Water Butts Direct Reviews

Name: Water Butts Direct
Address: 54 Wilbury Way, Hitchin, Hertfordshire
Rating: 4.57

4.6 Rating 2,016 Reviews

90 %

of reviewers recommend Water Butts Direct

4.6

Based on 2,016 reviews

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Courier
Average Delivery Time	Within 5 Days
On-time Delivery	Greater than 93%
Accurate And Undamaged Orders	96%
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Email, Telephone, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Under An Hour
Customer Service	4.7 out of 5

About Water Butts Direct:

We are the UK's Largest Range of Water Butts, Rain Barrels & Rainwater Harvesting Products. Leading manufacturer & distributor of gardening, recycling & water conservation equipment. Highly Accredited. Fast Delivery. Leaders In Conservation. GM8 Group Ltd Brand. Excellent Service.

Visit Website

Phone:

0800 688 9823

Email:

cs@gm8group.com

Location:

54 Wilbury Way,
Hitchin
Hertfordshire
SG4 0TP

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Water Butts Direct 5 star review on 4th April 2025

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Filter: Rated 1 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“did not turn up although promised for yesterday. I got an email saying it would be here on 6th May but nothing came. Find another, more reliable, carrier .”

Helpful Report

Dear Mr Collins, I understand your frustration with your situation. Please know we can only go by what Royal Mail gives us and any wrong information from us would have been given by Royal Mail themselves. We do try our best to satisfy our customers so we do apologise Royal Mail wasn't able to get your order to you on time. Hope this information helps provide the context of the situation; if you want to amend your review. Kindest regards, Olly

“Very poor after sales customer service”

Helpful Report

Dear customer, Thanks for contacting us. We'd like to hear more about your issue so we can understand your concern. Please contact our customer support team who will assist you with any questions or issues you have --> cs@gm8group.com Kind regards, Water Butts Direct

“I have bought a 225litre metropolitan water butt - and have problems with it. It wont fill and there were no instructions with it. I have others which are the more basic type that are fine. The diverter connection is very low on the water butt so not sure it that is partly the issue. But either way I would say it's a 'dont buy'.”

Helpful Report

Hi, Apologies to hear you have experienced issues with your water butt. Please contact our customer support who will be happy to assist --> cs@gm8group.com Thanks, Water Butts Direct

“Since 2006 I have lavished love and respect on my womery worms. Each year I freshen up their home and bed them in again to enjoy their captive lives being fed with the best of our organic peelings. Nothing cooked, no onions, no citrus and plenty of fresh cuttings and washed egg shells to sweeten the earth. With all miracles come wonders. The worms reproduce when kept healthy and protected from the elements. If you water them in winter and not keep the wormery warm the whole colony can become a solid ice block inside with frozen worms. In summer they can cook so shade is imperative, so attention to the wellbeing of these incredible life enhancers is paramount. We'd all be forgiven for not thinking about worms in the romantic way we lavish affection towards bees. Worms do not give us honey and we have not been swept into the raptures of unction associated with the sweet reward from our bees. Worms work our earth. They are valuable beyond measure. They enable our earth to be viable from which we grow the food that feeds us without chemicals. Even in the Aramaic transcription of our Lord's prayer 'look after the earth that feeds us'. So ancient wisdom tells us that worms are essential to us. They are placid creatures, we incarcerate them and they still do our bidding without complaint. We need to respect our pollenators and our sub-terrainian soldiers who hold the health of our earth at the centre of their being. Therefore why did the people who capitalise on the sale of these captives not take adequate care of them to ensure that they arrive alive? There are easy ways to do this but it was not done. The purveyors of the wormery sent the 'Orginal Wormery'which arrived late but in tact delivered by DPD. But it is so very wrong to send these slaves to our soil without respect for them and to extract money based on the good that they do with no regard for the worms welfare. This lack of care is disgusting We are supposed to be evolved humans yet some people have such little regard for the little things in life. Shameful for those who pretend to be interested in preservation of our natural world. Within the instructions readers are told if the worms aren't wriggling phone us at once. Which I did and the recorded message told me that the office was open Mon-Fri and instructed me to email instead and cut me off. I have good healthy worms in my 15 year old wormaries and can populate the new wormary easily. I am simply upset by the failings of the company that rightly need to make profit. But through inadequate insulation and prolonged transit the worms died. They may only be worms but worms matter they really do, so show some respect.”

Helpful Report

Dear Dr Ward Exeter Devon Thank you for your message. I do apologise the worms arrived in that condition. However, all of our worms are treated with care and we ensure the conditions that they are kept with ourselves enable the worms to be in the best condition they possibly can when we dispatch them out to our customers. It is very rare we ever get a case where the worms have died in transit. We try our very best to get the worms shipped to our customers as quickly as possible as well to ensure the best to our ability that the worms' lives are as happy as can be for when they are ready to settle into their new environment in the wormery. I do apologise for any inconvenience caused and any upset that may have caused you. We are not open on the weekends, but we are open Mon-Fri 08:30am-17:30pm. We hadn't received any email or message from yourself, if we had, we would have certainly ensured the best possible solution to rectify the issue. You can give us a call or email us on cs@gm8group.com and we would be more than happy to sort out the issue for you. Kind regards, Water Butts Direct

“Sadly Dpd emailed they had delivered and left a note in my letterbox but NO parcel at the local pickup shop and your Norwich Dpd center told me it was being returned to you on Dec 31st! When will my order get to me? I have had no problems with other delivery services and either parcels were left on the doorstep or with my neighbour at no 13.”

Helpful Report

“I shortened the claws for a 70 mm pipe, not 700 mm, apologies for the typo in my last review. Now, let me address the issues you raised in your reply. I received and installed not one, but two Graf Speedy Rain Water Diverters. They looked no different from each other, nor from the pictures on your website. It would, therefore, be safe to assume that they were as intended. As for your rather unkind suggestion that following installation instructions for the easiest and speediest of all rainwater diverters is beyond the wits of a damsel such as myself, what can I say? With two 3P Universal Filter-Collectors even I have achieved two full 500-litre butts in two rainy days. It does seem that Grafs may be speedy to fit but sluggish to fill due to their poor design. Regards.”

Helpful Report

“I bought two water butts which two years later split. I wrote to this company who promised to get heir team to get back to me. I am still waiting. Better off buying from B& Q. WOULD NOT RECOMEND THIS COMPANY.”

Helpful Report

Hi, Apologies to hear what's happened and for any inconvenience caused. As you've posted this review as anonymous, we're unable to find your orders or contact details so please contact our customer support directly who will work to resolve this issue immediately : cs@gm8group.com Apologies once again for any inconvenience caused. Kind regards, Water Butts Direct

“In May 2021 I acquired two 500-litre rainwater butts from Water Butts Direct and called them to help me choose between various diverters. «Graf Speedy» - speedily came the answer. I looked it up on Trustpilot and found no reviews. A bit too systematically, two reviews on Freeflush and eBay ticked all the boxes: «Easy to install… Works well… Will recommend…» Unconvinced, I closely studied the graphics for Graf Speedy. The rubber pincer intended to divert rainwater into the butt, did not look like it could capture much. On the other hand, an expert was firmly behind it. And who was little I to argue? And why would anyone be producing something that didn’t work? Also, boring two 32 mm holes in steel downpipes was clearly less intrusive and daunting than cutting out two chunks for 3P Universal Filter-Collectors which I knew to be good but pricy. While back there in May, Graf Speedy was offered at a seductive £ 44.16. I bought two and installed them following the instructions. And boy, did I regret it! Over a period of four months, including the uncommonly rainy August, the water level in one of the butts only slightly rose above the tap. One rainy day in mid-September, seeing the water trickling away down the pipes, I lifted up the lids of my butts. Not a single drop was falling inside. I checked the filters - they were OK. Then I jiggled out of the pipes the beggarly claws. One was full of slime (that roof is overhung by a tree), the other was clean but empty and squashed even though I had shortened it for a 700 mm pipe as per the instructions. Speedily I chucked both Grafs into the bin and replaced them with 3P Universals. Today, after the very first good shower my barrels were half full. Wow! That’s what I call rainwater collectors vs losers. There is but one question remaining: what exactly motivated WBD to push Graf Sluggish above all others?”

Helpful Report

Hi Simona, Apologies to hear the issue you've encountered with the Graf Speedy Rain Water Diverters. It does seem you may have fitted the product incorrectly or received a faulty unit which we can only apologise for. Both of these issues could have been resolved by contacting our customer support at the time when the issues were first discovered. Please feel free to reach out if you feel we can help any further. Kind regards, Water Butts Direct

“This is regarding the 200L water butt. The base had cracked in two places where it is not fully supported by the stand. This is a very bad design and as shiny as it looks when purchased, within a year, the base will crack under the water pressure. I dont think they have tested it out properly at all and just pushed into the market to make quick profit.Do not buy!”

Helpful Report

Hi, Apologies to hear what you have experienced. All our water butts have been fully tested but feel free to reach out to our customer support team who will assist you --> cs@gm8group.com Kind regards, Water Butts Direct

“Two butts bought from you a little over two years ago. Now both leaking from splits on underside. Waste of time and money.”

Helpful Report

Hi Tina, We're sorry to hear what has happened - please contact our customer support on the following email who will assist --> cs@gm8group.com Kind regards, Water Butts Direct

“I cancelled my order within 7 days of order as I was advised it wouldn’t be able to go where I wanted it to - I did this via email and online contact form on the website, the item arrived approx 3 weeks later and was sent back immediately with the courier. I have been trying to get my refund ever since from Water Butts Direct and no-one responds to me, not impressed and would not recommend.”

Helpful Report

Hi, Apologies to hear the issue you've encountered. It looks like there may have been an issue as we haven't received any contact from yourselves but I am aware my colleague is in contact with you and will work to get this resolved as soon as possible. Apologies for any inconvenience caused. Kind regards, Water Butts Direct

“I have discovered that the water tap is not waterproof and the joint leaks. Not very good quality control after manufacture. I shall have to send it back but not sure how as it is very bulky. Not satisfied at all with the purchase. Help!”

Helpful Report

“I requested advice from them but none was forthcoming and therefore ordered the wrong product but sadly had cut the hole for the downpipe before realising!”

Helpful Report

Hi, Please contact our customer support team on the following email who will be able to assist you > cs@gm8group.com. Kind regards, Water Butts Direct

“Water butt took over 5 weeks arrive and when it finally did it was obviously a returned it. Mud all over it and one side and when connected leaked from the base. Opted for refund and collection however yet to receive collection date. Very poor”

Helpful Report

“Customer service is terrible phone constantly engaged to try and contact this company is a nightmare My order took a couple of days short of a month to be delivered I sent emails and got a reply to only one which gave me a maybe date. The order finally arrived and there was just a delivery note included no information or instructions and that was a problem with the gutter mate. I was supposed to get an email telling me that my order had been dispatched but that never arrived either the order just turned up. As for the items they all look ok with no apparent damage but I have not unpacked completely as yet until my patio is finished. I note really good reviews on delivery and product but these must have been submitted before the pandemic because my experience is not a good one and Waterbutts Direct should learn to keep the customer informed. We all have issues during these uncertain times.”

Helpful Report

“I am doing this review based on customer service only and not the product. My order was placed on the 1/4/21 and as at the 27/4/21 no delivery and further more I have not been kept informed at all as to the progress of my order. I sent an email asking for a time window and was told as it stands delivery would be W/C 26/4/21 so there could be further delay. I have tried to contact them by telephone on more than one occasion but as other reviewers has stated the line is always busy. As with other companies why is there no recorded message stating any problems there may be. There is a total disregard here for customer satisfaction and I intend to cancel the order and seek a refund if the order has not been shipped by week end.”

Helpful Report

“The waterbutt arrived with a cut in it. I sent a complaint in with a picture asking for some compensation. 12days later and no reply.”

Helpful Report

Hi Margaret, apologies to hear what's happened. We haven't received any communication from yourself so please email our customer support to assist with this issue > cs@gm8group.com. Apologies for any inconvenience caused. Kind regards, Water Butts Direct

“I have yet to receive my water butt so I do not know why I am being asked to review it. When it turns up I hope I have reason to improve my score,”

Helpful Report

Hi Julia, apologies to see you've received that review request before you've received your product. I've been informed customer support have been in contact with yourself so please address any questions or concerns directly to them for immediate assistance. Kind regards, Water Butts Direct.

“Can't get through on the phone, always engaged and when email enquiry through no one comes back to you! Mr Adams - Hampshire”

Helpful Report

Hi, apologies to hear you've had trouble getting through - please understand we can are currently dealing with limited staff in the office due to social distancing and a very high demand of orders. Please email our customer support again and I'll ensure they look out for your email and respond as soon as possible - cs@gm8group.com Kind regards, Water Butts Direct

“lid is cracked and the tap drips not impressed”

Helpful Report

Hi Simon, apologies to hear what's happened. The crack in the lid is likely to of happened during its delivery so we will be investigating this further with the courier used. Please contact our customer support who will be able to deal with this immediately and get replacements sent out > CS@gm8group.com. Kind regards, Water Butts Direct

Water Butts Direct is rated 4.6 based on 2,016 reviews