Goodbye Ftd!!!!!!

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BigBloomers

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Jan 22, 2003
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We are no longer FTD!! We love it! It's like we threw the darn hamster wheel out of the cage. Don't think we didn't go out with a BANG.... I gave this a shot on VD... Just to see what would happen. We took all of the og orders...including .com. We attached a nice little letter to each one explaining the "deal" they received. Most of these orders are going to the wife at home, so the message is certainly viewed by the sender. It explained the truth about og's etc, and how they are taking advantage of florists and consumers alike. It was very factual, not rude, no lies. Got a whole lot of calls and emails afterwards... Some were just upset, but 95% of them responded positively after the message was made clear...A vast amount were excited to actively participate in making a change. One woman went so far as to lovingly repremand her husband for working for FTD in the past...and we sent her a thank you bouquet for being so proactive. All in all it was very interesting...Two days later we sent FTD a termination letter...which they disregarded. We're straightening that out today. I got such a kick out of the reactions to this all...We've been giggling ever since VD...especially since the monkey is off our back. :)
 
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we're keeping FSI around. they've always been good to us...hardworking and there to answer questions. they've never overcharged us or tried to scam us into buying something we don't need (ie containers). direct is best, but for those that refuse that route, fsi is my #1 alternative. Their selection guide stinks, though...We keep it out of sight. :(

VD was a real fun test for us... We already knew that after the holiday we were ditching the ws, but I wanted to use it as the "proving grounds". I proved to myself everything that everyone here has commented on: 1)Even tho I purchased VERY carefully, we still did not profit from filling the orders. $1-$5 here and there, max. 2)We pissed off 2 of our OWN customers (re delivery time) because 3 of my drivers were tied up delivering FTD crap. 3)We received 00000 complaints on our direct ordered flowers!!! We received 8 complaints on FTD crap...and ALL of the FTD complaints came from orders under $45. 4) FTD.com screwed up a HUGE amount of those orders...if we profited anything, they quickly turned that around by calling us so much afterwards (we started hanging up on them). The positive aspects of ditching FTD are endless. But you need to make that decision based on YOUR shop. You're not going to do it because I said so...you shouldn't. Just don't sit there and talk about it tho... Sit down for an evening, crunch the #'s and make your move!

pinksweats said:
That makes me think my decision to be without a WS is correct. Since I don't know what I'm missing, I can certainly grow on my own with f2f service, don't you think?
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I was alittle worried about you a while back, but now you are on top of your business. It will work for you because you will make it work. Keep in mind, your over head now, less labor is needed, less flowers, less drivers. The pluses, more money for you, less stress, more time to go get some local customers back, less work, and did I mention more money in your pocket.
 
I did the exact thing a year ago and you will be freaking glad that you are in the driver seat. Beware of how long it will take you to finish your account witht hem. Took me almost 6 months instead of three like they told me, with a whole bunch of excuses.
Luc
 
Why does it take long so quit either wire service? Any suggestions on what to do BEFORE leaving to make the divorce any easier? Ready to dump a wire service here also! Thanks for any input!
 
3genflorist said:
Why does it take long so quit either wire service? Any suggestions on what to do BEFORE leaving to make the divorce any easier? Ready to dump a wire service here also! Thanks for any input!
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My first suggestion would be to move your credit cards (if they are with a ws) to another venue for processing.

Next would be to eliminate any additional listings that cost a penny.

After that, begin to eliminate incoming orders based on your outgoing attempting to "balance" the amount owed to you and from you to as close to even as possible, and at the same time move your outgoing to another method.

Best case is to leave owing them money, that way you are in control and not the other way around.
 
I owed them 1000$, they owed me 1000$. It was a stalemate for 6 months. I would not send mine untill I got theirs, period. They finally called and called it a draw. No checks were issued. Done and over with, what a waste of time.

You can't con a con. Although I'm a changed man, I still know how to play the games, my way.
 
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