FTD.com --- Flowers and Gifts Ordered Online, Shipped Same Day, Great Results Guaranteed
Written: Mar 16 '06
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| Full Review |
FTD.com, otherwise known as the Florists' Transworld Delivery, is a great online and phone service that will deliver flowers and gifts nearly anywhere in the United States, as well as 154 other countries. The site serves as a portal, using local florists to arrange and deliver goods that are advertised. By ordering through the site, you are virtually working with a florist in the area of your recipient, but it removes all of the hassle of needing to be there in person, or in spending the time trying to figure out what you need. Instead a quick purchase through the site puts the local florist in touch with your information, and they then deliver the flowers for you. It is a difficult process made easy through technology, and the site guarantees all of your experiences using them. This guarantee is established by holding the florists that take part in the service to a higher standard than normal, and in exchange they end up getting a kick-back because you used FTD.com. It is a really interesting premise to link all of these businesses from around the world using a single web-site, and the portal is a great way to insure that you are getting what you want in a timely manner.
The Web-Site
Much as it advertises, the FTD online store is located at www.ftd.com. Coming on to the site for the first time, I found it very easy to navigate, and there were many places that I could look through to decide what I wanted to purchase. The site has many specials that are advertised on the front of the first page, and along with the pictures they give you a quick description and a price. By clicking thru one of them, you will find more information about that particular arrangement. If you don't see something that jumps out at you right away there are several ways that you can search out what you are looking for. On the main page they give you the option to Shop By Product, which allows you to select flowers, roses, plants, or gifts as options. They also let you shop by occasion, so if you are looking for a product that will appeal to a wedding or a birthday, you will be able to find arrangements that cater to those needs. You can also choose to shop by price, which categorizes everything on the site in price brackets, so that if you are on a tight budget you will be able to find something fitting into your monetary situation.
Searching through the FTD site, I found it very interesting to see how the flowers were arranged, and exactly how many options they have to offer customers. For someone that is not an expert at flowers, it can be a little overwhelming with the huge selection, but I think that the variety helps show a lot of what the site can do for you. One of the huge things about a site like this, with so many options to go through, is the speed with which the pages load. On FTD.com I was very happy to discover that everything loaded very quickly, and when I scrolled through several pages simultaneously, the site was able to keep up with my quick trigger finger. The site has a nice pastel look to it, which is easy on the eyes, and having the pictures of everything they offer just makes the entire experience that much easier. You can browse through until you find something you are looking for, and then you will know what to expect when you actually place an order. An extensive search will show you all of their flowers, their chocolate and cookie options, and even stuffed animals or cards that you can include in your purchase.
My Experience with FTD.com
Knowing that I wanted to send some flowers for a special occasion, it then came down to finding an online site that I could trust. I wanted something that I could put a lot of faith in, and that would deliver a product that the recipient would love and appreciate. I have seen and heard many bad experiences with 1-800-flowers, so I wanted to look elsewhere, and I came across the FTD site. With the premise that they guarantee satisfaction with their services, and that they require florists to adhere to some strict policies in order to take part in the program, I decided that this was where I was going to spend my money on flowers. I have always been the type of person to hand deliver flowers myself, because it always seemed more personal. This time however, I needed them to be in a different city on a specific date, and I knew I wouldn't be able to do it myself. So, I went on to the FTD site and started looking around. To be honest, I had a little bit of sticker shock at first, because I didn't really know what to expect, but when it comes down to flowers, you really get what you pay for. I wanted to look for roses, so I started browsing through the different options for arrangements.
There are a lot of subtle differences between the different arrangements, but I did finally find one that i was interested in purchasing. The selection was 1 dozen long-stemmed roses that came in a bouquet setting. A nice large vase was included in the price of the purchase, and I really liked how it appeared in the pictures. The cost of this particular bouquet was/is $59.99, but it seemed like a purchase well worth the price. When you select what you are looking for, the different options also tell you if it is available for same day delivery, meaning you buy and they arrive that same day. The site tells you that if you order it before 2pm in the time zone that you are making the purchase, that they will make sure it gets there on the same day. On weekdays they work until 9pm and on the weekends/holidays until 5pm. It seemed really easy to do, and I was happy that they would be able to do it on the same day. When you select your purchase, it also asks you to enter a zip-code so that they can verify that there is a florist in the area, and I like the double-check, because it put my mind at ease. Once you have the selection and zip code entered, you are taken to information sheets where you enter in the recipients name and address. For my purchase they gave me a gift message that would be attached, and it allowed for 20-25 words to be put on a small card. For an additional $3.95 you can purchase a full-size card to go along with it. I went with the smaller one, and then I put in when I wanted the flowers to be sent. This is where the site has a small problem in my opinion. I was unable to change the day to send the flowers, because the drop down menu was pre-set to either selecting same day, or from months in 1916. Obviously this was a coding error, but the only way to pick a new day is to scroll through all the months. Maybe it is because I use a Macintosh, but it could be frustrating if you are trying to order in advance.
Selecting same day deliver, and entering in the information to be printed on the card, I was then asked how I would like to pay. They accept virtually all credit cards denoted by the options, and I entered in my information for the charges. For the bouquet of roses it cost $59.99, and then a charge of $11.99 was added for "service charges." They don't explain in detail what service charges are, but I am guessing it applies to shipping and the gas/travel time it takes for the florist to deliver the flowers. The total cost of the arrangement came to $71.98, and It went through on my credit card that same night. It seemed easy enough to make the purchase, and when I was done I was sent an e-mail for being a first time user, and then a second e-mail as a confirmation sheet of my purchase. They also give you a printer friendly copy of your receipt with the delivery order number that you can print out and keep for yourself. The process was all very painless to me, and I was excited about hearing if the flowers turned out as great as they looked in the pictures.
My Thoughts on FTD.com
Having taken the great option of sending flowers on the same day of purchase, I had finalized my transaction online at just after 9am. This meant that I qualified for same-day delivery, and I sat back and waited to hear if the flowers turned up at their destination. At just after 3pm, I received a phone call from the person I was sending them to, letting me know that she had received the beautiful bouquet, and it was now sitting on her desk at work. This was great news to me, because it meant that less than 6 hours after I had place my order, the flowers were already there. The arrangement was beautiful, and everyone in her office was commenting on how great they looked, and just how lucky she was to be getting the flowers. Everything had turned out very smoothly from the search, to the selection, to the purchase, and finally in the flowers arriving on time. It made every cent that I spent on them worth it, because she was extremely happy with the unexpected roses, and was now able to show them off to the world. Being able to use an online store such as this one, and come away with such a great experience is something I look for any time that I am buying something on the internet. From starting out stressed about how flowers would turn out after being ordered this way, I suddenly have become a person who will go back to the site repeatedly to use their services. Everything about the use of FTD.com was perfect, and I can easily say that I highly recommend them. Their prices may seem a little high, but it is well worth it for the service and selection that they provide.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? 1 dozen long stemmed roses with a vase
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