Yes. Receiving Flowers IS Nice

Disclosure

It’s no secret that I’m kind of frugal.  I’ve always told my husband that I don’t want to be fawned on with flowers and chocolates because I’m sure there are better uses for our money.  Flowers eventually die and chocolates make me fat.

So why is it that when he does splurge and buy me flowers, that I can’t stop smiling from ear to ear?

The reality of it is that yes, I do like receiving things like that as long as it’s a surprise and it isn’t a regular thing.  I’m truly happy when I return from the gym and DH has taken the time to cut flowers from my garden to build a bouquet!

Yet sometimes we need to send them to other people.  I mentioned to my MIL that I was approached by ProFlowers about reviewing their product here at SAHM Reviews in preparation for Mother’s Day.  As I proceeded to explain that ProFlowers is a website, she interrupted me with “I’m very familiar with them.”

Oh, really?  How so?

“I’ve used ProFlowers several times to send flowers to…” and she listed some people who she has sent them to over the past few years.  MIL told me that one of the recipients of her gift commented at how the flowers she received from ProFlowers lasted the longest of any flowers she has received.

So I was anxious to find out for myself about how fantastic these flowers are!  To give some background about working with companies and representatives for brands, the process it pretty similar.  When they contact me, they ask if I’m interested in working with them… and if so, please pick something in their designated category, price range, whatever based on the particular outreach campaign they are working on.   When ProFlowers representatives contacted me, I responded that (duh) I am interested.  But after surfing their site for about an hour without being able to decide WHICH item I wanted, I took a different approach.  I explained that virtually nobody picks their own flowers out.  Most people receive them as a gift without knowing what will arrive.  My response to him – send me whatever you like.  I’m looking forward to being surprised.

And this is what showed up:

Well, that isn’t exactly how they showed up.  The flowers – along with glass vase – were packed carefully in a specially designed box.  As is typical, the flowers came with ‘food’ to add to the water.  But what was a bit different was how they were packaged inside the actual box.
It was labeled with a note that said “Be Gentle: Tear here, and then unwrap your flowers with care.”  Once that was removed, I found that they were embedded in that green floral foam then wrapped inside plastic wrap to hold in the moisture.  To finalize it, there was a note that said to remove the outer petals that were left in place to help protect the roses during shipping.

The roses were stunning and within the past few days, have opened up and are even prettier.

But in the interest of being honest, I need to tell you that one of the stems arrived broken.  It had already started to turn so I knew it wasn’t something I did during the massive unwrapping process.   So I contacted the PR representative with whom I was working with on this project.  I asked what the policy is (for the typical consumer) when something arrives damaged.

He replied that they make it right in one of two ways. By refunding the money paid for the flowers or by sending a replacement.  Being the skeptic that I am, I thought to myself “Wonder if that’s their written policy or something he’s telling me because I’m writing a review.”  So I logged onto the ProFlowers website and went to the customer service tab.  Know what I found?  Their policy in writing.

We guarantee that all our flowers, plants and preserved items will last at least 7 days or your money back. If for any reason you are not satisfied with the freshness of your flowers, please call or email us and we will gladly replace the bouquet or refund your money. Potted plants have an extended guarantee of 14 days.

It says a lot about a business when they stand behind their products.  Good customer service means a lot to me and if a company isn’t willing to step-up then I’m not likely to give them any return business.  ProFlowers puts it in writing.

But it gets better… When I told them what happened, they asked if I would like a replacement bouquet or possibly something from their partner site, Sharis Berries.  I explained that I’m not the typical customer because I didn’t pay for the product… I received it at no charge to facilitate the review.  There wasn’t any reason for them to feel obligated to send anything else out.  The 11 roses I had sitting on the counter were perfectly fine with me and I was merely inquiring (about their guarantee policy) for the sake of including it in my review.

I thought the matter was closed.

Until the following day, I received another package.  I opened it up to find an apology accompanied by the largest, most amazing looking chocolate covered strawberries I have ever seen.  Although I had a few pictures that showed the strawberries even better, I opted for this photo because you can see my hand holding the box.  THAT shows you the true size of these strawberries!  We’ll be enjoying those today at Easter dinner.

What do you think?  Beautiful flowers, plants and even gourmet gifts.  ProFlowers provided a $50 gift code to give away to one of my readers!

The Prize: One $50 ProFlowers Gift Code

Participants –

…must provide a US shipping address
…must provide an email in the first comment, email me directly with an email address or have email accessible from their profile.

Sometime on May 4, 2011, a winner will be chosen at random from all valid comments left. Winner has 72 hours from posting/notification to respond. If winner cannot be contacted, I will move on to the next random selection.
How to enter:   <GIVEAWAY CLOSED>

The experience I had with this order – coupled with the rave reviews provided by my MIL – have sold me on ProFlowers.  If you’re in the market for flowers or gifts, visit Proflowers or one of their other brands – Sharis Berries, Red Envelope, Cherry Moon Farms, ProPlants, Personal Creations or ProFlowers International.