did you know this about Groupon's policy?

I attempted to use a Groupon at Dal Taro Ristorante at the Palazzo on 5/24/14. I purchased the Groupon on 4/10/14, it was not expired, and I complied with the terms and conditions by making a reservation and mentioning the Groupon. When our party arrived, I told the host and waiter about the Groupon. At that time the manager came to our table and said their relationship with Groupon had ended and he would not honor the voucher (I paid $65 for what was supposed to be $120 worth of food for four). He was extremely rude about it and it was a very embarassing experience, as I was with my in-laws. We had to scramble to find a dining alternative, since it was a busy holiday weekend and we had show tickets that evening.

Upon returning home, I called Groupon and told them about what happened. I asked why they did not alert us about ending the relationship with Dal Taro, since if I had known prior to our visit I could have avoided this unpleasant experience. I expected a refund, since their policy printed on the Groupon states: "if the merchant refuses to honor this voucher, Groupon will refund the purchaser the amount paid". Well, long story short, after three days of e-mails they have decided to credit me with $65 in "Groupon Bucks" to use on another purchase. I don't find this acceptable, since their policy does not state they will refund the purchaser the amount paid "in Groupon Bucks" and I paid them in US currency, not "Groupon Bucks". I thought others should be aware of this, I guess what I learned is don't use Groupon, there are other more reliable sources for discounts. If you read all this, thanks for letting me vent!

Thanks,

It is aggravating.

In their e-mail, what was there reason for not immediately giving you a credit? Did they site some fine print that says Groupon bucks will be issued in the event...

Try disputing the charge with your credit card as not receiving what you paid for, but I think you need to do that within 30 or 60 days and they will reverse the charge and Groupon will have to show them they are allowed to issue Groupon bucks.

V

Yes, if you charged it, try disputing the charge since you did not get what you paid for. Maybe you could also complain to the Better Business Bureau and maybe as well to the Attorney General. This was paid for and the restaurant is the one who changed the terms of things. You should not be forced to be stuck with what they offered you (at least in terms of Groupon bucks).

RecVPPlayer

Some restaurants would have honored the coupon anyway to give you that nice dining experience and possibly have you return.

fredo

Everything I have read of Groupons and Living Social is the refund is as a credit not cash refund. That being said I hope the restaurant realizes your going to tell a hundred people who'll tell a hundred etc what scumbags they were.

THAT SUCKS!!

That is really irritating. It might be better to avoid Groupon. We had a situation last week in NOLA. We purchased a 2 for 1 city bus ride on Busvision. We intended to ride around to different spots, get off and explore, and finally ride the last bus back downtown. We were in NOLA 4 days and of course it rained all 4 days. We decided not to ride as I assumed we could get a refund in Groupon credits to be used to purchase other Groupons. The last morning there I read the terms and conditions for the first time (smart and I am an attorney) to find no refunds after 7 days unless the merchant refused to accept the Groupon. My fault for not being aware of the T & C but if the merchant refused to accept I would expect a refund not an account credit. I agree with the advice to dispute the credit card charge if it is not too late. Study the T & A first. Good luck.

Let me add that I would communicate with the CEO of the restaurant and Palazzo management to express your disappointment with the way this was handled with emphasis on the manager's rudeness and your embarrassment in front of your in-laws. A comp might and should come your way.

I had a similar situation when Flavor Flav's restaurant closed. They told me to wait while they verified it had really closed. I told them "don't waste your time, I will dispute with cc. The next day group on had me my refund (they had initially offered bucks).

I'm now remembering that I saw a case within the last (about) week or so on "The People's Court" that involved a Groupon Coupon which the merchant (it was a Salon that dealt with Hair Extensions) did not seem to want to offer the discount on the coupon to the Plaintiff because it was something like the merchant didn't seem to think that the discount was worth it to the merchant.

In this case, if I'm remembering correctly, the Plaintiff had some issue with the extensions that she was given.

The judge ended up ruling against the merchant and forcing the merchant to pay the Plaintiff. So this wasn't directly an issue where the Plaintiff had to get a refund from Groupon, but I did find it interesting.

RecVPPlayer