Reviews of The Vernon Geranium Nursery

Dear Anonymous, I have read your review and I am sorry to hear what has happened with your order this year. I would appreciate it very much if you would email me on mrgeranium@aol.com in order for me to resolve this with you, as clearly something has gone very wrong and I am very keen to sort this out. Please be assured that definite steps have been taken to overcome the problems that have happened this spring and I do apologise for the errors with your order. I would very much like to investigate this further and come to an agreeable solution with you. I hope to hear from you further.
kind regards, Liz

(3.0/5)

Hugely disappointed and angry. This year my order from Vernon Geranium Nursery took many weeks to arrive all the way from Guernsey and in dreadful condition. Recently the forty plants have started to flower after much TLC, but instead of the 'Decora Imperial Red' geraniums that last year had looked so stunning and dramatic tumbling over the balcony of my guest house all summer, this year, though my order was for the same plants, these have a very pale pinkish white flower and bear no resemblance to the Decora variety that I ordered. My telephone call to complain was eventually answered by a miserable disinterested gentleman who was not in any way sincerely apologetic, but agreed to refund my order though not the p&p. Having since read all of the disgruntled reviews I now understand why he did not sound as though he enjoyed his job! What a shame that an established family firm with a good reputation has so quickly changed after being taken over.

(1.0/5)

Since my earlier post I have since had a handful of complaints to me and have resolved these directly. I welcome all communication to me to resolve any matters – please feel free to email me on mrgeranium@aol.com. I have been running The Vernon Geranium Nursery with my family for twenty years, my parents having started the nursery in the 1970’s. Last summer it became clear that the family wanted to go in differing directions, not least that in their late seventies it was the right time for my parents to finally retire. I wanted to continue the nursery into the future and I approached Thompson and Morgan to help me and they have supported me in keeping the nursery going, it would have been a great shame for the specialist collection that my family started to come to an end and for these wonderful plants to no longer be available - as has happened with so many specialist nurseries and if we don't keep specialist collections going we will all end up with only the wholesalers limited range of plants available in the UK.

I will stress that we have not amalgamated into one – Vernon’s is still being run separately by me and the collection of plants are being specially grown in a greenhouse in the UK under my direction. Some areas have been taken off my hands on a day to day basis, such as the customer care and posting side but I am still very much involved with this – it would have been impossible for me to manage the entire operation on a solo basis. It is clear from the comments here that there have been some serious problems with some orders this spring, particularly quality and customer service, and I welcome contact so that I can resolve these matters on a one to one basis. Please be assured that the intention is for this unique collection to continue in the same way it always has, rare geraniums of high quality being available via mail order. I fully accept that, highlighted here, there are problems which I will investigate fully as I certainly haven’t ever had comments like this in the past and I don’t want this situation to continue in the future. I have had to give a star rating to post this so I have gone with a three star as clearly there are things where 'could do better' is appropriate. With kind regards, Liz Sims, The Vernon Geranium Nursery.

(3.0/5)

I agree totally with every comment made by other disgruntled customers. Whilst I appreciate the need for changes at Vernons due to retirement, I disagree with the statement by Liz Sims that plants are grown and sent out in the UK. This year all our plants came from Guernsey and some were of poor quality. When i complained to the CALL CENTRE! I discovered that the business had been taken over by T &M. The call centre operative didn't know his arm from his elbow and although replacement plants were sent together with outstanding overdue other plants, customer service has been appalling. However, the most upsetting part of this is that all the plants sent this year are inferior in quality. We ordered surfinias again, which were wonderful last year and smelt lovely, however this year, the new plants do not look like surfinias and have no smell. So I welcome your comments Ms Sims and will not be ording any more plants.

(1.0/5)

They are absolutely an appalling disgrace when it comes to customer service. I can't comment on their plants because they have not arrived.

As they never answer emails or the phone I did some internet research and found the direct contact information of the registered owner of the website. Also while digging around I found another of his websites to avoid. www.vanmeuwen.com. The same photos and contents as www.geraniumsuk.com. This guy is a scam artist who only wants to line his pockets with YOUR money. We should all complain to the Trading Standards and not stand for his scams.

(1.0/5)

I agree with everything that has been posted here. I have been a satisfied customer for many years but not this year, my plants were rubbish or not what I ordered and customer care was uncaring! Then Liz Sims contacted me and to her credit she is trying to put things right. I urge others to contact her so that she can try and rectify the problems they are obviously having. It would be a pity if Vernon's were no more
Incidentally Van Muen are also part of Thompson and Morgan group hence the same web site.

(1.0/5)

Like so many others, I had bought Vernon's geraniums in the past and been very pleased with them. This year those plants which have arrived have been in appalling condition. I will not buy from this company again and, far from recommending them, would warn people against wasting their money.

(1.0/5)

I have come across the comments on this forum which makes for upsetting reading and I welcome all communication to me to resolve any matters – please feel free to email me on mrgeranium@aol.com. I have been running The Vernon Geranium Nursery with my family for twenty years, my parents having started the nursery in the 1970’s. Last summer it became clear that the family wanted to go in differing directions, not least that in their late seventies it was the right time for my parents to finally retire. I wanted to continue the nursery into the future and I approached Thompson and Morgan to help me and they have supported me in keeping the nursery going, it would have been a great shame for the specialist collection that my family started to come to an end and for these wonderful plants to no longer be available - as has happened with so many specialist nurseries and if we don't keep specialist collections going we will all end up with only the wholesalers limited range of plants available in the UK.

I will stress that we have not amalgamated into one – Vernon’s is still being run separately by me and the collection of plants are being specially grown in a greenhouse in the UK under my direction. Some areas have been taken off my hands on a day to day basis, such as the customer care and posting side but I am still very much involved with this – it would have been impossible for me to manage the entire operation on a solo basis. It is clear from the comments here that there have been some serious problems with some orders this spring, particularly quality and customer service, and I welcome contact so that I can resolve these matters on a one to one basis. Please be assured that the intention is for this unique collection to continue in the same way it always has, rare geraniums of high quality being available via mail order. I fully accept that, highlighted here, there are problems which I will investigate fully as I certainly haven’t ever had comments like this in the past and I don’t want this situation to continue in the future. I have had to give a star rating to post this so I have gone with a three star as clearly there are things where 'could do better' is appropriate. With kind regards, Liz Sims, The Vernon Geranium Nursery.

(3.0/5)

I have been a Vernons customer for about 10 years, their plants were fantastic and you could find unusual varieties, delivered when you wanted them. I placed my order as usual in December but there was not the option to say when you wanted delivery, that should have set alarm bells ringing. Plants have been delivered in what appears to be T&M packaging, sometimes one lone one on it's own and at varying times over the last few months. My last outstanding item was Springfield Black which is a dark regal, twice I have been sent a mystery zonal and when I rang today to tell them they had sent the wrong thing again, the customer services told me that zonals and regals were the same thing! I said 'do you actually know anything about geraniums?' to which she replied 'no' - says it all really.

One more ex customer.

(1.0/5)

I can add to the sorry story being told by other reviewers. I ordered two types of geranium in April, one of which was delivered in May, but I am still awaiting delivery of the other. Two emails have been sent, but neither have been answered. I managed to find their 020 number, but got an answer machine, so I left a message, but there has been no reply. On trying the expensive 0844 number I got the history of the Vernon business, which of course is irrelevant and very misleading now that it is part of T&M. Where do I go from here? And our garden is open in June for the NGS!

(1.0/5)

I too have received very poor geraniums and still have an outstanding order for scented leaf geraniums.......they come up with every excuse under the sun for non delivery....If I had know they had been taken over by T & M I would NEVER have purchased from them in the first place. Shame on you VERNON NURSERY!!!

(1.0/5)

Unfortunately Vernons Geraniums name only was bought by Thompson and Morgan in October 2010 the geraniums are not supplied by Vernons but supplied by Thompson and Morgan sent out in Vernons packaging to make it look as if they are vernons. I had ordered Geraniums from Vernons in the past and they were always first class unlike the rubbish being sent out from Thompson & Morgan such a pity as Vernons had a good reputation and was a family run business. Thompson seem to have a habit of trading under other suppliers good name you only have to check some of the other well known suppliers on the internet to find out. I will not in future deal with mail order plants.

(1.0/5)

as with other gardeners my plants from vernons were rubbish, i got very little help when i complained, this made me suspisious so i made further enquiries and found out that vernons have been taken over by i suspect plants direct of guernsey although i was told that vernons were still trading from thier nursery but do not selll by mail order.

(1.0/5)

Very disapointed with recent delivery
Plants in poor condition free plants advertised on website have not arrived and three e-mails not answered
customer care and satisfaction not a priority anymore?
Won't be using this firm again

(1.0/5)

I am disappointed with their website. An offer in the catalogue is not listed on the website. An email querying this has not been replied to. Their contact phone number is a premium cost 0844 number which I will not use as a matter of principle.

(1.0/5)

April 2011 I received my order of 5 mixed coloured geraniums. The plants seemed to have suffered just a little in transport but they are showing signs of fresh healthy growth now.

(3.0/5)

Several plants arrived in a very poor condition and did not survive. Very disappointed that you could not take the trouble to reply to either the email or the letter which was sent. If this is the way you treat new customers it is unlikely they will return.

(1.0/5)