Raspberries for Shari’s
Problems plague Valentine’s Day orders
A national flower and chocolate arrangement company is not feeling the love from customers after it botched thousands of Valentine’s Day orders.
Upset customers flocked to Shari’s Berries and ProFlowers social media pages to complain about the companies’ lackluster service after customers did not receive their orders on time for Valentine’s Day or had quality control issues with the chocolate-dipped fruits. The two companies had an advertising blitz across TV channels and radio stations over the last few weeks.
The two companies, which are owned by FTD Companies, said it stands by its products. “If a gift sender or recipient is unsatisfied with their order, we will replace it or provide a refund. We have dedicated customer service representatives in place to resolve issues to our customer’s satisfaction, 24/7,” FTD said in a statement to the Herald.
However, customers have said that they were unable to reach the companies over the phone or email.
Lisa Martin of Chicopee told the Herald that her husband’s chocolate and flower order showed up Friday morning after it was left outside over the evening.
“The box of chocolates were opened and the berries were legit spilt all over,” Martin said, adding that her husband was given a guaranteed Wednesday delivery date. “The ProFlowers were crushed underneath. I’m so frustrated.
“Out of desperation, I reached out on Facebook and Twitter, but I have not heard from anybody,” Martin said. “I have to disagree with their statement (provided to the Herald). Customer service is zero and there is no ownership of this problem. Why is it happening so often?”
David Gerzof Richard, a public relations professor at Emerson College who teaches crisis communications, noted that internet-based flower companies have been in the business for over two decades.
“It’s nothing new,” Richard said of e-commerce flower businesses. “To get it wrong now, there is no excuse for the mold or for logistics. Every business has something like this. The NFL has their Super Bowl. Accountants have their Tax Day. Retailers have their Black Friday. They know the day is coming and you avoid these situations by evaluating the previous year and avoid redundancies and ensure it doesn’t happen next year.”
Richard said that a company like Shari’s could rebound from a major catastrophe like this if “they commit to be fully transparent as to what happened, a true apology that explains how they messed up and what steps they are making to ensure it never happens again. This is not the business to be in by screwing up with delays where orders are a day or two late.”