TV interview. Subject- FloristDetective .com

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flowerknife+us

flowerknife+us

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Dec 7, 2002
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Syracuse, N.Y.
www.colemanflorist.com
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N.Y.
Sound bite material.

You pay for the privilage of placing your order with a company who makes prommises they have little controle over keeping.

With the exception of direct ship items. Your floral gift is still produced and delivered by a florist in the general area of the recipient.

Florists give due consideration for the prevaling weather conditions as direct shippers do not.

There is a growing number of Florists in the Country who are comming to the conclusion that the "Flowers By Wire" consept. As developed by Florists. A system that had served their collective intrests for close to 100 years. Developed serious flaws in the 90's. To the point where it no longer serves the purposes of its developers.



Some time tomorrow I'll recieve a list of questions. We'll see what goes from their.

It would be nice if others made an effort to send attention to the Florist detective.com site. to other media outlets.

I really don't wish to be whistling in the dark, Standing out in the rain, crying wolf, left holding the bag. ect...

Boycott is not an issue with this subject.

BUT

Florists opting out of filling these orders in ecomonic self intrest is.

A teaser E-Mail with the detectives web site attached is all it really needs.

Educational and all. considering the growth of internet sales and the wild west way of it. Like crossing the American plain on the way to Califorinia. Never know who or where you'll be ambushed next?
 
flowerknife+us said:
There is a growing number of Florists in the Country who are comming to the conclusion that the "Flowers By Wire" consept. As developed by Florists. A system that had served their collective intrests for close to 100 years. Developed serious flaws in the 90's. To the point where it no longer serves the purposes of its developers.
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All well said, but this is PRICELESS!

I did contact numerous stations myself last night...no word yet...
 
You are not alone! Contacted the Miami Herald a few days ago. 1 radio station and two local tv stations. (One where I know the consumer advocate reporter) All correspondence contained reference to Floristdetective site.
 
1. Why is it more expensive for people to order flowers over the Internet than from a loal Florist?

2. What kind of information can people find on Florist Detective.com?

3. Have the online sites hurt busines for local florists?

4. Are their any florists sites your aware of that don't "rip off"" the consumers?

5. What are the other advantages for people to buy directly from their local florists?

6. Finally, how important is Valentines day to the florist busines?
 
I see no one's taken a shot at these so I'll give it a try.
flowerknife+us said:
1. Why is it more expensive for people to order flowers over the Internet than from a loal Florist?
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The internet is truly not the issue.

The added expense most typically comes from ordering via a broker where consumers pay not only for their flowers and delivery - with the prices bundled together - but for additional conveniece fees and service charges. For example, order through FTD.com and pay an extra $10.99 for florist delivered arrangements. 1800flowers and Teleflora.com add a $9.95 surcharge and 99% of the other brokers charge similar fees.

Even on the internet, ordering from a local florist that will create and deliver your gift will save you these fees. It's still a great value with the convenience of 24 hour shopping.

2. What kind of information can people find on Florist Detective.com?
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Consumer information to make shoppers aware of some of the current deceptive and misleading advertising being used on the web and in local yellow pages by non-local affiliate resellers. The site includes links to file compaints and to assist consumers with finding real flower shops in communities in the US and Canada.

3. Have the online sites hurt busines for local florists?
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Online reseller/broker sites have hurt the industry by making flowers appear more costly than they really are and by overpromising too many products that will probably not be delivered as pictured, leaving angry, disappointed shoppers who may never choose florist delivered flowers as a gift again. They have redirected hundreds of millions of dollars in commissions out of local flower shops and, in some cases, out of the industry entirely.

And some of our most well-known names now promote more non-floral gifts than they do flowers.

4. Are their any florists sites your aware of that don't "rip off"" the consumers?
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Of Course! Rip-offs occur when consumers aren't given the full value of products and services they believe they paid for. There are more than 35,000 local florists in North America, many with websites, that provide professional floral design services, many for decades and even a few for more than a century. They know their trade, know their communities' preferences and know what they can deliver today. (You might want to suggest your favorite florist directories here.)

5. What are the other advantages for people to buy directly from their local florists?
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Aside from saving the service fees, most local florists offer in-house seasonal specials to provide cost-saving value, will special order your sweetheart's favorite flowers, and will do their best to accommodate your special delivery time needs.

They support their local communities and have been there to create custom designs for all life's special and everyday occasions. Remember your first prom? Your wedding? The celebration of the life of a loved one? We make more than flower arrangements, we make memories. And you won't get these special services via a broker or affiliate reseller.

6. Finally, how important is Valentines day to the florist busines?
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With Valentine's Day being the single busiest day in the industry, florists' reputations can be made or broken. We're entrusted with delivering - in a very short period - those perfect, fresh gifts to represent the loving sentiments of our customers. We want to get it right because we're here 365 days a year and consider each order an opportunity to build a life-long relationship as being the best source for all your floral needs.

Whew! I'm tired after that one. Hope this helps.

Cathy
 
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I have contacted....

Sue Warden on HGTV as well...she's an old aquaintance and we did her very first in house flower shop "interviews" to get her started.
She's Canada's "equivalent" of Martha, with FAR MORE scruples.
 
1. their is a high probability that you chose a national marketer or an out of area web site who will charge you as much as 10$ if not more, for the privilage of taking your order. then farm the work back to a local flower shop in the general area it needs to go.
I know of no Florist that charges their customers just to place their order.

2. It is an informitive site explaining the confusion on-line shoppers run into when ordering flowers. Especially if the consumers goal is to deal with the florist servicing the order.

3. Only in the sence that so many 3rd party venders Implying or pretending to be local companys cluttering up the landscape. Even the Nationally Branded vendors rely on a local florist for the fullment of their orders.

4. "Riped off" is a bit strong. Missleading< possibly, Confusing> most certin. It really depends on your view on the issue. The Florist Detective. Com site covers all these issues on an ongoing basis. The site explaines the issues so thet the consumer has a clearer understanding of what they are actually paying for. No matter how or where the order is placed.

Issues like > The offers of "free Delivery" by alot of on-line venders sites does make quite interesting reading. Is "free" really "free"?

5. The reality is, a local florist is going to fill that order one way or another.So why not just deal with the Shop directly. And Their not going to charge you 10 bucks for the "privilage" either.

Floral gifts are an expression of emotions, Why let a 3rd party screw up something your trying to say. Florist know what they have on hand and how they can get them to talk. This kind of communication needs closer human to human contact. It's kinda like hugging your Wife while your Mother-in-Law stands between you. Tends to put a damper on those warm and fuzzy feelings.

6. It is the biggest single day Holiday in the Floral industry. There will be a vast array of Floral products arround, at all different prices ang quality. Every one else, as usual, will be comparing their goods to flowers. Because they all know. Flowers are where it's at, at Valentines Day.

The consumer has all kind of messages they can send this valentines day. Theirs Drug Store love, Convience love, Supermarket love, discount love, internet love> then theirs real love.
Florist deal with the real. Say what you will, but let a "Real" Florist say it for you. Were good at it and we like what were doing.


The question really is- Is what kind of report this really is? Hard, investigative reporting or an all too warm and fuzzy bashing of high priced flowers at Florists for speaking the right language.

She will have to answer my questions befor I answer hers. Want to find out her understanding of the issue based on what she read.
 
Interview went as well as can be expected. Even got to see it.

The reporter actually covered the subject material in a professional manor and presentation. Was accurate(for once) and didn't present the report in a bashing way.

Pointed out that alot of internet sites charged a fee for taking the order to only transmit the order to a local florist to fill.( then shots of my mug) stating that I didn't know any florist crazy enough to charge their customers 10 bucks just for calling them.

they mentioned the Florist detective site by name and front page. with discription of its purpose and function.

Recomended an on line directory that lists only Florists.

It was a good peace. Informative and direct. Good consumer reporting.
The reporter understood the information well enough to recomend the directory that DOESN'T default to the shop owner. Out of the list of directorys given.

Pro flowers came up in the discussions off camera. Background stuff. She seemed paticularly intrested in knowing more about them. When explaining one of the items they sell, the 29.99 tulips and Iris (with the questionable free vase). Asked her to look at the prices for ours as compaired to theirs with shipping. She seemed a bit miffed. But her eyes visably buldged and her Jaw noticably slacked at the same time, when se found out that the product was shipped dry, in a box. that it didn't come like the picture. all nicely arranged, and so pretty looking.

Makes me think she just realized, BIG TIME, that what she ordered was not what she expected. Jush a hunch mind ya. But that look of shocked realization is usually a dead giveaway
 
CHR said:
Good article. :)

The florist directory link goes to http://www.locateaflorist.com/ which seems to have very few listings.

Did you mean http://locateaflowershop.com/ ? If so, you might want to let them know right away.
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So glad that you caught this. It was suppose to be locateaflowershop.com not the other. When it aired on TV she had it right but when she did the article for their site she screwed it up. I have sent her a e-mail to make the correction and will follow with a phone call. Thanks for catching that.

The other site is a gathers site, @@@@ can they ever get anything right!
 
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