Bloomex is a national Canadian floral company offering various floral and gift arrangements throughout Canada, Australia,[1][2] New Zealand 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.
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Floral delivery |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Dimitri Lokhonia |
| Headquarters | Ottawa, Ontario |
Areas served | Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United States |
| Website | bloomex |
Business model edit
Bloomex is a floristry business that ships flower arrangements and other gift related items direct to consumers. The company was established in 2005[3][4] 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.[citation needed]
Controversy edit
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.[5] Lokhonia also alleged that some complaints were actually written by small retail florists in competition with Bloomex,[6] a statement that drew fresh online complaints.[7]
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.[8]
In November 2022, the Australian consumer organisation Choice awarded Bloomex a Shonky Award after the company accepted an order for six “extra large” bunches of flowers in glass vases for a funeral, with only a single bunch of dead daisies delivered at 2 am on the day after the event.[9]
In December 2022, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission initiated legal proceedings against Bloomex, alleging the publication of misleading online star ratings and false statements that prices were discounted.[10]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Australia Trademark Office
- ^ Business Profiles
- ^ "Bloomex Corporate Profile". Retrieved June 3, 2013.
- ^ "Federal Corporation Information - 6489427 - Corporations Canada". Industry Canada. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
- ^ Toronto Star, "Same price, but fewer tax returns" (second section), March 8, 2008
- ^ Toronto Star, "'Wecare' doesn't tell the real tale" Archived 2012-10-16 at the Wayback Machine, March 1, 2008
- ^ Ellen Roseman, "Online florist Bloomex pays attention to online gripes", July 15, 2008
- ^ Bloomex press release: "Online Florist Takes Complaints Seriously", June 2008
- ^ Patty, Anna (2022-11-02). "Withered bunch of flowers for $325 delivered a day late for funeral". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
- ^ "Bloomex in Court for allegedly misleading online advertising". Australian Competition & Consumer Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2023.