Last September, I sent for a lot of plants and bulbs from a well-known bulb firm in Manchester.

The plants arrived piece meal over the weeks until mid- November when the final little box arrived containing the 3 Himalayan Poppies I'd ordered. They were dried up, flat as pancakes and were in a plastic bag with holes in inside the box. There were no instructions with them, only the invoice which had a little sticker on it saying that they were dormant and new growth would appear in the Spring.

I didn't know what to do with them and I assumed that I had to keep them somewhere frost-free until Spring and this is what I did until about a month ago when I planted them up into pots and stood them on the windowsill. The outcome is that they have just done nothing whatsover except rot in the pots; no sign of growth of any kind at all.

Last week I wrote to complain about them and received a letter saying that it was my own fault as I didn't follow their (non-existing) instructions, and should have planted them in the garden when I received them - so, hard cheese and kiss goodbye to my £8.95.

I have written back to take issue with them regarding the lack of instructions and told them to take me off any mailing lists they have me on as I do not intend ever ordering anything else from them.

My order with them came to £45.95 with P&P so I think they have lost a potential good customer.

That's terrible Monika - you should keep on at them about not sending instructions. Are you supposed to be a mind reader now.

Tell them you will be relating the tale to all the members of the various forums you are a members of, with the instruction to pass on details of the company to anybody who is interested .... perhaps the potential lost of custom might cause them to reconsider

I think that will be my next step, deja. I'll wait and see what their reply will be (that is, if they bother )

I'm so angry about this and wonder how many people would know what to do with the plants without having to be told. Not many, I would imagine - November not being a time when you would normally be planting anything but bare-rooted shrubs

Nasty.
Firms usually send instructions with orders.

Have they got an e-mail address? I'll go in with several different addresses (cough) and say I have heard baaaaaaaaaaaaad things about their customer service and aftercare......

If they don't write back in the near future, I think I'll contact BBC Watchdog. That seems to work wonders.

Monika I have a good idea who that firm is I bought some plants from them years ago, when the plant died and I complained they blamed my soil and asked me to send a sample, I just replied you have lost a customer.

I'm happy to tell you all that following my second letter to the company I have, today, received a cheque for £8.95 from them ......... and an apology.

They are now vindicated.