Former members of the Preferred Florist Network (PFN) are now out thousands of dollars after a rumored shutdown of the company, with no warning or explanation by owner Thomas Meola.

PFN was the network of florists that filled orders for Meola's order-gathering company, which placed ads in telephone directories across the U.S. under local phone numbers while operating out of Randolph, N.J. Once customers called one of the phone numbers listed locally they were connected with the office in New Jersey, many times under the impression they were still dealing with somebody local, according to sources. PFN florists would bill the network for 75 percent of the retail value of the order. (Meola was mentioned in Floral Management magazine's September 2005 issue.)

Around Valentine's Day this year, florists who filled PFN orders started to see a lag in payments from PFN. Eventually, payments stopped completely.

Michael Pugh, owner of Pugh's Florist in Memphis, Tenn., said when he purchased his store in 2000 he continued the relationship PFN had with the previous owners, a relationship he said was basically "issue-free" until February.

"The payments were getting later and later, then around Mother's Day we realized we hadn't seen a payment from PFN since April," Pugh says. "We called them and said we weren't going to fulfill any more of their orders until we saw some payment."

That was the last time Pugh was able to get in touch with the company. He says he has yet to receive payment.

"They owe us a little over $6,000," Pugh says. "We're now in the process of going to a collection agency and talking to an attorney."

Pugh isn't the only florist who's been stiffed on payments. Another florist, who wished to remain anonymous, said he hasn't seen a payment since Feb. 1 and is owed more than $13,000.

He, too, spoke to an attorney, but says he doesn't think he'll ever get his money back.

SAF representatives tried calling the listed number on PFN's Web site, only to hear a recorded message asking the caller to call back between business hours, the same message many florists have been hearing for weeks.

--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org

 

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