Thanks Marshalls!!!
I ordered my plants mid April....tomatoes and Aubergines and was expecting them mid to 3rd week of May. The middle of the last week of May I contacted Marshalls sending a copy of my order confirmation as a reminder and the middle of the next week 3 weedy little aubergines arrived...they clearly had forgotton my order. Another nearly a week and 3 weedy little tomatoes appeared, I'm still waiting for the final 3 tomatoes and it's nearly the middle of June. I'm pretty ****** off as I could have bought plants at my local garden centre early May twice the size for the same price with the same discounts and they'd be taller than me by now, but I'd already ordered from Marshalls by the time these appeared in the shop. :BangHead: :angry4: :cussing:
My little plants are too delicate yet to take to my allotment even in the tunnel house. Won't be making that mistake again next year.
Complain big time Kea. That isn't acceptable, refund & a gift voucher is the least you should be offered. You might still be able to get plants at the GC or has might anyone on your plot have any?
Hello Kea.
Definitely complain. I took photos of my strawberry plants that were sent and got a replacement and a voucher - however at this stage of the year I would insist on a refund and then go along to your GC.
Regards
Bluecar
I have been very disappointed with ordering plants on line, and now never do it. Support your local nurseries. I went to one the other day and everything was so starved and yellow I bought nothing....but at least I clapped eyes on them.
Strangely, a local pet food shop had much better seedlings which I did buy. Really strong and promising.
I ordered some Marshalls sweetpea plants from QVC a few weeks ago. When they arrived I took them out of the packaging. They looked as though they needed watering but the compost was moist. The next day they were dead!!!! QVC refused to publish my review! I will never buy plants from QVC or Marshall's again. :BangHead:
So it isn't just me then! I've also given up on mail-order plants after being burned 2 years running by big name companies. The supposed 'garden ready' plants I bought this year were barely more than rooted cuttings in mini-plugs. Compared with what I could buy locally when they arrived, they just weren't worth it - perhaps by next year they will have bulked up a bit.
These mail order companies get you in a number of ways, - they really understand their customers : the price per plant always looks very attractive relative to what you'd pay for a fully grown one - with lots of discount vouchers and 'free' extra plants , they use highly 'optimistic' photos in the catalogues and they push their catalogues out very early in the season, when you are itching to get started and get you to order well in advance.
I will try very hard not to be tempted next year - from now on it's either seeds or the garden centre/nursery where I can see what I'm getting.
These were grafted plants, which now you can get them here (used to always grow grafted toms in NZ as did my Dad). You get a bigger yield on one plant and it saves on space. So the garden centre is sold out now. No sign of my missing plants yet. Fortunately the tomatoes that have arrived have quickly reached the bigger size. Probably not to damaged in the post after all I live about 10 miles from Marshalls so they haven't been in transit long. The aurbergines I've had longer but they were very delicate when I got them. Wastes my tunnel house though if they dont catch up quick as the cover will only last two seasons......the little squares fall out :crybaby2:
Yes I will be complaining and next time will not be buying them from online.
I'd only buy online from secialists that have stuff I simply cant get anywhere else, otherwise I grow it or touch it before I buy... sorry you had to learn the hard way :-(
I only bought from them because when they closed their garden club, which I was organiser for our site, and they sent out vouchers for compensation and had a special buy 6 get 3 free offer.......but then so did my local garden centre 3 weeks after I put my order in and without the postage. The plants were twice the size but I could only look as I'd already ordered.
So I have complained to Marshalls, and suggested perhaps they had forgotten my order and were having to produce more plants to fulfil it, hence the delay. The email I got back was unapologetic and they stated that everything was behind this year (I assume they mean the weather conditions but that doesn't explain the plants in the garden centre in early May which I believe came from Sutton's.
I have to check but many of the seed/plant companies operate under 2 names and I'm not sure but Sutton's may also be Marshall's.
Apparently the rest of my plants have been despatched since my email.
Oh they just arrived. Even the postie didn't believe they hadn't forgotten to send my order when I told him.
Let me see what they look like. They're in 2" pots and about 3" tall with 3/4 leaves quite green but they've only been in the post about 18 hours and travelled 11.9 miles.
After ordering from T&M last year and Crowders this year I will never order online again. Both were terrible quality, plants, onion sets, garlic and flowers
I have had success with mail order. Got a patio quince from DT Brown it arrived in good condition and is doing well. A rose from crocus reduced to half price as it was late in the season....guess the extended winter helped....is doing well and other fruit bushes and trees from Blackmoor's also good.
I guess seedlings and young herbaceous plants are harder to do by mail but if you're going to sell them you have to make them worth what the customer pays and I don't feel that mine were. I'll get them locally next time.