Not Much Hope for Wire Serive Change

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

let's be honest here...there is NO cure for "clueless".......thus, FlowerChat has an ENTIRE division of therapists called "REAL FLORISTS"....sometimes, a bitter pill to swallow!...be wary of what you say...there are some pretty smart, and savvy shop operators, that have little to NO problem filling ALL incoming orders, that STILL call their wire services "friends"...
Having said that, for the MAJORITY of florists, retaining the services of a wire service is a DEAD HORSE, disguised, as a blessing, because they are LAZY!!!...it's EASIER for them to @@@@@ and moan, about the lack of incoming orders to perpetuate their continuing whine,about the lack of "value" they receive, from their chosen WS, yet, continue to pay EXORBITANT fees, to get worthless orders, that "cost" them money, ALMOST every single time!!
I "support" Nicole's rendition of why they cannot dump the the greatest disdain our industry has ever seen, because, for SOME florists, the simple THOUGHT, of having to change their OWN diapers, is incomprehensible.....

 

[domineaux]

Kinda reminds me of all the buzz words the media uses. Constantly the current government administration changes the wording on things,(stimulus bill to jobs bill,etc.) because Americans are too well educated to buy the hokey.

Florists are getting too well educated to buy the hokey from the WS much longer.

The TF "save thr florist" thing is just like it was mentioned above. Just propaganda keep the uninformed uninformed.

There are too many ways to work within the industry without WS, enabled by the internet.

Effectively, local florists don't need anything from any WS. Everything is in place for international transactions as well as local.

Remember the big four credit cards, MC,VISA,DISCOVER & AMEX are accepted internationally.

We will gladly accept CC orders from other florists, and I dont' think there is a single sender that wouldn't accept those terms unless they are getting WS rebates. We will allow the 20% discount from a sending local florist, yet that is pretty steep when you consider WS orders in the past were accomdating orders to customers of local florists. It wasn't about making big bucks by sending flowers, it was about accomdating our customers by sending flowers for their love ones funeral in Pojunction, MN., or sweetheart who was traveling,etc.

If sending florists would accept 10% as a standard commission to delivery/fill florists it would doubly serve all of us. It would force out the OG completely. They could not commission their sales people, maintain their websites and support administration on 10% of the order.

 

[FlowerCityNC]

We gave up on ALL wire services except Flower Shop Network, which only sends us a couple orders a year.

But when Teleflora gets desperate to fill an order, they will call us with a credit card, just like a regular customer. We actually get more of those than FSN orders. This means:

• We get paid immediately.
• We get full price including delivery at our regular prices.

I keep telling the other florists at our local association meetings, if they'd all stop using wire services, they'd be a hell of a lot better off, but do they listen?

At our meetings a vendor usually shows up with a sales pitch. One time it was R.H. Donnelly, the folks who used to do an alternative Yellow Pages. He stood up and informed us that Google killed his business. Nobody uses the Yellow Pages anymore. So they reinvented themselves and were now SEO specialists, offering to get us to the top of the Google.

The next speaker was a local florist who started b*tching about the order gatherers for the umpteenth time.

I swear, I wanted to jump out of my chair and yell.

DID YOU NOT HEAR THE MAN BEFORE YOU EXPLAIN THAT WHEN THE WORLD CHANGES, YOU HAVE TO REINVENT YOURSELF TO SURVIVE? DID YOU NOT HEAR THAT??

:hammer:

 

[ezbloomers]

Get national orders and send orders to each other -
EZBloomers.com ensures that you get 100% of every order you receive through us.

• No waiting to get paid (customer pays you).
• No order gatherers (no 3rd party orders).
• No monthly or sign up fees (pay only $5.50 per order).
• No commissions or clearing house fees (you get 100%).
• No wire services (the order goes from the customer directly to you).

This means more value for the customer and an increase in earning potential with improved cash flow for you.
​

 

[domineaux]

Years ago Donnelly was a huge problem. Back then they were doing a Yellow pages, which no one used.

They would sign up people and charge them for the service they had not signed up for or made any agreements.

If a business person was stupid enough to meet with one of their reps in person, that business was on the hook for a big Donnelly ad and contract amount. Their reps would forge your signature or anything to to push their ads.

Their service was lousy, because all the local Bells had the only viable yellow pages.

Back then we called them crooks, with a few other words associated with disgust.

They intimidated many people into paying them, just because they were persistent and ugly in collections.

Then of course, if you had the guts to stick it out they never would actually take you to court.

They used certified letters, lawyers names on their letterheads... anything to make people pay.

I wouldn't let them into any meeting I had and could prevent them.

They might sign up everyone in the room, and make you into a very popular person with your friends. LOL



Bad people back then, and I doubt they've changed their spots. Something about a Leopard can't change it's spots.

 

[802pianoluver]

Get national orders and send orders to each other -
EZBloomers.com ensures that you get 100% of every order you receive through us.

• No waiting to get paid (customer pays you).
• No order gatherers (no 3rd party orders).
• No monthly or sign up fees (pay only $5.50 per order).
• No commissions or clearing house fees (you get 100%).
• No wire services (the order goes from the customer directly to you).

This means more value for the customer and an increase in earning potential with improved cash flow for you.
​

We still have to pay you something for each order, why do that when we can all as florists call each other directly without the middle man being involved.
Direct florist to florist ordering is the direction we need to take. I understand where you are going with this but involving a third party is a messy situation and always has been. I know you don't consider yourself a third party, but you are if you are making a profit from this.

 

[BOSS]

We still have to pay you something for each order, why do that when we can all as florists call each other directly without the middle man being involved.

This is not florist to florist, it's consumer to florist.

 

[pdxdoug]

EZBloomers is very similar to Direct2Florist and 50 cents cheaper on the service charge.

 

[ezbloomers]

EZBloomers is very similar to Direct2Florist and 50 cents cheaper on the service charge.

They charge the customer an $8.00 service fee. Also use JHS arrangement images.

We charge no service fees. And are going away from JHS images at the request of our florists.

 

[pdxdoug]

They charge the customer an $8.00 service fee. Also use JHS arrangement images.

We charge no service fees. And are going away from JHS images at the request of our florists.

Get national orders and send orders to each other -
EZBloomers.com ensures that you get 100% of every order you receive through us.

• 
  [*]No waiting to get paid (customer pays you).
  [*]No order gatherers (no 3rd party orders).
  [*]No monthly or sign up fees (pay only $5.50 per order).
  [*]No commissions or clearing house fees (you get 100%).
  [*]No wire services (the order goes from the customer directly to you).

This means more value for the customer and an increase in earning potential with improved cash flow for you.

You might not call it a 'service' fee, but somebody (the filling florist) still pays. You can slice this, dice this and call it anything you want, but the filling florist pays a service fee of $5.50 to get '100%'. With Direct2Florist, the consumer pays the service fee so technically the florist does get 100%.

Doug

 

[ezbloomers]

You might not call it a 'service' fee, but somebody (the filling florist) still pays. You can slice this, dice this and call it anything you want, but the filling florist pays a service fee of $5.50 to get '100%'. With Direct2Florist, the consumer pays the service fee so technically the florist does get 100%.

Doug

Copied directly from their site - "Direct2florist only $200 for 12 months." + 8.00 per order.

You do the math - this could mean an additional $10.00 per order if you only get 10 orders or an additional $2.00 per order if you get 100 orders. $10-$18 per order.​

Copied directly from their site - "What you show as the price is what you will receive from Direct2florist." - according to this statement they charge the customer then pay the florist. We pass all customer credit card info. directly to the florist.

 

[anytimeflowers]

Hi Kimba, it's me again.

I don't doubt that this would be a good thing for florists who don't have their own site. My problem isn't so much with the JH images as it is with images other than my own choosing. I don't ever again want to be obligated to do an arrangement that I don't feel 100% confident about. The images I have, I either chose through the JH catalog, or, created myself.

As long as a florist is not given free reign with the products they in particular are going to offer, it just does not satisfy. I understand that your member florists are free to make suggestions on which products should or should not be offered.

D2F each florist has the option to create their own page with their own designs with the flowers that they are used to stocking. Trying to stock for other's designs is just as much hassle as trying to fill ws orders.

I do wish you luck, I'm sorry I can't support your effort.

 

[pdxdoug]

Copied directly from their site - "Direct2florist only $200 for 12 months." + 8.00 per order.

You do the math - this could mean an additional $10.00 per order if you only get 10 orders or an additional $2.00 per order if you get 100 orders. $10-$18 per order.​

Copied directly from their site - "What you show as the price is what you will receive from Direct2florist." - according to this statement they charge the customer then pay the florist. We pass all customer credit card info. directly to the florist.

You are correct. They offered it to me at no charge. To be honest, never have gotten a single order.

Doug

 

[anytimeflowers]

I paid for the first year. Got maybe 4 orders. Have not been billed since, probably nearing my third year.

 

[pdxdoug]

Get national orders and send orders to each other -
EZBloomers.com ensures that you get 100% of every order you receive through us.

• 
  [*]No waiting to get paid (customer pays you).
  [*]No order gatherers (no 3rd party orders).
  [*]No monthly or sign up fees (pay only $5.50 per order).
  [*]No commissions or clearing house fees (you get 100%).
  [*]No wire services (the order goes from the customer directly to you).

This means more value for the customer and an increase in earning potential with improved cash flow for you.

I have to agree with Linda. It may be a noble idea, but lumping us all together by not allowing us to show our individuality and creativity by having our own page is going to limit the potential number of members. I think most here on this board recognize that our own web presence is far more important and worthy of our time and resources.

I was about to join then poked around a bit and saw that some of what you were offering was exactly what we strive not to look like.

Doug

 

[ezbloomers]

I have to agree with Linda. It may be a noble idea, but lumping us all together by not allowing us to show our individuality and creativity by having our own page is going to limit the potential number of members. I think most here on this board recognize that our own web presence is far more important and worthy of our time and resources.

I was about to join then poked around a bit and saw that some of what you were offering was exactly what we strive not to look like.

Doug

To Linda & Doug and everyone else,

I am very surprised, that as business people, you don't find the opportunity that you could get an order (you might otherwise not get) which cost you nothing and you can turn down (if you don't find it appealing for any reason) a great service.

I suppose that if your shop is doing so well as to not want or need this kind of value and flexibility then more power to ya, you are one of the few.

It seems to me that more than anything business owners are looking for ways to be profitable while providing the best product possible to their respective communities. I strongly believe everyone that can afford it should have a web site, but it should be directed to their defined serviceable area, otherwise florists are simply poaching each others business. Our goal is to compliment your local business with national orders that would otherwise go to the large order gatherers and which you will be required to fill at unprofitable margins.

Maybe, my hope that some day the playing field can be leveled for all florists is a pipe dream, especially if florists don't want it for themselves.

I feel like the salesman who walks into a flower shop and says to the owner - "I want to help you get more business from all over the country. It will cost you nothing; you can keep doing what you are already doing. When I bring you an order if you don't like it for any reason simply turn it down. All I ask is that if you do like it you pay me a small fee for my troubles. - And the owner says no thanks I don't like your pictures".

It will cost you nothing...

 

[BOSS]

Maybe, my hope that some day the playing field can be leveled for all florists is a pipe dream, especially if florists don't want it for themselves.

Nope, not a pipe dream... eventually there will only be a limited number of florists left, and the wires will be useless more so than they are now, and we'll all return to 100% business......

As it should be~!

 

[domineaux]

If every fill florist member of this forums quit the WS today it wouldn't impact the WS.

There aren't enough members on this forums any longer. We are basically just talking among ourselves.

Don't get me wrong we do share some good information, but the member count is just not there.

 

[pdxdoug]

To Linda & Doug and everyone else,

I am very surprised, that as business people, you don't find the opportunity that you could get an order (you might otherwise not get) which cost you nothing and you can turn down (if you don't find it appealing for any reason) a great service.

I suppose that if your shop is doing so well as to not want or need this kind of value and flexibility then more power to ya, you are one of the few.

It seems to me that more than anything business owners are looking for ways to be profitable while providing the best product possible to their respective communities. I strongly believe everyone that can afford it should have a web site, but it should be directed to their defined serviceable area, otherwise florists are simply poaching each others business. Our goal is to compliment your local business with national orders that would otherwise go to the large order gatherers and which you will be required to fill at unprofitable margins.

Maybe, my hope that some day the playing field can be leveled for all florists is a pipe dream, especially if florists don't want it for themselves.

I feel like the salesman who walks into a flower shop and says to the owner - "I want to help you get more business from all over the country. It will cost you nothing; you can keep doing what you are already doing. When I bring you an order if you don't like it for any reason simply turn it down. All I ask is that if you do like it you pay me a small fee for my troubles. - And the owner says no thanks I don't like your pictures".

It will cost you nothing...

Kimba,
What I don't think you understand is that we're all trying to brand ourselves.

You make the observation - "And the owner says no thanks I don't like your pictures".
An analogy - Would Nordstroms put their name on the same catalog as Kohl's.

It may not be the best analogy, but what I'm trying to get across is that not all florists are the same. Filling an order just for the sake of filling an order that my shop normally wouldn't send out doesn't enhance my 'brand'.

Best wishes on your endeavor,
Doug

 

[RWK]

According to sources on another forum........the founder of EZBloomers is a long time, huge advocate of the retail florist and a staunch anti-OG crusader. Those of you who run MAS systems ........ this fellow was one of the creators of that system.