Florist News

Yep, that's who it was.

Turns out customer had used yell.com and Interphone came up with a local address - which of course doesn't exist. Customer therefore thought her £140 worth of flowers would be delivered nicely as she'd asked as an aqua bouquet from a delivery driver.

Tut tut. What can you do? I've complained to yell many a time about various florists that don't occupy those addresses but they don't do anything about it.

What about trading standards or chamber of commerce can they not act this sounds like another one for carrington you should pm her with details didn't she say in one of her posts she got one removed

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Yes I'd say it is a dooberry for Trading Standards. I recall that FWB ran something about this kind of thing a few years back. I complained to yell then about the dodgy addresses and every now and then when I find one I complain again but nothing ever seems to get done.

Maybe that's because there are so many out there they're struggling to get through them all?!

Then Try carrington she usually gets things done especially if it is an address in your town or near you I would want to make sure they are deleted trouble is it's there until new yellow pages is printed

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I can't see that advertisers such as yell.com will ever assume the role of Trading Standards and start vetting their customers based on their abilities or morals. They would soon be out of business. It's just one of the downsides of living in a 'free' capitalist society.

On the other hand, where i am at the moment, if i wanted to do some painting and decorating for someone..i would need a licence.

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I complained to yell about debenhams and boots listing their shop addressses as florists on yell. On the basis that neither shop sells flowers from those addresses and you cannot even order or pay for flowers in store. After weeks of complaining, Yell refused to budge, I have cancelled all my advertising with them now apart from the weblink which was already paid for.

I also contacted the advertising standards authority....but the ads are still there

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Sarah Creating Bespoke Wedding Flowers Cheshire

I wonder if there's a petition on a HUGE scale that we could set up, where we all sign to get things like this stopped, we could have it on our counters as well to let our customers know what is happening and get them to sign it too?

Failing that........watchdog!!!!

(we could all ring up on the same night so they say at the end "we have been inundated with calls regarding false florists advertising on yell.com")


gettin carried away now! - been a long hard day

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hahah i like your thinking arumflowers

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Sarah Creating Bespoke Wedding Flowers Cheshire

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Ahh the dear Interfone. They who impressed some florists on another thread with some juicy orders ... but will quite happily send out boxed flowers if they can.

You're right PL Yell can neither do anything about it nor prob want to. We managed to get Trading Standards involved about 4 years ago but it all became too confusing and muddly for them and they gave up for lack of resource. Trouble is we can only do so much ourselves.

You see I've just done a check on Yell, entered Interfone Flowers and left the area search blank. According to Yell, Interfone have 53 shops in the UK and I know, looking at them, that's wrong becasue being the sad postcode and florist geek that I am, I have a pretty good idea of who is where.

But while I know it's wrong, we still have to verify it which means we have to cross ref them all to our database, find the real shop at the address shown or, if no shop name on our records (over 12,000 of them), check that there is even the street they claim. I (and it is me as I think it has to be me) then ring all the ones we can cross ref to find out if they know about it. Usually they don't, usually they're appalled and always say they'll do something about it.

Well I can see that some of the addresses I spoke to earlier this year are still there so either the florist hasn't done anything about it or Interfone have bunged them back on.

It stinks and nobody really gives a stuff so if you do want to do a mass campaign to Watchdog you'll have my full support and help. The more we flag these sort of issues the better as long as we are careful not to end up knocking the whole flower industry by presenting it in the wrong light.

Which is (and no this isn't an advert, more an explanation) just one of the reasons why I want Master Florist to work. The creation of an honest way of listing/promoting real shops that can't be sullied and spoilt by this sort of caper or cost the consumer an arm and a leg in charges/hidden commissions etc etc.

OK rant over!

Carrington