Always try to get a photo of flowers you send to people.

[Croney]

Today I sent flowers to a funeral in another state. I've submitted a complaint.

What I ordered, as pictured on the website:




What was delivered:

[Wishful-Thinking]

1. Great advice!

Thanks.

[chillfactor]

2. My son sends me flowers

and I always take a photo for him to make sure i received what he ordered.

[catrose]

3. Former florist here. Er, no.

I mean what they sent. Not a good substitute.

[Croney]

4. Thank you, I appreciate your opinion.

[catrose]

5. Sure. The fine print says they might substitute other, similar flowers.

They could make a case that spider mums are at least similarly priced to carnations, but the numbers aren't the same--the one you ordered is mostly white, and the one you got is mostly greenery with some white. (And greenery is cheaper than flowers.)

It looks like you've got half the roses, and they tried to make it up with more feverfew(?) which they substituted for the stock. In my mind, feverfew is not a good substitute for stock; it just doesn't cover the same amount of space as the bigger, fluffier flower.

[Croney]

28. When they called me I was prepared to sound knowledgeable by repeating some of your points,

but luckily I didn't have to, they refunded half without a technical description, lol.

[Coventina]

6. That is good advice. I was deeply disappointed in an arrangement I sent to a funeral.

The roses were dried up and dead!

The rest of it was as pictured, the only issues were the roses.

I took pictures to file a complaint, then never got around to following through.

[cyclonefence]

7. Does this happen all the time?

I've sent funeral flowers and then at the service seen pretty much what you've pictured. When we order flowers long distance, we are at the florist's mercy. Your idea of photo is excellent.

When I know someone in the other town, I ask them to do the ordering for me, from a local florist they use, not from some internet store. But a picture is better. Thanks.

[Croney]

8. I think it happens a lot, but it's hard to prove.

I specifically chose a local florist in the small town where the funeral home is located, rather than a large chain. It was not cheaper, I just thought they would take pride in their work. Maybe they're struggling. I won't be unreasonable but I do hope they offer a partial refund. If not, I'll just let it go.

[cyclonefence]

24. I would think so

especially if you send them that picture. I would think a local merchant would make it right to protect their reputation in town, something a big chain wouldn't care about. I do appreciate your post about this--I'm getting really old, and a lot of folks I know are kicking the bucket, so I send a lot more funeral flowers than I used to.

Talk about scamming seniors!

[Croney]

25. Update: They refunded half, without seeing the picture.

I'm ok with that.

[WVGal1963]

9. Current Florist here...45 years and going STRONG!!

Hi DU friends….

Oh Croney….I am so sorry this happened! So maybe going forward, I can provide a little insight into the industry. And how this happens.

When you search for a florist on any search engine, the TOP search results are going to take you to “florists” that are basically “call centers.” Their Web sites claim to be “family owned” and “serving the local area”, etc. The sites look TOTALLY legit, but they’re NOT florists….they are CALL CENTERS! They have no coolers, they have no relationships with fresh flower suppliers, they have NO design experience - - they have cubicles, head-sets that’s about it.

They take your order, charge ridiculous amounts of money as “hidden fees” and then THEY call/find a local florist to actually fill the order. They only give the LOCAL florist a certain dollar amount, even though they have charged YOU way more for your order.

So…..here’s my advice to all my DU friends.

1) Search for florists in the delivery area where you your floral order will be delivered.
2) ALWAYS look for one with a pin-drop! LOOK at the maps, find the pin drops and then go look at those florists. If they don’t have a pin-drop, they are NOT local!
3) Read reviews and follow your instinct. Yelp is helpful. Google reviews are, too.
4) CALL them! Call them! Call them! If your floral delivery is important, Just. Call. The Local. Florist. Talk to a person IN THAT TOWN/PLACE/CITY.
5) Be open. If you want something specific, absolutely ask for that. But let the local florist advise you, too. For example - A reputable floral designer with integrity will say “I’m not happy with the yellow roses we have in our cooler today. But we have some gorgeous WHITE roses…..let me arrange those for you and add LOTS of yellow accents, since you told me yellow is your Grandma’s favorite color? Does that sound okay to you?”
6) And the simple BEST things that floral designers hear from customers? “Hi! My name is ____ I need something really special for _______. She is/was important to me/my family because ____________ and I’m just not sure what I want. Can you help me with this?” Take a moment to tell them about your personal situation and why this delivery is meaningful. Trust me when I tell you that we, as professional florists, understand ALL the emotions behind your call. And we want to help. We really want to help. We want to make every delivery special.
7) It’s quite okay to ask if they can text a photo to you. We OFFER this to customers. And customers LOVE IT!!
7) And LAST……if you have a really good experience with a florist….like a really cool customer friendly designer, or a person who REALLY helped you, and your felt confidence in them, leave a positive review. Take a moment and leave a positive review. It’s so important!

Thanks, DU.

Hope I didn’t get too over the top with this! LOL

Happy Floral ordering! #supportlocal

[Croney]

10. Wow! What a helpful post! Thank you so much.

[3Hotdogs]

11. Would it make sense to call the funeral home and ask for two recommendations of local, reliable

florists?

[WVGal1963]

17. Yes!

For certain….locally owned Funeral Directors will guide you to credible florists…..THANK YOU for this. GREAT POINT

[WVGal1963]

22. Yes!

That’s another great approach! Funeral directors are a perfect referral resource!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

12. Thank you for this.

I've never been a florist, but a while back I worked the information desk at the local hospital, and I got to see lots of flowers being delivered. I quickly realized that one specific local florist did an excellent job and would frequently recommend them. I also used them several times myself.

So yeah, I'll confirm that an actual local florist is the best choice.

Oh, and I have also more than once been inside a florist shop and asked for advice on exactly what to get and they were always very helpful.

[WVGal1963]

19. Oh so cool

Oh THANK YOU for confirming what I was trying to say….and yes - - our local hospital volunteers always recommend us because we take time to find out what is going on with the patient. We ask questions. We seek ways to make floral deliveries exceptionally special and personal and memorable.

Each and every time and without fail.

LOVE ❤️ my DU family!!

[SunSeeker]

13. Excellent ideas. Ask for a picture of what they made for you, then post it in a review.

Florists who make the extra effort should be complimented online so they get more business.

[Auggie]

14. +1!!!

[2naSalit]

15. K&R

And thanks!

[livetohike]

20. Thank you for this great post! I appreciate all of your

advice .

[RobinA]

23. I Got Roped

into this "local florist" scheme when a friend's father died. I was not pleased, either at the scam nor the product delivered. I had no idea this was a thing. What clued me in was the charge on my credit card from some florist several states away. Yet another pitfall when ordering flowers.

[barbtries]

16. rip-off! so sorry

My sister and i send flowers to each other at particular times, and when we receive them we send a picture with a thank you text. The flowers she sent me for my birthday this year were just gorgeous. The wreath I sent for her husband's memorial was great, she was so happy with it. What I did in that instance is contacted a florist local to her and ordered it from them. They did a great job. I think she (actually it's her daughter now as she suffers with Alzheimer's) may have done the same thing with my birthday bouquet; in fact I think her daughter is who gave me that idea. No more 1800flowers.

[TeamProg]

18. Curious, what is the name of the place that defrauded you? n/t

[Croney]

27. Avas Flowers. They refunded half.

[WVGal1963]

29. Hi again Croney...

Last edited Sat Dec 3, 2022, 05:30 AM - Edit history (1)

Just following up.

My store refuses orders from all the call centers.

YIKES. They ALL give our industry such a bad, bad, bad reputation. And the floral industry is one of the few left that has not been taken over by the chain mentality. The industry is still largely local, Mom and Pop, “been around forever” kind of places, etc.

Like….visit any little community almost anywhere and there will be a local florist.

Another thing I forgot to mention is the powerful work of the Better Business Bureau. That’s another place to check for any of my DU friends who place floral orders. You’ll get a real quick idea about the call centers that harm those of us who truly do great and meaningful work every day.

WOW! It never occurred to me that I would get so involved in a discussion like this here on DU. And I sure hope I haven’t been too “preachy” - - promise I am just trying to explain certain things and help all of you have a much better experience when you choose to have florals delivered.

Cheers! LOVE LOVE LOVE to you all.

[Croney]

30. Not too preachy at all. You have shared valuable information.

I'd buy flowers from you. 🙂

[WVGal1963]

31. Awww....

Many thanks, Croney! Take care.

[emmacom]

21. AMEN!

I ordered a beautiful bouquet for my d-i-l last Mothers' Day. My son sent me a picture of what arrived--it was just leftover crap and nothing like what I ordered. The florist had the nerve to be 'astounded' that I would take it away again--on such a special day! I sent my d-i-l a picture of what had been ordered; she was not upset in the least that I demanded the florist take it back. She also refused to allow me to replace it since she knew my intent. (I do wish she had allowed me to replace it, though.)

[Croney]

26. UPDATE: The florist refunded half.

They called me and offered either a partial refund or a new delivery of flowers to the home of the family. Not willing to risk another poor product, I took the refund and I'm satisfied.

[WVGal1963]

32. Happened To My Little Store Again Today

So this will likely be my last post about this topic……but it was UNCANNY that it happened to me again today!

We have been a bit overwhelmed with sympathy work for the last few days. And OF COURSE we received a couple calls from my aforementioned “call centers” - - and we refused the orders because I just won’t participate. I just won’t. And quite frankly, my amazing family of designers at my store are TRULY professionals. They are award winning. My store is award winning. The LAST thing I would ever ask of them is to participate.

But what we DID DO? We fielded all kinds of calls from folks who needed very special arrangements for the funerals of those they loved. And we have an amazing young woman who has taken it UPON HERSELF to get our customer’s cell # and then CALL THEM BACK, FACE TIME with them, SHOW them the many meaningful bereavement products available, continue to ask questions, help them choose the PERFECT memorial piece, etc. HECK!! She even went into our walk in cooler with her phone to describe and show them the fresh flowers that are available that would fit PERFECTLY with the angel/lantern/throw etc. that they had already chosen. Keep in mind that she is not a designer. But she is observant. And thoughtful. And kind.

I didn’t ask her to do this. I didn’t expect her to do this. I would have never THOUGHT about this as a customer service option. BUT SHE DID!!! Standing ovation to HER!! And trust me when I tell you that going forward, FaceTime will become an important part of our customer experience. BRILLIANT!

Just had to share one last post because it hit SOOOO close to home for me. I’m SOOOO proud of the work we do at my store. And I’m SOOOO proud of the decades that we have never faltered, never disappointed, never failed to deliver the perfect floral arrangement. Forty five years later, we’ll still innovate and stay relevant.

That’s it! That’s all I’ve got! Thank you, Croney, for starting this thread. Clearly, it struck me in all the feels. And I LOVE that! I’m just a very passionate little WV hometown florist with lots to share.

And let’s all say THIS together!!

GO Senator Warnock!!!

[Croney]

33. ❤️ Yes Go Democrats!