My expensive PP charges with Capital Gardens

[Little tom]

Hello,

I thought my recent misfortunes with Capital Gardens could at least benefit other people...(maybe I'm not the only one!). Be careful with the deilvery charges!

I ordered garden stuff from them on the Internet and I had problems with the delivery. I was charged £10 per day for not being at home at the time of delivery...Expensive . I should have read the small print! But all my orders to other gardening stuff providers had been so great that I just didn't see that coming.
I was not at home on the day of first delivery (was at work!) so the courier took the parcel back. Fair enough. I got back on that day to say that I was happy if they left the parcel by my letter box which is inside a building, a decently safe place that I never had a problem with (at that time I didn't know yet that I had been charged £10 extra...) They said OK but then the next day changed their minds, and said the letterbox wasn't a safe place, so they took the parcel back again. £10 extra again. On the 3rd day they left the parcel where I said, and later I found out about the charges - that was more than the cost of the items themselves I don't think that's very fair!

Right, sorry for the long rant but I had to say it - hope this will help others to be more careful than myself.
Maybe Capital Gardens are not always so bad (I've only made one order from them and probably won't try again). Most other online garden retailers that I've used were super nice...

[jeny]

Thanks for the heads up. I, along with most other people dont read the small print of most things.

I mainly arrange for parcels to be sent to my mam's house as she's retired.

[Little tom]

Thanks Jeny,
Yep you're wise to do so!
Mind you I've used my very nice retired neighbour a few times and every time, the courier turned up during exactly the 20 mins when she was shopping :-) Unfortunate...

[jeny]

Ah yes, our neighbours have also taken some deliveries, although, I think she's got a more active social life than me.

[Hollie the Wollie]

Little Tom... don't accept these charges. They seem unfair, regardless of whether in their small print or not! You got in touch with them and requested that the item is left in what you consider a safe place, I think at a bare minimum they should not have charged the 2nd and 3rd fees.

Consumer Direct Consumer Direct is excellent and will be able to assist you in dealing with matters like this!

[Little tom]

Originally Posted by Hollie the Wollie

Little Tom... don't accept these charges. They seem unfair, regardless of whether in their small print or not! You got in touch with them and requested that the item is left in what you consider a safe place, I think at a bare minimum they should not have charged the 2nd and 3rd fees.

Consumer Direct Consumer Direct is excellent and will be able to assist you in dealing with matters like this!

Thanks Hollie!
I didn't know Consumer Direct and I'll definitely keep this in mind. I did phone Capital Garden and had a hard time getting anything out of the unimpressive 'customer help'. Eventually I got £10 back as a 'gesture of woodwill' from them...better than nothing (although until the end they insisted it was all my fault )