Groupon, Inc.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:  The initial email they sent me on April 25, 2016 stated that I could get a refund or the Groupon credit.  I want a full refund
Sincerely,
[redacted] news: The Beauty Box is no longer able to provide the services for your Groupon, so we've had to cancel this deal. We know—we're disappointed too. If you haven't had an opportunity to redeem your Groupon, we want to get your money back to you as soon as possible.If you haven't viewed your Groupon voucher yet, here's how to get a refund: • Go to www.groupon.com/mygroupons and sign into your Groupon account from a computer.• Click "Claim Refund." You can choose a refund to the form of payment you originally used, or to your Groupon account so you can use that money toward future purchases. Remember to use a computer because you won't be able to claim your refund from the mobile website or app.If you're unable to claim a refund by following these instructions, you might have already viewed your Groupon but not redeemed it. If that's the case, please contact us at www.groupon.com/support and we'll help you out. The sooner we hear from you, the better we can assist.We really appreciate your understanding and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to let us know at www.groupon.com/support.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:My complaint was related to this business's handling of reports of potential fraud. In my complaint, I had specified the following as a desired outcome:Acknowledgment by Groupon of the occurrence of fraud, with further acknowledgment that I was not responsible or liable for the transaction.Today, I received, through Groupon customer support (not the Revdex.com), the following response:Hi [redacted]Thanks for reaching out to us through Revdex.com.I have reviewed your correspondence with our representative and I apologize for any confusion.I can confirm the Groupon account associated with email "[redacted]@hotmail.com" has been deleted and no further purchase can be made using this account.Please let me know If you have any other questions.Regards,[redacted]ManagerGroupon Customer SupportAs you can see, the response does not acknowledge the occurrence of fraud, does not offer an explanation of why this was not fraud, and does not positively clear me of responsibility. In addition, the Groupon web site remains as unhelpful as ever. In essence, the vendor has not modified its policies or provided any reassurance beyond a vague apology for "any confusion".I am pretty sure nothing is to be gained from further correspondence with the vendor, but I am offering my experience as a "caveat emptor" to other potential customers.Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:Excellent!  The false advertisement has been fixed!
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Hello [redacted]Thank you for reaching out to us through the Revdex.com. I have reviewed your most recent comment and all internal Groupon correspondence. I responded to you a moment ago via email from [redacted]@groupon.com.Regarding your complaint: We contacted the merchant regarding a...

refund of the Costa Rica Monkey Tours deal you purchased on Groupon. According to their Privacy & Cancellation Policies (https://costaricamonkeytours.com/privacy-policy/) they are willing to reschedule without charge in case of natural disasters affecting a planned trip. Because of this policy being in place they have declined to authorize a refund for your purchase.When we contacted them, they advised us that they have already offered rescheduling options. You can still contact them to discuss these options at [redacted] from 8 a.m. to Midnight Eastern Standard Time.If you have any additional questions, please reply to me in my direct email (Ticket [redacted]).Thank you for your understanding.Regards,[redacted]ManagerGroupon Customer Support

Hello [redacted]Thank you for reaching out to us through the Revdex.com. I have reviewed your most recent comment and all internal Groupon correspondence. I responded to you a moment ago via email from [redacted]@groupon.com via Ticket [redacted].Regarding your complaint: I'm...

sorry for the trouble you've and and the time it's taken to look into your claim. Groupon+ deals need to be claimed prior to a purchase with the merchant, and in this case we've learned from [redacted] that this deal was not claimed on Groupon until after you made your purchase at [redacted] American Grill. Unfortunately these claims cannot be applied retroactively to a purchase made before the deal was claimed and we are not able to offer compensation.As I mentioned, I've also sent a direct email to you. If you have any additional questions, please reply to me there.Thank you for your understanding.Regards,[redacted]ManagerGroupon Customer [redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Regardless of how Groupon attempts to justify it with fine print, they advertised, accepted money and sold an item or service that they either knew, or should have known would not have been honored. I, as the consumer did my part, in a timely manner to redeem the purchased voucher, and then request a refund once it was determined that the voucher was no good. At the very least, a credit to my Groupon account for the purchase amount would have been expected and appreciated. The company has plainly committed false advertising and this is totally unacceptable. To be honest, after much review on Groupon reviews and complaints, this is a common practice for them and they should fear the term "Class Action Suit". I want my money back....Period. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Hello [redacted],Thank you for reaching out to us through the Revdex.com. I have reviewed your most recent comment and all internal Groupon correspondence. I responded to you a moment ago via email from [redacted]@groupon.com.Regarding your complaint: I’ve provided more specific...

instructions in my direct email to you. If you have any additional questions, please reply to me there.Thank you for your understanding.Regards,[redacted]ManagerGroupon Customer [redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/05) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted], Manager
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@groupon.com
I'm sorry for any trouble, and I understand the confusion. On the original screen where you made this purchase,...

www.groupon.com/deals/ga-yosemite-west-reservations-1, we included a "Fine Print & Details" tab just below the main image. This section will always include all conditions of the deal that you should know before making your purchase. In this case, the following restriction should be noted:
"Reservation required, subject to availability."
I'm sorry to hear this has kept you from using your Groupon. I'm really sorry for any trouble this has caused. I've just issued you a full refund of $255 and removed this Groupon from your account. Please allow up to 10 business days for this to be reflected on your statement.
Thank you for using Groupon, and I'm so sorry again for any confusion or frustration that this has caused.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/05/06) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Hello,
Thank you for your response and I am glad that the $255 purchase charge has already been reversed. However, I still would like a compensation for $299 hotel fee, since I was given misleading information due to unclear instructions given by Groupon. I received the confirmation email from Groupon right after I purchased the package, which said in the description in the email " Option 1: Valid 3/5/15- 4/30/15, stay for two in a one-bedroom apartment; check in any day". I did print the email and brought it with my driver license when I checked in but was denied and had to pay $299 for a lower standard room.
The statements and instructions given to me by Groupon were, in my opinion, deceptive, and specifically prohibited by Federal Trade Commission. This case contains all the elements that constitute a deception, to wit:
1) There must be a representation, omission, or practice that is likely to mislead the customer.
It is true that Groupon mentioned "Reservation Required" in the fine print. However, this term was not available in my confirmation email and in fact I had no idea where to look for it. "Check-in any day" appeared very conspicuously on the advertisement and on my purchase confirmation email, which made customers to believe that they could just check in any day, contrary to what Groupon's claim about "Reservation Required, Subject to availability". If it happens that this room is not available in some days during 3/5/15 to 4/30/15, how can it be true that customers can "check in any day"?
2) The practice should be examined from the perspective of a reasonable customer in that circumstance.
No matter what the company claims about a specific interpretation of a statement, a reasonable person would simply follow instructions they receive in the purchase confirmation just as they would do when they purchase other merchandise. In the purchase confirmation email, I was instructed to print it out and bring to the hotel when I check in, which I apparently did on 4/28/15. And in the confirmation email, a large font message of "So What's Next" appeared, followed by a statement that " You have 3 days from purchase to make any changes to your order". This also bears no relevance to Groupon's claim about "Reservation Required. Subject to availability", since customers were given the net impression that if they do not want to make changes, same as I thought, they do not have to do anything except pack their stuff and go to stay in the hotel during the indicated time.
3) The representation, omission, or practice must be a "material" one. The basic question is whether the act or practice is likely to affect the consumer's conduct or decision with regard to a product or service. If so, the practice is material, and consumer injury is likely, because consumers are likely to have chosen differently but for the deception.
In my case, it surely did affect my decision and conduct as to how to use this service. If the instruction given by Groupon was different and specifically instructed with the intended steps, instead of hiding them in their webpage where first time user like me never knew where to look for, then I would have acted differently and would have avoided the denial of my staying. An average reasonable person like me would expect service to be delivered, i.e. staying in a one-bedroom hotel in my case, after a purchase is made, which I did pay for the asked price by Groupon with accepted paying method.
The confirmation email from Groupon after I paid for the asked $255 for the said hotel package constituted an acceptance of the offer, and this agreement became a legally binding contract. Groupon's claim that it stated " Reservation Required, subject to availability" was not available to me when I was completing this offer (i.e. Groupon should have given disclosure to consumers about this type of information before or when they pay for the service or product), and therefore is not binding in this regard.
If this case is not settled in Revdex.com, I will have to, unfortunately, file a complaint to FTC for bait-and-switch fraud, and file a lawsuit against Groupon for breach-of-contract and promissory estoppel and request for financial relieve on top of the claimed $299 damages.
Best
[redacted]
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/05/13) */
I'm very sorry again for the frustration that this has caused. I appreciate you taking the time to provide us with this feedback on your experience attempting to use your Groupon, and I sincerely apologize if there was any confusion regarding how you would redeem this voucher.
As I previously mentioned, we state on the feature page of this deal that a reservation is required for this voucher. When purchasing something for the hospitality business, it is customary to need to alert the merchant prior to your arrival to ensure that they have adequate room to accommodate you.
Unfortunately we are unable to compensate you further than the refund that has already been processed. I do apologize again as I understand this was an inconvenient situation for you, and I am so sorry for that.
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2015/05/14) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Unfortunately, it was not disclosed to me after the purchase and it was not even mentioned in the advertisement either. If no resolution is offered here, I think I will go ahead with legal measures.
Best

Hello [redacted]Thank you for reaching out to us through the Revdex.com. I have reviewed your most recent comment and all internal Groupon correspondence. I responded to you a moment ago via email from [redacted]@groupon.com.Regarding your complaint: we did review the call and heard that...

[redacted] stated he could resolve faster with a Groupon Bucks refund, and then stated he would have to check on the issue further first. He did not state he was initiating a refund during the call but that he would escalate your issue. When the cruise line responded to us earlier they stated they had no further availability on 9/2 and as such you were denied a reservation on that date. You can still book through 9/22/2017 of this year with them if you had an expiration extension worked out with them directly. However, we wouldn't be able to refund the deal with [redacted] Paradise Cruise Line.Beyond the expiration date, your $269.00 can still be used to book through the merchant directly (if they're a seasonal business you'd be able to use next season). However, you would need to pay the different between what you'd paid and what they normally charge for the service you'd originally purchased.I’ve provided more specific instructions in my direct email to you. If you have any additional questions, please reply to me there.Thank you for your understanding.Regards,[redacted]ManagerGroupon Customer Support

Hello [redacted],Thank you for reaching out to us through the Revdex.com. I have reviewed your most recent comment and all internal Groupon correspondence. I responded to you a moment ago via email from[redacted]Regarding your complaint: Issuing a refund for an expired...

voucherI’ve provided more specific instructions in my direct email to you. If you have any additional questions, please reply to me there.Thank you for your understanding.Regards,[redacted]ManagerGroupon Customer Support

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: The manager [redacted] response is merely a denial of their responsibility. He stated:"Unfortunately, the transaction failed due to an issue with your credit card." However, the fact is my credit card has no issue at all. His statement makes this incident sounds even ironically based on the fact that the order ($52) was paid by Groupon's own gift card which has $50 on it and the rest of the balance $2 on my credit card. I'm extremely disappointed at their way of doing business. Whenever things go wrong, they just simply blame at the customer using their standardized excuses.
Sincerely,
**

Hi [redacted]Thank you for reaching back out to us through the Revdex.com. I have reviewed all past correspondence and I apologize for any inconvenience. I'll make sure that your feedback is communicated to the right people who can address your concerns directly with the business.I want...

to assure you that we review the companies we feature by checking places such as [redacted] and the Revdex.com for any negative ratings. We also check [redacted] and local media for user and editorial reviews as well as [redacted] and other social media sites. While recently posted negative reviews may not have an immediate impact on already scheduled deals, they are taken into account when we decide which merchants to work with in the future. We do our best to feature businesses that see Groupon as an opportunity to gain loyal customers as well as advertise their services, and I'm so sorry that you feel let down by this particular business.We stand by all of the businesses we feature and the deals we offer, but if you ever have a bad experience with the service you receive when using your Groupon, we'll be more than happy to work with you toward satisfaction. If you haven't already, and feel it's necessary, you can also provide your feedback on ratings sites like [redacted] or [redacted]Again, I'm sorry for any trouble or frustration, and we truly appreciate your feedback. Please let me know if there's anything else I can do to help.Regards, [redacted]ManagerGroupon Customer Support

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:Still waiting on confirmation of deletion. Thank you. I was talking with someone yesterday and they stated that there was one more thing that they submitted for deletion. As soon as it is removed we should be good to go.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Hello [redacted],Thank you for reaching out to us through the Revdex.com. I have reviewed your most recent comment and all internal Groupon correspondence.Regarding your complaint: We are not able to issue a refund for your expired voucher unless the business is unwilling to accept it for the...

purchase value.I’ve also emailed you directly from [email protected] via Ticket [redacted] please reply to me there if you have any further questions.Thank you for your understanding.Regards,[redacted]ManagerGroupon Customer Support

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Hello [redacted]Thank you for reaching out to us through the Revdex.com. I have reviewed your most recent comment and all internal Groupon correspondence.I responded to you a moment ago via email from [redacted]@groupon.com.Regarding your complaint: I'm able to go ahead and make a one-time...

exception in this case. I've just canceled this order and issued a refund of $30 in Groupon Bucks to your account. This credit will be available for you to use shortly, and you'll receive an email as soon as it has processed.Any Groupon Bucks you have will apply to a purchase automatically. You can see your balance in the top right corner of the page when signed into your account at http://www.groupon.com/mygroupons. I’ve provided more specific instructions in my direct email to you. If you have any additional questions, please reply to me there.Thank you for your understanding.Regards,[redacted]ManagerGroupon Customer [redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because it still doesn't answer that question that I asked about why I wouldn't be able to purchase something after almost a year.  Doesn't make sense that you wouldn't want my business, you'd rather me go directly to the store?!?  Seems like bad business sense to me!  I am done with Groupon!
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Hello [redacted]Thank you for reaching out to us through the Revdex.com. I have reviewed your most recent comment and all internal Groupon correspondence, including your thread with my colleague [redacted] in ticket [redacted]. I responded to you a moment ago via email from [redacted]@groupon.com. I responded to you a moment ago via email from [redacted]@groupon.com.In ticket [redacted], it was stated:"When you first booked this Getaway, we processed your payment and send it to the hotel. Because the booking was made past the the cancellation deadline, this trip was non-refundable. In cases like this, if the hotel is willing to authorize an exception to their stated cancellation policy, we can issue a refund.We reached out to the business on your behalf on October 30, to see if an exception could be made, but weren't able to get approval from the property to cancel this booking. I understand this may be frustrating; however, Groupon does not impose the cancellation policies for Groupon Getaways deals."Regarding your complaint: While I absolutely understand your frustration, we are unable to issue a refund or credit for the original booking you submitted. We did, in fact, reach out to the hotel directly to see if they would approve canceling your reservation as an exception to their policy. Please note that Groupon does not impose the cancellation policies for Groupon Getaways deals, and I'm afraid we've done all we can do at this point.I am sorry that I wasn't able to provide you with your desired outcome in this matter.I want to assure you that we will always do everything in our power to help our customers redeem their Groupons, and customer satisfaction continues to be a top priority.While I understand that you are not satisfied with the previous replies you've received, we have done our best to assist you and have provided you with the best solution available in this circumstance. I am happy to answer any questions you may have regarding other purchases. However, I am not able to assist any further with your particular request and we consider this issue resolved.Thank you for your understanding.Regards,[redacted] 
**ManagerGroupon Customer [redacted]

Complaint: 12679371
I am rejecting this response because: they did not take any further actions or provide new information. The bottom line is that they sold me a product that did not meet the advertised specifications, and they continue to sell that same product. The product never worked as advertised.
Sincerely,
Pat [redacted]