Keen to support a business local to my elderly mother, I telephoned Ascent-sation a week in advance of Mother's Day 2014 to request 'a very large, colourful' bouquet be delivered to her house. I paid £100 over the telephone to include a delivery fee. My mother subsequently emailed me photographs of the bouquet - 6 pink roses, 4 lily stems and a handful of other non-descript stems in a plastic vase; no more than twenty in total, and comparable to a £45 bouquet from M&S. Four days after the delivery, my mother sent further pictures showing the flowers wilting and dying despite keeping them in a well lit, cool room. Following the advice on the 'seven day guarantee of satisfaction' card, I emailed Ascentsation with photographs asking if there had been a mistake and received a response explaining I had not been charged for delivery and arguing that the plastic vase was glass ( the barcode was still on it and we double checked online; it is plastic ). I emailed again asking for confirmation that the flowers were worth £100 - I received a 'yes' and an offer to provide a cost breakdown which never never arrived despite me sending three chaser emails. Now I will take the matter up with my bank and / or trading standards but this has been a very disappointing and upsetting process where I feel my trust in a local business has been misplaced. Next year I will return to M&S. read more
