⭐️ 1 StarI recently returned to Gates Garden Centre in Oakham to refund an unopened product just two days after purchase. What followed was genuinely baffling.I was repeatedly told it was “company policy” to offer only an exchange for the same item (which makes no sense) or a credit note. This policy was apparently “clearly displayed” at each till — except the till I used didn’t have one. In fact, a staff member even tried to quietly place a policy stand on the counter mid-conversation, comical. This policy was never mentioned when I bought the item, and yet I was spoken to as if I should have known. When I calmly asked for some basic common sense to be applied, the manager raised her voice and suggested to email the owner. Bizarre. Honesty also seems to work against you here: because the item wasn’t faulty and I told the truth, I was refused a refund. I was even told that had I simply claimed it was faulty, I’d have received one. Eventually I was offered a “50/50” — half refund, half credit note — and another manager treated the whole thing like a game show suggesting I should “take the offer”.In the end, I accepted it because I had no choice, but it’s left a very sour taste. When you’re paying premium prices for products that are far cheaper online, you at least expect decent customer service.We’ve spent plenty here in the past — including a Snowman decoration that was so flimsy I had to weld it myself — but perhaps that should have been the warning sign.Overall, a really disappointing experience and sadly a reminder to take my money elsewhere in future.
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