Arrived well packed and watered well, however the tree was quite contested with branches overlapping and touching and 3 separate parts of the tree still had pieces of wire growing into the branches so it appears the tree was not inspected well before being posted, not a great experience ofr my first shop Hi Sarah Thanks for your reply, I can understand it is difficult to meet every-bodies expectation's, I did not find the wire until I started to shape the tree, it has scarred the branches slightly but as I have started to shape the tree and cut it I would not expect a replacement. But as I said I cannot fault the delivery or the watering or anything else to do with my buying except the points I have made, Kind regards Tony Hi Sarah Also altered star rating as this is probably a little unfair as I did not raise this with you before leaving a review

The tree I bought from Bonsai Direct is nice, but the soil it came potted in is infested with small white beetle-like insects. I emailed them, attaching a video, and got a reply from Sarah saying that the insects were harmless nematodes that would disappear within 7-10 days. I googled nematodes, and it turns out they're roundworms, so a completely different pest to the insects I have. I emailed back, telling Sarah this, and asked to be sent some insecticide (which they sell), and got no response. I sent another email a couple of days later, asking for confirmation that they didn’t intend to help resolve the issue, and got a dismissive reply from Sarah saying that she felt that what she saw in the video was a fly, and in any case the insects didn’t look like any pest she was familiar with. I pointed out that the insects are more beetle-like, and that the two I’d managed to film (they’re really tiny) were coming out of the soil. She then conceded that: “many insects are just there; they do no harm and disappear naturally. They like the warmth and damp of the soil", but if I wanted to get rid of them I should spray the soil with an insecticide. So again I asked her to send me some, and got no reply. It’s now been over 10 days, and the insects have started crawling out of the pot. I really don’t want them scurrying about anywhere else in my home, so I’ve had to put the bonsai outside on the balcony, until I can treat it with an insecticide. I should probably point out that I live in a fourth floor flat, and the tree has only been outside since the insects appeared, so they were clearly in the soil when it arrived. It would be fine if I’d always intended to keep the tree outdoors, but I specifically bought it for my living room. I think it’s quite worrying that Bonsai Direct is selling trees in the “Indoor Bonsai” section of their site potted in soil infested with insects they can’t identify, and also round worms (nematodes) apparently. I paid for the bonsai through PayPal, so given that Bonsai Direct don’t want to know, I’ve raised a dispute and requested a partial refund, to cover the cost of the insecticide I’ve had to order from Amazon. UPDATE: Sarah did send two emails offering advice and insecticide this morning- as I was writing the review, believe it or not. I didn't check my emails until after I'd posted. However, these emails came the morning after I'd raised a dispute through PayPal. Also, I first emailed Bonsai Direct about the insects last Monday, and despite back and forth messages, and three requests to be sent insecticide, I was wan't offered it (or a less harmful solution), until SIX days later. And given that soaking the pot was only suggested today (again, after a dispute was raised with PayPal), I haven't had the opportunity to try it. But I will before I try to solve the problem with an insecticide.

UPDATE: I have to respond to Bonsai Direct's response to my feedback. They know (as well as I do) that I did not shout at them. I was certainly angry with them, but that does not equate to shouting. Their idea of "making it right" was to request return of the Bonsai tree at my father's expense (the tree was meant to be his present). The female partner in the company was pretty hysterical and begging her male counterpart not to give me a full refund. She wasn't exactly being quiet about it. After I posted my review, I got a threatening email from the company to take down my review, that otherwise they were reporting me to Trust Pilot to force the review to be removed. I'm glad to see it is still up. I'm sure others have received perfectly lovely trees from Bonsai Direct. Unfortunately I can only report on my own bad experience. ===================== ORIGINAL REVIEW Honestly, one of the WORST experiences I have ever had with a company. I paid £50 (£45 with an online discount) for a bonsai that was supposedly 12 years old and had been "carefully cultivated" to achieve a realistic "miniature tree" look. I have pictures which show what they advertise on their site and the terrible joke that they sent to my father (an early father's day present) in the post. I had to work very hard to stop my father, an elderly man who has grown bonsai for over 50 years, from breaking down entirely when he rang to tell me what he had received. The "branches" grew straight out at 90 degree angles to the trunk, which had a large white patch right in the centre of it’s length, as if someone had tried to graft something onto it and done a very poor job. I know of no other tree in reality that has branches growing at such stiff and unnatural angles. The shape was odd, and what was left of the branch structures looked like someone had trimmed them with a blindfold on. I wrote to Bonsai Direct about my terrible disappointment. In their response, they said they wanted me to post them back the tree for a refund. This felt like the final insult. I had already explained that my parents were in the extremely vulnerable group, being elderly and both with lung conditions and could not leave isolation to take it to a post office. Furthermore, the repacking of a live plant would have required specialist containers and delivery would have required a courier. Both could have cost easily half the price of the actual tree!! I then called Bonsai direct and was met with a woman who, even after having been sent the photographic evidence, refused to believe there was anything wrong with the tree and became hysterical when I told her how upset this bonsai had made both my father and subsequently myself. Even at my advanced age, hearing a vulnerable old man and a keen gardener cry over a hacked about plant was terrible (he had been overjoyed at the thought of receiving of his first new bonsai in years. This had been an awful let down). I then spoke to her partner and explained again how we could not send back the tree but that he was welcome to collect it - I wasn't trying to get a free tree - I just wanted to do what I could to replace the tree from somewhere else. He then said my father should keep the tree and look after it. I tried to reassure him that he wouldn't throw anything away, being a gardener, but that frankly it would probably take my father more years than he had left to retrain the branches into a more natural look. The man at Bonsai Direct kept on saying that the tree would look better when it grew more leaves - even though I told him several times that it had nothing to do with leaf cover but the state of the pruning. He then accused my father of threatening to set fire to the tree!! (I had NEVER said this either in conversation or my initial email, so I guess he was getting pretty hysterical too). In essence I told Bonsai Direct that I wanted a FULL refund. Without one I would be taking further steps to reclaim my money, even if that meant going to a small claims court. They accused me of threatening them. This was not an aggressive threat of assault, but a factual statement of my intended next steps - something they had difficulty understanding. It's sad that a business feels the need to be completely unprofessional about critical feedback. Before I had been able to wring a conclusion out of them, they had already slammed down the phone in a fit of pique. I really wish I had done my homework better. I thought I was getting a product from a professional and established supplier. I was clearly wrong. Having seen examples of what could be done with existing plants to model them into bonsai, I can now see what my father was upset over. Modelling a mature bush or young tree from a garden centre would have produced better results than the tree from Bonsai Direct.

I phoned Bonsai Direct to ask their advice regarding a tree I had purchased from a local garden centre for my son's 18th. I was concerned since felt I had "killed" it by overwatering. The lady with whom I spoke - Sarah(on six occasions and each time for 15 mins plus) was patient, helpful, attentive and keen to go out of her way to reassure me that I did not need to buy another one - the plant was simply acclimatising to its new environment - even though I had not bought my tree from Bonsai Direct. In fact her customer service was so impressive that a few days later, I decided to give her my custom. I ordered a tree on line at 4pm on Tuesday which was delivered at 11am the next day. Beautifully gift wrap and packaged securely. The most Personal, patient, attentive, responsive, flexible, service I have received for a very long time. Thank you

Fantastic company, I bought my dad a bonsai for Fathers Day and he was delighted. Highly recommended. Thankyou

What an amazing service. Free next day delivery, the tree was well packaged and well looked after. Will only order from here, for my bonsai products.

What a fantastic service. I ordered a tree for my partner as a present. The tree is in beautiful condition and very well packaged and delivered. I recurved a personal email from Bonsai Direct and would highly recommend them. Polite, courteous and deliver exactly what ordered Thank you so much

Exceptional experience all around! I was looking to buy a Bonsai for my boyfriend's birthday, but had no idea where to start. It took me a few weeks to finally decide on a tree but Bonsai Direct was extremely helpful and friendly, answering all my questions promptly and with patience. Delivery was seamless. Packaging was excellent, and the tree looked even better than in the pictures! **WORD OF CAUTION** - If you're interested in a specific tree in their premium collection, don't wait too long to order. At least three trees caught my eye and ended up selling because I took to long to make a decision.

I would like to take the time to thank you for our recent order. Yesterday I received my partners flowering tea tree Bonsai for his Birthday. He is absolutely thrilled with it and it is so evident that it has been looked after and cared for. The tree is in fantastic condition and is beautiful. We can not believe how many flower buds are on there. We have this morning placed another order for accessories and to re pot his Chinese Elm that I bought for Christmas. Fantastic.......can not recommend buying from here enough!😊

Nice surprise to receive a lovely tree from my son in Australia. Lovely on a rainy morning and in isolation. Beautifully packed and protected.

Really happy with both the service provided and quality of the tree received. The delivery was quicker than expected, the packaging was exceptional - can't recommend enough.

I don't usually leave reviews, however I was really impressed with Bonsai Direct- I will definitely be recommending to friends! I ordered a bonsai tree for my sister's birthday (April 20th), and I was unsure whether deliveries would be delayed because of coronavirus. The website allows you to choose the delivery date, and provided email updates on specifically when it will be delivered which is helpful, and the tree arrived right on time! The tree was packaged well and wasn't damaged at all in transit, and looks great! Will definitely buy again for future gifts!

Absolutely brilliant customer service. I required a corporate order of in excess of 300 bonsai and Bonsai Direct managed to turn this around in under 2 weeks. Fantastic plants delivered on time, branded as per our requirements. Sarah was very very helpful and i would not hesitate to recommend this company. Thank you for all your help! Lauren

I ordered a tree for my very sick brother. The hospital refused delivery. The company offered to deliver elsewhere and did so to my sister an hour and a half away. She is delighted with the tree and doubts she will pass it on to my brother. The foliage is gleaming and she raves about the beautiful little flowers on it. Thank You Bonsai Direct

I received my bonsai as a surprise Xmas present. The first I knew was when I was greeted by the delivery man proudly holding up my lovely Bonsai Direct delivery box. Beautiful presentation. The whole presentation inside was so thoughtfully put together to protect the bonsai. I expected some damage due to the delivery system but everything was as it was dispatched. My tree was securely fastened to prevent movement in the box and wrapped in firm cellophane to protect the delicate foliage. I have never been so excited as I was when I took my bonsai out of the box. A magical moment! Such a beautiful little tree! Over the next week it lost quite a few leaves as the instructions stated was likely, but now two weeks later, it’s entirely covered in super new foliage and looks stunning. I’m so looking forward to watching it grow and nurturing it for many years to come. I’m now hooked and on the browse for my next bonsai. I can’t recommend Bonsai Direct highly enough. Absolute top quality.

The Bonsai was a present for my wife. She is absolutely delighted, The poduct was in tip-top condition. The packaging was ideal and certainly prevented any damage whatsover during transit. The bonsai has pbviously been loved and grown in ideal conditions. I thoroughly recommend this company and I will be back myself in due course. Please buy with confidence.

Easy ordering, delivery exactly when promised. At first, I experienced quite a shock when my bonsai lost every single one of its leaves shortly after delivery - I was afraid it was dead. The very nice support assured me, though, that this was natural after the transport and in autumn. And they were right - now, 2 weeks later, there are a lot of tiny new leaves. Not as many as there had been before, but at least the little tree survived. So their bonsais are indeed of much better quality than the ones you can get cheaper elsewhere. One suggestion, though - I think the company should prepare people for the shock of the bonsai looking dead a week after delivery. Their brochure mentions "some" loss of leaves, but not that all of them might fall off. Apart from that, I am now very happy. Thank you so much!

very fast delivery and in perfect condition present for wife she loves it. item was a start up 5 year old bonsai thx

Great customer service, helping me decide which to buy before I made the purchase. Would recommend to anyone else looking to buy bonsai trees!

Ordered a baby bonsai beginners set but changed my mind with only a few days to go until delivery. Emailed and got a prompt reply even though it was late at night and was assured that it would be easy to switch over the order. The new order came on the nominated delivery day and the very knowledgable Sarah answered all my questions and assured it ran smoothly. Couldn’t recommend enough - my partner loves his twisty Chinese Elm with all the bits to take care of it! Thanks.