That is just sooo disappointing.
So many of us have had bad experiences when we have wired flowers that I wonder if we really are doing any "service" at all for our customers when we send out.
What wire service do you belong too and why?
- Thread starter HeatherTuckey
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That is just sooo disappointing.
So many of us have had bad experiences when we have wired flowers that I wonder if we really are doing any "service" at all for our customers when we send out.
If I owned a shop ( which I currently do not ) and I had to choose a wire service - I would choose BBrooks ( because they do not drop ship, their available choices don't limit you in containers or flowers, and the dollar order amounts are fairly substantial ) and Teleflora - While TF fees are outrageous.....and the containers way overpriced.....they do not drop-ship flowers ( yet ), and they do offer widespread support of local, state, and national organizations.
Regarding the TF containers - although they usually are way overpriced.......there are usually some more reasonably priced more everyday containers that can meet a wide variety of everyday needs.
My personal favorites of the TF - Their satin collection, the color cubes, and their mahagony sympathy container.
Regarding the TF containers - although they usually are way overpriced.......there are usually some more reasonably priced more everyday containers that can meet a wide variety of everyday needs.
My personal favorites of the TF - Their satin collection, the color cubes, and their mahagony sympathy container.
We are FTD only. Several years ago when we had both FTD and TF I did a comparison and we were making money and doing more volume with FTD, so we dropped TF. The rep was an a** too, not willing to try to work out a more afffordable plan with mulitiple shops.
Since then, FTD has really gone downhill. Right after we made our decision, FTD started up with the Walmart thing that really pi**ed me off!! I feel their brand has gone down the tubes ever since. We are in the process of going wire service free by the end of the year.
Since then, FTD has really gone downhill. Right after we made our decision, FTD started up with the Walmart thing that really pi**ed me off!! I feel their brand has gone down the tubes ever since. We are in the process of going wire service free by the end of the year.
Unfortunately Chez - that seems more like the receiving florist either chose to not follow the instructions.....or the instructions did not make it on the order.
Did you follow up to try and ascertain WHY the mistake happened?
OB1
Joanne Plummer AIFD,CAFA
We do not carry any of the TF containers. We do not fill any TF# 123 or whatever. We send and recieve only pretty open orders...try to include favorite flowers, colours etc, but if they are specific about container etc, we say no thanks. It has to look like our brand, or we refuse the incoming order. Same with outgoing orders...It's up to the filling florist to give the best they have, as long as there are no mums, carnations, leather, gyp etc. That way it comes closest to what we would send if the recipient lived in our delivery area.
Joe Mioux
Well-Known Member
alisonm1215
New Member
I use Floral Source. They are free through November and so far have been profitable and very nice to work with.
So, I guess I'm back in the WS game and can no longer claim to be WS free.
wire service
We belong to Tel and FTD.. but we are dropping FTD only need one and we like tel. containers .
We belong to Tel and FTD.. but we are dropping FTD only need one and we like tel. containers .
FTD. For incoming orders. We fill about 50 orders a month. Heck we are one of their "Gold Star" florists whatever the hell that means.
Seasonals
Well-Known Member
We're Teleflora and I'm happy with them. I don't buy alot of their containers, only the ones I feel that fit our design look. We do have to send internationally and knock on wood we haven't had a problem. As far as the OG's go we get a few that are under priced and for the most part when I tell them we can't fill because of that they raise it to what we need or me cancel.
TOTO
New Member
IFA Only now!
Having had 7 until 1984, our Lotus Spreadsheet told us: A FLORIST can only make money by having 1 wire service, and only if their outgoing was more than their incoming.
Long gone are the days of AFS, FCN, CARIK, RFS, and Florafax.
Stayed FTDA ONLY! until 1994, and continued until FTDI got too greedy by 2003 along with their DOT CON JUNK orders.
Rejoined Teleflora with Gregg Coccari at the helm and since they said: "We will never compete with our own florists for their customers!" As SFOX advised me at that time, they were the least intrusive into a florist's flower shop's wallets.
Then, they turned around and fired Gregg, the last of the Florist Friendly WS CEO's, and HOLY COW, didn't they go and launch their own consumer direct DOT CON WEBSITE, thus changing their spots.
And so, we dumped em too in 2007! Last thing we want to be, is one of the END USERS by any of their dOG's, OG's, non-local phonies, or their own steal my customers out from under me, consumer direct websites.
And now, we're with IFA ONLY!, the Independent Florist's Association.
By definition, IFA IS NOT A WIRE SERVICE! It is a network association of other REAL FLORISTS which allows the transfer of orders between REAL FLORISTS like ourselves at the usual 80%/20% ratio rather than the 70%/30% WS formulas.
www.myifa.org
WHY? Well, at a cost of only $20 per month and only when your shop sends out orders, that's the best deal around.
They even service your International orders when you need them to.
However, this Mother's Day, I searched FC for a REAL FLORIST who serviced Bondi, NSW, Australia. Found Barbara Pollak at Pearson's Florist in Sydney. Sent her an email asking if she would fill an F2F order, and she answered that, she was happy to.
Decided to place the order at her website even though she would take it as an email. Barbara told me to enter in her name for an added discount at their site which I did.
http://www.pearsonsflorist.com.au/
She got the order at 100% less her BARBARA discount code, I kept my International Wire Service Charge, and we all won!
I suspect that, in our future, more and more REAL FLORISTS will honor F2F orders at their sites for the obvious benefits. For International orders, especially with our friends in the UK, Australia and Canada, this option will get easier over time, thus avoiding the additional re-trans fee of $12.00 along with the 30% WS discount.
Is it a little more work on my part? YUP! But, I find that it's well worth it for both the sender and the filler. The real benefit is to my customers since, I now know that, they will get full value for the floral gift they have entrusted me to send on their behalf.
I always check our FC member list first, hoping that I can find a RFWAC which I can TRUST to fill our customer's orders properly.
With luck, they are also on my list of IFA filling florist shops. If not, I will call them first, and ask for my earned 20% florist sending commission citing the fact that, filling my order at 80% net is sure better than filling the WS orders at 70% net, less mo dues and fees.
If they can't get the bigger picture, I simply move on to the next REAL FLORIST who can count to 20% even if they have to use their toes!
So, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
lol
Having had 7 until 1984, our Lotus Spreadsheet told us: A FLORIST can only make money by having 1 wire service, and only if their outgoing was more than their incoming.
Long gone are the days of AFS, FCN, CARIK, RFS, and Florafax.
Stayed FTDA ONLY! until 1994, and continued until FTDI got too greedy by 2003 along with their DOT CON JUNK orders.
Rejoined Teleflora with Gregg Coccari at the helm and since they said: "We will never compete with our own florists for their customers!" As SFOX advised me at that time, they were the least intrusive into a florist's flower shop's wallets.
Then, they turned around and fired Gregg, the last of the Florist Friendly WS CEO's, and HOLY COW, didn't they go and launch their own consumer direct DOT CON WEBSITE, thus changing their spots.
And so, we dumped em too in 2007! Last thing we want to be, is one of the END USERS by any of their dOG's, OG's, non-local phonies, or their own steal my customers out from under me, consumer direct websites.
And now, we're with IFA ONLY!, the Independent Florist's Association.
By definition, IFA IS NOT A WIRE SERVICE! It is a network association of other REAL FLORISTS which allows the transfer of orders between REAL FLORISTS like ourselves at the usual 80%/20% ratio rather than the 70%/30% WS formulas.
www.myifa.org
WHY? Well, at a cost of only $20 per month and only when your shop sends out orders, that's the best deal around.
They even service your International orders when you need them to.
However, this Mother's Day, I searched FC for a REAL FLORIST who serviced Bondi, NSW, Australia. Found Barbara Pollak at Pearson's Florist in Sydney. Sent her an email asking if she would fill an F2F order, and she answered that, she was happy to.
Decided to place the order at her website even though she would take it as an email. Barbara told me to enter in her name for an added discount at their site which I did.
http://www.pearsonsflorist.com.au/
She got the order at 100% less her BARBARA discount code, I kept my International Wire Service Charge, and we all won!
I suspect that, in our future, more and more REAL FLORISTS will honor F2F orders at their sites for the obvious benefits. For International orders, especially with our friends in the UK, Australia and Canada, this option will get easier over time, thus avoiding the additional re-trans fee of $12.00 along with the 30% WS discount.
Is it a little more work on my part? YUP! But, I find that it's well worth it for both the sender and the filler. The real benefit is to my customers since, I now know that, they will get full value for the floral gift they have entrusted me to send on their behalf.
I always check our FC member list first, hoping that I can find a RFWAC which I can TRUST to fill our customer's orders properly.
With luck, they are also on my list of IFA filling florist shops. If not, I will call them first, and ask for my earned 20% florist sending commission citing the fact that, filling my order at 80% net is sure better than filling the WS orders at 70% net, less mo dues and fees.
If they can't get the bigger picture, I simply move on to the next REAL FLORIST who can count to 20% even if they have to use their toes!
So, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
lol
No wire service now and I have never had a wire service.
Membership in a wire service made sense when:
Membership in a wire service made sense when:
- Consumers didn’t have a safe, convenient, and reliable way of conveying funds to a retailer in another part of the country.
- Consumers didn’t have a convenient way of searching for and communicating with a florist in another part of the country.
- National corporate branding of wire services was a de facto endorsement of a florist and the quality of its product.
- A reciprocal balance of sending and receiving orders made fiscal sense.
- Consumers safely, conveniently, and universally use credit and debit cards for purchases.
- Widespread use of the internet by consumers makes it vastly easier for them to search for and communicate with florists in other parts of the country.
- Corporate branding by wire services is no longer a ringing endorsement of quality in a time when florists are more specialized and less homogenized and floral consumers are more educated and seek a niche retailer to fill their needs.
- There is no reciprocal balance between sending and receiving orders when it is more profitable to be an order gatherer or sending only florist.
Rhonda
Well-Known Member
Because my TF rep was "fired - let go" and they seemed to "lose" my done date (which I had in email confirmation form and printed) I'm in until this book is done (dam) but I would take the $29.99 / month for "life" with no extra charges....from FTD if offered cause for $30 per month... I'd have a double check system to go by when searching for a real florist (but at a $29.99 monthly rate- how many crappy shops will they sign?) Website search will still be a ++ for me. (and I do it for the shops I search to send to now)
Oh and BTW - I was a 32 year member of FTD when I quit 2 years ago...
Oh and BTW - I was a 32 year member of FTD when I quit 2 years ago...
BOSS
FlowerChat Administrator
BOSS's Best First Post Ever Award Winner.
Welcome to the FlowerChat community.... home of the FlowerChat NATION!
I think you'll fit right in here!
Enjoy~!
Well said "Sprout" :yourock:
Welcome to the FlowerChat community.... home of the FlowerChat NATION!
I think you'll fit right in here!
Enjoy~!
Eric S
Demoted Webmaster
TF Still. I have everthing in place and Eagle (POS) is paid for. I have very little problems with TF and at this point credit card processing is worth the membership. I don't use the Web Hosting anymore so I just have cost of dove and membership.
prestonway
Well-Known Member
Wow, that was a lot of reading to find this little gem.
Do you send any orders to Canada, TOTO???
lollol
avenuegardensflorist
Well-Known Member
..
....still ftd and teleflora.
The reason? B/c I guess I am still a dumba$$.:itchy:
....still ftd and teleflora.
The reason? B/c I guess I am still a dumba$$.:itchy:
marigold
Well-Known Member
No wire service. At one time I was Tele, at a different time I was FTD.
Dropped them both and was a member of bbrooks for five years.
Just dropped them when they implemented their minimum of sending or a monthly
fee.
I don't send enough to meet the minimum and only receive one to two orders per
month, so , I couldn't justify paying the fee.
I now do it solo and send out orders direct.
I enjoy and prefer creating designs that came from me. I don't want to have
a shop with the busy work of filling wire orders where my job is to manage people,
not design.
Right now, this is working for me.
Dropped them both and was a member of bbrooks for five years.
Just dropped them when they implemented their minimum of sending or a monthly
fee.
I don't send enough to meet the minimum and only receive one to two orders per
month, so , I couldn't justify paying the fee.
I now do it solo and send out orders direct.
I enjoy and prefer creating designs that came from me. I don't want to have
a shop with the busy work of filling wire orders where my job is to manage people,
not design.
Right now, this is working for me.
dhamil6490
Active Member
I'm in TF and FSN. Much prefer FSN. They are so pro-florist. We've got the TF website, but I don't get much traffic from it. Sometimes not enough to pay for it. I'm thinking we'll dump them next. If you're looking for an alternative to the big 3, seriously go look at FSN. Tell them I sent you.
If I was a florist and felt I HAD to have a w/s, I would choose a small one like IFA or FSN.
The 2 biggies have been continually losing ground for years, and Bloomnet tries to look like they have as many members as the other 2 -- compare the size of the font in their directory w/the other 2. Less columns and bigger font sized listings, what an optical illusion!
The 2 biggies have been continually losing ground for years, and Bloomnet tries to look like they have as many members as the other 2 -- compare the size of the font in their directory w/the other 2. Less columns and bigger font sized listings, what an optical illusion!
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