1800Flowers is the WORST - DO NOT BUY!!!

[TritonGlenn]

This is off-topic, but I'm posting this on every site I frequent.



I ordered flowers for my wife from 1-800-Flowers this week, for Valentines Day. When the woman asked me if I wanted them to go to my wifes business or home, I asked if they would be delivered before 5pm, as that is when my wife leaves. She said yes, so I asked once again. She said the normal delivery time is between 9am-7pm, but since it was going to a business, she would ENSURE they got there before 5pm. I told her that I needed to be absolutely, 100% sure they would get there on time, and she said "I Promise Sir. No problem at all. I'm making a note in the computer right now". I hung up, and then remembered that I had not verified if they were in a vase or just a bouquet, so I called back. I re-verified the order with another lady - Valentines Day, order number xxx, before 5pm, to xxx address, etc....



So yesterday, my wife calls me at 5:20, as she is leaving the office, and I ask her if she liked the flowers. She replies with, "what flowers?"



I went from 0 to full blown ticked off in .5 seconds. After hanging up with my wife, I call 1-800-Flowers, where I am greeted with the message "Due to unusually high call volume, your call can not be connected.", and then it hangs up on me. I try for the next hour, and when I finally get through, I'm connected with "Ms. Attitude", who tells me from the start, "don't raise your voice or curse at me Sir, or I'll end this conversation". I hadn't even said a word yet!!!!! I guess they had been receiving calls from ticked off people all afternoon, and I was trying to maintain my composure, but when she said that, I went right back to "full blown ticked". I might have said 5 words, no profanity, when she said "I warned you Sir", and hung up. You can not imagine the level of "p.o.'d" that I was.



I continued to call back, waiting on hold forever, and finally got through to someone who was very nice and polite. She informed me that my flowers were due for delivery at 3pm. When I told her "Yes Maam... but it's past 6pm now", she then told me she didn't know what she could do for me. I calmly told her, while biting my tounge to the point of it almost bleeding, that I was extremely dissatisfied with the company she worked for, and expected something to be done - refund, etc... But she said she couldn't help. So I just decided to call my credit card company and note that a fraudulent charge had been made on my card, as the company charged me for a service that never happened.



When my wife got back home, she called them again, after verifying with security that the flowers never got to her office at any time of the day - it was now PAST 7pm. She stayed on the phone for over an hour, and the person she spoke to informed her of this:

"You're flowers were never picked up by Fed-Ex.... we have a delivery date in our computer of 2/15/07.... they should have told you that the first time".



Now I'm really p.o.'d, because SOMEONE is lying to me. The lady I spoke to, informed me that she was looking at the Fed-Ex tracking number, and that Fed-Ex had it scheduled for delivery at 3pm, but the person who spoke to my wife told her they had NEVER BEEN PICKED UP by Fed-Ex.



All in all, I still have a charge on my card for the full amount of the flowers, my wife never received them, and I was so furious last night, it pretty much ruined the evening, and kept me up most of the night.



I'm telling everyone I know - stay away from 1-800-Flowers. They are a untrustworthy organization, and they ruined a special day for my wife and I.



OK... I feel better now that I've said my piece on this.



All the best,

Glenn



Oh man! Update on what I just wrote. I talked to one of my co-workers who also ordered from them. She got hers after 7:30 last night, and they didn't have Fed-Ex deliver hers, they used some local company "Heavenly Florist" or so

 

[Steve Ferendo]

Contest the charge w your credit card company. I don't think you will have to pay for a product that was not delivered.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Shoulda' done like me and bought flowers at the local Drug Mart.

I bought one bouqet of flowers for $7.99 and a half doz. of the prettiest roses at $8.99 with a box of chocolates and a $20 gift certificate at Tumbleweed...needless to say she was happy, which in turn will make me happy

 

[C C]

Tee you hit the nail on the head. Get up and go out and get the gift your self then you will have no disapointments or someone else to blame and more importantly your wife will be even happier that you actually went out and got her the gift. Believe me guys when I tell you, the thought that counts is nice but if you did it your self it goes even further in making your girl happy.



Cass

 

[Jim in VA]

Glenn - what Steve said. As I read your post, sounds like you did all the right things - especially with respect to the credit card company. If you haven't, let them know you've tried to resolve this with the vendor (1-800-flowers) to no avail and that since a condition of delivery of service involved a time that was not met and a delivery that never even occurred, the charge should be denied. If you can, try to remember and write down the names of the people you spoke with at 1800flowers. Your credit card company can take it from there.



Thanks for the heads up. I'll be leery of using them in the future.

 

[Andrew Zuber]

I use ProFlowers.com

never had an issue....

awesome flowers



az

 

[Jim B]

Glenn,

What 1-800-flowers does is they sell you the goods and sub out the dilevery to a local florist they have contracted to do the work. They really do suck. My aunt owns a flower shop and she will not even deal with them. It would mean more buisness for her for sure but the hassle isnt worth it. She contracted with them for 3 months and then stopped working with them. The best bet is to cut out the middleman and deal directly with a local florist you will be much happier that way and will get better service. And you will most likley spend less money too.



Its the same thing as expedia, orbitz, etc. When i have looked for places to stay on those sites i find if i deal with the hotel or motel directly i get better service(no screw ups) and almost 100% of the time the rate is better too. Last sumer for instance i stayed at a small mom and pop motel in NH, i found it on expedia just looking for a place ot stay near Nefound Lake( no major hotels anywhere close). I got thier number and called directly, the room was $20 cheaper per night. And they reserved a room for me where i could easily park my trailer next to it and plug in to charge. I dont think expedia would have done that :unsure:



btw Cass is 100% right on. I got mine locally and i used my lunch break to deliver them to my girlfriend's office(during a snowstorm too, got major points there ). Needless to say she was very happy and by the looks on all her coworkers faces you could tell they were all jealous. She said that they were last night, none of the other boyfriends/husbands in her office did that.

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

I have never used 1-800-flowers but have received flowers from them. They always come from a local florist. There must be at least 15 local florists with a ten mile radius of me and there is one or two that I use almost exclusively. I started out dealing with a few of the closest by going there in person, telling them exactly what I wanted sent, where I wanted it sent and what time I wanted it sent. Now there is one I really like and one other that is, in my opinion, just a teeny bit below them and all I have to do is call either one of them and I get great service. They can now put a face to who is on the phone and remember what a curmudgeon and how picky he is. About every third time I have to send flowers I make it a point to go there in person again and while we're chatting and I'm telling him what I want I'll mention how great the last order that I had called in was. I also try to remember their names, a little sugar goes a long way! I had to get an arrangement two weeks ago for a friend who had to have her dog put down. I went in the florist's and almost instantly saw an arrangement that was pretty, on sale and priced reasonably. I took it to the counter, said Hi to so-and-so got out my wallet. He then told me it was on sale because it was two days old and wouldn't last very long and he would make me a fresh one. I told him no thanks because of the price but he just shook his head, went in the back, and in a little bit came out with an arrangement even nicer. I was kinda grumbling under my breath but didn't say anything and then he rang it up at the exact same price as the sale flowers. I believe that comes from living in the same area for a long time, being friendly with people in the stores and treating them like you'd like to be treated. By knowing you they try very hard to please you and that's why I will NEVER use a service like 1-800-flowers. You found out that they just don't care. Try going out locally next time Glenn and find a place you like.



Uncle Billy



BTW.. I'd tell my credit card company that they can pay 1-800-florist BUT, you weren't going to pay them if they do!:angry:

 

[Bill McElroy]

Feb 14th is for amateurs!! .....EVERYDAY is V-Day if you married the right one!! Don't wait until the ONE day of the year you really want something cool to happen and then have some dumass screw it up for you,......Lesson learned: "Go out and GET IT yourself!!!"



IMO anyway,....

Mac

 

[TOMMY RICH]

I coulda' bought mine a rod & reel and she'd been happy:lol:

THAT's the advantages to marrying the RIGHT one Mac

 

[Mini]

Dont sweat the small stuff.....call the cc company and have the charges removed. Your blood pressure and ruining a night with your wife isnt worth it.



Screw V-Day.....another hallmark holiday. Funny thing is I got 4 cards yesterday from some pretty ladies....I didnt buy a single one



Mini

 

[TritonGlenn]

For all of you that gave the "go out and get them yourself" reply - thanks.... but no thanks. If you knew the problem of trying to get flowers yourself in this town, you wouldn't even think it. I wouldn't have been able to deliver them myself to her office, as it is a restricted area,... so the security people would have brought them to her regardless of whether it was me delivering them or not. The arrangements that are locally available, aren't anything that I wanted to send my wife anyway. I wanted something different, so I ordered her white lillies and roses. Unfortunately, that didn't go as planned.



As an update to the original post - my wife received a box of flowers today, half dead, half crushed, from 1800flowers. To top it all off, the "lillies" weren't even lillies. They had substituted some other flower for them. Didn't matter, as most were half dead anyway.



I'm trying my best not to stay ticked off about this, but for some reason, just can't seem to shake it. I'm really ticked over this, more than I have been about anything in a long time, and just can't quite find the outlet to "unwind". It's not the money - I've spend tons more on my wife in the past at different occasions. It's the principal of the thing. Man! I wish my wife had never called to give me the update today (the substituted, and DEAD flowers). That just got me all rilled up again.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[TOMMY RICH]

It be auuuuite Glenn

 

[Pierre Voisine]

Glenn,



Should've bought a nItro.

 

[Jeremy Theys2]

I know here in Ohio all the florists would not guarantee delivery for yesterday due to the weather. You may have been impacted by the same situation in one way or another.



Myself, I went to sams club and got a very nice 2 dozen long stemmed roses for $29 total. Couldn't have done better anywhere.



I bet if you read their terms and conditions it states the following:

YOU EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT USE OF 1-800-FLOWERS.COM IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. NEITHER THE COMPANY, NOR ITS AFFILIATES, NOR ANY OF ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, OR EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, THIRD-PARTY SERVICE OR CONTENT PROVIDERS ("PROVIDERS"), MERCHANTS ("MERCHANTS"), SPONSORS ("SPONSORS"), LICENSORS ("LICENSORS"), OR THE LIKE (COLLECTIVELY, "ASSOCIATES"), WARRANT THAT 1-800-FLOWERS.COM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE; NOR DO THEY MAKE ANY WARRANTY AS TO THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, OR AS TO THE ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, OR CURRENCY OF ANY INFORMATION CONTENT, SERVICE, OR MERCHANDISE PROVIDED THROUGH 1-800-FLOWERS.COM; EXCEPT THAT THE COMPANY DOES GUARANTEE (THROUGH ITS "100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE") THAT YOUR FLORAL ARRANGEMENT WILL STAY FRESH FOR SEVEN DAYS AFTER DELIVERY, AND IF IT DOES NOT, THE COMPANY'S SOLE MAXIMUM LIABILITY WILL BE NOT MORE THAN TO REFUND THE PURCHASE PRICE OR TO REPLACE AND DELIVER AN EQUIVALENT FLORAL ARRANGEMENT AS SOON AS REASONABLY PRACTICABLE.



1-800-FLOWERS.COM IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS," "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS AND THE COMPANY SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF TITLE OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO ORAL ADVICE OR WRITTEN OR ELECTRONICALLY DELIVERED INFORMATION GIVEN BY THE COMPANY OR ITS AFFILIATES, OR ANY OF ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, PROVIDERS, MERCHANTS, SPONSORS, LICENSORS, OR THE LIKE, SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY.



They have themselves covered for everything that was done, including the verbal promise of valentines day delivery. You have no recourse. The only thing you can do is send them back and claim a refund because the flowers did not meet the 7-day guarantee of staying fresh.



You gotta do your research with all web sites. They all have terms and conditions that you are agreeing to when placing orders. Most places cover their butt pretty good.

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

JPT, all of what you say would be true if Glenn ordered the flowers from 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. As he didn't, it's a moot point. He ordered his flowers over the telephone and as such couldn't read the warranty disclaimers so what the agent for the company says, go's.. Let's also not forget that no matter what a company expresses as to what their

implied warranties of merchantability or fitness are, individual States also have their own that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM must follow. Glenn had an oral contract with an agent of that company. As the law, in every State, abhors a forfeiture, if this was something of greater value or if Glenn just wanted to take it to court, he would invariably win. I would think however that if papers were served to the 1-800-flowers corporate offices, some manager would come to his senses, call "downstairs" to some underling, and tell them to "make this go away." They also express a "100% Guarantee", that obviously covers more than just the seven day stay fresh statement.

After ordering via a telephone call like Glenn did, I don't believe any credit card company would hold one of it's customer's to a sale like that.



Uncle Billy

 

[Jeremy Theys2]

Billy, I trust you know what you are saying. I looked it up. The company is 1-800-Flowers.com. Whether you call or order on the web. That is the company. I believe everything posted on their website applies over the phone or web. As stated on the website "Customers can

 

[TritonGlenn]

JPT - thanks for the lawyer rundown jingle (not! :angry: ).



Your comment of "What Glenn can do is take advantage of their 100% satisfaction guarantee and get his money back. That's it." is completely wrong. There is plenty I can do. Not all of it is stuff I'd like to spend time and energy on, but I have begun.



To start with, I'm doing exactly what I'm doing here, and on 13 other sites - posting about my bad experience with them. I may not put them out of business, but I can ensure I put a dent in some future sales, albeit small - it's still a dent. Look at the responses here. How many people on this site alone have seen this? Multiply that by 13 sites. I don't know about how you would run your business, but that many lost customers or former potential customers that will now never deal with me, would be of concern to me. Probably won't even concern 1800flowers, which goes to show exactly what kind of company they are.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Jeremy Theys2]

haha. Not intentional against you, just wanted to bring it to the attention of everyone that there are guidelines that all companies use that people aren't aware of. It's pretty slimey, but they appear pretty quick if anyone gets a lawyer involved in these issues.



Good luck with your cause. Never used them personally as I trust FTD.com.



Check their website under the links at the bottom of the page. In their "Terms" section, they list a huge list of websites and companies they run. You should probably mention those as well in your posts.



I believe you also should have a beef with Fedex in all this. It sounds like they never came to pick them up in time to make the next day delivery.

 

[Greg Meyer]

We gotta know....did the flowers EVER show up?:angry:

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

And just because a customer does not research the Sellers terms and conditions, it does not exclude them from being applicable

Oh, it most certainly does! It is not a matter of whether you call or order from the web.. Suppose you didn't have a computer or were not hooked up to the web? You look in the phone book, place a call and order flowers to be delivered at a certain time to a certain place, with the company's representative guaranteeing it. That is the contract, period! The main recourse, other than the oral contract, is the company's written 100% SATISFACTION GUARENTEE Using that formula, even if the flowers arrived when and where specified, all Glenn would have to do is say "I don't like them and want my money back". That's what 100% satisfaction means.

Suppose I need a plumber? I look in the phone book and find Ace Plumbers and they come out to my house. They tell me it's an easy fix and won't be any problem so I hire them and give them the go ahead. They not only don't fix my problem but exacerbate it and I have geysers shooting in the air all around my house. Then the following day I find out they have www.aceplumbers.com and down at the bottom of the home page it says "we are not responsible for any mistakes, errors or sub par work our employees perform." Do you really think that gives them an out? Or should give them an out? Sorry, but no. They are still responsible for all work performed by their representatives or workers and that's not even with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.. In this case the sellers terms and conditions were not researched but it doesn't matter one iota. Also, remember what I said in my last post and research what a States laws on implied warranties of merchantability or fitness are. They not only sometimes, but usually contramand a sellers warranty. And boy is that enough of this.



Uncle Billy

 

[Greg Meyer]

I had a "coupon" for Pro Flowers.com.... I tried to use it and it kept erroring out on me at the checkout with "try again...later". Well, I tried twice more and gave up... Just happened to check my credit card statement the next day and there were THREE charges to ProFlowers recorded. I called and got a big runaround... Fortunately for me I had taken a "screen shot" (Ctrl+PrntScreen) and saved the last error message... So I had that to email to Pro Flowers. Took them two weeks to credit my account... A nightmare which I will never relive because I will never use them or try to again... They insisted I was doing something wrong... and that they had never heard of that error message ... BS...