I had a lovely Mother's Day, and I even got to speak and see theson (via Skype) in Egypt and share some laughs. My son never forgets a holiday and usually takes advantage of the internet for purchases for delivery. Which makes perfect sense when he is so far away from home. My mother's mind assumed (never a good idea) that something would be delivered to the house FOR ME - for Mother's Day.Apparently, thedaughter took a phone call from some lady representing a MAJOR floral agency (begins with F ends with D) on Saturday night - being told that the item theson ordered cannot be delivered, but they will make something else of equal or greater value to be delivered on Monday or Tuesday with his consent. Thedaughter and this ladies voice agree that future calls will be directed to her or via email.
That didn't happen. I get a call this afternoon asking for theson - I explained he was out of the country, and then this lady asks when I expect him back - I reply end of July, possibly. Now there is silence....I finally tell her my name and the item ordered is for me. She then proceeds to make the same statement to me as was the information thedaughter gleaned on Saturday night.
I asked, how can there be no F*D florists that can put this thing together? There are probably 10 associate florists in this area. She said well, he didn't make the order till the 9th. I had to explain that he is 7 hours ahead of us and they probably received the order earlier than she thinks. I then proceeded to tell her that he would never have made an order like this with no guarantee of delivery.
Now, I am pissed - not at theson, but at this inept person on the phone. I told her to just e-mail theson (gave address) and ask him what to do - to which she agreed. I then Skyped theson (it was 10:30 pm Egypt time), and told him to expect this e-mail and to PLEASE, tell them to shove it!! Have his account credited and not to worry about anything for me.
I'm satisfied with theson's intent - because I know it was probably something beautiful and worthy of a photo - but I refuse to allow this company to whine and whinny through this sale. Theson agreed with me. This is a case of "it is the thought that counts." That means more to me than anything.
When one has to jump through hoops just to get something delivered that was ordered "with specifics" via the internet - it is so not worth the effort.
Have to run - thedaughter has to take me to pick up my car - apparently I used the brakes too much, they needed replaced, rotated, reversed, spinned or whatever the hell you do to them. I want the car in good shape for our vacation (leaving June 8th) and we have a medical run to Columbus next week.
Take care and I shall return......later...........
8 comments:
Well that sucks big time that they couldn't just get what your son ordered. What the hell ever happened to "good service" and "taking pride" in what these people are supposed to be doing!?!
I hope you had a great Mother's Day anyway.
Big corporate flower company needs to fail.
you know - with the economy the way it is, and businesses closing all around, one would think that the importance of customer service would dawn on management - but no, it seems to be getting worse. There is your son, wanting to spend money on his mother, and give F^%%& or whatever the business and they are unable to make it happen. More often than not, I am having to beg some business to take my money. You are right though, it is the thought that counts.
what a bunch of buttroys..sorry you didnt get your flowers, but your right..the thought does count....happy mothers day
Not big corporate company needs to fail -- more like small local affiliate run by idiots. I do internet floral orders all the time to send stuff to my mom in Colorado -- and I swear I've barely finished typing and the florist out there is knocking on her door with the delivery. Given that flowers are perishables and the selection in any given shop can vary considerably, every FTD or Teleflora order includes a disclaimer saying that based on availability the item delivered may not look exactly what's shown in the picture.
I am willing to believe a time lag between when he placed the order and when it was received locally because one of the big mysteries to me of the intertubes has always been the way information packets can get lost in server limbo. I've had the experience of e-mailing a colleague who sat in the cubicle next to mine and having the message take several hours to reach him as it bounced from server to server around the country. It's a mystery.
How frustrating! And dang it - those brakes. Can't they just last forever?
I read this in the wee hours and about blew a gasket. Oh how I wish your son had time to read the floristdetective.com! To sum it up, you should only order flowers online from a REAL brick & mortar flower shop and NOT through one of these brokers (or as in the industry call them "order gatherers"). Anyway, I hope he sees this and follows through, in case of a future event like a birthday, get well, etc.
Now days almost every reputable florist has a website, so you want to make sure you are on an actual florist's website, and not some third party. This can be tricky, since these "order gatherers" place ads in the yellow pages to deceive people into thinking they are a business right there in that town!
The floral industry is like no other, and yes it its very true that you could have 10 flower shops in your town and not one of them belong to FTDumb or the other big two "wire services." More and more florists are dropping out of these services, mainly because they fee you to death. Florists don't really want these kinds of orders, because we only get paid 73 cents on the dollar for filling them, and in some cases even less!
I'm glad you all cancelled that, because he probably spent $100 and by the time everyone involved took their cut, you would've received something probably that sells for $40 or less.
People, always, always, always make sure you are dealing with a REAL florist, whether it's over the phone or online!
Sorry for such a long comment! Again, that consumer website is:
http://floristdetective.com/
Maybe you can share your experience there too, that would be so great!
Glad you didn't let it ruin your Mother's Day!
Grandpa Eddie: I had a wonderful Mother's Day thank you.
Utah Savage: I agree.
Immortal Woman: that's the same way I feel about businesses. They should be going out of their way to please the customer.
Nan: I'm sure the disclaimer was there, but during his order process, they GUARANTEED a Saturday or Sunday delivery. That pissed him the most.
Lisa: I tried to use the brakes as little as possible.
John: I am directing my son to your comment. Since he relies heavily on the internet for just about everything...he assumes (??) he is going to always get what he orders. Big learning tool here.
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