Valentines Day flowers delivered a day later

mme

I paid an additional sum for guaranteed next day delivery of flowers for Valentines Day. The flowers arrived a day late. I contacted the company after delivery and requested a full refund and asked them to arrange to collect the flowers as they were no good a day late.
The company are just ignoring my emails.
Do I have any legal rights with it being flowers? I have looked at several threads about late delivery but I’m not sure if it is the same for flowers.

Manxman_in_exile

I think you can claim back the additional fee for guaranteed delivery on Valentine's day, but you (or she) got the flowers, albeit a day late.


Valentine's day is not a "special" day.

London50

2 days IMO you should never use flower delivery services .....Valentines day and Mothers day as there is a fair chance that a good percentage {no matter how much it paid}will either not arrive or will be poor quality.
As above the extra fee should be returned but not a full refund for the reason given.

robatwork

I don't tend to agree with the above.

*If* your contract states that the delivery should be on Valentine's day, then the company is in breach of contract and should offer you a full refund.

You would need to find the exact paperwork that was agreed to online or signed to see if delivery was guaranteed.

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/im-unhappy-with-flowers-bought-online-what-are-my-rights

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

Would you say that if I order a pizza from Domino's they can bring it round next week and still charge me? Of course not, you wanted it then and there.

I'd argue flowers are the same. They are also perishable, so it's not like you have them ever after...they are only good for a day or so, and you wanted them for a particular day.

Les79

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

Would you say that if I order a pizza from Domino's they can bring it round next week and still charge me? Of course not, you wanted it then and there.

True, but I think it is slightly different. With takeaway food you do generally want it within an hour or two of ordering. With flowers, you don't necessarily want it on the day specified. OP could, for example, have ordered flowers on the 13th Feb for a birthday on the 15th Feb (and NOT valentines day). Next day delivery was not met, but the flowers arrived on time for the event needed.

I think it would revolve more around how much of a song and dance the company made about the flowers being for valentines day + not just a general purchase.

I'd argue flowers are the same. They are also perishable, so it's not like you have them ever after...they are only good for a day or so, and you wanted them for a particular day.

True, but they could simply have sent out fresh flowers a day late; it doesn't necessarily mean that they've sent out flowers which were a day or two old! So, whilst the perishable element is there, it may not be a factor whatsoever. Depends on the cause of the delay though to be fair. If there is a delay on the courier's end then you have a valid point, but also the company have a valid point in saying that it was out of their control. In such circumstances I think a depreciation (partial) refund would be helpful.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

Nobody wants flowers for an unspecified period. There's no point them arriving at 10am on a day when you are leaving for a week's holiday; or even when you are just going to be at work all day rather than around to appreciate them. It's not like a sofa that will be there for you when you get back. You want them for a specific period. If they are not delivered for that period, they are of little use.

People simply don't order flowers and not care what day they arrive on. Not in my experience, anyway. They are always needed for a specific day. If flower delivery services don't reflect this I am honestly surprised they are still in business.

timbstoke

Agreed - just like with the pizza, the delivery time is an integral part of the order, and doubly so with major dates like Mothers Day or Valentine's Day. Given the amount of advertising the flower industry puts into ensuring people make these date's a special occasion, it would be extraordinarily cheeky of them to believe that a day later is just as special.

Give them a call if they're not answering emails. If they still refuse and you paid by card, speak to your card issuer about a chargeback.