FTD delivers quality?

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Bigted

Bigted

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Feb 4, 2006
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Here is one of the little tidbits from the new "quality" program. Asking for more money won't shield you from the fees.

I never wanted to move from FTD to Teleflora, but this may do it.


Q. What if I get an order from FTD.com and send an ASK, but don’t receive a response back within the two hour window of time to reject the order if I can’t fill it?
A. The rules that apply to florist-to-florist orders are the same for FTD.com orders. If you are NOT confident that you can fill the order with a quality product within two hours of receiving the order, reject the order and FTD will route it to another filling florist in the network. The goal is to make sure that the customer receives what was ordered. If you are confident that you can fill the order, but need clarification, you can wait for a response. However, if you end up having to reject the order and it is two hours AFTER receipt of the order, the fee schedule above will apply.

Here are the FAQs about the program
http://www.ftdi.com/quality/
 
Bigted said:
Here is one of the little tidbits from the new "quality" program. Asking for more money won't shield you from the fees.

I never wanted to move from FTD to Teleflora, but this may do it.


Q. What if I get an order from FTD.com and send an ASK, but don’t receive a response back within the two hour window of time to reject the order if I can’t fill it?
A. The rules that apply to florist-to-florist orders are the same for FTD.com orders. If you are NOT confident that you can fill the order with a quality product within two hours of receiving the order, reject the order and FTD will route it to another filling florist in the network. The goal is to make sure that the customer receives what was ordered. If you are confident that you can fill the order, but need clarification, you can wait for a response. However, if you end up having to reject the order and it is two hours AFTER receipt of the order, the fee schedule above will apply.

Here are the FAQs about the program
http://www.ftdi.com/quality/
Click to expand...

I would "suggest" that EVERY SHOP send in a "removal" from the FTD.COM fill list, right now, pronto
 
considering it was rare to get a reply the same day from .com when I was FTD and mercury.....and I was the only FTD shop for 50 miles....
They would have had a bunch of rejects...nope, I'd probably be arguing for plenty of "fine reversals".
 
You just hit the nail on the head. One of the reasons I "opt" out of FTD.com orders.
Next step,the web site. Than I'm closer to FREEDOM !!!!
 
I guess that answers the question if an ask would freeze it.

It should.

Dumb, now that's just plain dumb. They better re-think that one.

Thast one's gonna backfire on them big time.
 
New question, didn't someone say rejecting costs money? Are they changing that for this program or is that what the $1.25 is that they quote on that page?

Edit:// answered my own question a few FAQs lower. Although, I didn't realize the fee applied even if the sending florist CANs the order.

Q. If an order is rejected within the Delayed Response window of time, will the $1.25 transmission fee be waived?
A. No, the fee will not be waived because it is applicable for all orders transmitted using the Mercury Network whether it is filled, cancelled or rejected. The delayed response fee schedule is in addition to the transmission fee.
 
Forwarding doesn't cost money, so I am just going to forward all orders to my buddy, Bloomzie. He is on the left coast so he gets an extra two hours to ruminate over the orders.

joe
 
Ted -

Thanks for that link. I read through the entire page and am utterly appalled.

Every single penalty is on the local stores. If FTD (or an OG) doesn't respond to an ASK, it's on you, the filling florist.

Notice the evasive:

Q. If I reject an order from FTD.com because of codification/price and FTD.com keeps sending it back to me, will I be charged a penalty?
A. After June 1, 2008, FTD.com will work diligently to ensure customer service representatives do not resend orders that have been previously rejected by the same filling florist. The order must be rejected within two hours of receiving it to avoid any fees.

Click to expand...
I don't see a 'no' there, do you? Theoretically, they can keep sending it and you keep paying to refuse. Miss the 2 hr window and owe them $10.

About getting paid for the $10, $20 and double order value penalties:
it will take three statement cycles for the fees to be credited.
Click to expand...
In the mean time, the money sits where?

The BS of this ruse under the cover of
increase(ing) the level of quality in the industry by proactively asking for quicker response times from our network
Click to expand...
only applies to fillers, not senders.

Remind me who sends the most orders through FTD.com?
 
looks to me like FTD has lost their minds.... WOW!!! Glad we're not FTD anymore.
 
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Here's the part that gets me, FTD expects the filling florist to respond in 2 hours to assure quality service to the customer, but the sending florist or FTD.com aren't required to do the same when responding to an ASK within the same window.

I'm all for this Quality Program, but frankly this part is just plain BS.::BS
 
During the early 70's while attending a Denver design show sponsored by FTD, a representative was speaking about flower and plant sales in the supermarket. He explained to all, not to worry about the buyers of flowers in the market place, that buyer would not step foot into a retail florist to buy flowers. What a joke! My own customers in the Broadmoor of Colo. Springs would order a centerpiece for thier party, then politely say that the would go to the Safeway to buy plants to place around the home. I knew early on that FTD was not looking out for the hand that fed them. Who was the first wire service to go into the market place? Maybe what goes around, comes around!
 
Joe Mioux said:
Forwarding doesn't cost money, so I am just going to forward all orders to my buddy, Bloomzie. He is on the left coast so he gets an extra two hours to ruminate over the orders.

joe
Click to expand...

OK - I'll see if I can figure a way to wire them back out and make a buck.

that's something that just will not compute in my 60's model brain, where the percentages would go if one wires out an incoming.

Can you do the math for me on that Joe? It seems a rebate may be worth more than the 7% you would eat, depending on the order size obviously.


CHR said:
Ted -

Every single penalty is on the local stores. If FTD (or an OG) doesn't respond to an ASK, it's on you, the filling florist.
The BS of this ruse under the cover of only applies to fillers, not senders.

Remind me who sends the most orders through FTD.com?
Click to expand...

I do agree there should be penalties for sending bad information like addresses or no phone number. Many times on an incoming we've sat on an order for more than a day waiting to be provided with a phone number.

Looks like faster rejects or forwards will have to be the name of the game.

But ya'know, s much sentiment as we have up in here over this - I bet 90% of the floral world won't even notice.

You know, the ones that don't read their statements?
 
bloomz said:
OK - I'll see if I can figure a way to wire them back out and make a buck.

that's something that just will not compute in my 60's model brain, where the percentages would go if one wires out an incoming.

Can you do the math for me on that Joe? It seems a rebate may be worth more than the 7% you would eat, depending on the order size obviously.
Click to expand...

It's funny you mention this, one of our fellow florists (won't mention who) already practices this regularly. She/he swears by it. If it really does work, you would think it would even more after June 1, 2008.
 
FTD said:
If you are confident that you can fill the order, but need clarification, you can wait for a response. However, if you end up having to reject the order and it is two hours AFTER receipt of the order, the fee schedule above will apply.

Here are the FAQs about the program
http://www.ftdi.com/quality/
Click to expand...
So then, reading this, if you send an ASK, and the originating florist does not reply for 3 hours, and then you reject...YOU get screwed...:rofl:

Like Mikey said...OPT OUT NOW of filling FTD.coN orders, and then pay very close attention to F2F orders...
 
ALSO, part of the "body" of my message to FTD includes "this shop will ONLY fill orders for customers, whose source name, location, and original sender are CLEARLY IDENTIFIED!!
All orders NOT clearly identified, will be assessed an incoming processing fee of $20.00 or 20% of the value of the order, whichever is greater.
All orders with incorrect information, lack of information, OR false information will be WILL NOT be processed, until corrected by the offending party!!"
A "non reciprocity charge" will be assessed to all unidentified sources.
 
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I honestly believe that this could be the final straw. Not right away, because as Bloomz says, most florists won't even notice for months.

The big disaster will be Valentine's Day. When FTD sits on a giant pile of orders because they can't get them filled, they MIGHT start to re-evaluate the program.

I don't belive that I have ever heard of a viable system that has to blackmail and punish its members to fill the orders. I'm not nieve enough to think that this change will resort in mass resignations from FTD, but it will increase the tide that is already leaving.

One more thing. This is a quality program? It seems to me that if you pass the deadline and run out of specific flowers or containers that it will be cheaper to send out crap and maybe have to replace it rather than pay one to two times the price of the order.
 
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Bigted said:
I honestly believe that this could be the final straw. Not right away, because as Bloomz says, most florists won't even notice for months.

The big disaster will be Valentine's Day. When FTD sits on a giant pile of orders because they can't get them filled, they MIGHT start to re-evaluate the program.
Click to expand...

JUST send a merc to HQ, and REMOVE your shop from incoming .com orders!!...don't be so sure that shops won't "notice"!!
This is a very evil plan, dreamed up by the devil itself!!
 
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