MSE News: Groupon to clean up its act following OFT investigation

Former_MSE_Helen · 16 March 2012 at 12:41PM

This is the discussion thread for the following MSE News Story:

"The daily deals site has been given three months to improve its trading practices following an OFT investigation..."

Read the full story:
Groupon to clean up its act following OFT investigation

JimmyTheWig · 16 March 2012 at 1:24PM

Groupon has now agreed that it will change its practices to comply with the law. It has three months to make the changes

Does this really mean that they are allowed to continue to break the law for three more months?? And not get in to any trouble for it??

RosePearl · 16 March 2012 at 3:22PM

Does it mean they might start refunding funds when they a say they are! Still waiting for refund after 2 email reminders and several weeks of waiting!

dotchas · 16 March 2012 at 3:55PM

Right now Groupon have a deal for a break in Aberfeldy,Scotland. These are the prices
£89 for a two night cottage stay for two people (71% off)
With use of all leisure facilities

• £139 for a two night cottage stay for four people (64% off)
With use of all leisure facilities

• £169 for a two night cottage stay for six people (62% off)
With use of all leisure facilities

There is an added supplement of £40 a night for weekend nights.
So a 2 night cottage stay for 6 over a weekend would cost £249. Still a good price but we are booked for this weekend and we paid £290 so no where near a 62% saving

Munchbunch · 16 March 2012 at 4:24PM

I'm mad at Groupon. I bought a beauty deal & when I came to book it I was told that it had been cancelled due to the owner's ill health & subsequently leaving the business. I was advised that Groupon knew all about it & to contact them for a refund. I did this & am waiting for the promised refund, but why didn't they automatically contact me & give me a refund?? Obviously hoping that people don't bother & they can keep the money themselves. Dishonest :mad:

meher · 16 March 2012 at 5:17PM

Reference prices, including savings, are accurate, honest and transparent.

I have always said this here that their offers are based on RRP and that their offers do not compete with original sales and discounted offers by several retailers. I'm glad that they are nudged on that.

Groupon carries out an accurate, honest and realistic assessment of a merchant's ability to provide goods or services in the quantity or time frame advertised.

If I'm honest, I get the feeling this is misplaced attack on groupon. It is the greedy and stupid retailers who break all honors and promises, imo. They are bad at marketing and adevrtising - they do not use clever ways of launching their products or services. They do not know how to maintain an existing customer base. Then they expect groupon to make them famous overnight. May be if they treated their existing customers fairly, they would earn some loyalty. Also groupon customers are treated often as second class customers. Groupon customers are impulsive purchasers. They need to change their tactics to keep them. Like I always say, the retailers who use groupon in britain are not particularly astute business persons/ventures. In the US it is a different case altogether; that is why both the retailer and groupon are flourishing and the customer, happy. In short, this strategy isn't goig to work. Retailers need to change their stupid attitudes or their business will fail or probably they should.

Munchbunch wrote: »

I'm mad at Groupon. I bought a beauty deal & when I came to book it I was told that it had been cancelled due to the owner's ill health & subsequently leaving the business. I was advised that Groupon knew all about it & to contact them for a refund. I did this & am waiting for the promised refund, but why didn't they automatically contact me & give me a refund?? Obviously hoping that people don't bother & they can keep the money themselves. Dishonest :mad:

When I travelled to the US for about 2 weeks I placed numerous orders with them and later needed to cancel some of them because some other engagements came about but they were ever so swift to cancel and offer the refund but this the US groupon that I'm talking about. The UK customer service is good, they have contact numbers and other ways of communication. Also a little bit of patience from our end, specially if they have a contract between them and the retailers need sorting out. I don't think in one such circumstance they could act on our whims. There are customers who don't understand or honor contactual terms; why should groupon take and cancel an order considering their contratual relationship with the retailer?

competitionscafe · 16 March 2012 at 6:43PM

Does this mean they will start replying to emails instead of ignoring them and they will allow questions/comments on their Facebook page (instead of blocking me from commenting because I complained that my emails were not answered and then lying to me on twitter by saying I had not been blocked when I had).

1Sandra2 · 16 March 2012 at 7:35PM

I have bought numerous deals via Groupon & KGB etc. over the last couple of years. Sure, I've had one or two which couldn't be fulfilled due to over subscription, however although this is disappointing when it happens, I really have never had a problem with Groupon refunding immediately. And I have certainly had far more bargains which have happened, and which have been brilliant value. Long live Groupon!
:j :j

sonsbear · 16 March 2012 at 8:03PM

I've bought quite a few deals on Groupon site and my experience has been mixed. I think it is the retailers that are causing a lot of the problems.

My friend booked an NLP/hypnosis session at Its Solutions in Braintree. She only had one session and she says it was helpful. Then just before her next session her father died unexpectedly. The caring company that offers holistic treatments, counselling, etc for stress etc. said that was tough she couldn't rearrange her appointment because her father hadn't thought to give her 48 hours notice of his death! Personally, I think it was because she was a Groupon customer and it was a handy excuse not to honour the booking.

Someone else booked driving lessons for their son and the company was supposed to cover Brentwood and does - part of it. It was rather misleading but to cut a long story short it didn't cover her part of Brentwood. Anyway, she contacted Groupon and they refunded instantly (which was good) but then the driving school phoned her back and said they could pick her son up 1 road away from her house! Ok, good deal, she thought so contacted Groupon who had miraculously 'refunded' her when they can't refund anyone else in less than 30 mins. They couldn't put the voucher back for her so no too helpful. When I say 'refunded' it is refunded to her Groupon account not her bank account. £70 she's got to spend elsewhere.

For myself, I bought some of those lipo sessions for the old tum with a company in Chelmsford. 3 sessions supposedly. Anyway the company rang me after I booked to 'sell' me more sessions because 3 'don't show a result'. Again not stated in the advert. Therefore money wasted! Anyway, I've decided to take the extra sessions but am not too happy.

Others do work out well. So far any of the ordinary haircut and beauty things like nails and massage have worked - they do what they say on the tin.

I'm not blaming Groupon (although I think they could have helped with the driving lessons). It's the NLP place that have short changed my friend at a bad time for her and the Lipo and other companies that use their adverts to get you to buy and then you have to buy something else.

Sorry for the rant.

LouLou · 16 March 2012 at 8:17PM

My experience of Groupon is pretty positive. I've mainly had nails/spray tan done as a treat now and then, and a few good restaurants booked (though there's one coming up that has HORRIFIC online reviews, fingers crossed it's not that bad, only found out after the voucher was done and dusted).

If I've decided a few hours later I didn't want a voucher (did it twice, I think) their reply and refund was always prompt.

Think a lot of people assume that if a business is on Groupon, they're struggling to get custom, would you say that's true?

One thing I have noticed is that a lot of their "Goods" bargains aren't bargains at all. Things like jewellery, electronics, etc, usually a few clicks away you can find it cheaper elsewhere.

BargainGalore · 16 March 2012 at 8:27PM

They known for phantom bargains and over inflating prices quite often. No thanks they worse than Tescos

MSE News: Groupon to clean up its act following OFT investigation

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