Every day-deal sites: are they as low cost as they seem to be?
The gives on deal-of-the-day sites like Wowcher and Groupon may possibly appear tempting, but are they really such excellent bargains? 
When I open my electronic mail inbox every single morning I am met with half a dozen emails from deal-of-the-day internet site Groupon.co.united kingdom, having signed up to the web site a couple of months ago to see what it had to provide. I am 1 of far more than 200 million worldwide subscribers to acquire emails from them.
The American organization, which started out up in 2008, now has a lot more competition in the “daily deals” sector, with the launch of Wowcher.co.united kingdom three many years in the past, and Barclaycard’s Bespoke Delivers (bespokeoffers.co.uk) launching in May possibly final 12 months.
These internet sites function by providing daily deals to their consumers at a price reduction. The businesses advantage because they get advertised to a new, wider variety of potential consumers, although the clients benefit simply because of the special discounts.
For illustration, a restaurant could set aside 70 vouchers supplying half-price dinners for end users of Groupon, giving the buyer a less expensive deal, and the restaurant a possibility to attain new diners.
This model is various from the popular cashback internet sites, this kind of as Topcashback and Quidco. These websites also offer streams of specific gives to their subscribers, but right here shoppers collect cashback payments – efficiently commission paid by the retailer to the web site then passed back to the consumer.
Wowcher and Groupon, by comparison, have a tendency to supply a much more random choice of eye-catching offers, with an enticing “lucky-dip” element of stumbling on a a single-off bargain you really want.
Both Wowcher and Groupon, however, have faced regular criticism from end users regarding buyer services, high quality of goods and the reportedly exaggerated original price tag of the items, which are alleged to make it appear as even though buyers are obtaining a larger price reduction than they truly are.
“Get up to 80pc off dining establishments, sights, hotels and a lot more,” Wowcher’s web site claims, however users of the site have taken to internet forums like trustpilot.co.uk to complain about their unfavorable experiences. One particular user questioned the “real” unique prices quoted, while yet another explained “they are misleading with hidden costs”.
Groupon attracts related complaints on online forums, with one particular disgruntled consumer saying: “Each item I have bought by means of this site has broken inside the initial week of making use of. Naturally the organizations can’t sell these items without massive reductions.” An additional mentioned: “The deals seem to be very good but Groupon doesn’t live up to what it claims.”
In 2012, the consumer watchdog cracked down on Groupon right after the Advertising Specifications Authority (ASA) obtained complaints more than its misleading promotional offers. The Workplace of Honest Trading identified that Groupon had breached buyer safety rules and insisted the company apply modifications. It was told to make certain that “reference prices (adverts that evaluate an unique reference price tag towards a sale value), including savings, are precise, honest and transparent”.
In 2013 the ASA was nonetheless getting complaints about both Groupon and Wowcher, with 87 complaints about adverts by Groupon, two of which had been formally investigated and upheld, and 57 complaints in connection with Wowcher.
A spokesperson for Groupon stated: “We are committed to the honest and accurate, fair and transparent communication of our rates to our consumers, and we strive to make sure that such communications accurately and clearly represent if, what and how buyers will save by buying a Groupon voucher.”
Whilst Wowcher said: “We take the verification of authentic charges extremely significantly. Prior to any product or support going dwell on the website, Wowcher will undertake a combination of checks, including getting invoices from the merchant verifying unique cost, obtaining present price lists from merchants and carrying out mystery calls to the merchant to check pricing.”
The gives I obtain in my mailbox are often bizarre and fully female focused. Despite the fact that the web sites would not admit the male-to-female ratio of the subscribers, it appears an mind-boggling bulk of discounts are aimed at girls.
A single offer sent to my mailbox was “Gastric Band hypnosis”, at £25 instead of the normal £599.98 I could be hypnotised into eating less. For one more £24.99 – down from £49.99 – I could get an “Ab Toning Belt” to firm up my abdomen.
Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, mentioned: “These deal-of-the-day sites usually pump out a constant stream of everyday offers, and a great deal of them are not very excellent. I’m not saying folks shouldn’t use them, but be ready to rifle by means of all your emails to find the odd gem in there.
“Sometimes consumers can get the same discount rates by going straight to the retailer, so always check the retailer’s personal web site very first.”
Barclaycard Bespoke is a relatively new player in the day-to-day offers market place, but Mr Lewis stated this does not imply the deals are any far better. “Barclaycard Bespoke Offers is nonetheless trying to construct its marketing and advertising share, so some of the discounts can be really excellent. However, it is not extremely various to the other deal-of-the-day web sites, and most of what they provide is relatively poor.”
If you really don’t mind browsing by means of the numerous emails from deal-of-the-day websites, there are some discounts that supply appealing discounts. Barclaycard Bespoke consumers can get 20pc off Valentines flowers from Flowers Direct, offered until finally February 13, whilst Groupon customers can buy tickets to the Bike and Triathlon Demonstrate in Manchester on March 8/9 for £6, rather than £12, obtainable to acquire until finally March five. See beneath for a lot more of the greatest deals.
Groupon
Morphy Richards eight-piece pan set with cost-free delivery: £59 (originally £199.99) Accessible to get until Sunday
Thriller Enjoy, The Lyric Theatre, West End: £24.50 (originally £51). Obtainable to acquire until February 15
Wowcher
iPhone four/five charging case from Chimp Electronics: £10/14 (originally £20). Obtainable to purchase until finally February 25
9-inch Android Tablet from D2D: £79 (originally £169.99). Offered to acquire right up until February twenty
Bespoke provides
Luxury Spa Bundle at Chester Grosvenor Hotel: £49 (53pc off). Available to buy until finally February 27
12GB PS3 console from Jak: £134.99 (initially £189.95). Obtainable to buy till February ten