Chateau Florist

Idk why people are being so critical. This place is great! I went there and they worked with me to find the perfect rose. They are also very friendly making the whole experience very enjoyable. People are so self entitled it’s ridiculous. I’m definitely coming back here. Give it a chance and see for yourself.

I wish I could give this florist negative stars because I assure you I would have. As other reviewers mentioned, Château Florist is horrible! My husband and I do not normally celebrate Valentine’s Day with much more than a kiss in the morning or a nice dinner at home after work. But this year I had experienced a death in my family to a very close relative shortly before Valentine’s Day so he thought he would surprise me with flowers and chocolates at work just to say he was thinking about me. It was a wonderful and kind gesture and it would have been so appreciated if Château had their stuff together. My husband ordered the flowers in advance and attempted to call before noon the day the flowers were to be delivered to confirm however, he could not get through. He tried multiple times to no avail. He just figured they were busy due to the holiday but any reputable business would be sure the flowers would be delivered. He called/​emailed me a couple of times that day «fishing» for some notification that the flowers had arrived but they hadn’t. Finally at around 3:30 or 4pm he just came out and asked me if I received anything. Unaware of the delivery I told him no. That’s when he told me his intention and was shocked nothing had arrived. He was leaving work by that time so I told him I would call the shop to see what happened. When I did, I also only got busy signals. By 5pm, I went home flowerless. The next day I went on Unilocal and saw the not-​so-​glowing reviews for this florist. That’s when I called again… busy. Again… busy. Again… busy. Again… ANSWER! I asked to speak to the manager who happened to pick up. I explained our situation and extreme dissatisfaction and he began cutting me off telling me that his computers were down and complaining about how much business he lost, etc. I told him that is still really no excuse and that he is in the wrong business if he can’t get Valentine’s Day right. He then offered to give us a new bouquet for half off. «How generous!» I said sarcastically. We aren’t interested in the flowers now– the sentiment is over. He then offered to make a comparable bouquet and have it delivered at no cost. Frustrated, and trying to prove a point, I complied. He took down my information and said they would be delivered that day. When I left work guess what I came home to… a big, fat, bouquet of NOTHING. He never did as he said and honestly, it didn’t even matter. He likely knew he had burned this bridge. However, I will say this… his goodwill gesture would have saved me from writing this not-​so-​favorable review. I am not a proponent of something for nothing but I do believe in good customer service. In turn, I reward good service with customer loyalty and generous recommendations. I do not just come on Unilocal or other sites to write bad reviews – I also believe in good ones because people also need to hear when they are spot on. But Château, you are way off. You do not know what good customer service is and it shows all too well. Even in your attempt to rectify a bad situation you failed.

I found their website searching for florist in DC and ordered over the internet before searching for ratings/​reviews. My mistake! I ordered a floral birthday cake which looked beautiful in the photos on the website and went so far to upgrade to the deluxe version and added a box of chocolates as well. This was a 30^th birthday surpise gift for my son’s girlfriend. My son took a picture of the arrangement when it arrived and sent it to me. After spending over $ 100 on this order, the «box of chocolates» turned out to be a Hersheys Chocolate bar available at any grocer or drug store. I paid $ 10 for that add on. The floral arrangement could or should have been their «standard» version instead of the deluxe. It did not look professionally arranged at all but rather lke an attempt from someone in training.
I don’t know how this place is in business!

Lesson learned: DO NOT IGNORE THE POOR REVIEWS. I was sending flowers to my fiancé in DC and saw that Château Florist appeared to have the best bargain in the area as well as being connected to the same network as more expensive florists. You get worse than you pay for. The flowers were delivered on the wrong day, Couldn’t reach them on the phone for two days although they confirmed delivery day. The delivery man was rude to my fiancé as well as trying to blame her for his delay. He also lied to the store owners and stated that he had delivered the flowers on time when in fact he had not. Don’t let the fancy name fool you: They suck.

caveat emptor:
i ordered dendrobiums for my girlfriend for valentines day yesterday — but unfortunately they were never delivered. i actually chose château because they were located just a few blocks from where she worked yet still they somehow managed to not deliver them. i’ve been trying to call them for two days now and no one is answering the phone. very frustrating. if a florist can’t hack it on valentines day, they need to reassess their business.
–jpb

True, this place is tiny. So they don’t have a huge supply, but they have all the basics and the man who runs the place was very very nice to me.

If you’re used to flower shops with sunny storefronts and buckets upon buckets of smile-​inducing blossoms, Château Florist is not the place for you.
While waiting for 10 balloons to be inflated with helium I had a lot of time to survey the place. It might have been better suited to serve as a check cashing spot, what with its odd and slightly shady reflective glass walled back area. To one side there is a large refrigerator with several buckets of flowers. To the other sit a bunch of poor quality vases. Were it not for the sign outside and the flowers in the refrigerator you may not know this was a flower shop at all.
My guess is that most of their business comes in over the phone. I saw one man in a suit come in and pick up an order that was waiting for him — someone got a pretty good looking bouquet — I imagine he worked very nearby. I happen to think, based on their prime location, that they could certainly pad their bottom line with walk-​in customers if they made the joint a touch more hospitable and fun to browse. (But who am I to try to increase their profits?!) Taking down the reflective glass would be a great start! (See, there I go again.. .) After all, don’t you want customers to be able to see you assembling the flowers or in my case, blowing up the balloons?
The price for 10 helium-​filled balloons (I brought my own)? Almost $ 22!
The woman who helped me was nice, she even offered up her chair for me to sit. However, I can’t see coming to Château Florist again unless on the off chance I find myself in a major pinch in Foggy Bottom.