I had a very disappointing experience working with Saipua.
My partner had heard great things about them (all the way in London) and they are located right down the street from me in Red Hook so I thought it would be nice to place an order to have when she visited over the holidays.
I contacted them in mid-december inquiring about ordering an individual floral arrangement (I wasn't sure if they only did weddings/events). I was put in touch with their shop manager, Deanna. She was very nice, said that an individual arrangement wouldn't be a problem, and I could choose the price.
Finding a pick up date at their Red Hook shop was tricky, as I was out of town until the 27th for the holidays, and they had a big wedding that day, and clean up the next. My partner was coming into town on the 29th and it was important for me to have an arrangement waiting for her. We agreed I would pick up the arrangement before noon on the 29th.
At 7am on the 28th I received an email from Deanna saying that they had been working around the clock during the holidays and were giving their staff a day off on the 29th. She said the next day (30th) they would be producing a large event at their new space, and would have more flowers in then. I was pretty shocked, and was left with no time to make alternate arrangements. I emailed her back to see if there were any other options. She never responded. I also contacted one of the owners, Sarah, to make her aware of the situation and did not receive a response from her either. It has now been over a week and they have not contacted me at all.
When ordering flowers, isn't the point to give them to someone or have them delivered on a specific date? I cannot imagine a situation where delivering an order a day late would be an acceptable solution, whether it be a large order for a wedding, or an individual arrangement for a special occasion. And to not respond to any emails or make any attempt to resolve the situation is just unprofessional.
I understand that the majority of Saipua's business is wedding and events, and that individual arrangements are probably small business for them. But if they choose to take on those orders, they need to treat them with the same care as the larger ones. I am left feeling like my business was an afterthought. But having a beautiful arrangement waiting for my partner to start our holiday was just as important to me as 100 centerpieces would be for a couple getting married.
Based on this experience, I would be VERY careful before choosing to use them for a larger event such as a wedding.
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