Note that this review is more than 6 months old and the company's procedures may have changed considerably since this review was written.
I'm £399.60 down with this company. My experience has been just the same as many others, no communication, no delivery etc. I've reported them to BBC Watchdog & 'The Complainers' as I feel future customers need to be warned. Their standard business practice seems to be make loads of false promises, take money immed. even though they don't have the plants to sell, wait for people to complain/cancel, all the time collecting the interest on your money & only refund when legal action seems imminent. I suspect a lot of their customers just give up & write off what they are owed & therein lies the 'founders' modus operandi. I'm viewing MoneyClaim online as we speak!

UPDATE - 11/5/08
Gardening Express have now had my £399.60 since 16/4/08. Many days after receiving notice that I wished to cancel my order I was finally contacted by phone & promised a refund. I later received 2 separate e.mails from Chris Bonnet who describes himself as 'the founder' of the company. The first of these was a masterpiece in codswallop. He had the gall to tell me that he believed all the blogs written by disgruntled customers that I'd been reading about the company & it's shoddy business practices were actually written by 'competitors, disgruntled ex-employees & the like'. The second e.mail confirmed that I would receive a refund in 5-10 working days, a timescale he said was 'dictated' by my bank or card issuer & outside his control (more nonsense). Needless to say I've yet to receive this promised refund & I'm advised by Trading Standards that I should give him 30 days even though he has broken his own terms & conditions. Mr Bonnet seems to know his consumer law & so I'm anticipating my refund arriving (if it ever does) on day 28 or 29. By that time my money will have been sitting in his bank account for some time! I'm so apalled by my experience of this company & by the fact that I am not alone in having had it, that I'm intending to write formally to Trading Standards to request that they investigate his business. I would urge anyone who is owed money by this man to do the same.

Note that this review is more than 6 months old and the company's procedures may have changed considerably since this review was written.
I wish I had read all the reviews before spending £99 with Chris Bonnett. My experience is much the same - no order, no telephone answering (he is blaming BT now), the fax number he gives on his website is XXXXXXXXXXX (a BT problem also?), no email answering.
I guess we go to Trading Standards also, but what a waste of time.

Note that this review is more than 6 months old and the company's procedures may have changed considerably since this review was written.
I placed an order for more than £50 on December 27th and it still hasn't arrived. I was told in February that it would come by mid-March but have had no delivery and no communication since.
I am grateful to the bloggers who furnished Chris bonnett's email and advise using the small claims court and I will not hesitate to use this advice.

Note that this review is more than 6 months old and the company's procedures may have changed considerably since this review was written.
I ordered a considerable amount of money on Bamboo plants from this company (nearly £300) only to find that the delivery times are only a suggestion of when plants will arrive, this was fair enough as the Bamboo has certain growing seasons I then found that ordering in March the plants should arrive buy June not the 3-5 days on the website listing! June came and only 3 of the 12 plants arrived, it is now the end of July and we have still had no reply to the endless "tickets" raised asking when the plants will arrive. The gardening express has a customer service phone number which is a joke, redirecting you to the website to raise a ticket whatever time of day you call. Over and over I keep reading reviews of tickets being raised and never answered, this can only be for two reasons either this is truly an awful company (which will do us all a favour and go bankrupt) or the website has some serious programming errors which is preventing all these many angry customers being able to see the replies that Gardening Express claims to have written. I will never be using this company again and will recommend to everyone I know never to use them. I have now started a claim against Gardening Express through my credit card company.

Note that this review is more than 6 months old and the company's procedures may have changed considerably since this review was written.
Being a keen gardener (No Alan Titchmarsh you understand) but a bird who enjoys her garden and making the most of the space available, I was thrilled to find a website offering a good variety of plants and facts and speedy delivery. I placed my first order and it was duly delivered in a blink of an eye. I was thrilled. ( trust me, as a single bird it doesn't take much) so I placed my second, much bigger order.
2 months have passed and not only have I not seen my order, I have not recieved replies to my emails. I have tried to be pleasant but when your "support ticket" lays open for 6 weeks with the heading "waiting for support" ones' patience starts to disintegrate. I asked to cancel my order and recieve my 50 quid back. To date no joy.Angry, dissappointed and left with an empty trellis, aching for a nice climber.

Note that this review is more than 6 months old and the company's procedures may have changed considerably since this review was written.
I wish I had read these reviews before ordering from this company.
My problem goes back to the beginning of April (07) I spent £160. on plants for my new garden, these took ages to arrive, no 7-10 days & in times of busy periods etc....I sent several messages as I was unable to get through by phone, which also took over a week to be answered...when the plants finally arrived, there were a couple of plants missing! Again I have contacted them on several different occasions & the response to one of the chases was...'if you let us know the details, we will sort this problem out'. As if they have a different viewing system than we can access for previous messages. Again I sent a response copying in the previous messages, advising them of the plants that were missing, on the 21st May, today is 13th June & I still have had no response! This company are all too quick to take your money, but have no desire to fulfill their obligations. STAY AWAY!

Note that this review is more than 6 months old and the company's procedures may have changed considerably since this review was written.
This company is the worst company I have ever dealt with through internet shopping over the last 8 years!
You can only communicate with them via a support ticket which they take ages to answer. They took a month to process y order, substituting plants (hardy fucshias ordered, non hardy replacements) and they debited the money from my account on the day they took the order.
I have written numerous letters to them but have not received a satisfactory reply yet. They make excuses for everything by referring to the "terms and conditions" and they are just impossible.
The quality of the plants they sent, amazingly, aren't bad, but as I said, I didn't get what I wanted.
Please also note if you're ordering from this site, the site does not give details of what is in stock or not - they said the fucshias I had ordered weren't in stock because the stock failed, but the varieties I wanted were still being offered for sale on the website. BEWARE. Order from this company at your own risk.

Note that this review is more than 6 months old and the company's procedures may have changed considerably since this review was written.
This is one of the worst on-online companies that I have ever had to deal with. The automated phone system tells you to use the online support to answer any queries. My support tickets from the 3rd of May have still not been opened, let alone answered by the 15th of May.

I was therefore unable to change the delivery address, unable to gain further information regarding my order and also unable to cancel the order.

According to Trading Law, cancellation has to be in durable format (not necessarily a paper letter) - but they not only refused to acknowledge my cancellation via the support system (4th May), but also claim that they have not received my physical letter that I posted a week ago.

Consequently 2 10ft trees that I no longer wanted were delivered to the wrong address on the 14th May, meaning that they were stuffed into an office that I am not present at, causing a health and safety hazard, with a very bewildered receptionist and unimpressed office staff.

I finally managed to get through to the phone system 11 days after I placed my order (on the 3rd), only to receive the response that since they are so busy they need 2 to 3 days to respond to online support therefore the order was processed without any reference to the support tickets that are input directly against the order number.

They showed absolutely no interest in helping me to resolve a very urgent situation, or to understand the individual circumstance. They only repeatedly told me what their company policy was. Which essentially means the office are stuck with the trees bent over against the ceiling, until I can arrange for them to be collected and returned to the company at my own cost.

All of this could have been avoided if the company had showed any interest in actually providing a good service to the customer. However they clearly have an automated ordering and despatch system designed to bypass any human interaction. Once they have taken your money, you will find it impossible to change your mind, or any detail regarding your order, and you will struggle to receive any assistance, especially in relation to getting a refund.

I have had to resort to setting up a payment dispute with my credit card company - lots of hassle and lots of stress.

In addition, there is no indication whatsoever that items ordered may be out of stock, but once you send your payment, you will receive a warning, that if your items are not available you may have to wait until next season. There is no mention of when they deem the next season to commence and no forewarning that you may not receive your goods for a very long time.

Reply by Gardening Express:
This is one of the worst on-online companies that I have ever had to deal with. The automated phone system tells you to use the online support to answer any queries. My support tickets from the 3rd of May have still not been opened, let alone answered by the 15th of May. CORRECT - OVERFLOW CALLS, IF ALL LINES ARE BUSY, AND OUT OF OURS CALLS ARE INSTRUCTED TO RAISE SUPPORT TICKETS. I HAVE LOOKED UP YOUR TICKET, AND THIS WAS REPLIED TO ON THE THIRD WORKING DAY AFTER IT WAS RAISED.... IN LINE WITH OUR STATED POLICY! " The best way to contact us is via logging into your account and raising a support ticket. It is our policy to respond to all messages within 3 working days " I was therefore unable to change the delivery address, unable to gain further information regarding my order and also unable to cancel the order. CORRECT - AS STATED IN OUR FAQ'S, AND SUPPORT TICKET REPLY, IT WAS TOO LATE TO CHANGE THE ORDER.... I HAVE COPIED THE RELEVANT FAQ BELOW FYI. I AM SORRY WE WERE UNABLE TO AMEND THIS. Can I change my order? This will depend on the status of your order. Please check Order Tracking to find out the status of your order. If your order status is 'Awaiting Dispatch' then it may be possible to amend it. Please note that we can only change certain options the products may be available in, cancel items from your order or cancel your entire order. Unfortunately it is not possible for us to add items to your order or to upgrade your order from Standard Delivery to Next Working Day Delivery. To change your order please contact us by logging into your account and raising a support ticket with your Order Number and include details of the amendment(s) required. Customer Care will then reply to to either confirm that the amendment has been processed, or to advise if it has not been possible to amend the order for any reason. If your order status is ‘Despatched’ or any other stage, no order amendments are possible. You will need to return the order to us. According to Trading Law, cancellation has to be in durable format (not necessarily a paper letter) - but they not only refused to acknowledge my cancellation via the support system (4th May), but also claim that they have not received my physical letter that I posted a week ago. YOU CANCELLATION WAS RECEIVED AFTER DESPATCH OF THE ITEMS HAD BEEN MADE...... IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR ACCOUNT, YOU WILL SEE THAT YOUR ORDERED ON THE 3RD MAY, AND THE ORDER WAS SHIPPED ON THE 4TH!!!! - PRIOR TO RECEIPT OF SUPPORT TICKET OR LETTER CANCELLATION. I AM VERY SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE CAUSED. I WOULD POST THE TRACKING INFO ETC FOR EVERYONE TO SEE, BUT THIS WOULD INFRINGE DATA PROTECTION.... YOU ARE THEREFORE NOW COVERED BY THIS FAQ..."Can I cancel my order? Under the United Kingdom’s Distance Selling Regulations you have the right to cancel your order for any item purchased from Gardening Express, for a full refund. This does not apply to items that cannot be returned for shelf life reasons (These items are clearly marked with a ' ' next to the product name), and those that have been unsealed. Order cancellations must be made in writing, quoting your order number, within 7 days of delivery of your item(s), and can be sent by post to the address below. Once you have cancelled your order, the goods should be returned to the same address, in their original condition, within 14 days of receipt. The item is your responsibility until it reaches us. For your own protection, we recommend that you send the parcel using a delivery service that insures you for the value of the goods. Gardening Express RETURNS Chelmsford Essex CM1 4UA" Consequently 2 10ft trees that I no longer wanted were delivered to the wrong address on the 14th May, meaning that they were stuffed into an office that I am not present at, causing a health and safety hazard, with a very bewildered receptionist and unimpressed office staff. THEY WERE DELIVERED TO THE ADDRESS SUPPLIED AT TIME OF ORDER PLACEMENT, TO WHICH THEY HAD ALREADY BEEN SHIPPED BEFORE ANY CHANGES OR CANCELLATIONS WERE RECEIVED - WHICH THEREFORE COULD NOT BE MADE. I AM SORRY IF YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND, AND WE WOULD OF COURSE HAVE CANCELLED AND REFUNDED IF WE HAD RECEIVED NOTICE OF THIS PRIOR TO SHIPPING - BUT WE DID NOT. I finally managed to get through to the phone system 11 days after I placed my order (on the 3rd), only to receive the response that since they are so busy they need 2 to 3 days to respond to online support therefore the order was processed without any reference to the support tickets that are input directly against the order number. THIS INFO IS ON THE WEBSITE WHERE YOU LOG IN TO RAISE SUPPORT TICKETS, AND IS AVAILABLE BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER ORDERING. They showed absolutely no interest in helping me to resolve a very urgent situation, or to understand the individual circumstance. They only repeatedly told me what their company policy was. Which essentially means the office are stuck with the trees bent over against the ceiling, until I can arrange for them to be collected and returned to the company at my own cost. I AM SORRY, BUT WE ACTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INFORMATION FREELY AVAILABLE PRIOR TO ORDERING.... WE TAKE ON BOARD YOUR COMMENTS, AND ARE LOOKING AT WAYS WE CAN BUILD MORE FLEXIBILITY INTO OUR SYSTEMS. All of this could have been avoided if the company had showed any interest in actually providing a good service to the customer. However they clearly have an automated ordering and despatch system designed to bypass any human interaction. Once they have taken your money, you will find it impossible to change your mind, or any detail regarding your order, and you will struggle to receive any assistance, especially in relation to getting a refund. THIS IS A FALSE STATEMENT - CANCELLATIONS RECEIVED PRIOR TO DESPATCH OF GOODS, AND REFUNDS ARE PROCESSED IN LINE WITH STATED POLICY. ORDER CHANGES ETC, ALL THESE ASPECTS ARE COVERED IN OUR FAQ'S, WHICH MAKES IT SIMPLE FOR ANY ONE TO FIND RELEVANT INFORMATION REGARDING OUR PROCEDURES, SO THEY CAN TAKE THE APPROPRIATE STEPS TO CANCEL OR AMEND ORDERS. THEY CAN ALSO RAISE SUPPORT TICKETS, WHICH ARE REPLIED TO WITHIN 3 WORKING DAYS.... AND ALSO CALL 08000 33 61 61 DURING OFFICE HOURS. I have had to resort to setting up a payment dispute with my credit card company - lots of hassle and lots of stress. WE WILL INFORM THEM OF THE FULL DETAILS, WHEN WE ARE CONTACTED In addition, there is no indication whatsoever that items ordered may be out of stock, but once you send your payment, you will receive a warning, that if your items are not available you may have to wait until next season. There is no mention of when they deem the next season to commence and no forewarning that you may not receive your goods for a very long time. FULL DELIVERY INFO IS STATED HERE http://www.gardeningexpress.co.uk/Guarantee.asp THIS INCLUDES DETAILS ON SEASONALITY. OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS, ALSO HAVE FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS. AGAIN, ALL THIS INFORMATION IS AVAILBLE PRIOR TO ORDERING, WITH LINKS TO THESE SECTIONS APPEARING ON EVERY SINGLE PAGE OF OUR WEBSITE. MOST PEOPLE READ DELIVERY INFO ETC PRIOR TO ORDERING, OR ASK IF UNSURE, AND THEREFORE DO NOT EXPERIENCE ANY PROBLEMS. So many other customers have experienced terrible problems with this company! WE SHIP THOUSANDS OF PLANTS EVERYDAY - AND YES, THINGS WILL OCCASSIONALLY GO WRONG..... THIS REPRESENTS A MINORITY OF CUSTOMERS, AND WE ENDEVOUR TO RESOLVE ALL PROBLEMS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE - IN LINE WITH OUR STATED PROCEDURES AND POLCIES STATED. WE ARE HAPPY TO HELP ANYONE WITH GENUINE PROBLEMS IN THIS REGARD. WE ARE AWARE THAT MANY OF THE POSTS IN THESE MESSAGE BOARDS AND FORUMS ORIGINATE FROM COMPETITORS IP ADDRESSES, SO THEY SHOULD NOT ALL BE TAKEN AT FACE VALUE. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, PLEASE RAISE A SUPPORT TICKET ON OUR WEBSITE, OR GIVE US A CALL..... WE HAVE ANOTHER CALL CENTRE JUST ABOUT TO JOIN US IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS, TO IMPROVE TELEPHONE RESPONSE. in summary not getting angry, but we do have policy and procedures in place for a reason, and have to act within them - otherwise our operation would become completely unmanageable. we talked to this customer, and explained the position, and have done everything in our power to resolve the problem.... we thought our email below, our last communication with the customer, was going above and beyond our obligations, and as such a satisfactory resolution.... I will let you decide. Good Afternoon, Further to our discussion earlier today we have investigated your problems and have concluded the following. All support messages need 2-3 working days for a reply to be given, as this allows us to investigate each matter. Your order was shipped to your designated delivery address on 04/05/07 and was updated as such Unfortunately this meant that we were unable to action your request of a delivery address change. Orders can only be altered when they are displaying awaiting despatch as their status. All of this information is clearly displyed in our FAQ pages and can be viewed before, during and after ordering. We can only offer a £10 credit note as a gesture of good will to resolve this matter. Kind Regards Gardening Express

Note that this review is more than 6 months old and the company's procedures may have changed considerably since this review was written.
I have placed an order on the 10th march with no deliveryand the only time I got a response was when I said that I wanted to order more products but was waiting to check the quality of the first lot. 50 pounds is lost to me since Ive used a debit card. now the e-mail address they have given is no longer valid and there is no getting hold of them.

Note that this review is more than 6 months old and the company's procedures may have changed considerably since this review was written.
I placed an order on the 5th January to the value of £34, but despite leaving messages on there answer machene(if you ring the freephone number for a long time the A/M service kicks in) they never respond. sent many emails, they never respond, used there online service they eventualy put a response to say the items are in the post, but have never recieved them. i Have contacted trading standards who say they are a registered company and i should write to them requesting a full refund still no response. This companty is a fruad do not use them tell all your freinds and get them to tell there freinds. This is online shopping at its worst.