Edible Arrangements review: poor customer service! 90

THE ABSOLUTE WORST COMPANY I'VE DEALT WITH IN A LONG TIME. FIRST OFF, THEY HAVE SOME FOREIGN SPEAKING WOMAN TAKING PHONE ORDERS WHO DOESN'T EVEN COMPREHEND THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, AND ON TOP OF THAT WINDS UP PLACING AN ORDER WITH AN EDIBLE ARRANGEMENTS 5 HOURS AWAY FROM MY ORIGINAL DELIVERY DESTINATION!. I WAS FUMING BECAUSE I EXPRESSED MY ZIP CODE TO HER AT LEAST 3 TIMES DURING MY CONVERSATION WITH THAT INCOMPETENT EMPLOYEE.
TOTALLY DISGUSTED IN DEALING WITH EMPLOYEES WITH THE MENTALITY OF 4TH GRADERS.
FINALLY CLEARED THAT MESS UP MYSELF WITH 10 PHONECALLS BACK & FOURTH TO THOSE IDIOTS.
I WAS PROMISED A DELIVERY WITHIN A 8 HOUR TIME FRAME. IT IS NOW THE 7TH HOUR AND
THE DRIVER WHO IS MAKING THIS DELIVERY IS PROBABLY COMING BY BICYCLE OR BY FOOT.
THIS IS THE FIRST AND LAST TIME I AM DEAL WITH THIS COMPANY, AND TRUST ME, THEY HAVE NOT HEARD THE LAST OF ME.
IF I FIND OUT THAT THE FRUIT IS NOT FRESH I WILL PERSONALLY TAKE IT BACK MYSELF TO THE LOCATION THAT MADE THIS ARRANGEMENT AND SMASH IT AGAINST THEIR WALLS AND COUNTERTOP.

(YES, THIS IS TYPED IN CAPS FOR A REASON BECAUSE I AM FUMING!)

Interestingly enough, the first comment I read was from 2006 and they still don't have the customer service problem figured out..they've grown too but they are no better.
I am actually surprised the company is still afloat. I even wrote the President of the company and NOTHING not a response, corporate headquarters offered NOTHING, the store that completely SCREWED up the order did NOTHING! I had to demand a refund.
I live in Ontario Canada and we have a great store in my town..they truly pride themselves on their customer service, quality and delivery. I ordered a gift on line..BIG MISTAKE that was to be sent for a birthday surprise.in another province...the house is less that 5 miles from the store..I ordered it a week in advance and they still didn't get it to the birthday girl...Unbelievable...oh of course they said they 'attempted' but there was NO CALL, NO MEMO, NOTHING...and then the manager's respose was...well I'll have to talk to my driver..
WOW...it's truly a sign that crap flows from the top and the really poor management coupled with the lack of support will doom these independents in no time. I love their 48 hour "we'll get back to you" ...how stupid...we're dealing in fresh fruit..it's highly perishable so 48 hours is a joke. Perhaps they should focus on getting it RIGHT the first time? Now that's a thought!

This is a stupid complaint. These people are rolling around in gas guzzlers. They have to buy gas, pay a delivery driver, oil changes and other maintenance, insurance, and a pay for the vehicle's note. I highly doubt their making a killing on$12.

I have personally heard them sometimes suggest to people to pick the item up.

Why don't they just leave a card (like the Post office does and UPS) asking the person to come in and pick up their bouquet or give a time when the product can be delivered...

I've always just had gifts like these delivered to a persons work... not their house (even flowers) because of the same issues... flowers wilt in the hot sun also... It's like the sender has no common sense and is blaming a delivery company... deliveries are meant for business's, hospitals, parties, funeral homes and things of that nature... Not to surprise a friend at home... (did you know florists can't tell you what time a product will deliver either and I've had to cancel orders that couldn't be filled by florists too - nature of this kind of gift!)

If you screw up or want to say thank you - best to hand deliver to a house... Common sense people... simple common sense... Would you call and order a pizza to thank a friend and expect them to deliver at a specific time - without contacting the receiver and trying to schedule if they'll actually be there? I can understand being frustrated by the sender for trying to send food to your house by delivery - but how can you blame the company? If it can't come UPS or Fedex probably shouldn't goto a persons house as a surprise... I'm dumbfounded...

also I have to ask... if you were going out anyway why not just pick up the package and save your friend some $'s on delivery... AND if you're not leaving what's the big deal?

My daughter ordered a Mother's Day arrangement for her grandmother, to be delivered on Mother's Day by the store in Forest Hills, NY. Unfortunately, it did not show up. When I called, the owner was unapologetic and arrogant. The 877 line was not any more helpful. I then called the corporate HQ who assured me a return call with an hour. Needless to say, I have not received the return call as yet.

If they had recognized their error and been in least bit apologetic I would not be on line making these negative comments.

What a shame.

Let me get this straight. You get a phone call from someone who is going to deliver something to your house which puts money in their pocket. They than demand you stay in the house all day to receive this piece of cantaloupe and ignore all your other business. Sounds like unlawful imprisonment. I too have been the recipient of melon which tasted like a potato that I had to hang around for (although the chocolate covered bananas are very good). However, I will except deliveries no more from my local franchisee in Mount Kisco. It is the demeanor of this franchisee as well as many people writing of this thread that EA is a gods gift to receive and we should kiss their butts. Sorry people, it don't work that way. Come up with some kind of packaging that will retain the fruits freshness if you wish to do business in the modern world where both people work all day. And if your listening, get a delivery man who has the good taste not to have a $5.00 bill stuck to his clip board on every delivery.

I have ordered Edible Arrangements twice and both of time they deliver on time. So i am very satisfied with their customer service. I think your case is an exception as it always deliver on time in hamden.

I found Edible Arrangements really fresh and they deliver on time every time i ordered. May be in your case it was an exception.

I ordered a gift from Edible Arrangements and the confirmations said it would be delivered today (February 14, 2009). I did track the order and it shows that it was delivered, but my family did not receive it. I emailed the online store and the franchise (Brockton, MA) but did not get a response. It was delivered to the wrong address or it just was not delivered at all. I will not be a returning customer
because they are not dependable.
Con

oh yeah...and he didn't turn down the (delivery of) gift until AFTER he was told they couldn't 'specify' a delivery window so it wasn't like he was just flat out turning down a gift and even if he was, it's his choice...in my own words...furthermore, i am in school during the week and work every weekend 1st shift so i'm not ever really free to sit at home all day to wait on gorgeous yucky fruit so i hope no one decides to deliver to me...just give me a (much cheaper) gift card to the most awesome fruit stand/market :) and if it's a prob with the delivery folx, especially when anticipating a super busy day/holiday, maybe they should rethink they're delivery process?

can't say i have a problem with delivery b/c i've never ordered or rec'd an arrangement but i have had to chance to taste from 3 different arrangements/locations (diff times of the year) and the only good i can say is the pineapple was good...none of the other 4 regular fruits tasted good...like it was out of season or not ripe b/c they were either tart/bitter or bland...but it was really pretty...the idea is great, fresh healthy fruit and a gorgeous arrangement, but the prices are way too high when u get more lettuce than fruit...just my O...

**side note/question** v-day is maybe one of the barfiest...i mean busiest days where arrangements are ordered so how is it that NONE of the EA locations within 50 miles of my zip have ANYthing available for PICK-UP on that day?

They were wrong if they could not guarantee a delivery date. If our store starts to get more orders than we can handle on a holiday, we cut orders off. So order early! We will not accept orders if we cannot in good faith promise them for that day.
They were in their rights to not deliver until 6:30 PM; they were right to say that we can deliver up until 9 PM on busy days, but I have never seen that happen at our store. Again, we will stop accepting orders if it comes to keeping people wait all evening.
I am assuming the reason they told you it was too late is because when your recipient was not home and no neighbor was around to accept it, they had to continue on with the rest of the deliveries. You have to keep in mind that the drivers have routes with dozens of deliveries, especially on holidays. They do not take deliveries out one or two at a time.
You're taking it out on the store that your friends were not home when it was delivered. If you are not home when UPS brings you a package, they don't come running back when you are ready. You have to reschedule it. Why would this be different?
It annoys me because the common complaint in this thread is that people either could not get deliveries at the EXACT time they wanted them, or get annoyed with us when the recipient is not home-when that is really your fault.
Tell me what product you can order that will meet the demands you place on Edible Arrangements.

Extremely poor customer service with my experience with the Naples FL location of Edible Arrangements. No guarantee for delivery date. Ordered for delivery on Christmas eve and they didnt attempt delivery until 6:30pm. When the recipient called them back within the hour they said it was too late to deliver. When I called the manager, her response was 'did I read the delivery policy?"- says they have until 9pm to deliver...ah, dah, they missed it...and wouldnt make any concessions. Corporate was equally uncaring. If this is the best they can do with deliveries, I will find another source for future gifts.

Hey, you know what is funny? Some of these comments offer an advertisement for a company that makes a similar product. Makes me wonder how many of these complaints are planted by them?

The funny thing about some of these complaints is that EA cannot deliver at exact times, and people get mad when EA calls them to try to arrange a delivery.
I work at EA, and here is how it works. We cannot guarantee delivery times due to the volume of our orders. We can't deliver orders to 20 different places all at 10 AM. We do our best to honor requests for before noon, or before the business closes at 4 PM, etc. If we try to make a delivery and no one is home, we try to leave it with a neighbor. If no neighbor is home, we bring it back to the store and contact the recipient to find out when they might be home to redeliver. It may ruin the surprise, . but we are trying to get this gift to you. If we have to drive back with it later, we will do it even though it is costing us more. This is fresh fruit and we cannot leave it on the doorstep in the sun. When we try to ask you for a time to redeliver, we are trying to work with you.
Perhaps the sender should think before they send you an arrangement. Maybe they should send it on a Saturday when you are home, instead of a weekday when your family is all at work or school. I can't tell you how many last minute orders I get that "have to be delivered today", only to find out the person is not at home.
As for the complainer refusing the gift and saying to tell the sender no thanks, that's nice. The arrangement has been made and delivery has been attempted. The person already bought it so is not getting his money back.
Delivery of fresh fruit is not the same as non-perishable items, so people sending or receiving need to keep that in mind.

Florence, SC
I ordered an arrangement for my sons graduation party this past May. They delivered it the day of graduation. The arrangement was beautiful! I am not a fruit person, but the fruit was delicious. We had approximately 40 guests at our party and they all raved over this arrangement. My son was even impressed. The container was festive for the graduation party. (cap with diploma) This was a wonderful & delicious centerpiece. I will be ordering one for Thanksgiving & Christmas since our family get togethers are at my home. I would definitely suggest an Edible Arrangement.
Hope this helps!

Don't know how your company has remained in business. Lousy service . Don't know about product because it was supossed to be delivered yesterday on an anniversary. Sure by now it should be very soggy! What a disappointment. No more of my business in Lumberton, NC. Sure that goes for many others. Exhorbitant delivery charge to go 3 miles was just rediculous

These people are ###s. I have never in my life had a delivery service call to tell me they are coming with a "surprise" for me...much less tell me I have to be available at THEIR convenience. My step-daughter in Hawaii was going to surprise me with a basket here in Florida, and told them when she placed her order that no one would be home until after 4 p.m. If they had told her that they couldn't promise a delivery time, she would have gone elsewhere and ordered something else. So, what do they do? They call me and leave a msg on my home voicemail, which I checked at lunch time. They tell me who they are and WHAT they are delivering to me, and that it's for my birthday (surprise!), AND who it is from. Then they tell me they can't deliver at 4 or after...oh, my, and this is fresh fruit...What to do..what to do.
What jerks. I would NEVER order from them.
Then they tried to blame the whole fiasco on my step-daughter. Great customer service. Edible Arguments might be eating their own words in this economy. They'll probably go belly up because people don't need to spend their hard earned cash on crappy service like this.

I also work at Edible Arrangements. I have to say your attitude about the entire situation is overdone. Since I have been working at EA for over 2 years I have dealt with many situations, some good some bad. Let me give some insight to your situation. When calling receiptants we DO NOT tell you who the arrangement is from because it is a gift and we try to keep it as special and surprising for you as possible. Also, customers tend to prefer that we don't say who the arrangement is from. We have a card message that tells you who it is from. It's like if you were to receive a gift on your birthday but someone tells you what it is... wouldn't you be alil annoyed that your surprise is ruined. Also, we don't give timed orders because events happen and we don't want to promise a time and not meet that time. The customer service rep. should have stated, "unfortanely we cannot do timed orders however we will attempt the delivery between ___am and __ pm. Will you be leaving for a long stretch of time?" That way, you can continue about your busy day but still compromise with the schedule of the store.

So next time you decide to blow up about edible arrangements maybe you should think before you speak.

The ebible arrangements store in East Los Angeles was not only very dirty, but the owner was very rude, and nobody spoke english!

I hate them! I ordered a chocolate covered strawberry bouquet for my Pastor's birthday. When I picked it up, it was the wrong order, some of the strawberries had white parts, they were small, and only the tips were covered in chocolate! When I complained, the worker said, "THAT IS HOW THE MANAGER TELLS US TO DO THEM!" Then her co-worker told her she should dip more and put them in my arrangement and she stated that she couldn't. The arrangement was very spaced out and you could see lots of the green lettuce in the bottom. It was nothing like the picture! They gave me a $9 credit. That is nothing compared to what you spend on these things. I would have left it but it was too late for me to get another gift planned. I do not recommend this to anyone! Take the time to do it yourself. It is not hard and will be cheaper!

Just an FYI for everyone, if you place an order on the internet EA charges a flat delivery fee of $12.00. If you call the store directly, their local delivery fee may be less than that. There is a store where I live where local delivery is $8.00, much cheaper than ordering from the internet. The internet isn't run by the local store level, so they cannot change the fee. Hope that helps!

I am glad I did not read this complaint prior to buying. I live in Arlington, TX, but, I sent a bouquet to a friend in Cape Girardeau, MO. There is only one Edible Arrangements in Cape (or, to date, there is only one) and it is owned and operated by a lady whose first name is Sarah, along with her sister(whose name I always forget). They are both very nice people.

Admittedly, I am extremely ANAL and NERVOUS when it comes to giving gifts; I have a vision in my head of how things should go, etc., and want to make sure that it is done as closely to that vision as possible. I have worked via phone with Sarah, ordering WAAAAAAY in advance, to make sure that all was in order for delivery. Sarah told me what she realistically could and could not do in terms of altering the arrangement from company standards, what to expect in terms of delivery attempts, etc. I had actually talked with Sarah nearly two months ago about another delivery that I did not follow through with purchasing. She has always been patient with me and has gone above and beyond to make sure that my friend's gift was perfect!

The delivery was made today, and my friend was well pleased!

I have nothing but good things to say about Sarah and her EA franchise in Cape Girardeau, MO. I will most certainly be ordering from her again.

Fine then, maybe you expect them to just pay for gas and delivery drivers out of pocket? Have you been to a gas pump lately? Do you expect the arrangements to deliver themselves? If you are really that cheap maybe you should consider getting off your butt and picking up the arrangement and delivering it yourself.

I would just like to remind those of you that either forgot or didn't do their research, Edible Arrangements is a FRANCHISE! That means they are all owned by individual owners. Just because some people don't know how to run a business or train their customer service staff effectively doesn't mean that all the stores operate the same.

Also, I would like to add that the no time commitment is a CORPORATE POLICY. If the franchisees do not follow the rules to a "T" they can have their franchise location revoked so don't take it out on them for doing what they are required to do.

FYI: I would just like to say that the recipient's name is typically included in the card message attached to the arrangement. If there is no name please do feel ree to call in because we are required by law to inform you of the sender's name ( Just the name, not their address, not their social security number and not the birth date of their first born child mind you. ) or it is legally defined as harassment.

PS: If you are nice to your customer service they will almost certainly be nice to you. If you talk down to us, though it may not be professional there is a good chance that the service you receive will be less than savory.

Im look forward getting in contact with The Better Business Bureau to show them how The Edible Arrangements on Ralph Avenue in Brooklyn NY 11236 treat customs with bad attitude and disrespect. The young ladie there goes by the name Tiffany, and I don’t see how a beautiful campany like Edible Arrangements have a person like that working there. I left felling very disrespected and will never forget that experience.

Edible arrangements are the best.

I totally agree with you, I had heard great things about this company so I decide to send one of their arrangements to my sister for her birthday, They have one of their stores in the same small town my sister lives in so I figure go ahead. I order and request a shipping day of three days down the road, Well delivery day comes and no delivery, I asked my sister if she received a delivery and she says no, so I call the local store in Walnut Creek California and ask what happened ( not irritated yet) and she said we tried to deliver but no one was in, I asked when they tried as her company is open from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm monday through friday, she tells me it was during the day (now I know they are lying)
so I said okay, these are the hours they are open can you get it delivered for tomorrow, she said yes and apologized for the error. Well friday comes and goes and again no delivery, Monday morning I call to find out what happened this time, first of all they said my ordernumber is wrong, so it took 10 minutes for them to find my number she gives me the correct number (nothing like the one on my receipt but okay) and she has no clue why it never went out, so I cancelled the order, made no sence anymore since her birthday was long gone now. I think they should start employing English speaking employees and work on their customer service or they won't be in business for very long. Not a company I will do business with again.

I Order from the 100 St. Marks Place store in New York City and they always have great Customer Service. I can Pretty much guarantee you will be satisfied because I order from them everytime I'm in the dog house and everytime they get me out of it. I call them my get of jail free friends.

you have too much time on your hands! I dont think you would be pleased with any company. send a gift back? thats crazy get a life!

...you've gotta be kidding...someone sends you something as a thank you..the store calls to let you know and since they can't give an EXACT delivery time, you cancel...do u really think you are the only delivery they have all day...not sure of your exact age but David, grow up...the world does not revolve around you catering to your every whim...so if anyone ever attempts to send you anything at all (not sure why anyone would with yr attitude)..but IF that shd happen again...either accept it graciously, or ask the store to donate it to a hospital or food bank, where someone really would be grateful!

I found edible arrangements service really good. Fruits is quite fresh and they delover me on time. may the the sotories here are from past but now they are quite active . So No problems now.

I hear some of you had a poor experience with a fellow gift-giving company. As a consumer, i hate when that happens, and for gifts its even worse. I would like to put myself out to all of you as the only Cookies by Design owner with their cell phone number listed on their location page at cookiesbydesign.com. I am in the Westlake Village, CA location. Feel free to call, pick my brain about any gift-type problems you have. Talk soon!

Buy from somewhere you KNOW how to get a hold of the owner directly.

-Ryan Paules
Cookies by Design Westlake Village, CA

My co-worker and I have just read your complaint, and we are CURRENTLY working at EA right now. We are one of the top stores located in the United States, and just so you know we are a franchise and each store is owned by a seperate owner and can be operated very differently! We have yet to have a single complaint this year, and I can personally say not all Edible Arrangements have pitiful customer service like you say. Our fruit is delicious and we try our hardest to be polite to even the worst customers, like you, who make our job more difficult. Sorry your experience was a horrible one with that franchise but you shouldn't go posting complaints about all EA's until you've done your research to discover they all are seperately owned.

GREAT IDEA BUT TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND PRODUCT! AT LEAST IN HAMPTON VIRGINIA...THEY USE UNFRESH AND BRUISED FRUIT. I ORDERED AN ARRANGEMENT FOR MY MOTHER IN-LAW FOR MOTHER'S DAY AND SHE GOT A VERY UNEDIBLE ARRANGEMENT...VERY EMBARRASSING! NOT SURE HOW OTHER LOCATIONS WORK, BUT DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY IF YOU PLAN ON ORDERING FROM THE COLISEUM CROSSING STORE IN HAMPTON, VIRGINIA. THEY MAKE UNEDIBLE ARRANGEMENTS!

Don't order from Moreno Valley edible arrangement store!
On May 2nd I placed an online order to arrive to an individuals on Friday, May 9th. Not only did the order not arrive, but the company did not notify me in any way that it had not. It was only because the recipient notified me on Monday, May 12th that her group's special gift had not arrived.

After several calls and speaking to 3 different reps. at the Moreno Valley franchise. someone apologized and said the order would go out the next day. The order did indeed go out the next day at 4:30pm, the same time I had informed the rep. the office closed! The worst part is that the fruit was horrbile, brown and wilted. So much so, that the person who received the gift called the store directly.

This was all extremely dissapointing as I have used other franchise stores with great results.

Simera

I sent an arrangement to my mother and a second one to my mother-in-law for Mother's Day. Both arrived perfectly and we scored major points with the parents.

I ordered this stuff for my mom to be delivered the day before Mother's Day. That never happened. They haven't responded to my emails or phone calls yet, but they gladly took my money. I am never going with EA again and now I have to jump through hoops to get my money back, awesome.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/258615/edible_arrangements_leaves_a_bad_aftertaste.html?cat=46

I decided to get an edible arrangment for my mother so I called the EA near to me and they were some of the most nice people. But decided to make one myself. So all you people mad at EA should go and make one yourself it was not that hard and made the gift that much more special.