Groupon scammed myself and 842 other Belfast residents this week. They offered a deal for a Family Pass Exploris Aquarium in Belfast which was to expire June 9th, 2011. I bought the deal, and a short time later I received my voucher, with an expiry date of April 9th, 2011. They didn't mention in the email that they had changed the date. I contacted Groupon and they stated that they had made a mistake and that the date was April 9th. They also stated that their Terms & Conditions state that they are allowed to change expiry dates after purchase.
'So Groupon made a mistake... so what?' you might be saying. Well lets just say that someone buys the voucher, doesn't check to see if they have changed the expiry date and doesn't go to the Aquarium. Do they get their money back? Does the Aquarium get the money? NO!! Groupon keeps all the money from unredeemed vouchers!
So it seems that this 'mistake' that they made is very lucrative for Groupon! And there have been several such mistakes with Groupon Belfast in the past month. Some people bought vouchers with a 3 month expiry date, but were sent vouchers with a 2 month expiry date without being notified.
The other deal which has been a problem for Groupon Belfast this month is the Millbrook Lodge Deal. Nearly 2000 people bought the Millbrook Lodge voucher for a stay in the hotel. The problem? Millbrook Lodge only has 16 rooms! People are trying to book and can't get through, they are unable to get a suitable booking time. A lot of people are giving up and not using their vouchers. And who keeps all that money? Groupon of course! £36 per person to be exact.
I will continue to update the blog with other Groupon UK scams. Please let me know if you have been scammed.
'So Groupon made a mistake... so what?' you might be saying. Well lets just say that someone buys the voucher, doesn't check to see if they have changed the expiry date and doesn't go to the Aquarium. Do they get their money back? Does the Aquarium get the money? NO!! Groupon keeps all the money from unredeemed vouchers!
So it seems that this 'mistake' that they made is very lucrative for Groupon! And there have been several such mistakes with Groupon Belfast in the past month. Some people bought vouchers with a 3 month expiry date, but were sent vouchers with a 2 month expiry date without being notified.
The other deal which has been a problem for Groupon Belfast this month is the Millbrook Lodge Deal. Nearly 2000 people bought the Millbrook Lodge voucher for a stay in the hotel. The problem? Millbrook Lodge only has 16 rooms! People are trying to book and can't get through, they are unable to get a suitable booking time. A lot of people are giving up and not using their vouchers. And who keeps all that money? Groupon of course! £36 per person to be exact.
I will continue to update the blog with other Groupon UK scams. Please let me know if you have been scammed.
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