Avas Flowers review: Don't ever use this service

I searched specifically for a local florist because I wanted to do something special for my girlfriend's birthday. Avas Flowers came up in that search, so I placed an order on September 17, 2026, for delivery to her workplace on her birthday, September 18.
This wasn't a random flower delivery where arriving eventually was good enough. These were birthday roses meant to surprise her while she was at work.
I even paid extra for rush delivery because the timing mattered.
At 1:41 PM on the scheduled delivery date, my order was still showing nothing more than “BEING PREPARED.”
Avas then refunded my rush-delivery fee, while the flowers themselves still had not reached the recipient.
That completely defeats the purpose of paying for rush delivery.
My girlfriend has a workday. She doesn't live at her workplace. Flowers that arrive after she leaves, later that evening, or another day do not recreate the birthday surprise I paid for.
What makes this worse is that I specifically searched for a local florist because I wanted someone nearby who could reliably handle a time-sensitive birthday delivery. After this happened, I learned that Avas operates through a nationwide network of florists and fulfillment services rather than being the straightforward local florist experience I thought I was purchasing.
If I had understood that beforehand, I would have called an actual florist located near the recipient directly.
The frustrating part isn't simply “flowers were late.” It's that I paid a company to handle an important moment for someone I love, paid extra because timing mattered, and then spent her birthday watching an order tracker tell me the arrangement was still being prepared.
If you're ordering flowers for a birthday, anniversary, funeral, hospital stay, wedding, or anything where the actual delivery date and time matter, I strongly recommend finding the physical florist yourself and calling them directly.
I will not use Avas Flowers again.