 | Melissa Cedeño attended the University of Arkansas before attending the Kansas City School of Floral Design. She has studied under internationally known Floral Designer Bill Harper. Melissa is the owner of the Little Shop of Flowers in Pittsburg. The Little Shop of Flowers has been in business for 5 years. For more information or to reach Melissa, please call 620-231-2400 or visit www.pittsburgflowers.net. |
Flowers & Plants
2010-12-01 13:07:00
Ordering flowers over the phone or internet
Question: I don’t know anything about flowers, so how do I order?... Do I use the internet? What about placing orders for loved ones across the country? Thanks in advance!
Answer: Great question! First and foremost...always, ALWAYS use your local florist and call them directly. Whether you are ordering with a local delivery, or a delivery that might need to be sent somewhere across the country or even internationally, your local florist will be there to assist you. Why not use the internet or a 1-800 florist instead? The answer is simple...most of the 1-800 florists know absolutely nothing about flowers or will attend to your personal needs. These are considered “Phantom Florists” known as “Order Gatherers.” It is a multimillion dollar industry that, in many occasions, use deceptive advertising to lure in customers who are looking for an easy way to place their flower orders. Here’s how it works...The “Order Gatherers” advertise either on the internet or in a phone book, you call or place your order over the internet, pay for your order with a credit card, then these operators who work at a call center simply place the order to a flower shop in the town where the delivery is to be made. They make their money through inflation of prices and charging bogus delivery and/or “service” fees.
By calling your local flower shop, you will speak directly to a florist whose business is to make ordering flowers easy, answer all of your questions and make giving flowers to someone you love,
Or have lost, trouble free...and special for the recipient! And, should there be some sort of issue following delivery, you can call back and voice your displeasure...Sadly, chances are, you will never speak to a human with the “Order Gatherers.” If you are not familiar with how to order flowers, just let the florist walk you through the process. Things to think about before you call would be...How much do you want to spend?...How do you want the enclosure card to be signed?...Does the recipient have a favorite flower, or color, the designer can work with? And remember you’ll need the address and, if possible, a phone number for the recipient.
A competent florist/designer should walk you through all of this and will sincerely appreciate your order. In this situation, you definitely “get what you pay for.” So if you’re going to spend the time and money on a loved one for something as special as fresh flowers, do it right. Let the expert in your local flower shop design something beautiful that says, I Love You...I’m sorry...Get Well or “I’m thinking of you.” More next month...
