AIBU To Feel Ripped off by a florist?

[Blankfluff]

My partner had arranged to collect my Valentine’s Day flowers on Saturday morning, which he’d ordered and paid £80 for earlier that week for collection.

However, when he went to collect them, he couldn’t believe what he was presented with. He complained at the time that he didn’t believe the bouquet was worth anywhere near what he’d paid for, others in the store collecting flowers agreed with him but the florists dealing with the collection just gave him a snooty response and carried on serving other customers. He called me to explain, but I had assumed he’d been dramatic, however, when he presented me with them, I was equally shocked, I can’t have thought these would be more than £40 from a good florist or maybe £25 from M&S.

Looking to get some other opinions, would you be happy with these flowers for £80? Personally, I think he should have been offered a partial refund if he wasn’t happy, or that they could have added a little to the bouquet to fill it out a tad. But equally very happy to be told this is what flowers cost and we should adjust our expectations accordingly

YABU - this is good value for money
YANBU - they have had his pants down

Not only is it a meagre arrangement, they look half dead!! The flippin cheek of them! I’d be embarrassed handing those to a customer

That is shocking OP. I wouldn't pick them up out of a tub in M&S or anywhere else and would move on somewhere else. They look almost dead already.

M&S flowers are always better value and last the longest. I would love to support independent florists but always disappointed.

Outrageous price to pay for that!

My DH paid £10 for lovely yellow roses & other flowers a few days ahead of Saturday, hid them in the cool of the outhouse and then arranged them himself beautifully in a vase on Saturday morning before I got up.

You don't have to pay a lot

😂 You had me going for a few seconds there. 😆

I got a lovely bunch of roses yesterday from my local Asda for under £2,they were in much better condition than your bouquet.

@WaryHiker

I can't believe your husband left the shop with those! He must be spectaculary unassertive.

Send him back with pictures of the flowers as they were when he picked them up, and take the actual flowers back too. Also print out this thread and hand it to them. Tell him you haven't named the actual florist ... yet! But you thought they should see what other people think of their products and prices.

I honestly think that any shop owner would piss themselves laughing at any man who turns up with a thread off Mumsnet 'printed out to give to them' as some kind of defence and evidence that he is in the right. 😆

If I told my DH to take a thread that I have printed off Mumsnet to back up his argument, he would fall over laughing! 😂

@Blankfluff OP, do NOT do that. Do not tell your DH to go back to the florist with this thread printed off to show to them! 😬

Absolute shite. They're dead and even if they weren't they'd be worth a tenner.

He shouldn't have accepted them.

Who was asking for a refund then?

They are either bf/gf/hubby/wife NOT PARTNER

My dozen red roses from Tesco were way better than these definitely been ripped off

Valentine flowers they seem to like to triple the price, I was looking at a bouquet for myself as couldn't get out to shops and saw this bouquet that could be delivered. It was a random local florist and it was £150. Crazy prices. I really hope you get a refund for yours.

The flowers are crap.

Your DH tried.

Your phrasing 'they have had his pants down' is horrible.

That's a shocker! It's like they ran out of flowers in decent condition and fished the half dead ones out of the bin in a panic.

Should have stood his ground in the shop and made a fuss until refunded. Though I understand that doesn't always come easy to people.

Such a shame, most of us want to support local business but not when they mess up like this and then get arsey about it.

Florist here - is this genuine? If it is, request a refund. Is this a fresh or dried arrangement? Whatever the case, it is NOT worth £80. Are you sure they gave you the correct bouquet? The eucalyptus that surrounds the roses is worth £6 at most - it is dire. The roses look dried, but even so, they would not cost you that much dried. Where did your partner buy these please? I would be shocked if I found out they came from my staff!!!

Mine too OP. However, these are dried up flowers and not fit for sale. I like to support small local businesses too, but not ones who take advantage by inflating prices and charging a ridiculous amount for inferior goods.

Name and shame them...local Facebook page and business review.

Review - with photo - move on.

I worked in a florists years ago. I would never buy flowers on Valentines day, ever. The prices go through the roof and the quality goes way down with much of the produce having been overly force grown to capitalise on the busiest day of the year. Staff are also stretched to breaking so service goes down.

Even then though, those flowers are a disgrace. The roses look dead. They might revive somewhat once the stems are cut and placed in water but even then they won't last long. £80 for half a dozen roses and some greenery is ridiculous.

This. First post nails it.

I agree! I would’ve stood there until my money was refunded!

Though it’s years ago now I ran my own independent florist business for a decade.
The wholesale price starts to creep up well in advance of big money days like Valentine’s, so a price increase is inevitable. I never took advantage of these days to bump my prices to ridiculous levels, I built a loyal customer base out of this practice.

I would have been ashamed to let that leave my premises. The flowers look in awful condition and the arrangement is shoddy! Definitely not worth what he paid for it, and even at a lower price it still doesn’t look professional.

Is the florist with someone like Interflora? I only ask because sometimes they have conditions applied on stock levels and it can affect quality in my experience.

I tell DH not to buy me flowers for valentines as the prices are jacked up for utter garbage.

I love the phrasing ‘they have had his pants down’.

Funny and makes light of the situation.

Oh dear, you are absolutely right to complain. I have honestly bought better flowers from Tesco for £20. They look like they are wilted a bit too.

This. And tell them you'll leave an honest review which will depend on how they deal with the complaint.