Dobbies Garden Centre Pennine Reviews Summary

Customer Service

Pros:

• "The male member of staff at the checkout was very pleasant & patient."
• "Service was excellent, couldn’t do enough for us."
• "Staff knowledgeable and approachable - a great place to get something a little different or to pick up new strains and varieties."
• "Went to Dobbies service was incredible such passionate members of staff."
• "From walking in to leaving it was a very pleasant experience with very helpful staff that takes time to make sure you have just what you need."
• "The lovely lady on the till in the cafe was so patient, friendly, efficient and good-humoured with everyone."
• "The staff in the cafe were so lovely and helpful when I visited with a lady with dementia."

Cons:

• "Little mistake but when i complained the staff didnt look too pleased."
• "Also I was trying to ring for two days, trying different depts as I wasn't sure if you had to book, not very good customer service."
• "However, cafe absolutely terrible. Staff rude and really couldn't be bothered."
• "We were told someone would come to take our order & nobody did."
• "Seems to have gone right down the tubes since it was family owned. Staff standing around rather aimlessly chatting to each other."
• "Staff on tills look so disinterested and miserable used to be ok wont go again."
• "Staff in the cafe were miserable, bored and rushed your order."

Cafe and Food Quality

Pros:

• "Cafe open again with beautiful views."
• "We went for afternoons tea. Wow it was delicious, great selection of sandwiches, an amazing scone with jam and clotted cream."
• "The sausages were nice."
• "Cafe: lovely breakfast, reasonable price."
• "The tea and coffee was top notch and very fresh cake went down well in the excellent cafe."
• "Had a very nice meal in cafe, fish and chips buy one get one free (Friday) my grandson had macaroni cheese toastie and it was sensational, we were all very impressed with the food."
• "Great breakfast.. Good value, really good.."

Cons:

• "The toast had been toasted for about 10 seconds just on one side."
• "Recently though the cafe is looking a bit dishevelled, the couches are not clean and the floors also full of crumbs."
• "How can a prawn mayonnaise sandwich cost 6 pounds for 2 slices of bread with about 4 prawns in each quarter sandwich and a bit of shrivelled up salad."
• "Café has dirty floors, disgusting toilets, grumpy staff and the quality of food is mixed."
• "Scones were soggy inside either frozen or not cooked properly."
• "The cafe is very poor. We went Friday for coffee & a cake, the gluten free chocolate cake was so dry and my husband had a cream tea, the scone was terrible."
• "The cafe worst breakfast ever hashbrown and blackpudding burnt so much knife wouldn't cut them."

Facilities and Cleanliness

Pros:

• "The whole place was spotlessly clean."
• "Large car park with disabled parking and wheelchair accessibility."
• "Also has toilets with baby changing facilities."
• "Called in to Dobbies on Sunday. The place is always clean tidy and loads to see."
• "It was very clean all each department was well presented."
• "Modern ideal for prams and wheelchairs. Excellent food, very good WC and access."
• "All plants look fresh & well cared for."

Cons:

• "The store itself seemed to be so disorganized."
• "The fish and pets are no longer there either."
• "No prices on either of the items we wanted, one of which was at the very back of the garden centre, outside. No staff there."
• "Only criticism is the doors to the toilets, they are heavy which I understandable for HSE regs, but anyone with limited mobility struggles to open both doors into and out of as they are so close and heavy."
• "Car park is a bit steep so it is not suitable for some people."
• "No shelter in the terrace from the sun excuse given all the parasols had blown away."
• "Dog friendly signs in the restaurant are confusing."

Value and Pricing

Pros:

• "Lovely Garden Centre with a wide selection of outdoor and indoor plants and most things the gardener may require, there’s also a section for pet products."
• "Good cafe, comfortable, and a balcony with a view. The food Is as you'd expect In a garden centre. It could do with a revamp, parts are looking a bit tired."
• "The garden centre is the usual Dobbies, clear and well looked after, great range of stuff for the Garden."
• "A really nice garden centre which is just about getting it right in terms of meeting the expectations of gardeners after a nursery and casual visitors wanting a café / giftshop."
• "The garden centre itself was lovely. Huge variety of plants and all in such good condition."
• "A great Garden centre ample parking disabled parking and wheelchairs available to borrow."
• "Really large garden centre with more variety of plants than I was expecting."

Cons:

• "Prices very expensive plants looked good but same thing much cheeper in other garden centre."
• "Shop products a little more than I'd like to pay."
• "Way overpriced stock. We can get much cheaper at a small local Garden/Nursery centre."
• "A garden centre which has gone for the high end, expensive end of the market."
• "Compared to other garden centres I have been to their pricing seems more expensive on some products."
• "The greetings cards were very expensive."
• "Since Wyevale took over plants are often overpriced and service is variable."