Complaint Review: Broadview Florist & Greenhouses

I am making this complaint because Broadview Florists inaccurately charged our account twice and failed to completely remove one of the transactions in a timely manner. On 4/21/08, Elizabeth Hambrock went into Broadview Florists to pay for the flowers for our wedding. The total amount she was to pay was $417.84. The first time the card was used, they charged $437.84. This was incorrect, so they tried to cancel the transaction on our card. Then, they charged $437.84 a second time. Realizing the mistake, they simply handed Elizabeth $20 to correct the error.

That night, after going online to view the account that Liz and I share, I found out that there were still two pending transactions on our card, both being $437.84. Being after business hours, I decided to wait until the next day to call the flower shop.

The next day, 4/22/08, after again verifying online that both transactions were still pending on our card, I called the shop and spoke to Sherri, the manager. I told her that I had already been inconvenienced by this as I was unable to access the funds that should have been cancelled. I also told her that I would feel better about the situation if the amount was cancelled and if I was given monetary compensation for the problems. She spoke to Doug, the owner, and said that I would have to call my banker to get the situation solved. I agreed to call my banker.

The card used is a visa debit card that was issued to us through Wells Fargo. I called the number on the back of the card (800-869-3557) and spoke to a banker. He said to wait through the night to see if the pending transactions get processed and to call the following day if they didn't. I agreed to this. The next day, 4/23/08, I checked online and found that one of the transactions had processed to bill our account, but that the other one was still pending.

I called the bank again. The banker informed me that the pending status remained because Broadview Flowers needed to take action on it. He also gave me a number which they could call (866-477-5518) to finalize the transaction and get the transaction cancelled. I called the flower shop and spoke to Linda. She made one call to a number that I don't have and could not remove the transaction. Then, she called the 866 number at my insistence and the transaction finally moved to a status where I could once again access my funds.

I called back and spoke to Sherri to explain my frustration in the matter. I explained that not having access to $437.84 was a large burden in that I was unable to purchase gasoline, buy food, etc. I also explained that it was not the fault of Wells Fargo in how they handle these transactions because they had followed their standard procedure correctly. The actions of Broadview Florists, however, demonstrated a deficiency in knowledge in how to process transactions made with a VISA debit card issued by Wells Fargo (which is a common enough card that they should know how to handle these transactions). Also, they demonstrated a deficiency in training by incorrectly charging our account twice in a row.

I then told Sherri that I was extremely dissatisfied with the billing service that I had received in that it had caused much hassle in both not having access to my funds and having to work with multiple parties to get the transaction removed. I also noted their 100% satisfaction guarantee, which was advertised on their website at . I made an offer to help the situation that I would be satisfied with and said that I would not file a complaint if it was accepted. Multiple times, Sherri talked with Doug about what they might do, but in the end Sherri apologized, but said that they believed that the fault was with the bank and credit card company and that they were not willing to give me any compensation for the trouble I had received. I told her that I was still unsatisfied, but would still have them make my flowers.

In the end, the compensation that I think to be both fair and that would satisfy the burdens that Broadview Florist has caused, is if they would make our flowers for half price. I think this to be fair, because in an analogous situation, if a restaurant was to cause equal burdens, then they would offer significant free or discounted meals for a long time. I also find this fair in that I do not believe them to be poor florists, only that they have, by their lack of knowledge, caused this error in billing. If Broadview Florist were willing to grant this settlement (and assuming that the flowers I purchased are acceptable) then I would consider myself a fully satisfied and compensated customer. However, as it currently stands, I am very unsatisfied and hope that no other customers suffer the same or similar burdens.

Of note, this report is nearly identical to the one I filed with the BBB.

Brent
Lincoln, Nebraska
U.S.A.