Butterfield Blooms

[theRKF]

*laughs* Who told you that Ryan? Look at their site www.butterfieldblooms.com and is says in many places about them and farms/growers. If FTD has nothing to hide, maybe they could let their ownpaying memebers know about BFB.

I called them just now and asked if the flowers were fresh from the farm and she said yes. Maybe those 2-3 million lawyers should check into this. FTD is a hypocrite and the whole thing, imo, is a PR stunt to gain favorability with FTD florists.

Can't speak to what the phone staff say, but I couldn't see anything on their site about being farm-direct. It says they use product from the best farms.

To my knowledge, FTD has never denied ownership of BFB - they have always been quite willing to talk about it. It doesn't relate directly to their service offering to florists, so there's no reason for it to come up in conversation. I don't expect my bank, grocery chain or any other large service provider to fully disclose every venture or business they have an interest in.

Ryan

 

[Dazeal]

I don't expect my bank, grocery chain or any other large service provider to fully disclose every venture or business they have an interest in.

True and I agree to a point, but do you pay to be a member to your bank and then have them directly compete against your florist? It's called deceit. Sure they'll openly talk about it when it is brought up, they don't want to look like a liar. But do you think they have the guts to let their own members know about them competing against them? I teach my students that keeping info is the same as lying. The difference between me and my students and you and your bank is my students or your bank are not trying to steal business from us. So your analogy misses the point of them competing against us. Is it ethical for a business that you send money to monthly to not be on the up and up with ALL it's members Ryan? Would you be upset if your local wholesaler's was selling to the public behind all the local florist's backs?

Can't speak to what the phone staff say, but I couldn't see anything on their site about being farm-direct. It says they use product from the best farms.

Come on Ryan - Here we'll let the other florists here be the judge. Below are quotes from BFB website. To a consumer, and correct me if I am wrong, saying things like the below is deceitful. (put yourself into the online consumer's shoes, not yours)

"We have selected the best growers who take great pride in demanding only the finest flowers for you."

"Best Growers and Floral Designers. Freshness Guaranteed"

"Have confidence in placing your order with us because we'll fill your order with the freshest products from the best growers and most talented floral designers." - (Those minimum waged workers who put together their bouquets are the most talented designers?)

"Through partnerships with the best growers and floral designers, we guarantee an impressive experience from the moment you browse our inspired collections, through the many days after your order arrives and continues to deliver a fresh and extraordinary multi-sensory experience." (THEY DON'T have partnerships with growers - the last I looked there are no growers in Miami.)

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- Come on Ryan, why are you sticking up for FTD? The above quotes are blatant suggestions of flowers direct.

 

[BOSS]

- Come on Ryan, why are you sticking up for FTD?

Cuz I stopped :bangles:

 

[theRKF]

I'm not sticking up for FTD ... I just think you're spinning inferences into the text that aren't there. I would expect to see the same text on advertising by any florist.

FTD doesn't need any help generating things to pick on - there are enough legitimate ones, don't you think?

Ryan

 

[Dazeal]

What do you mean Mark? You dropped FTD?

FTD doesn't need any help generating things to pick on - there are enough legitimate ones, don't you think?

I agree Ryan But don't you agree, from an online consumer's stand-point, those quotes from their website make them believe they are from their farms? From our point of view I agree, but put yourself in the shoes of an online customer who reads that.

 

[theRKF]

I really don't ... they don't make a point of pushing it like ProFlowers and 800 Flowers do. Nowhere do I see anything suggesting the flowers come direct. I think you're reaching, trying to find that inference.

Ryan

PS - Spelling mistake in your signature, Daz ... or/of

 

[CHR]

FTD doesn't need any help generating things to pick on - there are enough legitimate ones, don't you think?

*snort*

I don't think too many florists get whipped up about BFB because it's futile to do so.

H*ll, FTD.com is 90% drop-ship on their home page today. That's the brand associated with brick and mortar florists - at least it used to be - and that shift is far, far more ominous than anything BFB could do.

 

[Dazeal]

Nowhere do I see anything suggesting the flowers come direct.

Ryan the question was, is the consumer duped. You and I can see through the spin and I don't want to know what your opinion on what you think is. Let a normal online customer read the quotes above and then listen to where he thinks the flowers come from. Epic used to do this type of manipulation and I finally got the shareholders to agree to take it down.

 

[Dazeal]

*snort*

I don't think too many florists get whipped up about BFB because it's futile to do so.

H*ll, FTD.com is 90% drop-ship on their home page today. That's the brand associated with brick and mortar florists - at least it used to be - and that shift is far, far more ominous than anything BFB could do.

Agreed. And BFB wouldn't be the needle to break their back into a decison to give up FTD. The sad thing is there is a pride issue with most FTD florists.

 

[BamaE4U]

Daz:

Sure they'll openly talk about it when it is brought up, they don't want to look like a liar. But do you think they have the guts to let their own members know about them competing against them?

Not only do they not tell their members about BFB, they don't go out of their way to tell their new Reps. I always like to give the WS reps a hard time at florist meetings and I mentioned one of the things that WS's were doing was getting into direct shipping. "Not FTD!!!!" was the reply. He and I have become friends so I didn't hammer him too hard.
Now he comes to me to ask what the latest rumors are around FlowerChat.

I told him to sign up, but I think he is afraid that someone at FTD would be monitoring us and he would get caught being sympathetic to the Real Florists.

The WS's competing against the Real Florists has got to be driving reps crazy about now.

 

[BOSS]

I told him to sign up, but I think he is afraid that someone at FTD would be monitoring us and he would get caught being sympathetic to the Real Florists.

The WS's competing against the Real Florists has got to be driving reps crazy about now.

There are reps from all the "services" that are members here...he should not be afraid...most never say anything, but they KNOW the pulse of the industry is HERE and they do read...

I often get questions based on the "feelings of the community" from various places in the industry...they know we're here, and the other cool thing they know is that we are growing, and that we are becomming a force to be reckoned with....

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

Agreed. And BFB wouldn't be the needle to break their back into a decison to give up FTD. The sad thing is there is a pride issue with most FTD florists.

Daz...you're "phishing"......your dislike for FTD is clouding your ability to be honest with yourself.
You 'find" things that inspire you, to inflate your opinions of "others" that ARE loyally involved with FTD.
There IS something "MORE" to this explanation of yours....

 

[flowerknife+us]

I don't know Boss....After the responses that generated from my "Refusing OG Orders" post...they might be getting the idea that they are winning the florist back to their side. I Don't Fill For OG, I know, I'm BAD!

Knife's Wife

P.S refused 2 more of the Proflowers, From you Florist orders after that post. Guess what both were sent to me the next day wanting me to include an apology with them that they were intended for the day befores delivery. No thanks! won't touch your orders with a 10 ft pole.

 

[BOSS]

I don't know Boss....After the responses that generated from my "Refusing OG Orders" post...they might be getting the idea that they are winning the florist back to their side. I Don't Fill For OG, I know, I'm BAD!

Knife's Wife

I don't think so...they have to be thinking we're (some of us) are including "company orders" in the same vein...as with FTD, it *might* be from Walmart and some of us won;t take the chance of putting our name on it...

Good call on the orders, I would never send out an apology arr for another company saying it was late...

 

[Rhonda]

I don't know Boss....After the responses that generated from my "Refusing OG Orders" post...they might be getting the idea that they are winning the florist back to their side. I Don't Fill For OG, I know, I'm BAD!

Knife's Wife

P.S refused 2 more of the Proflowers, From you Florist orders after that post. Guess what both were sent to me the next day wanting me to include an apology with them that they were intended for the day befores delivery. No thanks! won't touch your orders with a 10 ft pole.

How do you know they were actually ProFlowers orders? Did they come from From You? They get real perturbed when I won't even take their phone calls. Hmmm can you say Caller ID....

 

[Dazeal]

Daz...you're "phishing"......your dislike for FTD is clouding your ability to be honest with yourself. You 'find" things that inspire you, to inflate your opinions of "others" that ARE loyally involved with FTD. There IS something "MORE" to this explanation of yours....

Ok Mikey, here's what I will do. I'll be honest and fair and print out the below quotes that are on BFB website and ask my customers who come in. Sure it might not be the best poll, but I challenge you to do the same. And then you can take back you "phishing" comment.
Here is what I'll print out and I CHALLENGE you and Ryan and anyone else who thinks that BfB isn’t trying to trick online consumers to do the same:

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You want to buy flowers online and send a bouquet to your aunt 2000 miles away. You have just ventured onto an online website who sell flowers called butterfieldblooms.com. Please read the quotes below, that are on this floral website and answer the one question at the bottom.

"We have selected the best growers who take great pride in demanding only the finest flowers for you."

"Best Growers and Floral Designers. Freshness Guaranteed"

"Have confidence in placing your order with us because we'll fill your order with the freshest products from the best growers and most talented floral designers."

"Through partnerships with the best growers and floral designers, we guarantee an impressive experience ..."


*Question 1. From what you have read on the butterfieldblooms website, explain the process of how the flowers get from the farm to your front door.

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Heck Mikey, since I'm such a BIG PHISHER, here's their phone number: 888-8-bbloom, call em up for yourself and ask their customer service person, since I'm just reaching. I called twice and each time they said it was shipped direct from the grower.

Yes you are right, I do loath FTD, but it hasn't clouded the truth. Anyone who shops for flowers online, who reads the above quotes, OR EVEN CALLS THEM AND ASKS, will get the picture they are direct from the farm. And since your veins run gold and green, I knew you'd be right in there defending your buddies at FTD. Isn't it cool that you and other FTD people paying their way help BFB become successful? Great job guys! This really helps the brick and mortars! But yet some here whine and complain about Proflowers and 1800flowers? I love the hypocrisy here. It's ok if you are making money, I know. I’ve set in a couple of epicflowers meetings and Peter Ekman, the CEO, would say stuff JUST LIKE the stuff on BFB to deceive customers. I can’t believe you guys don’t see through it.

So Mikey, and Ryan and anyone else who thinks I am "phishing", print the above out and let the customer decide. I think anyone of us who looks at it objectively knows what the answer is going to be already. And heck, once again, give em a call Mikey, maybe when I heard her say, direct from their farms, I was deaf to the truth too of what she really said... direct from our middleman in Miami. Yeah I'm sure that was it, I'm just phishing. - give me a break. - I'm not sure why you guys have a hard time calling a spade a spade. Are you really that loyal to a company who hurts the rest of us here, the brick and mortars that FTD is helping put out of business?

 

[Dazeal]

How do you know they were actually ProFlowers orders? Did they come from From You? They get real perturbed when I won't even take their phone calls. Hmmm can you say Caller ID....

Teleflora fills a lot of Proflowers same day orders. Maybe PF is calling them in direct now? Interesting. Either way, good for you Knife's Wife for rejecting them.

Supporting companies who look to hurt us small guys is bad in my opinion. Thanks for taking one for the team and not going for the green. Very honorable.