Groupon, Inc.

Hi [redacted]Sorry for any trouble! I can confirm that your refund processed successfully on 7/5/2017. You should have received an email confirmation shortly after this refund was issued. If you're not seeing it, I recommend checking your spam folder to make sure our emails aren't ending up there.If...

your refund was issued as Groupon Bucks, the credit is available immediately in your account. There's no need to wait for a Groupon Bucks refund to clear; you can start using your Bucks right away on any of the deals on Groupon.com. They apply automatically to purchases on our site until they run out. You can see your current balance in the top right corner of the page when signed into your account at http://www.groupon.com/mygroupons.I apologize for any inconvenience, and I hope this clears everything up. Please let me know if you have any other questions.Regards,[redacted]SupervisorGroupon Customer SupportTell us why here...

Hi [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'm personally addressing your issue today and I'll update you via email with my progress.Thank you for your understanding. It looks...

like this has already been taken care of, but if you need any additional help, please let me know.Thanks again,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.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 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]

Hi [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: It looks like you were issued a credit of...

$30 to Groupon Bucks on 01/15/18. Any Groupon Bucks you have will apply to a purchase automatically (except Market Rate deals). You can see your balance in the top right corner of the page when signed into your account at www.groupon.com/mygroupons.If you have any additional questions, please reply to me through the direct contact from Groupon.Thank you for your understanding.Kind regards,[redacted] ManagerGroupon Customer Support

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

Thank you for reaching out to us through the Revdex.com. I have reviewed your most recent comment and all internal Groupon correspondence.I'm personally addressing your issue today and I'll update you via email with my progress.Thank you for your understanding.Regards,Alexandria...

[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, including your thread with my colleague [redacted]Regarding your complaint: To the points provided you in [redacted] ticket, if the merchant is still open and honoring Groupons, we will not refund past 3 days.  However, as offered to you twice, our trade-in program allows you to make a new purchase within 24 hours.  As is clear, you have rejected that offer several times.  As you have not had an exception to this policy in the past, I have issued a one-time exception refund of $39 back to your original form of payment.  While I know you don't agree with our policies, I must stress that this type of request will not be honored in the future if the merchant will still honor the Groupon.  Please allow up to 10 business days for this refund to reflect on your statement.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.Regarding your complaint, I'm sorry for all of the trouble that you...

had in trying to reach the business to schedule the appointment for your massage deals.  This is not the experience that we want you to have.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] KManagerGroupon Customer [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 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: 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 SupportTell us why here...

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, 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

Hi [redacted]Thanks for your reply, and I want to apologize again for the trouble with your Groupon Goods purchase. We do our best to ensure you're totally satisfied with your product, and I'm sorry we've let you down in this case.Unfortunately, we're not equipped to offer exchanges or replacements at...

this time, so I've just canceled this order and issued a refund of $51.02 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 www.groupon.com/[redacted]Because the order's already been canceled, there's no need to return the item to us. If you need anything else, please let me know.Thank you,[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.Regarding your complaint: I apologize for the trouble you have...

experienced with your Proform Performance Treadmill.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

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:It does not satisfy what I have requested.
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]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:  I never received any direct email from you like you speak of in your response.  I check my junk mail folders and both of my email accounts.  In regards to finding my account in your system, to help you find my account, my Groupon account's email address is [redacted].  
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Hello Vanessa,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 [email protected] 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,Mani *ManagerGroupon Customer Support

Hi [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'm personally addressing your issue today and I'll update you via email with my progress.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]