Wowcher refusing to refund money

suzyq2909

Hi, any suggestions as to how to proceed please.... I purchases dinner for 4 as a birthday celebration for my OH and due to lockdown we weren't able to go.  The expiry date on the voucher is end of July but in all honesty I'd prefer to have the money back in my account given the current work situation.  Wowcher have refused to refund even though I explained, they have offered a credit which is of no use to me.  Given how most other business seem to have stepped up and done the right thing with regards to the effects Corona Virus has had on most people, this seems very unfair and frankly, unacceptable.  There is still no guarantee we would be able to use the voucher before 31 July so it seems like Wowcher have my money and intend to keep it by hook or by crook.  Naming and shaming seems to be the only way to get through to some of these people.  Thoughts, advice please

powerful_Rogue

suzyq2909 said:

Hi, any suggestions as to how to proceed please.... I purchases dinner for 4 as a birthday celebration for my OH and due to lockdown we weren't able to go.  The expiry date on the voucher is end of July but in all honesty I'd prefer to have the money back in my account given the current work situation.  Wowcher have refused to refund even though I explained, they have offered a credit which is of no use to me.  Given how most other business seem to have stepped up and done the right thing with regards to the effects Corona Virus has had on most people, this seems very unfair and frankly, unacceptable.  There is still no guarantee we would be able to use the voucher before 31 July so it seems like Wowcher have my money and intend to keep it by hook or by crook.  Naming and shaming seems to be the only way to get through to some of these people.  Thoughts, advice please

Same as with all the Groupon threads. You purchased a voucher from Wowcher - That is all they need to return to you.

JReacher1

Wowcher have been one of the worst companies to profit out of this crisis. I have received the folllowing deals from them via email!

300ml hand sanitiser - £20
5 face masks £12.99
12 toilet rolls £10

Its a disgrace really. 

tedted

wowcher is only a broker

Aylesbury_Duck

You have no entitlement to a refund in any form other than credit. Wowcher supplied what you paid them for: a voucher. 

Personally, I never use vouchers.  As you've discovered, they often aren't the bargain they purport to be. 

suzyq2909

Thank you for your comments.  I guess my point is, in this unusual situation, and through no fault of our own, surely companies such as Wowcher have a moral obligation to relax their usual policy.  People need money in their pockets right now, and I'm sure Wowcher is sitting pretty on money from many people in a similar situation to me

Aylesbury_Duck

I know very little about their operating model but I wouldn't be surprised if they are a low-margin, high-volume business with no money coming in for the last month and no prospect of any in the weeks and perhaps months to come.  Perhaps they're exercising their moral obligation to continue to pay their staff, rent and suppliers in this unusual situation?  People need money in their pockets right now.

How much did you pay for the voucher and how much would the meal have cost to buy with proper money?  That might provide an insight into how much of a hit the restaurant was going to take and how much Wowcher's cut is.   Your bargain had to be paid for somewhere along the line by someone.

suzyq2909

I think I'd dispute your comment that they have little or no money coming in - I'm pretty sure they've made plenty selling face masks, sanitisers & loo rolls at extortionate prices.  I'm one of those people who needs money in my pocket right now rather than a credit towards goods which I don't want or need.  

Aylesbury_Duck

Possibly, I don't know, but I suspect they're not making as much from overpriced toilet rolls as they would be from selling "experiences" as they would be in normal times.

At the end of the day, you elected to save a few quid (how much?) by buying a voucher for something that could have been paid for with proper money, and you've done so by introducing an intermediary into the chain.  It's a bit late to be complaining about their operating model after you willingly engaged them.

I know I'm being critical, but I have a dislike of these voucher schemes from the likes of wowcher, groupon, etc. because people keep using them and keep complaining about them.  You are trading flexibility for a discount, which is fine, but when things go wrong you can't expect the discount and the flexibility.

JJ_Egan

As above  .

Really a confusing method of buying .

Hermione_Granger

suzyq2909 said:

I think I'd dispute your comment that they have little or no money coming in - I'm pretty sure they've made plenty selling face masks, sanitisers & loo rolls at extortionate prices.

Wowcher haven't sold face masks, sanitiser & loo rolls any more than ebay have sold TV's, clothing or vehicles.
As has already been stated by others, Wowcher are simply an intermediary and are showing goods offered by third parties and Wowcher provide a voucher or code for people to buy products from the retailers who have contracted Wowcher to show their goods.