How good is Groupon??

GrammarGirl1991

Does anybody actually use, and enjoy, deals from Groupon?

I've heard some seriously mixed messages about it - Some say it's a really good money-saver, but others say it's a bit of a scam because they don't disclose all of the terms and conditions (having to pay more than was advertised, having to turn up at a certain time etc. etc.)

What do you all think of Groupon? I'd like some opinions before I think of trying any of it out!

Thanks!

PRINCE$$

I've seen some less positive reviews but personally I've used it several times and been happy. I've had a couple of great meals out which were good value, the only additional cost was service charge. You usually have to book quite far in advance though and often go with less popular days. I've also bought magazine subscriptions which were easy to redeem etc. The only thing I wasn't happy with was a leisure day out and that was down to the operator, not Groupon, and I did get a credit back when I complained.

glamour-mummy

ive been wondering this too, i havent used groupon yet nor has any of my family or friends but now and again i see some good things which id like to do but havent ever got round to booking anything because i wasnt sure

aerostar

They have been pulled up by the Advertising Standards Authority and Office of Fair trading !

Whilst some are good, some are problematical to customers and suppliers.

It is a bit of pot luck if all goes well or not.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4200734/Groupon-web-ads-slammed.html

phsychoduck

Groupon can be good and can be bad, it depends on what the companies selling through it have offered.

You have to be careful to read the conditions to see what they are offering and use your nouse to decide whether it is worth it.

I've had fantastic deals on Groupon with no issues in using them and saving lots of money. I have also had occasions when I was going to buy thinking it would be great but then noticed things like and indian offering two starters and two mains with a drink for a great price. You then notice they don't specify you get rice with your main, so you realise it isn't such a great deal.

It's like with anything, always check it is the right deal for you, like you would in any supermarket etc and don't get suckered in too quickly with the headline grabbing money off!

jordanchaos

Without sounding like a Hipster I used to LOVE Groupon back in the day. Now I had to block them as I was getting 7+ emails a day for rubbish offers - colon hydrotherapy? really?
The last straw was paying for a voucher to use it at a 'gourmet' restaurant and when we showed the voucher they gave us a menu with a choice of 2 mains and two starters.... when I later checked the website there were the cheapest items on the menu (fair enough) but would have cost LESS than the groupon voucher on a regular day (not fair) complained to groupon, no refund.

******

In fairness I have used offers before and they have worked and been good value.

cobster

I have had two bad experiences with Groupon - first one was a yoga retreat that we travelled to only to find the place deserted and locked up and were told by Groupon that the company had gone bust. This was a lie - the company just decided that they wouldn't honour all the vouchers Groupon had sold. The second was for an Afternoon tea - the hotel ran an e-mail booking system and never responded to any emails. I rang them up and they couldn't do ANY of the dates I requested. I managed to get a refund from Groupon and a goodwill gesture of credits into my account. I am still waiting for the refund on the second lot.

I think part of the problem is that Groupon is/was too popular and there would be great demand for all offers which probably exceeded what the supplier was expecting. Their customer service was rotten but appears to be improving. On the day of the cancelled retreat I was told that a Manager would call me back to explain why I had not been told of the cancellation prior to departure. No call received. In the end I had to shame them on Facebook and Twitter to get my issue bumped with Customer Service. With the second failed deal I e-mailed them and they came back fairly quickly to advise I call the hotel and if they can't do the deal they would give me credits. I said I would prefer a refund as I already had a stack of credits and they agreed to this.

As soon as I have spent my Groupon credit I will be cancelling the daily deals e-mails as they drive me up the wall. However I do still get the deal e-mails from kgb, wowcher and wahanda.

missile

I have had several good experiences but after two bad ones (LED Lights zone and Happy Hippo) I have ceased using Groupon and blocked their junk e mails.

It seems they do not check the companies whose deals they offer and if anything goes wrong they tell you to contact their partner company. Even after they have received complaints from me and others they still continue to market those companies.

I would suggest you check several posts on here from dissatisfied users on this forum. Check out the company carefully before you buy a voucher.

oneman2000

Much like everyone else, read the small print.

I've had a couple of good purchases though their 60%, 70%, 80% is BS as most of the time you can get the items discounted elsewhere.

We had two occasions after buying that we needed to get a refund. The first one was beauty treatment where the supplier went bust, second for a item we purchase but then got told there was a 30 day wait time and we can cancel if we wanted. Groupon refunded no questions both times.

holidaysforme

I have had mainly good experiences, but i'm very careful what i buy and always read the small print. I have had a few problems with one or two companies offering deals that weren't all that they seemed, and have had a refund on a couple of occassions.
I have noticed that the complints against them are growing though and i suspect the may not be around or ever!
I mainly use them for meals out and hair cuts, but i would never buy anything more substantial from them like a holiday for example. I think that would be madness to be honest., although i have had a night away in a nice hotel with them once, and am using kgb deals for a similar night away soon.
My advice would be if you are going to use them then choose very carefully.








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jordanchaos

Also when I worked at Shaake as a Smoothie technician (I would have preferred Scoopervisor) We had a load of people turn up with vouchers - we knew that there would be a promotion soon but they couldnt tell us when it would go live. cue a queue of excess of 50 people at a time claiming drinks.. all on the same day, would have been great but we were losing money on each one! no one came back- that job didnt last long! ho ho!