I figured since Beth nominated the post on my favorite Christmas Story, I had hit a chord. Not always easy for any of us MEAN SPIRITED REPUBLICANS, (I'm really a CONSERVATIVE), so here goes:
Must've been back in 1986 around Dec 21st, when we received a MERC order for a 10" Potted Norfolk Island Pine for delivery in time for Christmas.
Had none left, so I called my good friend, Bob (another Yonkers florist) and he was nice enough to sell me one from his inventory.
We delivered it accordingly.
The next day, the woman called to complain that, the Norfolk was CRYING! Say what, I asked her?
YES, she said, the ends of the branches are curving down and I know that it's CRYING.
She told me that, in the past, she had gotten deliveries from another florist (my friend Bob), and his Florist would NEVER SEND HER a PLANT that is CRYING. (didn't tell her where I got it from)
Well, I'm so sorry you feel that way as this is the NORMAL LOOK of this type of plant. What can we do to make you happy, I asked her.
Well, she went onto to tell me, her husband had recently passed away, she didn't have any family left, and they were not able to be Blessed with having children, and she is so lonely. It must be her husband inside this plant which is causing it TO CRY.
I told her I was sorry to hear that, and how could we make her happy?
She told me she had a few friends in her building, and she wondered if we could send her several Christmas Gifts instead of this ONE CRYING PLANT? If we could do that, she would be able to show them she had gotten several Christmas gifts from her niece, the only family she had left, and not just one present. Fact was that, this would be the only Christmas gift she would get from anyone, and her friends would all be showing her the many gifts they had all gotten for Christmas.
What would you like, I asked her?
Well, I would like a nice box of candy, a poinsettia plant, a Christmas centerpiece, and a nice Christmas card, she told me.
NO PROBLEM, I said. We'll be by tomorrow with your gifts and take back your CRYING PLANT.
That next afternoon, she called me back in tears to thank me for making her Christmas a little brighter.
Which then, of course, made MY CHRISTMAS MORE SPECIAL!
You know, it's been said that, WEE FLORISTS DEAL IN EMOTIONS and our clients can sometimes be VERY EMOTIONAL PEOPLE. I also think that, in today's world, we have many more frustrated human beings walking around out here now, than ever before. Since they can't vent to their elected officials or the BIG CORPORATE GIANTS, (your call is very important to us, your approximate wait time is 15 minutes), we florists are one of the few small businesses at which, we do answer our telephone within three to four rings, and YES, a REAL PERSON is actually at the end of their telephone.
Most often, a good thing and a rare commodity in our world, and sometimes, NOT SO GOOD ey, especially when THEY ARE HAVING A BAD DAY!
I've always believed that, WEE FLORISTS ARE IN THE COMMUNICATION BUSINESS, albeit from ONE HUMAN BEING to ANOTHER, and we just happen to do it with OUR FLOWERS and GIFTS.
Our MISSION is to MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY, which can sometimes be complicated, since we're in the middle of OUR CUSTOMER and the RECIPIENT. That also means, we must make TWO PEOPLE HAPPY during each individual event. And in some cases, even a THIRD PERSON when we fill an incoming order coming from another REAL FLORIST. (MIDDLEMAN ORDER GATHERERS DON'T COUNT!)
Never an easy task, especially since we can't always get into the heads of the sender in our effort to identify their WANTS and NEEDS based on the amount of money they have predetermined, they are willing to invest in both OUR PRODUCTS and OUR $ERVICES. The hard part is when they want to use 1980 dollars in 2009, while forgetting that, almost 30 years have gone by.
And lastly, the goal of either MEETING or EXCEEDING their EXPECTATIONS of what they demand us to do, and based on their projected reaction of the recipient, is always a challenge at our end.
Also, not an easy task and no one formula applies in each set of circumstances.
And YES, don't we all take it personal when we get a complaint, either justified, OR NOT! Our rule, like most other professional REAL FLORISTS is simple! Nothing leaves our shop, unless we're proud enough to be able to send it out, to one of our own family members.
Our policy is a 48 HOUR GUARANTEE after delivery, and for any reason what-so-ever, our fault, OR NOT! Could even be when the sender sent them RED ROSES, (which they hate) and would rather have had PINK. Then, we are happy to swap out their PINK for our RED, and all is well!
We have extended our guarantee on occasion for SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
However, and in all cases, we try to NEVER GIVE A REFUND (except for non-delivery via a third party). Even in those few cases, we try to RE-DELIVER the suppossed missing gift after researching the complaint along with a FREE $10 UPGRADE. As President Reagan put it best: "TRUST, BUT VERIFY!"
Other options we do use, is to send either party a cut flower bouquet when practical to ease the pain (in their mind), or a $10 gift certificate for future use.
On rare occasions, and when ya just know, NOTHING YOU CAN DO WILL EVER PLEASE THEM, we offer to go to pick up their gift, after which, we will issue them a FULL REFUND.
We then agree to move along in life, albeit on separate paths, since LIFE IS TOO SHORT for either of us to BE UNHAPPY with each other.
Another florist posted a note which they have hanging on the wall at their POS.
"All of our customers always make us Happy! Most when they enter our shop, and a few when they leave!" Their motto is PRICELESS!
Which is also why, I JUST LOVE MY CAMERA PHONE, since A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS and OUR PROOF IS IN THEIR PUDDING!
Must've been back in 1986 around Dec 21st, when we received a MERC order for a 10" Potted Norfolk Island Pine for delivery in time for Christmas.
Had none left, so I called my good friend, Bob (another Yonkers florist) and he was nice enough to sell me one from his inventory.
We delivered it accordingly.
The next day, the woman called to complain that, the Norfolk was CRYING! Say what, I asked her?
YES, she said, the ends of the branches are curving down and I know that it's CRYING.
She told me that, in the past, she had gotten deliveries from another florist (my friend Bob), and his Florist would NEVER SEND HER a PLANT that is CRYING. (didn't tell her where I got it from)
Well, I'm so sorry you feel that way as this is the NORMAL LOOK of this type of plant. What can we do to make you happy, I asked her.
Well, she went onto to tell me, her husband had recently passed away, she didn't have any family left, and they were not able to be Blessed with having children, and she is so lonely. It must be her husband inside this plant which is causing it TO CRY.
I told her I was sorry to hear that, and how could we make her happy?
She told me she had a few friends in her building, and she wondered if we could send her several Christmas Gifts instead of this ONE CRYING PLANT? If we could do that, she would be able to show them she had gotten several Christmas gifts from her niece, the only family she had left, and not just one present. Fact was that, this would be the only Christmas gift she would get from anyone, and her friends would all be showing her the many gifts they had all gotten for Christmas.
What would you like, I asked her?
Well, I would like a nice box of candy, a poinsettia plant, a Christmas centerpiece, and a nice Christmas card, she told me.
NO PROBLEM, I said. We'll be by tomorrow with your gifts and take back your CRYING PLANT.
That next afternoon, she called me back in tears to thank me for making her Christmas a little brighter.
Which then, of course, made MY CHRISTMAS MORE SPECIAL!
You know, it's been said that, WEE FLORISTS DEAL IN EMOTIONS and our clients can sometimes be VERY EMOTIONAL PEOPLE. I also think that, in today's world, we have many more frustrated human beings walking around out here now, than ever before. Since they can't vent to their elected officials or the BIG CORPORATE GIANTS, (your call is very important to us, your approximate wait time is 15 minutes), we florists are one of the few small businesses at which, we do answer our telephone within three to four rings, and YES, a REAL PERSON is actually at the end of their telephone.
Most often, a good thing and a rare commodity in our world, and sometimes, NOT SO GOOD ey, especially when THEY ARE HAVING A BAD DAY!
I've always believed that, WEE FLORISTS ARE IN THE COMMUNICATION BUSINESS, albeit from ONE HUMAN BEING to ANOTHER, and we just happen to do it with OUR FLOWERS and GIFTS.
Our MISSION is to MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY, which can sometimes be complicated, since we're in the middle of OUR CUSTOMER and the RECIPIENT. That also means, we must make TWO PEOPLE HAPPY during each individual event. And in some cases, even a THIRD PERSON when we fill an incoming order coming from another REAL FLORIST. (MIDDLEMAN ORDER GATHERERS DON'T COUNT!)
Never an easy task, especially since we can't always get into the heads of the sender in our effort to identify their WANTS and NEEDS based on the amount of money they have predetermined, they are willing to invest in both OUR PRODUCTS and OUR $ERVICES. The hard part is when they want to use 1980 dollars in 2009, while forgetting that, almost 30 years have gone by.
And lastly, the goal of either MEETING or EXCEEDING their EXPECTATIONS of what they demand us to do, and based on their projected reaction of the recipient, is always a challenge at our end.
Also, not an easy task and no one formula applies in each set of circumstances.
And YES, don't we all take it personal when we get a complaint, either justified, OR NOT! Our rule, like most other professional REAL FLORISTS is simple! Nothing leaves our shop, unless we're proud enough to be able to send it out, to one of our own family members.
Our policy is a 48 HOUR GUARANTEE after delivery, and for any reason what-so-ever, our fault, OR NOT! Could even be when the sender sent them RED ROSES, (which they hate) and would rather have had PINK. Then, we are happy to swap out their PINK for our RED, and all is well!
We have extended our guarantee on occasion for SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
However, and in all cases, we try to NEVER GIVE A REFUND (except for non-delivery via a third party). Even in those few cases, we try to RE-DELIVER the suppossed missing gift after researching the complaint along with a FREE $10 UPGRADE. As President Reagan put it best: "TRUST, BUT VERIFY!"
Other options we do use, is to send either party a cut flower bouquet when practical to ease the pain (in their mind), or a $10 gift certificate for future use.
On rare occasions, and when ya just know, NOTHING YOU CAN DO WILL EVER PLEASE THEM, we offer to go to pick up their gift, after which, we will issue them a FULL REFUND.
We then agree to move along in life, albeit on separate paths, since LIFE IS TOO SHORT for either of us to BE UNHAPPY with each other.
Another florist posted a note which they have hanging on the wall at their POS.
"All of our customers always make us Happy! Most when they enter our shop, and a few when they leave!" Their motto is PRICELESS!
Which is also why, I JUST LOVE MY CAMERA PHONE, since A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS and OUR PROOF IS IN THEIR PUDDING!
