ATTENTION - Read this comprehensive Fair-Trading.com.au report exposing exorbatant commissions being unknowingly charged to florists & customers alike by a named flower relay group for YOUR online orders.
BEWARE - the report confirms you ARE NOT receiving the full monetary value of flowers that you though you were spending. Read the report - without prejudice from us detailing many many florists & customers telling the world what's happening & why YOU are entitled to know!!
Here's examples of independent comments from the Fair-Trading report - there's plenty more inside the report.
Comment - 29 April 2009
Thankyou very much for your efforts. I am encouraging our competitors in Bairnsdale to also stop using Ready Flowers (see below). We rejected a Ready Flowers order just this morning!
"Dear Florists, We have until recently, being accepting orders from a Online relay company called Ready Flowers. My partner and I have been concerned about the difference between what Ready Flowers appears to be charging their customer and the value of the order placed with us by Ready Flowers. Ready Flowers appears to be taking more than would one would perceive as a fair commission for providing their relay service. Recent emails, which you may have also received, indicate that legal action is now being taken against Ready Flowers. We have commenced to reject all orders from Ready Flowers. We are hopeful that if you also will reject their orders so that Ready Flowers has no outlet in Bairnsdale. I’m sure that if none of us deal with Ready Flowers the orders will still come through one of the more legitimate relay services."
Comment by Florist - 1 April 2009
Hi Gordon - As a manager and partner of a Florist Shop for the past 16 years, I have done work for Ready Flowers in the past, their orders were always way under value, for me to execute the order that they had illustrated to their customer. I would have to send the flowers out at wholesale prices without making anything for my time or even a profit!! I phoned them quite irritated of the monetary value I was receiving. They would always increase the value of the order to what I required but it was always a battle to get the increase in monetary value. In the end I would not accept any orders from Ready Flowers because I felt the consumer was being ripped off!!. In fact I found out from a customer of Ready Flowers that they had paid substantially more than I received to create the order. Their customer rang me directly, as I always put my florist sticker and business card with every order that leave my shop. The customer was upset that the flowers weren't what they had pictured from the webpage, while the customer was on the phone I went to the website to check and see what the customer had paid. I was horrified to find that this customer had paid $130.00 and I received about $55.00 - $65.00 to create the same order! I'm not really sure of the correct amounts but it was a clear rip off!!! I was really upset with Ready Flowers. I apologised to their customer and explained what I had received from Ready Flowers. I said to them that they would have been better off contacting me directly and told them I would send out an apology bouquet to the recipient. They were really happy with my response but here again I was left to hold up my own business's reputation before Ready Flowers destroyed all my hard work.
Comment by Gail Marshall - 1st April 2009
As the president of the Tasmanian Florists' Association and a florist owner/manager who has worked in both Victoria and Tasmania for many years I have seen and worked with both relay and web florist services.
Anyone that can use a computer can set up a web florist service and it is a detriment to the florist industry that we allow these rogue traders to flourish. The problem is that we are the problem. The web florists rely on real florists to execute the orders for the price they dictate. If we slopped doing this, they would cease to exist- on a professional level at least.
Why are florists so divided and belligerent within our own industry? We would be stronger if we ALL stood together to stop non-florists eroding our hard earned profit margins. This issue was discussed at our last meeting and T.F.A. members do not associate themselves with Ready Flowers.
Comment - 31st March 2009
Gordon ... we had been receiving orders from ReadyFlowers for awhile but because of the value offered we rejected most of them and upon becoming aware of the information you provided now reject all orders without regard to value ... good luck with your quest to rid our industry of such an unscrupulous practice ...
Comment - 5 February 2009
Here's an update on Ready Flowers' new business tactics. Ready Flowers have now deliberately removed all costing figures from their supplying orders to florists. Florists now no longer know what the order value is, how much of the "amount to charge us for delivery" is, or any other information they used to supply. Ready Flowers is now selling their floral orders to the florist as a single total amount without reference to any other costing details. It is now up to the florist to try and work out those details or otherwise be tempted by the one lump sum amount shown. They are also attempting to remove the immediate payout system and introduce a one off monthly payout at the end of the month (currently delayed) so as a florist, you are now no longer aware of how much you have to pay Ready Flowers to give away your flowers to people.
Wouldn't it be nice if the people behind the Kerri-anne franchise could get behind the florists and expose the Ready Flowers system she recognised as an easy money maker at florists labour exploitation.
Comment - 24 January 2009
Well done for exposing them and now hand this to the media and see what they can do. I am a florist and have been approached by this and other type companies to do their orders I have their web site on my computer and just tell them I can't do the order for their price knowing full well how much they are selling the item for. Refusing the order usually results in the client ringing direct to find out that I am not shut as they have been told by Ready flowers but also when I quote my price they are amazed to find out that I am much cheaper and more amazed to find out that the $90+ order was relayed to me for $15.50 plus delivery. One other occasion I arrived at work to find a phone message from one of my clients all excited about the arrival of her niece "I want to order something big and beautiful $150 to go to the hospital ring me" so I did to find out that she was so excited that she went online and placed the order. This did not worry me as I am the only florist in the area and I would get the order anyway. It came through for $77.50 inc delivery. Knowing my client I rang her to explain that what she ordered was only small in comparison to all the other family members. She was amazed at the amount of fees taken out told me to do the $150 order and that she would cancel the relay order. When she contacted them she was told that there was a 50% cancellation fee. Guess they get their commission anyway they can!!!
