Maybe I was asleep at the wheel, but I just noticed that on my website hosted by FTD, there is now a box asking if the customer has an FTD account or wants one. Doesn't this smack of stealing my customers right off of my website?
FTD Personal Account?
- Thread starter Bigted
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Depends how paranoid you are.
Could also be an added service to allow the customer to track order history, etc.
Ryan
Could also be an added service to allow the customer to track order history, etc.
Ryan
BOSS
FlowerChat Administrator
Depends on who gets the data, I think...Infinite said:
I looked at several FTD hosted sites today, many have an "I have an account" button...is this what you are talking about Ted?
Easy way to see whats up, is to become your own customer, place an order on your site, and see what happens...do you get the order directly? Does FTD clear the Cc and send you the order via Merc? Or do they do it all and drop ship you the flowers...
Give it a whirl, and let us know...
mark
12BucksFor2Dozon
New Member
Does this FTD account also work at FTD.com or other florists? If you were to change hosting companies, does FTD guarantee they'll purge your customer data from their system? Will FTD provide you an Excel file of your current customer data?
Mark's suggestion is a good one. Test it yourself.
You do want your previous users to avoid having to re-enter all their account info on each visit. OTOH, why are they calling it an FTD account and not a Visser's account?
Mark's suggestion is a good one. Test it yourself.
You do want your previous users to avoid having to re-enter all their account info on each visit. OTOH, why are they calling it an FTD account and not a Visser's account?
David
Well-Known Member
CHR said:Will FTD provide you an Excel file of your current customer data?
why are they calling it an FTD account and not a Visser's account?
Yes they will provide an Excel file to you. I have asked and gotten. Mine says
Central Square Florist not FTD
Here it is:
Why Join Central Square Florist?
Shopping Central Square Florist has always been convenient, but only our Members enjoy services that make ordering faster and easier than ever before.
A Personal Central Square Florist Account is flexible and simple to use. Sign-up today to experience the benefits of:
1. A Free Reminder Service
In these hurried times it's easy to forget important occasions and appointments. By letting you register unlimited personal, holiday, and business reminders, this interactive feature won't let you forget these important dates. As an Central Square Florist Flower Member, you:
* will receive e-mail reminders for each specified date
* may edit and view your personal reminder account at any time
* will receive interactive monthly calendars which feature occasions and appointments that must be remembered
* will enjoy an automatic renewal of your reminder account
* may access and print your monthly calendars at any time
2. A Free Online Address Book
Entering and storing your family, friends, and business associates in your personal Address Book makes ordering a breeze. Forget re-entering a name or address over and over again: every time you place a new order we'll automatically transfer the name and address right to the order form. In addition to this feature, your personal Address Book lets you apply shopping lists and other important information to each individual name.
3. A Record of Your Previous Purchases
Compiled for your quick reference, this personal ongoing record when and to whom each Central Square Florist bouquet or product was sent. You'll never have to worry about sending the same gift to the same person.
4. Automatic Entry of Billing and Delivery Information
Talk about convenience; since our Netscape-secure database stores your billing and delivery information, it's automatically transferred to the order form each time you order. You never have to enter the same person or address twice, and you're welcome to view or edit someone's data anytime you sign in.
Something about FTD ....
and a button for collecting customer info for a price was discussed at the Flowers Canada meeting the other day. Arman at the office has the detailed info about it but is not good for the florist just FTD. Check with him because he was going to check it out for the membership.
and a button for collecting customer info for a price was discussed at the Flowers Canada meeting the other day. Arman at the office has the detailed info about it but is not good for the florist just FTD. Check with him because he was going to check it out for the membership.
What are these?
script language="JavaScript" type="text/JavaScript"
trackcampaignhit();
setquixtarcookie();
setreferralidcookie();
I found this code at every page of FTD-hosted sites. They sure sound like a bundle of tracking scripts.
If so, does the site owner realize that FTD is collecting the customer-behavior data from each one of the FTD-hosted sites? Do they relaize that FTD could use these data against them?
I didn't find similar scripts in TF-hosted sites, but it may be that I just missed them.
script language="JavaScript" type="text/JavaScript"
trackcampaignhit();
setquixtarcookie();
setreferralidcookie();
I found this code at every page of FTD-hosted sites. They sure sound like a bundle of tracking scripts.
If so, does the site owner realize that FTD is collecting the customer-behavior data from each one of the FTD-hosted sites? Do they relaize that FTD could use these data against them?
I didn't find similar scripts in TF-hosted sites, but it may be that I just missed them.
12BucksFor2Dozon
New Member
Nice work...here is all the information about the Quixtar customer tracking cookie. A particularly egregious passage...goldfish said:
We may share Personally Identifiable Information you provide online with other Quixtar-related entities and/or trusted business partners with whom we collaborate, as well as those that provide services to our Site. Where we engage non-affiliated third-party agents or contractors, we require them also to observe the intent of this Privacy Statement.
From time to time, we may be required to provide Personally Identifiable Information in response to court order, subpoena, or government investigation. We also reserve the right to report to law enforcement agencies any activities that we in good faith believe to be unlawful. We may release Personally Identifiable Information when we believe that such release is reasonably necessary to enforce or apply our Terms of Use or to protect the rights, property, and safety of others and ourselves.
Should Quixtar or its related entities merge with or be acquired by another business entity, or its respective assets be acquired, you should expect that we would share some or all of your Personally Identifiable Information to companies assuming the role of serving you and other users of our Site.
...I feel the need to wash my hands just after reading that slimy site. Congrats, FTD drones, for "partnering" with such upstanding web citizens.
UPDATE: Here is blog entry about Quixtar's questionable "Google bombing's" and "partnership" with everyone's favorite MLM, Amway...
goldfish said:
You missed them, every TF site I looked at has a findaflorist popup script.
Call me paranoid but it looks like some way of siphoning off customers. If I had one any more I would be very suspicious of it.
Someone who knows javascript please take a look and report back what it does.
Here's the script
FlowerShopSolutions
New Member
Java Script
The Java script looks like it may be tracking clicks from Teleflora's www.findaflorist.com site. It may also send customers from that site to any site with the script. I will look into it more.
The Java script looks like it may be tracking clicks from Teleflora's www.findaflorist.com site. It may also send customers from that site to any site with the script. I will look into it more.
You can call me paranoid, too. I've wondered of it was a way to create 10,000+ instant inbound links to findaflorist.com since the code is present on almost all for their templates.bloomz said:
For some reason, it's not on at least a few of the OG sites they host - like 11flowers.com and 77flowers.com.
BOSS
FlowerChat Administrator
Yea, and explains some as to how they got such good ranking in such a short amount of time...CHR said:
Ya'll know me, and being one to step in the doo doo, I have contacted both FTD and TF regarding their respective codes...should be interesting to read the replies....*if* they even reply...my guess is they won;t...
BOSS
FlowerChat Administrator
Question
Why do the TF templates all have links to the Findaflorist site at the top right corner?
Why would you want to help someone "off" your site?
TF's initial response to my inquirey was regarding this link as being the code... I don;t think I believe it....as the code states "pop up"...
Since I do not see pop-ups or allow cookies to be set...is anyone seeing a pop-up when they visit these sites?
Why do the TF templates all have links to the Findaflorist site at the top right corner?
Why would you want to help someone "off" your site?
TF's initial response to my inquirey was regarding this link as being the code... I don;t think I believe it....as the code states "pop up"...
Since I do not see pop-ups or allow cookies to be set...is anyone seeing a pop-up when they visit these sites?
Upon a quick review of the TF code, it seems to be a pop-up triggered if the customer tries to close the browser without making a purchase.
In other words, someone browses a TF member site, decides not to buy and closes the browser. This could trigger a new window to open showing the findaflorist site.
Without seeing more of the code and knowing what triggers that function, I can't be certain.
Ryan
In other words, someone browses a TF member site, decides not to buy and closes the browser. This could trigger a new window to open showing the findaflorist site.
Without seeing more of the code and knowing what triggers that function, I can't be certain.
Ryan
12BucksFor2Dozon
New Member
Yes that's what is does but the two lines that would trigger the popup are commented out. Still, though, a tricky way to flood TF with thousands of incomings...
Call me naive, but when you buy a site from FTD or TF, and they control it, it is easier for them to collect any data.
BBJ, tellme if I am wrong on this. I have a site on a1florists.com hosted by BBJ. Now I get the date and BBJ can go inside my website anytime and look for any information on any order. If he wish, he can collect any data and promote his site and transfer the order back to me through the wire service.
We all know he would be making money on the 20% and rebates.
Do I trust BBJ? My answer is Yes by a long shot.
Do I trust FTD or TF? My answer is No by a long shot.
Will all their broken promises they are sounding like politicians.
Luc
BBJ, tellme if I am wrong on this. I have a site on a1florists.com hosted by BBJ. Now I get the date and BBJ can go inside my website anytime and look for any information on any order. If he wish, he can collect any data and promote his site and transfer the order back to me through the wire service.
We all know he would be making money on the 20% and rebates.
Do I trust BBJ? My answer is Yes by a long shot.
Do I trust FTD or TF? My answer is No by a long shot.
Will all their broken promises they are sounding like politicians.
Luc
It could.... but there are several other good reasons.boss said:
1 - They purchased an older domain. New URLs are much tougher to get highly placed in search engines.
2 - They created some massive secondary directory-style sites like flowersandmagazine.com, telefloraflorist.com andt heavily linked them into pages on FAF. (Some of those sites can no longer be found unless you spot old Google caches.)
3 - An SEO insider (not from TF) told me TF had hired one of the top SEO firms, Bruce Clay, to optimize it.
I asked the same question as Bloomz a few months ago. Search engines are picking up backlinks to FAF from the template sites. Alas, my understanding of JS - and its effect in this application - is nil.
Same with FTD's tracking codes....
An Update
After talking to a few different people in FTD, I believe the account is as follows: FTD clearly collects and stores the info, but dot com does not market to the customers (and supposedly has no access to the data). However, the account feature is not a feature of Vissersflorist.com, it is a flowers online feature, so if you sign up for my site, you can access all flowers online sites. I was told that they are planning to eliminate this feature in the summer. It sounds like it might just be an old feature that never went away.
After talking to a few different people in FTD, I believe the account is as follows: FTD clearly collects and stores the info, but dot com does not market to the customers (and supposedly has no access to the data). However, the account feature is not a feature of Vissersflorist.com, it is a flowers online feature, so if you sign up for my site, you can access all flowers online sites. I was told that they are planning to eliminate this feature in the summer. It sounds like it might just be an old feature that never went away.
BOSS
FlowerChat Administrator
Telefloras explaination to me is that this code is to bring consumers to the Eflorist sites, FROM the Find-a-florist site....Infinite said:
I'm still scratching my head over that one...
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