Horrible customer service
Okells is a lovely garden centre that sells beautiful plants and gifts - it’s also less than 10 minutes from my home. I’ve just checked on line and having lived in this area for two years I’ve been there 44 times and spent just over £5000; not sure if that makes me a good customer. I visited a few weeks ago and asked if a potting table was for sale, I was told it wasn’t. When I next returned it had disappeared and I asked the same person who told me that it had been sold; very disappointing. Today I bought various things including a reduced plant pot and a reduced plant. The bill came to more than I was expecting so I checked and the plant pot had been put through at full price, which the staff member then corrected. When I reached my car I realised that the plant had also been put through at full price (even though the reduced sticker was completely visible and just below the original barcode). I returned and a young man with a moustache (not the person who had originally served me) said he would rectify it. Instead of simply saying he was sorry and would correct it, I had to endure a defensive diatribe on how errors aren’t their fault. Only when I stated that I found his manner unacceptable did he deign to apologise for the error.
I go to garden centres because I love to garden and enjoy shopping. Okells has lovely things but based on their customer service I don’t find it an enjoyable experience to shop there and I certainly don’t feel like a valued customer. Since it really isn’t that much further for me to drive to the Grosvenor garden centre where I have found the staff to be very pleasant and helpful I will go there instead.
