I got a tip from a friend about delivery problems with 1-800-Flowers, which calls itself “the world’s #1 online florist.” The gift she ordered was never delivered, and customer service reps gave her the extreme runaround about future delivery dates, which also never materialized, and then hemmed and hawed about refunding her money.

Turns out she’s hardly alone. There’s a litany of similar complaints at Consumer Affairs.com, where consumers can post bad experiences.

More alarmingly, people ordering from 1-800-Flowers were also getting charged by a mystery company called LiveWell for which they had never authorized business. There’s a settlement going down with that, and you have until January 15th to file a claim.

Reports of delivery problems are further backed up by the Better Business Bureau. As of December 1st, “Delivery Issues” has been their biggest customer complaint, with 157 complaints in the last 12 months, 395 over the last 36 months, and 552 to-date total.

That’s an extremely motivated 552 people who took the time to complain directly to the BBB. For every one of them, I wonder how many have had similar unreported problems?

This is a good time to keep in mind that this economic crisis is affecting everyone. Lots of companies are having trouble with cash flow, and its reluctance to refund seems like a red flag. Even if it’s not a sign of root rot at 1-800-Flowers, who wants to deal with this kind of “service?”

Luckily there’s a happy ending for my friend because of another tip she’d like to pass along. She says she argued successfully for her refund using this article from the Federal Trade Commission (and published by the National Education Association) called, “Billed for Merchandise You Never Received?”

Read the whole thing, because sadly, sometimes sometimes it takes some sticky red tape to retrieve your spent cash.

No related posts.

Tags: 1 Comment