Beautiful Bouquets (bunches.co.uk)

Member Name: Kukana

Product:	bunches.co.uk
Date:	02/06/04 (154 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Reliable, Inexpensive, Easy site to navigate

Disadvantages: Not a huge choice, Only delivers in the UK

I came across the Bunches site a couple of years ago, when hunting around for somewhere that would sent bouquets of flowers within the UK. Living abroad, and not being terribly efficient, I often forget about family birthdays and other occasions until rather nearer the date than is possible to trust the international post. Besides, posting from abroad is expensive, it's not always reliable, and for some relatives it's hard to know what to buy other than flowers.

I looked at the Interflora site first, since I knew the name, but was a bit horrified at the prices. So I used Google, which found me various options; I compared costs and available products, and the clear winner seemed to be Bunches.co.uk.

Of course it's always a little risky using an unknown site, but there was a little icon saying they were a Netbanx secure site, and there was also a reassuring page telling me that credit card details and email addresses are entirely safe with them. Since I've had no problems with online ordering in the past, I decided to go ahead and order.


* Site appearance *

The site home page doesn't look as professional as some of the better-known online florists - the home page is rather too cluttered looking for my taste. But still, it's clear what is offered, and easy enough to navigate: there's a link to their five most popular bouquets down one side, and some tabs at the top for the main categories of gift. I reckon that if the better web designs are paid for by higher prices in bouquets, then I'd rather buy from a site that cost less to be produced!

Navigation is quick and easy, and - a little to my surprise - the other pages look far less untidy than the home page. Each of the main category pages links to a further page with small pictures of the products available, and their prices, a
nd a link offering further information. This is considerably more helpful, in my view, than some sites which show pictures without prices, or expect the customer to choose price range and occasion rather than simply showing what is on offer.


* What is available *

There are six main categories: classic value flowers, luxury bouquets, contemporary ideas, chocolates, balloons and teddy-bears. There aren't a huge number of possibilities within each category, but I found there was plenty of choice nevertheless, and something to suit each occasion.


* Prices *

The 'classic value flowers' start at £9.99 for a bunch of 10 carnations, and the highest-price option is what they call 'scented stargazer bouquet' at £19.99, which consists of three oriental lilies, among carnations and eucalyptus. There are currently eight other bouquet options in between these prices - mostly carnations, freesias or orchids - with one which includes a miniature fruit cake along with the bouquet. The 'luxury bouquets' are a little pricier - six possibilities between £20.99 and £26.99 - but this is still considerably less expensive than similar products from other sites.

The 'contemporary' section, new in the past year, consists of four unusual gift ideas: a twisted bamboo at £12.99, five longiflorum lillies for £28.99, three red arthuriums for £14.99 or three strelitzia (whatever they might be!) for £29.99. None of these are really to my taste, but for those who are less keen on traditional bouquets, these could certainly provide a different option of plants by post.

The chocolates available vary with the seasons - sometimes there are selection boxes, not cheap, but rather tempting (!) - starting at £9.99 for eight handmade chocolates, going up to £19.99 for twenty-seven. Not the kind of price I would expect to pay for chocolates, but very
nice as a special gift to be delievered. The balloons and teddy-bears are rather expensive novelties costing similar prices to the chocolates - but again, something that might be very much appreciated by someone as a surprise in the post.

There is also sometimes a section linked from the home page (but not included in the tabs) for seasonal flowers. In August last year there was a selection of 'Summer flowers', mostly in reds and yellows, for prices similar to the other sections. Previously I have seen Christmas, Easter or Mother's Day options available at appropriate times of year.

To add to the value, there is usually some kind of extra special offer - currently they are giving a free box of chocolates with all orders (other than the chocolate ones). All of the bouquets also have the option of adding more chocolates or a birthday cake for £3.99 each, or a small bear for £4.99.


* Ordering *

I found this to be very straightforward. Having chosen an item and clicked the 'more info' button, I was given some check-boxes so that I could decide whether to add in the extra items, or pay for a guaranteed delivery date. Underneath is a 'Place Order' button. Clicking that leads to a page asking for delivery date and a message (up to 20 words) to be attached to a card with the gift. After that comes the checkout, where a secure link is used to enter the address for delivery, and credit card details. At the end of the process there is a printable page with full details of the order.


* Delivery *

Delivery is available anywhere in the UK. I was a little dubious about the delivery method at first, since Bunches products are sent via the post, rather than delivered by courier. However this, no doubt, also helps to keep the prices low. They claim that 95% of
their deliveries arrive on the day after they are sent. Luxury bouquets are delivered by Royal Mail special delivery, and guaranteed on the day requested. Other items can be given a guaranteed delivery at a cost of an extra £5.

I have now used this site five times, each time choosing one of the best value flower selections, and in every case they have been delivered when expected, beautifully wrapped, and in perfect condition. I shall certainly be using them again. Highly recommended.

Summary: