In Joy and Sorrow
Written: Feb 14 '02
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Little more than a year ago my Mother passed away unexpectedly. My 8 Feb ’01 posting [FTD.com’s Floral Cross Made My Cross More Bearable] detailed how that site served our family in our time of sorrow. [I had to delete that posting in order to upload this one. So, for those who cared, I have appended it to the bottom of this one.]
But this is another year and – on a much lighter note – FTD.com helped me thank some of the ladies in my life. The site remains one of my favored on-line vendors.
Navigation is a snap. [I am able to cruise around quite comfortably even with my slow as molasses dial-up connection.] The opening page features some “Great Gift Ideas” appropriate to the season. Not surprisingly – this being Valentine’s Day – roses are prominently displayed. Today’s selections ranged from FTD® Sweethearts Bouquet at $40.99 to the FTD ® Blooming Masterpiece Bouquet at $79.99.
The “Quick Shop” along the right margin of the main page provides a quick jump point to selected areas. Here you can exercise both “Search” and “Store Directory” queries. More helpful still – there are three sections that break the site down by “Occasion” [i.e. Valentine’s Day, Birthday, New Baby, etc.], “Products” [Flowers, Cookies/Cake, Teddy Bears, etc.], or “Price” [under $35, over $100, etc.].
One of the more entertaining aspects of the site is the “Cursor Chaser”. Here you can download a floral chase sequence to install on your Epinions editing machine. Once loaded these frolicking flowers will follow your cursor around and brighten up your desktop. [Currently the “Cursor Chasers” only support a Windows environment. But there are some floral screen savers at the site for both Windows and Mac.]
There are also other helpful segments. “Gift Advisor” can be a boon for those of us who are creatively challenged. They offer some interesting suggestions for a variety of gift-giving occasions. [Not surprisingly, the gifts can be purchased on site.] Another neat feature is “Flowers and Floral Care”. As Mrs. G and I can both prove fatal to even plastic plants – this is a Godsend.
The “Shopping Cart” is exceptionally user friendly. All of my transactions have been easy to perform. Each was conducted promptly and completely. I have used FTD.com on a number of occasions and have never had a security issue.
Most important to me are the reactions I have gotten from recipients. Mrs. G has been overjoyed with the flowers that I sent her. My out-of-towners have also been routinely pleased with the selection and quality of their floral arrangements. In each case – local or long distance – the delivery occurred as promised.
You can reach this site at – where else – FTD.com or by telephone at 1-800-SEND-FTD.
Why not give FTD.com a “click” the next time you want to earn points with that special someone. They will be delighted with the arrangements and be very grateful that you “scent” them.
© 2002 Gungian
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[FTD.com’s Floral Cross Made My Cross More Bearable]
by Gungian Feb 08 ‘01
The Bottom Line: This service was on time and reasonably priced. FTD.COM precisely met my needs. I recommend it.
Recommended: Yes
On the first Monday of last month our Mother did not awake at her regular time. In fact, Mom never opened her eyes again – at least not in this world. For my siblings and I – this was an unbearable cross.
Mom was living in Gastonia, NC when she died. The nearest of my siblings was my baby brother in Mooresville, NC – about an hour’s drive away. Sister, SurgRN911, in Florida and our other brother in Ohio were about equally distant. I was in northern Virginia – a drive of over 7 hours.
Final plans were hastily arranged in a staggering number of wireless phone calls. Arrangements included a service and viewing in Gastonia on Wednesday. A traditional wake [another viewing] was scheduled for Narragansett, Rhode Island on Friday night. On Saturday, the funeral [also in Narragansett] would be followed by burial an hours drive away in Warwick, RI. The entire situation presented us with both an emotional cross and a logistical nightmare!
Mom was survived by four children. Among us we sought floral help from a variety of sources. FTD.COM was Gungian’s choice.
Their website [www.ftd.com] was quick and well laid out. The section on bereavement offered suggestions from @ $30.00 to several hundred dollars. Each floral selection had an identifying number, verbal description, and photograph. My first choice was a satin pillow, in the shape of a cross, and adorned with a peace lily. It was to come from “The Granddaughters, Grandsons, and Great Granddaughter”.
The web-site pages often blurred under my reddened-eye gaze. My order, however, was processed quickly and completely. Within minutes the site transmitted an email “FTD Order Confirmation”. That missive email provided an FN Order Number for tracking in addition to a price and billing Reference Number. The email also listed customer service telephone and email contacts.
THERE WERE NO SURPRISES. In each case my order arrived where intended and when intended. The flowers were beautiful – an exact match to the web-site photographs. My credit card was billed precisely as I had been told.
FTD.COM could not bring back our Mother.
FTD.COM could not ease our pain.
FTD.COM could make our cross more bearable – by delivering as promised.
© 2001 Gungian
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Location: Falls Church, Virginia
Reviews written: 222
Trusted by: 433 members
About Me: 10/16/06 - Life is hectic - but good! Write On!
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