Florist Complaints make BBB Top Ten List
Florist Complaints make BBB Top Ten List
Real local florists have known it was only a matter of time until the quality problems associated with the cumulative effect of deceptive and misleading florist affiliate advertising hit the radar screens of national consumer /business organizations.
In 2005, florists were ranked as the # 7 source of all complaints made to the Better Business Bureau's Canadian Division. The US BBB lists complaints about florists in the top 4% of all business categories, coming in ahead of even credit and debt counseling, telemarketing services and real estate services.
While the BBB report does not separate the 'online-only' florists from the real brick and mortar shops, one only needs to read the myriad complaints against Vancouver BC operation Urban Florist to surmise the primary source of that #7 ranking. Based on files at RipoffReport.com, the majority of those Canadian complaints were likely made by US consumers since Urban Florist has targeted (and continues to target) American flower buyers via Google AdWords advertising with phrases that lead some consumers to believe they're purchasing direct from local florists. Urban's continued fraudulent claim that local florists deliver their flowers for free has been a major issue with real flower shops.
Recently, Urban Florist was joined by yet another Canadian-based virtual florist operation, Flowers Flowers aka 180066roses.com and flowers444.com, in Buyer's Alerts issued by the Vancouver, BC Better Business Bureau. These alerts are meant to warn consumers about companies that fail to respond to BBB efforts to resolve complaints. (One has to wonder why 180066roses.com recently changed its mailing address to a Blaine, Washington PO Box while still maintaining its Burnaby operation.)
Both Urban Florist and 180066roses.com are partnered with US-based floral wire services that enable the companies to process orders and forward them to local US and Canadian florists for fulfillment.
Seeing florists listed as a top source of complaints in either country is a black eye on the industry. Two solutions could go a long way to help consumers get the flower quality and value they expect and deserve:
Request the BBB classify online-only wire service affiliate transaction complaints separate from real florists. It may be a bit difficult since so many affiliate-brokers build websites and yellow page ads specifically to appear local, but it could be done. The BBB doesn't lump travel agencies in with hotels so separating real florist local services from wire service agents makes sense.
Hold wire services accountable for their 'repeat offender' affiliates. Every business makes mistakes, but patterns of complaints should be monitored closely and affiliates should face swift suspensions if they fail to operate in a professional manner. Without the floral wire services, their commissions, their credit card clearings, and their networks, these companies could not exist.
Isn't it way past time florist trade associations weigh in on this cross-border issue to help restore consumer credibility to buy flowers from florists?
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I agree completely that something must be done to reassure consumers. This hurts the entire industry. As an affiliate marketer in the flower industry who works very hard to follow honest business practices, I really feel like the unscrupulous affiliates ruin the market for us all. How is an honest person supposed to compete against such deceptive tactics? To make matters worse people like this make it more difficult to establish crediblity with the consumer. Thanks for shining some light on this subject that is in dire need of public attention.
I need Help Now! Teleflora are try to hold our shop Hostage. My Mom, & I bought a shop in Soddy Daisy on Dec 1, 2005, We where told by the previous own to sign the Teleflora contract that we had to have it ! We had it for about 2 weeks into the buisness we relized we were not making any money they were making all the money, & We were only patting their pocket. We called the Telefora offices in CA to ask how to drop their services, and we told that we had to send them a written letter saying that we did not wish to have their srvice any longer witch was done, and sent registered to their corperate headquarters.
Now Telefloral is telling us that we owe them over $1300.00 for prducts and services we told them we did not want and sent back to them via UPS. They have continualy called our shop, and herassed use over the phone repetedly.
They have sent bills stating that they will take us off their sevice if we do not pay what they are asking, & will sue our buisness for nonpayment.
We have all of our paper work on this insedent sence it started, & we have not recieved any money from The Teleflora people, yet we have sent them money for Buy one get one free containers that we ordered, and a check for somthing else.
We did turn this over to our lawyer, as we found out we are unable to bring them into the state of Tennessee because of a clause in their contract that says that we would have to go to California to file lawsuits against the company.
They have never sent out a Rep. for the company to our shop to even explain anything about the service, Nor Have they even signed their end of the contract.
They also have some very rude, & nasty people working for them. when you call to talk to someone about the service, it is like trying to turn of AOL they get smart with you about trying to leave the service, and their suppervisors are not any help either.
Can someone Please tell me how to get this people off of use. Our lawyer says he can't do anything to get them to A TN Court and our hands are tied. I need HEEEEELP.
IF any one knows of a law that can bring them to TN or anything that can get use out of this crazy mess
please call us at 423-332-7076 OR Fax it to use at 423-332- 5049 or Call toll free at 1-800-397-0054.
Thanks Tammy L. Hanson All about flowers & gifts Soddy Daisy, TN
Tammy, unfortunately your story is a familliar one.
I would suggest you join us at http://www.flowerchat.com where you can find many florist friends that have been in this position before. They will be able to offer better information than I can, and FlowerChat is a private forum, unlike the Blog here.
I hope everything works out for you.
Tammy - Your best bet would be to join FlowerChat forums and look for similar story. I sure hope you will find more than one that can give you information on that.
I see a rather simple solution to this problem, although it may appear to be naive. FTD and Teleflora could easily solve the problem nationwide. STOP ALLOWING WIRE-OUT ONLY SHOPS. Shops who only wire-out orders are almost always not real florists. They are order gatherers. They are not concerned with the products delivered not ultimately with the customers (as evidenced by the complaints to the BBB).
Looks like Canada, especially Vancouver, still hosts some order gatherers bent on targeting US consumers. http://www.floristdetective.com/wst_page6.aspx The Vancouver BBB must really wonder what's going in the flower business.
Tammy, If you really sent the containers back and the services were not rendered as they say they were. Let them sue you if you truly feel you are right and you can prove that you sent the items back and that Teleflora is not bringing the orders as they should...one year they decided to drop ship the boxed x-mas trees to the customers and did not give the florists the orders. I know if I had known that I would not have boght them as I do expect to get orders from headquarters for codifying. See the thing is y9u do business with them with the best of intention and then you doscover there are decisions being made that hurt the floirst and benefit them. The question is whether it is in the contract or notdoes that make it OK. The answer is NO it is no OK. A judge based on the contract strongarm may very well agree with your small business. It would be very easy to get other florists in these exact situations to say TELEFLORA has sent sent products that were not ordered. It has hapenned to me. The Co-op advertising is an automatic even if you do not codify for the product on the coupon. The question someone needs to ask is-"is it right"? to be strongarmed by a corporate contract. There are laws that exist that protect small businesses almost like consumers. LArge companies do strongarm small business with similar tactics and yes they do lose.
It may not be as hard as you think. Telelflora has gotten tough lately on credits....do not give up!!! Keep bugging them and ask them who they spoke to when the product was ordered. They usually pick it up, too on their diime. Demand the credit. CAncel your membership and I doubt they will sue you over $1300.00. They can write that off and it would be cheaper then a small lawsuit. I have issues with them and am also in the process of dumping them. The teleflora.com website is not viable (too hard to use-they deviatied from a traditional retail online store look-products/occasions on the actual page not on a drop down menu) and they do not effectively market anything anymore so we are all better off as Teleflora is not in the game to win. I believe in Spetember I did not receive a single TFHQ order. I hope this helps you feel confident about your decision. Honestly, get the credit fo the product and the services, but they may heve been from your previous owner so you may have bought that debt. In any case, I think any judge would slam Teleflora as small business employ more of the population that ony other business sector therefore we need to be protected and the law is there tp protect small busines form corporate contracts that eat the bottom line. Any good business lawyer knows that law.
Conroy's flowers really messed my order up. They paid no attention to the color of flowers I had ordered. They had the gift card totally wrong. I wrote to customer service and they never responded. I highly recommend using a different florist.
Rothermels Florist has ruin my mother 's day twice in 2 yrs.(THEY LOVE TO GET YOUR MONeY AND LIE TO YOU.) My niece send out flowers every year to 5 of us,she spends alot of money on buying and shipping all around the U.S..Rothermels deliver my flowers to another address,the people there accept them,argued us that I got them,but refund her money.this year they just lied,they let her make the order,lied and said they delivered them.Then I called to see where my plant was and when are they delivering it,first the liar said its delivered,I said no I haven't got it yet,then the liar said its on the truck.Hung up I call back to tell he to deliver it after 4p.m.,then the liar said the the plant was not in season and they didn't have it,(3 days after mother's day) they knew it wasn't in season when she order it.I told my niece not to use them no more last year,but she forgot.So everybody watch out for those crooks ROTHERMELS FLORIST
I can assure you that, Teleflora does not intentionally mistreat shops. Every new employee is trained in the aspect of "florist first" You have to understand that there are many florist who are not looking out for the best interest of the group service we all share together. This can ruin it for us all. We have many shops who will order many products and then fail to pay for the merchandise. They do this on purpose. They will sign up for our service under new credentials and do it again. This gives them free vases, free advertising etc etc. I understand where you are coming from Tammy and we really do care about you.