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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want the deal offered?

34 replies

lougle · 03/10/2014 14:14

I bought a groupon deal for an online math's site. The groupon offer states:

"The course covers the curriculum at the child’s own pace, so that one, two or three students can take their time absorbing their new-found mathematical knowledge for up to 9 months."

I have 3 children so I thought this was great value.

The groupon deal 'fine print' says:

"Purchase: Limit 1 per person. May buy 4 additional as gifts."

So, I duly paid my £9, for my 1 subscription for '1, 2 or 3 children'.

Firstly, there was a problem with the site. It basically crashed. They were very good with me when I phoned and said it would all be sorted. Then they emailed me to say the site was active again. Fair enough.

Today, I tried to redeem my voucher. It said 'Thanks for buying your subscription', but when I logged in it said I hadn't purchased it. I telephoned again, and the man activated it for me.

So far...well, ok...

Then I saw that it was single-user only. I spoke to the man again, who said 'yes, each voucher is for one child. You'd have to buy 3 deals to have it for your 3 children.'

"No, no, no...." said I. I pointed out the deal offered it for 'one, two or three children' and that the fine print said that it was limited to 'one per person'. Therefore, I bought my one permitted deal for 'one, two or three children.'

He said that there must have been a mix-up because they used to offer different rates for the one, two or three users, but this deal is just for one and it's Groupon's fault.

I've told him that I want what I've paid for, which is the deal offered.

He says that 'it would be very cheap....' to which I said 'which is why I bought it....'

He said he's going to talk to his manager to 'see what they can do.' I've said 'I want the deal you offered me, that I've paid for, that you accepted, as that constitutes a contract'.

AIBU?

OP posts:
Bobian123 · 03/10/2014 14:19

YANBU. Totally different circumstances but this reminds me of when we moved house and the removal man tried to charge an extra £400 once all our stuff was removed from the first house. I pointed out to him that his pricing (which was confirmed twice, in writing) was wrong. He said "you can't have thought it was that cheap." Grr. That's not a valid argument IMO - if that's what the small print said, that's what you should get. They'd be quite short-sighted not to let you have it.

ChippingInLatteLover · 03/10/2014 14:21

Nope, not at all!

It is quite clear what they were offering.

It will be interesting to see what they come back with.

Original poster
lougle · 03/10/2014 14:23

Exactly. I think in law it's known as a 'bad bargain'. A 'bad bargain' doesn't excuse you from the contract.

I remember a cake company made an offer for cupcakes, which sold at a totally unexpected rate. The poor lady had to draft in extra staff to fulfil orders and it cost her much more than it made her. It was a 'bad bargain' but she had a contract with the customers (via Groupon) and that was that.

In this case, it's simply a code to generate.

OP posts:
DorisIsALittleBitPartial · 03/10/2014 14:24

Surely your complaint is with groupon as that is who advertised and you paid?

ecuse · 03/10/2014 14:26

I think they need to give you what you paid for and take it up with Groupon if it's their error in copyrwriting.

YourMaNoBraBackOfMyCar · 03/10/2014 15:24

I bought a deal that admitted 5 of us into a petting farm with picnic lunch included. Lucky I printed the page off as the farm manager denied that lunch was included.

hormonalandneedingcheese · 03/10/2014 15:26

I think you need to take it up with Groupon too. Usually if they offer it as multiples, you pay for 1, 2 or 3 when it comes to purchase- there's three separate options and you chose one of them. If it only came up as one then either the others were never available or Groupon made a mistake.

It's Groupon that need to provide you with two extra vouchers free since they are your agent, not this company. The company need to flag it with Groupon and leave compensating and sorting out to them.

Original poster
lougle · 03/10/2014 19:24

Hmm.... possibly.

OP posts:
Original poster
lougle · 03/10/2014 22:07

They've now said that they'll add 2 users on due to the 'misunderstanding with the wording'....but they haven't actually done it. I'll wait and see before I contact Groupon.

OP posts:
ChippingInLatteLover · 04/10/2014 08:26

No, it wasn't offered as a multiple, the offer was quite clear

The course [singular] covers the curriculum at the child’s own pace, so that one, two or three students [multiple use of single item] can take their time absorbing their new-found mathematical knowledge for up to 9 months

Original poster
lougle · 04/10/2014 08:39

That's how I read it, too.

OP posts:
OwlWearingSunglasses · 04/10/2014 08:44

I agree with Chipping

You would have needed to buy 3 vouchers. If the company have now said they'll add 2 more to your deal then they've done that as a courtesy goodwill gesture.

hormonalandneedingcheese · 04/10/2014 09:25

Then it's groupons mistake if they've said 3 can use the same one. Usually they look like this:

www.groupon.co.uk/deals/national-deal/10ticks/4846026

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 04/10/2014 09:29

Groupon are a bunch of scheisters. The ASA upheld my complaint about an inflated "usual value".

UptheChimney · 04/10/2014 09:31

YABU

The course covers the curriculum at the child’s own pace, so that one, two or three students can take their time absorbing their new-found mathematical knowledge for up to 9 months

I read that as meaning that you buy the voucher for your one (1) child, but that that child may be taught in a group of up to 3 children. Each of whom has had a separate voucher bought for them.

Not that one voucher covers three children.

Seems quite clear to me. They're warning you that the extra tuition may not be one to one, but in groups of up to three children.

VeryStressedMum · 04/10/2014 09:44

The writing is not that clear tbf, I would have assumed that one voucher was for one child but mainly because I would have thought the price of a voucher for one child would not be the same for three children.
But I can sort of see why you may have thought that's what it said, and good they've given you the extra two vouchers.

YoYoYooooo · 04/10/2014 09:55

The link providedby hormonalandneedingcheese is very clear. OP did you get a print out of your group on ad? Is it ongoing?

UptheChimney · 04/10/2014 10:09

I followed that link. It says:

Maths Home Learning System: One Year Subscription for One (£9), Two (£13), or Three (£15) Users with Award-Winning 10ticks (Up to 89% Off)

For the OP's three children, it should be £15. I don't see what's unclear about that? Can the OP explain?

YoYoYooooo · 04/10/2014 10:25

upthechinm. The link was for an old Advert, the OPs ad may have been different. They may have reused the text of the ad but not the heading.

YoYoYooooo · 04/10/2014 10:30

THIS MIGHT BE THE AD FOR THE OP'S COURSE
It is a lot more unclear and I think the OP was right to ask for three subscriptions.

bloodyteenagers · 04/10/2014 10:35

Found the ops course.
This is the deal.

Maths Home Learning System: 9 Month Subscription for £9 (86% Off)
Summing things up for young minds, this subscription (usually £64) is designed to gear up children aged 5 to 16 as they dive into the world of arithmetic. It features thousands of guides and worksheets, along with games and tests to keep things interesting. The animated and interactive system aims to engage brains, identifying potential weak areas and helping kids to work through them. The course covers the curriculum at the child’s own pace, so that one, two or three students can take their time absorbing their new-found mathematical knowledge for up to 9 months.

So yes I would expect one voucher for multiple users.

Original poster
lougle · 04/10/2014 13:53

Yes, the linked course that hormonal supplied is very clear and I would have expected to pay £15 (for 3 children) if that was the deal.

The offer on Groupon at the moment only allows you to buy one voucher as an individual, but you can buy 4 more as gifts, and the text is as bloodyteenagers has quoted.

The only way that 'three students can absorb their mathematical knowledge' whilst at the same time 'going at the child's own pace' whilst also complying with the purchase of only one voucher per person, is for the voucher to cover up to 3 children, as stated in the blurb.

It seems that Groupon were lazy and used the old text, but that isn't my problem.

If the company follow through with their pledge to give me two additional users (at the moment my account only shows one user) I'll consider the matter closed.

OP posts:
hormonalandneedingcheese · 04/10/2014 14:50

I think you may find they refer it back to Groupon OP. The company are honouring their end of the deal and if Groupon got the text wrong then it's their fault to rectify- in a way it's not the company's problem either. Either Groupon should credit your account or give you two extra groupons for the other users.

Unless the company supplied Groupon with the description, in wich case the company needs to sort it out, they don't have to do anything. If they do then you're very lucky. I hope that's the case because when it comes to things like this Groupon aren't that bothered about sorting out-annoyingly.

ChippingInLatteLover · 04/10/2014 15:00

No, Groupon are representing the companies on there. It is for Groupon and the company to sort out. The purchaser has to be able to trust the deal being sold.

SoonToBeSix · 04/10/2014 15:05

I red it totally differently, they are siny saying that if you have several children they can all do the course at their own pace. Not that you get access for up to three children.

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