to think that Groupon is too good to be true

[GospelTruth]

Just booked a £29 haircut with colour normally over £90, is this too good to be true, first time I've used this website, anyone else had experience of this or is it a rip off?

I took advantage of a Groupon deal and ended up spending an additional £500 quid. I think it's quite savvy... it's a definitely a good way to drum up business. I enjoyed the treatment so much I've decided to keep going back for more and would recommend a few friends.

I recently bought a voucher for a meal. When we got to the restaurant, they had a different menu for those who had Groupon vouchers - pared down from the usual menu, and with supplements for around half of the dishes. It was still reasonable value, but there had been no mention, at the time of purchase, of a different menu, and - when you factored in the supplements - the saving was not what the deal had claimed. Is this normal practice?

Silly question but how do you get the code in order to buy the voucher ?

I have bought a lot of vouchers from groupon, have just been on an overnight with dh - it was lovely. no catch at all.

What type of business do you have Ariesgirl?

I'm just about to use a Groupon voucher for the first time.

The offer was a photoshoot, to include 10 prints plus a DVD of images; the session will last about an hour. Normal price £249, but the Groupon price was £34 . I think about 200 people took up the offer (in my local area alone) and I got the exact date I wanted for next week - perfect as it's half term.

It's a birthday treat for my DD and a few friends as it will give them an excuse to doll themselves up and change outfits a couple of times (if they're quick!). And of course the obligatory posting of photos on FB.

I hope it isn't too good to be true, but I'm willing to risk it as there's no way I'd have paid the original price (which seems quite extortionate).

Sorry, I'm a bit cagey about the bisnis on MN because I would be so incredibly easy to out! It's quite unusual and it's experience-based rather than a hairdresser, meal or accommodation. It's quite exclusive in that we can't have TOO many customers IYSWIM, because we wouldn't be able to take them. So for that reason, we can't have too many of these discount vouchers flying around. Hence my concerns about them over-selling.

Ariesgirl - perhaps you could look back through the groupon archives for a business similiar to yours and see how many got sold, it might be an indicator. Groupon themselves may have this info to hand. just a thought.

I have used twice. First experience like the previous OP salon were rude and obnoxious and refused to honour voucher saying that they had been over subscibed and were too busy with their "own" clients - tempted to name and shame. Had to sort out with groupon - had great difficulty contacting them - eventually got a refund. However, second time I used them had no problems what so ever, so I would use again.Best advice I could give would be to use vouchers straight away.

Slimbabe-Please name and shame!I have told my mum to book for her hair through Groupon and would hate for her(or anyone for that matter)to be treated like that..Thanks!

I am not there that there isn't a limit on number of vouchers sold because I have seen things that are sold out before the 24 hours are up.
I often look at Groupon but have never actually bought anything, I know a friend who does regularly I really should give it a go.

Ineed - I think you're right as I looked something the other day that was already sold out (can't remember what it was) and I just assumed that the retailer had put on a limit.

I have just bought a Radley purse, the deal was a £40 voucher for £14.

My first time to use Groupon, but I couldnt resist this deal. I love Radley!!

Yes. I've used a different co. that does the same sort of thing (Keynoir - i am only a customer, don't work for them or anything) and on the strength of their deals being great i tried Groupon for a haircut/colour deal. And discovered i can only get at appt at 9.30am on a Mon or Fri and had to wait 3 mths before the next available appt.

What a bloody rip! So i've ditched groupon as a waste of time.

Aries, something I would have been tempted by was sold out in a few hours recently so they must be able to limit their numbers.

I've had no trouble whatever so far. Got the holiday dates I wanted and the restaurant deal was great. I have two more meals lined up. I had a great meal out with Living Social as well, and I'm signed up to daily deals with KGB and Voucher Cloud.

I have used Groupon and no, its not a con but there are a few things to remember.

1. The RRP may be slightly inflated - what you really need to look at is the price of the voucher, not the saving you make. If you normally pay £100 at your hairdresser for a cut and colour, and you can get it for £29 at the hairdresser Groupon are promoting, that is what you will save regardless. If you weren't going to go to that salon and pay them £100 if it weren't for the voucher doing it for £29, its pretty much irrelevant what they normally charge. The saving to you is real.

1. Careful with hairdressers more than a 10 minute drive away or in your normal local area - they can still insist you have a patch test if it involves colour, so if you have to drive 45 minutes and back for that and then 45 minutes and back for the actual cut and colour, the saving may not be as good as it otherwise was.

1. Always ring and book as soon as you get the voucher. Because Groupon have to give you your money back if you request a refund within 7 days of purchasing the voucher, no quibbles (apart from that you can't have redeemed the voucher). So if you ring up the hairdresser, try and book and they are difficult about times or want you to have a patch test and its too far or you just dont like the sound of them, then there is plenty of time to email Groupon and request your money back. Always pay Groupon with PayPal - because if they are slow about refunding you, you can raise a dispute and paypal will give you your money back.

On the basis of point 3 alone, you really have nothing to lose giving it a try.

Another thing to be wary of - read the small print if you buy a voucher for a hairdresser or beauty salon you are an existing client of. I've never seen one that doesn't say "new clients only, offer not open to existing clients". If you book and turn up with your Groupon voucher, they may not honour it if you are an existing client. Read the small print.

I think that's all good advice. I costed my holiday through the travel company and it wasn't quite as much as the RRP but not far off.

RuthieBabes, oh missed the "Radley" one you lucky thing, as live I in the sticks a bit I am waiting for a few few more local restaurants/salons to join up but they do look fantastic.

My husband has signed us up to a similar one for families called "likebees" (sorry am rubbish at linking) it was set up by one of the finalists from the apprentice and it's the same as Groupon but family days out etc, am looking forward to trying one of theirs soon too.

I've had good experience of it, however a group of fiends recently went to a local hotel for a 'spa' day and they said it was hideous... dirty, with most of the facilities broken. The treatments were shoddily done, and they definitely felt the experience was done on the cheap due to it being a Groupon deal. Mind you, from what I've heard about the hotel in general it's a bit of a cowboy operation anyway!

It's clients like that that could ultimately damage Groupon's reputation... I hope not. I just wish I lived nearer to my local city as dh and I could live like kings! I also wish it had been around when I was a student!

friends not fiends - I am so bad at typos!

I bought my mum a birthday present from Groupon a month ago, got an email yesterday to say that the restaurant aren't honouring the vouchers and would be refunded!

I bought a hairdresser voucher and when u called they were pretty rude, saying it was nothing to do with them. First experience not positive, but have heard good things.

BTW it was jarrods hair and beauty in case anyone else bought a voucher.

The deals are real.

I would recommend being careful about checking RRP vs what you would actually pay on a normal day, and obviously it isn't a bargain if you wouldn't buy it in the first place, but it's all above board and not dodgy.

If you are a dealhunter I'd recommend checking out kgbdeals.co.uk as well, also livingsocial.com and wahanda.com. (Only have direct experience of groupon and kgb).

I bloody heart Groupon!

I got a Balinese head massage, conditioning treatment (given as a free extra), cut, colour and blow dry for £29 yesterday. I had originally booked to redeem my voucher in December but had to cancel as my daughter was born prematurely. Yes, the salon was in the West End and I had to go on the Saturday for a patch test, but it was still bargainous and worth it.

I have had eyelash extensions, botox, spa days and bought gift experiences with absolutely no problems since last July, when I first started using it. I have vouchers for house spring cleaning and canvas art to redeem .

My husband bough a spa package for his mother for Christmas and treated himself to lazer teeth whitening. He did have some trouble initially getting an appt due to over subscription, but this was resolved.