Read this convoluted tale.
If FTD can't blame their florists, they can blame DHL.
Do we see a pattern here?
If FTD can't blame their florists, they can blame DHL.
Do we see a pattern here?
How FTD Ruined My Mother's Day
- Thread starter CHR
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Connie
New Member
Yes, and we had a customer who called us and ranted for several minutes on Friday because her FTD arrangement had arrived in shambles in a box, not arranged, etc., etc. We sympathized with her, telling her that we had heard similar complaints about FTD.com and similar online middlemen. Then we began to realize that she expected us to make her arrangement good. "You're FTD, aren't you? What are you going to do about this?" We explained that we were not FTD, had not been affilated with them for over a year, our shop had no responsibility for the bad shipment, but we would be glad to send another arrangement if she would like to place an order with us. I think that we finally made her understand, but she did not give us an order. I wish I'd never put that FTD sign on my door.
More dot com madness
I just came in, and we probably have 100 orders for delivery today from the wire services and various order gatherers (especially just flowers). They all know we don't deliver on Sunday. I guess they are hoping that if they send out a million orders, at least some will be delivered.
We will be way too busy to reject these today. That means 100 people get not flowers and may not order flowers again because of their experience. It's not a good feeling to sit here and watch the deliberate destruction of such a great industry.
I just came in, and we probably have 100 orders for delivery today from the wire services and various order gatherers (especially just flowers). They all know we don't deliver on Sunday. I guess they are hoping that if they send out a million orders, at least some will be delivered.
We will be way too busy to reject these today. That means 100 people get not flowers and may not order flowers again because of their experience. It's not a good feeling to sit here and watch the deliberate destruction of such a great industry.
Joe Mioux
Well-Known Member
On Thursday, I was supposed to receive a Priority 1 FedEx shipment of roses. The order was through my local wholesaler who had his broker in Miami direct ship to me. Local wholesaler absorbed the cost of FedEx charges.
The flowers arrived at 3:30 pm and they were hot.
The variety is Sterling Silver and they blew open before we could deliver them. So we had to sub with various pink roses.
Assuming delivery of product..........
I can not understand how most FTD-drop-shipped flower bouquets will be any good given the temperatures across most of the U.S. this weekend.
Let's refer back to Valentine Day, and the infamous frozen roses!
Christmas drop ship issues? yea.
The missing link in this drop ship business is adequate temperature control while enroute via Fedex, ups, dhl and others.
Again this assumes the flowers are even on a delivery truck!
Joe
The flowers arrived at 3:30 pm and they were hot.
The variety is Sterling Silver and they blew open before we could deliver them. So we had to sub with various pink roses.
Assuming delivery of product..........
I can not understand how most FTD-drop-shipped flower bouquets will be any good given the temperatures across most of the U.S. this weekend.
Let's refer back to Valentine Day, and the infamous frozen roses!
Christmas drop ship issues? yea.
The missing link in this drop ship business is adequate temperature control while enroute via Fedex, ups, dhl and others.
Again this assumes the flowers are even on a delivery truck!
Joe
TOTO
New Member
Golden Marketing Opportunity, I'd say! "]
I'd have to do a mailing after the Holiday to all of those recipients who were victimized by the SKIMMERS and explain to them, just why they never got their Mother's Day Floral Gift.
I would go on to say that, in the future, it would be in their best interests to tell the sender to call your shop or visit your website, when they need REAL FLOWERS from a REAL FLORIST!
After which, I would go on to offer them a future in store discount coupon of $5.00 if they would fill out your enclosed postcard indicating the name and address of that sender so that, you could mail them a $5.00 future discount coupon as well.
Might as well turn that list of names into a future marketing opportunity for your shop.
Lastly, and in light of this newer version of a DROP SHIPPED BOX OF JUNK which started out looking like a floral arrangement, that company is out of control now.
Not only have they EXCLUDED THEIR FLORISTS from the CONSUMER FLORAL PURCHASE EQUATION, they are now DESTROYING what little reputation DA BRAND may have had left by their continued BAIT & SWITCH TACTICS.
In addition, those floral customers, having had a really bad floral purchase experience by using DA BRAND and these SKIMMERS, may never view flowers as a viable gift in their futures as well.
Sure, DA BRAND is still trying to ride the wave by coat tailing what WEE REAL FLORISTS did well in the past, but they are in the process of KILLING THE GEESE which laid all of those Golden Eggs!
We had better join forces soon and as INDEPENDENT FLORISTS by embarking on a serious campaign to educate and inform the MEDIA and the CONSUMERS regarding the SCAMS of DA MIDDLEMEN and DROP SHIPPERS and explain to all of them that, WHEN THEY NEED REAL FLOWERS, they NEED TO USE A REAL FLORIST!
I'd have to do a mailing after the Holiday to all of those recipients who were victimized by the SKIMMERS and explain to them, just why they never got their Mother's Day Floral Gift.
I would go on to say that, in the future, it would be in their best interests to tell the sender to call your shop or visit your website, when they need REAL FLOWERS from a REAL FLORIST!
After which, I would go on to offer them a future in store discount coupon of $5.00 if they would fill out your enclosed postcard indicating the name and address of that sender so that, you could mail them a $5.00 future discount coupon as well.
Might as well turn that list of names into a future marketing opportunity for your shop.
Lastly, and in light of this newer version of a DROP SHIPPED BOX OF JUNK which started out looking like a floral arrangement, that company is out of control now.
Not only have they EXCLUDED THEIR FLORISTS from the CONSUMER FLORAL PURCHASE EQUATION, they are now DESTROYING what little reputation DA BRAND may have had left by their continued BAIT & SWITCH TACTICS.
In addition, those floral customers, having had a really bad floral purchase experience by using DA BRAND and these SKIMMERS, may never view flowers as a viable gift in their futures as well.
Sure, DA BRAND is still trying to ride the wave by coat tailing what WEE REAL FLORISTS did well in the past, but they are in the process of KILLING THE GEESE which laid all of those Golden Eggs!
We had better join forces soon and as INDEPENDENT FLORISTS by embarking on a serious campaign to educate and inform the MEDIA and the CONSUMERS regarding the SCAMS of DA MIDDLEMEN and DROP SHIPPERS and explain to all of them that, WHEN THEY NEED REAL FLOWERS, they NEED TO USE A REAL FLORIST!
Mikey the Flower Guy
It's a GREAT DAY to live, and love!
- Nov 10, 2002
- 9,206
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- Ontario
Ted, this IS a great opportunity, to market to those "recipients" of all those non deliveries, as TOTO has suggested!!
As an FTD member, I have literally stripped every reference to FTD from my shop, correspondence, literature, business cards, and 'We're delivering flowers" vehicle cards, and my lazy ass hasn't yet switched my vehicle plates...which will be the final nail!
HQ is indeed out of control, they are even not corresponding with each other..I have several internal ask/answers that reflects that they are out of control internally!!
This is clear evidence that FTD has lost direction....staff are frustrated, customers are angry, the blogs are full of anti FTD sentiment, and there are dark clouds in the horizon......
lori042499
Well-Known Member
- May 3, 2006
- 6,457
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- MA
Do you know that the delivery trucks are packed the night before for the route the next day. So if it is 100 degrees overnight in the truck. The flowers sit in that. The drivers all come in to a packed truck with a manifest for deliveries. Imagine if we packed our trucks tha night before!!!!! HA!!!!
Joe Mioux
Well-Known Member
Lori, thank you for re-affirming my point!
No generic overnight delivery system is going to work better than you or I for quality on time deliveries.
Joe
lori042499
Well-Known Member
- May 3, 2006
- 6,457
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- MA
The questions I have on my mind is:
Do most people really care about the quality or are they more concerned with price???
Are they just glad to get the gift done and over with without leaving their computer screen?
Are this many people just not aware of how these flowers are sent or do most not care??
I am always amazed by how many of my friends will tell me how beautiful my flowers are and how long they last and I see a stop and shop bouquet in their houses and they say, Oh I was there and I picked them up. I felt like some flowers, but they aren't as nice as yours and they don't last.
DUH!!!!!
no kidding you don't say. So why buy them??? The answers they were cheap and they filled the purpose of the moment.... I got what I needed out of them... They cheered me up for a couple of days......blah, blah, blah....
These are my own friends...the ones who come to my shop and hang around a see how hard I work and what kind of time I put in to make sure my flowers are perfect and beautiful, so what should we think about the average flower buyer????
Mikey the Flower Guy
It's a GREAT DAY to live, and love!
- Nov 10, 2002
- 9,206
- 3,792
- 113
- 72
- State / Prov
- Ontario
Eric S
Demoted Webmaster
Am I reading this right. You had 100 orders on sunday from ws. Why did you leave the Dove or merc on?
When you say "you will be way to busy to reject these today" Is that really the senders fault or the shop that isn't going to have the time to reject them.
I will appoligise if I am reading this wrong but something is very wrong in your shop if I am reading this right.
Mikey the Flower Guy
It's a GREAT DAY to live, and love!
- Nov 10, 2002
- 9,206
- 3,792
- 113
- 72
- State / Prov
- Ontario
Eric...most shop owners are very proud to openly state that they DO NOT TURN the Merc/Duck off...few expect that many orders to pour in at ANY time, let alone on the day of.....
Cut Ted some slack......
Eric S
Demoted Webmaster
I have no problem cutting him slack. However he does list in most cities in the area so of course he would be the goto florist.
It seems a little weird to hear that happening unless there was a glitch in the sending side. I did recieve a late order on Saturday from "From you flowers" but didn't see any activity on the dove all day today.
I guess I am just trying to understand
A normal shop would not try to send anything on sunday so why bother keeping the system on sunday or saturday night for incoming orders? The only reason would be for recieving orders from OG.
It seems a little weird to hear that happening unless there was a glitch in the sending side. I did recieve a late order on Saturday from "From you flowers" but didn't see any activity on the dove all day today.
I guess I am just trying to understand
A normal shop would not try to send anything on sunday so why bother keeping the system on sunday or saturday night for incoming orders? The only reason would be for recieving orders from OG.
If you have a WS-hosted website, you have to leave your Merc or Dove on to receive your own customers' orders. It's a double-edge sword.
Florists will always be given the blame by a WS - and never the fame for doing a good job.
The system is top-down, screwed up and wants nothing to do with honest two-way communication.
Florists will always be given the blame by a WS - and never the fame for doing a good job.
The system is top-down, screwed up and wants nothing to do with honest two-way communication.
Eric S
Demoted Webmaster
Oh yea.
Forgot about the web hosting stuff.
Sorry Ted its been awhile since I have had to worry about that stuff.
Thanks for the reminder Cathy.
Forgot about the web hosting stuff.
Sorry Ted its been awhile since I have had to worry about that stuff.
Thanks for the reminder Cathy.
David
Well-Known Member
Connie
New Member
I disconnected my merc on Thursday, as we never fill any scumbag gathered from any OG , made no sense forwarding endless orders from people who never bother any other time , (they know the response) I didn't have the time to waste ,any legitamate florist who needed to reach us did by phone, now if only 800 SCREW THE CUSTOMER would get the message and **** off, they even prompted a call from teleflora rep who was the same thing. Other than that was a busy successful occasion.
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