Crappy Customer Service
Today is my mother's birthday. Yesterday, I went online to FTD's website and placed an order for a rather expensive basket of mini roses. I chose FTD because I knew the local florist in Saugerties, the Flower Garden, was less than a 3 minute walk from my parents' house. That way, I figured the flowers would arrive first thing....
I called my mother to wish her a happy birthday at 2 and asked how she liked the flowers. She said that she didn't receive any flowers. After we got off the phone, I made a call to FTD's 1-800 number.
FTD CSR: Can I help you?
Me: I need to confirm delivery of an order
*gives all the required info*
FTD CSR: That order is set for delivery today. It may have arrived already
Me: No, it hasn't. That's why I'm calling you. Can you can confirm the florist for me? (Just in case there was another FTD florist in Saugerties - As far as I knew, there was only one)
FTD CSR: We do not give out that information.
Me: My order hasn't been delivered and you won't tell me who the florist is?
FTD CSR: If there was a problem with making the delivery today, the florist would have contacted us. If you like, we will contact you once we have delivery confirmation at *She reads back my parent's phone number*
Me: That is my parents' phone number.
FTD CSR: We also have *reads my home number*
Me: Thanks *hangs up*
Now I'm starting to get p*ssed. It's 2 o'clock on Sunday afternoon and the whole town of Saugerties shuts down at 5 on a weekday, so I know the stores won't be open as long on a Sunday. So I call the Flower Garden
FG: Can I help you?
Me: Yes, I placed on order on FTD's website for delivery today and I wanted to confirm that it would be delivered.
FG: We don't deliver on Sundays.
Me: What? I placed an order on FTD's website that was suppose to be delivered today and you're telling me you don't deliver on Sundays?
FG: No, we can get it out first thing tomorrow
Me: It's for my mother's birthday. Today. I don't want it delivered tomorrow.
FG: Our FTD orders went out yesterday and we're having a problem pulling orders off the website right now. Besides, we closed at 2 (it's now about 2:15) and I don't have a designer or a driver. Besides, FTD knows that we don't do deliveries on Sundays.
Me: She's right down the street from you. It's less than two blocks!! You can't put something together?
FG: We don't have anything in the store that could even be made into an arrangement. And I don't have a designer or a delivery guy. I'm here alone. But I'll let the girl know tomorrow first thing...
Me: Forget it.
Now I'm ROYALLY p*ssed. So I call back FTD
FTD CSR (Russ): Can I help you?
Me: Yes, I want to cancel an order.
*gives him the order number*
Russ: And why would you like to cancel your order?
Me: *inhales* Because I placed an order to be delivered today for my Mother's birthday. When it wasn't deliverd by 2, I called your 1-800 # to confirm delivery and the first rep wouldn't even tell me who the florist was. It's a small town, I figured out who it was. The florist told me they don't even DELIVER on Sundays and that FTD knew this..
Russ: That's not true...
Me: THEY SAID YOU KNEW. And they made no effort what so ever to help me out, knowing that I wanted a delivery today. Both FTD and the florist basically said 'Screw You, You're on your own' so I'm cancelling my order and will be calling 1-800 Flowers to place an order and will NEVER use FTD again!
Russ proceeds to cancel the order and says that my account will be credited today.
Excuse me while I order flowers and call my mother back to let her know what happened....
Comments
1-800-flowers did the same to me, and I vowed to never buy from them again, next time I'll use FTD. I found out that my mother never got her birthday flowers, they were finally delivered a week later. (I didn't find out she didn't get them until a few days after her birthday)
But they did send me a $10 gift certificate for my next purchase (yeah, like that's gonna happen)
Next time I'll call a local florist direct, it'll probably be cheaper too!
Posted by: Brian M | February 27, 2006 10:55 AM
Tera -
Here's what happened to your order after you placed it with FTD:
First - they're going to choose a florist that buys more stuff from them rather than the recognized best shop or the one closest to you Mom's house.
Next, they charged you a 'service charge' of $11.99 for merely forwarding the order to that local flower shop. That fee had nothing to do with the local delivery - it was lumped into the product price.
Then, FTD extracted a referral commission of 27-29% from that local shop.
If you know the best shop, call them. You'll save the convenience fee and put your dollars in the hands of the local company that really does all the work.
P.S. 1-800-flowers uses the same fee structure 0 or worse.
Posted by: Florist | April 11, 2006 10:56 PM
Never use 1-800 Flowers. I work at a bank customer service center and we have alot of problems w/ unauthorized transactions from them.
Posted by: Molly | June 2, 2007 7:41 AM