Order Gatherers
What are order gatherers?
They are businesses that collect orders from the internet and outsource them to real florists, or other order gatherers. In the process they take their commissions out of the order. They employ call centre operators to take your orders rather than real florists.
What do they look like?
They often try to convince you that they are located in the suburb you are searching for. That is, if you Google search: "Florist Exampletown", there will be a number of results on front page called "Florist Exampletown", or "Exampletown Florist".
How do I avoid them?
Always look for a real, local florist. Check their Home and About Us pages to make sure that there is a local address and phone number. Call them and ask for their business location. If they fail to give you their address, then be suspicious. If they do provide an address, ask them for driving directions, or when you can visit them. If they are a real local florist, they will happily share that information with you.
How much commission do order gatherers take?
It depends how many hands the order goes through and what arrangements are made between various order gatherers. Usually commissions charged by order gatherers start at 21% of the order value. Some may be up to 40%.
Isn't this deceptive?
There are many order gatherers on the internet and none of them disclose to consumers what their commissions are. Australian Florist Network calls on the Fair Trade Commission to investigate the practices of order gatherers on the internet. We believe that order gatherers do not abide by rules of acceptable business conduct. Order gatherers should inform their customers what commissions are charged per transaction, so that consumers may make an informed purchase decision.
Here is an example of a REAL, LOCAL florist website: www.floralexpressions.com.au
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Great articles on the topic:
http://www.markandersononline.com/blog/avoiding-problem-order-gathering-flower-business/