With the advancement of the internet, sending flowers anywhere around the globe to your loved ones has become far easier and much more cost effective than ever before. Or at least isn't that how it should be?
Millions of consumers and florists worldwide are ending up out of pocket and very disappointed. This is mostly due to the relatively unknown fact that it is becoming more and more difficult to find a Real Local Florist on the internet or in the local pages.
Many companies are posing as real florists, offering discounted rates to entice the consumer to purchase from their sites, while only acting (sometimes very badly), as a middleman. This often results in lost orders, wrong details being passed on to the filling florist and florists not getting paid for their hard work.
To help combat this, here are a few tips on how not to get caught out by what the industry describe as 'Order Gatherers' and 'Order Skimmers'.
* Choose a florist that displays his or her own work on their website. Don't settle for a site that has a generic 'brochure' otherwise your order could end up at 'floral order central'! At least if the florist is displaying their own work, you will know that the florist is in fact real! You will also be able to choose personalised flowers and even funky little add-ons if you so wish. After all, we are all individuals and flowers can often be an expression of this.
* Make sure the site contains a 'Contact us' and/or 'About us' page which include details such as Address, Phone number, and an Email address.
* Be sure that the payment page is secure. (Look for the https:// in your browser. The 's' means it is secure).
* Just because discounts and free delivery are offered, it does not mean you will receive value for money. Your real local florist will more than likely be a qualified designer, and far more dedicated to the art of floral arranging and most importantly, to his/her customer's satisfaction.
* If you want to send flowers out of town, you are better to deal directly with the filling florist than to use one of the larger florist relay networks. If you do use one of these through your local florist, you will either directly or indirectly end up paying unnecessary fees for the privilege. Your local florist may be able to provide you with contact details of a trusted florist within his/her own network. Next time you are visiting your far away loved ones, pop into their local florist and pick up their business card (you can check out their work at the same time)!
* Most local florists can deliver the very same day you order provided you order within their usual delivery times.
* Another great way to find a real independent florist is to use a florist directory such as Vuzien, where you are linked directly to an independent florist. The great part about this particular directory is that the florist will go that extra mile and email you a photo of the flowers that were delivered on your behalf.
So with all this in mind the next time you want to send flowers, you will be able to receive far better value for money and a much superior level of customer service and satisfaction, because you now know to place your order with a real independent florist in the area your flowers need to be delivered.
Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?Dont-Get-Fooled-By-Online-Florists&id=642979
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