TF offer Val Day morning delivery for consumer additional fee of $10. Problems?

[Simon Says]

I see that TF continue to offer morning delivery for an additional fee of $10.00.

It will be interesting to see if TF have problems finding florists to commit to morning delivery for TF on 02/14, especially IF TF keeps the entire morning delivery fee of$10 (for florist to get only approx $7).

Seems to me as if TF is storing up a load of potential headaches -and heartaches- which, no doubt, will be blamed squarely on the florists of the USA (and Can?). I can see it now, Dove machines coughing out orders for morning delivery 10 miles away at 11.00am on the 14th Feb...

 

[BloomingFlorida]

We have completely stopped honoring time commitments for wire orders (except for funerals). They all charge the customer for the specified time option, but don't pass that on. I send them a message that the order will be delivered by the time we are contractually obligated to deliver it by, but for an additional fee (the $5-$10), we can have it there as requested. Seems they always find some other sucker to do it for them. I'm sooooo upset about not having to rearrange the delivers to accommodate them.

 

[BOSS]

If there are actually florists that leave their DOVE/MERC on after they close on Saturday (or Sunday) they are asking for problems. I'd work to serve as many local CA$H customers as possible... Why would you accept discounted orders when you can't handle all the 100% biz there will be?

Yes, Teleflora is going to create a bunch of unhappy customers with this one, yes they are going to keep the fee... why be an accomplice to the deception?

Valentines is not a major florist to florist holiday... it is a big OG to florist holiday... you decide...

 

[secretgarden]

We will be 100% wire service free this Valentine's Day and are excited. We only had 17 orders for V-Day last year but had to cut off our local customers at 2pm because the trucks were full. We hope to be able take local until 3pm this time... or later

 

[Simon Says]

Am now also ws free, thank goodness, and agree with the sentiments expressed above.

Unfortunately, TF (and FUF ?) using timed morning delivery for 2/14 will create issues that will besmirch all of us.

 

[steve]

First of all we went to a policy several years ago the first 200 orders get morning delivery having said that the promise of morning delivery will be filled probably by Friday morning. Normally Valentines Day is not a big income day but now knowing that teleflora is playing that game then we will suspend probably the morning of the 13th.

 

[autj]

We will not be filling any timed incoming orders, our timed deliveries are saved for local customers and then only schools and businesses,FUF's timed deliveries was one of the reasons we left FTD and if Teleflora persists with this it will be easier to reach my commitment to be WS free by the end of this year (wife still needs convincing, but I'm working on it.)

 

[clay]

I had already asked this to Teleflora, their response to me was "2-1-2012 this feature will not be offered or appear".

 

[BOSS]

That's cool Clay, did you ask them if they send the 10 to the florist too? Do you folks that get TF orders ever see the 10 on a normal day?

 

[Simon Says]

I had already asked this to Teleflora, their response to me was "2-1-2012 this feature will not be offered or appear".

Clay,

Thank you for info. Unfortunately, if you go onto TF's site now and order for 02/14/12 morning delivery (actual by 1pm), they allow it and take your $10.

Therefore, if TF are intending not to offer the "guaranteed" morning delivery from 1st Feb, they should adjust their ordering program now, rather than later (perhaps on the 1st Feb).

Simon

 

[jamie]

I won't be filling any WS orders for V-Day. Shutting down dove probably on the 8th. I won't be accepting any florist to florist orders either. There is too much business to be had where I can get the contact info of an actual flower purchaser. My new years resolution was for every move I make to increase my Lifetime Client Values and my average order values.

 

[Clarabella]

My new years resolution was for every move I make to increase my Lifetime Client Values and my average order values.

Hopefully this resolution includes dropping WS completely?!?!?

 

[Simon Says]

TF website continues to offer the morning delivery with additional $10 fee for delivery on 2/14. If, as Clay is informed, TF are discontinuing this timed morning delivery offer from Feb 1st order placements, they are still going to have to contend with those orders placed prior to then calling for a morning delivery.

The wires take the realistic and practicality out of almost everything they touch and turn the consumer sour towards florists and the industry. TF KNOW it is storing up problems offering morning delivery on 2/14 so why do it? It engenders negativity towards us all and while it is a (limited?) revenue generator for TF, sorting out the issues is causes with personnel they have to throw at the problem reduces (or even eliminates?) that revenue.

 

[Flowerchatter03]

Well, if TF has 500,000 customers coughing up the extra $10 that is a lot of money! We are still with TF at this time as we have their POS system. We do not carry any of their codified product at all so that eliminates a lot of incoming. We too will turn off our Dove but actual florists can still call us, especially if it is funeral service. I don't have time to receive orders from Wesley Berry of FUF that are $20 and reject them.

We are in the business to serve our local population. This is our number one priority. Whatever TF decides to do, it is their problem. We won't be playing their game.

 

[bootcampguy]

Well, if TF has 500,000 customers coughing up the extra $10 that is a lot of money! We are still with TF at this time as we have their POS system. We do not carry any of their codified product at all so that eliminates a lot of incoming. We too will turn off our Dove but actual florists can still call us, especially if it is funeral service. I don't have time to receive orders from Wesley Berry of FUF that are $20 and reject them.

We are in the business to serve our local population. This is our number one priority. Whatever TF decides to do, it is their problem. We won't be playing their game.

I agree, money in the coffers for them and I would bet anybody on this board, that probably 80% + will get delivered in the am. They know that florists are so "caring" that they will do whatever it takes to please a customer, regardless of where or whom it comes from, so it's a good gamble for them. I like Jaime, will be turning off early, 15% rule very strict to it........................

 

[Simon Says]

Well, if TF has 500,000 customers coughing up the extra $10 that is a lot of money! We are still with TF at this time as we have their POS system. We do not carry any of their codified product at all so that eliminates a lot of incoming. We too will turn off our Dove but actual florists can still call us, especially if it is funeral service. I don't have time to receive orders from Wesley Berry of FUF that are $20 and reject them.

We are in the business to serve our local population. This is our number one priority. Whatever TF decides to do, it is their problem. We won't be playing their game.

For those wire-free or turning off their wire service early, TF offering this option and then running into problems in meeting that commitment is just one more nasty taste the connedsumer gets when the possibility of giving flowers from a florist comes up again.

 

[Rhonda]

I won't be filling any WS orders for V-Day. Shutting down dove probably on the 8th. I won't be accepting any florist to florist orders either. There is too much business to be had where I can get the contact info of an actual flower purchaser. My new years resolution was for every move I make to increase my Lifetime Client Values and my average order values.

This I do have a little problem with... if a young man in my town works for my paper mill and his girlfriend is in Chattanooga either attending school or working at a job there (and we do have such with our mill personnel - transient workers).. and you won't take an order from me, a Real Local Florist servicing my customer for Valentine's Day and I've called at least 5-6 days before the holiday... then you have lost the sale as well as a possible wedding when my customer proposes to the girl and they marry in your town... hmmmmm I will accept legitimate Real Florist orders for Valentine's Day but if you call that day, expect to be in my time line list for delivery (unless you cough up another $24.95 for my hubby)

 

[jamie]

This I do have a little problem with... if a young man in my town works for my paper mill and his girlfriend is in Chattanooga either attending school or working at a job there (and we do have such with our mill personnel - transient workers).. and you won't take an order from me, a Real Local Florist servicing my customer for Valentine's Day and I've called at least 5-6 days before the holiday... then you have lost the sale as well as a possible wedding when my customer proposes to the girl and they marry in your town... hmmmmm I will accept legitimate Real Florist orders for Valentine's Day but if you call that day, expect to be in my time line list for delivery (unless you cough up another $24.95 for my hubby)

You sound like an FTD sales rep telling me the virtues of recipient contact information. By your logic, I should just leave the wire on and fill everything they spit out. If I am only getting the recipient contact info and I hope they love it so much they call me direct next time, then I would get a lot more of that work from Just Flowers and Wesley Berry.

I won't be accepting real F2F once the volume kicks in. Any real florist should be honest with his/her client about expectations wiring an order out after the V-Day volume ramps up. 99% of the WS phone-in orders from Sunday to Tuesday will be from OGs who will be lying to my part-time help in order to get their orders pawned off on the filling florist. Been there, done that, never again.

IMHO anyone doing discounted work on Valentine's day is crazy. There is more full value work than most shops can easily handle. Why are you going to push your team and risk more screw-ups for an order that you will barely break even on? If someone walks into my shop the Saturday before Valentine's and they want to send an order to Millinocket, I am going to give them a few phone numbers. I'll make sure yours is on the list.

There is no profit in Wire-in orders. Anyone who does the math knows that. The only reason I fill an order is to make a contact in case I need to wire out in the future.

 

[Flowerchatter03]

For those wire-free or turning off their wire service early, TF offering this option and then running into problems in meeting that commitment is just one more nasty taste the connedsumer gets when the possibility of giving flowers from a florist comes up again.

Well there is nothing I can do about internet fraud. Just like all those other companies who pretend to be a florist and, in fact, are not, there is little I can do if THEIR customer is not satisfied. TF made that decision without any input from their members so they will need to lay in the bed that they made. If I was wiring an order to another shop, I certainly wouldn't tell my customer it would be delivered B4 noon as I can't guarantee that. I have no control over what another business does.

As a consumer, it is my responsibility to do a little "Due Diligence" and research prior to purchase. If something is to good to be true, it probably is.

It is my responsibility, however, to be a great local business who gives excellent service and products to our local community. Our local community isn't leaving our business. Our business has been here since 2001 and our sales continue to climb each year.

In my opinion, I think that TF, FTD, and 800flowers are ruining their own reputation and not necessarily the reputation of local florists. Perhaps this is a rumor that they started to get local florists to fill their cheap orders and at the same time fill their pockets while the local florists go out of business. But what do I know?

 

[BOSS]

Valentines is not a big florist to florist (notice I did not say OG to florist) holiday. While I am not an advocate of wire orders in general, if a florist expects other florists to accept their orders any time of the year, they should accept them too.

Easy enough to fill the few orders you'll get from florists and reject **company/OG** orders. Otherwise you should probably just stop completely and get out.