Hi I need some advice. We have recently opened a new shop. We have been in the industry 30 plus years. We are memers of both FTD and Teleflora. However we are extremely annoyed. There was a floral shop where we are living that has went out of business. She has been out of her location since 6/05. We had looked into buying her business last year but she wanted a fortune. She said well it includes the building. We have come to find out she never owned the building she just leased space. Anyhoo she is still listed as a member of FTD and Teleflora. However she is operating out of her garage. Isn't this against policy? The first "rule" stated that you need your own storefront and signage etc.... She openly tells you that she is operating out of her home. However she is still listed at her old address. There is one other florist who services the area and we have both complained to the respective associations. Being that we are so far out there the reps are dragging their feet. Our inside rep w/ FTD then said that perhaps they could do this by phone because the rep was having a hard time getting out here. It's been 3 plus weeks. Well the outside rep would prefer to do this in person regardless of our concerns. I am all for fair competition however this isn't fair. She has no overhead and doesn't have to maintain any of the expenses that another florist does. How do I address this issue and get some results? I think it's unfair that she is receiving wire service orders and working from her garage and blatantly telling you this? I even went to see if there was a separate building but there is nothing not even a sign or any reference to her shop. In fact she directs you to look for her mailbox with her last name on it. Any ideas on how to correct this? Thanks in advance.
Kelly
Kelly
