Ordering flowers to be delivered for the major flower-sending holidays, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, is always taking a risk. When florists are doing such high volume, you run the risk of getting flowers that aren’t exactly what is pictured on the website, or that aren’t perfectly fresh. As long as they aren’t dead, that’s okay, right? What if they substitute in another color when the arrangement’s color is the entire point?

Olivier’s wife chose the flowers she sent to her mom for Mother’s Day based on the color. Her mom likes yellow, so she picked the yellow bouquet at left. Teleflora substituted what you see on the right.

It’s not ugly or inadequate, but it’s missing the entire point of why Olivier’s wife chose that arrangement in the first place. Yes, florists reserve the right to change things around if what they have on hand is different, but flower deliveries aren’t cheap. Is “close enough” good enough?

This is where “designer’s choice” bouquets can come in handy: if the local florist you’re ordering from doesn’t have something like that on their website, give them a call and provide a color theme, any allergies the recipient might have, and your desired price range. They can whip something up according to your parameters instead of subbing in something close to what you ordered.

Did you send or receive a really great or really terrible arrangement this Mother’s Day? Plant it in our Garden of Discontent by submitting it to tips@consumerist.com.

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