Has anyone ordered discount meal vouchers from places such as Groupon, Amazon local or any other place? Are the restaraunts all of chain places your aware of or are they mostly of local places? I'm thinking about ordering some vouchers to places in the area of where my family will vacation. Do the restaraunts take the vouchers without problems?
Yes! And I highly recommend it! Depending on your area, it could be a mix of either. I have bought some for my favorite chains and I have also bought them for local places. I've never had any issues with those places accepting my vouchers either. Just make sure you read what is covered and ask any questions BEFORE buying (or before going to the place at least) so that there's no confusion.
That is a great idea, to save money will on vacation to purchase discounts through Groupon. Make sure you read all of the print concerning your purchase. If you are not satisfied with the purchase I do believe you can ask for a refund from the purchaser. If you purchase from Groupon they will make sure you get a refund.
I haven't personally. I feel bad using them to be honest. The platforms like Groupon really double-down on the business to offer steep discounts on their food and services - often putting them well into the negative. On top of that they charge these businesses a commission/fee as well, so they are really getting screwed. Their pitch is basically that it's beneficial in the long run to take a loss up front, and that you will eventually have these people as regular customers, and start making money off of them. But this model has been failing a lot for many local businesses. The customers only come in once or twice to redeem the offer, then never go back. Not only does the business get screwed, but typically so do the servers, since the bargain diners will often not want to leave a tip on the full price of the check before the coupons, which they really should do.
Groupon deals and those from Living Social are a big deal. The businesses run those offers to get people to patronize them so the only time they are not honored is if a business shuts down. If this happens you can contact Groupon or Living Social for a refund or credit. I wouldn't buy a deal for a restaurant in a different city though. If something came up and you couldn't redeem it you would lose the money you paid for it.
Groupon does not force businesses to run a deal with them. The businesses decide what deal they want to offer and when in order to attract new business. They aren't losing a fortune having someone come in and eat a meal at half price either - there is a markup with food just like with everything else that gets bought and sold. If the customer never goes back to the business, that's on them, not Groupon.
