Beware “Florists Near Me” in Search Results

With Mother’s Day approaching, many people may consider sending flowers. But here is a word of caution: be careful about finding local florists through internet search results — they might not really be local!

Case in point: When searching for “florists near me” in Google, here are the search results I got for Somerville, Massachusetts:

Photo Illustration

The results above were sponsored, with the first two being national flower networks. The third result, Avas Flowers, was seemingly a local florist right in my town. Clicking on that brings up their website, showing it is indeed in Somerville.

Clicking on their boast of having five-star ratings, reveals their summary.

Looking good, but checking the actual Google reviews brings a big surprise.

*MOUSE PRINT:

It was not 4.7 stars as Avas Flowers boasted, but at least in the Boston area, they only garnered 1.2 stars based on 183 reviews! And they also have a “C” rating from the Better Business Bureau.

More telling… they are not even located in Massachusetts!

*MOUSE PRINT:

Deep in their FAQs, they reveal their company is in Delaware. But according to the BBB, they are actually in New Jersey (the Delaware address is just probably where the company filed its corporation papers).

So, be careful trying to find a local florist in a town where you don’t live. Look for a real street address and local phone number. Double-check the address in Google Maps street view to see if there is an actual florist at the location. Be careful of florists listed in sponsored search results. Even consider calling a local supermarket with a floral department near where the recipient lives. You may find lower prices and reasonable delivery charges.

Happy Mother’s Day.