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Groupon Hong Kong - how crap can they get?

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  1. #31

    Groupon is unethical... they run ads like "Hong Kong Waterparks"... however there are NO waterparks in HK.

    I would not touch them with a 10' pole

    dear giant likes this.

  2. #32

    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    33

    I've tried them out on two occasions. One was for spa services and the other was ferry tickets to Macao. The first was alright. Absolutely tried to hard sale at the end. I just listened and said I'd think about it. Not the most relaxing thing to hear after a spa treatment.

    The other was for the Macao dragon. It worked out great for me, but I was one of the few. Most didn't get to use their tickets as it closed down shortly after selling a few thousand of them.

    The trick seems to be to use them fast and go in person to make appointments. Has worked for me so far anyways.


  3. #33

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Sai Kung, NT, Hong Kong
    Posts
    148

    I'm glad someone started a Groupon thread to share this kind of info.

    I got started with it after hearing enthusiastic reviews from a couple of friends. Up until then I was sceptical.

    One of the first purchases was 5 buffet dinner coupons for Jo Jo Indian Cuisine in Wan Chai at, I think, $128 each. Food and service fantastic. Although advertised as a buffet there actually IS no buffet, which had me wondering at first. They say they bring the food to the table and bring it they did. From the moment we sat down the food began appearing and didn't stop. They actually told us we could order anything we wanted and as much of it as we wanted. We couldn't believe it. I thought they'd bring a set number of dishes and that would be it. We specifically asked for some vegetarian dishes such as paneer in butter sauce and it soon appeared. Honestly, we had more food than we could eat and had to stop ourselves ordering more. As we were getting up to leave they said we could still have dessert but we had to get going, so they brought out a box of sweets for us to take with us.

    They couldn't have been more welcoming or more generous. 10% service charge was included. They did not push us to order any extra drinks or any other add-ons. We walked out of there stuffed on excellent Indian food and shaking out heads at the amazing deal. I would definitely go there again and do recommend it. The only "complaint" I have is that the staff who answer the phone could use a little training in customer service courtesy.

    Another deal was for haircare services at Technique Beauty Salon, 20th flr, Sino Cheer Plaza, Jordan. Bought two coupons, one for my daughter and one for myself. Again, this was $128 and included wash, conditioning treatment, cut, colour, blowdry and style. Absolutely no upselling took place at all. The salon is also a hairdressing school and at first we thought we were going to be subjects for the students, but this wasn't the case. The stylists were skilled young guys who were friendly and low-key and spoke English well. My daughter and I were able to go at the same time and felt they did a great job. The services we received were worth far more than we paid for them. You kind of expect a bit of a hard sell on other services or to book a return appointment, but nothing like that happened. Again, we were very pleased with our deal. Our appt. was easily booked first time we called.

    I recently purchased a Groupon for a grill from Gilman's and decided to try the "easy" deal cancellation. I had the same response from Groupon for a couple of weeks "awaiting attention of a service rep" or whatever it is they say. I did send another email and quote the Groupon claim of "if you're not happy, just let us know and we'll 'return your purchase'" – "return your purchase" makes no sense, which I told them should be "return your purchase price" at the very least.

    Anyway, got a notice that it would take six to eight weeks to refund, but within two days my full purchase price was refunded to my paypal account, which surprised me.

    Another deal was Cottex bedding set, which I thought was misleading and I told Groupon about it. I have always received a response from Groupon via email, although not necessarily the one I want. The bedding was advertised as 850 thread count, which to me means 850 threads per sq. inch, but to Cottex means 850 per 10 cm. (or something, can't remember), which brings the quality down considerably. Nowhere on the deal or the Groupon did it state this, and only in very fine print on the packaging was this revealed. I told Groupon and Cottex this was misleading. Cottex never replied, Groupon said something like "Thank you for your email, we consider this question resolved" or similar. I'm using the bedding but I never would have purchased it if the quality had been clearly stated in the groupon ad.

    I have a couple more groupons to use, both are for spa treatments. I guess I better get them used before groupon goes tits up.

    My advice for people who are considering using groupon:

    Read ALL the details supplied and ask questions if info is missing. For instance, recently they were offering high-quality steaks but nowhere did it say what size they were. Could have been three ounces for all I know. I've noticed this a few times lately, glaring omissions of vital info such as size, material of product, etc. If I were really interested I'd call the supplied vendor number and ask, otherwise I can't complain if it's not what I expected.

    Use your Groupon as soon as possible. I'm sure some businesses get overwhelmed over time with all the appt. requests. I have heard from people that they NEVER could get an appt. during the run of the Groupon. Companies can even go out of business between the time you buy your coupon and the time you get around to using it.

    I saw a mention of Habibi's earlier in this thread. My daughter and her husband ate there and my husband pulled a book or magazine off a bookshelf and, when he opened it, masses of maggots fell out! Seriously! The restaurant didn't seem bothered (offered to take 10% off their bill!!!!). My daughter reported it to the HK Health Dept. which also didn't seem to take it very seriously. So Habibi's is one place I will NEVER go!!!


  4. #34

    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    -
    Posts
    1,781
    Quote Originally Posted by KateInHongKong:
    I saw a mention of Habibi's earlier in this thread. My daughter and her husband ate there and my husband pulled a book or magazine off a bookshelf and, when he opened it, masses of maggots fell out! Seriously! The restaurant didn't seem bothered (offered to take 10% off their bill!!!!). My daughter reported it to the HK Health Dept. which also didn't seem to take it very seriously. So Habibi's is one place I will NEVER go!!!
    We went there for lunch and though 10% service charge was included in the coupon the manager tried to charge us.

  5. #35

    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    1

    Habibi in LKF is awesome, the old one near Wellington Street seems pretty crappy


  6. #36

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    13,099
    Quote Originally Posted by Salsasuperstar:
    Habibi in LKF is awesome, the old one near Wellington Street seems pretty crappy
    Perhaps this statement was true at some point in the past.
    Alas, for me, at the precise time I chose to take my family there, this statement was 100% false
    Skyhook likes this.

  7. #37

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Sai Kung, NT, Hong Kong
    Posts
    148

  8. #38

    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Posts
    51

    Thanks to the OP for posting this topic as it has allowed me to finally get a response from Groupon. I posted the same complaint on at least 10 of their FB wall postings and also emailed the CEO, Danny Yeung to complain about the abysmal customer service and voila, a response!!
    I know many people had the same issue with the delivery as the company involved decided to cc everyone who had bought it!! Hopefully now I will get some satisfaction.


  9. #39

    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    7,441

    People here may know that I have bought and also sold through GroupOn to both great success. I also have made sure that the offer is of exceptional value and we use a professional redemption centre which costs a fortune to use to make sure the brand experience is sound.

    I have always thought to protect their brand (that is GroupOn) that they would have rigorous terms and conditions to make sure that the company they partner with follow through or be able to provide the services they are offering. Obviously they cannot review all issues and also companies that go into bankruptcy but a bit of diligence and set policies from their team could fix alot of their problems.


  10. #40

    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    2,136

    How can such an easily duplicate-able system survive anyways.

    Can someone with similar experience explain?