Delayed Response Policy - FAQ

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Policy Basics

How does the policy work?
Filling florists must reject an order within two standard business hours of receiving it if they are unable to satisfactorily fulfill and deliver an order on the requested date of delivery. If the filling florist does not reject an order and does not deliver it on the date of delivery, the filling florist may be subject to charges that may be debited to the filling florist's FTD Clearinghouse Statement and credited to the sending florist's FTD Clearinghouse Statement.
What are the standard requirements for the FTD Delayed Response Policy and are there any resulting fees?
The following chart sets forth the requirements of the FTD Delayed Response Policy and the resulting fees charged for failure to comply (effective May 1, 2011):
FTD DELAYED RESPONSE POLICY
Failure to reject an order within two standard
business hours after time of receipt
or
Failure to reject an order by 11 am
local florist time if the order is received
after 5 pm of the previous day
(Monday through Friday)
or
Failure to reject an order by 11 am
local florist time if the order is received
after 1 pm of the previous day
(Saturday and Sunday)
$10.00
Credited to
Sending Florist
Rejecting an order held for more than 24
(but less than 72) clock hours after time of receipt
if
rejected before 2 pm weekdays (1 pm weekends)
local cut-off time on (or before) the date of intended delivery
$20.00
Credited to
Sending Florist
Rejecting an order held for more than 72
clock hours after time of receipt
if
rejected before 2 pm weekdays (1 pm weekends)
local cut-off time on (or before) the date of intended delivery
Value of Order
Credited to
Sending Florist
Failure to reject an order within two standard
business hours after time of receipt
and
rejecting after 2 pm weekdays (1 pm weekends)
local cutoff time on the date of intended delivery
or
orders that result in non-delivery
(orders will be cancelled & DRP charges will apply)
2x Value of Order
Credited to
Sending Florist
What happens if a filling florist holds an order and does not reject or fill it?
In all instances where there is a dispute between the filling florist and sending florist over compliance with the Delayed Response Policy, FTD shall make the final determination whether or not charges shall apply or if the filling florist's failure to deliver is excused as a result of circumstances outside of its reasonable control.
What are the standard business hours of operation as defined by the FTD Delayed Response Policy?
The standard business hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9 am – 5 pm local florist time and Saturday - Sunday from 9 am – 1 pm local florist time. The Sunday hours are only applicable for a florist that is codified as open on Sunday.
Does the order need to be filled within two hours?
No, the order does not need to be filled within two standard business hours of receiving it. The filling florist is asked to reject the order within two standard business hours of receipt if the order is not able to be satisfactorily fulfilled and delivered on the requested date of delivery. If you do not reject an order, it will be assumed that you will satisfactorily fulfill and deliver the order.

Hours of Operation

I am not open on or coded to be open on Sundays. Will I be charged if I receive an order on a Sunday, but do not reject it within two hours?
You will not be assessed a fee on orders for Sunday delivery as long as you are NOT codified for Sunday delivery. However, the order does still need to be rejected by 11 am local florist time on the next business day that the shop is open (typically the next day is Monday). FTD provides a free codification listing in the FTD Directory for florists open on Sundays. If you are open on Sundays, please call 800.788.9000 to let us know and we can add it to the directory.
What if my shop hours are not the standard hours of 9 am - 5 pm local florist time on weekdays or 9 am - 1 pm local florist time on weekends?
FTD chose the standard hours of operation (Monday through Friday from 9 am - 5 pm local florist time and Saturday - Sunday from 9 am - 1 pm local florist time) for two reasons:
  1. It reflects the operating hours of the majority of shops in the FTD network.
  2. It provides the most value to consumers by ensuring that shops are available to take and fill orders.
If your shop has different hours and you are concerned about not rejecting an order in time, you have the option to suspend ("SUS") your system when you are closed. The Delayed Response Policy is based on these standard hours of operation - not the time your shop opens and closes. For detailed instruction on SUSPENDING your Mercury, please Click Here.
How do I suspend my Mercury to prevent receiving orders when the shop is closed during the Delayed Response Policy standard business hours?
To suspend your system when the shop is closed, it is important that you notify the Mercury Network properly to avoid orders sitting in queue. If you cannot accept Mercury orders, you are required to suspend your system with the "SUS" message. When you are ready to receive orders again, resume your system with a "RES" message. Unplugging or turning off your system or printer DOES NOT suspend your shop from receiving orders. For detailed instruction on SUSPENDING your Mercury, please Click Here.
If I suspend my Mercury, does it immediately stop the flow of orders to my shop?
No, we recommend that you suspend your Mercury approximately one hour prior to the shop closing. It is important that you check for any pending orders that may be processing. Those orders will continue to flow through even after you suspend which is why it is important to give it one hour to clear prior to the shop closing.
How do I suspend orders placed through Flowers All Hours (FAH) or FTD Florists Online (FOL)?
If you have FAH, contact FAH directly to let us know when your shop is not open and you do not want to accept orders. Contact FAH at fah@FTDi.com or send a GEN message to 90-9200AA.

If you are unable to fill orders through your FTD Florists Online (FOL) website, you can suspend incoming orders by contacting FOL Support at 800.576.6721 or send a GEN message to 90-8418AA. Suspending your FTD Mercury or Mercury Direct system does NOT suspend orders from your website.
What are the cut off times for same-day delivery?
FTD Florists offer same-day delivery for orders received by or before 2 pm on weekdays (1 pm on weekends) local filling florist cut-off time on the requested date of delivery.
What if I receive an order at 4 pm? What is the timeframe to reject it without being charged?
The filling florist has two standard business hours to reject the order. In this example, the filling florist has until 10 am local filling florist time on the next business day to reject the order. The timeframe of 4-5 pm is the first hour and 9-10 am the next business day is the second hour following the standard business hours of operation per the policy.
Do I need to suspend (SUS) the Mercury system on federal holidays?
No, you do not need to suspend (SUS) your Mercury system on a federal holiday.
The FTD Delayed Response Policy will not be applicable for recognized federal holidays.

If a federal holiday falls on a weekend and it will be observed on a weekday, you MUST suspend your Mercury.
U.S.
New Year's Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Canada
New Year's Day
Family Day
Good Friday
Victoria Day
St-Jean Baptiste (only Quebec)
Canada Day
Civic Holiday (except for Quebec)
Labor Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Boxing Day
What happens if I reject an order after 72 hours because my shop is closed due to a federal holiday?
If a federal holiday recognized by FTD falls within 72 hours of the time of receipt, the florist has an additional 24 hours to reject the order. The holidays are listed in the response above.

Best Practices by a Filling Florist

What happens when I get too busy and cannot look at my Mercury orders for more than two hours?
Timely communication is essential for our network of florists to provide quality service to florists and consumers. All members should create a standard procedure to frequently monitor incoming Mercury orders.
If I receive an order for same day delivery, but after cut-off time, will I be assessed a fee?
Since the order arrived past your local cut-off time, it is important that you handle the situation quickly. You should reject the same day order immediately if you cannot fill it. If you can fill it, but do not deliver it on the same-day as requested due to the cut-off time, you can ASK the sending florist to contact the consumer and make other arrangements. However, if you hold the order more than two hours and then reject it (even if an ASK message was sent), charges under the Delayed Response Policy will apply.
What happens if I send an ASK message to the sending florist regarding price, product substitution, etc. and they do not respond to me within two hours?
The filling florists' ultimate goal should be to fill the order with a quality product as ordered without the need for substitution. If the filling florist is not able to provide the right container or flowers, the order should be rejected. The goal of the policy is to make sure that the recipient receives what was ordered by the consumer. If you are confident that you can fill the order, but need clarification, you can wait for a response. However, if you end up having to reject the order and it is two hours AFTER receipt of the order, charges under the Delayed Response Policy will apply.
What happens if I am out of product and not sure I will receive a shipment of flowers or containers in time for the order's delivery date?
Please keep in mind that the recipient deserves to receive the order as intended by the consumer. In order to avoid being charged under the Delayed Response Policy, you should reject the order within the two hour period, unless you are confident that you will get the materials you need in time for delivery.

Best Practices by a Sending Florist

What happens when I receive ASKs and other correspondence from filling florists?
Timely communication is essential for our network of florists to provide quality service to customers and florists. All members need to monitor their systems frequently to answer messages and provide the details needed to fill the order.
What kind of responsibility is put on the sending florist to respond back to the filling florist?
The sending florist should act in the best interest of its consumer which is to get the order filled accurately and on the day requested for delivery. The sending florist needs to review order minimums, product codification and delivery area to ensure the order is being sent to the most appropriate filling florist. If the filling florist does have a question, timely communication is essential to providing quality service to consumers and florists.
Are orders between my branch shops considered under the Delayed Response Policy?
Orders sent between branch shops are not included in the Delayed Response Program as FTD has no ability to oversee orders sent between locations within the same ownership structure.

FTD.com Orders

If I reject an order from FTD.com because of codification/price and FTD.com keeps sending it back to me, will I be charged the applicable fee under the Delayed Response Policy?
FTD.com works diligently to ensure customer service representatives do not resend orders that have been previously rejected by the same filling florist. However, if you are unable to fill an order that you receive, it must be rejected within two hours of receiving it to avoid any charges under the Delayed Response policy.
What if I get an order from FTD.com and send an ASK, but do not receive a response back within the two hour window of time to reject the order if I cannot fill it?
The requirements of rejecting an order within the time lines set forth in the Delayed Response Policy do not change if you send an ASK message in Mercury. If you are confident that you can fill the order, but need clarification, you can wait for a response. However, if you end up having to reject the order after the sending florist ANSWERS your message and it is two hours AFTER receipt of the order, the charges under the Delayed Response Policy will apply.

FTD Operations

How do you know what time the order was rejected?
The time of the order is based on FTD's internal server time. There is a timestamp on all transmissions through the Mercury Network.
If I am a sending florist how and when will I receive the credit for any charges assessed to filling florists on my orders?
Any Delayed Response Policy charges collected on a sending florist's behalf will appear as a credit on the FTD Clearinghouse Statement.
Are Domestic, International Retrans and WebGifts part of this program?
No, the Delayed Response Policy does not apply to orders sent through Domestic, International Retrans and WebGifts. Such services are a value-added service outside of the direct Mercury communications system that FTD provides to its members and is not part of this policy.