I must admit that I haven't paid too much attention to the T&C of the group buy deals sites that I've signed up with / purchased from. That's until problems started happening… upon a closer reading of their T&C, in most cases the group buy site will be able to say "not our problem", in line with their T&C. My paraphrase of the gist of these include:
- The information published on the sites comes from the suppliers/manufacturers - we don't check/control this so don't blame us if any of it is wrong, inaccurate or misleading.
- Once we've sold you the voucher, everything else that happens is between you and supplier. Have a problem? Sort it out with the supplier. We're just the middle man and once we take our cut we're out of the picture so don't try to drag us back in.
- Apart from what's published on the website, the supplier may have their own policies about using the voucher. Good luck with that.
- Once you make a booking you have used your voucher, regardless of whether or not you actually turn up. Rescheduling / using your voucher at a different time is up to the discretion of the supplier. On top of this, you may be charged a cancellation fee.
So essentially it's up to you to make your own enquiries with the supplier to make sure they are supplying what you think they are supplying, the way you think they are supplying it. And if you didn't do that before you buy, tough bikkies.
Unfortunately this is the price you pay for getting the deal. Also unfortunately, this is what a lot of people don't realise.
As always, it's a case of buyer beware. An educated buyer is more likely to be/remain a happy buyer :) I've included below a selection of the more pertinent clauses from a few of the group buy sites that I (used to?) frequent - ScoopOn, Spreets, OurDeal, Cudo.
NB. I'm not trying to suggest that you won't have a good/positive experience with these deals, nor that you should expect a negative experience. What I am saying is that if you do have any negative experiences, the group buy sites are going to be able to (legitimately, if not necessarily ethically) wash their hands of it all and say it's between you and the supplier. The point I'm trying to make is that you should make yourself aware of this before you buy, and if you do want to take a risk with any of these "deals", at least take a calculated risk. If it all seems too complicated/risky, just stay away… far, far away!
Well I've learnt something through this process, and hope it helps others too.
Cheers!
http://www.scoopon.com.au/pages/terms-and-conditions
7. Information on this website
7.1. Information about goods and services on the website is based on material provided by suppliers and product manufacturers and Scoopon does not check the truth of this information.
7.2. You understand and agree that we cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions caused by incorrect or inadequate information supplied to us or by manufacturers or suppliers.
7.3. You agree to make your own enquiries to verify information provided and to assess the suitability of products before you purchase.
12. Voucher redemption / Supply of product
12.1. The scoopon voucher you purchase is redeemable for the specified product from the nominated supplier. The nominated supplier, not Scoopon, is the seller of the product and is solely responsible for honouring any Scoopon voucher you purchase.
12.2. Scoopon makes no guarantee, warranty or representation regarding the standard of any product to be provided.
12.7. If you have any complaints or problems with the supplier’s service, please bring this to the supplier’s attention as soon as possible. Scoopon is unable to assist in resolving disputes with suppliers.
12.8. Scoopon receives payments from suppliers whose products or services are promoted through the website.
13. Bookings and cancellations
13.1. All service products are offered by suppliers subject to availability. Some small group or individual “experience” products will require booking in advance. For all products, we recommend making bookings at least 2 weeks in advance. Peak times (such as weekends or holidays) should be booked further in advance. We do not guarantee that services will be available at your preferred date and time.
13.2. Bookings are made subject to any supplier policies.
13.3. If you cancel your booking you may incur a cancellation fee payable to the supplier. Short notice cancellations may result in the cancellation of your Scoopon voucher if the supplier is unable to fill your space.
http://spreets.com.au/page/terms-conditions
7 . RESERVATIONS CANCELLATIONS: A Spreets voucher will be considered to be redeemed once a User has made a booking, reservation or appointment with the business to which the voucher relates. If a User makes a booking, reservation or appointment with a business but fails to adhere to it, the voucher will be considered to be redeemed unless the relevant business agrees otherwise. Spreets cannot guarantee that Users will be able to make a booking, reservation or appointment at particular times. It is the responsibility of the User to arrange a time for a booking, reservation or appointment directly with the business.
10 . VOUCHER REDEMPTION: Users can redeem their vouchers with the relevant business in order to receive the good or services they have purchased through a Deal. Users acknowledge and agree that the business, and not Spreets, is the provider of the good or service and is solely responsible for honouring any voucher purchased by a User. Spreets makes no warranty about the standard or quality of any good or service sold through the Site. All promotional materials relating to a business’ goods or services are based on information provided by the business and its affiliates. Vouchers cannot be redeemed for cash. Spreets is not responsible for any vouchers that are lost, stolen or redeemed by an unauthorized third party. Vouchers must not be resold, offered for resale, duplicated, used, traded or used for advertising, promotion or other commercial purposes (including competitions and trade promotions) or to enhance the demand for other goods or services.
http://beta.ourdeal.com.au/terms
Supply of Goods / Services
20 . You can only redeem vouchers from the relevant Supplier of the goods / services specified in the voucher. We do not ourselves sell the goods / services which we advertise on our Website as Deals. The relevant Supplier is solely responsible for redeeming any voucher which you purchase.
21 . Vouchers may also be issued subject to additional terms and conditions of the relevant Supplier. Those additional terms and conditions may include (although this is not an exhaustive list) terms that:
- the voucher may only be redeemed within a certain period of time from the relevant Supplier, after which your voucher will expire and may not be redeemed;
- you can redeem your voucher from the Supplier by appointment only;
- you may only redeem your voucher on certain days of the week;
- if the redemption of your voucher is subject to making a booking and you subsequently cancel that booking, your voucher may be forfeited;
- limit the liability of the Supplier.
22 . If any additional Supplier terms and conditions apply to a Deal / voucher, then we will inform you of those additional terms and conditions when we advertise the Deal on our Website. You acknowledge and agree however that some additional Supplier terms and conditions may only be obtained directly from the Supplier on request and/or from the Supplier's website. It is your responsibility to inform yourself of the Supplier's additional terms and conditions.
23 . Bookings to redeem your voucher may be subject to any Supplier policies.
24 . If you cancel a booking to redeem your voucher, you may incur a cancellation fee payable to the Supplier.
25 . All goods / services are subject to Supplier availability. We cannot guarantee that goods / services will be available so that you can redeem your voucher at your preferred date and time.
26 . You acknowledge and agree that Suppliers may cancel and reschedule any booking which you make to redeem a voucher.
[…]
47 . The information contained on our Website is provided by use in good favour on an "as is" basis. However, we make no representation or warranty as to the reliability, accuracy or completeness of the information contained on our Website.
[…]
51 . You acknowledge and agree that all information and content which is posted on or transmitted through our Website by third parties (including Suppliers) is the sole responsibility of the third party who provided that information and content. You therefore use our Website at your own risk.
52 . In particular, information about Suppliers' goods / services is derived from material and information provided by the Suppliers. You acknowledge and agree that we will not be responsible for incorrect information or material supplied to us by Suppliers (including descriptions of the goods / services the subject of any Deal).
53 . You acknowledge that you are solely responsible for ensuring that all goods / services the subject of any Deal, our Website and our services meet your requirements of their intended function, application and/or use.
54 . YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT WE ARE NOT INVOLVED IN ANY ACTUAL TRANSACTION BETWEEN YOU AND A SUPPLIER FOR A SUPPLIER'S GOODS / SERVICES. AS RESULT, WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE QUALITY, SAFETY OR LEGALITY OF GOODS / SERVICES SUPPLIED BY SUPPLIERS OR CONTENT POSTED BY SUPPLIERS OR OTHER THIRD PARTIES ON OUR WEBSITE OR THE ABILITY OF SUPPLIERS TO SELL GOODS / SERVICES.
http://cudo.com.au/brisbane/company/terms-and-conditions
A. USER AGREEMENT GOVERNING USE OF WEBSITE
8. WEBSITE INFORMATION
8.1 Any information that is published on the Website about particular goods and services is based on material supplied to CUDO by Merchants and other third parties. You agree that CUDO will not be held liable for the publication on the Website of any inaccuracies or errors in information relating to goods and services that it has received from Merchants and other third parties.
8.2 You agree that you are responsible for:
(a) making your own reasonable enquiries to verify information that is published on the Website about particular goods and services; and
(b) assessing the suitability of goods and services prior to you placing an order for a Coupon for a Deal relating to those goods or services.
B. USER AGREEMENT GOVERNING CUDO COUPONS
6.1 All Deals are subject to the Merchant’s standard terms and conditions and policies. CUDO will use its reasonable endeavours to advise you on the Website of any material terms and conditions and policies of the Merchant that will impact your ability to use or enjoy the goods or services.
6.2 You agree that you are responsible for making your own reasonable enquiries with respect to the terms and conditions and policies that a Merchant may place on your use or enjoyment of the relevant goods or services.
7.2 You agree that any booking you make with a Merchant may be subject to that Merchant’s separate terms and conditions or policies.
7.3 If you cancel a service booking you have made directly with a Merchant, the Merchant may charge you a cancellation fee (which may include invalidation or cancellation of your ability to redeem the relevant Coupon).
simply put, don't deal with them.