Another FTD order not delivered

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Lizi

Lizi

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Nov 28, 2007
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Matthews
www.matthewsflowerboutique.com
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NC
Just had a lady call, in town for a funeral. She ordered flowers from a FTD florist in New Mexico by phone before she traveled here. Her flowers were not at the funeral home on Sunday. Why didn't your shop deliver the flowers?, she asked. My reply to her, first I don't have the FTD wire service, so they could not have been sent here, her reply was I asked that they be sent to your shop. My reply, why didn't you just call me. Her reply, she thought it just eaiser to let the other shop call me. I told her I would try to find out what had happened to her order, florist is not open, different time zone. Finally, forist opens, yes they knew the customer ask for my shop, but I wasn't in the wire service, so the sent the order to another town 28 miles away. Anyway the flowers were never delivered. The florist in New Mexico said that they had just gotten a reject from the other florist, which came in saturday after they had closed. (time difference) As to what to do about the order. They guess they will just have to cancel since I was not in the wire service, ( they couldn't do a credit card) 2 hours pass and they finally call me back (In the mean time I had spoken with the customer again and she told me she paid $150.00 for a standing spray of spring flowers) they could give the order to me and use a credit card if I could get it there before the service at 1:00, total order is for $102.00 and it needed to be really nice. Sorry no can do. Other shop very upset, they could add another $15.00 if needed. This is what the problem is, sending florist trying to skim off the top as not to lose money. How are they going to lose money. Their flowers have never been delivered to the funeral home, left a bad taste in the customer mouth for FTD. But it reflects on all of us, because people do not know that we are not all FTD.
 
Under FTD's new rules of "quality assurance and let me tack on another fee" who would get penalized here?
 
Hmm... I'm no lover of FTD, just a realist. How is FTD's fault?

Ryan
 
I'm not saying it is FTD's fault. But it's what the customer believes and they believe it is FTD's fault, because they ordered through a FTD shop.
 
Lizi said:
I'm not saying it is FTD's fault. But it's what the customer believes and they believe it is FTD's fault, because they ordered through a FTD shop.
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And that customer dealt with a real florist to place the order, no?

Ryan
 
Agreed, I quess that really is not FTD's fault, but rather the sending florist and somewhat the customer for knowing the shop but not calling herself. The sending shop should have told her, "I'm sorry that shop is not an FTD member, we can try another shop or, G-d forbid, give the customer the phone number for the shop she wanted.
 
I know it's not FTD's fault, but when a customer walks in a flower shop and they have FTD posted on the door and everywhere else and they have it in their advertisement in the yellow pages all that customer thinks is FTD. That is where we need to educate the customers that they should place orders thereselves with local florist. Then there is no go between and if the product is not delivered or is not what was ordered then the florist is to blame.
 
I do agree, whether you're a member or not - FTD represents our industry in many consumers eyes - they are "the Mother Ship", and their failures hurt us all.

But they didn't scru this up - the other shop did, and hopefully the new policy will penalize shops that skru up like this (the one that rejected it late).

As for that shop trying to skim $50 off a $150 order? One word for that

slimers

PS - who was it?
 
But they didn't scru this up - the other shop did,
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not so quick:

maybe that shop should have not been FTD from the get go? If that shop is not up to the standards to be a florist then it is FTD's fault for allowing them to become part of the 'team':boggles:


if FTD would follow the requirements of qualifications FTD used 20 years ago then this shop might not have been qualified to be a FTD shop, right?

Now they beg you to sign up and get hooked no matter the 'quality' of the Florist. Anyone can be FTD as long as the monthly's are paid, right?


...so in the big picture it could be FTD's fault:(
 
Why?

Ok.....I get the fact that all consumers think that we are all FTD -- at one time is was "the God" and no-one else could compete. It is still, in the consumer's mind the most recognized term in the floral world....Just like Coke, and Kleenix.

However, this is the case of a Customer who got screwed by the sending florist (order shorted). and is disappointed in the floral world that her expectations were not met.

This could have happend with any of the networks -- Bloomnet, FTD/TF/1-800 or IFA.

All parties are at fault here -- the customer who did not call directly to the shop she wanted the order placed with;
....the sending shop who first din't send it to the requested shop, and then skimmed off the order;

The attempted receiving shop, who did not get the order, is NOT at fault, and still is going to get the blame. Why, because they did not belong to the "network" so that they could "receive" said order.

This is a "winless" situation . The customer is disappointed with THE FLORAL INDUSTRY....not just 1 or 2 shops, and at this point there is little that anyone can do to change their mind. this is unfortunate. It happens.

Yes, people do not check time zones; Yes, orders get mis-directed. Yes, consumers do not know how the system works or they they have alternative avenues, or could use them.

But, like a former president once said "the Buck Stops Here."

When a consumer is disappointed with our product, or service (or lack of), we all suffer.....and we all need to step up and take responsibility for it. Blaming it on "FTD/TF" is a nice, generic blame. It doesn't get us anything. How do we fix it, so it doesn't happen again????

Just a question.....Just asking....

Cheryl
 
case and point...we had someone call today for funeral flowers for the end of the week to New Jersey. Minimums in the TF book were $50.00 + $7.00 delivery. Customer wanted to spend $50 but didn't want a generic funeral arrangement. We suggested she call direct. Gave her 800#s to two shops and told her she could ask all the questions to them rather than us making a few phone calls and trying to get a confirmation of what it would be at the end of the week. Also explained that if she didn't get what she ordered specifically, she had recourse with her credit card company. When it is a "special person", I much prefer they call direct, just as I would prefer they call me direct not take a chance on any misunderstandings between sender/filler.

Now, we have NO logos on our business....we dropped FTD but had their logos off our windows and out of our shop 4 months before I sent the voluntary termination letter. I also have refused to put TF logos anywhere in my shop. And the TF rep noticed and I told her I would never put logos on my windows ever again. I am my own shop, not the WS shop.
 
Today I got a call from a very nice customer who really didn't know the answer to his question.

"Should I order directly on your web site or send it to you thru ftd.com?"

It was a very innocent question - he told me he had thought FTD was like the Mother Company of us all.

They do represent the industry, and not very darn well. [/understatement]

I think you can imagine what I told him.
 
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