Deceptive "Florist in Weymouth" Online Listing

While doing an online search, I recently came across a listing for a "Florist in Weymouth". Since the address was listed as right down the street from European Flower Company on Washington Street, I knew that there was no florist shop located at that address. I called the phone number listed and they answered the phone as "Flowershop". When I told them that I'd like to come in and visit the shop, the operator hemmed and hawed and finally admitted that they were not even located in the state of Massachusetts, let alone Weymouth. Why would someone do that?

The answer is money. These online order gatherers list themselves online as a local florist and show a local phone number and street address to deceive customers into ordering from them. They charge a "service fee" ranging from $10 to as much as $30, for the pleasure of taking your floral order. They then contact a local florist in Weymouth, without identifying themselves as an order gatherer, to have the order filled. They keep the "service fee" and send only a portion of the monies collected to the real florist.

Channel 7's investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan investigated the "Phony Florist" situation, follow this link to view her story http:///articles/hank/BO34644/

Visit http://floristdetective.com/ to read more about phony florists and how to protect yourself when ordering flowers online.