Mktg: Hi, I have seen a few reports about some misleading ads on Groupon. How do I know they are not misleading?
Groupon: Have you bought anything from Groupon yet?
Mktg: No, not yet as I am a bit worried.
Groupon: Sometimes there is a discrepancy between what Groupon advertises and what a partner will tell you when you call them. The best advice I have for you is, if there are problems, you can contact us. You have seven working days to get a refund and if we find out a partner hasn't honoured what they say they would, we will refund you. We would never say you can't have your refund.
Mktg: What are you doing to make sure this sort of thing doesn't happen again?
(Marketing's call is cut off. Calls back and waits five minutes to be put through.)
Mktg: (Repeats enquiry.)
Groupon: Can I have your email address?
Mktg: I just want to speak to someone about what Groupon is doing to stop misleading ads on the services.
Groupon: Are you talking about a particular deal?
Mktg: None in particular. I am worried the deals are not going to be what they say they are.
Groupon: Can you hold the line a second please? (Marketing holds for two minutes.) Sorry for the wait. Which deal were you interested in buying?
Mktg: None in particular, but I am concerned that the ASA has banned so many ads.
Groupon: We work very closely with them to make sure they are not misleading.
Mktg: So there won't be any more cases of this?
Groupon: As soon as we see something that could be misleading, we get notified and change it as soon as we can.
Mktg: Do you work with the sellers though?
Groupon: The partner will work with the seller to discuss the service they offer.
Mktg: OK, thanks for your help.
Groupon: Thanks, bye.
Verdict
While Groupon: has a robust-enough strategy in place to deal with dodgy offers, the call-handling was not particularly smooth. The line wasn't clear, and there was a bit of confusion and periods of being on hold - enough to rile even the most patient of customers.