This is one of the ugliest posts I've seen on FlyerTalk. I don't want a thing from Continental, or from Teleflora, other than a refund. At this point I don't even care if I get that. My mother is in her eighties and this is the first time in years that I've been able to spend part of Mother's Day weekend with her. It would have been fun to see her face when the flowers were delivered since she has been going through a difficult time and her health is not good. I certainly don't see this as "all about Continental," but yes, I would certainly think that they should consider dropping them as a partner if my experience is typical.

I'm a big believer in caveat emptor, but I obviously failed myself this time around. I second and third the good advice that's been given here. This is the first time I have not called a local florist when sending my mom flowers. Live and learn. I really couldn't care less about the miles. When I picked up the CO flyer and saw their Mother's Day promotion, it just seemed like it would be an easy thing to do when changing planes at IAH. After getting home, I took a minute to check Teleflora out on the internet--hindsight, you know. Epinions gave them a rating of one "check" out of five, and 17 of the 18 reviews flamed Teleflora. I don't see how partnering with a company like this benefits CO at all, especially when the line is answered "Flowers by Continental," or something like that. What they made from the sale of miles could not be worth the customer frustration it could cause.

Fortunately, my mother was very understanding, and was more worried about my having wasted money than about not getting a Mother's Day gift. I just called Diner's Club and they assured me that they would remove the charge--so, no big deal in the great scheme of things.

I will definitely not send flowers again unless I know the local florist. Because I've had good luck with that in the past, I feel all the dumber. Thanks to most of you for the empathy and good advice.