Disappointed with FTD...

[momof3disneyholics]

Here's an interesting youtube video from someone that ordered from Proflowers...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNYGZHPKQgs

 

[denisem]

Not to hijack the thread, but here's a hint I've found successful for "generic" floral arrangements (funerals, get-well, mom's day, etc.), not only from the florist I worked for, but others I've used out of state:

Many local florists have 800 numbers. Call, give a price range & ask for "designer's choice mixed arrangement (or bouquet)". I've found you get more bang for your buck. I, personally, LOVE mixed bouquets with a little bit of everything...and you're more likely to get a larger, colorful piece including some high-end flowers.

Don't think that you're getting stuff on it's way out, though. Let's say the florist has a regular order for mixed South American roses - reds & pinks go regularly, but they still get GORGEOUS yellows, corals, bi-colors that the average person doesn't think about. While we would still sell them to walk-ins and phone orders that took our recommendation on good days, it's inevitable that odd "strays" are left with no home except a mixed piece. (Ya have a dozen beautiful reds left that day & the customer wants 6 - what do you do with the other six that are still tight? Mixed arrangement.)

Same with any special orders, such as Charade's pink calla lillies. Many flowers are ordered by the "bunch", thus, to cover yourself for a specific perishable flower, a florist may order a bit extra - which can be used in mixed pieces.

Another advantage of mixed pieces is that the more perishable flowers can be removed as they fade, leaving the "workhorse flowers" behind for a longer period.

 

[englishteacha]

I think you should go local, especially for wedding flowers. There's a shop in my hometown that does amazing work on any budget. My wedding flowers were gorgeous, and my bouquet was $25, bridesmaids $15, and the corsages and such were lovely and cost only a few dollars. As Denise said above, if you can give the florist some leeway, they can create something beautiful. My $25 flowers were no less beautiful than my friends $100 bouquet. So, go local!

When my mom was ill last year, I looked at FTD or some flower place online, then called the flower shop and told them what I'd liked. They did the same arrangement with more flowers in it and charged me half the price as FTD.

 

[donald...really]

I worked in one of the top flower shops in Boston many years ago. I never understood why people went through the different wire services. You get so much more bang for your buck by calling the florist directly and discussing what you want. There are so many fees associated with services like FTD, so after everyone is paid not much money ends up in the flowers. When you call and talk to the florist that is actually putting the arrangement together they will know what is in stock and what is fresh that day. Of course back then it was a little trickier finding a florist in different cities, but today with google and the internet there is no excuse.

Google the name of the city and "florist" and see what comes up. If you see a site that looks good give them a call and ask them something along the lines of:

"I am interested in a mixed spring arrangement in a basket. What flowers do you have today that would work well in something like that?" or

"I want something tropical and different in a vase. What do you have that is fresh today?" or

"I want a dozen roses with unusual greens and no filler. What colors do you have?"

You get the idea. Much better to talk to the person designing the end product than a middle man. And cheaper, too.

 

[Honu]

Ordering flowers online only leads to eventual disappointment. The best thing to do is Google for florists in the area of delivery and call them to see what they have and what they can do for you. Not only will you get better quality at a better price, but you will also know whether or not they can actually meet your delivery day.

 

[piglet too]

Ok, I have to point out that the ad at the bottom of my page is for FTD

 

[Denine]

I use Hallmark flowers and have yet to be disappointed.

 

[RitaZ.]

I've switched to Hallmark for flowers now.

See, I've ordered from Hallmark and was disappointed. The flowers came in a box with the vase. The quality of the flowers was equivalent to what I can get at Publix for a lot less. They looked pitiful. I won't order from Hallmark again.

I haven't had any problems with FTD, but I prefer Teleflora. I always pick a local florist and I have never been disappointed. The flowers have always been in excellent shape and the arrangements have exceeded my expectations.

For wedding flowers, I think it's best if you deal with a local florist face to face. This way, they know exactly what you want and you'll get exactly what you want. When we ordered our wedding flowers (almost 20 yrs. ago), the florist was very honest in what flowers they could or couldn't get for us.

Deal with a local florist to avoid any disappointments on your wedding day.

 

[Loverly]

My wedding flowers were gorgeous, and my bouquet was $25, bridesmaids $15, and the corsages and such were lovely and cost only a few dollars. .

Lordy, around here wrist corsages for the Prom cost $25!
I can't imagine bridesmaids bouqets -or brides-that cheap!!!

 

[mmcguire]

I was NOT impressed with proflowers. Go with local florists.

DH sent me two dozen roses from them last Valentine's Day. They came in a cardboard box (so romantic!), and half of them were brown on the ends, like they were frostbitten. They left on the outer petals, which they call "guard petals"; supposedly to protect the roses. The stems were covered in large thorns and leaves. It was a lot of work to make them look decent. After suffering pricked fingers while picking off ugly petals, leaves, and trimming stems, they looked OK, but still not nearly as nice as a professional arrangement.

Arranging my own flowers and picking off leaves also sucked the romance out of receiving flowers in the first place - kind of like someone bringing you a bag of groceries and calling it your Valentine's dinner.

To proflowers credit, I called about the brown roses and they immediately sent me two new dozen, which arrived the next day. I tossed out the yucky roses from the first batch, and they lasted for probably a week or so.

DH's heart was in the right place, but I told him next time to call a local florist and order a spring bouquet.

 

[Charade]

I got a reply and they said they're going to send another order out. Hopefully it's what we really wanted.

I've used proflowers before and have been satisfied. I won't use FTD again.

 

[Loverly]

Charade...are you using a local florist for your wedding & just want to see the color of these mini calas?
A florist can order specific colors from their wholesaler for weddings, if a certain color is what you are looking for.

The way FTD works is each time they send an order, they randomly pick a Florist. The next time an order goes out, it will be from another florist.

It is best to speak directly to a florist in your town for wedding flowers.

 

[Charade]

Charade...are you using a local florist for your wedding & just want to see the color of these mini calas?
A florist can order specific colors from their wholesaler for weddings, if a certain color is what you are looking for.

The way FTD works is each time they send an order, they randomly pick a Florist. The next time an order goes out, it will be from another florist.

It is best to speak directly to a florist in your town for wedding flowers.

No, we're not. But I think we probably should. We are going to make the center pieces ourselves. They are very simple arrangements.

 

[LisaNJ25]

No, we're not. But I think we probably should. We are going to make the center pieces ourselves. They are very simple arrangements.

Do you have a costco near you? I used to work for the flower vendor at my local costco. now my sis in law took over for me. We do weddings all of the time. You can get Calla Lillys for $8.99 a bunch. I have had order as high as 200 dozen roses before. Every time I need flowers for an even I just order them from there and put them together myself.

 

[Charade]

Do you have a costco near you? I used to work for the flower vendor at my local costco. now my sis in law took over for me. We do weddings all of the time. You can get Calla Lillys for $8.99 a bunch. I have had order as high as 200 dozen roses before. Every time I need flowers for an even I just order them from there and put them together myself.

My dfi was there yesterday and bought some really nice roses. She's changed her mind (again!) about the flowers and is gonna go primarily with roses and some calla's as accents.