Anyone who’s ever searched for florists or flowers online in Canada will probably have come across Bloomex. The company is one of the most aggressive online advertisers going. Bloomex however has attracted a lot of negative reviews, such as Toronto Star consumer advocate Ellen Roseman’s blog on How does Bloomex stay in business?.
Well, now you can watch When you buy from Bloomex, do you get your money’s worth? It’s a video from CBC’s Marketplace and it’s well done, professional quality. They even put in actual orders and had experts evaluate what Bloomex delivered. And their verdict is …
If you have been following our blog, you’ll know that we have a few less-than-complimentary things to say about “economic science”. Our first post on this was Let’s Rescind The Nobel Prize For Economics, which tells you where we’re coming from.
Now we’ve come across Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a financial scholar and former securities trader, and his book The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable. The Black Swan refers to a rare event. Taleb argues that economists’ current financial risk models are completely inadequate for dealing with the world’s interconnected economy in case a black swan comes along.
In an op-ed piece for FT.com, Taleb notes that the “Nobel Prize for Economics” is actually mislabeled. It was started and is funded by the Swedish central bank, and is officially the “Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel”. But it’s not one of the awards Alfred Nobel originally created. Those Swedish bankers are a clever bunch.
Taleb also has a few choice things to say about the “science” of economics, like:
- Modern portfolio management “has the empirical and scientific validity of astrology”
- The environment in financial economics is “reminiscent of medieval medicine”
- “The (Nobel economics) prize is … an insult to science”
Gee, what do you suppose he really thinks? You can find out more at Nassim Nicholas Taleb’ home page, which is aptly named fooledbyrandomness.com.
With their rich, autumn-colored hues, marigolds are the quintessential October birth flower. Early Christians called marigolds Mary’s Gold, and placed it by statues of the Virgin Mary. Brilliant and colorful, with a late-harvest warmth and a broad open bloom, marigolds signify affection and grace.
The Office of the Attorney General of New York State has obtained a $640,000 settlement from FTD Inc. over their involvement with companies that tricked consumers into signing up for discount clubs with hidden fees. When completing an online purchase at FTD, consumers would be presented with a discount offer, but that they would be agreeing to transfer their credit or debit card information and to pay monthly fees was buried in fine print and cluttered text.
Under the terms of the settlement, FTD must also permanently end the practice of providing consumers’ billing information to companies that market discount clubs online. FTD’s $640,000 will go into a fund that will pay for consumer education, refunds, and the costs of the investigation.
FTD (a.k.a. “Florists’ Transworld Delivery”), headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, is one of the biggest players in the floral wire service business in North America. Two other big florist “order gatherer” companies, 1-800-Flowers and Pro Flowers, as well as many other well-known retailers, are also involved in what has been referred to as a “billion dollar web scam”.
According to the Attorney General, the scheme “tricked hundreds of thousands of New York consumers”. But New York is just one state – there are another 49 to go. The precedent may accelerate settlements in other jurisdictions.
The official press release is here. See our January 2010 blog post on FTD and 1-800-Flowers in Scam Probe for more background.
All, Business & Economics, Florist Industry, Shopping Tips and Info | 
1-800-Flowers, buyer beware, consumer beware, e-marketer, florist, flowers, FTD, order gatherer, Pro Flowers, scam
The birthday flower for August is the gladiola, which signifies strength and moral integrity. Its name comes from “gladius”, the Latin word for sword, just to make a point. Although its sword-shaped stems may imply Roman gladiators, gladiolas are also romantic flowers capable of piercing a heart with their beauty. Infatuation is another one of its meanings.
With its lush, dolphin-shaped flowers, the delphinium symbolizes an open heart and ardent attachment. It is also known as larkspur, and it signifies feelings of lightness and levity. The gentle hues and refreshing fragrance of this summer birth flower give it a refreshing and distinctive natural beauty.
MoonFlower Florist is off on vacation. We have shut everything up and will not be fulfilling orders in the meantime. Yay for us!
The rose has long been a symbol of love and passion, and is rich with history and meaning. Cleopatra lured Mark Antony with a room knee-deep in rose petals, and the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite presented a rose to Eros. With roses, each color can convey a distinct meaning, and the number of stems can represent a unique message. Roses are appropriate for almost any occasion, and this June birth flower always signifies beauty and perfection.
All, Birthday Month Flowers | birth, birthday, florist, flower, flowers, June, month, moonflower, rose, roses, Toronto
MoonFlower Florist is having a sale on all remaining high quality silk plants and flowers – 25% off! These are unique, one-of-a-kind silk arrangements created to showcase our design skills. But now it’s time for them to move on, and so you can get a deal!
Silk flowers and plants make great permanent decor items. They are almost zero maintenance and can last for years. Display them in your home to create a welcoming ambiance and that touch of nature. Silks are also ideal for the office, to brighten up a reception area or to spruce up a boardroom. And you don’t have to water them, ever.
Our silk flowers and plants also make a great gift. They are distinctive works of floral art that will be appreciated for a long time.
See them all here at MoonFlower Silks. But hurry, there’s only one of each, once they’re gone, they’re gone!
We have just put some new corsages and boutonnieres on our website, and just in time for prom too! By the way, these are MoonFlower exclusive designs, and you won’t find them anywhere else.
Here’s one of our new corsages on the left, featuring beautiful and exotic mokara orchids. It comes with a copper bracelet, and can be worn on your wrist or arm.
And you guys out there, don’t feel left out, because there’s a matching boutonniere too. In fact, MoonFlower Florist has several sets of matching corsages and boutonnieres.
You can see it all in the “Contemporary” category on our website in Formal and Event Flowers.
Comments (0)
