What do you call a florist who isn't a florist?

It may sound like the beginning of a joke, but to consumers and florists all over the United States, it's really the story of how some companies are using deceptive and misleading advertising to unfairly take your money and give good florists a bad name. These companies are referred to collectively as "Order Gatherers", and their numbers are growing at an alarming rate.

Fictitious Local Phone Numbers

Often, an order gatherer will purchase a phone number in a city where they do not actually have any locations. They will often couple that deception with another - a local sounding business name, such as "Kansas City Florist" or "New York Flowers". An article by the Federal Trade Commission says the rest:

When you call, you’re unknowingly forwarded to an out-of-town telemarketing operation. The telemarketer takes your order and credit card information for payment, and forwards your order to an area florist. The telemarketer pockets a processing fee and usually a percentage of the sale as well. You don’t realize you’ve been scammed until you get higher than expected charges from an out-of town company on your credit card statement, or learn that the flowers weren’t delivered as ordered, or were never delivered at all.

$50.00 = $22.20?

Many times, an order gatherer will use a ruse such as "Free Delivery" to get more customers. But as we all know, there's no such thing as a free lunch - or free delivery. The cost is hidden from the customer, but be sure that it's still there. Say you place an order for $50 from an order gatherer. Many will first charge a "Service Fee" of anywhere from $8 to $15 (or more). They then keep 27% of the total as a commission for selling the flowers. Finally, nearly all florists have minimum delivery fees which must be paid (even if the arrangement is sold as "free delivery") which range from $5 to $10. So let's do the math: $50 paid by you - $10 service fee - 27% commission - $7 delivery = $22.20. Some fees such as delivery fees can't be avoided, so be sure you're dealing with someone you know and trust to let you know up front what you'll be getting for your money.

Internet Searches

It's said that on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog. This is meant to illustrate that the Internet is the great equalizer - everyone has a chance to compete. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way - most search engines now allow companies to purchase higher rankings for keyword searches. This means that when you search for someone to send flowers in Indiana, a floral order gatherer in India might actually be the first web site that shows up - all because they paid the search engine a fee to be certain that it would come up that way.

Get More Information

This is only the tip of the iceberg. Much more information can be found online, at web sites such as FloristDetective.com and HeartlandFlorists.org. Be sure to take a look at these sites and others like them so that you can be a smart shopper, save money and send the quality you've come to expect from your local florist. Help us make the answer to the question at the top of this page "out of business".