Groupon

missile

For those who may not have seen this reported elsewhere>

http://www.buyometric.co.uk/blog/office-of-fair-trading-to-investigate-groupon-in-the-uk/

An (ex) Groupon user :beer:

cali_

Not surprised Missile. Also saw this today.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2069183/Groupon-voucher-blunder-ruins-Christmas-Santas-grotto.html

Not sure how long Groupon will last since it's getting a lot of bad press lately. I've also used them but now am very weary about future purchases.

arcon5

cali_ wrote: »

Not surprised Missile. Also saw this today.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2069183/Groupon-voucher-blunder-ruins-Christmas-Santas-grotto.html

Not sure how long Groupon will last since it's getting a lot of bad press lately. I've also used them but now am very weary about future purchases.

Just read that article. What a disgrace, the parents who took part in the abuse should be ashamed of themselves. If you are one of those parents reading this... shame on you, you should not be allowed to even raise children!!!


This comment made me laugh though:
"And what a treat to see the elf demand his P45."

PinkLipgloss

Some of the quotes in that article about the grotto are hilarious!

ThumbRemote

arcon5 wrote: »

Just read that article. What a disgrace, the parents who took part in the abuse should be ashamed of themselves. If you are one of those parents reading this... shame on you, you should not be allowed to even raise children!!!

Parents pay for a voucher promising one thing
Parents get their kids ready for a day out, drive however far was needed and arrive
Parents discover that not only is the attraction quite different to what was advertised, but they also have to wait for hours to get in
A small number of parents are seriously annoyed and rant at the staff there.

Yet it's the parents who shouldn't be allowed to raise children?

If we're going in for ridiculous hyperbolic statements, the owners of Groupon and this attraction should be banned from running any business again.

mrspanda_2

I feel really sorry for anyone who uses Groupon... Of 6 Grouon deals I've purchased this year, 4 have been a huge fail:

2 restaurant deals fell through as the restaurants went bust.
2 activity deals did not include in the adverts restrictions in when/where the deal could be used so were effectively useless to me.

In all cases Groupon have refunded me but not without much chasing and reminding. Their customer services leave a lot to be desired.

Also, the 2 'successful' deals were a complete pain to book as finding a mutually convenient time for both (restaurants) was a bit of an organisational nightmare which took much of the pleasure out of the experience.

I avoid Groupon now - I can't believe how many negative stories I've heard about them lately and wonder how long they'll survive.

arcon5

ThumbRemote wrote: »

Parents pay for a voucher promising one thing
Parents get their kids ready for a day out, drive however far was needed and arrive
Parents discover that not only is the attraction quite different to what was advertised, but they also have to wait for hours to get in
A small number of parents are seriously annoyed and rant at the staff there.

Yet it's the parents who shouldn't be allowed to raise children?

If we're going in for ridiculous hyperbolic statements, the owners of Groupon and this attraction should be banned from running any business again.

There's a difference between ranting at staff and abusing staff!

I don't care how long they have been waiting, abusing staff for the Groupons incompetence infront of children is irresponsible, juvenile and well out of order!!

Children are impressionable enough without having to see a group os supposed adults treating other members of society like such.

Any decent parent, having had it out with the staff (in a dignifying manner) would have cut their losses and taken their kids somewhere else and made the best of a bad situation then seek a refund and file a formal complaint after.

Ronaldo_Mconaldo

It seems that these harsh times we live in have lead to many, many people fogetting the one golden rule in life: you don't get something for nothing. Groupon and several imitators have sprung up take advantage of this forgetfulness but it'll all end in tears. Get a grip, people, companies don't just give things away for a laugh. You'll end up paying for it one way or another.

mrspanda_2

I agree Ronaldo, if it seems too good to be true it probably is. However, I hope more retailers will think twice about signing up to these deals to promote their businesses because if they can't afford to deliver the deal at the voucher price, or are going to put barriers in the way of redeeming the vouchers, then it's all backfired for them somewhat.

hcb42

I think much of the problems with negative stories about groupon could be avoided if the business managed the deal better in the first place - you can manage the cap of vouchers sold, and the booking process etc, so not overwhelmed and clearly if the deal is not profitable, then unless you can accept the loss as a business because it gets your name out there then the business should not do it.

I recently did a groupon offer, and am familiar with the process - and never lost control of my business or product. And generally apart from one dishonest customer who knows how to play the game who used the voucher even having applied for a refund beforehand so effectively stole from us, the rest of the process has been fine.

LisaB85

I asked for a full refund from Groupon and got told to contact the vendor; who has agreed to a full refund but surely this isn't right as they don't get the total amount I paid to groupon?

I have put in a claim with paypal.