QUITTing TELEFLORA???

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goldfish said:
Time to move on?:dunno:
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Why is everyone so uptight about this topic? Heck, this is just a facet of the floral business that is a part of our business lives. Maybe it is just that florists are sensitive souls and take business very personal? I find that the best information can be obtained from a lively, heated debate. I guess you all can guess what my holidays are like around the family table, huh?
 
inferno63 said:
Why is everyone so uptight about this topic? Heck, this is just a facet of the floral business that is a part of our business lives. Maybe it is just that florists are sensitive souls and take business very personal? I find that the best information can be obtained from a lively, heated debate. I guess you all can guess what my holidays are like around the family table, huh?
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A lively heated debate is fine until evey single time someone turns it into a personal issue. This is when it gets ugly...not sure why that has to happen
 
Truly we all have disagreed on many things in these threads from design to marketing to politics....nothing ruffles like the WS. I reread this thread and truly did not think anyone was getting personal. I saw no name calling and no one judged personally. It's all business. I certainly do not take it personal. And even if I get called a name, I answer to many things. :)
 
OK here goes, I may get booed, groaned or expelled from FlowerChat, but I feel Teleflora, and my relationship with them, is an extremely valuable tool. That being said, the happiest day in my 16 year floral career was the day I dropped FTD.

Teleflora provides to us a package of tools that make us money.
I feel I have the finest Point of Sale System (RTI) in the industry. I consider my system the cornerstone of my business. Any time I get annoyed with it(which is almost never anymore), I just have to think back to when we were doing it all by hand, and then my annoyance vanishes.

Teleflora hosts my Website. I think they do a fantastic job for the money I pay. With the help of Web Services my web site is at least 40% of my business. I can easily make changes to my site, and I have full use of the images, although I mostly use my own.

I can't tell you the number of times over the years I have had a problem with an order I wire to another florist. In 16 years I can't think of a single incident that Teleflora didn't make things right for me and for my customer.

I have made major use of Teleflora Webinars. Some of the things I learned on the SEO webinar dramatically increased my web business.

Teleflora IS the industry leader in credit card security. In the next year, any florist with a Point of Sale system may see a dramatic change in the way the credit card companies accept our transactions. I know that Teleflora has spent a HUGE amount of time and money to insure that we can continue to take credit cards.

And last, but certainly not least Teleflora doesn't directly compeat with the florist, like FTD etc.

Is Teleflora perfect? No, but I believe that they are always striving to be better. Does Teleflora cost? Absolutely, but I feel that I get true value for every dollar I spend with them. Do I work for Teleflora? Absolutely not, I am a 16 year floral veteran who has had most of the other wire services, and dropped them all for Teleflora. No Regrets!

Simply put, Teleflora has made my company a better and more profitable organization.
 
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tom, good post. TF is a very good floral services provider.

and you are correct the Webinars are good. However, Weds' webinar is stuff I already learned here, but was a great reinforcement. More importantly, they framed it better than picking up bits and pieces here.

joe
 
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Teleflora and BloomNet (800)

Hi Everyone...

I feel the same way about these wire services. I thought they were here to help us, but good golly, I end up paying TF about $1500/month sometimes more (usually always more). I buy the minimum for the Holiday's because I'm afraid if I don't carry the codified product I won't get the business. I think they nickle and dime you to death. I will say my rep hooks me up with the 3 months free membership, and 3 months dove services when I call 2-3 times a year.

As for BloomNet, we only receive orders, i never send.

I'm going to try to get rid of the extras with TF, but we process our credit cards through the Eagle System (now online). How would I continue this and still use there software if I have a stand alone credit card machine. And they also give me zero % fees up to my sending amount of outgoing orders. Is this a good deal? I'm so confused and lost! I did have hartland give me a comparison, but it still looked like TF was better with the rates...Help! Anyone???

Ed
Woodbury, NJ
 
TupperGuy said:
Hi Everyone...

I feel the same way about these wire services. I thought they were here to help us, but good golly, I end up paying TF about $1500/month sometimes more (usually always more). I buy the minimum for the Holiday's because I'm afraid if I don't carry the codified product I won't get the business. I think they nickle and dime you to death. I will say my rep hooks me up with the 3 months free membership, and 3 months dove services when I call 2-3 times a year.

As for BloomNet, we only receive orders, i never send.

I'm going to try to get rid of the extras with TF, but we process our credit cards through the Eagle System (now online). How would I continue this and still use there software if I have a stand alone credit card machine. And they also give me zero % fees up to my sending amount of outgoing orders. Is this a good deal? I'm so confused and lost! I did have hartland give me a comparison, but it still looked like TF was better with the rates...Help! Anyone???

Ed
Woodbury, NJ
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Sounds like if you are paying TF that much you do a whole lot of sending...unless you have a whole lot of useless ads and products...hard to tell by that statement how to help...if you are sending a whole lot it would make sense that you are paying them every month because you have collected the money up front..
 
Hey, whatever FLOATS your BOAT, or SINKS IT!

Having gone FULL CIRCLE since 1970, we've seen the WS's grow to SEVEN back in the day, and we had em all.

FTDA, Teleflora, Florafax, AFS, Redbook, Carik, and FCN.

And now, our industry is down to TWO with ONE Wannabe.

We Dumped em all back in 1984 after having learned Lotus, put em all up on their separate spreadsheets, and found out that, we were loosing money on all of them.

And then, the DAWN smacked me in my face, and I uncovered two of the REAL FLORIST'S MYSTERIES of PRESERVING LIFE, MINE!

1. A florist can only make money with ONE WIRE SERVICE!
2. A florist can only make money with ONE WIRE SERVICE, provided that, the florist is SENDING OUT more orders than they are FILLING!

Became FTDA ONLY! in 1984 and that lasted up and until the last straw with bipolar small bob, and we turned in our papers in 2004.

Rejoined Teleflora under the reigns of Greg Cocarri as their FLORIST FRIENDLY CEO, and since they promised they would never compete with their florists for their florist's customers, we were sold on the idea that, they were less intrusive than the NEW FORE PROFIT FTDI.

And then, what did they turn around and DOO? They fired Greg, and launched their own CONSUMER WEBSITE to COMPETE with their very own FLORISTS (I.E.MEE) with FLOWERS starting at $29.99, OH MY!

I have an 1989 article written by the CEO of a WS in which, he stated that, 90% of all their consumer complaints regarding FLOWERS BY WIRE were for orders that were less than $30.00. And, OMG!, here wee bee in 2009, a full 21 years later, and the WHALES have taken all of us back to 1989, and WEE SHRIMP (KRILL) are GETTING KILLED! Then again, what are friends for, EY?

www.teleflora.com

Add to that, the d'OG's and OG's they sleep with, and we were forced to TURN IN OUR PAPERS AGAIN in 2007 and joined IFA.

No one challenges or criticizes any other florist for their choice of membership in the WS's of their choice.

And, I, like many others, fully understand the PASSION any REAL FLORIST may feel for their choices.

All one has to do is to ask BLOOMZ about ME, or Mikey, or Luc, or HERO, or BOSS, or SHADOW, or Cathy, about how all of us felt back in the day, and when we all thought that, WE WERE ON THE WINNING TEAM, and all the others were THE LOOSERS!

And, in a matter of only the past five years, it's all changed!

Some shops are STUCK with a WS's POS technology BY DESIGN, and so, they're shackled by their ankles.

Other shops still think that, earning 5% over cogs as a marginal contribution to their overhead expenses regardless of their FREE LABOR and FREE DELIVERY factors, is GOOD BUSINESS.

And others, are simply stuck in the past, with their HEARTS outweighing their HEADS, still thinking that, someday, some way, their WS will return to their old business model of PUTTING THE NEEDS of THEIR MEMBERS FIRST rather than, the needs of THEIR BOTTOM LINE PROFITS.

In the end, all of us must make the RIGHT DECISION for OUR SHOPS!

And, no REAL FLORIST on FC faults any other owner for doing that!

IT'S YOUR RIGHT because IT'S YOUR SHOP!

However, make no mistake that, there will always be some of us OLD SALTS on BOARD, which will throw out some facts supported by some numbers which will help our NEWBIES make an intelligent decision, thus enabling them to be PROFITABLE, which is our JOB ONE!

As the old adage goes: "For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible." (Author Unknown)
 
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TOTO said:
Having gone FULL CIRCLE since 1970, we've seen the WS's grow to SEVEN back in the day, and we had em all.

FTDA, Teleflora, Florafax, AFS, Redbook, Carik, and FCN.

And now, our industry is down to TWO with ONE Wannabe.

We Dumped em all back in 1984 after having learned Lotus, put em all up on their separate spreadsheets, and found out that, we were loosing money on all of them.



As the old adage goes: "For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible." (Author Unknown)
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...what was the name of the ftd spin-off? everybody had to be a member of that bb tried to gain membership enmass? valueline or value something....in order to gain every housewife who did flowers out of her back door??
 
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Ole small bob's VNS!

avenuegardensflorist said:
...what was the name of the ftd spin-off? everybody had to be a member of that bb tried to gain membership enmass? valueline or value something....in order to gain every housewife who did flowers out of her back door??
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ole SMALL BOB snookered all of us when he launched VNS, Value Network Service.

The thought was to allow other florists, who were not up to snuff in qualifiying for DA BRAND to be allowed admission into the other GENERIC wire service order transmission system.

However, small bob's plan was really deviant, in as much as, his REAL GOAL was to reduce the income which FTDA was entitled to under our 99 year mutual support agreement, a clause in the sale.

FTDA was to entitled to receive a quarter of one percent from all of the FTDI 7% clearinghouse fees.

With VNS, many of the FTDI members switched over to the CHEAPER VNS, a subsidiary which was not required to make that contribution.

With the reduction in revenue to FTDA, small bob's long term strategy was to try and starve out FTDA.

Add to that, the numerous times which FTDI dragged FTDA into court over frivoulous TURF suits, and FTDA was being financially drained in an effort to just try and defend themselves.

That led up to the breakup of FTDA from FTDI and the new ETFA was born. Regretably, ETFA was never able to get a foothold amongst the majority of REAL FLORISTS, and so, ETFA disappeared, and turned into RFA.

ETFA's mission was to EMPOWER their florist members with the ability to CAPTURE the consumer's 100% floral sale FIRST, thus enabling their florists to be more profitable. However, the majority of shops across the country, only wanted to know from Jim Jordan, how many incoming (highly discounted) orders, ETFA could guarantee them. Jim's frustration over the inequitity in that equation, could never be measured, and remains another FLORIST MYSTERY OF LIFE till this day.

small bob's goal had been met since, little dick, wanting to FLIP FTDI, was faced with the reality that, no one wanted to buy FTDI with FTDA having around its neck as its GATE KEEPER.

Once FTDA was gone, small bob simply KILLED VNS and rolled all of those members back into FTDI.

Amazing bit of the old history of how WEE, DA MEMBERS, got snookered by a wall street investment banker (little dick), who told all of us that, THE PERRY PARTNERSHIP was investing in FTDI and THEIR FLORISTS for the long term.

HOOD A ever thought, NINE YEARS was considerd to be LONG TERM by an investment banker for a member owned and operated CO-OP having started way back in 1910?

We sold FTDA in 1994 for $140 MILLION and only nine years later, little dick FLIPPED IT to GREEN for $500 MILLION, and GREEN FLIPPED IT five years later to United on Line for $800 MILLION.

Makes ya wonder where United on Line thinks they're gonna recoup their $800 MILLION DOLLAR investment from?

http://theflorister.com/128/f-t-d-sold-again/
 
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Has anyone ever asked HQs how many Send Only "shops" are members in TF or FTD? They're not listed in the directory because they don't receive orders. Maybe if Real Florists were privy to this information and finally opened their eyes to these numbers, they/we might think of a way to "try" to RETALIATE as a united front. What if, say, a petition among Real Florists was sent to TF and FTD demanding that membership of these Send Only "shops" be revoked IMMEDIATELY? And if TF and FTD won't do that, then demand that they change the word "member" to "sponsor"....'cause that's all we really are as long as Send Only-ers are allowed to steal the orders through membership.

If Send Only "shops" were dropped from being allowed to belong in WS, TF and FTD would still be getting their clearinghouse fees on orders that would finally come back thru the Real Florists (and btw Real Florists would truly be seen as progressive in their business strategies thru their websites instead of being seen as trying to either "compete" with or "enable" the Send Only "shops" - and bloomz would finally get the universal accolades he deserves for his efforts).

Many of the Send Only shops would have to basically become Drop Ship, wouldn't they?

We're all being used and abused and there is no real easy way out....other than to just finally say NO, which does take a lot of courage to do. Meanwhile, I, for one, am getting real tired of seeing incoming orders from Send Only entities, let alone trying to keep on top of the new ones that keep popping up every day, week, month....
 
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I am in the same boat. I hate the fact that I have no recourse with cc processing, it takes at least 3 days to hit my bank. and then they can have access to my funds if I run late with paying TF! But, they have been my bread and butter for the last 4 years. What do we do?
 
avenuegardensflorist said:
...what was the name of the ftd spin-off? everybody had to be a member of that bb tried to gain membership enmass? valueline or value something....in order to gain every housewife who did flowers out of her back door??
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No Toto - it was called Premium Electronic Network Interface Service

and as you see it had a quite interesting acronym.:handball:
 
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[my credit cards trans I send thru Heartland Service, they have my money in the bank the very next day. The fee is low to.

I use Heartland as well. Do you use the virtual terminal? I don't think I'd ever go back to a seperate terminal.
 
Dorothy said:
I can only hope that my green dot was for WEE lonely "dreamers", "idealists" or whatever you want to call it.....
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Just bein' nice Dorothy - try it you might like it!
 
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