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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Any florists on? Want to know if IABU or not?

58 replies

Bettyhatesavocados · 03/10/2021 15:46

Sorry...this is longish but I want to give the whole story. I got my mum some flowers from a florist nearby to be delivered to her on her birthday.

I was charged £4.50 for delivery because the order was taken instore (not online which is apparently free to anywhere in the city but you don't know this till you are at the store!). The florist's is about a mile away.
The person who took the order asked what I would like to happen should no one be in. I said that someone would be in...and someone was when the florist's driver 'supposedly' knocked... There were three dogs in the house at the time, two of whom will bark if they hear the slightest rattle of the gate, letterbox on the wall etc.

At about 2pm I called to see where the flowers were and was told they had been delivered next door! When I asked when they said an hour ago (which I said could not be accurate as two people and three dogs were in the home at that time and a delivery would not have been missed then...also, I had been glancing from the kitchen to the door to keep an eye out.
Anyhow, I called the florist after retrieving the flowers and said that I had been unhappy with the delivery as I had said my mum would be home and I really wanted her to have the surprise of opening the door to them! I said I was pleased with the flowers, however...

Now, I don't order flowers a lot. My mum thought they looked beautiful in their box and she decided as they were so nicely arranged she would leave them in the bag of water in the box for a few days... (NO Care Instructions or flower food were included with the bouquet). Three days later and the flowers were starting to look ropey, to say the least. my mum went to transfer them to vases. The water was odd colour and stank, and many of the stems were slimy and dark green.

My mum ended up throwing a good 50% of the flowers away and transferred what was salvageable to a vase. Three days later they are dying with rose petals falling off (despite my mum putting flower food in herself to try to perk them up!)
Mum's birthday was last Saturday and today the flowers need to be binned. She wants to take photos and complain the the florist.. Is she being unreasonable?

If the flowers are not meant to stay in the water bag/ display box for 2 or 3 days should the florist say so on a care card or something? Should you just 'know' how to care for flowers that come in a water bag and display bag? If you are a florist, what would you do?

I am disappointed as, for me, the flowers were not cheap and in the past I've bought my mum nice supermarket ones that have lasted three weeks with flower food (provided) and frequent changes of water...

Anyhow, all opinions are welcome even if you think IABU...

Thanks!
Ps. I have added a partial photo of the bouquet as it is advertised on the shop's website (had to crop to get out the florist's name and address). There is no care advice section on the site. I can't show the flowers as they are now as I don't yet have a photo but they are awful. Post edited by MNHQ to remove the photo for the OP

OP posts:
Original poster
Bettyhatesavocados · 03/10/2021 15:47

Never mind, the cropping failed!

OP posts:
seaandsandcastles · 03/10/2021 15:49

The florists name and address is on the little card in the bouquet, OP.

Original poster
Bettyhatesavocados · 03/10/2021 15:50

Thanks, I know. Don't think I can do anything about it now... I'll maybe ask mumsnet to delete when I've had a few responses.

OP posts:
WhatisanODP · 03/10/2021 15:51

Yeah YABU.

Of course leaving them in the water in a dark box would make them go slimy! She should of transferred them to a glass vase!!

Totally her own fault.

SylvanasWindrunner · 03/10/2021 15:52

I don't know, it sounds fairly minor to me? They made sure flowers were delivered somewhere safe - it doesn't make sense they wouldn't try the delivery address before leaving them with a neighbour so either they got timing wrong and there was no one in, or you really didn't hear the door, etc.

And I don't think I'd ever leave flowers in the wrapping - the first thing I do is unwrap, cut the stems diagonally and transfer them to a vase and put fresh water and flower food in. So I think that was a bit silly and not surprised some of them pegged it!

Original poster
Bettyhatesavocados · 03/10/2021 15:55

Okay , thanks was totally prepared to be told IABU but, delivery issue aside, I do think the florist should have included some basic care instructions. Not everyone knows to transfer immediately and the flowers looked so lovely - professionally arranged and in the box - that we both thought it would do no harm to leave them displayed like that for a couple of days...

OP posts:
SylvanasWindrunner · 03/10/2021 15:58

I think generally flowers are packaged with enough water to account for the delivery and a small delay but not for sitting in it for a few days.

The no flower food thing is a bit poor for an expensive bouquet though.

Coulddowithanap · 03/10/2021 16:06

My husband often buys me flowers and we find the expensive ones he buys from the florists never last very long, lucky to get a week out of them. Always been delivered with flower food though.

Original poster
Bettyhatesavocados · 03/10/2021 16:07

I know I sound like I'm backtracking...but the day after arrival my mum did remove the box. She did keep them in the bag filled with water for a couple of days though. Anyhow, I think the florist should provide care instructions and food at the least. Appreciate all your advice, though, thanks!

OP posts:
FlexibleGiraffe · 03/10/2021 16:13

They should come with instructions I think. I got a beautiful delivery of flowers like that, and didn't know how I was meant to deal with them either. Part of the beauty of the flowers is the way they're arranged, so I also assumed they were meant to stay as they were. Obviously I removed the packaging but I left the arrangement as it was.
I don't think it's such a daft question. Florists need to remember that we are not all clued up about how to treat flower deliveries.

WhoIsPepeSilva · 03/10/2021 16:14

I bought flowers from a florist for MD one year, never again. Extortionate prices and they died within days - mum is great with plants so no user error involved.

Next year I got her flowers from Lidl that lasted for ages.

SunshineCake1 · 03/10/2021 16:23

Supermarket flowers have lasted longer than fancy ones ime.

Original poster
Bettyhatesavocados · 03/10/2021 16:34

Thanks FlexibleGiraffe and WhoIsPepeSilva...

My friend got me supermarket flowers once - reduced pretty significantly because they were 'display until that day' - and they lasted for weeks! Next year, the supermarket it is!

OP posts:
1forAll74 · 03/10/2021 16:43

I think that everyone should really know what you do with flowers when you receive them wrapped up, as I assume she would have had flowers before. They need to be dealt with quite soon, in vase,and arranged, and maybe clip stalks for the arrangement and size of vase etc. The slime and some droopiness can happen quite quickly after being packed, and also need to be put in a fairly cool room. ( not next to a wood burner or radiator ha ha .

Franklyfrost · 03/10/2021 16:53

Putting flowers in a vase is too basic to warrant instructions.

It’s always annoying when flowers don’t last but them being tied up and in a small amount of water won’t help.

I don’t understand the delivery problem- she didn’t answer the door or the dogs were too aggressive for the flowers to be delivered or they got the wrong address?

Not seeing why you’d complain. I think the florist would be confused at best.

Original poster
Bettyhatesavocados · 03/10/2021 16:58

Franklyfrost they were in quite a lot of water in the bag. Dogs bark but are not aggressive. If someone had knocked - or even come up the path - they'd have barked, not aggressively but as small, yappy dogs do. They had the right address but delivered to the neighbour. Also, 1forAll74 they weren't near any heat source and I've had supermarket flowers with care instructions so I think that's a bit of a moot point, especially considering the cost!

OP posts:
Original poster
Bettyhatesavocados · 03/10/2021 17:00

Also, supermarket flowers have care labels and don't come in a bag of water. People tend to buy only from a florist for special occasions, they pay a lot of money, so the least the could do is put a care card in imo.

OP posts:
Dishwashersaurous · 03/10/2021 17:02

Sorry. I'm afraid that remove flowers from transporting packaging and put in a vase in water would be incredibly patronise to put with a bouquet of flowers. It's obvious

Bellringer · 03/10/2021 17:04

Bloom and wild deliver fabulous flowers, or by post

Looubylou · 03/10/2021 17:05

Some are arranged in a bag of water,obscured by a pretty box over the bag - and are meant to be displayed like that to avoid the need for a vase. That's very common in my neck of the woods, I've bought and been given loads like that. They normally last about 2 weeks.

Fairyliz · 03/10/2021 17:08

Tbh I’ve always been disappointed by flowers that have been delivered and I’ve sent from several places and received from others.
I think it would probably be cheaper to buy from Tesco who have really good flowers and pay for a taxi to deliver them Grin

SpittinKitten · 03/10/2021 17:11

I've always been told to trim flowers and place in fresh water as soon as they are in my home - I wouldn’t think that flowers from a florist would be any different to supermarket ones in that respect, label or no label.

SpittinKitten · 03/10/2021 17:11

@Bellringer

Bloom and wild deliver fabulous flowers, or by post
Yeah, I've not had a bad bunch from them yet Smile
LadyGAgain · 03/10/2021 17:13

And £4.50 delivery would have made me leave the florist. To go a mile? When free online. What a piss take.

ColdTattyWaitingForSummer · 03/10/2021 17:14

To be fair, I always thought the ones delivered in a bag of water could be displayed that, at least until the water ran out. So by that token YANBU, as I wouldn’t have known either.