Florida-Central Florida

Jonathans flowers

So I'm supposed to be using him for my wedding, however with all these bad reviews I'm reading about him I'm seriously considering not using him. 

I haven't actually signed a contract with him yet, but I did pay in full.  So my question is, can he still keep 25% of my money?

Re: Jonathans flowers

  • cjbwifey2010cjbwifey2010 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    How have you paid him in full but not signed a contract yet? Im just wondering.

    When i read Power's review, i automatically thought of you because of how you were already kinda nervous about using him. Technically, i dont know...i mean you havent SIGNED a contract, but if he already has ALL of your money, i dont know what he will say about giving it ALL back...
  • eviegrl42eviegrl42 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011

    Did he give you anything in writing saying he could keep 25% of what you gave him when you gave him the payment or just a receipt? If you didn't sign anything contractually or agree to it verbally, you should be fine and I'm pretty sure he would be obligated to give you the money back. I'm sorry that you have to go through this :(

  • SRivera09SRivera09 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    I did pay in full, but never signed a contract.  I just completly forgot about it and I guess he did as well.  On the contract is does mentioned keeping the 25% if for any reason we have to cancel.  I guess I'm just trying to make sure he can't legally keep my money.

    thanks ladies!

  • Theresa626Theresa626 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Do you have proof of payment?   Also, are you really willing to take it to court if he does decide to keep your money?  That said, even if he keeps your money it is probably better to go with someone else just to relieve your anxiety about the situation.
  • edited December 2011
    Even if the contract says he can keep 25%, you didn't sign it, so just remind him of that and he'll have to agree to give it back. That's just good business.
  • edited December 2011
    I'm fairly certain he can keep whatever the "deposit" amount specified is...Usually 25%. Hopefully you have at least saved your correspondence with him (such as emails etc) in case there is a problem.

    This particular vendor seems to be hit or miss. Some people love him, others do not. With that said, I think it would be in your best interest to try to make it work with him. I'd make an appointment or phone call to discuss your concerns and expectations. If you do draft a contract, be very, very specific about what you want;  all the way down to the size of arrangements, types of flowers etc. I even had my florist state the minimum amount of stems to be in the bouquets. Every little detail I wanted is in the contract and my florist happily obliged. Being overly specific can feel strange but as a consumer it is in your best interest to be crystal clear about what you want so there are no surprises on the big day.

    Also, ask him to do a mockup for you...I found that this was very helpful. I wasn't 100% happy with my centerpiece mockup but my florist listened to my concerns and is making me another mockup. She's a really nice vendor, Debbie from DSR Designs. Speaking up can be hard at times but it's the best way to make sure you love your flowers!

    I hope this somewhat helps.
  • amyers321amyers321 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I pretty much second what others are telling you in regards to working with him and making sure your contract is clear and precise which has been most of the advice from girls who have used him and had "problems" so to speak. We booked him very early on and then he got a slew of bad reviews followed by months of great reviews and spowers review is the first I've seen in a long time with anything negative(unless I'm missing something somewhere else). I have met with Jonathan twice and have emailed with him repeatedlly and asked for updated contracts each time(ie the page that says exactly what you are getting) We did a mockup of my bouquet which I loved and then I had him put exact specifcations in the paperwork. (ie size and color of the bouquet how many inches in diameter etc for mine and all the other bouquets in the wedding)
    For us we had already paid in full and after speaking with people who had a problem we decided we just needed to be very specific and keep on top of him. I've seen his work be really great and like others have said he's had bad days which happens as well. I, like you, panicked back in february after we had already paid him and people were having issues but so far...many months later, I feel confident with my decision to stay with him. He's affordable for us, knows EXACTLY what we want down to exact color, size, and even has a photo of what it looks like. I am confident that if for some reason something goes wrong he will follow through on fixing it. Maybe I'm being naive but it's very hard to argue with a bride who has every detail down to a T in her contract with you. I'm just saying :)
    I also want to add when I spoke with him on adding in all of these details he was more than willing to add them without any kind of attitude. In fact, he thought it was wonderful to be so thorough. Just my 2 cents...for whatever that's worth.
  • SarahSmile23SarahSmile23 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    It all depends on how important your flowers are to you. For me, my bouquet was very important but I was less concerned about the centerpieces and bm bouquets. I just figured that flowers were flowers and that it's hard to make flowers NOT attractive, even if it's not exactly what I pictured. I was a little disappointed with my centerpieces, to be honest, but I'm not losing any sleep over it and i LOVED my bouquet. If you are a control freak or are very concerned with your flowers being exactly as you specified them, lose the deposit and pick a different vendor. You will be happier in the long run. He is very inconsistent and everything will NOT be as you want it, even if you give specific instructions. Trust me. Spower and I also had specific instructions and I visited him the day before the wedding to look at what they had done so far!
  • SarahSmile23SarahSmile23 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    (also, the mock-up of my centerpiece was waaaay better than my actual centerpieces on the day of. very little thought was put into making my actual centerpieces look symmetrical and pretty.)
  • SRivera09SRivera09 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for all the tips ladies.  I haven't decided what to do with him yet, however I am meeting with another florist just to see what they could offer.  I feel like if I'm going to pay someone hundreds of dollars I expect fresh flowers and CP to be what I've asked for.  If I do decide to stay with him I'll ask for a mock-up though. 
  • edited December 2011
    I'm going with him...I'm not SUPER picky and I have confidence that he will do a nice job. 
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards