Steve C.
Yelp
I'm giving 3 stars b/c the experience was mostly frustrating, but in the end, Empty Vase offered a remedy that was acceptable which lifted it from one to three stars. I never found the staff to be condescending or rude, on the contrary, they mostly tried to ameliorate the situation.
Like many, I didn't get the specific flowers in the arrangement I ordered, which is a bit frustrating, since I had a look I wanted for the table, but the overall arrangement is lovely, and all the guests positively commented on it. I have two more dinner parties in the next couple days, hoping the arrangement lasts for them.
It's frustrating that there is nowhere in Empty Vase's system to notify the customer of the time when the arrangement will be ready for pick up or delivered. Empty Vase assigned a random time based on their convenience, not my schedule. It really should be the other way round. In future, I will be sure to put a time in the notes section, and hopefully they'll oblige or follow-up with an update.
Empty Vase's prices can seem steep, but I'm not unwilling to pay for the artistry that goes into the arrangements created by its florists. These artists created an arrangement with over 40 stems plus lining the vase with greenery in a beautiful piece of flora art. It's a lot of flowers, and a lot of creative work and the price reflects this. If I go to other florists' sites and compare similar complex arrangements, the pricing is not very different.
Because Sarah so artfully managed this situation, I'll be back to give Empty Vase another try. I'll update this review then, but for this go round, I'm not in agreement with some other reviews that claim Empty Vase is "the worst" or "vile" or "obnoxious", I just found the experience to be a bit frustrating overall, but with a nice, but not as pictured or ordered, arrangement (which happens at any florist, since the pictured arrangement is a moment in time with that day's inventory). I understand it's floral art, not a floral factory. I'll just be sure to call and see what their inventory is before I order the next arrangement, and then, I will hold them to creating the arrangement as ordered.