Yesterday's North london Groupon. Beware of the Restaurant trying to add new T&C's

holidaysforme

Hi all.
Just a word of warning if you have bought this deal, and are about to book a table.
I bought yesterday's North London Groupon,- "Two courses of French influenced British fare and glass of Prosecco each for Two at the Michelin-featured Rose and Crown".
We are staying overnight in a hotel close by in July, and I was actively looking out for Groupon or Toptable deals, or using our taste card for a meal out.
I rang this morning,- the first day the voucher became active, and this is when i discovered that extra terms and conditions, not mentioned anywhere in the original T&C 's are being imposed.
I told them i wanted to book using the Groupon voucher, requested a time,(8pm) and gave them the date.
The person i was speaking to on the phone was quickly interrupted by another member of staff. She then came back to tell me
that only early tables were available for Groupon customers and offered me 6.30. I pointed out that nowhere in the information provided for use of the voucher was this stated. She also said that they would need the table back after an hour and a half. :mad:Again this wasn't mentioned anywhere in the rules for usage.
As a matter of principal, i never, ever frequent any restaurant which imposes a time limit on a table, and certainly not the ludicrous limitation of 1.5 hours. I told her that this was totally unacceptable.


She went away to speak to her manager again, and came back and offered me 6.45, and said that we could have the table for two hours. I accepted the time, as it was slightly inconvienent, but doable, and the two hour time limit on the table,- (although we will go when we are ready). We're rarely in a restaurant more than two hours,- particularly when just having two courses, but that's really not the point.:(
I feel that this merchant is being totally disingenuous and misleading, and treating their Groupon customers with disdain.
I have emailed Groupon to complain, and requested that they contact the Restaurant to ensure that they adhere to the terms and conditions set out in the agreement that they made with them.
Hopefully this will help those people who haven't booked yet to get the deal that they are entitled to.
Has anyone else tried to book here today? Be glad to hear of your experiences if you have.

Enfieldian

I sometimes wonder why businesses agree to partner up with Groupon when they try their best to change the terms of the deal or impose additional caveats.

Makeandsave

I wont use Groupon because there have been so many complaints about it, I have to say 2 hours in a restaurant is shocking. I went out for a meal with a group of friends and asked if there was a time limit and they said no, We ended up staying 4 hours and spending lots more and having a great time.

holidaysforme

Enfieldian wrote: »

I sometimes wonder why businesses agree to partner up with Groupon when they try their best to change the terms of the deal or impose additional caveats.

Couldn't agree more. Im' astounded at how short sighted some businesses are. Don't they realize that their ability to attract repeat customers depends entirely on how they treat their exsisting ones,- groupon ones or not.
Based on this experience alone, i for one will not return to this establishment even if the food is fab when we visit , as it's shabby treatment of Groupon holders was so apparent.

katerinasol

I think it depends on the restaurant rather than Groupon themselves, I used one of their restaurant deals and had a great time with no time limits etc, I don't think it's Groupon's fault that the restaurant isn't great.

holidaysforme

Makeandsave wrote: »

I wont use Groupon because there have been so many complaints about it, I have to say 2 hours in a restaurant is shocking. I went out for a meal with a group of friends and asked if there was a time limit and they said no, We ended up staying 4 hours and spending lots more and having a great time.

Yes, as i said before, on principle i would never book a table at a restaurant that imposed a time limit.
Like you, on occasion i have spent a lot longer than two hours in a restaurant,- usually when there is a large group and the wine is flowing.;)
i have also spent a lot more than i intended ,- so in a sense everyone wins.
When it's eating out with OH and family, it's usually around the two hour mark, as it was last night in Pizza Express.
I have had positive experiences so far with Groupon,- but it would not take much for me to take my custom elsewhere.
I'll see how they respond to my complaint.

holidaysforme

katerinasol wrote: »

I think it depends on the restaurant rather than Groupon themselves, I used one of their restaurant deals and had a great time with no time limits etc, I don't think it's Groupon's fault that the restaurant isn't great.

I never said it was Groupon's fault that the restaurant was trying to impose additional conditions. however, it is certainly their responsibility to hold the merchant to account and ensure that they comply with the agreement.