Don't Count on Them
Written: May 15 '00 (Updated May 17 '00)
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WHY DID I USE FTD?
It was Friday, May 12th and I'd procrastinated longer than usual to think of what to send my mother in-law for mother's day. Flowers always do the trick, so I decided to order some flowers online. I tried 1-800 Flowers before and I was disgusted with their service. Let's just say I ordered red, long-stemmed roses and they delivered yellow, wilted roses to my wife (back then, girlfriend) for Valentine's Day. Let's just save that one for another Epinion...
Anyhow, I figured that FTD (a well-known and trusted mark in the floral industry) would pull me through. They even advertised on their web page that they would ...guarantee delivery on Sunday, May 14 (Mother's Day).
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
Their web site was easy to navigate and the variety of flower arrangements and gifts were plenty. I'd have to say that the price was near the high end, but then again flower arrangements were really never cheap to begin with. After surfing around their site, I was convinced that they could do the job (at least better than 1-800 Flowers) and I placed my order.
ORDERING PROCESS:
Like many online businesses, FTD.com accepts the full line of credit cards. The ordering process is easy as clicking on the flower arrangements/gifts you want to purchase and then filling out your billing/shipping addresses. You also have a choice of cards (at an additional cost) to send with your flowers/gift. I declined the offer since I usually like to purchase my cards in-person at Hallmark.
They tack on $5.99 on top of the flower/gift price. It's their service/delivery fee. Also, you might be charged a tax depending on which state you plan on shipping the flower/gifts to. The whole shopping-ordering experience took about fifteen minutes for me. It was quick and painless.
Soon after ordering, I received a confirmation email with my order number and reference number.
AND DID MY MOTHER IN-LAW LIKE THE FLOWERS?
I dont' know. They were never delivered to her. I felt really stupid when I called to wish her a happy mother's day Sunday evening and then asked if she liked the flowers she received. She told me that no flowers were delivered. At that point, I was furiously mad. I apologized to my mother in-law several times and told her that the flowers should have arrived at her doorstep that afternoon.
At this point, even if the flowers did get delivered, it's too late. No flowers or gifts in the world could make up for the emptiness and blankness my mother in-law and I felt when we were on the phone. FTD FAILED BIG TIME in my books. I'd understand if the flower shop that was delivering the flowers burned down or something, but if their excuse was that they were too busy to deliver all of their orders, it's not acceptable at all. FTD, certifies certain florists that meet their standards and uses them to offer their floral arrangements and gifts. I'd say that the one near my mother in-law's house needs to be revoked of their FTD badge.
WHAT DID I DO ABOUT IT?
Late Sunday night, I checked for the delivery status on the flowers. I used my order and reference number and requested an explanation on my order. This morning, I received an email stating that I would receive a delivery confirmation when my order gets delivered. OK, this just doesn't make any sense. The only reason why I chose to order flowers was because I was in a crunch with time. If I would have known that the flowers wouldn't be delivered on mother's day, my choice would have been to buy a gift and send it myself.
My last action was to call their 800 number (1-800-SEND-FTD). As I was put on hold, a message read that, "...not all orders for Mother's Day would be delivered ON Mother's Day, instead, they would be delivered no later than Tuesday, May 16th..." I was at a loss for words and hung up the phone.
FTD NO MORE...
Not only will I not go with FTD, I will not order flowers online, period. First of all, I believe that flowers are very personal. I've gone to many floral shops and found that it took a long time to choose exactly the right flowers to buy. Of course, when you're looking at a product on an online floral store, you often see only their best arrangements. Often times, the floral arrangements you order rarely resemble the ones you saw online. Second, you pay much more when you order online than you would when you purchase flowers in-person. Thirdly, you end up biting your nails until the flowers/gifts get delivered. You wonder if the right things were sent, and in my case you wonder if they ever got sent.
SUMMARY:
Being able to order so many things online is amazing. Even five years ago, who would have known you could do so many things over the Internet? This doesn't go to say that just because you can do it on the Internet, it'll be done right. There's still a lot to be learned and a lot to be fine-tuned. Online ordering of flowers is just not there yet. If you just want to send a flower to someone to cheer up their day, online ordering may not be such a bad idea. But if it's required of you to send the very best on a designated day, I would definitely NOT recommend ordering flowers online.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
isong
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 - Top 500 |
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Member: Ingi
Location: Beaverton, Oregon
Reviews written: 58
Trusted by: 178 members
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