roses.

Interested in any other recommendations :)

[AdobeWanKenobi]

The first 2 deliveries took one week to arrive from being posted, so were obviously dead on arrival

To be fair, ordering plants mid pandemic, with postal services struggling to cope wasn't the best plan.

[MotherOfGremlins]

Same here with them - dead plants, most of my order but even sent, some of it canceled by them, and they're not replying to me at all.

Buyer beware!

[Sheepareawesome]

But @LockdownLoppy they are only going to refund me AFTER I wait to get the items (goodness knows when that will be since the 5 day picking started on 28th May is apparently still going on...) AND after I get the order and return it (since postie is likely to deliver when we are out at work so can't just refuse to take it).

What a waste of everyone's time and I think they are breaking the law by making it so complicated to return them - they are essentially making me carry out another action - go to the PO to take them back - before I can cancel. This should not be required. What if I were shielding or unable to get to the PO?

[wowfudge]

I've been happy with the plants I've received from Thompson and Morgan. I did receive a dead plant from another nursery though although they replaced it for me. The lockdown has led to delivery delays with some companies, which could obviously have a knock on effect for perishable goods like live plants.

You can contact your card company and see if they'll sort it out for you. Otherwise, try contacting the company via DM on Twitter or Messenger from their Facebook page. Lots of companies are far more responsive via SM.

[Sheepareawesome]

I know what you mean @AdobeWanKenobi but they specifically said on their website that they are sending stuff.

And as I say, it isn't that they were dead that is my complaint it is how they are failing to cancel the remainder of the order. Presumably they would need to have some sort of computer system to print the picking list and postal address label so why can't they find it to cancel it? Why make it so hard and require more action from the customer?

[Sheepareawesome]

@wowfudge I paid by paypal and have opened a report but they said just to wait for them to reply. And I don't know how to use Twitter! I just joined it and found them but I can't work out how to say anything, all I can do is just see their posts and various replies. Same for FB - I found their page but can just see their posts. I am not very good with technology!

So I decided to rant on here instead and feel much better already. Although still pissed off

[elephantoverthehill]

I'm still waiting for my order with T and M placed mid May.

[thereinmadnesslies]

Don’t use J Parkers either - waited 5 weeks, most of the plants were delivered dead or half dead and their customer service is terrible. Apparently it’s normal to send the plants out half dead because then they will grow strongly when planted 🤷🏻‍♀️

[frazzledasarock]

They’re selling through groupon so are probably inundated with orders currently.

In PayPal raise an item not received and if they don’t respond within thirty days you get your money back.

[Bluntness100]

Same with Sutton’s. Ordered sixty petunia bedding plants. Took them six weeks to dispatch then sent by courier on a 48 hour delivery. Turned up eight/nine days later in a box than was soaking wet.

Plants were totally dead on the top layer, complete unidentifable mulch on the bottom, their phone lines unavailable still and no answers to emails for three weeks now. Even though the website says they will respond in seven days.

No other way to get in touch with them, it’s pure shit. Won’t be using them again. I get they are struggling but this isn’t ok.

[CarolVordermansArse]

I have had several plant deliveries arrive dead or dying, I knew it would take longer due to Covid and took a chance on it. Luckily our local garden centre was taking orders by e.mail and confirming by phone and arranging collection and payment on arrival which worked very well.

I think nurseries have struggled a lot over the last few weeks because they have had to keep their stock alive, and rely on it being delivered alive, which is obviously won't be if the couriers are unable to work. Some of them are not very organised and will be sorting things out for a while yet.

[hollygoflightly]

I got some bulbs from Farmer Gracy soon after lockdown started. I think they're based in the Netherlands. Everything arrived in one piece and I now have some gladioli stalks growing taller by the day! Would definitely recommend them if you're looking for someone else x

[smoothieooo]

It's rubbish and annoying. Not the same thing obvs, but I planted 2 boxes of wildflowers from Tesco, strewn freely, covered with compost and... nada. Not a frigging thing.

I look in my garden and see the effort it has taken some weeds flowers to burst through the patio and those seeds, which were watered every day, couldn't even be bothered to make an appearance. Pfff.

[pinkazing]

DM had same issue with T&M this year but no problems usually. Luckily Crocus did us proud.

[TheHighestSardine]

We got a bunch without any problem. The postal service was being re-prioritised entirely out of their hands, so cut them slack for that.

But not for their refunds/customer service, that's just terrible. I'd fire off a chargeback with your credit card/bank if I were you.

[CrystalQueen]

I'm also still waiting for an order placed early May. But what is driving me crazy are the daily emails with all of their deals JUST SEND ME MY PLANTS thanks

[NervousInYorkshire]

I've just had a T&M order from last week delivered and it's fine.

Marshalls, on the other hand..
I ordered plants at the beginning of May for a memorial type planting on a specific day in June. I chased up at the end of May and got an auto reply saying they might take up to three weeks to reply.
The day in June came and went, and still nothing. I got an email five days later thanking me for cancelling my order.