On 10/07/2014 20:26, 'Mike' wrote:
"David Hill" wrote in message ...

A few weeks ago I ordered to sets of 3 bare rooted plants of double
geraniums from Hayloft plants who say

"Buy mail order plants on-line with confidence. For that special, rare
or unusual garden plant, delivered to your door fresh from our UK
nursery in the Vale of Evesham, saving you a visit to your local garden
centre."

When they came they were Dutch bare rooted plants lifted who knows when.
I planted them on arrival, 3 were very dry and the other 3 had been
soaked and were still soggy when they arrived, within a few days 2 had
started to shoot, no sign of life from the others and to this day still
no sign of life.
I phoned them after 3 weeks and told them so they offered to replace I
of one variety and 3 of the other.
The replacements arrived yesterday, 2 bags with 2 roots in each Labelled
A and B.
The Dispatch Note says
PACK 1/A-B Geranium pratense Summer Skyes
PACK 1/C-D Geranium pratense Southcombe Double
0ne plant/root in pack B was Dead black and brittle.
When I phoned the girl seemed to have difficulty understanding my
confusion as to what I might have as replacements
She thought that A would be the first variety and B the second despite
what the Note says.
I said about the others not growing so she asked me to take a photo of
the "With a camera", so I asked if she wanted me to dig them back out of
the post, she had no answer, but did offer to send more replacements or
cash back, so I've opted for Cash back as I reckon the "plants must have
been lifted last Autumn and stored.
So let the buyer beware, they may dispatch the items from their nursery
but they don't grow them all, They also trade in Dutch items the same as
you would get from a number of other Mail order firms.
David @ a dry side of Swansea Bay
============================================

Mail order :-(

Yuk.

Rubbish sent is the left overs from the people who visit and can see
what they are buying.

Message? Go and VISIT and buy what you see.

Nearly all garden Centres have facilities to encourage you to look
around. We have a superb one, in fact two here on the Isle of Wight and
whilst they do local deliveries, I don't think they do mail order. (One
in particular, Thompsons on Hale Common do a superb cup of tea and their
cakes are just too fattening) ............................ Hope nobody
objects to me advertising their services. No of course you don't.

Face to face, you can't beat it.

Mike
South East Coast of the Isle of Wight

You are so wrong Mike.
Long gone are the days when firms like Kent Country Nurseries sold
things like climbing strawberries and other things that fell foul of
trading standards and who had the policy that if you can catch 10
million people for a £1 each who cares if they don't come back.
Now a days Mail order firms who send out plants don't send left over
junk, they tend to send a very standardised item that fits the packaging
and doesn't cost the earth in delivery charges, but they want repeat
orders from all customers.
I know when I was doing mail order with the dahlias I had many customers
that came back year after year.
The only difference in what I sent out and what was collected was the
collected plants might be to large to fit the packs.
I buy am lot of plants by mail order and the only ones I've had problems
with have originated form Holland, though it is less than 5% of those
from Holland, and mostly from one firm that I don't deal with now.
David @ a dry side of Swansea Bay