Let's Talk about Groupon

StarvingOat on 14/02/2018 - 02:42

I recently saw a deal about 10% off Groupon which made me think of our experience with the service. I wanted to talk about Groupon in general and how everyone's experiences are like.

If you buy a product using the voucher (Like a Lindt chocolate) then I think its awesome. However, if you get a service using it, you might have a negative experience. My GF wanted to go to the salon to get her haircut and bought a voucher for herself. It seemed like a pretty good deal but when she arrived there, the owner/manager told her that groupon members can only get their haircut from 1 specific staff member (Not a specific lady that everyone in the google reviews were raving about).

That's fine but she was made to book an appointment, when she arrived she had to wait until that member finished with all the paying customers and it was a shoddy job she was very unhappy with.

At the time I just thought it was a bad experience but recently it came in the news that Groupon vouchers were generally rated second class by the service industry. The article further mentions that you may get less availability than a normal paying customer. When I saw the article, the experience made perfect sense that the business has the money and they can boss the customer around. I'm just highlighting our experience. What do you guys think?

http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/groupon-vouch…

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  • Godric on 14/02/2018 - 06:52
    +1

    Yes

    Godric on 14/02/2018 - 06:52 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
  • [Deactivated] on 14/02/2018 - 06:55

    No

    [Deactivated] on 14/02/2018 - 06:55 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
  • theHMASfriendship on 14/02/2018 - 07:00

    All signs point to yes.

    theHMASfriendship on 14/02/2018 - 07:00 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
  • sahh on 14/02/2018 - 07:30

    Yep my friend bought a hair salon voucher and the Ts and Cs just said you need to make an appointment. When she called up to book, they said you can only book from 10am-12noon and from 2pm-4pm. Weekdays. So she ended up having to take half a day off work

    • chrisd262 on 14/02/2018 - 10:47
      +1

      If not in the fine print then complain and get refund

      • StarvingOat on 15/02/2018 - 01:36

        It wasn't in the fine print for us. But the damage was done and I just wanted to move over this sad episode.

  • rocky7st on 14/02/2018 - 07:44

    I had a similar issue. I brought a few coupons to a burger joint, redeemed no problems last year on the weekend. Went last weekend and they said it's only valid between Tue-Thur.

  • pennypincher98 on 14/02/2018 - 08:15

    TL;DR the answer is 7.

    pennypincher98 on 14/02/2018 - 08:15 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
  • kolorijo on 14/02/2018 - 08:24
    +1

    I had good experiences with many dining places in Sydney, such as Allegra, Booth St Bistro, Harry's Grill, The Little Snail, and more. Discount entry to Madame Tussaud & Sydney Wildlife Park, Australian Museum, Australian Maritime Museum, Zoos - all were good experiences.

    Hard to explain but I avoid anything that might get me treated like a second class customer, for example, salon, spa, etc & go for obvious things like entry to popular places I mentioned above.

    A car wash place treated me like a second class customer but majority of their customers coming with coupon anyway so didn't really bother me too much. Cost me $15 bux to wash the car, although not recommended if you have a fancy car (wash it yourself properly :))

    • StarvingOat on 15/02/2018 - 01:38

      I used to live in Sydney too, can't say I don't miss it sometimes. This happened in Melbourne when we first moved here. But now she has found a really good hair parlour

      • kolorijo on 15/02/2018 - 09:26

        Good for her. Me and my missus always try to find local businesses for something regular like haircut, dentist, wax, nail, etc. Easy for us and it helps them as well. Thriving local businesses also good for us for variety and competition.

  • jellykingdom on 14/02/2018 - 08:31
    +4

    I hate going to a restaurant with Groupons, I deliberately only tell them AFTER i've made the booking. Otherwise they suddenly have no tables free!

    • chrisd262 on 14/02/2018 - 10:48

      Never had this happen - but don't usually do Friday or Sat nights

    • StarvingOat on 15/02/2018 - 01:40

      Thats smart

  • Youfah Mizzum on 14/02/2018 - 08:39

    Used it once and never again. Was for a restaurant. Half price meal from memory - it was a few years ago.
    Service was abrupt and meal was waaaay overpriced even at full price which made me think that it was smaller because of the Groupon coupon.
    I rarely leave a restaurant hungry but this time we needed to find somewhere else to eat. Was not happy & vowed never to use Groupon again.

    I then researched how Groupon works and realised how ripped off the client (i.e the retailer) is.
    Apparently Groupon force the retailer to have the discount at least half off normal price, then Groupon collect 50% of that. So the retailer is left with 25% from what they'd normally charge. Conditions might've changed since then.

    • StarvingOat on 15/02/2018 - 01:43

      That's interesting to learn. But to be honest, still doesn't mean they treat the customer like second class and make imaginary rules for booking and appointments. Especially hair parlours and barbers, people usually stick with ones that give excellent service and they like. Price matters but it's a bit like finding a good doctor.

      • payton on 22/02/2018 - 08:16

        true, the business ('client') is shooting themselves in the foot really.
        Customer attends once, gets poor service, never comes back and leaves bad reviews.

        Cant 200% blame the business but its a sad state of affairs

  • steff on 14/02/2018 - 08:47
    +5

    Groupon is a load of BS. I tried it once for the very first time, never again.

    I bought a car tint voucher and when trying to make the booking was told there would be a surcharge because of the groupon. The surcharge brought the cost up to the regular price.

    I asked them to shove it up theirs and spoke to groupon who promptly refunded. Credit where it's due, their customer service was pretty good though.

    • StarvingOat on 15/02/2018 - 01:43

      Never tried their customer service but thats nice to hear

  • thatonethere on 14/02/2018 - 08:48
    +4

    I think a lot of small business are naive about Groupon and similar services. They go in thinking it's going to materialise into heaps of repeat customers before realising they are just going to be farmed by single visit Groupies. At that point they realise they are losing money each visit and try to weasel out of it.

    • chrisd262 on 14/02/2018 - 10:51
      +1

      However there must be a number of no shows - restaurant still gets some money?

      • D C on 14/02/2018 - 11:09

        Restaurant only gets paid when they get the coupon from the customer. That's why you'd get the 'business took my coupon and cancelled my booking!' complaints. For no-shows Groupon keeps all the cash.

        At least that's how it used to be.

        • Quantumcat on 14/02/2018 - 11:45

          Wow, you'd think in that case Groupon wouldn't take any commission, and just be satisfied with keeping the no-show money

        • D C on 14/02/2018 - 13:18
          +2

          @Quantumcat: Commission is the whole point of Groupon, the no-show money is just a bonus.

          Any business using Groupon needs their head examined. Get a bunch of cheapskate one-off customers at a loss, while annoying your existing customer base.

        • D C on 15/02/2018 - 11:37

          @Quantumcat: I'll just add the way it works is the business has a $60 service, Groupon promote it at 50% off - $30.

          Of the $30 the customer paid, Groupon keeps 33% (might be 50%) in commission - $10-$15.

          So where they used to receive $60 the business now only gets $15-$20, which is why you get treated like crap when you go in waving your voucher.

  • SnoozeAndLose on 14/02/2018 - 09:01
    +2

    Groupon is just hit and miss.

    Restaurant:

    Sometime you get a good deal - not as being treat as secondary citizen
    Sometime being treat like not paying for food, new restriction

    Holiday:

    Once it was very good and good value for money
    Once they mess up the booking condition and make a big mess, term and condition is not clear.

    Service:

    Pest control 40% cheaper then our usual one at start, but they don't cover most of the stuff our main one does. The guy come to our home bare food and doesnt know how to apply ant gel. I would use it again even we saved about $40.

  • Quantumcat on 14/02/2018 - 09:07
    +7

    What you can do is ring the business directly and ask if they'll match the Groupon price. They may do because then they aren't losing the commission.
    I always do this with Menulog - look at the menu on the site, decide what I want to eat and see what the total would be with Menu log; then ring them up and make a delivery order, see what the total is, and if less than or equal go through with the order. So far Menulog had never been less so haven't had to find an excuse to change my mind. Treat these sites as just directories to find businesses and contact the businesses directly.

    • Ughhh on 14/02/2018 - 13:14
      +2

      I've done same thing for hair salons, done this about 3+ times now. No second class treatment, no problem.

      I've rang some business' before, who state they're not allowed to do this. But some business' might risk it, especially if you offer to pay cash.

    • StarvingOat on 15/02/2018 - 04:40
      +1

      Thats excellent advice

  • Smulder on 14/02/2018 - 09:27

    I have bought and used Groupon vouchers (and Scoopon and Living Social) on many occasions and have always had a positive experience.

    • chrisd262 on 14/02/2018 - 10:49

      Same here - great deals great service

  • abb on 14/02/2018 - 09:31
    +1

    Yep, some friends got a voucher for a Brazillian BBQ place, we went and it was terrible. Never went back to the restaurant or groupon.

    • chrisd262 on 14/02/2018 - 10:50
      +1

      Some restaurants are not the best - good way of trying them out

  • cloudy on 14/02/2018 - 09:39
    +3

    It’s hit and miss.

    Don’t go for companies that are ALWAYS on Groupon. If they are, they are relying on the site for business and therefore not really providing the discount or is sure to cut corners.

    Some places genuinely go on these sites to cover down time periods or are new and want some initial exposure and they provide quality at the discount price.

    For example I don’t mind cafes that restrict the voucher to weekday lunches/dinners and exclude fridays etc. usually they just want to fill up a few more tables since the staff is under used but required anyway.

  • dasher86 on 14/02/2018 - 10:14
    +1

    I've mostly had positive experiences with groupon and mainly with food.
    I once got a car wash ~$29 which was their 'premium' wash. It was terrible and could've paid $15 for a basic somewhere else.

  • hj0809 on 14/02/2018 - 10:42

    Had a very positive experience with Lotus. Went back following week and paid $180 full price. Perfect example of a company using Groupon correctly - that is, getting exposure and getting customers coming back.

    • D C on 14/02/2018 - 11:11
      +3

      …and here, in the most unlikely of places, we find a beast once thought to be the stuff of legends, a repeat customer from a Groupon deal.

    • dasher86 on 14/02/2018 - 11:42

      so you didn't buy another groupon? (deal expired(?)) how very un ozb of you but well done.

  • dane45 on 14/02/2018 - 11:43
    +1

    A mate and I have been trying a couple of fitness Groupons lately in the interest of keeping fit and trying things I wouldn't have otherwise tried.

    My first groupon was for rock climbing for two and it was great, we were treated just like any new customers. When the end of the session came the staff asked us if we would be returning and gave us each a coupon for shoe hire when we come back.

    Second was for classes for two at a pole dancing studio. The first week there was only availability for their flexibility classes (which we tried and loved), this week we've just tried our first level 1 pole class but we didn't realise that the class was in week 5 of their program (so it wasn't a great start for absolute beginners). The instructors were welcoming enough though.

    • StarvingOat on 15/02/2018 - 04:55

      That sounds cool, I always wanted to try rock climbing but am a bit scared of losing my balance. It doesn't help that I'm not super fit too. But I did go skydiving in Sydney, that was quite fun. I think it was around 250$ and it was money well spent

      • dane45 on 15/02/2018 - 08:31

        I enjoyed the rock climbing, but I'm not super fit either and the venue more catered to experienced climbers. Was a fun way to spend an afternoon and I'd definitely recommend it, but my recommendation would be to do a little research to make sure that there are climbs for novice climbers.

  • Nutrino on 14/02/2018 - 13:11
    +1

    Wife had bought a Groupon voucher for dinner in the city at a restaurant. Deal was for dinner for meal for 4 people. Made the booking all good. My wife and I turn up, and one of her friends turns up, 4 th person cancels at last minute.

    The owner refuses to serve the voucher at it was for 4 people, we asked to be served one less meal, no go. We end up leaving as to pay normal price was a bit of a rip for the kind of food being served and used it another time. So yea.

    • StarvingOat on 15/02/2018 - 05:04

      Ouch, that sucks. Should've just asked for the fourth meal to be takeaway but I doubt that scoundrel would have allowed that. He is getting the full amount with one less meal as well so what's the issue.

      • Nutrino on 15/02/2018 - 08:20
        +3

        The situation was laughable, we spoke to the owner at the time and made a joke about if it was ok to invite a complete stranger of the street to join us. He agreed. God smacked.

        We told him we were unhappy, he shrugged. And no we didn't get a stranger to join us.

        • kolorijo on 15/02/2018 - 09:28
          +2

          I would grab 4 homeless people off the street and feed them using the voucher.

  • [Deactivated] on 25/02/2018 - 19:36
    +1

    I bought a Groupon Voucher about 2 weeks ago and was hoping to use it after Valentine's Day. I called to book a table for 2 and as soon as I mentioned that we got a voucher from Groupon, the owner acted as if he was fully booked. Anyway we got treated as a second class customer as well to a point we felt very unwelcome. They even have a printed note from Groupon customers that any left overs are not to be taken away!! Serious?
    The food was not that great anyway and we both got sick when we reached home. I contacted Groupon support and raised my concerns but they gave me a $10 voucher as a gesture of goodwill . They said that the reviews of other groupies are positive therefore they will keep an eye out about the negative feedback's about that venue."Examining the emails and calls we’ve received so far, customer experience has tended towards the positive, so we weren’t able to justify your issue without more proof." I won't trust Groupon Vouchers again!!

  • lainey13 on 25/02/2018 - 23:05
    +3

    I have spent quite a bit of money on groupons and livingsocials, and generally it's been good. HOWEVER I always always always look at reviews of the business first, I never buy blindly. Reviews both on the group buying website AND on google and other sites. I also check the expiry date, too soon and I don't buy. When it has been bad eg can't book, then I complain to the website and they always try to give me back a credit and then I insist on an actual refund which they then give to me. I try and book early though so I don't pay for a voucher that I then don't use. Never use it for a special occasion, once my brother in law bought a voucher to use for my mother in laws birthday. Went to the place and it was so infested with bugs the staff didn't even flinch when they squashed them on the wall. There were cockroaches living inside the menu. Disgusting… but he didn't check the reviews. A 2.5 on Google reviews is a big warning sign :)

  • dman55 on 29/03/2018 - 11:16

    I have bought quite a few Groupon vouchers. VR, all you can eat Japanese, rock climbing , car service, hotel and paintball. I recommend reading external reviews before purchasing voucher. Most were positive except paintball and one of the car service. Paintball refused the voucher which I was able to get a refund from Groupon. The car service was gonna cost over $1300 as they tried to upsell everything which I declined.

  • Cluelessly on 25/10/2018 - 11:48

    All of my experiences in restaurants have been good so far. I don't usually look outside the eating categories. Although, all most of them needed a booking via the Groupon booking tool.

    But I'm have an issues with the online redirect eBay coupon "sales" that don't need a code. I'm trying to get gift cards 15% off, but it's not working :/

  • HoneyComb on 14/11/2018 - 19:55

    need help trying to buy from groupon.

    i was trying to buy the milk tea voucher and it says 5 maximum

    so i went and put that in my cart and then i closed the screen without paying.

    30 minutes later i came back to the same groupon deal to try buy the deal and it says i've purchased the maximum already!

    i haven't paid for it and i can't view my cart so i can't pay for it and it's now locking me out from paying for it.

    how to fix?

  • Bargainbeth on 09/05/2019 - 01:45

    Hair cut services- mostly mediocre. One was ultra horrible and rude too (though I think the horrible one may have been groupon).

    Food - hit and miss - even after research (around 70% decent for a reduced price feed though).

    Massages: good so far

  • sunnyc on 28/06/2020 - 11:00

    You can't ask for a specific hairdresser… You have apprentices and you have hairdressers for celebrities, of course all the reviews are going to show you the best hairdresser. They're booked out and sure not to be paid less for their time. It's like going for a general consult at a hospital and asking for the chief of surgery. That only happens when you overspend not underspend.

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