FTD Canada. Up to par?


ftd_canada

One of our forum members recently posted a thread about an FTD.com delivery that was not up to par at all. There were NO roses in her arrangement, and the flowers were already dying.  Instead of an acceptable replacement to the roses they put that green leafy thing that looks like a catepillar ate half of it.  Our member is still waiting after over a week of phone tag for a replacement.  It was to celebrate Chinese New Year for her and her family.  Her thoughts on this? It is like sending someone Christmas tree on Jan 8th to replace the dead tree you sent on Dec 24th.

I understand that FTD sends the information to the nearest participating floritst. But is there no quality control?  This is completely unacceptable.  I personally have had a few decent experiences with FTD.com and a few bad ones, including non delivery for no reason.  As far as I’m concerned this customer deserves a full refund AND replacement flowers.  An apology needs to go along with this.

Do you have a customer complaint or praise?  Smart Canucks has 2 ways of letting readers know about customer service, our reviews blog and our forum which has a product and store review section.


61 responses to “FTD Canada. Up to par?”

  1. Nice Sass says:

    Great post! We used FTD on Feb 1st to thank a family member for some help. We selected the arrangement via FTD online. The family member sent us pics of her “beautiful” flowers two days later, and we were shocked to see that they looked nothing like the website photo. Instead of being comprised of about half roses, there were just three roses in the entire arrangement but tons of cheap daisies. I went back to FTD to pull their pic up because I was going to complain, however when I tried I found that our arragement selection was no longer offered. URGH. Glad we’re not the only ones to have experienced this issue.

  2. JulieA says:

    I used to work as a floral designer in a shoppe in the USA that used FTD. Good florists will always warn customers about FTD’s “fine print”, which is: deisgners are allowed to substitute flowers, but not colours. Thus, using the pics provided by Smart Canucks, the arrangement received would be backed by FTD as it contains the same colours in the catalog picture.

    However, the arrangement sent, though it must be similar in colour, must ALSO be similar in price….and the arrangement received looks a lot cheaper than the catalog arrangement – not just because of size, but because the roses left out should have been replaced with another high-end flower of similar colour.

  3. Alexandra says:

    It’s disappointing that businesses utilize on these “fineprints” to cover their shortcomings and justify bad customer service. Might I add that an unhappy customer equals to loss of customer on business’ part, and equals to his/her telling family and friends to go elsewhere. Word of mouth is stronger than you think.

  4. Bev says:

    I have had a similar experience. I used a ftd online discount code, and then the florist that fulfilled the order did not match the arrangement chosen. They substituted an arrangement based on the the amount of money paid! What is the point of providing a discount code? We did get some additional flowers but I will never use them again.

  5. Julie G says:

    I have worked in several flower shops and the only reason the arrangements should be different is if the customer asks to spend less than the suggested retail price. This happens fairly often, so less expensive flowers and more greenery are used to achieve a similar look. However, if the same price was paid, this customer got ripped off!

  6. RJA says:

    I always call a local florist (local to the delivery location) and discuss my needs with them. 100% of the time you get a beautiful bouquet that is better tailored to the individual and the occasion. You end up having no idea what the arrangement looks like, but I have never had any doubts with this approach. Often the recipient will send you a photo after-the-fact.

  7. Rick says:

    Go local, they are the ones with stock and can get the best for you

  8. Joe Mead says:

    My sister works for FTD, They make extra money at her place, by cutting short orders and saving up the stems for other orders on the side. That way they make extra money and keep the tax money.. Most shops do this she said. People can not tell, and oops too late

  9. Cmoody8107 says:

    Oh no… I used FTD to send flowers to Jezzeebelle yesterday. Hoping she at least got something decent.

  10. Youngmom says:

    There was a great episode of CBC’s Marketplace about this. I was amazed to see that it never ends up looking like the picture. I will never order flowers online!

  11. Avery P says:

    That’s horrible!
    Looks (to me) nothing like the picture even though it has the same colours. How disappointing, and I love her quote about how it’s like sending a christmas tree…
    Because, really it is. They wanted them for a specific date, otherwise she would of ordered them later to begin with.
    Word of mouth is super strong, and from what I’m reading about this place, I’ll make sure to pass it on to anyone who might think it’s a good idea.
    Fine print drives me insane! Everything has fine print, soon you won’t be able to even order drive through, asking for a hamburger, but finding out they’re allowed to supplement with whatever they have ready or something silly like that.

  12. Jax says:

    I also work in a flower shop and it is often very difficult for the florist to make an order look exactly like the picture – for one, flowers vary so much in colour, shape etc., furthermore, these designs often use fully open flowers which we would not normally send the customer, so the arrangement will automatically look smaller for that reason. In this instance the size and colour is right but the omission of the roses is not acceptable if they paid full price.

  13. Brad says:

    I have a friend who tried twice to order an arrangement for his girlfriend for Valentine’s Day. He did the first order 4 weeks before, and 2 weeks ago he got an email saying they were unable to find a florist to deliver that product. So he phoned back, and made sure he picked one they could send, and got an email Feb 13th that they weren’t able to deliver for Valentine’s Day. TERRIBLE customer service. Needless to say I wouldn’t recommend this to anybody and will never use it myself

  14. Shocked says:

    Yep, gotta be careful… it can be craptastic!

    Family member of a client whom passed away at my grouphome this past week, ordered flowers for the funeral online… $75… she was beyond shocked when she SAW what we got… it was truly a sad moment… and that’s a lot to say when your sister just died!!!!!!!!!!

  15. Andie says:

    I too always call a florist close to the recipient and talk to them directly. They will tell me what the best flowers currently available are, we can talk price point and come to an agreement on the best arrangement. You also aren’t paying the FTP (or whoever) surcharge. It’s cheaper and I have never, ever, been disappointed by what anyone received.

  16. mattsmom says:

    I’ve always been leary of using ftd.com, I’m glad to see that my hunch was right. I’ll never use them!!! Buy local!!

  17. Tammy says:

    I skip the FTD also. I always find the prices higher than just going direct to the florist and it’s like you are paying a middle man since FTD just sends the order to a local one anyway.
    If you used FTD and the arrangement was not as high quality as the picture, make sure you find out which florist got the order and never use them again as they are obviously not honest.

  18. Moi says:

    What a shame:(
    Good you took a photo…….bad they omitted the roses
    I would call them, write them for sure!
    Unacceptable!

  19. D says:

    I ordered some flowers from 1-800-flow— and I was so upset when I received the bouquet! I called them up and they gave me a refund no questions asked. My sister made a bouquet a week later from flowers from the grocery store and did a better job ! Online flowers is not the way to go. I’ve used local flower shops for years and they produce beautiful arrangements. Go local.

  20. adora says:

    Hey everyone! That’s my flowers. To be fair, there are a few roses the size of a thumbnail. You can’t even see them in photo this size, that’s how pathetic it is.

    Thank you Smart Canucks! I think they are really freaking out after I posted here and on their facebook page. A lady just called me and she has arrange a delivery TODAY from another florist. Will post a picture on the forum.

    Here’s Consumerist’s take. The “lack of monkey” one made me laugh really hard. http://consumerist.com/2011/02/consumerists-2011-valentines-day-garden-of-discontent.html

  21. Juan says:

    I remember buying flowers for my wife’s birthday using another online florist. I got a 10% discount code so I decided to “upgrade” the flower arrangement. My wife got her flowers on her birthday and when she send me a BBM pic saying thanks I was deeply dissapointed. The flower arrangement didn’t even look like the “regular” one, it was a joke compared to the premium one. Of course I complained about this the very same day. Their response was quick giving me two options: 1)Replacement or 2)Full Refund. Since there is no point of sending birthday flowers 5 days after someones birthday, I opted for the full refund. Honestly I am very skeptical about using online florist again…

  22. Vicki Ho says:

    Skip Costco flower orders too. My husband ordered me flowers last year from them, and they came all smashed and half were dead. We complained, and they again sent smashed flowers. We complained again, and they said to bring them in. I guess they didn’t believe us, but I’m supposed to drive 20 minutes to the store and 20 minutes back and line up to show them crappy flowers that they delivered? Why do I have to go to that expense of time and gas and money, and the aggrevation? I told my husband to Never again order anything from them.

  23. Carol D says:

    I had a similar experience with flowers sent for a 50th anniversary out of town that I could not attend. They graciously thanked me and sent a photo of the “arrangement” — I was MORTIFIED!! Not to mention embarassed and really angry at being severely ripped off. Never again.

  24. Lori P says:

    Yep, the best arrangements I’ve sent are by telephoning the florist at the delivery location flower shop. some of these shops have websites and they offer 1-888 numbers. I’ve NEVER dealt with FTD – I don’t like “middle men!”

  25. hondamanic says:

    My son too ordered flowers from them for his girlfriend for this valentines day through a FTD promo flyer advertising and when she got it delivered she took a picture and sent it to him to see what it looked like….. my son was dissapointed because it was nothing like the photo. When he ordered it he went to the flower shop and showed them the picture so he expected it to look like the photo….he was disappointed. It’s hard to fnid a good flower shop so shop around because there is really some good one’s out there.

  26. webbygrrl says:

    I have called directly to a local florist in my parents hometown and even sent her an image of exactly what I wanted. My mother sent me a photo and her bouquet also looked nothing like the photo! I just wish I could find a florist that I trusted!

  27. avenger says:

    I recall my husband experiencing a very similiar incident. He was out of town over my birthday and ordered some flowers with helium balloons and all, I told him thanks for the flowers and he asked if I liked the balloons…Huh? I said, I didn’t get balloons..But they certainly charged extra for the balloons. I would recommend calling the local florist yourself and do the ordering that way next time, I know I won’t trust a middle man anymore.

  28. sally says:

    I think to clarify ftd delegates the orders out to A LOCAL FLORIST in your area. This is local, so it varies florist to florist. I think they need to check up more on whom is carrying out their work. Last mothers day I ordered an arrangement and it never showed up for my mother in law. I called and there response was there was no ftd near her. Werid how theres one 8 houses from her that particiaptes 🙁 I had gotten no phone call nothing. Just a mother in law with no flowers nothing and not a happy one at that.

  29. mercedybear says:

    I ordered FTD once for Mothers Day flowers for my Mom. Not only did the “arrangement” not get delivered until 4 days after, the flowers arrived DEAD! No water, no vase, they were wrapped up in paper thats it! I was so dismayed, I had to fight FTD for a refund MINUS the cost of shipping. My Mom laughs about it now but she was sick at the time and it would have been nice to send something to her to cheer her up! I’ll NEVER order through FTD again!!

  30. Ann says:

    I just missed an FTD Groupon deal I wanted. Now I’m glad I did!

  31. Jellybean says:

    FTD.COM DID A BAIT AND SWITCH ON US 🙁

    My boyfriend did the Groupon deal. He thought, score! I’ll order it for her the Friday before V-Day, and she won’t be expecting it. Well everything went through fine, they accepted his order, and then never delivered it. In fact, they canceled it on him! They also didn’t notify anyone they’d decided to cancel it/not deliver it.

    Upon confrontation they admitted the order was actually not available (in Canada? At all? Despite it being available on their website, and despite them never calling in advance to notify him when they first received it). They told him then, they’d decided to cancel it, and told him his limit on his credit card had been exceeded (despite him paying with Paypal and having funds available). They continued to repeat that the limit had been exceeded, and to call his credit card company (again, this was Paypal with funds available, nothing was being charged to a card).

    Then they told him that he could choose from a list of flower arrangements (all more expensive than his original one) and to have it delivered on Valentine’s Day at the cost of $20 extra for delivery (despite having ordered it for Friday, and it being their screw up). When he called shenannigans, the company became a broken record, reciting the same thing without really offering to compensate their screw up. When he went to ask for the girl’s badge number and name, she hung up on him.

    Please don’t use FTD.com for your flower delivery company EVER. They’re unreliable! They won’t tell you when they can fill your order! They’ll leave you HIGH AND DRY for that special event!!

    Thanks to Groupon’s awesome customer service we got a full refund. Yaaay Groupon for being awesome! 🙂

    TLDR: FTD.Com pulled bait and switch. Took order, cancelled it without notice, and waited for customer to call to explain they’d have to order a more expensive one and pay more expensive shipping. Groupon was awesome and refunded the deal without hassle!

  32. Heidi McMaster says:

    Wow – I am so glad I decided to not buy the FTD Groupon that was available last week!

  33. kingy says:

    i dont think it is only FTD that the product is never close to being what is ordered or shown. when was the last time a big mac looked like one on tv or on posters?

  34. sally says:

    true kingy but at least they use buns and stuff still and don’t substitute with lettuce or something.

  35. Eric says:

    Forget them. Go to the website, print out a picture of a bouquet you like, go to your local florist, and see what can be similarly made.

  36. thatgengirl says:

    I had the EXACT same problem with them last year when I ordered flowers for my mom for Mother’s Day. I spent a couple hundred, and she received crap with lots of filler. I made them re-do it, and then she went in personally to approve and pickup the second order. I’ll never use them again.

  37. Brenda says:

    I’ve had two great experiences with FTD and one poor one. My sister received flowers for her birthday that didn’t look anything like the photo and I wrote FTD a letter. A nice customer representative called me and apologized and asked what they could do to resolve the issue and I asked them to send a new bouquet to my sister as a complimentary bouquet and they did just that. It was a lovely bouquet.

  38. tudorchick says:

    i saw the story on global yesterday or the day before,and yeah,i would have to say this sucks.sometimes this is the only way to send flowers far away..i am wary of ordering anything perishable online for order anywhere.i would feel better personally picking them out and hand delivering,as i dont trust any delivery company either.sometimes though like i said this seems to be the only way to send flowers if you live far away from someone.

  39. Shan says:

    I used them once last year at christmas. I ordered an arrangement for my grandparents, and wondered why they never called to say thanks. I called them about a week after they were suppose to be delivered and they had never got any flowers. My credit card was charged though. After a couple days of phone tag, they informed me that, that arrangement was no longer available at the store, so they couldn’t send out an arrangement. But they had never contacted me or sent out a substitute!! It took 4 weeks for me to be reimbursed for this arrangement! Never again

  40. Elizabeth Blaze says:

    The past few years I’ve been sending flowers through Bloomex. I had one incident where the recipient mentioned that she didn’t think the flowers were up to par so I contacted Bloomex and within 48 hours they had replaced the arrangement with a more expensive basket at no charge to me. (In all fairness, this friend is uber picky and I’d bet the flowers were probably much better than she claimed.) Unless something terrible happens I plan to stick with them because their prices beat everyone else and I have no complaints about their quality or service.

  41. Wilson says:

    Last year I received a FTD order for Mother’s Day and it was beautiful. I give props to the local florist though, I live in a small town and they are a really quality and honest florist.

  42. can'tsayor maybe i'd loose says:

    this is terrible.. awful.. service thanks for telling us on smartcanucks i’d NEVER use this company!

  43. Dayanara says:

    I used my Groupon that I got the other day for a rose plant instead of a bouquet. Going to have it shipped out to my mother in law as an early Mother’s Day gift. After reading all this I a) hope it arrives b) hope it looks like it is supposed to.

  44. Theresa says:

    Wow, what a huge disappointment. I will remember to never use FTD, and if anyone I know mentions them, I will pass this story along. That is just wrong.

  45. Cmoody8107 says:

    I ordered from them to buy flowers for Valentines for Jezzeebelle. I am really disappointed with what they sent her.

  46. Chicalicious Toronto says:

    Thanks for sharing w/ us your experience! I will not use FTD in the future!

    I was lucky enough to have had a great experience ordering online through a UK company. The flowers were to be sent to my friend who is studying near London.

    This is what I ordered:
    http://www.interflora.co.uk/kernel/imageload?table=cat_images;key1=2176082_detail

    This is what my friend got:
    http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa454/djakgirl/131719_740303064771_21000229_44522532_5823219_o.jpg

    I think it’s pretty good! I will definitely use this company again!

  47. Jen says:

    I also used to work at a flower shop. FTD is just a way of connecting florists together when a customer need to sent flowers to a different province or country. The arrangements they feature are basically guidelines for each florist to follow; but because the cost and availability may be different at the individual florist, the florist may have to do a few adjustment. However, the look and the cost should be similar. Whenever, you need to do business somewhere else that you’re not familiar with, things get a bit risky or tricky. Although you may like your local florist, there isn’t really anything they can do except maybe for you to let them know and they will try to find another florist they can deal with at the location you want to sent your flowers. Therefore, in order to be certain what you want to sent is being send, ask for specific flowers and number of specific flowers, and rather you want them to be arrange in a vase, in a box etc. Also, you can ask the florist how much more or less it would be than the local prices and work from there. Also, if it’s just to another city, it may be better to find a florist in that city (better if you have a referral) and contact them directly and be specific.

  48. Vivian says:

    I have never ordered from FTD myself, have always ordered from canadaflowers.com, who have never disappointed me!

  49. Vic009 says:

    FTD just sucks big time. Call the florist directly if you can.
    “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me”!

  50. browngirl82 says:

    Everyone, watch this episode on CBc Marketplace. It’s about the company Bloomex that doesn’t deliver what they promise. It’s worth looking at, especially if you’re one to order flowers online and have them delivered.

    Apparently it’s not only FTD that’s not adhering to guidelines, but also this company.

    http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2010/rate_hike_outrage/busted.html

  51. Rae says:

    it’s your own fault for ordering flowers from a 1-800-flower-hotline. Next time call a florist directly.

  52. fridge says:

    My Mom owns a flower shop and it part of the FTD network, as well as a few other networks. Like a lot of people mentioned before the florists sometimes have to substitute flowers for other flowers. Being that flowers are perishable items, it is not always easy to order exactly what you want or know what you are going to need in time to order it ahead of time. Though I know my mom is always sure to get it as close as possible and give the value as close as possible. I am in total agreement that the arrangement sent in this situation was not up to par. YOu should definitely be getting a refund! A lot of people are recommending calling a florist locally and discussing it with them. I would recommend this as well. When an FTD order comes in, it is a piece of paper that just gives an order number and sometimes some loose descriptions about colour and flower choices, as well as price point. If you can call and are able to talk to the florist directly often they can explain to you what’s available, what they have in stock that is beautiful (sometimes some flowers they get in just aren’t as nice as other depending on the time of the year and what the growers bring them). And they can also give you a good description of what you can get for your money.

    FTD has changed over the years and has started to include grocery stores in their system, although back in the 80’s they always promised their customers that they were in it for the independent florists and would never do that. In the last few years they have adopted grocery stores into their systems, who can often do arrangements for significantly cheaper than independent florists because they buy and bulk and get a significant discount. We have noticed that the prices on the site for FTD sometimes reflects this, and many florists cannot offer the same product while still making a profit. Because of this their are many florists that are not happy with the service from FTD but feel they cannot pull out of the service because of the number of orders that come through that system. I know that with my mom’s store there have even been problems receiving payments from FTD for flowers they delivered from an order from their system!

    So I guess what I am saying is like what most are saying here just call a florist directly and order! Or better yet head into their shop and they will be able to show you exactly what you are getting! My mom’s store even picks out the flowers with the customers if they come in and show them before it’s all arranged to see if they are happy with them. And if there is ever a problem they fix, replace it or refund it WITH and apology! That is how customer service should be!

  53. Sam says:

    Also had a problem with FTD online order. I indicated that I was sending a dozen WHITE roses as a sympathy bouquet and had written out quite clearly the words ‘He would have wanted you to have these.’The woman’s hubby had passed and this was the first bouquet he had ever sent her.
    They sent a dozen RED roses and signed the card from her husband!
    Holy inappropriate. Mine wasn’t an issue of receiving a less expensive bouquet, but rather a completely insensitive one.

  54. Not to hijack this thread, but I’m looking for a flowershop in Fresno and I can’t figure out how to find them do you have any info on this Fresno flowershop? Its address is in Fresno, only 15 minutes from my house I can’t find reviews on them — Fresno Flowers, 3101 East Washington Ave., Fresno, CA 93701 – (559) 940-6227

  55. Sarah says:

    I ordered from ftd for my Grandfathers 97 birthday. I used fun because I thought they were a good company. It is the day after his birthday and the flowers never arrived… Such a huge disappointment!!!

  56. Robert says:

    I ordered flowers from FTD a week in advance for my girl friend’s birthday. They were to be delivered to her work because women love getting flowers where their co-workers can enjoy them too. The arrangement was suppose to be flowers arranged to look like a birthday cake on a reusable white cake platter/platform. The flowers were delivered a day late and it didn’t come on a cake plate but a piece of plastic wrapped in crinkled cooking tinfoil. It looked like a child had done it. I complained to FTD and to Petals Plus, but they ignored my complaints. Both sites have quality and delivery guarantees, but they do not honour them. Very disappointed with both FTD and Petals Plus!!

  57. Manny says:

    Oh my, where to start… STAY AWAY FROM THESE GUYS like the pest. They are just a bunch of thieves!
    Last week, Oct 15, 2013, I ordered a nice “Better” bouquet from them to be delivered in Toronto, ON. The bouquet was a third of the size it should have been, and 8 rose stems had been replaced by cheaper carnations. The third type of flower (forgot what it was) was missing too. All of this for USD $86! Had I known that (it was my first time) I would have dropped by my local florist and order 60 rose stems for the same price!!! It’s one of the biggest rip offs I’ve experienced in my life.
    Their website is also misleading. The one I used from Canada was http://www.ftd.ca and implied it was a Canadian company and therefore charging in CAD dollars. Well I was wrong. I got charged in USD to my disbelief. Canadians BEWARE.
    Another point that really upset me . When I complained about the flowers they said they were going to refund 40% of my purchase (the best they could do… supposedly)… I thought this was better than nothing. Turns out the 40% applies to the bouquet only, not to the $16.99 service attached to it. What a rip off FTD… Seriously? No wonder why you get so many bad reviews.

    I wish there was a commerce police of some kind patrolling the web to spot dodgy companies like FTD and take action to close them for good.

    Thanks

    Manny

    • Sean says:

      OMG! Same here! FTD.CA what a rip off !!! You can order flowers from any Canadian outfit that cites FTD but if you use the number on that site they will charge you in USD and not disclose they are doing so – happened to me. The “.CA” domain being Canada, BTW…

      And their prices in US are higher than what you can get in CAD – so when you factor in the exchange you are looking at a massive surprise on your credit card bill.

  58. Mary says:

    HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! So I send flowers to my sister for her birthday- She lives in the city and it’s 7 pm there and she still doesn’t have her flowers. The thing is that now she has to wait around for them because the person delivering the flowers called her to tell her they would be there in about a hour. IT HAS BEEN 3+ HOURS SINCE THEY CALLED and still no one!!! The worst part is that I called customer service and they didn’t even offer an apology they just said oh well the delivery person must be busy. I will never Order them with them again UNLESS I want over priced flowers and terrible customer service!!!!!

  59. roksob says:

    I was shocked to find out (too late) that FTD.ca was priced in US dollars. That is really quite a dishonest practice.

  60. Ball says:

    why didnt i see this forum before ordering with FTD.ca
    Ordered a plant for local delivery in Ottawa – $17 `service fee` – seemed a bit steep. Then – My Bad – after I ordered noticed it was all in US dollars so that bumped up the total by another $30 plus Canadian. Attempts to contact and resolve were unanswered. My wife, being more persistent than me, called, got a rep who listened, the said not much she could do but to hold while she got a supervisor. My wife waited, and waited, and then surprise! the line went dead.
    Expensive plant and actually FTD never confirmed delivery – anyhow Seasons Greetings to all


















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