All reviews of James Manners
Review about: Sheds
Groovy Garage Playhouse
I have tried contacting Sheds.co.uk to get help but they seem uninterested and very slow so I feel compelled to write a review in the hope that this might actually get their attention and also to provide a warning to other potential buyers!
I purchased a "Groovy Garage" playhouse for my children on 27th May. I paid in full. The delivery estimate was 8 weeks (22nd July). This was to be a summer holiday treat for my young children.
I received an email on the 23rd July from a company called Woodlands Sheds (also trading directly as Tiger Sheds) to say that, due to Covid, things were running late but delivery would be on the week beginning 10th August (perfectly reasonable and understandable).
I was offered a delivery date of 11th August am and accepted this. My children counted down the days until their playhouse arrived and I took a day off work on the 12th to build it for them. On the 11th the shed did not arrive. I tried contacting sheds.co.uk by phone and got a message saying please email them and they would get back to me within a few days. I phoned Woodlands sheds who said they had realised a part was missing so they didn't load or try to deliver the shed. Neither sheds.co.uk or Woodlands sheds bothered to phone or email me to tell me the delivery was cancelled. My children spent the morning in the garden waiting excitedly for the delivery that never came :-(
When I finally contacted Woodlands Group they offered no apology and said that they do not deliver to my part of the country often and it would be a further 3 weeks until they could deliver the Playhouse. I asked to speak to a manager and was out through to Emily Slater (head of deliveries team) - she stated that despite the situation they would not make any extra effort to deliver the product and simply said that it wasn't her teams fault that they didn't inform me of a cancelled delivery. She stated that there was no-one else I could speak to at the Woodlands Group/Tiger Sheds and that I had to speak to the Sixty Group who trade as Sheds.co.uk (the very same ones who don't take phonically and ask for you to email them!). She said that any delivery issues need to be addressed with them, despite the fact that the Woodlands Group/Tiger sheds had contacted me to arrange the delivery in the first place! They agreed to a delivery date of 1st September (14 weeks from order). This was confirmed on the phone and by email.
Sheds.co.uk then emailed back to say that they could offer me a delivery date of 1st Sept (which I had already agreed). They did nothing to try and prompt a more timely response from the Woodlands group.
I took a further 2 days off work on the 1st and 2nd Sept. to take delivery and finally build the playhouse. The delivery arrived on the 1st but the wooden mezzanine floor and all the wooden structures of the roof were missing. The delivery driver was hugely apologetic and said "this is happening all the time". He mentioned that the Woodlands delivery team have a Whatsapp group to share issues and he would send a photo of the delivery slip with details of the missing parts to the group so it could be sorted promptly.
As usual Sheds.co.uk had no answer on the telephone and required an email. I reached the Woodlands group who said that the driver hadn't got back yet and (despite his photo to them) they couldn't do anything until he did. Woodlands have stated that they may need to manufacture parts if they are not already made and this could add a substantial delay. They refused to comment on timescale but said they were "99.9% certain that there would not be any replacement parts or action in the next few days".
I now have 2 children who are, once again, upset and without their playhouse. They go back to school tomorrow - summer treat has not appeared!
Sheds.co.uk have replied by email to say that they have asked the Woodlands Group to investigate - still no help!
To be fair the pieces of the Playhouse that have been delivered are manufactured well and are of a good quality.
Summary:
- Shed parts still missing after 14 weeks (delivery estimate 8 when ordered)
- I have had 3 days of holiday from work wasted
- Sheds.co.uk do not ever answer the phone and are slow to reply to emails. When they do reply it is no help.
- Woodlands Group / Tiger Sheds are hard to contact, offer no apologies and don't care about their delays and service
I strongly advise anyone reading to avoid Sheds.co.uk, Woodlands Sheds and Tiger Sheds. The product is good when it comes but the heartache and effort is not worth it. Please go and support a local shed company, pay slightly more to someone you can see face to face and who will take responsibility!