Let's be frank: some floral websites advertising flower delivery all over the world are scams. Your recipient may receive what you ordered all right, but you may end up with extra charges on your credit card. You can unwittingly be forwarded to a telemarketer in another location. This can happen even if you find the number for a florist in your own telephone white pages.

After this middleman takes your credit card information, and in turn he sends your order to the local florist. When your credit card bill comes, you find out that a part of the cost of your flowers went to this out-of-town telemarketer.

Besides paying more for your floral gift than the cost should have been, you may go on to find out the flowers were not as you ordered them or worse that the delivery never happened at all.

You can take several steps to avoid disappointment when choosing an FTD florist for your next order. One thing you can do is to ask recommendations from your neighbors and friends. This is a good measure to take when choosing any sort of professional, from dentists to carpenters. Choosing a florist is no different.

When looking in the phone book or online, the florist you select should be one that lists a street address. The operator should be able to give you a physical address even if you have found the florist through directory assistance. If there is none listed, go elsewhere with your business.

Even more important than that FTD or Teleflora symbol in their advertisement is the little BBB indicating that they are members of the Better Business Bureau. You can track this information down even if the florist is in another town or state. You can then ask about pending complaints that have been filed.

When you make an order, ask for a bill that will itemize your charges. You can expect extra charges for flower delivery and taxes, but there shouldn't be other unknown charges. And while you have the florist on the phone, if you're unsure about the local address you have been given, ask for directions. If it is a real local florist you are doing business with, this should not be a problem for them. If it is a problem, you should definitely look for a different merchant.

When shopping for flowers online, another thing to look for is a secure server symbol on the order form. You can find this in the form of a little icon of a lock in one of the corners of the web browser. This little symbol is more important than an FTD or even a BBB! Also, always make sure the address in your browser start with "https". The s means secure.

If the order is not over a secure server, others could steal your credit card information. You can always stop before completing and submitting the order. That's one of the wonderful things about doing business online: you don't have pressure on you to complete a transaction if you want to back out.

There are many reputable florists out there. When in doubt, call the number listed on the website (there should be one), and if you don't have a good feeling about the florist, go on to another one. Shopping for a long-distance florist doesn't have to be frightening - you can do it by simply following these useful tips!

Once you've found a good reputable florist online, you'll have peace of mind for years!