Flowers, Anyone?

I'm just sort of ranting here about something that happened a few months ago, but I was reminded of it yesterday when I thought about sending flowers to cheer up a friend.  Now, over the years I have sent beaucoup bouquets for pick-me-ups, special occasions, etc. - but except for the blessedly infrequent funeral, I've never actually SEEN what I paid for.  

That all changed back in April, when Lara's mom had back surgery & Ben really wanted to send her some flowers.  I generally use 1-800-FLOWERS, but for some reason decided to go with FTD.com instead - I'll never make THAT mistake again, believe me!  Lara was at the hospital when the arrangement arrived & sent me a picture so I could show Ben what he sent his Grammy Sue. (Remember, it was springtime & the flowers were supposed to be cheerful!!)  

Here's what she got:

Here's what I ordered:

So, call me picky, but the only resemblance to what I ordered & what arrived was the vase & a couple of the roses!  I was soooo disappointed that I even called to complain . . . something I just don't do as a general rule.  The folks at FTD.com were very nice & apologetic, but they didn't offer to refund my money . . . the said they'd send a "generous gift" to compensate me instead. Their idea of generous isn't the same as mine, though . . . their $15 gift certificate off of my next order with them (gimme a break!) got thrown in the trash as soon as it arrived.

So, for now I'm a little gun-shy about the whole long-distance flowers thing & won't be doing that again for a loooooong time unless absolutely necessary.  You can rest assured, too, that when it ultimately happens, I won't be placing my order with FTD.com!!