Telefloral and FTD were set up years ago, before charge cards. That was there purpose, to let florists exchange orders without the hassle of dealing with people who don't pay when you send them a bill and to know that you have a legitimate, professional florist. Now most florists have there own websites, so you can tell their quality somewhat, and besides, I know some florists who are Telefloral and FTD and are not good florists!! For the amount of money you spend on advertising, etc. through these wire services, you could have an excellant website and still make money. You are not giving these wire services just 20%. You are charged way beyond that. Look at your bills. I am not playing the devil's advocate. I just think that in the future, if florists want to stay in business, they need to be more practical. A lot of customers are now calling direct to the florist anyway, because of the internet and they have found that wire services do not always fulfill their orders correctly. I would trust someone I talked to directly, than place an order over through the wire service or internet.
