Complaint Review: From You Flowers LLC

I chose to send my wife a flower arrangement for Valentine's Day.  I love for her to be able to set them on her desk and show them off.  I usually try to send unique arrangements (Vera Wang roses, exotics, etc...).  I found a wonderful arrangement from FTD on the From You Flowers website.  I ordered the deluxe version of the arrangement, and couldn't wait to see how well they turned out.  I even paid extra to have them delivered first thing in the morning (so she could enjoy them all day).  The flowers were supposed to arrive between 9-noon, but didn't arrive until almost 2:00 pm. 

It is hard to describe how horrible this arrangement was.  What I ordered was $80 worth of Large Pink Roses, medium red roses, pale blush spray roses, beautiful dark red button poms w/ small amounts of Baker's Leaf sprinkled in, all in a nice, contemporary tall slender vase.  What was delivered was a half dozen small fuscia roses, white daisies, white carnations, and small purple astor filler, with tons of large waxy leaves for greenery.  It resembles about a $19.99 grocery store arrangement.  What's worse, it was placed in a squat round vase, so that the long stemmed flowers drooped lifelessly over the side, almost spilling out.  Wrong flowers, wrong colors, wrong container, not the same monetary value...believe me, I understand all about substitutions and how the online floral industry works, but these were absolutely horrible.  I was so embarrased for my wife when she told me about picking them up from the front security desk at her work. 

Valentine's was ruined, but at least I was going to get a refund according to the From You Flowers website.  I emailed the customer service line and waited (the phone was understandably busy all day on the 14th).  I received an email the next day saying From You Flowers regrets that I was not satisfied, but that they have a disclaimer that substitutions may have to be made of equal or greater value. 

I politely emailed back to explain that this is not a matter of poor substitution, this was an entirely different arrangement, much less in value, poorly put together, and delivered late.  I even enclosed pictures of the arrangement and of what it was supposed to be for contrast.  No reply.  I finally was able to get them on the phone, and explained everything to the customer service rep.  After being put on hold, I was told that a manager had reviewed my "case" and that they would not refund any money because they had a Valentine's Day disclaimer that if the florist they use runs out of flowers, I have to accept whatever they have as long as it is of equal or greater value.  I tried to explain that this was asinine, because I ordered a specific product.  No other company can simply give you something different just because they are low on inventory!!  "No roses...ah, just give em' daisies....no poms...just grab a handful of whatever from bin #3" 

So, I will take my message to the "virtual streets;"  no one should have to go through this from a purely customer service driven company.  I am planning to begin a campaign on twitter, facebook, myspace, and linkedin, explaining not just the situation, but the company's unflinching disregard for its customer base and its own "100% Satisfaction Guarantee"...No refund, no replacement arrangement...I wasn't even offered a store credit to use in the future.  I was given $4.00 because they were delivered late (the expedited fee). 

This will not be the last you have heard of me.  There are plenty of media outlets clamoring for stories such as this.  And with the already saturated florist market, I'm sure ProFlowers, FTD, or 1800Flowers would be more than happy to assist me in my quest to reveal the truth about From You Flowers.

With utter bewilderment,
Deric