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

[Kristine]

the biggest issue with this is wire service am delivery problem is this. WHO do you think TF will blame when said deliveries are
a): not delivered in the am as promised
b): not delivered at all.

it won't be them.

9 times out of 10 the blame falls back on the local florist "for not doing their job per our request" which only ads another black mark and makes all of us look unprofessional. I already anticipate posts at web sites like The Consumerist, etc complaining about the lack of delivery or the "not like the picture" scenario that always plays out after a holiday.

The big 3 will just churn thru thousands more consumers, promise the world, disappoint a fair amount and turn them off flowers in favor of..... (insert something else here). And the good little florist foot soldiers will keep sending in their checks (or worse yet -they cash a check from them ie; meaning big incoming fillers) and wonder what the he4l is happening.

and why do I type this... Because even tho there are savvy consumers out there, A huge % don't have a clue on how the big 3 work.. They think all florist are part of the big world wide florist web/club, interconnected and working together for the motherships. And why do I say this.

Because a guy just left my shop. He wanted to know where were his GF birthday flowers. Well guess what, He ordered them from 800flz and they didn't deliver. But HEY, they claimed we're all ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY so he ASSUMED his gift would come from ME. Even after I explained it doesn't work that way - HE DIDN'T GET IT - ("and sorry NO I can't give you back your money or give you flowers without you paying ME")

We're just beating a dead horse here.

 

[Rhonda]

Jamie, you have the right to reject any order you wish.. I'm not an advocate for any wire service (hardly at all if you really have seen what I've posted in the past) but as a florist who "had" dove and mercury direct, I would also turn my machines off and service my real customers and refused ALL OG orders.. still do even without a machine to spit out orders. Your statement made it sound like if a real florist telephones you for an order for Valentine's Day - in advance of the day - that you would not accept it. That is not right.. And BTW, my orders are usually sent out by credit card at 100% to the filling florist.

 

[jamie]

Last year we took a long hard look at customer complaints, and they OVERWHELMINGLY stemmed from wire orders, both from orders sent by us and filled by us. They also concentrate around volume holidays. So, my wife and I decided that we would remove that aspect of our business. We started last year at Mother's Day and unhappy customers dropped to 0%. We got zero complaints at Mother's Day. Volume wire work, whether it is from a Mom & Pop B&M shop or an OG, is a nightmare at the holidays. Almost every shop in the country hires part-time help. You have customers who don't normally order flowers, so they may have unrealistic expectations.

So when your part-timer calls my part-timer and gives an order from a customer who doesn't realize that he isn't going to get exactly what he saw in your shop, we are just asking for an unhappy client. No thank you. I would rather give that customer a recommendation and a phone number then take myself out of the equation entirely.

I don't accept a wire out order any time of the year unless I can do a good job. I won't be sending orders at Valentine's, I won't be filling orders at Valentine's. Beside's, a dozen roses is expensive enough without the sending florist tacking on a $8-$15 service fee.

If you don't want to fill a funeral order for me on some random Wednesday in August because I won't fill an order for you on Valentine's day then so be it.

Also, I am really not trying to be rude, but I just can't worry myself with what other florists consider "right." I respect some of the people I have met, and I try to earn their respect. However, this industry, as a whole, is like the lobster in the pot. Florists who have been in this business for decades are sitting around saying, "man it sure is getting hot in here" then they're cooked before they know it.

 

[sandytf]

In regards to Teleflora accepting Val. orders for early delivery through the end of the month......I doubt they have many orders placed for VD at that time. Valentine's is a last minute holiday and I don't think too many have placed their order already. AND, if they did, the florist has plenty of time to reject that order as a timed delivery (IOW, I don't think Tel sits on the orders that are placed early and waits to send them out on Feb. 13th or 14th). As stated, any orders placed from 2/1 on will not have the early delivery option. To me, it's a non-issue.

They probably have the same conundrum I do...when do I make Valentine changes on my website? If I change all my pricing now, then anyone placing an order for the next week will have to pay the higher VD price (even though we are not paying the higher price for our products.) If I don't make the pricing changes soon, I risk having orders placed for VD at our lower prices.

Not sticking up for Teleflora, but I can see where they have to make a decision when to switch from regular daily business to Valentine business.

 

[Simon Says]

Up-date: TF have, as reported earlier up-thread, been good to their word and removed the Morning Delivery on-line ordering capability.

They and FTD are now showing a sliding scale of additional service fees. TF is the more open on-line and is charging Sat $16.99, Sun $17.99, Mon $18.99 and Tues/14th $19.99. On the 15th TF go back to a new (?) std. of $15.99. FTD are charging the same service fee as TF on Mon & Tues and, possibly, Sat & Sun before V-Day.

Interestingly FTD are now charging an additional $4.99 for delivering same day as the order is placed on-line. That could mean if you order on-line on the 14th Feb with FTD you'll pay nearly $25.00 service fee. THe milking of the connedsumer continues....

 

[BOSS]

They and FTD are now showing a sliding scale of additional service fees. TF is the more open on-line and is charging Sat $16.99, Sun $17.99, Mon $18.99 and Tues/14th $19.99.

Which they KEEP, and florists allow them to... silly florists...