Groupon gift - terrible experience

[Oldfatandfrumpy]

For Christmas we were bought a gift experience via Groupon. When we went to redeem it the code didn't work, so I contacted Groupon and they said the voucher had been used so there is nothing they could do.

We still have the voucher in our possession, we haven't used it and Groupon Customer service are next to useless, telling us to contact the company the voucher is with as essentially it isn't their problem (we've tried but they won't give us any info on who used the voucher and just refer us back to Groupon)

I'm so upset - not only was it a really lovely (and not cheap) gift that we have lost out on, but we are now suspicious of people that have been in the house, because someone who had been here must have redeemed it. But I genuinely don't think anyone would have.

I don't know why I'm posting, I guess to rant and also to act as a warning to redeem any gifts from Groupon as soon as possible.

If you haven’t used it, go back and ask for evidence of when it was supposedly claimed and threaten small claims court.

Credit card reversal by the giftee?

Won't it depend on the Ts and Cs of the voucher? I dont suppose there's a universal answer to a relatively specific situation

What kind of business is it? Would you be able to go in-person to resolve or is it some kind of faceless national chain

I would think you could insist they tell you when you used your voucher and who redeemed it. I would also go down the small claims court route.

I have insisted that they tell me who redeemed it, but they won't. They tell me when it was redeemed and then direct me to the hotel.

The hotel won't tell me because of GDPR and because the voucher was issued and redeemed through Groupon so the issue needs to be taken up with them

I wonder if you could treat it as theft, then, if the hotel insist someone has essentially taken your voucher. I know it sounds like overkill but could you report it to the police who might then be able to investigate?

Realistically I think you won't get very far with this, but trying to think of the logical thing to do...

Perhaps first I would write to the Guardian/other paper's consumer affairs section. It's possible the hotel are mistaken.

Then think about small claims.

Could whoever bought you it have bought multiple and mixed up the vouchers and sent you a duplicate?

I was also thinking it might be the person who bought it, how easy would it be for someone else to intercept the details

No I thought that but the voucher has a message printed on it which is specific to us so I can't see it would be a duplicate

I was also thinking it might be the person who bought it, how easy would it be for someone else to intercept the details

Definitely wasn't them as they live at the other end of the Country and are close family.

The only things I can think is it's someone that has been in our house and come across the voucher, or was in their house and came across the voucher before they gave it to us, or their Groupon account was hacked, or it's someone from Groupon

I guess there used to be no point tying myself in knots. Both Groupon and the Hotel have been clear that it's tough and they can't/wont help 😩

They are a terrible firm to deal with, many years ago I brought two items from them, they only sent one, I complained, they didn’t want to know. Wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole. I wouldn’t have any faith in the, to resolve the issue, hopefully you paid by credit card, if so get in touch with them.

Surely it's theft, can they not help if you get a crime number? It seems awfully unfair

This is so strange.
Even stranger that rather than blaming groupons poor reputation, you think someone snuck in your house, just to use the offer?

Tell the person who bought it for you as its them who have been duped. Maybe they can find out more

Honestly, I'd expect it's a mess up by the voucher issuer more likely than someone in your home redeemed it. Or it's out of date, or the place where the voucher was for has stopped honouring the code/voucher (usually this is somewhere on their website and groupon should refund original purchaser).

hopefully you paid by credit card, if so get in touch with them.
It was a gift so OP didn't pay.

Still total rubbish that they can do this though. I too would assume incompetence - mixup with coupon code by either Groupon or the hotel. I'm like a dog with a bone on these things though and don't let myself be put off!

Groupon are awful I’m afraid. We tried to buy tickets for an event. They issued the child tickets but not the adults - despite taking payment. Then said the child tickets weren’t valid without a paying adult. Refunded after a long game of email ping pong.

Oh believe me I blame Groupon and their shitty customer service!

And I don't think for a second that anyone snuck in my house, but the voucher has been on the fridge since we got it so if someone has used it (as they and the hotel are insisting) we have to consider it being a visitor/the cleaner/the cat sitter/ the handyman i.e. someone who has been in the house for another reason. I struggle to think that's the case though as they are all trusted

We've been reluctant to involve our family member so far, as we know they'll be really upset and will feel they should replace it which they can't afford to do (and which we absolutely do not agree with!)

It seems to me that only the buyer ( family member) can sort this out and claim on their credit card, if appropriate.

I'm not quite sure you can blame Groupon, they're just the middleman arent they? Id be strongly following up with the hotel, your comment about the message on the voucher suggests that you physically have to present it to book the experience which suggests they have failed somehow

The purchaser had a contract with Groupon and Groupon had a contract with the hotel, so they do have a responsibility to get involved if the hotel won't provide the goods.