Why to avoid Groupon, Living Social, Crowdsavings etc

[bofa]

I used to use these services from time to time for discounts. When Groupon decided to remove gun-related deals as a knee-jerk concession to gun control advocates, I vowed to stop using them. I started looking for other ways to get similar deals and have found that there are almost always other ways to get the same deal or better, especially for services.

Here's are some recent examples...

I needed to hire a carpet cleaning company for our rental. There was an offer for one company (I won't name so I don't cause issues for them with crowdsavings). The deal was $75 for 5 rooms of cleaning. I decided to call first because I needed stairs and a landing done as well. The first thing he asked was if I had purchase it already, which I did not. Had I, they would have charged an extra service fee and full price for the landing and stairs to recoup some of their costs, which would have come to about $160 total with the deal. Not bad, but since I didn't use the deal, they are only charging me $110.

Another example is a plumbing/hvac company. They had some specials on Yelp, but there were some other services I wanted as well. When I got a direct quote without using the deal, they gave me a reasonable price. I asked if they could offer any discounts and ended up with 7% discount on the total and it ended up being cheaper in the end.

Some of the harder things to find are discounted admission for local events. I have attended some of these in the past and they were a royal pain, so I probably won't again. However if you check the paper or the local grocery store, they almost always have the same offer, with no need to pre-pay.

So, long story short, before you take one of the deals, check other sites or call them directly to see what they would charge without the "deal", and you might save a little extra.

 

[MyHigh]

Dicks sporting goods also had a knee-jerk reaction to this whole gun issue. They cancelled all orders for any rifle that was painted black basically. To make matters worse they only gave in store credit instead of cash back.

 

[Millerad1651]

While I can see how services like you explained could work out with a call first, but a lot of the stuff I've used Groupon for wouldn't work that way. I got a remote start installed two years ago for $125. No way they would have done it for that cheap with a call first.
Last week I bought a "date night package" for $32. It consists of two movie tickets, a $100 gift cert to Restaurant.com, and an 8x10 picture canvas. There is no way I could have gotten that deal by calling around.

 

[bofa]

While I can see how services like you explained could work out with a call first, but a lot of the stuff I've used Groupon for wouldn't work that way. I got a remote start installed two years ago for $125. No way they would have done it for that cheap with a call first.
Last week I bought a "date night package" for $32. It consists of two movie tickets, a $100 gift cert to Restaurant.com, and an 8x10 picture canvas. There is no way I could have gotten that deal by calling around.

I agree - it won't always work. I bet you could have gotten the remote start installed if you called and asked though. Think about it... the vendor is still paying for the materials and labor and now paying for the referral.

The date night deal sounds pretty hard to beat though. But let me try...

• This link from restaurant.com has the $100 gift card for $10.99
• The canvas is the FTD $10 thing, right?
• The e-movie cash puts it a little over the top, but there are some deals out there that will get the total close to the $32. It largely depends on the theater and showing I think.

I'm sure there are exceptions but I'd rather skip the middle man, especially one that gives in to political pressure so quickly.

 

[Millerad1651]

I agree - it won't always work. I bet you could have gotten the remote start installed if you called and asked though. Think about it... the vendor is still paying for the materials and labor and now paying for the referral.

The date night deal sounds pretty hard to beat though. But let me try...

• This link from restaurant.com has the $100 gift card for $10.99
• The canvas is the FTD $10 thing, right?
• The e-movie cash puts it a little over the top, but there are some deals out there that will get the total close to the $32. It largely depends on the theater and showing I think.

I'm sure there are exceptions but I'd rather skip the middle man, especially one that gives in to political pressure so quickly.

When I had the remote start installed, I asked what the price usually is. $250 was their price for just a walk in...not sure if he would have come down $100+...maybe he would have.

The date night deal can't be beat though. The food one is right, but this is the canvas...Picture It On Canvas - Your Photo on Custom Ready-to-hang Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Its usually $51.

And ya, you can sometimes find deals online for movie tickets, but nothing close to free.

So for $32, we got a package worth $175.

 

[bofa]

When I had the remote start installed, I asked what the price usually is. $250 was their price for just a walk in...not sure if he would have come down $100+...maybe he would have.

The date night deal can't be beat though. The food one is right, but this is the canvas...Picture It On Canvas - Your Photo on Custom Ready-to-hang Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Its usually $51.

And ya, you can sometimes find deals online for movie tickets, but nothing close to free.

So for $32, we got a package worth $175.

I hear what you are saying, but just remember... these deals don't change the cost basis of the service provider. If they are willing to drop the price for one of these, it's to drum up business. If you are calling them directly, it worked, but now they aren't paying the referral. It's actually cheaper for them, and if you play your cards right, it could be cheaper for you.

I checked out the Groupon deal yesterday and there was no mention of the canvas, just the FTD credit. It might have been a different deal. I clicked on the canvas link though and instantly got a pop up for 65% off. A coupon search revealed they offer deals up to 80% off at times.

There are movie deals, sometimes a few dollars off, some are bogo. I don't personally use these because my better half doesn't like going, so I usually hit an early showing with a buddy and it's typically only $5, not to mention the place is empty.

For cost vs. worth... well, I disagree. What something is worth isn't exactly the face value that they are telling you. It's really worth $32 imo. Either way, hope you and the Mrs. enjoyed.

 

[Jumpkix]

Didn't realize Groupon had done that, so I too will not be using them. Thanks for the good info.

 

[LuckyRunnerLTD]

how about amazon local??

 

[bofa]

how about amazon local??

Same concept, really. A lot of the deals can be had without prepaying through them. Not all, but many.




And just to reiterate, I know my OP mentioned why I decided to stop using Groupon, but that doesn't necessarily apply to these others. It was just the catalyst to get me to look closer at these offers and realize they aren't so special afterall, just clever marketing.