Fresh Flowers

[RUDisney]

I was given a new African Grey from a friend's mother. She was looking to rehome her bird and mine had just passed away.

As a thank you, I ordered a pricey flower arrangement from TeleFlora. It arrived last Wednesday and already she had picked out the few flowers that hadn't died yet. This is very disappointing because of the cost. I know that I could have bought 3 large bouquets from Sam's club for a fraction of what I spent and they would still be alive. It's amazing how long flowers from Sam's last.

She appreciated my gesture and the bird is settling into our house well, so I'm not disappointed that I sent her flowers. I'm just disappointed that they didn't last as long as warehouse store flowers. She sent me a picture of the original bouquet and it was beautiful and she sent me a picture of the flowers that remain.

Where do you buy flowers for delivery to someone? Have you been happy with their longevity?

 

[easyas123]

If I need to send flowers to someone not in my immediate area I google florists in their area and try to order directly from them - I'll just call them up and ask them what they have fresh and what they recommend vs. ordering a specific arrangement online.
When I buy flowers for myself - just run of the mill basic ones from the grocery if I happen to be in the mood - I've noticed carnations last a fair bit of time. The current ones I have are going on 2 weeks and look great! Of course, they are basic, plain carnations and not my favorite, but you work with what you can get.

 

[afan]

I go through a local florist to order for wherever as they are most likely in a network and able to send it to a florist nearby. It allows me to see the options do I at least have an idea of what I'm sending. At a previous job I had to order sympathy flowers and we always sent a plant because we could get more for the budget we had. I always worked with our local shop since we had an account and they handled the coordination. Always worked great. The advantage of using a local shop is you don't have to give any cc info over the phone if it's a concern and you know the shop on the other end is in the same network.

 

[sk!mom]

I'm sorry this happened but honestly, I think it's the biggest scam. We have been delivered half dead flowers and plants on several occasions, and I know that our friends and family did not want that. I've received the best arrangements from the totally online companies who do an overnight delivery. It seems that local florists view it as an opportunity to send out the dregs on their last leg since the far away customer won't see it and the recipients good manners will dictate a heartfelt thank you regardless.

On two occasions a florist was called out...Once my sister in law ordered a Christmas centerpiece to be delivered as a thank you for hosting but they were coming. When she saw what they brought, she grabbed it off the table, pulled up the photo and description, and headed to the local florist. They apologized and tried to call it a mistake. A different SIL ordered from Idaho for her dad's funeral before she flew out for the service since she would arrive without time to order locally. She's not quite as confrontational as the first so she just called and asked why the arrangement delivered was not at all close to what was ordered. She was also given excuses.

 

[DisneyHardin]

Generally, it's best to call a florist locally to the person you are sending them to make the arrangement. That being said, I think it was kind of tacky for the person you sent them to to send you a follow up picture of the wilted flowers.

 

[RUDisney]

Local florist sounds like the way to go. I was trying to make it easier on me. Stupid, stupid me.

I will retain your suggestions for the next time I want to send something.

 

[unrequited23]

Local florist is the way to go. I worked for a family business and had to order "a $40 funeral basket" once or twice a month, never had a clue what it looked like. When my grandma passed away, the company sent the most beautiful, large flower arrangement. I checked with a co-worker and those flowers were the standard "$40 funeral basket."

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I had a terrible experience with TeleFlora (the arrangement never arrived, their customer service was awful and they wouldn't tell me the local florist they used so I could call them and see when / if the arrangement would be delivered). After a huge hassle dealing with TeleFlora I ended up filing a dispute with my credit card company. I then ordered from a local florist; the flowers were beautiful and their customer service was amazing. Lesson learned.

 

[SteveH]

Where do you buy flowers for delivery to someone? Have you been happy with their longevity?

I pretty much only buy flowers from Costco, can't beat the prices. But for work if we do we call and ask what they have that is fresh, not item #74 for from a book those seem to be really hit or miss (mostly a miss).

 

[holden]

We use a local florist.

 

[mjkacmom]

Costco has beautiful arrangements at a great price.

 

[RUDisney]

Unfortunately, the nearest Costco is an hour away. We only have Sam’s and they don’t do arrangements.

 

[_19disnA]

Calling a local florist in the area where the flowers are to be delivered is the best option. I have had mixed luck ordering online from random floral websites and will NEVER use those again. One offered a special for Mother's day and the flowers never got delivered. The florist shown as providing the flowers knew nothing about the order when I called them. So I called the 800# to see what the issue was and the people answering the phone were clearly some off-shore call center and could barely speak English. They wanted me to figure out what happened with the delivery even though I was the CUSTOMER..............LOL. My credit card company was very helpful in cancelling the charge for a product I never received. I believe many of these shady 3rd party online floral sites are simply a middleman to arrange for the product through a local florist. Some local florists want nothing to do with them so it creates a delivery issue.

Save the hassle and just go online to find a local florist on your own so you know you are ordering from someone reputable.

 

[amcnj]

After several less than stellar experiences many years back, I too gave up on the 1-800 floral places. Over time they became expensive and the quality was lacking. Arrangements were not as pictured/expected and there were also issues with the flowers lasting.

Is anyone having consistently positive experiences with any such companies today? Are there any that can be safely used now?

 

[_19disnA]

You are basically paying those 1-800 places $10-15+ to do what you can do yourself online. It only takes a few seconds to search for local florists in the city where you want the flowers delivered. I find it makes more sense to use that extra $$ to send a nicer arrangement and just eliminate the middleman.

 

[SueInBoston]

Costco is my family's "go to" for sending flowers and have had wonderful experiences. Many friends have told me that their flowers last over a week and well into week 2. One year, my daughter's birthday bouquet in Feb went well into week 3 (not all stems). However, this last Mother's Day flowers sent by my daughter was horrendous, many stems were yellow and wilt on arrival. I sent pictures to my daughter and she filed for a refund.

 

[figaro2tigger]

I do pick up flowers from Costco or Kroger or delivery from a local florist (definitely for a funeral and for a funeral, check the funeral home's site for who they use, then call that florist directly), but when I want special flowers delivered, The Bouqs has been fabulous!, The flowers often go through customs, so I order to arrive within a few days of the occasion. No one minds receiving flowers a day or so early for birthdays, anniversaries, etc. They last a long time. IF there is a hold up in customs, then I've read that the Bouqs is great about "making it right", but fingers crossed, I've never had to call.
hth

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I no longer purchase flowers on the internet. I research local florists for where they need to be sent. Too many times what I ordered and what was received was not up to par.

 

[jsmith]

Some one recently sent me flowers from farmgirl flowers. They did not come in a fancy vase and needed some arranging but they arrived in great shape and what was billed as one arrangement filled two vases-i followed the directions that came with them and they lasted two weeks. I also recently got flowers from a grower in hawaii that grows protea flowers ( ginger, birds of paradise and so on) My daughter in law had them sent to her and arranged them-she is an artist. Cared for according the the directions they lasted close to a month.