JustFlowers.com

Full review
In looking over all of the Epinions reviews for JustFlowers.com, I see that every single one is rated one star. I wish I had looked here before I ordered my Mother's Day flowers from them, however my experience wasn't nearly as bad as everyone else's.

The main reason I ordered from JustFlowers.com was because they are a portal at CreationsRewards.com, (of which I am a member). I get points for ordering through their website, which I can redeem for cash and gift cards.

There were several online florists at CreationsRewards, but JustFlowers had exactly what I was looking for, and even though I didn't get as many points per dollar ordering from them, I chose them because of their choices in flower basket arrangements.

Who Are JustFlowers.com?

From their website:

JUSTFLOWERS.COM is based in Los Angeles California. We have over 9 years of experience in the gift basket and floral industry. We work with preferred gift basket
vendors and floral suppliers worldwide to bring the highest level of service and satisfaction to our
customers online. JUSTFLOWERS.COM is committed to offering exceptional service to our customers. We understand that the gifts that you send represent you both personally and
professionally.

Shopping Experience

The JustFlowers.com website is very easy to navigate, and they had a complete section just on Mother's Day arrangements. I found a basket that I loved, it contained a mini rosebush with several green plants hanging over the sides, like Ivy and Ferns. I wasn't sure if these greens were cut, or complete plants that could be transplanted. So I called their 800 number and spoke with a very nice salesperson. (She used to live in Alaska so we had a nice chat).

She assured me that the basket contained all plants that could be transplanted into hanging baskets or a garden. I ended up placing my order, and the whole process only took me about 10 minutes.

They had a code on the front page of their website that gave $10 off on orders $50 and over. I used this code, and with shipping my order came to $60 (with the $10 coupon applied). The delivery fee was around $15.00. I expected to have a basket valued at $55.00 when I deducted the delivery fee.

The customer service rep told me that the flowers would be delivered on the Saturday before Mother's Day and that if my mother-in-law wasn't home, they would leave a note on her door to call when she would be available for them to be delivered to her.

The website has flowers for other occasions, such as:

Birthday
Get Well
Sympathy
Funeral
Newborn
Thanks
Love
Anniversary

The gift choices are broken down by:

Flowers
Roses
Gift Baskets
Chocolate
Bears
Plants
Fruit
Balloons
Wine

Delivery

My mother-in-law was out of town on the Saturday prior to Mother's Day, so when the flowers were delivered from a local florist, they were left with her neighbor. She received them the following Monday, and called me to thank me for the arrangement.

As my mom described her arrangement to me, it didn't sound like what I ordered. She said there were two rose bushes, of two different colors. That was different. I asked her if there were any green plants included, and she said no. When I explained to her what her basket was supposed to look like, she said, "well, let me look a little closer". Aha, she did find a green plant. A tiny fern hidden down under the rosebush that she had to hunt to find. This was definitely NOT what I ordered.

How My Complaint Was Handled

I immediately sent JustFlowers.com an email complaining about the quality of what was delivered, stating that what my mom received was not what I ordered. They immediately answered my email saying they were sorry and they would look into it.

The very next day a rep from JustFlowers.com called me to let me know she was personally checking into the situation for me. She wanted to know exactly what I ordered (which was no longer on their website), and what my mom received. She kept me on hold while she called the florist in Colorado and spoke with them about the situation.

I was then told that they would replace the order, and at the same time they would credit my account $10 for the inconvenience.

Our Resolution

A new basket was not delivered to my mom, rather she was asked to visit her local florist and pick out what she wanted. They were very nice and explained that they wanted both her and myself to be happy with the arrangement. My mom was nice enough to return the original order to them, since the roses were in very good shape (she wasn't asked to do that however).

The manager of the florist shop explained to my mom that the online flower business is not a good deal for anyone. She showed her the invoice that she received, and out of the $55 arrangement, they only got paid $45.00. So right off the bat, I was getting less for my money.

She said they didn't even have the plants in stock that were supposed to be included in my mom's gift basket! What? That's not a very good way to do business! I don't think that they are associated with FTD, because I have never had this happen when I ordered with FTD.

What You Should Know

The local florist my mom went to was very negative about the online flower industry. She said that not only do they often not have in stock what is needed to fulfill orders, they don't even have the same codes to go by. She had no clue what my mom's arrangement was supposed to look like! I don't know for sure, but I believe the florist was only given a written description of my order. That makes the whole process very subjective. It's a disaster waiting to happen.

She said that unfortunately, the online business takes a big chunk of the payment, in my case $25.00!! The local florist got paid less, so the value of my order was significantly less that what I expected to be sent.

If you are unhappy with your order from JustFlowers.com, you need to voice your concerns within 48 hours of delivery. They list both an email address and a toll free number to contact them.

They are unable to cancel orders once they've been sent out to a florist delivery. If you just placed an order and wish to cancel you can do so by calling their 800 number.

Closing Thoughts

Luckily, the florist shop manager was very sweet to my mom, and apologized over and over. She let mom pick out what she wanted, and my mom was able to choose items that she could plant in her flower garden.

My sister-in-law also ordered Mother's Day flowers online, both for her mom and my mom. Neither of the arrangements were ever delivered! I do not know what service she used.

JustFlowers were very professional, calling me personally to resolve this issue. They wanted me to be satisfied. However, from now on I will just call the local flower shop in my mom's hometown and order directly from them. The only downfall to ordering in this manner is that I cannot see what I am getting. But if my experience with the online florist shops is any indicator of how they fulfill orders, what you see is not always what you get!

All in all, I had a much better shopping experience than the the rest of the Epinions members, and was happy how this issue was resolved. However, in light of what I learned from the florist that arranged my mom's flowers, I will not be placing orders online in the future. This florist shop manager said that ordering online is not good for the customer, nor for the local shops who fulfill the orders.