With Valentine’s Day rapidly approaching, you’re likely planning on buying some roses for that special someone yet again this year, but where should you get them, how much can you expect to pay (For tips on getting the best prices, click here. To compare prices, reviews and buy online, visit the Yahoo! Shopping page), and most importantly, will they dazzle her? We ordered and compared rose deliveries from four of the top flower delivery sites, and here are our findings:
1-800-flowers.com; $81.64
We ordered a dozen long stem roses, hand-arranged in a glass vase for $59.99. They arrived on time and in good shape, but two of the dozen looked like they’d seen better days, and the white baby’s breath were substituted with dried out pink ones. With a service fee and guaranteed morning delivery, the total came to $81.64.
Proflowers.com; $82.69
These roses, which cost us $34.98 plus an additional $9.99 for the vase, arrived on time and in a gift box, as expected. But the Do-It-Yourself approach was a thorny and less romantic experience then receiving a bouquet that was already arranged. From a distance, it looked just like its online photo, but upon closer examination, half of the roses had frayed edges. The service fee and guaranteed morning delivery upped the total price to $82.69, and watch out - this site charged $20 more for the same arrangement the very next day.
Teleflora; $77.94
Teleflora guarantees that all of its bouquets are hand-arranged by a local florist. This is optimal because the flowers will go through a rehydration treatment and last longer upon arrival. To save money, we didn’t order long stem, but this bouquet stood just as tall as the others, and the roses were fully bloomed and hydrated. At $77.94, this was a winner for best value, and quality. And by the way, of all the sites we tested, Teleflora has the least amount of consumer complaints, according to the Better Business Bureau.
(See also: Yahoo! Shopping's Valentine's Day Gift Guide)
FTD; $82.04
What a droopy disappointment! These roses did not arrive on time (even though we paid the extra $10 for guaranteed morning delivery), and 10 out of the 12 roses looked like they were about to die. When we called customer service to complain, they promised a new arrangement within the next two days. Regrettably, they weren’t much better. In a written statement, FTD said it takes every order “personally” and that it is “100% committed” to responding to consumer concerns.
Local florist; $60-$100
This bouquet, with the longest stems, most vibrant roses, and beautiful accents, was by far the most impressive!
Have you ordered flowers online? Tell us about your experience. Connect with me on Twitter @veragibbons and use the hashtag, #finfit.
