The other day I had a call from a regular customer who had misplaced our phone number and called 411. She specifically asked for Concord Flower Shop and was given the wrong number. When she called that number they answered with a different name. After hearing about this, I called 411 and was also given the wrong number. I called it and discovered  that it was a call center operation. They tried to pretend they were in Concord, MA, so I asked them if I could pick up my order. They had no choice but to admit they were not an actual florist. I don’t have any way of knowing how much business this has cost me, but you can be sure I filed a complaint with Verizon 411 and I have been checking each day to make sure they are giving out the correct number when asked.

There is also a listing in the phone book for Florist In Concord that has a very similar phone number to Concord Flower  Shop. They are NOT real florists and they are no where near Concord , MA. There have been laws passed in many states to prevent these fictitious phone book listings. I have been in close contact with one of our state representatives, Kate Hogan, who is working on legislation to prevent deceptive listings here in MA.  I have no issue with people ordering flowers any where they want, as long as they know who they are doing business with. To advertise your self as a local florist when you are not, is unethical at best, and consumer fraud at worst.

So the moral of the story is, beware the scam artists. They are everywhere and your best protection is to ask a lot of questions. Ask for a street address if you suspect the business is misrepresenting their location and ask if you can pick your order up. Hopefully there will be laws in MA. soon to protect us all from this type of consumer fraud. In the mean time, be a smart consumer and know who you are doing business with!