Swindon hanging baskets business 'leaves customers out of pocket'

Hayward’s Hanging Baskets, owned by Nathan Hayward, has been advertised on Swindon and Wiltshire Facebook community and For Sale groups for several years, offering luxurious-looking planted hanging baskets for affordable prices.

But many customers say they have not received their baskets at all, and those that do find that the promised quality of the product in the pictures is nothing like what they’ve received.

When they have complained to him, many say they have received abuse and threats back and many are blocked. Several people have taken out successful County Court Judgements against him.

Mr Hayward has apologised to customers who have not had their orders fulfilled, and said he has "taken on far too much than I could handle".

The Freke Arms pub, Swanborough (Image: Newsquest)

Dave and Karen Longman, the landlords of the Freke Arms pub in Highworth, ordered 14 hanging baskets at a cost of £280 in May this year and were told by an invoice the baskets would be delivered on June 10, but that day rolled around, and nothing arrived.

Other people claiming to be victims include Hayley Foster from Corsham, who paid for two 'showstopper' basket at £70 - plus £150 for them to be refilled over the course of four years.

After not receiving her products she asked if it was a scam. Nathan denied this and assured her she’d get her baskets – but she asked for a refund.

In messages seen by the Adver, Nathan ignored her requests until she posted on social media and then he told her: “Putting that all over Facebook won’t help you."

Hayley never did receive her baskets and eventually got a refund from her bank after showing them the exchange she'd had with him. 

Around this time, Nathan publicly posted that he was no longer taking orders saying that it had been "a very differcult year expecially after dealing with some nasty customers over Christmas and again this summer. There’s 1 customer we have in mind, and we’ve acted against her." (sic)

On the left is what Anita Hodgson received from Facebook hanging basket seller Nathan Hayward and on the right is what she received (Image: Anita Hodgson)

One customer forced to go to the courts in an attempt to get her money back is Anita Hodgson, she ordered a Christmas basket in December 2021 for £30 and paid for several years of refills. 

Her basket was delivered but she says the final product she received looked nothing like the professional basket advertised and she complained and requested a refund which was promised several times but didn't arrive.

Nathan even told Anita that he had “personally kept [her] till last for refunding due to all the stress [she] caused", messages show, but still did not send a refund. Anita eventually sought a CCJ against Nathan, which was granted on March 4 last year.

Despite this Anita has still not received the money and her attempts to address the matter on social media resulted in her receiving abuse and threats.

One message she received, which has been seen by the Adver, read: “I do hope I run into you in town one day.”

Anita is now part of a group of victims spanning at least two years that are working together to actively try to get the police, Trading Standards and other authorities to do something about him.

A civil court issues Nathan Hayward with a CCJ declaring he must legally pay back money he took from a customer for services he did not provide. (Image: Anita Hodgson)In the group are dozens of other people who had similar stories of not receiving products, being met with abuse and blamed by Nathan, and being targeted by fake accounts.

To try and prevent further people from being taken in, the group has resorted to monitoring Facebook and warning page admins of his behaviour.

Lyndsey Myers, who is not part of the group but believes she has also been scammed by him, ordered two baskets from Nathan in March, at a cost of £50.

She was told that delivery would be by June 18 at the latest, but then when she queried when exactly it would be this was changed to July 11. The Adver has seen screenshots confirming this. 

“He kept changing the delivery date,” she said. “When I challenged him and said it was disappointing, he became aggressive and threatened me that I would not get any flowers if I went to social media.”

Nathan Hayward advertising his flower basket business on Facebook (Image: Newsquest)

In a statement, Mr Hayward said: "I want to start by apologising to any customers whose order has not been fulfilled. Over the last few years I've been struggling with a gambling addiction which I am now seeking the correct help for. Alongside this my mental health has deteriorated and spiralled out of control.

"It's never been my intention to receive money and not to deliver the goods. 

"I realise I've taken on far too much than I could handle. I know my communication has not been the best towards customers & with that I've already started contacting the right authorities to start sorting this in the correct manner.

"Also slowly but surely I'm reaching out to customers one by one."

In the two days before the Adver contacted Nathan, he had posted multiple new adverts for his hanging baskets on local Facebook sales pages.

Nathan Hayward moving the promised delivery date for hanging baskets people had ordered (Image: Newsquest)

After the Adver contacted Nathan, Dave Longman received a full refund for his undelivered hanging baskets, but several other people are still waiting for their flowers or their money back. 

Swindon Borough Council Trading Standards were unable to comment on reports they’d received regarding Mr Hayward.

But a spokesperson did say: “We would advise anyone who has paid for goods and not received them to seek advice from the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”

A Wiltshire Police spokesperson added: “If you think you have been a victim of a scam please report it to Facebook and Action Fraud. You can report Fraud and Cyber Crime to action fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting their website https://www.actionfraud.police.uk.”