How do we stop this from happening?

p.newman650

I ordered plants from the online company Gardening Express since at the time garden centres were closed due to COVID .Having waited two months and paid what I would consider average prices, certainly NOT  bargain basement prices, I am flabberghasted with the state these plants are in and the company are very hard to contact.I now see there are many other people in the same situation.Is it possible to highlight to the company that this is completely wrong?One of the main problems is people just cant contact them and get a response and so the situation is ongoing .I was quite frankly lost for words when the plants arrived.

Hostafan1

try Trading Standards at your local council?

Obelixx

See if they have a Facebook page and shame them on there.  Usually gets a fast reaction.

AnniD

I have the looked at the reviews on Trustpilot and see that (at least on the first couple of pages),the positive reviews have all been invited. The one response they have made states that their customer services do respond but it may take some time (!).
Their Facebook page that they are unable to respond to social media posts, and to go through the customer service procedure. 
Basically you are between a rock and a hard place, you can try Trading Standards but it looks like that could take some time. It really annoys me when companies carry on taking orders (and money) knowing that they just can't keep up with demand. This message from their founder on 1st June.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3253213304728851&id=208131289237083&_ft_=mf_story_key.3253213304728851:top_level_post_id.3253213304728851:tl_objid.3253213304728851:content_owner_id_new.208131289237083:throwback_story_fbid.3253213304728851:page_id.208131289237083:photo_id.3253210671395781:story_location.4:story_attachment_style.photo:tds_flgs.3:page_insights.{"208131289237083":{"page_id":208131289237083,"page_id_type":"page","actor_id":208131289237083,"dm":{"isShare":0,"originalPostOwnerID":0},"psn":"EntStatusCreationStory","post_context":{"object_fbtype":266,"publish_time":1591015777,"story_name":"EntStatusCreationStory","story_fbid":[3253213304728851]},"role":1,"sl":4,"targets":[{"actor_id":208131289237083,"page_id":208131289237083,"post_id":3253213304728851,"role":1,"share_id":0}]}}&ref=page_internal&__tn__=,;

Sadly you might just have to chalk it up to experience .

Singing Gardener

@Treeface I wonder if that's the same company that I'm waiting to receive plants from. I order them on May 11th and the website said up to 10 days for delivery. Last week I contacted them to chase up and they said the plants were just being picked and would be delivered imminently. Nothing has arrived. My mother has also waited a couple of months for plants from the same company.

p.newman650

Replying to Singing Gardener.I thought the wait was far too long and realised by Facebook posts that a lot of people were complaining about the wait and not being able to raise an answer from the company but my complaint was the plants themselves. All 5 of the lupins were broke and two of them were just stumps. So no lupins this year...if ever.Of three aquilegias, one wont flower this year but looks okay, one looks like its fit for the compost heap and I'm not sure the other one ever got going.There was one small perennial wallflower that looks like it may have flowered quite some time ago. That's not a good experience for forty pounds.I am not a serial complainer but this is poor and I can see lots of other really unhappy people out there with similar experiences so that a lot of unhappy people . I am in the process of trying to contact the company. I hope your plants arrive in a better condition.I 'm still getting over the shock of mine. I wouldn't have even raised this  here but so many other people seem to be having the same problem and it should not be continuing.

AnniD

There are a couple of companies (one with a similar name) having really bad feedback. I think people were accepting the delays due to the circumstances,  but it was the state of the plants that were (eventually) arriving that was the main cause for complaint. 
I had dreadful trouble with the company l ordered from, the main problem was the lack of communication. I understand they were short staffed but their main contact number was premium rate,  never answered, yet they were still taking orders and money while at the same time saying on the website that they were struggling under the weight of demand. If they had done what other nurseries did and said they were taking no new orders until they'd cleared the backlog,  they could have kept the majority of customers goodwill. As it is, the reputation they had is shot, and when the only good reviews they are receiving are invited ones, it doesn't look good.
Sorry,  l know this doesn't help with your problem, but l feel better for "saying" it.