Somewhat Pricey But No Shipping Charge,
Same Day Delivery Make Up For It
USA Flower
It seems I have had reason to send flowers a lot lately - and not for good things. Nonetheless, it has to be done and, while I use a local florist for local things, I have had to search around for decent florists to deliver nationally (and one internationally).
One florist I recently used was usaflower.com.
A friend suggested it to me. I had never heard of them but I was in a rush and needed to get a floral arrange to another state in a hurry. Not having time to comparison shop, I clicked, picked and ordered.
What The Site Sells
Floral arrangements for every occasion, plants, gift and fruit baskets, and assorted other things one would send to another to show them that you care or are thinking of them for whatever reason.
The Prices
Flowers are expensive, aren't they? It seems they keep going up in price and it is hard to find a decent florist that doesn't charge an arm and a leg. This one is somewhat above average in price. It is lower in price than the really big national and international florists but not as inexpensive as my local florist.
However, delivery within the US if free (with a $1.99 handling fee) which definitely helps. You are charged sales tax. International delivery is $20.00 extra and there are dozens of countries that you can choose from to deliver to which is rare. I searched for a long time looking for a florist that sent arrangements to Australia. I ultimately went with an Australian florist because there wasn't a decent arrangement at usaflower.com to send for the occasion. Each country has a limited amount of choices.
Navigation
The site is split into occasion categories and, further down, into types of items like Gift baskets, Fruit Baskets, Green Plants, Balloons, etc.
Click on either the occasion or the exact type of item you want to send and you will see many choices with prices ranging from affordable to outrageous. There are usually three choices per arrangement - the standard size and two larger and more expensive sizes.
The photos are very good and make everything seem well worth the money. Having never seen the actual arrangement I sent, I can't say if it was, indeed, worth the money.
When you find what you want, you click to add to your cart. You will see the total with tax and the $1.99 handling fee.
Naturally, before you can check out, you are given several add on options such as teddy bears, balloons, and candy. You can choose to add something or not.
Check out is pretty simple. You must know the exact address of the recipient obviously, as well as a valid phone number.
If you order before 2 p.m. in the time zone of the recipient, you can have the arrangement delivered the same day. THAT was what cinched it for me as the wake I was sending the flowers to was that day and I had found out about it only an hour before I was scrambling to get flowers. I didn't expect to ever find same day delivery so I settled on sending an arrangement to the recipient's home. When I saw I could get it there that day, I went for it and crossed my fingers,
Once you have all the information filled out for the recipient and have given the info for a gift card, you then pay by major credit card - Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Am Ex, or Diner's Club.
Once that goes through, you get a confirmation letter.
If there are any problems with the order, they will call you or you can call to verify which I did. I was very worried that the arrangement would not make it to the funeral home that day.
That's it. A second email comes when the flowers are delivered and you wait for the thank you from the recipient.
My Experience
I searched through the sympathy area and saw many beautiful arrangements that were way out of my price range. I settled on a nice one that was more than I intended to spend but, with same day delivery and only a $1.99 handling charge, it really wasn't that outrageous.
I placed the order on the website but called to verify that my flowers would get to the funeral home later that day. I was assured they would be and I asked a few other questions which were answered professionally and then waited.
My flowers did arrive for the evening services, much to my relief. As far as I know, they were fresh and as described. I didn't want to ask the recipient about that at such a sad time. I just know she did get my flowers on time.
I guess that's pretty much all you can ask from a florist. You choose the arrangement and add ons, pay the bill, and hope the thing looks like the photo and gets to the intended recipient when promised.
Usaflower.com fulfilled those requirements.
Policies
Shipping is free in the US, with a $1.99 handling charge.
It is an extra $20 internationally, which is painful. I suggest going to a florist in the country you are sending the flowers if you need to send internationally. I did this and shipping was free and prices very reasonable. Of course, once again, I have no idea what the flowers looked like.
All orders must include the real name of the sender on the card message. If you don't use your real name, they will hold the order until they contact you or add the real name of the sender to the card. I have no idea why you have to use your real name (So much for surprises) but that's the policy. Obviously, I did use my real name and I can't really think of a time I wouldn't so that policy doesn't affect me in the least.
You must order before 2 p.m. in the time zone you are sending the order to, in order to get same day shipping. Remember that. It isn't 2 p.m. your time, but their time so, if you live in the east and are sending an arrangement to someone out west, you have to take into account that they are two to three hours behind you and calculate accordingly. Arrangements ordered after 2 p.m. will be delivered the next business day.
There are no deliveries on Sundays and national holidays.
Add ons like balloons and candy cannot be sent outside of the country. You must check with the listings and availabilities of the country you want to send flowers to, to see what you can and cannot add.
Remember to list any special instructions at check out in the box at the bottom.
Contacting Info
You can call 1 (800) 231-7592 to order by phone or verify orders, ask questions etc. Phones are answered live 24 hours a day.
Conclusion
I am pleased with my experience. I was in a rush and I was able to get same delivery for no extra cost. I only paid $1.99 handling and no shipping fee. The price of my arrangement was a little higher than I expected to pay but I hope it was worth it. At least it got there promptly and seemingly in good shape with all I wanted. The card was as I wanted and, from what I can tell, the arrangement was fine.
I wish I knew what the arrangement looked like but I couldn't ask my grieving friend to snap a shot of the flowers I sent so I have to assume they were as described.
For the friendly customer service to the large selection to the on time delivery and ease of ordering, I am giving this site 4 stars. I would give it 5 if I was sure the flower arrangement was as large and as nice as it appeared.
I think, though, you can be confident that this florist will do what you want and deliver your choice of items as advertised. I would use them again - just not internationally. They are a bit pricey but their service more than makes up for it.
Recommended:
Yes
