Scoopon issues / i hate them!

vsia2165 on 19/04/2011 - 10:37

I have 2 coupons about to expire

  1. Mocean voucher bondi x 2 / cost me 98 bucks

The place was 100% booked out and i CANNOT get a booking until after when it expires.. they said to call scoopon to get a refund… i emailed scoopon and waiting for a response.

  1. Facial for Melbourne x 2 cost me 188 bucks

The place was 95% booked out and the only valid bookings are 1 - 2 spots on weekdays… i tried giving it to a friend in melbourne but obviously she wont take time off for this on a weekday ( works full time)

Now can i get my money back? i read some where if the company can not provide the service then i can get my money back…

Its a lot of money … 280 bucks! and quite possibly i may not get anything back.

Any suggestions?

P.S i hate scoopon… i had an issue with jumponit and cudo but they replied back and either refunded me or gave me credit.. plus a real person replied none of this copy and paste t & c crap

Please help

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  • neil on 19/04/2011 - 11:22
    1. Email them
    2. Wait x amount of time for a response (x=~4-7)
    3. Email them again
    4. Wait x amount of time for a response (x=~4-7)
    5. Call credit card and initiate chargeback.
    6. Failing the above, write letter of demand.
    7. Wait x amount of time for a response (x=~14-28)
    8. Take to tribunal/small claims court.

    I'm not sure if posting on forums makes any difference, as it appears to me that they don't have enough staff to deal with their impending growth.

  • alebox on 19/04/2011 - 11:26

    i personally think its very silly to wait until it almost expires to go use them. clearly thats what everyone does so you should try to use them as early as you can!

    • h4lcyon on 19/04/2011 - 13:28

      Or at least book early so that even if it's 2 months down the track you are still confirmed.

      • alebox on 19/04/2011 - 13:59

        on that note, is it even the coupon issuer/restaurants fault here? sure if its 10000 coupons sold and given 5 days to use them. but if they give them 1 year, and you still haven't redeemed it then and tried at the last minute, how is it even their fault?

        (not saying you were given 1 year to use coupon, im just saying in general)

    • Deridas on 05/05/2011 - 18:11
      +1

      Hi alebox,

      That's not the point though. The T&Cs state an expiry date, not an "Expiry date for booking" and another "Actual expiry date of Scoopon". Sure, we may be a bit dumb for waiting till the last 2 weeks before booking, and rightly so, the venue gets booked out and we don't get the cheap meal. That however, is not what we're complaining about, it's about the fact that Scoopon blatantly refuses to give out a refund despite the fact that a service could not have been provided before the expiry date.

  • vsia2165 on 21/04/2011 - 19:16
    +1

    After 3-4 emails to scoopon i keep on receiving the same reply from - Sally

    Basically no refund due to our t & c

    Disgusting customer service to be honest considering Cudo and jumponit refunds it no questions asked… delighted by them to be honest.

    I have $280 worth of scoopon vouchers that has expired and i feel absolutly terrible… i know i bought it last minute but with some of the coupons i tried booking through the year and nothing! sorry but i dont have 24/7 availability.

    What other options do i have besides emailing? well obviously boycotting them would be a start but i want my money back.

    • neil on 21/04/2011 - 19:32

      Did you contact your credit card company?

  • vsia2165 on 21/04/2011 - 19:40

    I work for them - St George
    And after 30 days they cant dispute the transaction.. it's been about 60-90 days since purchasing the coupons

  • goodhuntz on 21/04/2011 - 22:58
    +4

    Hi,

    I was also unable to reedeem the Mocean Restaurant.

    It's not booked out. The restaurant owner is going out of business, and doesn't want to redeem the vouchers.

    Scoopon doesn't want to refund the vouchers either even though I'm sure they know what's occurring.
    They just want to pocket the money. I asked for refund a few times.

    I went to the restaurant on the 21/04 a day before the deal expired and talked to one of the Restaurant Staff.
    They where under instruction not to let anyone with a scoopon voucher in, Even though there where a number of tables available.

    The restaurant was going out of business, and a new resturant opening next week.

    Don't trust scoopon or catchoftheday.

    Use other deal providers such as stardeals , spreets , cudo etc… You'll have much less grief !

    • [Deactivated] on 27/04/2011 - 07:15
      +1

      Who's pocketing most of that money? Scoopon or the Mocean Restaurant?

      • robotdad on 27/04/2011 - 13:56

        I was wondering about this too. I was thinking that Scoopon takes the voucher amount as part of advertising/promotion cost and the party offering the deal absorbs the discount.
        Scoopon in that case would not wish to offer a refund as it had done it's part in advertising/providing the promotion and the Mocean Restaurant would not wish to pony up with the discount because it would be a further loss (effectively giving away money), when it was already going out of business.

    • Scoopon on 05/05/2011 - 13:14
      -3

      Hi goodhuntz,

      Thanks for your post.

      However, the information you have listed here is not accurate.
      We can confirm that the owner is selling the business, and is not going out of business.
      The business is changing management only after the voucher validity period has expired.
      Scoopon has been in contact with the deal provider constantly to ensure our members are being looked after during the validity period.

      As far as the deal provider staff informing you that they were not accepting any Scoopons at all, we have not received this feedback from our members. If you have lodged an email with our support team, can you please advise the ticket ID - so we can ask our Support Team Leader to review your email.

      Unfortunately, towards the end of the validity, a large number of booking requests has meant that the deal provider is unable to accommodate any new bookings. This is for general public customers, as well as Scoopon holders.

      The deal provider placed a number of Scoopon holders on a cancellation list, and was able to offer them bookings when other had cancelled their bookings.
      However, as the validity period of the Scoopon has now expired, the deal provider is not obligated to honour any expired Scoopons - in line with the terms and conditions of the Scoopon voucher.

      Kind Regards,
      Team Scoopon.

      • voteoften on 05/05/2011 - 14:07
        +1

        "As far as the deal provider staff informing you that they were not accepting any Scoopons at all, we have not received this feedback from our members."

        How can you say that?

        You are receiving this feedback right now.

        It's unlikely that the staff member took out a front page ad. They simply answered a question honestly.

        As long as buyers try to book before the end of the validity period, they should not lose out.

      • vsia2165 on 05/05/2011 - 16:39
        +2

        Thats utter BS
        i called up a few weeks before the expirey of the coupon and they said they were 100% booked and to call scoopon to get a refund.

        After so many emails i finally got a refund - well i was promised a refund im still waiting for it.

        Not going to use scoopon ever again!

      • d3vi8r on 08/05/2011 - 21:09
        +1

        BS

    • Scoopon on 13/05/2011 - 13:08

      Hi goodhuntz,

      Can you please advise your ticket ID, that you would have received from our email system. It will look like ABC-123456.

      We will ask our support team to review your concerns and send you an email with more details.

      Kind Regards,
      Team Scoopon.

  • roddo on 27/04/2011 - 12:25
    +3

    Why not just sit down, order your food, and at the end of your lovely meal give them the damn scoopon? Just don't mention it until it's time to pay the bill!

  • slow on 27/04/2011 - 14:42
    +3

    I am sick of all of these group buy sites and will not buy any more "deals". Of the 8 or so I have bought only 1 or 2 have been worthwhile in retrospect. I have come to the conlusion the only reason companies use them is because they are struggling and the reason they are struggling is because their product or service is useless. I have lodged disputes with my credit card compnay for the last 2.

  • Ishadeon on 05/05/2011 - 01:39
    +1

    I heard on the tv lately that these group deals hope that most people buy but don't use the vouchers and currently 60% vouchers don't get used.

    • voteoften on 05/05/2011 - 14:03

      I wonder if the reps are using tha figure to get businesses to sign on, then when people actually try to redeem, the businesses feel ripped off due to rep lies.

  • Deridas on 05/05/2011 - 18:03
    +2

    Hi vsia2165, I bought a Mocean voucher as well, and had my claim for a refund rejected:

    "All Scoopons are sold subject to availability, and Mocean was fully booked out in the final weeks of the offer, in line with our standard terms and conditions, we are unable to offer a refund or credit of your purchase cost.
    We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
    Should you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us.
    Kind Regards,
    Sally
    Team Scoopon "

    Of course, I blew up and sent them a somewhat polite lengthy reply demanding a refund or the ACCC. I'm glad to have found this thread, so it's not only me after all!

    The FAQs page at Scoopon (http://www.scoopon.com.au/pages/faq) also clearly states:

    "If you can't redeem your Scoopon because the company can't provide the good or service we'll refund your money. "

    It's as though Scoopons are a lottery ticket where it's a gamble "You may purchase the Scoopon for $49, but the provision of service by Mocean is subject to whether they were booked out, and that if they were, tough luck, you're not getting your money back".

    Scoopon doesn't have a phone number we can contact them at, and it took them 6 days to reply to my email. Their ABN posted on their website is not the current one http://www.scoopon.com.au/pages/terms-and-conditions (http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/39871), and I have been unable to find their current ABN. In fact, Googling "Scoopon ABN" doesn't get you anywhere. It's almost as though they're deliberately posting a dated ABN giving web surfers the false pretense that they are an Australian based company. I'd hate to think Scoopon was an overseas company and do not need to comply with Australian Consumer Law.

    With all the hours I've spent typing an email, reading and writing all these forum posts, I feel like invoicing Scoopon for the hours I've put into getting my refund. I guess it's better than poor goodhuntz, he actually went to Mocean restaurant after booking rejection for many weeks, and despite there were empty seats at Mocean they refused him entry.

    It's really sad to see Scoopon denying refunds with such a copy and paste job. The T&Cs and "subject to availability" clearly does not suggest denial of refund for our cases. I wonder how many more Mocean purchasers who got denied a refund left it at that after seeing that email?

    vsia2165, I'm glad you're finally promised a refund, please do inform us when you are finally able to get yours.
    As for me, I've sent my big long angry email reply yesterday, I wonder when I'll get a reply?

    • d3vi8r on 08/05/2011 - 21:10
      +1

      Yep im in exactly the same position for this Mocean deal. My ticket ID is SAQ-955614. Scoopon refuses to be reasonable and refund my money because I could not get a booking

  • Scoopon on 06/05/2011 - 19:42
    -1

    Hi Deridas,

    Scoopon is more than happy to refund a Scoopon purchase, if the business that you voucher is for has gone out of business - as detailed in our FAQ section which you have referenced.

    Please see below the full FAQ -

    Q: What about if the business I've got my Scoopon with goes belly-up or disappears in ways I can't even think of now before I get to redeem it?

    A: If you can't redeem your Scoopon because the company can't provide the good or service we'll refund your money.

    We can assure you that Scoopon has been in contact with the deal provider, after receiving member emails about not being able to gain a booking. As advised in an earlier post - Mocean advised us that they were fully booked out during the period leading up to the expiry date of the Scoopon vouchers. This applied to Scoopon holders, as well as general public patrons.

    If a Scoopon member ever has any concerns about a deal, or about the redemption of a Scoopon voucher, we kindly ask that they contact our support team via [email protected] - well in advance of the expiry of the Scoopon, so that we can provide a suitable resolution as quickly as possible.

    If we only become aware of potential issues after the Scoopon has expired, the options of resolution are limited somewhat.

    Scoopon is a 100% Australian owned and operated business - unlike many other group buying sites in Australia.

    If you would like to advise your ticket ID, we would be more than happy to have our Customer Support Leader review your query.

    Kind Regards,
    Team Scoopon.

  • georgia13 on 07/05/2011 - 15:08
    +1

    funny enough team scoopon are offering the possibility of refunds on this post, yet the constant feedback on other posts and my own experience included, is that they either do not reply to this elusive [email protected] email address when we email a complaint or they refuse refunds when consumers are well within their rights to ask for them.

    btw if they are aware of mocean going out of business (and im sure that they were, because according to another post in relation to the mocean deal, they were "in contact with mocean in the weeks prior to the deal ending"), scoopon should have offered a refund to all customers who complained that they couldnt get reservations. It is not the consumers fault that the company is closing down or that mocean dont want to provide any more service to scoopon purchasers as opposed to public customers.

    The problem seems to be that Scoopon dont like this bad publicity but their actions are hit and miss- some get refunds, others are told no and its only when we complain on this public forum that they appear to be amicable and somewhat reasonable. Get the message Scoopon, this forum is a LAST RESORT. We dont like wasting our personal time trying to get your company to adhere to consumer laws and the standards which you set out on your own website. Get your act together and stop wasting our time!

  • Deridas on 09/05/2011 - 13:56
    +4

    Team Scoopon,

    My ticket ID is TAL-266212. My first email sent to Scoopon was April 28th, which I didn't get a reply until May 4th. I had resent an email demanding a refund straight away, and I still haven't gotten a second reply yet. It's nice to know at least Scoopon checks these forum boards and willing to help its customers out ehre, but what about those who don't go on forum boards? Will my inquiry be sent to the front of queue when I quote my ticket ID, whereas I wouldn't have if I didn't make a complaint? If so, are selective customers getting preferential treatment?

    The issue was very evident before the deal expired by the post of other people. My request for a refund came a couple of days before the deal expired, yet the reply only came afterwards. There's no phone number to instantly contact Scoopon, and there's a huge delay in email replies. It's completely not the customer's fault that Scoopon weren't ware of the issues until the Scoopon has expired.

    I agree with georgia13's post, if Scoopon was aware that the restaurant was closing down and not everybody will be able to be accommodated due to the venue being booked out. The minimum they could do was to refund those who missed out. It's not like we're angry there's no provision of service, we're angry because we're not getting a refund even though there's no provision of service. I'm sure there are consumers out there who are so angry they'd be hurling abuse, and I just can't help but think how these incidents will impact on the morale of the staff at Scoopon.

    I think I understand what position Scoopon is in. My guess is that Scoopon takes a cut from all the Mocean purchases, then the rest all get transfered to the management at the restaurant. Once a deal has expired Mocean is not obliged to give back to Scoopon the money for those who did not redeem their Scoopon. I presume Scoopon is unable to ask Mocean to transfer back any unredeemed Scoopon money after the expiry date, and so if Scoopon was to pay out a refund, they will have to take it from their bottom line, which is why they're trying to refuse refund requests, ending in disgruntled customers.

    If my presumption was correct, then it seems like the majority of the blame is meant to be placed on Mocean, and Scoopon is just merely the middle-man. It would also seem this incident exposed the vulnerability of these Group Buy websites to abuse by the deal provider. Nonetheless, the consumer shouldn't have been put in a position to cop financial loss due to a business loophole between Scoopon and it's deal provider. Ultimately it seems like in order to avoid this from happening again, Scoopon needs to adjust how they work with deal providers.

    In a perfect world, I just want my $49 back, it's a lot of money for a Uni student on Centrelink. I would also dearly love equal treatment for all Mocean purchasers who missed out, and hope this incident won't happen again and consumers and Scoopon and deal providers live happily ever after.

    Unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world.

    Nonetheless, I still would dearly love my $49 back.

    • d3vi8r on 09/05/2011 - 14:09

      Agree 100%. I'd like my refund too please scoopon. Please contact me via the support ticket I opened SAQ-955614

  • Deridas on 13/05/2011 - 13:06

    Scoopon still has yet to reply after May4th email… this is getting really annoying…

  • vsia2165 on 13/05/2011 - 13:19

    Scoopon has refunded me the $98 as a goodwill gesture

    It took about 5 emails all up and a few phone calls to Mocean.. i mean at the end im happy with it but the experience wasnt good at all.

    I can see why they do it though.. it weeds out a lot of ppl and hence less refunds but still u know dodgey!

    Still waiting for my other refund for a Melbourne purchase.. tick tock tick tock

  • Deridas on 13/05/2011 - 14:23

    vsia2165,

    I'm glad they have refunded you the Mocean vouchers. I've just sent my third email. This is so irritating. So much for always putting customers first.

    So much effort for a refund through no fault of our own. This is really, really bad news.

  • Deridas on 19/05/2011 - 00:46
    +1

    Looks like "Brendan" from Scoopon has agreed for a refund "Although, this is not eligible for a refund in line with our terms and conditions, we wish to provide an exception to this matter.". I'm still not happy at the misleading T&Cs, but nonetheless am happy for a refund. Their offer was made 3 days ago. I'm just replied, will be interesting to know how long it takes before the refund comes through. Will keep OzBargain community updated on developments.

  • Deridas on 21/05/2011 - 14:20

    This is a huge surprise, I got my refund the day after I sent my details for a refund.

    It seems like Scoopon will only refund if you hassle them long enough.

    They still stick to their T&Cs, I'm not impressed still, and unlikely to purchase from Scoopon again.

    In the end, I think Scoopon has been out of pocket when refunding these vouchures post-expiry date, but that's due to their fault with dodgy business dealing with vendors, not ours.

    I'm happy with my result, good luck for those who are attempting to get theirs as well.

    Cheers~

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