Founded 2006 | ||
Similar Teleflora, Interflora, Florists' Transworld Delivery Profiles | ||
Bloomex the bloom is off the rose
Bloomex is a national Canadian floral company offering various floral and gift arrangements throughout Canada, Australia and the United States via its online order system. The company, headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, is privately held by its founder and president, Dimitri Lokhonia.
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Business model
Bloomex is a floristry business that ships flower arrangements and other gift related items direct to consumers. The company was established in 2005 and maintains its headquarters and call centre in Ottawa. The company owns virtual telephone numbers that connect customers to the Ottawa call center when they dial a number in their local area code.
Controversy
On March 1, 2008, Toronto Star business and consumer affairs columnist Ellen Roseman reported on Bloomex online complaints, offering one customer's experience with a promised same-day delivery as an example of company unresponsiveness. In a follow-up Star column the next week, company president Lokhonia examined Roseman's late-delivery example, explaining that the order was entered past the deadline for same-day delivery, it was delivered according to the company's published terms and conditions, and the company never refunds delivery charges in such cases in order to maintain its low prices. Lokhonia also alleged that some complaints were actually written by small retail florists in competition with Bloomex, a statement that drew fresh online complaints.
In June 2008, Bloomex issued a press release admitting that the company had made mistakes in the past due to unexpectedly strong sales growth, and announced new systems to improve customer satisfaction.
In April 2010, the CBC News television program Marketplace tested Bloomex's promises, reporting that the company "...sometimes substitutes one item for something completely different, without checking with the customer, or doesn't deliver at all". A "Chocolate Lovers" basket contained far less chocolate than promised; of three floral arrangements ordered, one failed to arrive and the other two were not as advertised, receiving a "thumbs down" from a professional flower judge.