Some thoughts to the Wire Sevices

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MANORVILLE

MANORVILLE

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Oct 2, 2006
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MANORVILLE, Long Island, N.Y.
www.manorvilleflorists.com
State / Prov
NEW YORK
June 6th, 2008


Some Thoughts For The Wire Services :


Over the past few years we as a Country have seen costs on the rise.
Here now in 2008 we face some of the biggest challenges ever, in both our professional and personal lives.

Wire Services have consistently raised fees and pricing to their member shops and have taken no steps to make continued membership a viable reality.
This practice cannot continue , PLAIN and Simple, if coexistence is in the future.

As all the WS peruse FC I'm certain that this thread will be widely read.
Do I anticipate action, unfortunately NO !

If the Wire Services choose to continue to ignore the burdens being placed upon member shops, it is my opinion that many will be waking up, very soon, and either closing their doors, or making the choice to become WS free.

As I ponder the few WS orders received today and laugh at the prices, one can only wonder what they are all thinking ?
Do they really think that florists can continue to deliver without substantial increases in order value and delivery fees ?
It's time for all, including the big members to realize that delivery fees must be drastically increased.
I'm not going out for under $10.00 at all anymore. I don't have to !




It just cannot be done folks !

If June, 2008 does not see positive change, we here will be forced to cease our ties with all of the WS.
I won't even blink an eye !


Just a thought for this rainy day here in Long Island !!!!!!:headbang:

 
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Kev,

Well...you're one step behind me...letter of termination was mailed certified to TF this evening. I can't recall ever having such joy sending a letter. IT'S ALL OVER!!! What are ya waiting for...a miracle?
 
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Dianne - I thought the cut-off date was June 1?

We're headed out too but I thought I'd missed the deadline ( a few loose ends to tie up.) Dove has already been shut off here.

With your volume of sending, how are you gonna get your order out?

We joined B Brooks and I have to say Barabara and the entire operation are most impressive. There's a real commitment to quality and a concern for the future of quality florists that's far more than lip service.

Between MAS Direct, B Brooks, and a CC when needed to make sure our orders get to the best shops, we're covered.
 
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Hi Cathy,

I assume I won't be out of Teleflora immediately. I didn't check cut off dates. My letter stated to terminate my membership and have my rep call me with the effective date. Even if I won't officially be out for 3 more months, it's a done deal.

In the meantime, I am going to check out MAS and other options for sending. You're right...it's a bold move for a big sending shop, but there's got to be a better way. I'm ready to turn a new page at Richardson's Flowers. I am going toward the light...and I have every intention of finding it and basking in it's glory. BBrooks sends us orders, but has never invited us to join. We love receiving and filling their orders!

I'm all for sending orders using my corporate credit card. Next year I'll be taking a cruise to the Greek isles with all the points I rack up and won't give a dam* that I don't send enough to join the top 100 on their cruise that is being paid for by florists like me. Bon voyage!
 
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I'm sure I'm behind but Teleflora is gone from this shop as soon as possible. I shall be wire service free....will check out IFA but have signed up with ClearRoot (not much coverage yet) but I just can't afford to pay $149 or whatever and all the extra charges anymore. My customer base is going very south.......(thanks to this economy).....
My "position" in the state association makes me a bit more noticable with shops I may have to call with orders and may make it somewhat easier to get orders filled within state......out of state?? hmmmm
I'm very sick and tired of the politics of this industry lately...almost as bad as our national ones.(NO POLITICS please)
Maybe I'll have to send my former FTD rep my resignation letter from TF so he can fax it around the country like TF did??? Paybacks are a b**ch.
 
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Knife's Wife said:
Absolutely!! We have 2 memberships with TF we are out of one membership as of August 1st and yes the deadline was June 1st. Starting FloristWare sometime next week I hope!! It is getting harder to make a buck with TF . We'll see how long we will continue...

Knife's Wife
Click to expand...

a very wise choice......don't "hope"....DO IT!!
 
June 1st is a fact, but so is becoming free.
Another 3 months of broken promises, favoritism and BS won't break the bank.

DIANE,,, YOU ROCK GIRL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


It's time !
 
i AM AFRAID THAT IT WILL E A LITTLE MORE THAN 3 MONTHS BEFORE YOU CUT YOUR TIES TO TELEFLORA.
DEADLINE WAS JUNE 1ST, WHICH MEANT THAT YOUR RESIGNATION HAD TO BE IN THEIR HANDS BY THAT DATE SO YOU DO NOT GET INTO THE NEXT DIRECTORY.

I ALSO HAD SENT MY RESIGNATION LST WEEK TO MY REP. SOMEONE CALLED TO TALKED TO ME ABOUT IT BUT I GOT SO BUSY I DID NOT MAKE THE CUT OFF DATE.

THAT IS ALRIGHT, I AM PATIENT ENOUGH TO WAIT FOR MY NEXT DUE DATE.
NOW THE PERSON I TALKED TO TELEFLORA WAS SUPPOSE TOGET BACK TO ME. IT HAS BEEN ONE WEEK SINCE THEN AND HAVE NOT PHONE BACK.
AGAIN I AM PATIENT ENOUGH TO THE POINT THAT WHEN THE SHI*T WILL HIT THE FAN, THEY WILL NOT SEE IT.
I AM TAKING MY BALLS, AND CONTROL OF MY SHOP AND TOWN.
LIKE I WAS TELLING HIM, I AM NOT PLAYING GAMES ANYMORE, I TOLD HIM EXACTLY HOW I SEE THINGS HAPPENING IN ELLIOT LAKE AND DID NOT MINCE WORDS.

THERE IS ENOUGH DIFFERENT WAYS TO TO FIND A FLORIST TO GET YOUR ORDERS FILLED YOU REALLY DO NOT NEED A WIRE SERVICE, THEY NEED YOU AND YOUR FEES.

LUC, SITTING ON A PILE OF SHI*T READY TO LET IT GO!!!!!!!
 
Glory Be.

If only Griff was around to see all of this. He'd be proud of you all.

Bloomzie it's time to get back on the lunatic fringe train!!!!!!!!!!!! Come on, you can do it.
 
I sent in my certified letter of resignation to FTD and sent back the FTD modem. I'm finally done with FTD. I'll pay the monthly fees until August. Don't care. At least I won't be paying Merc fees and reciprocity fees(that fee just raises my blood pressure)
Still aboard Teleflora. I have an Eagle System. Still owe about 4 grand.
Been thinking about paying it off. Not quite ready to do so yet.
I do not accept Teleflora.com orders. I have also managed to get off of FU's sending shop list.

It's sad, because I used to have so much respect and a sense of loyality to Teleflora. I feel violated by it all.
It's sad for Teleflora that they have lost my respect.

My own site is doing so well. It's like a new horizon within my long career. I'm loving it. Most of the business is from new customers.
So now, my marketing efforts involve email marketing to the senders; along with marketing to the recipients. I send all recipients a postcard to come into the shop and receive a free bouquet or $5.00 off a purchase. Works well.
 
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There must be something in the hot spring air folks!!

I too, have sent my letter to TF, I was told before the June 5th deadline by my rep.
I may have just missed the cutoff too, but I will keep you posted next week! I am so excited about becoming Indy, it's so nice to see I have people here in this thread who feel the same way I do and have had enough of the crapola & BS! I also thank all the one's who have been telling us this for years now.I have been complaining about TF for years now, yet never did anything about it, I won't be complaining anymore!

Diane, I am so proud of you, for going through with this, I am glad I will have you to share & inquire about the future as INDY's! Congrats to you and GL to everybody!

Just thinking about being free, makes me feel refreshed & reborn!
 
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Precisely, Cathy! That's why it's no big deal to me if I missed the deadline. I will use the summer months to regroup and our fall season will begin with an entirely new vision.
 
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That's funny, Cathy.
I was having those same thoughts this afternoon.
My concern is who is going to be left to fill the og orders? And, my Teleflora orders?
People are still going to use the internet to place their orders.
What's going to be left?
People are going to get crappy floral gifts????

My transition is not complete, but progressing.
I've been working on my site for the last year and a half.

Started out as a page, with links to my FTD and TF sites.
Then I changed the site to a brochure like site, with links again to the WS sites. If someone wanted to place an order, the site directed them to the Teleflora site to purchase. Then, I dropped the FTD site altogether.
On May 1st, I dropped the Teleflora site. Last week, I sent in my resignation to FTD and disconnected the Merc.

About 6 months ago, I changed my site again, this time to a buying site. I really wanted the site to convey the feeling of my shop. Warm and friendly, with lots of stuff to chose from. A little off the wall, like me. I didn't want it to feel cold or high tech. Just friendly and inviting, not formulated. I've spent hours and hours of time writing meta tags, working to optimize on the search engines, picking out stupid cutsy names for flower arrangements.
I have had three different web people. I directed them every step of the way. Colors, format, flow. I know the site still needs lots and lots of work. My daughter years ago stated that my shop was always "A work in progress". Always changing. My site is the same way.

I cannot believe how much I use my site. As a telephone catalog. Constantly. Today, on a slow Saturday, I got 3 orders from brand new customers and you bet I will make them repeat customers. It's amazing how much it gets used.

I'm thinking that for a while, I'll have a better bottom line just using TF. My credit card charges will be less, from the outgoing orders, I'll get a bigger rebate. I'm cutting out all unnecessary charges - not accepting TF.com orders. I'm really tryin to be smart about. I'll see how it all pans out in the next few months.
 
Cherrie - nice job on your site - I love the page layout with the previews. Awesome trick

regards

bloomz
 
Hate to be the one to break it to you guys and girls, but real florists are having an impact on the wire services.

If you look at their membership numbers, both wire services are seeing huge drops in their numbers. The time is getting very near that both will have to rethink their game plan as it pertains to florists.

Both wire services cater to the big senders and give them all the perks possible. But it was the thousands of small members paying all those dues and fees that was the real cash cow. That is drying up as hundreds leave every qtr. FTD is now smaller than it was when Big Bob was pushing florists out as he tried to kill the association. Teleflora today is smaller than it was before it bought AFS.

The effect of what is happening is very clear. FTD is putting new charges into place. They are feeling the pinch of not enough florists willing to fill their orders and need to create another revenue stream. But keep in mind it's all in the name of "quality"....right.

They will listen. And it won't be because they want to, but because they have to.
 
Fox - hate to be the one to break it to you too - but I think it's the horrendous economy that's having an impact.

Shops are closing, dropping like flies. The "wire service free" are just a couple small handfuls, IMO.
 
The QUOTE of DA DAY!

sfox said:
"They will listen. And it won't be because they want to, but because they have to."
Click to expand...

Your statement (of facts) gets my nomination for the FC QUOTE of DA DAY!

Ever since I can remember, we've had the WS' TAILS wagging the REAL FLORIST DOGS, or their CARTS dragging down the HORSES.

As our economy worsens, REAL FLORISTS are forced to take a HARD LOOK at their PROFITABILITY NUMBERS while checking them twice, just to see, whose been naughty or nice.

Once they figure out their one time partners have changed the rules (once again) and to the point where they have become a LIABILITY rather than an ASSET on their spreadsheets, it becomes THEIR TIME TO GO!

They have forgotten who their BEST CUSTOMERS really were, as they play and placate, to all of the needs of the BIG SENDING CROWD rather than DA FILLERS who DOO ALL THE DOO!

As their level of HEMORRHAGING gets worse, and the BLOOD BANK SUPPLY dwindles, they may be forced to reevaluate their order of priorities and turn their attention back to the needs of their small Mom and Pops who were the base of their Ponzi Scheme to begin with.

All any of them have managed to do over the past 11 years, was to raise all of their dues and fees, lower their SRPs to price points which many of us have not seen since the early 1980's, and add superfluous and ridiculous programs such as QUALITY ASSURANCE and now, LATE ACTION FINE PROGRAMS to add to their passive revenue streams without producing any real value to the filler shops.

Many shops have made the WISE decision to stop filling the DOT.CON orders as they REFUSE to put their shop name on an INFERIOR PRODUCT and not because of that shop's level of workmanship or design ability.

When the DOT.DON orders infiltrate the order transmission system at TOO LOW SRPs with TOO SMALL DIMENSIONS with TOO MANY CAVEATS with TOO MANY RECIPE VARIABLES, to be considered a VIABLE FILLER FLORIST ORDER, that's when the PROS walk away.

PROS have always known when any order request (customer or DOT.CON) will fail to meet or exceed the customer's and recipient's expectations, thus resulting in a COMPLAINT and even before the DOGS have left their kennels, because the INHERENT MISTAKES are always made at the POS.

Not enough MONEY! Not enough TIME! Not enough INFORMATION! Not enough OPTIONS! Not enough CHOICES! Not enough CARE! Not enough BRAINS! All equaling a bona fide D.O.A. order at conception thus begging the question; Why bother giving birth to a FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER in my village?

If and when, they finally realize their outmoded and outdated business model is dying and it is their own refusal to deal with that problem which is helping to kill their own geese who lay their Golden Eggs, it will be at that point, THEY WILL LISTEN! But as you stated SFOX, it will because THEY HAVE TO, and not because THEY WANT TO!
 
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