Substitution Policy

Last updated 1 July 2026

Why substitutions happen

Every Bourkes order is made by hand, on the day, by a florist local to the delivery address — not packed in a warehouse or posted in a box. That is what lets us deliver fresh flowers same-day almost anywhere in Australia, and it is also why the exact stems can vary.

Flowers are a seasonal, living product. A bloom that is abundant in Brisbane in October may be unavailable in Hobart in June, and a variety that was in the market yesterday may be gone today. Rather than cancel your order or send something tired, your florist may substitute.

What we may substitute without asking

An individual flower, foliage or filler, replaced with a similar variety in the same colour palette.

A vase, container or wrap, replaced with a comparable one in a similar style.

In every case the replacement is of equal or greater value, and the finished gift matches the style, colour and overall look of what you ordered.

The photograph on each product page is a guide to style and palette, not a promise of identical stems.

Larger changes, and your delivery date

Occasionally a florist cannot preserve the style, theme and colour of what you ordered — the difference is bigger than one bloom. Sending cut flowers when you ordered a potted plant, changing the colour scheme, or altering the form of a sympathy tribute all fall into that category. A wreath is not interchangeable with a sheaf.

When that happens there is a choice to make: change the gift, or miss the delivery date. Because most orders are tied to a birthday, an anniversary or a funeral, the default is that the delivery still arrives on the day you chose.

So we will be straight with you about how this works, rather than promise something we cannot deliver. Where there is time, we try to contact you, and if we reach you the choice is yours: accept the alternative, pick something else, or cancel for a full refund. Where we cannot reach you, your florist proceeds with an appropriate substitution and you are told what was changed. We do not promise to obtain your approval before every change, because the florist is arranging your gift on the day of delivery and a change often surfaces with only hours in hand.

Being told after the fact is not the same as being asked. That is exactly why the protection below does not depend on whether anyone reached you first.

If a delivery arrives different to what you ordered

If your gift departs in a significant way from what you ordered, that is our problem to fix, not yours. You choose the remedy: a full refund to your original payment method, including the delivery fee, or a replacement of the same type and similar value delivered when you want it.

This applies however the change came about — whether we knew beforehand, told you at the time, or found out when you did. You ordered one thing and something materially different arrived, and that is what counts.

Please accept the delivery rather than turning it away at the door. We can sort it out far more quickly with the gift in the recipient’s hands than with it back on a van, and nothing is lost by accepting it — your rights are exactly the same either way.

You never need to return anything. Flowers are perishable, so we do not ask for them back.

Tell us as soon as you can at care@bourkesflorist.com.au or on 1300 970 379 with your order number. Sooner genuinely helps — fresh flowers show a problem within a day or two, and the earlier we know the more we can do with the florist. There is no deadline on your rights under the Australian Consumer Law. A photo helps us take it up with the florist, but we will never insist on one.

Add-ons and gifts

Where an add-on such as a vase, chocolates or a soft toy is unavailable, we will substitute a comparable item of equal or greater value, or refund that item and deliver the flowers as ordered. We will not silently drop an add-on you paid for.

Your consumer rights

Nothing in this policy limits your rights under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to goods that match their description, and a substitution does not change that — whether or not you were told about it.

This policy sits alongside our Returns & Exchanges policy and our Terms & Conditions.