Mothers' Day bouquet

[Euphemia]

A well-known national store today delivered a bouquet of lilies, deep pink roses, and light pink roses. The lilies and deep pink roses are beautiful but the light pink roses look a bit wilted and yellowing. In my position would you be diplomatic and say nothing to your offspring or let them know so they might raise the issue with the store? if it was non-family I would certainly keep quiet but it slightly irks me that florists send out jaded bouquets.

[looobylooo]

no, id never use that 'well known flower service' again. i think they're a bit of a rip off, in my opinion.

yes, thats a much better idea ordering from a florist who's local to the person you're sending to. that's what i'd do next time.

[yelenots]

I bought a rather large bunch yesterday from a well known supermarket, kept them in water all night and when I picked them up this afternoon an awful lot of petals fell off! When they were put in a vase I was really disappointed with them.......certainly not worth the money I had paid for them and I expect they will be dead in a few days!

[lady-janine]

yelenots - complain. it is the only way.

i also only ring local florists as flower delivery services are usually poor quality and they tend to use "funeral" flowers.

[looobylooo]

'funeral flowers', lady-janine...?

[welshlibranr]

my son sent flowers to me last year from Next, they were really wilted when they arrived, and did not pick up after being vased, I didn't tell my son, I did complain to Next however, and they sent more flowers in replacement for the naff ones!.........it's worth complaining when things are not right!............

[tinkerbell23]

I got flowers once from my ex....and when my mum saw them she knew how much he had paid and said they were not upto scratch and complained...i got a new bunch....he didnt mind....my mum says things how they are...but she just didnt want him to have paid for some crap flowers.....x

[lady-janine]

funeral flowers - flowers that are past their peak and will only last a very few days in the open air and not indoors where it is warmer.

[lady-janine]

i have a friend who is a florist and very derogatory about some other florists and flower delivery companies especially.

[welshlibranr]

Let's face it!..Mother's Day is the worst day to get delivered flowers, the florists are so busy, some of us are going to get wilted flowers, but if we do then we should complain loudly, our children have paid over the odds for these flowers!..........I will always complain if the flowers aren't worth what they paid!....

[Euphemia]

To update you, I didn't tell my daughter who is now coming tonight. However,
I noticed on the card that the M&S flowers had come by Citylink from Peterborough.
I called the number on the card to be given the usual push-button option, then the "musak", and finally a message to say no operator would be available before 10 minutes. I then tried our city centre number whose operator transferred me to the number I had just tried earlier. I then tried a large suburban branch and found my call was answered by the very operator I had just spoken to. Apparently she covers 8 branches. After I explained that ill-health prevented me from spending a long time on the phone, she offered to transfer me to M&S HQ customer services which I accepted. - And, guess what? After outllning my complaint, and telling her of my growing frustration, she transferred me back to the first number I tried.
I give up - enough hair torn out!

[rowanwitch]

1. The person who bought them needs to complain... I was badly let down at christmas by i****flora and it took a few phonecalls but I did get most of my money refunded
2. Big 'flowerdays' mothers day valentines and easter flowers tend to be sold more'advanced' so they look their best on the day....this means they will last a lot less time than flowers bought in bud or not fully open
3. Funeral flowers will often be made up from flowers with only a day or so of life left in them as they are usually viewed on a single occasion and then are left to wilt and die

[Euphemia]

A happy ending was achieved after I managed to get a lift into an MS branch, accompanied by five withered roses. The manager treated me with the utmost courtesy confirming that the flowers were totally unacceptable and offering two bunches of roses to make amends. She did add that there had been numerous complaints about the system of having one telephone operator answering calls to local stores' individual numbers.