How the industry coped with excess demand
LEADING garden brands agreed they had faced unprecedented demand for plants and equipment during lockdown and stressed that they worked tirelessly to meet their customers’ needs and refund requirements.
David Turner of Mr Fothergill’s said that customers who were aggrieved with the service they received or the state their plants arrived in went away happy once they had spoken to someone, had their say and received a replacement or refund.
Chris Wright of Thompson and Morgan said that no plants would have left their warehouse in an unsatisfactory condition, but that the extended length of transportation time, brought about by increased demand, meant that some reached their destinations in lessthan-pristine conditions.
Demands had been met
He added: “Where customers contacted us, we organised replacements or refunds if plants were no longer available. After the initial peak, we quickly returned to delivering within the advertised time frames.”
Peter McDermott of online retailer YouGarden said they had been stretched to the limit by lockdown orders, but had met the demands, and are now looking ahead at how to proceed when similar situations arise in the future. He said: “It is obvious that many gardeners fall within the older generation and are therefore more susceptible to the dangers of Coronavirus. “It’s entirely understandable that they will continue to prefer to shop online rather than going out into the retail environment. “We’re delighted to say our deliveries are now back to our usual service levels, so customers can depend upon us to get their gardening goods with confidence.”