Whats The Deal??

Deal sites.

I’m obsessed with them. There, I said it.

On an almost daily basis, I will go through said deal sites and look at what they have to offer me. And on the whole, I find some fantastic bargains. I have had discount contact lenses, dinners out for 2 and even a holiday through these sites, and on the most part I am fairly happy with them. Granted, we did bring the average age on the holiday down by 50 years, and enjoyed some rather eclectic cabaret singing, but there was 40 degree heat, a pool and a beach, and some relaxing memory building with my best friend. Which is all you really need in life, right?

But recently I have been left a little disappointed by the deals they offer. I recently booked a deal for me and the boy to go and have a seafood platter dinner (with lobster, what more could you ask for) and when I called to book they never picked up. Eventually I got the cleaner, who wouldn’t pass me over to anyone else or take a message for me. Right. I called Groupon and complained and they returned the money. All good.

Then last week I excitedly found a deal to Reykjavik (a place I have always wanted to go) and a friend who would go with me, and excitedly booked. For days after I emailed to reserve our spot no one responded, and calls were often met with the engaged tone. Again, when I finally got through, they tried to charge me extra (“The time you have booked for is VERY busy”) and also tried to send us out on days different to those we had booked, and from an airport miles away. it culminated in me very calmly stating that it was false advertising, and the lady at the company (I’m too much of a lady to name names) hanging up the phone on me. Perfect customer service, right there.

I’m kinda gutted. I had my heart set on exploring the wintry tundra of Iceland in my ski gear (because I don’t use it for skiing, do I?) with my BFF. And now, if I want to, I will have to organise it myself for a higher cost. I don’t mind doing that, don’t get me wrong, but when it’s a flippin good deal, it’s all a bit disappointing when it’s too good to be true.

What are your thoughts on deal sites like Groupon? Would love to hear about your experiences.