On some websites you may see pictures of flower arrangements that are closely cropped or zoomed in. This certainly doesn't show off the bouquet very well, does it? But there's a reason for this: the vase is not included in the price shown. So they try to cut it out of the photo. Sometimes they slip up however, and you can see a bit of the vase at the bottom, like in the example at right.
There's more to this than just an extra $10 or $15 for the vase. Without the vase, you don't get an arrangement but just a bunch of flowers, and not what you see in the image. It's not going to make the best first impression, plus the recipient will have to figure out how to do the arrangement themselves, that is, if they have the right vase, without the benefit of the picture, and if they know what they're doing. Chances are slim that the end result will ever look like what you saw on the website.
There is a good reason why you should go with a vase, by the way. The flowers will not only be properly arranged, but they will also be delivered in water and will last longer. In this case however, it'll cost you extra.
Smoke and Mirrors Pricing
The example below is from a website where most things seem to be "on sale" most of the time. To begin with, the markdown is from "list price", but there's no such thing as a "manufacturer's suggested list price" in the flower business. If anything, the flower seller is the manufacturer, and can pretty well create any "list price" they want.
As it turns out, you can't even buy the item at the so-called sale price anyway! Of course, the vase is not included, although you can clearly see it in the picture. But look at "Option(s)". It says "Must Select 1 Choice Below", and the lowest price option is $5.99 for wrapping. Yes, wrapping. So the real price is automatically $5.99 more than the "sale" price they're promoting.
And there's more. If you buy a vase, it's only "placed in box with flowers for recipient to arrange flowers in", which is yet more of what-you-see-is-not-what-you-get. By the way, box delivery is often by courier which can be a big problem, so be sure to see the section on this further on.
This example points out a critical difference in online shopping: you're not covered by standard consumer protection legislation. If a conventional retail store advertised unsubstantiated markdowns and applied non-optional extra charges, they would get investigated, fined, and be made to print an apology notice in the local newspaper. But the law is not applied to online, because what you see on the Internet may come from another country, over which domestic authorities have no jurisdiction, so they let it go.
When shopping online, you're on your own. Be sure to read the fine print, and be sure to read between the lines too. If you have any doubts about the seller's honesty and integrity, go elsewhere.
Beware of Grand Claims
Here are things that some florists say in their online advertising or on their website: "Canada's National Florist", "Canada's leading nationwide florist", "Toronto's leading florist", "Toronto's finest florist", "recognized as one of the premier flower shops in Ontario", and so on. As a consumer, you should take all this with a big grain of salt. Anybody can say anything they want on the Internet. There is no national chain of flower shops in Canada, and no agency that tracks who's "leading".
This points out another difference when you shop online. If Proctor & Gamble runs a TV ad saying Crest toothpaste reduces cavities by 49%, they need to have scientific studies and lab test results to substantiate their claim. Otherwise, they would be in violation of Canada's Competition Act for misleading advertising, and the Competition Bureau would go after them. But this consumer protection legislation is not applied to online advertising or websites.
There is however one claim that could well be true, but which does you no good at all. FTD (Florist Transworld Delivery) does not rate its florists by quality or service, but strictly by volume. The most likely way to get the volume needed to be a "top FTD florist" is by being an e-marketer.
Beware of Small Claims Too
There are more shenanigans that go on, although they can be tough to spot. But here's one example.
The shop name in the picture on the right is difficult to read, especially since it's a night photo and cut off at the top. It's actually "Allegro Flowers", which doesn't seem to have a website.
The problem is that this image is from the "About Us" page on the website of a different flower seller, with a different name, located miles away. When you order from them, your flowers won't be coming from the flower shop you see in the picture.
It's getting so that you can't trust anything.
"Free Delivery"
You know very well that there is no such thing as free delivery. The next time someone delivers something to your home, ask them if they're working for nothing, using their own vehicle, and paying their own gas.
When buying flowers, what "free delivery" really means is "delivery included". You're paying for it anyway, and the delivery charge is just buried in the price. The only way you can actually get free delivery is to go to the flower shop and pick it up yourself.
This can get more serious if an e-marketer is involved. Remember from Part 1 how your $60 order ended up as $48? If the affiliate florist now has to knock off the delivery cost, then whoever you're sending the $60 arrangement to may only get a $36 bouquet. And you look like a cheapskate.
There's another twist. Some online sellers offer "free delivery" but charge a generic "handling fee" or "service charge", which just happens to about equal a delivery fee. My, what a coincidence.
So if you see "free delivery", they're just not being honest with you.
"Free Vase"
This is the same ruse as "free delivery", just taken a step further. You're paying for it anyway, one way or another. You can probably expect to get the cheapest, plastic dollar-store vase you can imagine, and that they will try to hit you up for an upgrade at the check-out.
"We Buy Direct From Grower"
Some companies claim a big advantage because they buy their flowers directly from the growers. This may sound good at first, but it just doesn't hold up when you look into it, although we can only speak for MoonFlower Florist and our Toronto location.
First of all, who the growers are is not at all simple. There is actually a significant flower growing industry right here in Ontario. The Ontario Flower Growers Co-Operative (OFGC) has over 100 members and has been established for over 35 years. The quality is top-notch, and in the summer months we buy most of our flowers locally, sometimes literally off the back of the grower's truck. OFGC also operates what's known as "The Clock", pictured at left, a sophisticated facility in Mississauga for wholesale auction of both domestic and imported flowers.
Not all flower varieties can be grown locally however, and the supply is limited in winter. Flowers are then imported, mostly from South America, but more common varieties are flown in directly to Toronto. Ecuadorian roses for example, can come in to Pearson International on Sunday evening and are immediately transported to The Clock. They go on auction at 6 am the next morning, get put on wholesalers' trucks, and go out to retail florists like MoonFlower. The roses can be in our shop in less than 24 hours after the plane touches down.
Less common flowers and special orders however are usually trans-shipped through Miami, Florida, which adds time to the process. But the "direct from grower" outfits are in the same boat for infrequently used varieties.
Overall, "direct from grower" may not mean very much, thanks to our high quality local growers, and to the fast and efficient system for handling flowers we have here in Toronto. What makes the biggest difference in how long your flowers will last is how well the florist prepares them, and how well you take care of them after they're delivered (see our care instructions in About Flowers).
Courier Delivery
Some companies deliver flowers by courier. This seems to make sense at first, because shippers like FedEx and UPS are reputable, do a great job, and can pretty much deliver anything anywhere overnight. But it just doesn't work for flowers.
Anything shipped by courier has to be tightly packed. That means the flowers, greens, vase, card and whatever else are separately put in a box to save space. It's not a great first impression, and the recipient has to assemble and arrange the bouquet themselves.
Furthermore, flowers can only tolerate a narrow temperature range, but courier companies do not use climate controlled transport. If it's a little too hot or too cold (which in Toronto is most of the time!), the flowers will start to wilt and die.
Here's a YouTube video that shows what can happen. We call it "Some Assembly Required" (the direct link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brzya0F3sVw if you have trouble viewing it here).
Resources
Have you gotten this far? Good for you, and Thank You! But it's not just us who are concerned about what's going on in the flower business. Here are some links to further resources.
FloristDetective.com is a US-based website that provides information on "alleged deceptive and misleading florist advertising and marketing practices". It has invoicing samples, mapspam addresses, case studies, and many more details, along with a host of links to yet more references including media coverage. It's the place to go for an object lesson in consumer manipulation on the Internet.
Real Florists Blog by FlowerChat is more oriented to professional florists, but there's still plenty of useful information for consumers, like "Why Your Flowers Don't Look Like The Picture". There's also coverage of the latest spams and scams of interest to anyone who wants to be better informed about the perils of online flower buying.
If you come across misleading advertising or deceptive pricing, you can easily and privately file an official complaint. There's an online form at the Canadian Competition Bureau. In more serious cases, if you feel you have been the victim of economic fraud, you can go online to report it to the RCMP's RECOL service.
It's not just us. Other real florists are also fighting back and trying to alert the buying public about what's going on. Two examples are Flowers Insolita and their "Fake Local Florists", and Blomm'in Bee's "Don't be a victim of an Order Skimmer".
Feel free to give MoonFlower Florist a call at 416-752-6444 if you need any help in finding or selecting the flowers you want. That's what we're here for!
Direct Flower Delivery Area: MoonFlower is a quality florist in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and we send our best flowers and beautiful bouquets directly from our retail flower shop to people you care about throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). We deliver directly to all 416 area code Metro Toronto communities, including East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, and York. West of Toronto, we go out to Brampton, Mississauga, and Oakville. To the North, we have direct flower delivery to King, Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, and Whitchurch-Stouffville. And to the East, we deliver flowers directly to Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, and Oshawa. The delivery charge is the same for all areas. For a map, please see Local Delivery Area.
Across Canada and the US: We are full-service florists committed to serving all your floral needs, and we can have flowers delivered anywhere across Canada or the US. In this case, we will directly phone as many florists at the destination as it takes to find one that we are confident will do a great job. There is a fee for this service, but our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee still applies. When it has to be right, it just has to be right!
International Flower Orders: We can arrange to have flowers sent to almost any country in the world. But flower availablility, delivery conditions, and other circumstances may vary greatly depending on the destination. For flower orders outside Canada and the US, please call us for specific information.
Custom Flower Orders: Yes, we do custom requests and special orders! MoonFlower is known for original and creative floral design. If you have something special in mind, or need some help to make the right choice, just call us!
Our MoonFlower Exclusive Flower Arrangements: Item #s starting with the letter "M" are MoonFlower exclusive designs and are available only for our direct delivery area. They are delivered right from our design room. As you order on our website, the appropriate delivery options will be shown. Other items can be ordered for delivery anywhere in Canada and the US through Teleflora, which is like FTD except better in our opinion. Teleflora images are used with permission.
On some websites you may see pictures of flower arrangements that are closely cropped or zoomed in. This certainly doesn't show off the bouquet very well, does it? But there's a reason for this: the vase is not included in the price shown. So they try to cut it out of the photo. Sometimes they slip up however, and you can see a bit of the vase at the bottom, like in the example at right.
There are more shenanigans that go on, although they can be tough to spot. But here's one example.
First of all, who the growers are is not at all simple. There is actually a significant flower growing industry right here in Ontario. The Ontario Flower Growers Co-Operative (OFGC) has over 100 members and has been established for over 35 years. The quality is top-notch, and in the summer months we buy most of our flowers locally, sometimes literally off the back of the grower's truck. OFGC also operates what's known as "The Clock", pictured at left, a sophisticated facility in Mississauga for wholesale auction of both domestic and imported flowers.
Back to previous page
news & specials!