ProFlower...proficient, professional! (updated!)
Written: May 08 '00 (Updated May 19 '00)
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After having severe problems with 1-800-FLOWERS.com I was a little leary of buying flowers online if I wasn't the recipient. With Mother's Day coming up I threw caution to the wind and went online to search for the perfect florist.
My first stop in this search was, of course, Epinions.com. After reading dozens of reviews and looking at each respective website I found ProFlowers.com to be the absolute best. The 'horror' stories ended up with complete satisfaction in most cases and that, after my own personal horror story with 1800flowers, sold me.
ProFlowers has a great selection of farm fresh flowers. From daisies to roses.. you'll be amazed at the variety. You can choose from "flowers in the rough", potted plants, or the typical arrangement.
Flowers in the rough are flowers that are cut and put into a box (not arranged) for shipping. When you get the flowers you can arrange them as you like in your own vase. The flowers featured in "the rough" are beautiful roses in shades of yellow, pink, red, and white. You get 25 in a box and as far as I can tell you can only choose one color. Price for this big box of flowers is a mere $39.95 plus shipping ($7.95 Tuesday-Friday with an extra $5 charge added on for Saturday delivery).
The potted plants range from Heather to Bamboo so every person in your life could get a potted plant fit for them! My favorite is a beautiful miniature pink rosebush that sits in a wicker basket. At ten inches tall it can be enjoyed for two weeks if not replanted. If it is replanted and allowed to grow you can give your favorite someone years of enjoyment! It is priced at a low price of $29.95.
The arrangements are breathtaking at this online florist. From wreaths to huge masses of vased flowers you can't fail to find the perfect dried or cut fresh flower arrangement. Sunflowers, daisies, roses, carnations, lilies, tulips, and mums are just a few of the flowers that fill the arrangements. One especially stunning (though not the most expensive!) arrangement is now featured for Mother's Day and your mother (or your children's mother!) would shower you with love for this particular arrangement... costing only $89.95 (valued at $129.99) this arrangement has "12 Peach Roses, 5 Lavender or White Matsumoto Asters, 5 Spider Mums, 8 White or Pink Alstromeria, 4 Misty Blue and 5 stems of Leatherleaf Fern." This arrangement is named Peach Perfusion and for Mother's Day you can also add on a small wire heart-shaped basket of chocolates to go along with it.
The real beauty of this online florist isn't the spectacular array of flowers or the ingenius designs portrayed in their arrangements...the real beauty is in their promises. Your flowers are guaranteed to arrive fresh or you will either get a full refund (and keep the flowers) or receive another arrangement to replace it. They also promise that your flowers will last 7 days or your money back or a replacement bouquet. 1800Flowers.com told me they have no control over the freshness of their flowers and therefore can't guarantee anything.
How can they guarantee the freshness? The flowers are all wrapped in cellophane and shipped in a specially designed gift box with an ice pack to ensure that the flower's temperature is maintained and they remain fresh.
You may have noticed that ProFlowers doesn't deliver on Sunday or Monday. I thought this was a little odd (after all, every other florist does) so I went through their website to find out why. ProFlowers sends their orders to the grower directly. They then cut and arrange the flowers and ship them out immediately (or within 24 hours). The flowers never stay in a warehouse, truck, or florist's cooler. ProFlowers believes strongly that the growers need a day of rest too...therefore no orders are given on Sunday..and since there is no orders prepared on Sunday no orders are sent on Monday (24 hour freshness guarantee prohibits this). This tells me that ProFlowers is serious about their quality and cares not only for their customer but also for those they employ.
So what else does this great company offer? You want more? After all this you really want more? Okay you asked for it...
They offer a reminder service..get an email a week before that special day rolls around..now you have no excuse for missing that birthday or anniversary.
There is a flower encyclopedia that tells you what each flower is. A great way to learn about the arrangement you're sending (really impress that girl/boyfriend!). It gives you the history and signifigance of each flower. Did you know that the daffodil is also known as the narcissus and jonquil? Or that the name "narcissus" comes from teh Greek youth Narcissus with whom the nymph Echo fell in love? He rejected her and she died of a broken heart (what a jerk!). Then Narcissus, who was very beautiful, saw his reflection in a pool of water, leaned over to possess it, and drowned, becoming the flower. Learn more about your favorite flower by reading the flower encyclopedia!
You can tease your special someone with a hint that is sent by ProFlowers before they receive their arrangement. Keep them guessing with an anonymous hint or even send a hint to someone telling them it's your birthday soon and "guess" what you'd like.
Live chat with customer service if you don't want to tie up your phone line or wait on hold (rarely happens with this company!).
If you need a hint on what you should get your special someone you can email the specialist on ProFlowers.com, Emily! Just tell her who it's for, what the occasion is, what you'd like to express (all drop down menus), and what you'd like to pay (4 choices in prices). You can give more details to narrow it down or you can view what she selected instantly. A great service for the person who wants to send flowers but doesn't really "know" the recipient well enough yet.
All in all ProFlowers.com is a great service. The prices are much less than the commonly known names (Hallmark, 1800Flowers, FTD) and the service is fantastic. I've ordered Mother's Day through them so check back in a week to see if anything negative happens with that..I'll update!
** Proud to say that my mother in law received absolutely beautiful flowers that are starting to bloom out a week later. The miniature rose is flourishing and looks like it will be a lasting gift! This solidifies my opinion that this is a perfect place to buy flowers!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dlbrantley
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Location: St. Louis
Reviews written: 110
Trusted by: 84 members
About Me:
I'm not just about diapers and Fisher Price.
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