Ryan sent his father flowers last December through FTD.com but they never arrived. Ryan apparently forgot to give his father’s apartment number to FTD, and when UPS tried calling FTD for delivery instructions, rather than ask Ryan to clarify the address, FTD instead told UPS to chuck the flowers. None of this was apparently worth mentioning to Ryan, who just recently learned that his gift was never delivered.

Ryan writes:

Back in December of 2008, I ordered a small bouquet for my dad and his girlfriend from FTD.com.

The bouquet was small and simple, and it was scheduled to arrive on the 23rd of December (I ordered relatively quick shipping). The total cost of the bouquet was $37.69.

Now, I never checked up on the delivery and naturally assumed it had been delivered. I don’t talk to my dad very often, but when I finally did I asked him how he liked those flowers. Turns out he never got them.

So I go to check my email and dug up the UPS tracking number. The sequence of events is as follows:

12/23/08, 3:20AM: OUT FOR DELIVERY

12/23/08, 3:23PM: THE APARTMENT NUMBER IS MISSING OR IS INCORRECT. UPS IS ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN THIS INFORMATION.

12/23/08, 9:21PM: THE APARTMENT NUMBER IS MISSING OR IS INCORRECT. UPS IS ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN THIS INFORMATION. / DISPOSED OF PER SENDER REQUEST, CONTACT SENDER FOR MORE INFORMATION

To summarize, the address I used to send the flowers to my dad was incorrect; I had forgotten to include his apartment number. So that part’s my bad. UPS apparently recognized this fact when they went to deliver it, but they never contacted me to ask for the appropriate number. That’s especially strange considering FTD (and presumably UPS) had my phone number and my dad’s phone number. Nobody was ever contacted to ask for more information. Additionally, UPS clearly spoke with FTD, who instructed them to dispose of the flowers!

If they don’t bother contacting people, why do they request the sender’s phone number AND the recipient’s phone number?

I’ve just contacted FTD regarding this matter and am awaiting a response. The easiest way for them to correct this problem is to simply refund me my money. One thing’s for sure, though: I won’t be using FTD again after this incident. I’m hoping you can publish this to let others know about the extreme idiocy that’s been exhibited, here, and hopefully avoid similar problems in the future.

PS. FTD’s website proudly states they’ve been rated “Best Overall” by CBS News. The irony.

If FTD doesn’t issue or a refund or if they try to issue a credit, call your credit card company and file a chargeback.

Whenever you need to send flowers, skip the online portals and instead call a local florist.

(Photo: James Jordan)

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