A Guide On Where To Buy Plants

[CletePurcel]

I ordered some plants from this site the week before last, but there is no sign of them. They were supposed to arrive last week if all went according to plan. To be fair they say that things sometimes get held up by customs and so on as they order the plants from overseas when they get your order.

I just emailed them to ask what was going on, but haven't had a reply yet.

Hmm, I'm not in a rush but I don't want to be waiting weeks. I don't know what to do

It is frustrating. I'll let you know when (if) I get a response.

 

[CletePurcel]

It is frustrating. I'll let you know when (if) I get a response.

I just received this response from plantedtanks:

"We are now waiting confirmation that your plants have cleared customs today. They should be with you wednesday following our own inspection and processing."

So if they arrive on Wednesday that will be a week overdue.

 

[Joshwainwright]

I just received this response from plantedtanks:

"We are now waiting confirmation that your plants have cleared customs today. They should be with you wednesday following our own inspection and processing."

So if they arrive on Wednesday that will be a week overdue.

I think I shall forgive them as I have heard from a "senior" member that they supply high quality plants.

 

[PlantedTanks]

It is frustrating. I'll let you know when (if) I get a response.

I just received this response from plantedtanks:

"We are now waiting confirmation that your plants have cleared customs today. They should be with you wednesday following our own inspection and processing."

So if they arrive on Wednesday that will be a week overdue.

Mark,

points to clarify.
1) your order was placed at 10pm on the 1st February 2011.
2) we relayed your order to the suppliers as advised by email
3) we advised all customers by email, on the website and on our forum Talkaquatics.com of a delay caused by Chinese New Year
4) you emailed me to check the progress of your order on 14th February 2011 at 09:11 which was the first enquiry you made
5) We immediately responded back to you.
6) you were also notified that the plants cleared UK Customs and Defra and that we also have our own controls to perform
7) In about 1 hour you will receive an email advising that your order has been dispatched.

Your order is complete, it has been collected by Royal Mail and will be with you as fast as the Royal Mail can deliver it. It does require a signature on delivery. If you are not in, the Royal Mail will leave a card or you to collect or arrange a second delivery.

I hope that this concludes your order. The delays to date were unavoidable. We notified every customer by email of the delay. We can only apologise that you missed the notice / email.

I thank you for your custom. If you have any queries - then please feel free to email either [email protected] or direct to me [email protected]

kind regards

Tony
Tony Newsom-Virr
Owner - PlantedTanks
www.plantedtanks.co.uk

 

[PlantedTanks]

I was just wondering if anybody has had any experiences with http/www.plantedtanks.co.uk/

I have used them recently. They will place your order with their supplier abroad and send the plants to you the week after. I bought Easycarbo and some dosing bottles from there both of which are excellent. I have not been able to find anyone else who sells these dosing bottles. It seems plantedtanks.co.uk and aquariumplantfood.co.uk might be the same people as the photos and products are pretty much identical.

The plants that came through were ok and they came on the day as promised. I am no expert so I can't tell you the quality but they seemed fine - some leaves were browning and had to be removed. My crypts are melting but that normal from what I heard. I emailed them but I never got a reply so if things go according to plan - thumbs up. If they dont I am not sure if they are reachable.

I'd love to know what someone else things of this supplier as I am thinking of doing a replant soon.

Cheers

Ps> I have tried Java Plants in the past and they were ok also. Works in the same way as plantedtanks.co.uk with ordering with the supplier by the end of the week and delivery the week after.
With the supplier I got a creepy insect egg with the plants - but I think this is common with plants grown abroad/outdoors. I think it was a dragonfly thingy and it was hiding amongst my java moss! About 1.5" long and black. It swam away very quickly and I have not seen it since. I still shudder thinking about it!!

Esme,

to clarify - PlantedTanks and AquariumPlantFood are not the same company... we do however work together and supply the same products. Basically - I sell APFUK salts... here is a post I put on my forum...

An interesting perspective could be questioned here... who do I buy from??? Well to answer this - I think it is good practice to post up what the relationship between PlantedTanks and AquariumPlantFood is....

Basically we are two independent companies - who both have a similar philosophy... Strangely though we met on a forum and agreed to work together. I sell Plants, but also stock the ferts as well... APFUK sells the ferts and does not stock plants, but can order them at wholesale should a customer of his want something specific.
The relationship is open... we price match between each other... we work together and with this = we both become stronger.

Now where should you buy from??? I would say both companies and I would assume that APFUK would say the same. PlantedTanks specialise in Plants, APFUK in ferts...
Now if say you had an order and your priority was plants with say 1 or 2 dry salts, then use PlantedTanks... however if your order was for Ferts and you wanted a specific plant - then go to APFUK... not only that, we both have differing shipping discounts and strategies. Both are very reasonable rates but maximise your buying power... Free shipping at PlantedTanks requires £40.00... but APFUK is £30.00

however one point to mention - PlantedTanks ships out on a Tuesday only... APFUK ships daily - the difference here is the stocking types. If you need your ferts next day - definately go to APFUK... If you can wait use PlantedTanks...

I hope this helps Esme.

 

[CletePurcel]

It is frustrating. I'll let you know when (if) I get a response.

I just received this response from plantedtanks:

"We are now waiting confirmation that your plants have cleared customs today. They should be with you wednesday following our own inspection and processing."

So if they arrive on Wednesday that will be a week overdue.

Mark,

points to clarify.
1) your order was placed at 10pm on the 1st February 2011.
2) we relayed your order to the suppliers as advised by email
3) we advised all customers by email, on the website and on our forum Talkaquatics.com of a delay caused by Chinese New Year
4) you emailed me to check the progress of your order on 14th February 2011 at 09:11 which was the first enquiry you made
5) We immediately responded back to you.
6) you were also notified that the plants cleared UK Customs and Defra and that we also have our own controls to perform
7) In about 1 hour you will receive an email advising that your order has been dispatched.

Your order is complete, it has been collected by Royal Mail and will be with you as fast as the Royal Mail can deliver it. It does require a signature on delivery. If you are not in, the Royal Mail will leave a card or you to collect or arrange a second delivery.

I hope that this concludes your order. The delays to date were unavoidable. We notified every customer by email of the delay. We can only apologise that you missed the notice / email.

I thank you for your custom. If you have any queries - then please feel free to email either [email protected] or direct to me [email protected]

kind regards

Tony
Tony Newsom-Virr
Owner - PlantedTanks
www.plantedtanks.co.uk

Sorry, but I did not receive the email about the original delay. If I had I would not have had to query the order.

I agree you were quick to respond to my enquiry and I have no complaints.

I will register with your forum to keep up to date and I am sure I will be ordering from you again.

Thanks for the information.

 

[mislisa]

Hi, does anyone know of any companies that ship to Canada without breaking the bank? it's pretty difficult to get healthy plants here and most online stores don't ship to Canada...
Thanks

 

[PlantedTanks]

Hi, does anyone know of any companies that ship to Canada without breaking the bank? it's pretty difficult to get healthy plants here and most online stores don't ship to Canada...
Thanks

We do!
We send regularly but ask people to select the best fit delivery method. We then check the weight of your order invoicepostage separately. If it is too expensive then you can request a refund. Shipping is 4 to 5 days.

Tony

 

[Rynofasho]

As an update for the people in the US, I ordered from Bob's Tropical plants and I was quite unimpressed with what I received. The Vals were tiny (none larger than probably 5") and stringy with leaves that already appeared a bit transparent. The Brazilian Pennywort was in better shape, however there were very few leaves and mostly just the stems. One of two crypts was in decent shape. The narrow leaf java ferns were fine, although a bit small, and the anubias were so so -- some had holes in the leaves already, others looked fine.

I am managing to kill them off the rest of the way on my own right now as I'm a novice, but that doesn't explain the shape that the plants arrived in. I emailed them to voice my displeasure ( I didn't ask for a refund or any new plants, just let them know the quality was poor ) and I never heard back.

I will say though that I had a special shipping request and the owner was nice enough to accommodate me there, however all in all, the quality of the plants was just a bit poor. I don't think I would shop there again.

 

[CletePurcel]

Re: planetdtanks

Just to confirm I received my order from Planted Tanks yesterday as they advised. The order was well packaged and the plants looked healthy and of good size.

I am pleased with the plants and will certainly use their service again. Their forum is also worth a look.

 

[paulnwgb]

The Green Machine
"TGM" sell tropica plants, which are renowned for their quality. However, the price reflects this, with pots coming in at around £5-£9.

I recently bought over £200 worth of plants from these guys. They were great - very nice, until there was a problem. Then they couldn't wait to wash their hands of me, fobbing me off to the Royal Mail for compensation. I won't be using them again.

 

[Joshwainwright]

The Green Machine
"TGM" sell tropica plants, which are renowned for their quality. However, the price reflects this, with pots coming in at around £5-£9.

I recently bought over £200 worth of plants from these guys. They were great - very nice, until there was a problem. Then they couldn't wait to wash their hands of me, fobbing me off to the Royal Mail for compensation. I won't be using them again.

You spent £200 without trying a small purchase first?!

 

[paulnwgb]

You spent £200 without trying a small purchase first?!

Nope. As I said, they were great until there was a problem.

 

[PlantedTanks]

You spent £200 without trying a small purchase first?!

Nope. As I said, they were great until there was a problem.

I just want to point out something - TGM are fantastic quality plants... they are at one end of the plant spectrum... I am now somewhere closer to them... than other plant retailers!

Now on shipping and postage - We all have a level playing field and we are all suffering because of a change in charter from Royal Mail.

1st class - aim to deliver within 5 working days
2nd class - aim within 15 working days...

Recorded / signed for - is the same as 1st class
Special Delivery is the ONLY service which seems to be what people expect - Next working day!

The problem is that in days of old - when I was a kid - 1st class meant delivery next day... 2nd was a few days later... If you have this mentality - then your plants will not arrive well at all...

All plant retailers offer courier delivery. This is now directly compatible with Royal Mail Special delivery on orders over 500g...

ALWAYS check shipping options and NEVER accept 1st class or signed for...

tony

 

[aaronnorth]

The Green Machine
"TGM" sell tropica plants, which are renowned for their quality. However, the price reflects this, with pots coming in at around £5-£9.

I recently bought over £200 worth of plants from these guys. They were great - very nice, until there was a problem. Then they couldn't wait to wash their hands of me, fobbing me off to the Royal Mail for compensation. I won't be using them again.

What happened? do you have any pics of the plants when you recieved them?

Thanks, Aaron