The Great British Ground Screw Company Ltd (GBGS) Reviews 83

I needed a site survey first to comply with the housing estate rules and then a follow up visit to fit the screws for a garden room.
I can’t fault the communication and service delivery. Came when they were supposed to, did the job thoroughly and left the site tidy.
I would recommend this company and would use them again.

High quality product! Very informative and repsonsive service, happy to advise on my needs and requirements.
I highly recomend using this company and will certainly using them again.

We discovered the Great British Ground Screw Company when looking for an alternative to a concrete base for a 12m x 6m workshop. From what felt like a very professional personal service at the enquiry stage when the full facts were explained through to the site investigation we were treated like valued customers. The actual installation was painless, the two operatives arrived on time and acted in a courteous and professional way throughout the process, in what were very wet and cold conditions. We were left with exactly what we were looking, for a solid foundation for our new workshop to be installed on and entirely satisfied. I would not hesitate to recommend GBGS to provide a professional and economical alternative to other traditional bases, with a huge saving over the time required versus concrete.

I've ordered the installation of foundations for a garden room project with GBGS. They offered the best bid, and they also work quite efficiently and delivered a high-quality install very quickly.

I recently used The Great British Ground Screw Company (GBGS) for the foundations of my new garden office, and I couldn’t be happier with both the product and the service I received.
From the very first enquiry, the team were incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. They patiently answered all my questions about ground conditions and recommended the perfect screw lengths after carrying out a thorough site test. Nothing was too much trouble, and communication throughout was clear, friendly and prompt.
On installation day, the crew arrived on time, worked efficiently and professionally, and left the site spotless. The ground screws themselves are clearly high-quality – solidly made and went in perfectly even in our tricky clay soil. The finished base is perfectly level and rock-solid, and the whole project was completed much faster and with far less disruption than a traditional concrete foundation would have been.
GBGS lived up to their excellent reputation. Great British product, great British service – highly recommended!

Brilliant product which was expertly installed.
This company was a pleasure to work with from initial emails to completion.

I have had my ground screws installed by GBGS for my company, I can highly recommend this company.
Steve and Gary very helpful thank you. There team very friendly.

Ultimately it is up to future customers to decide. I have reduced my rating to 1 star given the dishonest and fictional response from GBGS to my original review.

If you read my review and their reply you can judge for yourself. I would not recommend GBGS. When things go wrong - which sometimes they will - they turn dishonest and blame the customer. In my case it cost me £900 and their refund process for a replacement was botched.

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Supplementary update following GBGS response:

1.) GBGS claim the installation tool broke due to excessive force. We followed all guidance, pre-drilled and filled with water to soften the ground. It performed no better than a cheap drill bit that snaps on a third screw. I do not know what they suggest we do differently. A replacement screw was given but I still paid postage. I also bought a second tool at my own cost after being told a second tool might buckle.

2.) I would like to hear the phone call mentioned because the advice I received was over email. The imaginary discussion about risks/tool options etc simply did not happen - a totally made up cover-story. Email quotes below show the advice received via email not phone:

Me: “Our soil is clay with medium levels of elasticity and likely some heave expected due to tree roots in the area.”

GBGS: “Length of GS is mainly dependent on the site ground conditions, but given you’ve highlighted trees in proximity I’d advise trying to get down below the roots system 1200mm or 1000mm is what I would advise.”

3.) GBGS say the refund delay was caused by their courier. They told me something else on the phone - that it was because they did not realise it had arrived. They found our pallet in the corner of the warehouse. Both claims cannot be true. Tracking shows the return was delivered days before I chased. So again, their response has been fictionalised.

4.) GBGS saying I returned a used screw is untrue. I did not. Why would I use three and return one used? The tool snapped halfway through installing the third. I suggested the returned screw may have been splashed mud and leaf-fall from sitting on the grass but it was not used. GBGS even emailed back saying “I have spoken to the warehouse manager, who has accepted your explanation for the ground screw we did not refund you for”. I did not return used goods. Being accused is disappointing and suggests they cannot admit fault.

5.) GBGS say the 15% restocking charge is very prominent during ordering. I checked. It appears once in small print before checkout. It was not mentioned at all during return discussions. They also say the restocking fee is to cover business costs, not operational ones. A simple search shows using restocking fees to cover unrelated costs is considered unfair and deceptive.

Original Review:

This review is written to share a poor experience which cost me about £900 more than it should have. Had things gone well I would have been satisfied. They did not and the outcome was not acceptable.

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My Experience:

Before ordering I emailed the company explaining we wanted to install a garden room on clay soil near trees. I was advised to buy the 1200mm screws. I ordered them and they arrived quickly.

When installing we pre-drilled and tried to install the screws. On the third screw the installation tool snapped, stopping the job. I called immediately and the team were understanding but the cut-off for next day delivery had passed. I also asked to swap the 32 x 1200 screws for 40 x 800 screws. This order included a free replacement tool and I bought another tool myself given the risk of snapping again. The new delivery arrived 36 hours later. The courier collected 29 of the 32 screws.

The delay cost me three days of labour at more than £600. Frustrating, but these things happen. I had to pay for the delivery of the replacement screws but return delivery was not charged.

This is where it went wrong.

A week passed and no refund came. I chased and GBGS found the screws had been left in a corner of the warehouse and not noticed.

Several days later a refund came but it was £221 short. One screw was marked “used”. It was not. We only kept the three used screws before the tool snapped. No one told me this deduction had been made. I only noticed by checking myself.

The rest was a 15% restocking fee. It was in the T and Cs but not mentioned clearly during the return and was an unwelcome surprise. I doubt it cost them £190 to restock 29 screws, and given the circumstances I had hoped it would be waived.

Overall it cost me about £900, including lost labour, restocking, extra delivery and buying an extra tool.

The surprise fee and refund issues left me feeling burned. I would not use this company again or recommend them.

This is the first time we have used GBGS
It is refreshing to use a company that does what it says.
Their employees were super efficient and very professional.
I know their will be many more time we will use this company in the near future.

Highly professional ground screw installation for our garden studio. From the ground test to the final install everything went smoothly. I would recommend GBGS.

This was our second time using GBGS for ground screws for fencing post replacement, and both times they have been great, with excellent communication, really knowledgeable , professional ,helpful and installation has always been brilliant.
Unreal turnaround from ordering to on site installation. All done in an afternoon – 2 really helpful guys, 15 screws installed (3 of them being the longer , bigger screws) with U brackets added as well
Three of the screws needed a bit of work as they were driven into the ground as the fence line had some large rocks/stones that resisted the screws.
amazing job would fully recommend them and will continue to use them for future projects.

Great experience with this company, from communication to the actual groundwork

I would highly recommend GBGS. The price for me was less than half what a traditional concrete foundation would have cost and much more environmentally friendly. I was kept up to date on the arrival time and despite atrocious weather and a lot of tree roots, they did not stop until the job was done.

The test engineer turned up on time and worked without supervision. His recommendation was to use 250mm longer screws, which we accepted.

The installation guys were on site first thing and, despite the muddy environment, were cooperative and helpful. The job was for 20 off 1250mm x 76mm groundscrews which they had installed by 11.30 am. The level of the heads was within about 2mm of the specified height and the position of the screws was well within specification.
Before leaving they crew gave me the mounting brackets, nuts, bolts and washers.

We had the weed suppressing membrane installed and covered in pea gravel the same day and the frame installed by close of play the following day.

Overall I am very pleased with their product and service.

Garry and team are a great company to work with. Have used them for 3-4 years now and always very helpful and accommodating.

Would highly recommend to others

I work in construction and employed GBGSC to install screw piles for a garden studio. The company was professional throughout at all levels and the price was fair. Happy to recommend.

I needed a level base for my new garden room 2.5m x 3.5m. My garden slopes. The height difference between the highest corner and the lowest corner was 0.5m. The cost of excavation plus a concrete was eye watering. A platform supported by Ground screws was a fraction of the cost of a conventional base.
The team came a week before instalation to survey the site and performed a ground test. That took about 3 hours and consisted of an electronic ground scan, 10 minutes. Then 3 screws were test bored and tested using a pull out load test. This determined the length of the screws needed. This all took about 3 hours.
A week later the installation team marked out screw positions and installed 12 ground screws. The levels between all the screws were determined using a laser level. Installation took just under 5 hours. There was no mess to clear up afterwards.
As the screws are driven into the ground they inevitably a few stones that resist penetration. This resulted in slight lateral missalignment of the tops of the screws. However the tops were all level so I was able to build a level base for my garden room on top of the screws. The lateral misalignment meant that a couple of the screw tops were visible when the base was complete.
I chose GBGS to install my ground screws after reading many trust pilot reviews of 3 installation companies and I made a good choice. I would recommend them and use them for future projects. They were easy to communicate with, unfazed when I
changed the dimensions of my base at the last moment. Timing between order and installation was less than 4 weeks.

2 guys, 18 ground screws all marked out, lasered and finished in a couple of hours. great job would recommend.

A little sceptical to go in cold/blind to a nationwide company instead of going on local word of mouth route which I do for all other tradesman I employ. However the service I got was very good indeed, friendly guys who knew what they were doing and gave a shit which is always half of the battle.