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!!!!!!!

Dammit! I've just emailed them about the non-arrival of blueberry plants ordered via Wowcher..

I’ve also received dead plants from them this year (delivery took over a week). I’m awaiting a refund. I ordered from them as I’ve had no issues in previous years. I know we’re mid pandemic but I’ve had no issues with the other companies I’ve ordered plants from. I normally plant from seed every year but I had a dodgy packet of seeds this year - and then this - it just wasn’t meant to be!

A few years ago I ordered some shrubs from them , a load of what looked like roots arrived
I duly planted and tended them and now I have a very crowded border Of massive
Plants

So think It’s COVID failing rather than the firm

I once bought plug plants from them, which were utterly tiny, even for plugs. I may as well have germinated my own.

Crocus are more expensive than others but always great quality. I have used them many times before, but have had a delivery during the pandemic too. All arrived well packaged and alive, as always! They took longer than normal- about 4 weeks- but I was kept updated by email so not concerned.

I really hate these type of threads .

I had some surfinIas from Jersey Direct and they are doing great. I also had some lavender from Ashridge nurseries, they took an age to come but to be fair the website did warn of delays. The plants were all good except one but I dug it up and dunked it in a bucket of water for a day then replanted, it seems to be doing ok. I’ve recently received some plugs plants from Thompson & Morgan & ive potted them on but I can’t tell yet whether they’ll be any good long term, they don’t look particularly good atm. I’ve learnt to avoid cheap deals from Gardening Express as the plants are nearly always on their last legs and it’s rare for all of them to survive.

I haven't used Thomson and Morgan but I had serious problems with Gardening Express. I waited 5 weeks, contacting them several times and they wouldn't even reply. When I left them a negative review (5 times!) they somehow managed to find the time to get that taken down though, in seconds. I had to get a drawback from the bank in the end. It was paid for on a debit card and less than £100, but the bank were happy to step in. I'd try that if you don't get any joy from them OP.

I have the same problem with Thompson & Morgan. I ordered grow bags & other things at the end of March, and I'm still waiting for the grow bags! I emailed last week to cancel and they said they can't cancel because its in picking.

If you visit the RHS website they have links to plant nurseries who were planning on selling at Chelsea and other plant fairs. Maybe a way of finding growers who haven't been completely overwhelmed with demand?

I use Sarah Raven a lot and this year there has been some unacceptable delays and poor customer service. This is unusual for them and I think for most others mentioned in this thread. They have been overwhelmed with demand and have perhaps not limited the amount of orders they could manage when they should... the post has then also been overwhelmed and slower than usual. Topped off by an incredibly hot few months. Hot plants delayed in the post is not going to end well.
A lot of companies mentioned here usually are excellent and especially in the spirit of it being British Flowers Week this week maybe we can sing about/share info on those smaller growers or those who seem to be managing well with demand rather than slating good British businesses who did not see covid and all the related issues coming. That is not to absolve them of adhering to statutory rights etc, it is just appreciating the conditions they are working in, probably with a reduced workforce with unforeseen demand. I am sure they will honour all refunds/replacements.

Similar story of dead plants arriving from Van Meuwen who are part of T&M. Took forever to arrive, with delivery being delayed multiple times, and then eventually received £200 worth of dead plants. No way they could be revived, so then the fun of getting in touch with them to get a refund.

Oh no! Ordered a clematis from them last week, hope it arrives ok!
I have ordered from hayloft during lockdown and tbh have been disappointed, very small weedy looking plants for double garden centre prices.
Sarah raven plants are healthy but they always take absolutely ages to arrive.

@shinynewapple2020

I really hate these type of threads .

Dont click on them then?

To those saying give them a break etc - from all the posts it's clear they've been drowning in their inability to service orders for months now - yet they've continued to accept orders and take peoples money knowing they can't fulfil the bulk of them and also can't respond to calls, reply to emails or process the refunds.

That's highly irresponsible, there's no excuse! Presume they're still accepting more orders, adding to their backlog with no thought to their customers

Gardening express have been awful too

Same issues with Thompson & Morgan here. Dead plants, no response to emails. I've ordered from Secret Garden Club and Sarah Raven with no problems. I can't get to a local nursery as I can't drive (a friend normally drives me if I do go) so often do online orders.

If it's any help for the future, I have had some great plants from ebay over the past few months.

What reallyagain says. Of course these are unprecedented times, we don’t expect service to be as fast as usual. We understand things won’t always be in stock.

However responsible companies stop taking orders when they are overwhelmed, reply to queries and complaints, refund customers who aren’t supplied with goods and have a phone line that works.

David Austin are best for roses.

Not my experience at all, I have had better roses from Morrisons.

www.charellagardens.co.uk/

THIS! This is the place. I've tried 'em all and Charella Gardens exceeds my expectations every time. My fatsia japonica arrived today and it is just glorious beyond description. Plants arrive in exceptional condition. They are so lush and healthy and big!

The reviews on Trustpilot and Google by comparison with Thompson and Morgan are evidence of how reliable and thoroughly decent Charella Gardens is. I really like that they do their own deliveries in their own company vans. Service is slower everywhere right now. It took 10 days with Charella Gardens to receive my plants, which is considerably faster than other garden centres I've ordered from in the past few weeks.

See I had some from Thompson and Morgan and they were fine, good sized plants.
On tk neither hand I've had plants from crocus. Do.uk and they are tiny, like literally a stalk and they're meant to be harden ready, they're really not and that was pre covid too xx

I had a horrific experience with Primrose, but am another who would wholeheartedly recommend Farmer Gracy. All arrived quite quickly from The Netherlands, bulbs and bare roots all well packaged. Everything has sprung up beautifully - my bare root dicentra was huge and in full flower six weeks after I planted it!

@IamEarthymama is that Blackwood in South Wales? If so I'd love a link to their Facebook profile or selling page. Would love to support smaller independent nurserymen in future.

Ordered in march no orders arrived. Eventually got refund in june

They are a very good company on the whole however.

Also under consumer contract law there is no right to cancel quite a lot of contracts eg as here where things are picked or boxedu p for you or made to your specifications or once used or opened cannot be taken back and various other things so I suspect they may be right there is no cancellation right in the same way you cannot return used knickers or food products.