Local Florist Scam
How to make certain you’re dealing with a real local florist shop and not a telemarketing firm.
Here’s how this local florist scam works
When shopping for a florist offering worldwide delivery, beware that some floral websites appear to be a local florist shop, but are in fact telemarketing firms running a local florist scam. This can happen even if you find the number for a florist in your own telephone white pages.
These telemarketing firms will frequently take out listings in the white pages or Yellow Pages using the local town name. This is to make you think you are dealing with a local flower shop, when in fact, your call is being forwarded to the out-of-town telemarketing firm. Some even set up websites using local town addresses, but the phone number actually takes you to their telemarketing call center.
After this middleman takes your credit card information, he sends your order to the local florist, who fills the order. When your credit card bill comes, you find out that a part of the cost of your flowers went to this out-of-town telemarketer and their processing fees can be quite high.
In addition to paying more for your floral gift than the cost should have been, you may go on to find out the flowers were not as you ordered them or that the delivery never happened at all.
How to avoid this kind of scam
To avoid disappointment when choosing a florist for your next order, here’s a few things you should do. First, you can ask your neighbors and friends whom they recommend. This is a good measure to take when choosing any sort of professional, from dentists to carpenters. Choosing a florist is no different.
If you’re looking in the phone book or online, be sure the florist is one that lists a street address. Even if you have found the florist through directory assistance, the operator should be able to give you a physical address. If there is none listed, go elsewhere with your business.
Also, look for the FTD or Teleflora symbol in their advertisement or the little BBB indicating that they are members of the Better Business Bureau. You can track this information down even if the florist is in another town or state. Ask about pending complaints that have been filed.
When you finish with your order, always ask for a bill that itemizes your charges. Extra charges for flower delivery and taxes are normal, but there shouldn’t be other unknown charges or processing fees.
It’s also a good idea while you have the florist on the phone to ask them for directions to the store. If it is a real local florist you are doing business with, this should not be a problem for them. If it is a problem, you should probably look for a different merchant.
Additional security tip
When shopping for flowers online, always look for a secure server symbol on the order form. You can find this in the form of a little icon of a lock in one of the corners of the web browser. Also, the web address at the top of your browser will begin with https://, while an non-secure page will only have http://.
When you order over a secure server, your information is encrypted so others can’t steal your credit card information. You can always stop before completing the transaction, so make certain before submitting the order.
Whenever you are in doubt, call the number listed on the website (there should be one), and if you don’t have a good feeling about the florist, go on to another one.
Most of the online florists out there are legitimate businesses and provide convenient and satisfactory service. Using the information here can help you spot those few that may be running a local florist scam.