Mother`s Day Shoppers Warned Over Buying Blooms Online

Thu, 19 Mar 2009

Brits planning to order a bouquet of flowers online for Mothers Day this weekend have been warned to shop around carefully as products often fail to resemble their online advertisements.

A new report from consumer group Which? found big differences in quality, value and how closely website pictures of bouquets matched the delivered product from 13 popular flower delivery companies in the UK.

The report rated the florists on the variety and selection of spring flowers in bouquets costing between £28 and £35, how well the bouquets matched the online picture and description, overall aesthetic appeal and quality, and the condition of flowers on arrival and seven days after delivery .

Marks and Spencer’s Large Serene Bouquet was judged to be the best match to the online picture by the panel of gardening experts, receiving the highest overall rating, at 86%, based on beauty, condition and longevity.

However, cheaper offerings from retailers Clinton Cards and Aldi were found to offer little value, despite their knockdown prices.

Discounter Aldi received the lowest mark for quality, with its Pink Rose and Lily Bouquet – the cheapest in the poll – criticised by experts for its "dried and ill" foliage and "skinny" lilies .

The panellists added that Clinton's Plum Spectacular bouquet arrived in a completely different colour to the image shown online, suggesting it was more of a "Pink Surprise than Plum Spectacular".

Which.co.uk editor Jess Ross urged people to order flowers as soon as possible from a website with lots of information about the bouquets .

"Make sure mum's smile lasts longer than a day by ordering her a top rated bouquet for this Sunday", she added.
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