gordonc Intro

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gordonc

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Feb 18, 2009
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Cooroy
www.pennysflowers.com.au
State / Prov
Queensland
What is your website address? 3 years
How long have you been in business? 9 years
Do you have any formal floral education? No
How were you referred to FlowerChat? Google
What do you hope to gain from membership? Knowledge
What do you feel you can contribute to the community? Information
Do you operate from a commercial building or your residence? Private residence
 
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Thank you for your interest in this forum, and for answering the questions.

I have a couple of concerns, first you don't operate from a commercial location. Is there a reason for that? Why do you operate out of your home? Have you ever operated from a commercial location, or are you ever going to?

Also, I have viewed your website it appears that you operate under nine different names. Can you tell us why, as most of us operate under one.

You indicate you have no formal floral education. Not meaning to be rude or hurtful, but that is very apparent in your design work. Did yu ever work for a florist before you started your business?

My vote would be no at this point, for these reasons.
 
Hi and thank you for you interest in our community. It's amazing what a powerful tool Google is!


Delivery of stunning fresh cut flowers fresh from the local grower.
Emailed digital photo available with confirmation of delivery. (Sunshine Coast Qld. only) details
Personal delivery 7 DAYS A WEEK, weekend deliveries, public holiday deliveries, air conditioned vehicle, more
128 bit Secure Payment System via Australia's, E-Path Credit Card Payment Gateway.

You are DEALING DIRECT with the Pennys Flowers florist that is supplying your order, no relay websites are involved.
Penny’s Flowers local .com florist is locally owned and operated, for your assurance of a caring quality service, contact.

Are you a full service shop with coolers, a business licence, taxes and the like? Please tell us more.

The questions aren't meant to sound invasive. However, it is important for our community to maintain it's professional integrity.

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.

V
 
I, too, am confused as to what you actually do. Your website says you are a local florist, but your intro says you are an internet florist. Did I read something incorrectly?
 
This is the type of so called florist, that has once been ban on this chat. What was it that V said? Something to the effect of coming and going between the cracks... Don't want to sound negative, it is as it is.
 
My interrogation

roysecityfloristand gifts said:
roysecityfloristand gifts, Victoria, Connie, Carrieann, elmo and BOSS
Click to expand...

It seems I have walked into a load of opinion that is baseless in fact. If you warned persons in advance with an appropriate questionnaire who want to submit to your forum, or bothered to read the "about us" page on the Penny's Flowers website, then you would have had some of your facts before entering comment that border on being defamatory. Please see, http://www.pennysflowers.com.au/about.html

1. "Skippy" :
I am not Australian, BOSS !

2. - elmo comments :
What "type" of florist are your referring too?

3. Carrieann comments
Please read below.

4. Connie comments :
No you did not read incorrectly. Why do you assume an internet florist cannot be a local florist ? Please read below.

5. Victoria comments :
Penny's Flowers is a full service 7 DAY delivery florist that ONLY personally services the region it resides in, that is the Sunshine Coast of Queensland (approx 80km of coast and hinterland). It is NOT a relay florist and does NOT relay orders or accept relay orders (I would hazard a guess that some of your blog members do not practice similar integrity), and as published on the website it has Australian company registration with Australian Business Registration details of which are available on public record.

As Penny's Flowers used to reside in Hobart Tasmania, it now has Chloes Flowers in Hobart providing Penny's Flowers product to the Hobart region.

Penny's Flowers has an Australian Tax Number and pays its taxes, however it is not registered for GST as it is not required to be. Details of that are also published on the website. Please read below.

6. roysecityfloristand gifts comments :
Penny's Flowers location is appropriately zoned for the activities undertaken. The reason for there being no retail shop is to keep overheads to a minimum, this is explained on the website if you had cared to read it.

Penny's Flowers does NOT operate under different names, it operates associated websites (not all operational) under individual domains which are ALL relevant to the areas of the Sunshine Coast that receives Penny's Flowers personal delivery or are relevant to the services and products offered by Penny's Flowers.

ALL the said websites publish that they are operated by Penny's Flowers.

I don't have no formal floral education, I am the website administrator, however Penny (my daughter, director and proprietor) does have extensive formal qualifications and retail experience. There is a huge amount of satisfied customers that appreciate the FULL VALUE service offered. Perhaps you would care to provide your website address for unsolicited critique by Penny and myself.

NOW
The main purpose of my wishing to join your blog is that I have a massive amount of florist's support in Australia towards my work in wiping out florist relay scams.

More information is available here : http://www.fair-trading.com.au/reports/ready-flowers.html

As this matter is soon to be filed in court I was interest to read the PDF file published on your website at http://www.flowerchat.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3252&d=1204939379 posted by Andrea Knernschield, in relation to the florist's class action that is apparently underway in your country.

I am unable to access this file because of your apparent parochial attitude. If you consider I am unworthy of joining your forum I would greatly appreciate someone emailing me at, [email protected] the file together with any progress on the matter that may be available.

Signed
Gordon Craven
 
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Everyone,
This is the exact thing I was speaking of when it comes to new members and the questioning. I had the impression that applicants were feeling like it was an interrogation and a bit overwhelming, this proves it.
I'm sorry Gordon if it seemed as though you were being attacked. There is a filtering process here for anyone wishing to join since they have had numerous OG people try to join. I hope to have you join and contribute. ~A
 
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Gordon, first, thank you for taking the time to reply so extensively. It is appreciated. You have answered my questions to my satisfaction. So I say welcome to the community.

Our "parochial" attitude has been born out of necessity. We strive to protect the professionals from all over the world who "live" here. I'll not apologise for asking the questions (politely asked by the way)... that's my job. We have had issues with "basement Betty's" and or hobbiests. When we see the location as being "residence" our red flags go up.

So, welcome. If other's vote on the positive side, you'll find a wealth of information here... and many of your compatriots as well.

Kind regards.

Victoria
 
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Gordon,
To clarify - your daughter's florist is a home based delivering florist, servicing customers daily? With actual fresh flowers, and the appropriate necessities for a full service flower shop? And you represent her website, from which your daughter delivers flowers locally in your area. Is this correct?

Your site has a LOT of information, which is wonderful, but a little hard to follow the copious amounts of info. This is not a criticism, just a reasoning why my own decision may have been made in error. I'm sorry if I made a decision without reading the entire long page .... I tried to read the portions that seemed pertinent to my personal decision, and it appeared at first glance that the site WAS a relay site, especially when you described it as "retail internet based"
. It sounds as though you mean you represent her internet site, and she is a retail florist, correct? Here, internet based florists are "vapor" florists, not "brick & mortar", and are not necessarily asked to join this forum.

Also, we have had some difficulties with non-valid applicants (spammers, businesses operating illegally, etc etc) and this is the reason for the application process and questioning. If your answers had been worded more, well, wordily like the rest of your responses & website, you would have seen different and less intrusive seeming questions. Answering you are seeking "knowledge" isn't much of an answer .... and so we begin to ask questions & possibly make erroneous presumptions about you & your daughter's business.
It's a catch 22, and we do the best we can to screen applicants so those who are admitted (many who have answered similar questions asked of you) are valid florists or involved in the floral industry.

Hope this explanation helps.

tracy
 
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Hi Gordon, thank you for your in depth answers and clarifications. Like some others, I believe you have been forthright and would be an asset to our community.

From what you have said, we all have a common goal (exposing relay scams) however different the means (retail florist vs. farm direct shipper). I like the idea of diversity of opinions, welcome!
 
Yes Tracy D'Amico, that is correct. Penny's mother (my wife) assists in the business as I often do with deliveries and flower buying at Brisbane flower auction.

The business has the intention of expanding so that it can employ all family members and also diversifying into niche native flowers and shrubs and also condo fruit trees such as mango.

Thank you all for your comments.

Gordon
 
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Gordon -

I took a look at your site. It's clear to me that your family does indeed make and delivery their own flower arrangements. :)

As you can read from some of the questions and comments, we are a forum for professional florists, so affiliate-resellers-only (relay only) companies are viewed as pretender competitors. 'Retail internet florist' is used to describe call centers full of computers, not flowers, here in the US.

We've been discussing the Ready Flowers article from http://www.fair-trading.com.au/reports/ready-flowers.html in another thread here and I'm guessing you have some thoughts on that company since you link to it from your store's home page. Care to share?

Cathy
 
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I can't say I like gordons attitude.I think we have a right here to know exactly who we are dealing with .Internet florists to me are order gatherers. I myself have a hard time approving anyone that does not have a brick and mortar shop. But that is just me.:)
 
CHR said:
Lizzie - Did you notice the picture of their house/shop on their website home page?

Not long ago, many US shops had home/shop locations - and many may be headed that way in today's economy. Would that make them less a florist?
Click to expand...

as such, Gordon has been "interrogated".....
GORDEN...we've been "burned" a few times......it's NOT personal,so DON'T take it in that fashion, however, from a business perspective, our "mates" in Aussie have a lot to offer us here on the "other" side of the planet, and we hope that you "might" understand where we are coming from, in time.....
"I'm NOT pissin in your pocket mate!!"
 
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CHR said:
Gordon -

I took a look at your site. It's clear to me that your family does indeed make and delivery their own flower arrangements. :)

As you can read from some of the questions and comments, we are a forum for professional florists, so affiliate-resellers-only (relay only) companies are viewed as pretender competitors. 'Retail internet florist' is used to describe call centers full of computers, not flowers, here in the US.

We've been discussing the Ready Flowers article from http://www.fair-trading.com.au/reports/ready-flowers.html in another thread here and I'm guessing you have some thoughts on that company since you link to it from your store's home page. Care to share?

Cathy
Click to expand...

Thanks Cathy, I just put a link in to your blog from my Ready Flowers review.

I described Penny's Flowers as a "Retail internet florist", I didn't know that it meant something else in USA. I apologise.

gordonc
 
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gordonc said:
1. "Skippy" :
I am not Australian, BOSS !
Click to expand...
My bad... my assumption based on the shop location, and I had no idea "Skippy" is a down under thing...

gordonc said:
I described Penny's Flowers as a "Retail internet florist", I didn't know that it meant something else in USA. I apologise.

gordonc
Click to expand...
As Cathy said, we have been burned...and I took your "Retail Internet Florist" to imply what we call here "Order Gatherers", ie: those that take orders, transmit them, take upwards of 40% off the top and feed the crumbs to those of us in the trenches.

I too apologize...

Something else you may want to look into... www.floristdetective.com ;)
 
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