Complaint Review: FTD.com - Internet

Trust me this is typical and you most likely got a typical response of 'We are sorry that that happened'. I worked at this company for four years so I'm aware of all the little tactics used to satisfy the customer to get them off the phone as quickly as possible and cost the company the least amount of money. They don't make a quarter million a year otherwise. That $29 dollar fee you paid was for a Fed-ex(or DHL or UPS) delivered item. That means it was shipped in a box, unarranged. You must be very careful when using this service as most of their arrangements are shipped this way as they are cheap for them. Hence why when they arrive dead, they can replace them very easily, no questions asked. Or if you demand it, refund your money especially if there is something wrong with the flowers when they arrived(dead, wilted ect). They don't require photo proof unless its a florist delivered item. Your best and safest bet is to use your local florist. They use the same systems as .com but make sure everything come out as best as it can be as it is their reputation on the line. Also, they do not charge a service fee as .com does on florist delivered items. The service fee that .com charges is their profit markup. The florist never sees this money so you are just basically paying 15-16 dollars for them to run your order through a computer. Nothing more. FTD.com processes millions of orders around the holidays and 95% these orders are never even looked at by a person until something goes wrong. With 4+ hour hold times, I'm sure there are a lot more messed up orders than when I worked there. I spoke to many florist while working there and their biggest complaint is .com does not give them enough money for the arrangement. The most they will give a florist is 5 dollars mostly just to shut them up. So what I know I do since working there is use the local florist. They all have websites and can send your order anywhere in the world to known reputable shops and have the order looking fabulous when it arrives to your recipient. The extra 15-30 dollars spent on service fees can be put into the arrangement for your loved one ect and look far more grand than if you order it from .com. Most florist only charge a meager $5 for delivery. FTD.com does include this in the original price of the arrangement. The service fee is not the delivery fee. So basically what you should do from now on is look up your local florist online or give them a call or even swing into the shop and place your order through them. You are their customer and they are going to want your repeat business so you know they are gonna do their best to keep you. Oh and be advised that Teleflora, 1-800-flowers and Gregory Scott(they may have a few shops in S.Cal) are all web based businesses so you are most likely going to get the same type of service from them, especially the service fee. Also, my mother got a plant from my sister this year for mother's day(I have since educated her). It was shipped through Fed-Ex. The poor thing was soaked, molded, leaves falling off and nearly dead. The replacement arrived in better condition but soon deteriorated. Fortunately, we have 30 to replace plants with them. Only 7 days for cut flowers. I'm also not the first employee (or ex-employee I should say) to have this happen to orders from them. I don't want thinking I'm doing this for spite. I left to pursue other interests and better employment. I love helping people and just hope this helps the consumer be more informed. What is that old saying....Buyer beware? Well, internet sales is where the buyer needs to be extra cautious and very skeptical. If you see a dozen roses for $19.99 they probably aren't the best of the lot. Do research on types of flowers and be informed. Tulips die in 3 days if you are lucky. Alestromeria or Peruvian lily last up to 3 weeks and look fresh and lovely until the petals just fade and fall off plus they are not very expensive. Roses maybe a week. I really hope this helps anyone in the future because flowers are just the best thing to get even though they don't last.