Dobbies Garden Centres Reviews 32,040

While my friend and I were queuing for food in the restaurant in the 27/03/2026 we watched a young lad in the kitchen with an apron on dishing up the food, mostly fish and chips, just using his bare hands, then wiping them on his dirty apron and proceeding to dish up another dish

Dobbies Marple .. Mother’s Day … basic breakfast .. what a rubbish experience!
Poor service
No cutlery
Lack of choice / sold out
Cobwebs above eating area
Average food / fairly cold
This is my local garden centre .. I spend hundreds of pounds a year here ..
I got a Simple apology… feedback is important ..

£31

Visited Dobbies Derby for my Birthday treat provided by Dobbies, the scones were dry and hard, the fruit were like bullets, very disappointed.

I went to dobbies in bletchley. The centre was all fine, till we stopped at the coffee shop by the restsurant.. massive queues, two people on duty. A girl on the till with poor efficiency .the the guy making the teas wonders off to get cups, the girl wonders off to empty bins,,dont bother about the customers, no one clearing tables, tray rack full ,a total shambles. But they are more concerned with filling the till.. its the kitchens job to bring clean cups and cutlery..
And this is a time when the shop was very busy..
A bad mark for dobbies...

our food was cold because it sat on the counter for 10 minutes before anyone bothered to bring it to the table it was the same all the time we were there instead of chatting do the job your paid for...

I visited Dobbies today at Findern. On a positive note the staff were working very hard and were rushed off their feet. I waited around 15 minutes in a long queue to be served at the cafe. I then wanted another drink and waited another 15 minutes to be served. This happens every time I visit. They need more staff in the cafe.

We pass this place when we need to be in Boston and its still diabolical! Every time we call for a coffee we think it will get better, but it doesn't..sadly..the small café doesn't open till 10am (really?) And you have to go to the restaurant..
Ordering is slow, only one person on to take orders and greet new customers (needs 2 tbh) and slow to receive your order.If you just want drinks it would be better if they had a good coffee machine and someone wanting just drinks they can be served quicker as you'll wait ages because you go by orders in turn.
Decor is awful too..
The lights are so bright ..
How it stays open I've no idea.
We've been a few times and it is just the same. (We lived in hope) but sadly still appalling..we won't call again..what a massive missed opportunity 😢 as its on a main road and very busy. It needs sorting..

four of us had Afternoon Tea .The staff were really friendly and welcoming .The sandwiches were so fresh and deep filled .The scones were beautiful .The cakes were delicious and there was plenty of of tea .The price was very good .Will return and highly recommend !

Contacted customer service about a delivery that was dispatched a week ago. Spoke to a very bored sounding and unhelpful lady at customer services and told that they could not do anything or help. Probably the most unhelpful customer service that I have ever experienced.

As we all know the British are known for "queuing", so if you want to carry on this tradition go to the Cafe at Dobbies near Melbourn. A few months you could place your order,pay and the food and drink would be delivered to your table. Now you have to order in there same way, but join another queue to get your hot drinks..... Total queuing time almost 20 minutes.

3 days of trying to contact the store calling 9 times in total with nobody picking up the phone.

I ordered a click and collect plant, I thought it would be quick like b and q and some other stores however I think it is a scam now as I didn't receive an email to collect and its been 5 days with still no email and it took them a whole day to send me confirmation that I bought something from them. Disgusting order no SO033337456

UPDATE: Dobbies saw my review online and promptly sent me an email to come and pick up my item. The staff at Dobbies were most apologetic and very kind. The plant I received was good quality and so I am satisfied they addressed my concerns.

Parts of Dobbies are very nice however, house plants…. Not great at all in some areas. Some are underwatered, others overwatered and some parts look worse than my potting area after I’ve spent hours repotting. The light near the cactus and succulents is abysmal and there’s been a flickering light in that area for months. My least favourite garden centre unfortunately.

I purchased their Malmo Double Egg Chair around 18 months ago. The chair has completely snapped despite us using it properly and looking after it. I contacted the customer service department to be told the warranty is for 12 months only and they will not replace or refund. I will never purchase another garden product from them. This was the worst value for money.

A friend purchased a Dobbies gift voucher for us for £30, owing to health issues we are unable to travel to Brighton to the nearest Dobbies Garden Centre. We decided to order goods online along with a Daily Mirror voucher and get them delivered to us. After selecting our purchases the Daily Mirror £5 voucher was accepted but the gift voucher was not accepted. I have today been onto the head office and they came back to me saying the gift cards can only be used instore not online. I explained owing to health we are unable to go to Brighton so please could they refund the £30 paid for the voucher. No was the answer tough either travel to Brighton or lose the £30 paid.
What a terrible attitude this Company has please think twice before buying from them.

Went to use the restaurant area in the Wallington branch. Massive queue of people waiting to be seated on Sunday lunchtime, which I appreciate is a busy time. However, if staff cleared tables they could seat people,a lot quicker. No apology for the extended wait and total indifference when advised that the food was sub standard. Needless to say - won't be frequenting again!
Zero customer service.

Myself and two dear friends had an enjoyable experience. Friendly staff, good cake, wide selection of plants. The plants were expensive but in good condition. It helps that it is close by.

I had a really lovely experience at the garden centre thanks to staff member Hamish. He approached me in such a friendly and genuine way, and was incredibly helpful from the start. He also recommended signing up for the Dobbies card, clearly explaining all the perks and benefits, which I really appreciated. It ended up being a great suggestion!

It’s not often you come across customer service this warm and attentive. Hamish is a real credit to the team, and he definitely made my visit much more enjoyable

Staff great, always very friendly, however prices leave a lot to be desired ! Went today to buy Round Up. The price Dobbies were charging is £24.99 & according to the signs, that was saving £15.00 ! Can buy it on Amazon, the exact same product for £5.00 cheaper than the so called reduced price at Dobbies ! Not impressed. Dobbies will lose a lot of my custom.

Called into the cafe for cup of tea and scone got to counter no scones this was at 2.30pn when the offer of cream scones had only started plenty of plain scones but could not make up cream one. Tables had not been cleaned and seemed to have only 3 girls on . Very disappointed especially being St Patrick's Day and the place very busy