Just unplugged my merc, have had enough , same order from Loblaws 3rd time around , suggested $50.99 american , bold enough to put it on order and give me $42.49 canadian to fill , forwarded twice and then sent ask for $150.00 , this is all that is coming over this stupid machine, that and orders for Hugh's area which seeing he no longer subscribes they figure that I'm only 70-80 miles away that I will now do for them , #$%@ em , now the thing is off , they will have to call and deal with me directly , have polished up on the latest 4 letter words especially for them.
Unplugged merc
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Brian,
Like I keep telling you; It's great NOT to be FTD !!!
Sorry to hear they're sending you the junk orders for our area but that's one of the reasons I chose NOT to be....
FTD called last week and my staff member who answered the call told them just a minute I'll pass you our to Mr A; they hung up! Too bad, I wouldn't have minded telling them at least once!
Refuse on.....The less deliveries Loblow's is successful in getting done the better..
Like I keep telling you; It's great NOT to be FTD !!!
Sorry to hear they're sending you the junk orders for our area but that's one of the reasons I chose NOT to be....
FTD called last week and my staff member who answered the call told them just a minute I'll pass you our to Mr A; they hung up! Too bad, I wouldn't have minded telling them at least once!
Refuse on.....The less deliveries Loblow's is successful in getting done the better..
BOSS
FlowerChat Administrator
One of my designers said today, this is the calmest Christmases she can remember (she's been in the biz over 20 years)...
My only change is no "company orders"...and we're up on dollars to boot
My only change is no "company orders"...and we're up on dollars to boot
NavyBrat
Well-Known Member
Mark,
Calm before the storm? Sure hope so! Quiet here today, but it was bizarre on Thursday! Hoping for brisk sales to come our way!
We never, ever, turn off Dove. Take the time to send requests for more $$$ if we cannot fill for the price sent. I guess it's easy for me-I used to be a telegraph operator for Western Union and type 120 words per minute, so it takes me no time at all to send a message asking for more $$$.
We never, ever, refuse any orders on holidays, stay well prepared. I am always amazed by florists who spend money advertising at holidays, only to turn down orders because they can't fill them. Crazy! Why advertise? I chose to advertise during slow times at the shop, not holidays!
Calm before the storm? Sure hope so! Quiet here today, but it was bizarre on Thursday! Hoping for brisk sales to come our way!
We never, ever, turn off Dove. Take the time to send requests for more $$$ if we cannot fill for the price sent. I guess it's easy for me-I used to be a telegraph operator for Western Union and type 120 words per minute, so it takes me no time at all to send a message asking for more $$$.
We never, ever, refuse any orders on holidays, stay well prepared. I am always amazed by florists who spend money advertising at holidays, only to turn down orders because they can't fill them. Crazy! Why advertise? I chose to advertise during slow times at the shop, not holidays!
PhillyPhlorist
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NavyBrat said:
I would have to agree - now is not the time to turn off a machine - unless you're getting nothing but company orders. OR, you're getting slammed because everyone ELSE has turned off theirs!
We are very prepared - and being in the 5th largest market in the states, we have to be. The numbers for TODAY - just today: 38 Dove ins, 0 outs
26 Merc Ins, 27 out. Things are rockin'... STILL have one corp order to get in - all wire outs - 26 of them.I too will take the small amount of time and ask for $ when needed, also will NOT accept less. The ASK message will say either send the money or cancel.
- H
BOSS
FlowerChat Administrator
I do not refuse orders either... from Real Florists...I do not, and WILL NOT fill for FTD.con. I will not shut the Merc down, and I will accept orders up until Friday at 6pm for before Christmas, Saturday they will get a note, "we can call for pick-up, or forward" as Saturday we tend to finally relax, send folks home early as possible, and close at noon!NavyBrat said:
I do not advertise at HoliDAZE...makes little sense, and preffer to do special promo's in the summer and off months like January...
I won't refuse any order from a REAL FLORIST either , but way too much crap coming over the machine , don't have the time or patience to tolerate it any more, and anyone who really wants to get ahold of me can still call, got calls yesterday alone from 1-800, ftd hq , teleflora hq, town & country , Jackman's , all were told the same ,thanks but no.
Mikey the Flower Guy
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you are punishing...
the consumer.....customers WILL turn away from sending flowers/plants PERIOD when things are done in this fashion!!
We've had MORE...huge increase in customers calling direct, because of the way WE'VE done things instead of just plainly DENying/REFusing orders!!
WILL NOT TURN OFF MERC...under ANY circumstance!!
It ALSO punishes REAL FLORISTS!!
I see "backfire"!!
the consumer.....customers WILL turn away from sending flowers/plants PERIOD when things are done in this fashion!!
We've had MORE...huge increase in customers calling direct, because of the way WE'VE done things instead of just plainly DENying/REFusing orders!!
WILL NOT TURN OFF MERC...under ANY circumstance!!
It ALSO punishes REAL FLORISTS!!
I see "backfire"!!
LORRIE
New Member
We accomodate everyone but do rank orders with priority #1 is our local customer #2 real florist orders etc... We have been rocking and rolling all week hope it continuse til 6pm Christmas eve!
Had to laugh last night OG calls at 6:30(we close at 6pm Fri) can you deliver an order by 8pm?? $40 Guess no one including me would do that! another OG sent an order for $23 inculding delivery- way below our min. told them we need 43.99 to do that- then they told me to refuse it. Then 6 hours later sent it again for 40.00. Magical money! File 13 for me. they are getting crazier by the second!
Had to laugh last night OG calls at 6:30(we close at 6pm Fri) can you deliver an order by 8pm?? $40 Guess no one including me would do that! another OG sent an order for $23 inculding delivery- way below our min. told them we need 43.99 to do that- then they told me to refuse it. Then 6 hours later sent it again for 40.00. Magical money! File 13 for me. they are getting crazier by the second!
Don't want to punish the consumer or real florists , but if they can't or won't try the direct call themselves , then I'm not going to take a OG order just because it won't get filled , if you can suck the consumer into believing that you are cheaper , more proficient, etc, etc, etc , don't expect me to help you perpetrate the lie by filling these orders , if Mikey wants to help them out that is his perogitive.
Mikey the Flower Guy
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The logic of this is mystifying. If the orders being sent on the merc are consistently of low quality from companies known to use deception, skimming, and other dubious business practices, why is any florist obligated to expend precious time forwarding/refusing them?Mikey the Flower Guy said:
If Sunny tells them repeatedly that he'll never fill their orders - and they persist in sending them, he has little choice but to pull the plug. Doesn't every refusal cost him $ (both in fees from FTD and in time lost that's better devoted to taking care of customers?)
Rather than blaming local florists for taking a route they really don't want to travel, IMO the responsibility clearly lies in FTD's lap for permitting low quality, misleadingly-sold, under-priced, over-promised orders to overrun their system.
Shops can market effectively to compete with OG's without filling their orders.
12BucksFor2Dozon
New Member
Mikey, with all due respect, you are nuts. How could anyone in this industry be mad about customers calling direct?? Are you THAT brainwashed by your beloved WS?? The consumer WILL continue to send flowers, just not through your overpriced wire.Mikey the Flower Guy said:
The designers of the Internet designed it to be able to withstand nuclear attack, which means that any "damaged" node within the network will automatically be "routed around", thereby insuring communication. In my mind, the overpriced WS offerings will soon be considered "damaged" by the consumer and will, just like the net, be "routed around".
Ahhh well...the storm is brewing between you business-as-usual folk and the nextGenner's...you all have the resources and current model, we *will* have a set of free and open tools to compete. History is on your side, but perhaps the future is on ours...may the consumer decide!
12BucksFor2Dozon said:
Mark, I vote that to be the "QUOTE FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR", and maybe all of next year.
Mikey the Flower Guy
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how'd you manage to turn my statement....
so badly around??
Traditional florist thinking is "listen and read" ONLY when it agrees with your OWN philosophical views!!
Where ANYWHERE in my writing did I say that I WAS filling for the OG's??
Just WON'T turn off the MERC.....WON'T fill orders for OG'S either, and WON'T reply to them when they ASK why something wasn't delivered!!
12BucksFor2Dozon said:
so badly around??
Traditional florist thinking is "listen and read" ONLY when it agrees with your OWN philosophical views!!
Where ANYWHERE in my writing did I say that I WAS filling for the OG's??
Just WON'T turn off the MERC.....WON'T fill orders for OG'S either, and WON'T reply to them when they ASK why something wasn't delivered!!
12BucksFor2Dozon
New Member
Yes I understand that everyone here is this community pretty much has a handle on each others position about the wire, but the whole thing about blogging is this...you never know when someone new will pop in and will NOT go through all the previous threads to read, so it is, IMHO, necessary to continue to pound the message, just in case some newcomer happens to drop in.Infinite said:
And once again, I am at odds with your definition of "Real Florist", in my mind, REAL FLORISTS don't subsidize your primary competitors (ANY company that promotes the direct ship model), but that's a discussion for another day. I mean, really, could you even IMAGINE Wal-Mart co-branding with Overstock.com?? Target with EBAY?? Unless they actually bought part of the company, any manager or executive even suggesting such of thing would probably find themselves on a "permanent vacation" from the company, yet in our industry you "Real Florists" seem to think it a dandy idea.
I don't get it.
FTD is the biggest OG out there, some which or good and the others dOGs.
I'm not attacking or accusing Mikey of anything...I just wanted to point that out. Sometimes, people yell about OGs and send them money each month. I understand the catch22 they are in and feel for the florist; this is why I loath FTD.
Keep up that good fight Mikey!!
Yeah!!! You used dOGs!
(Deceitful Order Gathers). Let's keep educating florists the difference between dOGS and OGs. In my opinion, we are all OGs, it's the manner in which you do it that makes you a dOG.
Mikey the Flower Guy
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