onions sets from t&m anyone?

[greendean]

not happy today

onion sets arrived on friday. went to allotment to plant them and up to a 1/3 were mouldy and rotten

at nearly 6 quid for two bags i wonder why do i pay over the odds for quality when wilco has them for 1.19 a bag and they look better quality. On top of that i am still waiting for a seed order from nearly 2 months ago!

anyone else bought from t&m this year? any problems or is it just me?

[evie451]

i thought i just had some bad luck with my stuff, i waited 2mths for my seed potatoes which set back the chitting no end they still haven't sprouted....i am gonna check the onion sets carefully i got at the same time!

I have been waiting on seeds for 10days, not great for two packets of nasturtiums and some runners! i ordered stuff last year and it took a while to come but i thought it was cos it was late in the season. Is this normal for T&M? if so sod the £5 voucher i'll waste the cash in petrol going to the garden centre!

[Capsid]

I received my sets (Golden Ball) last Friday from T&M and they were all fine.

[greendean]

i started a thread about offer from t&m and a few replied that it took a while to arrive. i ordered my potatoes and onions last november. the potatoes arrived last december and have only just gone in today, they were well chitted!

i will not use them again i'm afraid voucher or no voucher. can't beat looking at what you are buying before paying.

[SarzWix]

I had my heat treated Red Emperor (2 bags) from them last week and they were a right state Lots were sprouting with over an inch long shoots, a few had rotted and the others were growing roots in the mush Altogether there was at least a third of each bag totally unuseable, a third sprouted, and a third a bit soft but planted anyway.

I have emailed them about the state of them, and included pictures, so hopefully will hear back from them early next week. They definitely need telling when they get it wrong, or they can't sort it out, and the sets were probably sent direct from the grower so T&M need to know if they aren't good enough.

[bazzaboy]

On another onion thread I've just mentioned a similar delay in Marshalls' sets arriving (ordered before Christmas....). The Wilko ones are already rooted and several inches into growth. I'm sure the Marshall ones will arrive and be OK (if I can find somewhere to put 'em now! ) but they were late last year and even worse this... The heat treatment is supposed to stop them bolting but several bolted last year (both Wilko and Marshalls) convincing me that growing from seed was preferable (they didn't bolt). b.

[TEB]

I bought 2 bags of Onion sets and got another free from T&M, the whites arrived about 3 weeks ago and have been planted 2 weeks, all were okay, of the whites 2 off the Hercules (bought) havent shown signs of growth, off the free ones (Corrado) about 18 havent shown any signs of growth, just briefly checked the Red Baron that were delivered on Thursday and they look okay but havent taken them out the bag yet

[SarzWix]

What variety were yours greendean?

[geoff]

I was lucky enough to win some vouchers from T&M and the seeds I ordered all arrived with no problems. However I think their ordering system is confusing and complicated, with the different categories, offers, and so on

For the fast 2 or 3 years I have bought onion sets from my local DIY store - Focus. No postage, reasonable price, hardly any hollow, soft, or mouldy ones, and they have all grown OK

[womble]

I ordered 3 packs of seeds a couple of weeks ago and they haven't come yet. I need them because I need to get my french marigolds in and away asap. I think I'm going to have to buy some more from what you lot are saying, I can't wait any longer. I expected them here in a couple of days.

I'm still waiting for my onion sets from DT Browns as well, I emailed them and they replied that they don't send them out until late March/April. I could do with them here now really!

[bazzaboy]

T&M, Marshalls, DT Brown, (and others?) --- is it possible that all these well-known companies actually use the same supplier who undertake the heat treatment etc and simply attach appropriate labels? b.

[Sweepster]

I have found T&M a bit confuzzling
Ordered seed potatoes and some salad seeds, plus '5 bare root phloxes for 1p' offer, money went out of my account, then got an email saying that 'none' of my order could be delivered cos they'd run out of it all. I emailed back, requesting that they refund my money... trotted off to B&Q and bought some seed potatoes... eventually got another email saying that the previous email was from a different department - turns out it related only to the phloxes... and I now have fifteen thousand seed potatoes...

AND (does this tale of woe never end?) I sent off for the ten free packets of seeds in January's Gardener's World, T&M took the £1.99 p&p from my account on 20/1 and haven't sent the seeds. After emailing them, I am informed that they have no record of my order and they instruct me to send them my bank statement. I don't feel inclined to do that, it feels an invasion of privacy - and it all seems a bit of a faff for £1.99...

Phew, didn't know I had so much pent up resentment! Very cathartic. Thanks for listening

[coreopsis]

I thought they were professional-at least for the price they charge.I don't use them as I find them a bit overpriced.I always used Suttons,never had any problems with them.

[burnie]

My spuds are chitting nicely and I've just checked my onions and found 5 in 2 bags with mould(golden ball),so looks like my deliveries have been ok,just see how they grow,planting next week.

[bazzaboy]

It IS a faff for £1.99, Sweepster, but I hope you'll do it anyway as a blow for humankind in general and gardeners in particular... Could you get a photocopy and ink out all the other transactions on the statement and include a letter asking for some consideration for your time, expense and invasion of privacy...? They will usually seek some compromise, let's hope in this instance not with additional seed potatoes... b.
ps might it be worth mentioning that their inefficiencies are also being discussed in Internet chat rooms?