Sad, pitiful customer service. And insane cost compared to other florists in the area who create gorgeous arrangements.
Dealing with Vogt's made me just plain sad.
I called first thing to have flowers delivered to my aunt today on her 90th birthday. (Family members called to say arrangements had not been made as planned and I needed to do a Hail Mary.)
So I called Vogt's Flowers and placed an order and dictated the names for each gift selected from the website: A plant, an orchid, a rose bouquet, a tiny arrangement in a tea cup, 3 balloons and a little basket of food items.
The friendly clerk took my name and phone, address of recipient and my credit card information. I explained that the card belonged to my fiance and had his name. Frankly, I didn't think to provide his address when asked or I would have. Anyway, done and good. I was offered the order number for reference. To be delivered by 2p today.
Later, I get a call from a woman who says she's the owner and the bill total is too large for a single order and suspect. She then added that the address given doesn't match the credit card. I said that was an easy fix and explained the address situation and handed the phone to my fiance for confirmation. The owner of the shop said my fiance had to email a photo of his driver's license and credit card. He explained that no one should send a photo of a driver's license and credit card over the Internet. It's a recipe for identity theft.
Then my fiance offered to divvy up the order onto separate cards if that was easier. Then I offered to provide my credit card with my name that matched the address initially provided to the first clerk and in the system.
Then I offered to slash the whole order to one plant.
The cost for that item? Just $34.95 plus delivery.
The owner declined. She said that I was suspect and the whole situation was suspect. And she didn't feel comfortable taking my order.
So, it never occurred to me that there might be a crime spree involving stolen credit cards and flower delivery. I mean, I always read that people bought electronics. Ah, well.
It was hard to believe I'd spent an hour researching flowers, talking with the shop about each little message on the cards and trying to just pay. At this point, I was panicked about getting an order delivered to a retired school teacher who lives with her poodle on a happy little street in Grand Blanc, Mich.
Incredibly, I called Vogt's because I specifically tried to patronize a business in Flint, Mich., knowing that the area is economically depressed. What I ended up doing is calling a florist in nearby Grand Blanc, Mich., which is higher income, and placed the order immediately and without incident. Plus, I called an Edible Arrangements shop for the food basket.
Ironically, the bills for my orders at *TWO* shops in Grand Blanc totaled less than Vogt's Flowers. I mean, almost 30% less. That was shocking. And delightful.
So it all turned out great. My aunt loved the surprises. Just wish I'd known from the beginning to start with someone else and avoid stress. read more