Where are the Flowers I ordered?   $%#@!

When it comes to ordering flowers, online the floral shops seem to have it all when it comes to selection. The bouquets online are always magnificently displayed and seem to offer the convenience that you are looking for:  price, description,  availability,  and even additional items to add. That all sounds good and more often then not works out well for the consumer.

You can go through the gauntlet of big brand flower shops online and find just about anything you want in an arrangement and have it delivered anywhere in the USA or internationally. But when flower shops fail to deliver an order for a customer, there is hell to pay!

I’ve scoured the complaints on some of the consumer sites and you would think these online floral site don’t have a clue as to how to run a floral business.

With the web anyone can post a complaint and let the retailer no exactly how they feel about a particular service. If you fail to deliver consumers will know about it and your business reputation will take a hit for it.

Responsible retailers will find a way to correct a mistake if they are smart; after all for many online businesses word of mouth marketing is crucial to success.  Research also suggest that many consumers often make purchases based on the recommendation of a friend or peer.

The reviews on my site seemed to back this up:

“Sad in Seattle” with this totally unreliable online florist! Their glitzy Web site promises a good product with reliable delivery, which did NOT happen. SAVE your money, aggravation and disappointment and shop elsewhere!! FromYouFlowers will NOT supply your needs or care when they haven’t. I would have liked to see this review BEFORE ever shopping with them via credit card, which by the way, they charged IMMEDIATELY, and will not refund”

link to review

There is no short supply of bad experiences when it comes to customer flower delivery mishaps. Flower delivery is not a perfect science and mistakes do happen. What’s important is that they are corrected. That’s the least they can do for you.

Online flower shops still thrive because they usually get it right the first time. Sometimes there is a mistake made buy the person ordering the bouquet, submitting inaccurate information. But if an online  flower shop does make a mistake they will here about it for sure from the customer and they will let everyone else know.

Hopefully “Sad in Seattle” has seen some effort by the flower shop to make amends. If not her comments will echo loudly through the echo chamber of the web.

Note to online flower shops: Be prepared!

American author, poet, playwright L.Frank Baum started the Oz book series in 1900 with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It quickly became one of the most popular books ever out of the series. After MGM bought the rights to make The Wizard of Oz in 1937, the movie was an instant success after its release in 1939.

The Wizard of Oz  remains a classic film that has thrived for several decades. It’s a timeless theatrical performace that has entertained the young and old a like.

In conjunction with a September 29 release of The Wizard of Oz (70th Anniversary 2-Disc Special Edition) Teleflora, a  leading flower wire service, has created an empressive keepsake gift, The Wizard of Oz Bouquet. The new Teleflora arrangement celebrates the release of the 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition of the film.

There remians a large fan base of Oz enthusiast with hundreds of personal web sites dedicated to everthing Oz. Warner Bros. Entertainment has for the past year been celebrating the 70th anniversary The Wizard of Oz, with a number of spectacular events around the world.

Teleflora’s The Wizard of Oz Bouquet is a hand-painted sculpture of the  characters, the Lion, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Dorothy and little Toto, skipping down the yellow brick road.  

The floral arrangement features the sweet smells of button-spray chrysanthemums, roses and alstroemeria, all in a yellow shade to highlight the bright future ahead. The bouquet is now only available for pre-order only until September 21st, 2009 at Teleflora.

If you love the timeless story of The Wizard of Oz you might like this  collectible.

We all need advice and we seek it out when necessary. There is nothing better than knowing where to turn to for advice. Advice is also best received when it comes from a trusted an experienced source.

Local florist are always on hand to answer question and give advice when you buy flowers. A florist knowledge is always indispensable for the floral connoisseur.

True to the nature of the web - as the information portal it has come to be – learning a little more about your bouquet of Calla Lilies or how to care for fresh cut roses isn’t to hard to find online.

Yet there is another venue you can turn to at http://Flower.lifetips.com from online floral retailer FTD.com and LifeTips.com.

FTD.com is an Internet and telephone marketer of flowers and specialty gifts and LifeTips offers tip for consumers on  multiple subjects by experts writers in their respective field. 

Sample Flower tip from Flower.LifeTips.com:

Making Cut Flowers Last Longer

To extend the life of your fresh cut flowers, take them out of their vase and trim their stems every couple of days. Then, replace the vase water with fresh warm water.

You can find hundreds more on their site. The one element that you will not find on Flower.LifeTips.com is video.  Video would be a great supplement to some of the tips to illustrate the content you are reading. But perhaps it’s in the works.

How often do you seek out advice and tips for your floral arrangements?