Copyright Able 2016 Tonight ` I think it's dreadful to watch people get really naff flowers. is this value for money? It's false advertisement completely, and they're scamming everyone's money. Is this worth $123? I was gutted ` absolutely gutted. There's no bouquets, just brickbats for some internet florists. The consumer is definitely getting ripped off by using them. There's no doubt about that. Plus,... When I see 'premium' on it, that to me means that it's top of the crop. ...it's the grape depression. Doesn't do anything for me. Do premium wines really improve with age? If you're paying less than $20 a bottle, you should be really buying it to drink in next week or three. And Kiwis love their coffee. It's like a drug of choice. (LAUGHS) We also love our loyalty cards, but what happens when the barista won't cough up? What's the point in having a loyalty card? You might as well just rip it up. Welcome to the show. Ever wondered why we give people flowers? Do you know the tradition actually dates back to prehistoric times? And the Ancient Egyptians were the first people we know that decorated their homes with floral bouquets. These days, thanks to the internet, we tend to click rather than pick. A push of the button is all it takes to deliver a beautiful bouquet to a loved one. But there is something smelly about that online floral industry. I found myself in the midst of a war of the roses. GENTLE STRINGS MUSIC It's bad enough when one customer chucks a brickbat at their bouquet. I was gutted ` absolutely gutted. Make that multiple customers. 'You can take it or leave it.' 'Take it or leave it,' that's what they said? It's pretty harsh. But how bad must it be when complaints are coming from florists too? The consumer is definitely getting ripped off by using them. There's no doubt about that. She's talking about websites like these and these ` florists that might look local but aren't. They're called relay florists. They take the order, they take your money, but they don't actually touch a flower themselves. They pass all of the work on to a florist, and some of them are not happy with that arrangement. These companies are very good, though, at arranging things with Google so that they appear up near the top of your searches when you're in a hurry to say it with flowers or with a nice bottle of wine, which is what Katie thought she'd get from Ready Flowers. But $123 for this? A bottle of Chardon. Are you serious? (LAUGHS) Her bestie was almost too embarrassed to tell Katie about the cut-price bubbles from Ready Flowers. They wouldn't have paid more than $7, $10 dollars for it, so I just feel totally, totally ripped off. And the bubbles ` down the hatch? I think it probably went down the sink. The final touch ` she'd asked for a card. Yep, that is technically made of card. At least it got there in time, which kind of makes her one of the lucky ones. If you order flowers online and you pay for same-day delivery, you shouldn't have to do it yourself. We're on a mission to patch up Mother's Day. OK, we're three months late. We also want to find out why it's going so wrong when people order flowers online. It's going to take more than one admittedly very nice bouquet to make this Mother's Day right, though. It was a fiasco for the florists too. Some are now basically refusing to do business with the online operators. I do feel threatened. Julie-Anne trades from another very scenic spot, Queenstown, where she says the online operators have moved in, creating websites that claim to represent her business, despite her telling them to cut it out. They're not reputable, because they are pretending to be someone and somewhere that they're are not. She says spend $60 to $80 on a bouquet for someone special and you could expect something lovely like this if you go direct to a florist. They get an honest answer about what they're getting for their money. They get to choose exactly what is in store. A lot of the time on these websites we don't actually have in stock what they're selling because it is quite cheap and nasty product. Go through Ready Flowers and an unnamed contractor of theirs ` not Bloom, obviously ` and look what turns up for Mother's Day for $70 and days late, missing the moment. Why wouldn't I get a full refund? Like, it's in their terms and conditions to give a refund if you cancel orders or anything like that, and they still didn't do it. Kate was fuming, and I'd be the same if it was my mum they'd let down, because that's the real cost of these floral fiascos ` the loved ones missing out. Kate had been taken in by the online promise of same-day delivery to her Mum on Waiheke. She thought she'd be dealing with a local, but her money had vanished overseas. These floral operators are online and offshore with no local representatives, meaning we had to hit the phones to try and get some answers, making the same frustrating journey that Kate and other customers have made when they're trying to get a refund for flowers that disappointed. Where have I reached? Ready Flowers' Philippines call centre wasn't much help. The Hong Kong office seemed promising. All right, thanks. Well, we'll get back to you when Ready Flowers gets back to us. But don't hold your breath. Kate's been waiting since Mother's Day for her refund. We've heard people dealing with Petals have had more luck with refunds, but our florist back in Queenstown still thinks something stinks, and it isn't the flowers. Julie-Anne says she's had enough of Petals putting up websites that claim to represent her business. The last one went up guess when? Right before Mother's Day. They actually turned around and said, 'Oh, that was a mistake for the third time that we put this e-website up.' Petals is based in Australia. They didn't send us flowers, just this statement. Petals says it has more than 1300 member florists in Australia and NZ. It offers all of them a website, and 90% take up the offer. As for Bloom in Queenstown, 'They initially participated in our website programme but then opted out, 'at which point we promptly removed the site. 'We terminated their membership on July 22nd as they were not abiding by our code-of-conduct standards. 'We're not able to discuss any other details of their membership.' Julie-Anne says she's never seen nor signed up to any such standards and won't be. They do know how angry I'm actually about this situation. We know others are breaking ranks with the online operators and urging us to google a bit harder to find the actual local florist so they can offer a better deal. If you ring the person that's actually making your bouquet with love, not only are you getting value for money, you're getting something that is thought of and something that is sincere. Advice Kate will heed now. She's done with using the online middlemen after this experience. It's false advertisement completely, and they're scamming everyone's money in the long run. Another actual local florist sorted us out with this nice bouquet, and we've arrived at the bank where Kate's mum works. Usually on Fair Go when we're walking in like this on someone, it isn't so we can say it with flowers, but it is time to put something right. Cathy? Cathy? Yes? Special delivery. Fair Go flowers. We understand that Mother's Day was a bit of a floral fiasco this year. So you've got a very lovely daughter. Oh, thank you so much. I have got a very lovely daughter. Oh, that's so nice. (LAUGHS) Mum had been mighty unimpressed with Ready Flower's service and upset for her girl. Yeah, she was pretty angry and disappointed. But she's proud, though, she's raised a daughter who speaks up, and she didn't mind this special delivery one bit. Oh, those flowers at the end ` I'd be more than happy if someone busted into my workplace bearing those. Yeah, weren't they? But, look, the thing that made me wild ` these relay florists, right, they're using the internet and they're claiming they offer you convenience? Mm. Now, if you're happy parting with half the money so a service can order your flowers for you, go right ahead. I reckon if you want value for money, you need to get online. You need to get a number or an email for a real live florist or, even better, actually pop into a store and talk to one. Yes. If you really want to click rather than pick, it pays to google. Check out what people are saying about them on social media, whether we've featured them. look for reviews or complaints or, of course, check out if they've had any compliments. Right, time for round two of the Fair Go true-or-false challenge. Yeah, last week we learnt a landlord, right, can't make a tenant leave a property while they show it to prospective purchasers or renters. Tonight I'm back in Hawke's Bay with a new bit of consumer trivia. We're in the heart of Napier's shopping district. I know you're busy working. Wondered if you're interested in a little wager. The Fair Go wager? Uh-huh. That's right, week two of our six-week true-or-false quiz. Tonight ` a retail question. 'If you buy a TV from a shop and after a fortnight it stops working, 'the shop can send you to the manufacturer to sort it out.' True. Both true. > Should go through them. Yeah. The shop that you purchased` Yeah. I don't know about that one. < (LAUGHS) Well, I can say from personal experience that they'll either sort it out or you can go direct to the manufacturer for the warranty that's on the product, so... Is this one of these funny ones? The shops` Some shops would do that, and some shops won't. False. Do you two agree on anything? BOTH LAUGH So mixed answers for this one. Who's right, and who's wrong? We'll tell you shortly. Don't answer, cos I know you know the answer. I know the answer. I know the answer. Coming up ` does a fine wine really improve with age? They say the older it is, the better it is. Welcome to the quaffing aisle, where we ponder the question ` how long does supermarket wine last? Six months or something. If it's a good bottle, centuries. And... It's like a drug of choice. (LAUGHS) ...when feeding the addiction goes bad. What's the point in having a loyalty card? You might as well rip it up and chuck it away. 1 Welcome back. We've all heard the phrase fine wine gets better with age, but does it really? There are some pretty fancy bottles of wine that benefit from a couple of decades of ageing, right? But there are many more than that that have been gathering dust for far too long. So how do you avoid the grape depression? Here's Hadyn Jones. The fridge, the hub of any home, but don't be fooled. It's not a fair and equitable place. The fridge discriminates. Take a look. Front and centre, your high-rotate foods and sweet treats. And at the back, well, the foods best avoided. OK. For Michael White, it's a bottle of wine he's not that keen on. You could possibly cook with it. He got given it as a gift. When I see 'premium' on it, that to me means that it's top of the crop. It was a Cabernet Sauvignon. He was excited. 'Wow, this is a damn good bottle of wine. I'll have to save this for a special occasion.' He initially stored it right here for five or six years. He thought it would get better with age, but then when he opened it, he knew. The aroma that you got, it said, 'Oops. Oops. I'm over the top.' His taste buds quickly confirmed what his nose was telling him. It doesn't do anything for me. You see, only good wine gets better with age and then some for only for so long, but how can you tell? They say the older it is, the better it is. Welcome to the quaffing aisle ` wine mostly under $20 a bottle. This one's just $9. It's made for a good time, not a long time, but how long does wine last unopened? Six months or something. Oh, a year or so. Yeah, three to four years. If it's a good bottle, uh, centuries. You see, no one knows for sure, which begs the question. All throughout any supermarket, you're gonna find things with expiration dates, like yogurt. Yogurt's got a best-before. And cheese ` cheese can go off. Then there's bread. Bread's got an expiry as well. But what about wine? Wine has no expiration date. It should do. It can expire. A lot of wine is made to drink and consume now. FLO RIDA'S 'MY HOUSE' Michael Jemison constantly has a bottle in hand. He imports wine from around the world. 99% of all wine that's bought is drunk within 24 hours. I do like screw tops, though. Michael says your supermarket wine won't last long. If you're paying less than $20 a bottle, you should be really buying it to drink in next week or three. Even the bottles with gold medals on them. But it's judged for that moment, and that's why medals can be very misleading. It doesn't give you any indication of how long it can last. Michael says wine may even be off before you buy it. So if you put a wine in a wine shop under nice fluorescent lights, a nice clear bottle, and it's white wine and you can see it, three months it'll start to get light-affected. Michael White may be the first person on Fair Go who doesn't want compensation. He want just a sentence on a bottle like this one. READS: Awatea will continue to evolve in the bottle for eight years from harvest. That's what I want to see on all labels. And Michael agrees with Michael. It's a good thing they could have on a back of a bottle ` what's your drinking window? So is it in three to five years? 10 to 15? That would be really really helpful. The Winegrowers Institute says a best-before on wine is problematic because it all depend on where and how it's kept, but it can offer the following as a rough guide for cheap supermarket wine. A Pinot Gris could last up to five years. A Sauvignon Blanc, the same. Sparkling ` three years. And Pinot Noir, six. Michael White hasn't gone off wine. He's got some he's saving and some he's drinking right now. You're looking for a social quaffer. So if you're a social quaffer too, drink fast or do some homework. So, great wine can last a very long time, but not all wine is equal. Half of these use-by dates are useless anyway. I prefer to drink it while it's fresh, yes. ELECTRONIC MUSIC I am learning some stuff tonight. Now, the makers of Michael White's ill-fated bottle of wine, Abbey Cellars, have been in touch with some really good advice. Yeah, they say they pre-cellar their wines before release cos most people want to drink it on the day, right? They point out wine doesn't like heat or light. Storing it in your 20- to 30-degree kitchen or living room is a bad idea. The optimum temperature is between 12 to 14 degrees. And wine should always be drunk the day you open it because it starts degrading as soon as you let that oxygen in. Yes, good advice, although we're not suggesting that you need to drink an entire bottle of wine by yourself on the day you open it. But the moral of the story is if you find a wine in the supermarket that you love, drink it. And if you want to explore the world of older wines, make sure you have a fat wallet. You should also be prepared to sip from some expensive bottles of disappointment along the way. OK, coming up ` when loyalty promotes disloyalty. Kiwis love their coffee. An espresso long black. Flat white. Americano with extra water. And we love our loyalty cards, but what happens when your barista betrays you? I was really quite shocked, and I've never come across this before. Should a freebie come with a 70c surcharge? What is the point in having a loyalty card? You might as well just rip it up and chuck it away. Plus,... Wonder if you're interested in a little wager? The Fair Go wager? Uh-huh. ...the results of our true-false challenge. Do you two agree on anything? BOTH LAUGH Welcome back. Everybody loves freebies. Yes, which is why our purses and wallets are crammed full of loyalty cards. Yes, but loyalty is a bit like respect. It's hard earned and it's easily lost. And if you don't play your cards right, loyalty schemes can engender disloyalty. Here's Anna. COFFEE MACHINE WHIRRS The humble cup of coffee ` it's loved by Kiwis north to south. Americano with extra water. An espresso long black. Flat white. Trim. > Trim flat white, yeah. Some of us can't start the day without a good caffeine hit. It's like a drug of choice. (LAUGHS) Aucklander Belinda's preferred drug of choice is a large almond-milk latte, but almond milk doesn't come cheap. It costs an extra 70c. Her local cafe, Canopius in Papakura, is one of the few to offer it. I'm one of their loyal customers. I buy a coffee every day. Being a loyal customer, Belinda always carries her loyalty card. The deal is ` you buy 10 coffees, you get one free. Or at least you're supposed to. I had a full loyalty card with 10 stamps and one I'd just started, so I said, 'I'd like a free coffee. I'll use a free one and I'll pay for the other one.' And I was told that they've now been asked by their manager to charge extra for the almond milk. So let's get this straight. If I buy 10 flat whites, I get the 11th one for free. If I buy 10 lattes, I get the 11th one for free. But if I buy 10 almond-milk coffees and go to get my 11th one for free, I have to pay extra for the almond milk? That just doesn't seem right. I was really quite shocked, and I've never come across this before. I've always had loyalty cards. I said to the guy that served me that, 'Please tell your manager that I'm not very happy about this 'and this will put people off from coming to your cafe.' And I walked out with my coffees. Of course, charging extra isn't illegal, but it shouldn't matter if you like your coffee hot, cold, long, short, black, white or almond. If you've paid for special milk all along, shouldn't that be included in your reward? And the court of barista opinion agrees. At the end of the day, they're spending the money to start with on their coffee, so I definitely wouldn't charge them any extra for their free one. A free coffee's a free coffee. It doesn't matter what you drink. I think that's really weird, so for me that's... unfair. The first nine coffee they bought is all almond milk, so of course they deserve the 10th one as` for the almond milk as well. Cafe owner Paula says the decision to charge Belinda an extra 70c for almond milk was a mistake. You work in a busy cafe; you make a judgement call at the time. And I think it was fair enough of him to say that to her, and he certainly wasn't rude to her in any way. He explained it very clearly and gave her the option to come back and sort it out. The way Paula sees it, the loyalty scheme is always open to abuse. She might have brought 10 regular coffees and now she wants her almond milk, you know, and that's not really fair on us either. If she wants to, you know, um, buy 10 regular coffees and then get her free one as a large coffee, that's the same thing. So it is a bit of a judgement call, and we have to remember it's a free coffee. (LAUGHS) You know? So will Belinda get her free almond-milk coffee? Yeah. She's more than welcome to come back and she'll get a free coffee with her almond milk. Paula says Belinda's welcome back any time, but Belinda's taste in coffee has changed. Hi. Could I have a long black, please? And so has her loyalty. What's the point in having a loyalty card? You might as well just rip it up, chuck it away and just pay your money and be the sucker to keep paying. Sometimes it's the little things that really bug us. Yes, speaking of which, time to take one on the chin ourselves. Yeah, last week we announced the prize package for the Kids' Ad Awards. And some of you thought the graphics were a little misleading, which was fair enough. The bundles of $50 notes would, in reality, be way more than the cash prize on offer. So to those who pointed out our error, sorry. We have given ourselves a slap on the hand and amended the graphics. The good news, though, right, thanks to Canon, we're offering the biggest prize pool ever. Yes, it totals a whopping $32,000. The winning schools will get $10,000 worth of Smart Board cleverness, two ` yes, that's two ` Canon EOS 100D cameras, an accessory pack and a Canon PIXMA printer. On top of all that, there is 2000 in cash. And that makes the two first prizes worth more than 14,000 each. It's a big prize. Second place gets the latest Canon video camera and 500 cash. And third place also receives the latest Canon video camera. Remember, we have two categories. There's the primary-intermediate category and the secondary category. All you have to do is make something ` anything you like ` out of plastic bottles. Some ideas ` you could make a bed, kayak, make a chair, a boat or even make an igloo. Then we want you to make a 30-second ad promoting your waste creation. Parents, teachers, kids, you need to get your thinking caps on because there's a lot at stake. Yes, and the clock is ticking. The deadline is the 21st of October. Now, we are ruthless on deadlines and ruthless on the 30-second maximum duration. All entries are submitted online, and we'll have all the info on our website. Right, think you know the answer to our true-false consumer quiz question? Let's see how you did. So the question is ` if you buy a TV from a shop and after a fortnight it stops working, the shop can send you to the manufacturer to sort it out. False. < You know that one because you're a retailer. BOTH LAUGH They can't do that. That's right. This one relates to one of our favourite laws, the Consumer Guarantees Act. If something's faulty, you can choose to take it back to the retailer or the manufacturer. But if you choose to go to the retailer, they have to sort out the problem and not fob you off to someone else. You got that one right, thankfully. I got that one right, but I'm really happy so many of you guys got that one right. Yes. That is the show. Garth and I will be on Facebook for the next half hour to answer your questions. Our programme is all about your problems, your thoughts. We do love to hear from you. We're on Facebook, or you can email us... Or you can write to us... Coming up next week,... ...bridal heartache. I feel helpless. I've had excuse after excuse. The big day has become memorable for all the wrong reasons. I just couldn't believe that I hadn't had my wedding photos in five months. Photos ` they're the most precious and sentimental mementos of a bride's big day. Oh, that's a good one. But these amateur snaps are all she has to remember. You just expect memories, I guess. It's the biggest day of your life. You can't go back and do it again. So where are her wedding snaps? It's not fair. We just wanna know the truth. Do you have the photos or not? A big day ruined. That's next week. Goodnight.