'They never arrived'
A customer rings, upset. She sent flowers to her sister for her birthday, and her sister says they never arrived. The driver remembers the street but not the house. He thinks he left them with a neighbour, or maybe in the porch.
You can refund, resend, or argue. Without evidence, arguing is not really an option. So you resend at your own cost, and later find out the sister's husband took them in and put them in the kitchen without telling her.
It happens more often around busy days, when drivers deliver many bouquets quickly and details blur.
Why there is no proof
Delivery is the last step and the one with the least recording. Drivers are busy and focused on the next address. A signature on a paper sheet is slow, and often skipped when the recipient is out.
Where flowers are left with neighbours or in a safe place, the note to the recipient may say where, but the shop has no record of it.
And the sender, who paid, usually hears nothing after ordering. The first they know of the delivery is when the recipient thanks them, or does not.
What missing proof costs
| Problem | Effect |
|---|---|
| No record of delivery | Resends and refunds for flowers that did arrive |
| Safe place not recorded | Recipients who cannot find their flowers |
| Senders not told | Anxious calls asking whether flowers arrived |
| Disputes by phone | Staff time and uncomfortable conversations |
| Card payment disputes | No evidence to answer a chargeback |
Most 'never arrived' complaints are honest mistakes. A photo resolves them quickly for everyone.
The pattern is also worth knowing. If complaints cluster around one driver, one type of address such as flats with shared entrances, or orders placed through one channel, a proper delivery record shows it. Without the record, each complaint is handled on its own and the cause is never found.
Card payment disputes make the record more important. When a sender disputes a payment with their card provider, you are asked to show that the goods were delivered, sometimes weeks later. A driver's recollection of a street and a porch is not much to offer. A timestamped photo of the bouquet at the right address gives you something concrete to send.
How we record every delivery
- On the driver's phone, each delivery has a 'delivered' step that takes a photo of the bouquet at the door or with the recipient, where they agree.
- The time and location are recorded automatically with the photo.
- The driver chooses how it was delivered: to the recipient, to a neighbour (with house number), to a safe place (with description), or to reception.
- If left with a neighbour or in a safe place, a card is left for the recipient saying where, and the record notes it.
- The sender receives a confirmation message, with the photo if you choose, saying the flowers were delivered and how.
- When a complaint comes in, the counter opens the order and sees the photo, time, location and method in seconds.
Whether to photograph recipients, and how long to keep photos, is your decision with your data protection adviser. Many florists photograph the flowers at the door only.
Photos are taken inside the delivery step itself, not in the phone's camera roll, so they never end up mixed with the driver's personal pictures. They are stored with the order in storage you control, and you choose how long to keep them.
Complaints answered in seconds
When a sender rings to say the flowers never arrived, the counter opens the order: a photo of the bouquet on the doorstep of number 14, taken at 11:42am, left with the neighbour at number 16. A quick call to the recipient resolves it.
- Photo, time and location for every delivery
- Neighbour and safe place deliveries recorded
- Senders told their flowers arrived
- Complaints resolved with facts rather than memory
Is this a problem in your shop?
- You have resent flowers that turned out to have been delivered.
- Drivers do not record where flowers were left.
- Senders ring to ask whether their flowers arrived.
- You have no evidence for card payment disputes.
- Delivery records are paper sheets, if kept at all.