He loves me, he loves me not.....
Written: Aug 23 '01
| Customer Service: |
 |
|
| Price: |
 |
|
| Selection: |
|
|
| Delivery Time: |
|
|
| Quality: |
|
|
| On-Time Delivery: |
|
|
| Selection: |
|
|
The Bottom Line
Great site for flowers--honest, reasonable prices, no hidden charges. What you see is what you get.
|
| Full Review |
I have friends and family spread out all over the place, and if I can't be there for something I think is important, I send flowers. I send a lot of flowers. If I could afford it, I'd send myself flowers every day. (It's a girl thing. Don't ask me why.)
I'm a bottom line kind of person, and one of the things I really hate are hidden charges, particularly when there's no reason for them. The floral industry is a big believer in hidden charges, by and large. They charge wire fees. They charge delivery fees. They'll show you a price up front for a bouquet of flowers, and by the time you're done, you're $30 bouquet costs upwards of $50. The big guys like 1-800-Flowers and FTD are the worst.
I send enough flowers that I had an account with a local florist in the city where I work. About a year ago, I had two people to send flowers to: one in NYC and one in Atlanta. Being up late one night, I decided to place the order over the local florist's website. I placed the orders for about $120 total.
The next day, I received a call from the florist. They, being honest souls, wanted me to know that their website went through FTD for long-distance orders, and did I know that FTD would charge me $14.95 per order just to let a florist in each city know that I wanted a bouquet delivered? And another $10 apiece to deliver them? No, I did not know that, nor did the FTD website tell me. Now, why is it that FTD would need $15 just to email a florist? And, gee whiz, wasn't it decent of FTD to tell me that they were going to add another $50 to my order total. Hmmmm. My local florist gave me the option to cancel my orders and even gave me 800 numbers for a florist in each city. I thought that was pretty cool, so I'll give them a plug--Flowers By Roger in Middletown, OH. Use them if you ever need a flower delivery in Dayton, Middletown or Cincinnati.
I decided to check out florists' websites to see if I could find one that didn't have these sneaky, useless fees. After much searching, I finally stumbled onto Flowerbud.com. After wandering around for awhile, I decided to give it a try. I love this site!
This website ships directly from the growers, which means they forward your order to the grower, who cuts your flowers, packages them, and ships them the same day (or whatever day you specify). The prices shown on the website are the total price, including tax, shipping, everything. If the price shown is $45, that's exactly what's charged to your credit card, not a penny more. They have a great selection of flowers, and will show you each arrangement in whatever colors are available. The website is easy to use, and the flower detail is great. The flowers are sent by Federal Express, and the packaging is terrific--you get a huge box with the flower stems covered by icepacks and protected by a styrofoam 'cage'. Everyone I've sent these flowers to has been thrilled by the flowers, the presentation and the longevity of the flowers because they're so fresh.
The only limitation I've found is the flower arrangements available. Because the flowers are sent by the growers, you get a bouquet of that one flower, which I don't mind, but some may. You can order bouquets from the website, but other than seasonal specials, there's only one bouquet you can order in three sizes. They tell you what's in each bouquet and how many of each flower. I've ordered the bouquets before and a friend sent me pictures--it was beautiful. There are also seasonal bouquets you can order. I don't have a problem with the simplicity of this system, but if you're into cutesy FTD bouquets with balloons and flowers in soup bowls, it may not be for you. This website gives you huge amounts of flowers for a very good price. One particular flower (Lisianthus) I sent to my friends in NYC and Atlanta lasted for over 4 weeks, blooming continuously! They also tell you on the site how long each group of flowers should last.
I have been really pleased with the ease of using the website and the reaction of the people I send the flowers to. Try it!!!
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
About the Author
Location: Ohio
Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me: If you're gonna drop someone from your WOT, wouldn't it be nice to say why?
|
