city deals & groupons? is it legitamate offers

dessol

I'm not impressed with Citydeal, bought a voucher for facial / massage - which expires in a months time. When I rang the salon to book they said they sold 600 deals and are fully booked up until MAY and tough luck, take it up with citydeal. Who wont answer their phone or reply to my emails. Never again.

tigershould

bought a golf deal with them a few weeks ago.

now they tell me this is only avilable on mon, thu or fri - not impressed, they never mentioned this during the promotion and i dont think i would have bought if i had known this.

having said that i've had a few deals on there which have been really worthwhile!

Twenty10

Dessol, which salon was that with, just in case I bought that one too!!

Basq

Moved to Online Buying & Auctions

Maglight

Bought a treatment and spa deal from them last month. Booked the session and then, the day before the appointment, I got an email from Citydeals saying 'sorry typo in the ad, they don't have spa facilities' contact us for a refund. Emailed them but no response. Went to the salon for the treatment where they bitched and moaned the whole time about how useless Citydeals are and about how they told them about the typo the previous month. The attitude was that it wasn't their problem and I would have to take it up with Citydeals. The salon felt very sorry for themselves.
Got my treatment - very nice but not what was advertised and not what I paid for. Emailed Citydeals to complain. No response. Not impressed with either of them

Horsey

tigershould wrote: »

bought a golf deal with them a few weeks ago.

now they tell me this is only avilable on mon, thu or fri - not impressed, they never mentioned this during the promotion and i dont think i would have bought if i had known this.

having said that i've had a few deals on there which have been really worthwhile!

I have been on the phone for last two hours trying to get through.
I booked a hotel deal and it was SUPPOSED to be open to use for seven days a week..
Rang the hotel, were very nice until I mentioned City Deal..
Was told can only be used Monday to thursday.
Lady at desk really sounded fed up when I mentioned City Deal and told me to go back to them to get my money back.
I am NOT having much luck there either.
Machine just answers and says "we are busy" ring back...Very frustrating.
Will not deal with again..EVER.
Will let yis know if I get my money back.
I paid with pay pal and someone said they might get it back for me.
Anyone else know different??

spoonface

tigershould wrote: »

bought a golf deal with them a few weeks ago.

now they tell me this is only avilable on mon, thu or fri - not impressed, they never mentioned this during the promotion and i dont think i would have bought if i had known this.

having said that i've had a few deals on there which have been really worthwhile!

I had something similar happen - I signed up for a deal, carefully noting it's conditions and taking a screenshot. Later on that day I got an email saying that the conditions had changed so it was only available for redemption some weeks later. It sounds from the few posts here that this is a regular occurrence and I completely resent that a company thinks they can just change the terms after a contract is made and paid for. Anyways I kept hassling them till finally got my money back. Be sure to do the same if you thinking they're taking the mickey.

Horsey

@ spoonface.

How did you get you money back?

Thanks..

spoonface

Horsey wrote: »

I have been on the phone for last two hours trying to get through.
I booked a hotel deal and it was SUPPOSED to be open to use for seven days a week..
Rang the hotel, were very nice until I mentioned City Deal..
Was told can only be used Monday to thursday.
Lady at desk really sounded fed up when I mentioned City Deal and told me to go back to them to get my money back.
I am NOT having much luck there either.
Machine just answers and says "we are busy" ring back...Very frustrating.
Will not deal with again..EVER.
Will let yis know if I get my money back.
I paid with pay pal and someone said they might get it back for me.
Anyone else know different??

Don't be shy to raise a disputed charge with your credit card company, setting out your case as to how you've been charged for what they can't deliver and that the terms changed after the deal was struck. The more people that challenge being taken advantage of, the less Citydeal will try to push their luck on.

spoonface

Horsey wrote: »

@ spoonface.

How did you get you money back?

Thanks..

By clearly stating my case and refusing to let the matter go because I was in the right and was sure of it. Tell them you'll dispute the charge with your credit card company if they cannot resolve the matter amicably for you.

Horsey

@ spoonface..
They wont answer phone or e- mail.
How did you get it touch with them.

Thanks.

spoonface

Horsey wrote: »

@ spoonface..
They wont answer phone or e- mail.
How did you get it touch with them.

Thanks.

I dealt with them by email and they were ridiculously slow e.g. 7 days to respond. Keep note of all the emails you send them, you may need them later for making a case for a credit card disputed charge.

Horsey

I have mailed them a few times, but have just sent another one and told them if they did not respond within 24 hours im going to pay pal for a refund..

Thanks again.

Eoinite

I've used them a few times now and everything was going well until the last deal. Trying to get hold of their customer service is impossible!

Horsey

Eoinite wrote: »

I've used them a few times now and everything was going well until the last deal. Trying to get hold of their customer service is impossible!

Hi,
I sent them e-mail last night and threatened to go to pay pal if they did not act on my complaint.
Check my mail this morning and money was back in my account.

dessol

Twenty10, the deal was in Red Apple hair and Beauty, behind the Eden pub in Rathfarnham... I too am batting emails back and forth with Citydeal, in the hope of a refund. So far they have just offered "Groupon credits can be used as payment towards your next Groupon purchase." As if. They are a joke.

spoonface

dessol wrote: »

Twenty10, the deal was in Red Apple hair and Beauty, behind the Eden pub in Rathfarnham... I too am batting emails back and forth with Citydeal, in the hope of a refund. So far they have just offered "Groupon credits can be used as payment towards your next Groupon purchase." As if. They are a joke.

If you have a legitimate case and they gave you something different than originally offered, tell them you're tired of asking for what you are entitled to (a refund) and will take it up with the Small Claims Court. And if they don't relent, do use the SCC - it involves paying a small fee ( < 10 Euro) and they take it up with Groupon or whoever for you and will get justice on your behalf. I have used it before successfully in another case of a watch damaged by a repair shop. This creates hassle for Groupon and bad reputation if it happens a lot so it will encourage them not to mess people around in the future.

dessol

Thanks for the advice, a strongly worded email advising that I would pursue a paypal claim resulted in a full refund this morning. I'll be wary of such deals in the future. Lesson learned!

Eoinite

Horsey wrote: »

Hi,
I sent them e-mail last night and threatened to go to pay pal if they did not act on my complaint.
Check my mail this morning and money was back in my account.

Still haven't had anything back from them. Looks like they read emails but just don't reply!

coffee_cake

dessol wrote: »

I'm not impressed with Citydeal, bought a voucher for facial / massage - which expires in a months time. When I rang the salon to book they said they sold 600 deals and are fully booked up until MAY and tough luck, take it up with citydeal. Who wont answer their phone or reply to my emails. Never again.

I had the same where I had to book for a massage&facial 2 months in advance. They said they were extending the voucher expiry date as a result

I think it's the same place?
Luckily I rang soon as I got the voucher

ruthie113

I bought a city deal for balayage and a cut a few weeks ago. Since then I had to wait two weeks for an appointment initially, then they cancelled my appointment last week and then AGAIN this week (after i had booked to get off work early two evenings grrrr!). The only appointments they will offer in the next two weeks are a friday morning?? I work full time and have explained this and I cant rightly take a morning off work and waltz in with my hair done!! :P
The appointments that were cancelled were 6pm so i only had to take an hour off work. It seems that they don't want to accommodate at all and I wonder if this is because I am a citydeal customer and have already paid upfront? And am also not paying full wack? I feel that if i was a new customer and paying full price they would be more accommodating as they would want my money.
So feck it, have been waiting a month so booked toni and guy for thurs evening (only rang there and got an appointment no problem) so want to get a refund for the other place. Has anyone done this and what do you think my chances are???

donegalgirl28

It was similar to me when I got a voucher for a beauty package. Only certain days and times. It's probably cos you are a citydeal customer. It's a bit **** really but you can see why.

Dunno if you can get a refund back this late. Besides they did offer you some appointments but it was you who can't make it. Would be different if they can't honour it. Try it anyways.

ruthie113

Thanks donegal girl. Rang Citydeal there and going to take the 89 euro credit instead. Very frustrating though. I know they did offer an appointment but it was a friday morning AND they have cancelled twice on me, two different weeks.
Its a pity for them because i had wanted to try their salon and they would have gotten a new customer out of me but no way am I going there now. Also they have a day spa and my sister and I were going to go there with my Mam for her 60th (which i presume would have cost a good bit) but to be honest they can f*ck off now!

BrianD

ruthie113 wrote: »

Thanks donegal girl. Rang Citydeal there and going to take the 89 euro credit instead. Very frustrating though. I know they did offer an appointment but it was a friday morning AND they have cancelled twice on me, two different weeks.
Its a pity for them because i had wanted to try their salon and they would have gotten a new customer out of me but no way am I going there now. Also they have a day spa and my sister and I were going to go there with my Mam for her 60th (which i presume would have cost a good bit) but to be honest they can f*ck off now!

It is highly unlikely they would have got you as a customer. You bought the voucher on price. They reckon that about 1% of 'deals' customers actually convert into a repeat customer. Very little the retailer can do about it as the customer bought the voucher on price.

I am still amazed that anybody who buys a discounted voucher expects the same priviledges as a regular customer at an stores. An objective of the system is too shift your 'down time' when you have few appointments and have the staff sitting around. This is why there are generally restrictions on when you can use the voucher.

ruthie113

Well Brian, that's where you are wrong. I had wanted to try the place out since I moved close to it. I think you will find that this is one of the main reasons that companies take part in city deal. It is not only to use their down time, it is also to attract new custom. I have gone back to two of the restaurants I bought deals for, i know quite a few people who have done similar things. It basic PR and Marketing they are using Brian. So to state that it was 'unlikely' i would have returned couldn't be further from the truth.

AND i hardly would call it a 'privilege' to expect someone to keep an appointment?? canceling one week is fair enough, but to cancel two weeks in a row was taking the mickey. Also, I paid 90... it was hardly dirt cheap.

ruthie113

Oh and furthermore, there were NO restrictions stated on the voucher. If there had been, I wouldn't have been annoyed.

Horsey

BrianD wrote: »

It is highly unlikely they would have got you as a customer. You bought the voucher on price. They reckon that about 1% of 'deals' customers actually convert into a repeat customer. Very little the retailer can do about it as the customer bought the voucher on price.

I am still amazed that anybody who buys a discounted voucher expects the same priviledges as a regular customer at an stores. An objective of the system is too shift your 'down time' when you have few appointments and have the staff sitting around. This is why there are generally restrictions on when you can use the voucher.

I think you are wrong Brian.
If someone is offering a service at a discount price, there is usually something behind it.. It will be to their advantage..ie a PR excercise.
On what you are saying, if you buy a car at a discount price, you (and I mean just you) would expect the car to be of inferior quality..Or if you booked into a 5 star hotel at a discount price, you would not expect excellent service and a clean matress on your bed.
I would expect the same courtesy and service as anyone else, after all, I would be paying the asking price.
I think you are in the minority on this.

BrianD

ruthie113 wrote: »

Well Brian, that's where you are wrong. I had wanted to try the place out since I moved close to it. I think you will find that this is one of the main reasons that companies take part in city deal. It is not only to use their down time, it is also to attract new custom. I have gone back to two of the restaurants I bought deals for, i know quite a few people who have done similar things. It basic PR and Marketing they are using Brian. So to state that it was 'unlikely' i would have returned couldn't be further from the truth.

Congrats, You're in the 1% then!

The mean reason companies take part in CityDeal is to shift appointments they would not have got otherwise. If I have a hair stylist sitting around doing nothing it would be better I got an appointment at a discounted price rather than no income at all. If I am a restaurant, I have staff and a certain amount of food on hand regardless. If I can get some bookings at a lower price then I keep the staff busy and use stock. May get a bit of incremental business as well in extras. Hotel rooms can't be stored either so any money for a night is better than none.

The new custom is very much price driven. 1% may come back, the other 99% will look for the same deal again and it doesn't matter where it is. Let's face it why do most people sign up in the first place? To try new places or get what they normally buy at a discounted price? If you liked the place and the service would you come back and pay full whack?

You say marketing and PR - sure there's a bit of that. But when was the last time you saw a deal with the brand name in the headline or a big logo in the e-mail? It's very unusual - I've just looked at a few in my inbox and one or two get a mention in the subject line and whatever branding is very understated. The provider is normally buried in the text and the price and discount dominating the headline. Sometimes I have to look twice to work out where the deal is.

Sell on price, die on price!

AND i hardly would call it a 'privilege' to expect someone to keep an appointment?? canceling one week is fair enough, but to cancel two weeks in a row was taking the mickey. Also, I paid 90... it was hardly dirt cheap.

You are absolutely right, the provider should keep the appointment once it's in the T&Cs of the voucher. That's just good business and increases the chance of you becoming a customer. Plus the service or offering should be as stated e.g. five star. I don't know what the actual price of what you bought is so 90 maybe cheap or dear. In any case, money needs to be well spent these days.

FY

Hi,

Did anyone purchase the Whetstone €50 Cut & Colour deal from todaysdeals.ie about 2-3 months ago? Would be interested to hear how you interpreted the offer. I thought it was very misleading as it was essentially offering €50 off the cost of a cut & colour service rather than a cut & colour worth €50. It did not state €50 'off' or 'towards' or 'to spend on' anywhere in the deal info, including the title & fine print. I had to pay an additional whopping €150 at the salon before leaving...needless to say I got quite a shock!

Would be interested to hear other ppl's feedback, especially from anyone else who purchased this deal.

Fy.

rubadub

FY wrote: »

It did not state €50 'off' or 'towards' or 'to spend on' anywhere in the deal info, including the title & fine print.

I presume this is it http://www.todaysdeals.ie/Deal.aspx?dlid=393&aid=1

Deal Highlights
- €50 spend on your next colour and cut
- Award winning salon
- Aveda product range
- Great location (Parliament Street)


Deal Terms
- Only applicable when booking any cut & colour together
- VALID TUES - FRI ONLY
- NOT VALID ON SATURDAYS
- Strictly 1 voucher per person
- Valid for three months
- Not valid with any other deal or promotions
- If you haven't got aveda colour before a patch test may be required
- The voucher must be mentioned when making booking

That spend is the only bit to suggest it is 'off', they definitely could have made it clearer, and listed a typical cost. Though, even being a bald bloke, I hear enough women moaning about haircut costs that I would have expected a "cut & colour" to cost more than €50.

I would usually check companies sites before buying vouchers

http://www.whetstone.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=6

€50 only gets a junior stylist doing a ladies cut.