When a pet passes on, it’s just like losing a member of your family. I’ve gone through it many times already and am not looking forward to going through it again. Animals share an incredible bond with their human companions and when they suddenly pass, you immediately notice that missing member of the family.
Friday night I learned that friends of mine had their beloved dog pass away earlier in the day. It was unexpected and they were besides themselves with grief. Their dog did everything with them and she was treated like one of their children. Knowing the pain that they were going through, I decided I would try to brighten their day by sending them a flower arrangement through 1-800-Flowers.com.
Saturday I went online and placed the order and since I already missed the “same day delivery” cut-off time, I opted to have the arrangement delivered on Sunday, May 16th. Finding it unusual that I didn’t receive a phone call, email or text message acknowledging the flowers, I decided to check to see if the flowers were actually delivered. I called into 1-800-Flowers.com‘s customer service department and explained the situation. He proceeded to tell me that the florist in the area was not open on Sunday. I proceeded to say, “then why was I allowed to choose a Sunday delivery date and why didn’t someone call and let me know.”
I was put on hold.
He came back and said, “I tried to call the florist to see if they are delivering it today, but I didn’t get an answer.”
I explained once again that the flowers were ordered on Saturday, were supposed to be delivered on Sunday, so what can be done. In an arrogant tone he said, “I’ll pick another florist and have them delivered tomorrow.” I proceeded to say that was unacceptable and they should be delivered today as they are now going to be two days late. He replied with, “I’ll pick another florist and have them delivered tomorrow, is that acceptable?”
The customer service representative I got expressed no empathy, never mentioned the word “sorry” or offered to do anything other than deliver the flowers tomorrow. But what more could I expect considering several things went wrong here:
1. The website allowed me to pick a Sunday delivery date even through they acknowledged that the florist they use in that area isn’t open on Sunday.
2. No telephone call, email or any form of contact was attempted to advise me of a possible delay.
3. If the flowers couldn’t be delivered Sunday wouldn’t you expect them to be delivered the next day?
So now my flowers will arrive two days later than anticipated. However, I have no intention on paying for them. Once the flowers are delivered, I’ll be contesting the charge on my American Express card.
