Dobbies Garden Centres - Aylesbury Reviews 308

I am a frequent visitor to Dobbies in Aylesbury, however I was once again very disappointed in the standard of their cafe today. There were numerous tables still waiting to be cleared, with debris under them. The chairs were heavily stained, and filthy. We actually moved tables, but the second one was just as bad.
The toilets smelled, and have done for months. A number of them were out of use, and one of the few clean ones had no accessible toilet paper. The floor was filthy. Unfortunately this standard seems to be a norm for this cafe.

Toilet floors dirty. Some toilets out of use. Loo seats need refitting. Sinks need cleaning. Smelly too. Seats in cafe very stained and dirty. Rubbish on the floor. Tables needing clearing a d cleaning

Totally understaffed for a busy Sunday lunchtime, only wanted 2 drinks had to queue for 25 minutes, poor girl on her own! As for the toilets! 2 out of order and one I went in didn’t flush. Water over the floor, no loo roll and terrible smell every time I’ve visited! Complained by email months ago got no response and still as bad! Very disappointing and tired looking.

The Aylesbury branch what amazing service from Lynn who is always on button as far as service goes.
When she is not working you can notice the difference.
Lynn is help polite but overall kind and helpfull.
She needs to be in charge of training the staff because she has a lot of experience.
Give the lady a medal .

Excellent help with choosing plants from Helen- great service and knowledge - excellent prices (bedding plant deal) - recommended garden centre.

Overall good but restaurant seating need attention as most are embedded with spilled food.

Very happy with all aspects of the visit including the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff and the level of cleanliness of the premises.

There are never enough staff on hand in the garden centre, the plants are usually good but very expensive compare with other local garden centres/ nurseries.
The benefit/ points system is not good as it requires you to always carry your benefit vouchers, especially if you call in on the spur of the moment. Not customer friendly.

Enjoyed our visit and all went well

Stopped off for lunch, we ordered Cumberland sausages with mash, seasonal veg and gravy. This arrived cold, broccoli was colourless and over cooked as were the peas. We had our experience turned around by Lynn the waitress who couldn't apologise enough and took the food away. We reordered and this arrived hot. Whilst the fish finger sandwich I ordered was tasty there were only 2 fish fingers between the bread. As others have said there are not enough staff to keep the 'restaurant' clean. Animals are allowed to sit on furniture and due to fabric seats, unclean.

We love the restaurant there (Wendover) and stop every time we have had to go to Stoke Mandeville hospital, normally monthly.

Stock shortages and plenty of Dead/in need of CPR plants, compared to Flowerland Ivor, not as much choice! We did however secure some nice indoor plants as gifts but had to be quite selective

The garden centre itself is generally clean and tidy. However, not today as they were sorting out new stock. The restaurant, however, appears understaffed. The chairs, even some of the new ones, and sofas require a good deep clean as they are stained and many are covered in crumbs. Crumbs etc are under and around the table and many tables have used crockery on. Customers are clearing vacant tables and popping the crockery etc on others. The serving staff behind the counter need to greet customers and not walk in the opposite direction and chat. It is evident that there is a shortage of staff and coffees etc are not instant, so take a while to prepare which makes serving difficult. Apparently, there is only one chef who is extremely busy and, therefore, cannot bake and prepare the 2 for 1 scones that are advertised.

We were able to find what we needed in the way of plants. The cafe was very understaffed and they were only serving a limited menu. However, we did get something to eat which was sufficient.

I came into your shop today for the first time and came through the door's near the car park furthest (by parent & child parking). I walked around without any issues and picked compost (£4.99) near the vegetable seeds stall then went to pay. I used my £5 note to pay and the till operator asked me if I wanted receipt or not which I innocently said no to as I usually do. After which I walked back the way I came oblivious to the exit signs. I guess this was my main mistake that I had not been observant of the shop surroundings, signs and the fact that the way I had come through was entrance only though I saw others go out that way.

As I neared the door, there was a gentleman employee of the shop pushing a trolley coming from the way I was going who just as he had passed me, said this was not the exit that i should go the other way, he also asked if I had a receipt which I explained that I had been offered the option to take it or not, so I had not taken a receipt. I put the compost bag down and stood there facing the way I had been going. I stood there for maybe a minute which I would like to assume made him uncomfortable because this is when my worst experience of the shopping happened. I was quiet not saying anything and standing there, he then said should I call the manager or the police. Up to now I do not understand why he wanted to call the police especially before he had investigated to find out why i had decided to remain standing there.

Is it your policy to call the police on people especially before you have found out what exactly is going on? Was it because I am a person classed as black in a shop full of white only folks? Why did he run to conclude and assume that I had stolen the back without checking first? He was holding the compost bag, and I was standing not moving, so why did he assume things? Was I a threat to him? Why did he not just say, let me go and check or let me call someone to check if you have paid? Was it really about the use of the wrong entrance or his assumption that I have stolen the compost bag?

Obviously to me, I feel I was treated differently. Why threaten me to call the police? (this was subtle accusation of theft) Was calling another staff member / manager not enough to find out if I had paid or why I had stood there?

I came back to speak to you as the overall manager but was not able to and spoke to a lady who is a midline manager but does not understand how to deal with conflict. She tried to justify my experience which was not hers. You do not try to rubbish or compare my experience to other people, because it is my experience. She said the policy she explained is fact and i do not dispute that, but even though policies are there people are still treated differently and more times than not in a very subtle way which can be difficult to pin point but it does not take away the fact of being treated differently. More times than not people do not realise that their have treated someone differently due to their biases and I feel that your employees I dealt with today maybe subject to biases towards people that are different to themselves.

I may never get an apology from your employees or yourself because you may not see the wrong in what happened but I hope that you will all have training in how to deal with people different from yourself or with characteristics that are different from yourselves. That you will all work on your conscious biases that you hold against people of a different race to you. That you all learn to deal with different personalities that react to situations differently from your own personality. That you all find learning from this complaint so that you can make the experience of the next person with different characteristics to you will be different to how mine was today.

I am still very upset and do not intend on coming back to your shop. No one wants to be subjected to the treatment I received from that gentleman and the lady manager who clearly sees no wrong to what happened.

Very upset disgruntled customer.

I have been going to this Dobbies for quite a few years now. All I wanted was a coffee but to stand in a long queue for at least 20 minutes, whilst the poor single member of staff struggles to try and serve as fast as possible just isn't fair to the staff or the customers. Please try to do something about this as it has been going on for some time now.
It won't affect me now as the last time I was there I gave up waiting, left the restaurant and have now switched to drinking my coffee at the local Costa who give larger cups for the same price. Sorry but I won't be back any time soon.
I'd like to add that this review does not reflect on the staff but the management who obviously expect their staff to struggle on without any help.

Helpful, informed staff

Good place to meet friends over a coffee.

I was disgusted on my visit today. I had planned to go for lunch with my Mum, at the local Dobbies in Wendover.
However after, first visiting the toilets, we left. There were containers of cleaning products, thrown down the side of the bins and across the floor. I'm unsure if they were empty.

Several toilets were out of paper, one had dirty paper across the floor. I know this was possibly a customer, but there is clearly no regular checks. One sanitary bin was broken and laying on its side.
Clearly staff thought it was OK for the public to see the toilets in this state.

Very disappointed. I couldn't bear to eat so left.

The toilet facilities haven't been updated for years, but to leave this mess says alot about the staff.

I couldn't bear to eat in the end, so went to a different establishment.