How much do you pay for Membership to FTD/Teleflora/Other WS's??

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

How much do you pay for Membership to FTD/Teleflora WS's??

I see where I may have screwed up these important questions, so I'm trying this poll again.....this is REALLY IMPORTANT information in our fight with the current "Big Two" and as I stated earlier, 2004 IS THE YEAR of The Professional Florist, and the sooner that FTD and TF, "get" the message from more and more members, the sooner they will die!!
Mike

 

[GFLORAL]

Mike. You proably should have made the telelfora one go from 99.95 - 139.95 instead of 129.95 for the US.

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

thanks G....

because I'm not sure of the ranges, this is the BEST WAY to get this right, or as close as possible!!
I CANNOT identify who is paying what so, PLEASE do NOT let that stop you from voting on this poll!!
Mike

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

I've made the changes to this poll...

thank you for your input...please keep this going, it's important to know how much "discepancy" there is in WS fees!!
Mike

 

[allie]

Is there criteria that the WS's use in determining what they charge for fees? And is the criteria the same for everyone? Are there special exemptions if a member has been affiliated for a greater length of time than another (ie:grandfathering). As one of the "without a wire service" votes, I'm astounded by the discrepancies represented in the poll. With this kind of info, I'ld be hard pressed to make a decision in favour of joining a service. Why would anyone enter into a business relationship with someone you couldn't possibly trust, even on the most basic level?

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

Though NOT openly stated...

it is my opinion that the longer you have been with a wire service, the more likely you are to be "grandfathered" into a dues structure, and I think what YOU'RE actually seeing, and noticing, is the costs associated with becoming a NEW MEMBER, in other words, you have no "history" with a particular wire service.
As long as "grandfathered" shops remain in good standing, as with practically with ANY service business, it's likely that those shops have ALREADY paid a huge bundle into the WS(s) of choice.
It's NOT wrong to belong...just make sure it's RIGHT for you!!
Mike

 

[Paul]

Just what does "membership fees" mean, really? There are quality assurance fees, low sending fees, advertising fees, technology fees and a variety of other fees and charges, all of which contribute to the total amount we put into the wire services' pockets. On the other side are the rebates which certainly vary from shop to shop and reduce the overall cost of membership. Looking at just the line that says Membership fees does not give an accurate picture.

 

[Rhonda]

Because we have a population base of under 5000 people in our town we pay $49.99/mo with FTD. Not counting the stupid charges like quality assurance. We pay $139.99/mo with Teleflora. For my money, I get more from Teleflora as for name recognition, holiday container recognition and requests. But I'm torn as I do get a better monthly rate with FTD (30 yr member) and I process my credit cards with them. But am currently entertaining PayPro for cc and dropping FTD just because ...
Rhonda

 

[jbarb]

Like Rhonda we are in a town of under 5000 and yet we were paying a base of $129.00 a month for FTD membership. And Paul had a very good point. Our TF out going orders were 5 or 6 to 1 over FTD so we had the rebates coming back to offset the membership fee. Not once in the entire time that we were FTD did we ever get enough FTD outs to bring in rebates. Now I realize that we could have sent more orders FTD when they were generic but it really does not matter which company is giving you the rebates. It will be interesting to see Rhonda if you get an increase in fees. The guy I talked to at FTD HQ confirmed that ALL shops were going to be increased to $129 a month

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

Well, then just "guess" what WILL HAPPEN NEXT??...

just guess....
Mike

 

[jbarb]

can I make three guesses?

1) rebates are going away (not likely since the big OG's would have a cow)
2) TF fees are going up
3) FTD is going to lower their requirement for how many sends it takes to get paid a rebate

Just guessing
Jim

 

[Bruce Hatcher]

There are so many charges besides basic membership, plus, rebates can vary...quite negotiable really. TF now charges 7% plus .95 cents on every incoming order...should this be added as a 'membership' cost? What about the new TF directory cost of $15? What do you expense these charges under...membership, commissions paid or other. Does anyone try to recover these new costs from an incoming orders? The rules have changed since I joined and in an arbitrary fashion but I guess that's their perogative...it is their business. Bruce