Miserable
Written: Aug 03 '07
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Generally, I judge a store based on an average performance and am pretty forgiving when a company slips up, but 1-800-Flowers.com managed to lose all my good will with one bad experience.
I have used the company several times to order gifts for my mother in Texas. My mother is at an age when she is not looking to accumulate material things; so flowers, candy or fruit are good choices for her. And, 1-800-Flowers.com offers whimsical and fun options in these gift areas. In general, they have provided the service I’ve needed with no problems.
But, this summer, 1-800-Flowers.com blundered its way out of my business.
On June 15, I ordered flowers for my mother’s birthday. I sat at my desk at work, browsed through the selections and picked out a birthday cake made from flowers. I even found a coupon online that would give me free, same-day delivery. I called my mother that evening to ensure she had received them, but she had not. I called customer support to enquire if they would be delivered later that evening, or on the next day.
Customer service implied that a delivery attempt had been made (my mother was home all day) and said they would deliver them the next day. So, I called my mother and apologized and told her to expect a little something the next day.
I waited a couple of days before calling my mother back. Still no flowers received. I called customer service again. This time, their story was the florist had never received the order, and they would refund my money in three to five business days. Although I was a bit disappointed, I understand that sometimes things don’t quite work out right, and I would have been willing to deal with them again.
Ten days later, I had not received my refund. I called customer service back to check on the status. The representative was very friendly and helpful. From her records, the credit had been issued back to pay-pal. So, she called pay-pal with me on the line to check on their end. Eventually, it was sorted out that 1-800-Flowers.com had not effectively issued the refund, and the customer service representative said she would speak to the accounting department the next morning and have my refund issued.
In late July, I gave up waiting and filed a claim through Pay-Pal. By this point, I was exasperated with 1-800-Flowers.com, but might have ordered again. Here’s the point where the company failed completely. Rather than deal with the claim and contact me and apologize for the delay and the poor service, they IGNORED the claim. They did not respond to it in any way, and after 10 days, Pay-Pal issued a default judgment against them. Pay-Pal promises I will have my money back in 10 days.
Almost two months to get my money back AND I get the added benefit of looking like a clod by not getting a present to my mother on time for her birthday. Gee, thanks 1-800-Flowers.com.
Yes, the web site is easy to use. Yes, they generally offer good service. Yes, they accept Pay-Pal which means I can use my mad money to make purchases there. Yes, their representatives are friendly. But, if I had not followed through with repeatedly calling the company and then filing a claim with Pay-Pal, they would have happily pocketed my money for a service they never provided. That’s just bad business. I don’t mind a company that makes an occasional mistake as long as they do their best to make good on the transaction.
So, let the buyer beware. If you buy something from 1-800-Flowers.com and they fail to deliver, expect to have to work a bit to get your money back.
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? flowers
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Epinions.com ID:
amykhar
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Member: Amy
Location: USA
Reviews written: 320
Trusted by: 480 members
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