Dobbies
 

i ordered geranium plants from them, some time ago. A delay in sending
due to slow growth. Acceptable. However they were due to arrive on
Friday, not sign of them, when I contacted them no reply from them. They
blame the lockdown for slow responses. Why? Other companies are managing
fine. I will not order from them again, that is for sure!

Dobbies
 

Broadback wrote:
i ordered geranium plants from them, some time ago. A delay in sending
due to slow growth. Acceptable. However they were due to arrive on
Friday, not sign of them, when I contacted them no reply from them. They
blame the lockdown for slow responses. Why? Other companies are managing
fine. I will not order from them again, that is for sure!

Yes, most of my 'favourite' online/mail-order companies seem to be
coping pretty well with the lockdown - e.g. screwfix, toolstation, CPC
and most eBay suppliers.

However gardening businesses seem to have a problem, we waited *ages*
for an order from Littlefields Farm to arrive and I can't really see
why they can't at least answer the phone or respond to e-mails.

--
Chris Green
·

Dobbies
 

Chris Green wrote:

Broadback wrote:
i ordered geranium plants from them, some time ago. A delay in sending
due to slow growth. Acceptable. However they were due to arrive on
Friday, not sign of them, when I contacted them no reply from them. They
blame the lockdown for slow responses. Why? Other companies are managing
fine. I will not order from them again, that is for sure!

Yes, most of my 'favourite' online/mail-order companies seem to be
coping pretty well with the lockdown - e.g. screwfix, toolstation, CPC
and most eBay suppliers.

However gardening businesses seem to have a problem, we waited *ages*
for an order from Littlefields Farm to arrive and I can't really see
why they can't at least answer the phone or respond to e-mails.

I've had very slow service from Marshalls, and there has been
poor correlation between dispatch advice (where there has been
one) and package arrival. Some of the plants have been pretty
weedy, one was lost from the package in transit, one had its only
viable shoot killed by being trapped in the plastic pack. One
parcel spent the hot Bank Holiday weekend in the post, so was
pretty withered by the time it arrived.

I have sent several emails of complaint, but so far have heard
nothing more than auto-responses.

Not a firm I will be using again.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK
@ChrisJDixon1

Plant amazing Acers.

Dobbies
 

On 14/06/2020 11:40, Chris Green wrote:
Broadback wrote:
i ordered geranium plants from them, some time ago. A delay in sending
due to slow growth. Acceptable. However they were due to arrive on
Friday, not sign of them, when I contacted them no reply from them. They
blame the lockdown for slow responses. Why? Other companies are managing
fine. I will not order from them again, that is for sure!

Yes, most of my 'favourite' online/mail-order companies seem to be
coping pretty well with the lockdown - e.g. screwfix, toolstation, CPC
and most eBay suppliers.

However gardening businesses seem to have a problem, we waited *ages*
for an order from Littlefields Farm to arrive and I can't really see
why they can't at least answer the phone or respond to e-mails.


We have wondered why we are hearing stuff like this so we asked around
some of the small nurseries where we know the owners, what appears to
have happened is that with these small family run concerns they have
Furloughed all their staff and are trying to do it all them selves but
finding by the time they have done the day to day stuff like watering
and moving plants around they have little time left. one nursery
reported both he and his wife now working 15 hour days. Not that bad
here but a couple of days a week taken up with just packaging mail order
which we were not expecting so instead of loads of extra free time to
get on with projects we are just as busy as usual! (Yes I know I
shouldn't complain!!)

--
Charlie Pridham
Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk

Dobbies
 

On 15/06/2020 08:29, Charlie Pridham wrote:
On 14/06/2020 11:40, Chris Green wrote:
Broadback wrote:
i ordered geranium plants from them, some time ago. A delay in sending
due to slow growth. Acceptable. However they were due to arrive on
Friday, not sign of them, when I contacted them no reply from them. They
blame the lockdown for slow responses. Why? Other companies are managing
fine. I will not order from them again, that is for sure!

Yes, most of my 'favourite' online/mail-order companies seem to be
coping pretty well with the lockdown - e.g. screwfix, toolstation, CPC
and most eBay suppliers.

However gardening businesses seem to have a problem, we waited *ages*
for an order from Littlefields Farm to arrive and I can't really see
why they can't at least answer the phone or respond to e-mails.


We have wondered why we are hearing stuff like this so we asked around
some of the small nurseries where we know the owners, what appears to
have happened is that with these small family run concerns they have
Furloughed all their staff and are trying to do it all them selves but
finding by the time they have done the day to day stuff like watering
and moving plants around they have little time left. one nursery
reported both he and his wife now working 15 hour days. Not that bad
here but a couple of days a week taken up with just packaging mail order
which we were not expecting so instead of loads of extra free time to
get on with projects we are just as busy as usual! (Yes I know I
shouldn't complain!!)

I can understand that, but surely Dobies are not in the small company
bracket?

Dobbies
 

Broadback wrote:
On 15/06/2020 08:29, Charlie Pridham wrote:
On 14/06/2020 11:40, Chris Green wrote:
Broadback wrote:
i ordered geranium plants from them, some time ago. A delay in sending
due to slow growth. Acceptable. However they were due to arrive on
Friday, not sign of them, when I contacted them no reply from them. They
blame the lockdown for slow responses. Why? Other companies are managing
fine. I will not order from them again, that is for sure!

Yes, most of my 'favourite' online/mail-order companies seem to be
coping pretty well with the lockdown - e.g. screwfix, toolstation, CPC
and most eBay suppliers.

However gardening businesses seem to have a problem, we waited *ages*
for an order from Littlefields Farm to arrive and I can't really see
why they can't at least answer the phone or respond to e-mails.


We have wondered why we are hearing stuff like this so we asked around
some of the small nurseries where we know the owners, what appears to
have happened is that with these small family run concerns they have
Furloughed all their staff and are trying to do it all them selves but
finding by the time they have done the day to day stuff like watering
and moving plants around they have little time left. one nursery
reported both he and his wife now working 15 hour days. Not that bad
here but a couple of days a week taken up with just packaging mail order
which we were not expecting so instead of loads of extra free time to
get on with projects we are just as busy as usual! (Yes I know I
shouldn't complain!!)

I can understand that, but surely Dobies are not in the small company
bracket?

Nor are Littlefields Farm I don't think.

--
Chris Green
·

Dobbies
 

On 14/06/2020 11:40, Chris Green wrote:
Broadback wrote:
i ordered geranium plants from them, some time ago. A delay in sending
due to slow growth. Acceptable. However they were due to arrive on
Friday, not sign of them, when I contacted them no reply from them. They
blame the lockdown for slow responses. Why? Other companies are managing
fine. I will not order from them again, that is for sure!

Yes, most of my 'favourite' online/mail-order companies seem to be
coping pretty well with the lockdown - e.g. screwfix, toolstation, CPC
and most eBay suppliers.

Screwfix/Toolsatan seem to be still operating on a limited stock
availability with quite a lot still not available. In my local Screwfix
many of the behind counter shelves are barely populated. They are also
operating with a much reduced staff level indicating possibly much lower
sales than normal.

There have been quite a few things I've wanted on Ebay where the number
of people or companies adverting the product have fallen in number often
resulting in suppliers with the product increasing prices. In one case
something that was available from many suppliers in January for £25 for
5 litres currently is only available from a couple of suppliers at £30
for 1 litre.

Try to buy certain building supplies and see what's available!


However gardening businesses seem to have a problem, we waited *ages*
for an order from Littlefields Farm to arrive and I can't really see
why they can't at least answer the phone or respond to e-mails.


Not geared up with a large call centre or possible not with a large IT
department geared up for people working from home (answering phones)? If
a company didn't have the necessary infrastructure for remote IT working
prior to the lockdown and self isolation they are unlikly to have it
now, Even when companies have people working from home to answer phones
it doesn't mean that they can sort out problems because they may only
have limited access to other company facilities.

--
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