Bad Groupon experience with Dublin photographers

davy1970

Hi,

I just wanted to share my bad experience with the company True Shot Photography in Dublin 12. My wife recently bought a group photo session they had on Groupon. The day before the session my wife tried to reschedule it as our baby had a cough and wasn't in the best of form. To say the response was unprofessional is being mild. They initially started saying a cancellation would cost 50 euro, we never asked for a cancellation. Then when we said we would go they refused on medical grounds, my baby is 9 months old and has a slight cough and is no danger to anyone! After talking to Groupon who were very helpful we got back in touch with True Shot who were still very rude and unhelpful. They begrudgingly said we could go to the session saying along the lines 'if you are parents like that', implying we were bad parents. After this response we certainly were not going to go anyway near them.
I have never come across such unprofessional behaviour ever, and all over a simple enquiry about trying to reschedule.
If companies can't fulfil their Groupon commitments they could at least try and deal with it professionally and not take it out on the customer.

We got back on to Groupon and they have given us credit for the value of the voucher.

Just wanted to share that as I am so mad after having to deal with this and hope no one else has to go through the same.

Dave

ted1

Rescheduling is cancelling, they have kept the time slot free for you. They now have a staff member who needs to get paid, and no booking because they kept it clear for you.

MMAGirl

Thanks. I've removed them from my list that I was compiling to ask about getting a family portrait done.

Kenny Logins

MMAGirl wrote: »

Thanks. I've removed them from my list that I was compiling to ask about getting a family portrait done.

Based on one anonymous reported bad experience?

davy1970

We only ever asked 'if' we could reschedule. We were expecting a simple 'no I'm afraid not' and that would be that. But we end up getting abuse etc.

Splinters

If you were going to reschedule then they would still be missing a vacanacy that another paying client could have taken. They were perfectly right to expect a cancellation fee. Any professional photographer would expect the same.

Also I can understand their reluctancy to go ahead with the shoot afterwards. I understand it was simply a cough but it was still enough of a concern that you were initially prepared to cancel the shoot over it. Presumably they do plenty of other family shoots and frequently work with very young children in that same studio you would have been in. If anything its admirable they are aware of potential health risks to their other clients.

Of course all of this should have been conveyed to you in a polite and professional manner so if it wasn't thats where they are at fault but everything else you mentioned is perfectly reasonable and really doesn't warrant a post like this which could have a direct knock on effect on their business.

MMAGirl

Kenny Logins wrote: »

Based on one anonymous reported bad experience?

I have to narrow down list to choose one and if I see bad reviews of any others I'll cross them off too.

davy1970

I was only asking 'if' I could reschedule thinking there's no harm in asking. Hoping I would get lucky and it would suit them too. A simple professional 'not possible' would have been fine.

Yes he has a cough and now and again he gets in bad form so we didn't want that to mess up the session. But we were never going to cancel the session because of the cough. If we couldn't reschedule we were going to go. But they jumped all over the 'cough' and started saying they couldn't expose their photographers to this. A nine month old who would only be in his parents arms. And I really don't think they were concerned about other clients either, because when we rang back they said we could go to the session. I think they just tried their best to make sure they did not fulfil the voucher.

I think it does warrant a post, I have never posted anything on any site before but felt compelled to after the rude and totally unprofessional manner in which we were dealt with.

Splinters

davy1970 wrote: »

I was only asking 'if' I could reschedule thinking there's no harm in asking. Hoping I would get lucky and it would suit them too. A simple professional 'not possible' would have been fine.

Im not disagreeing with that. My point is you should have paid a cancellation fee if you were going to cancel/reschedule but they absolutely should not have been rude in their response.

davy1970 wrote: »

Yes he has a cough and now and again he gets in bad form so we didn't want that to mess up the session. But we were never going to cancel the session because of the cough. If we couldn't reschedule we were going to go. But they jumped all over the 'cough' and started saying they couldn't expose their photographers to this.

I fully understand where you're coming from but they only have your word for this. It certainly read from your original post as if you were cancelling it because of the cough so Im sure they could be forgiven for thinking the same. However small the chances are...if they had a small child in their studio afterwards who ended up sick after the shoot they could be liable for allowing your shoot to go ahead when they believed there COULD have been health concerns. Surely you can understand that much.

davy1970 wrote: »

I think they just tried their best to make sure they did not fulfil the voucher.

What benefit would that be to them?

davy1970 wrote: »

I think it does warrant a post, I have never posted anything on any site before but felt compelled to after the rude and totally unprofessional manner in which we were dealt with.

Rude...apparently yes, but from what you're describing they were still right in their actions, its just the way they went about it that seems to be the problem.

Kenny Logins

MMAGirl wrote: »

I have to narrow down list to choose one and if I see bad reviews of any others I'll cross them off too.

You wouldn't choose one based on something positive, like a good portfolio and quick phone call?

You'll probably find one bad review for any product or service, and while I would take note, I wouldn't let it carry enough weight to completely rule them out.

The OP could be a competitor for all we know, I'm not suggesting he is BTW.

ScumLord

Splinters wrote: »

If you were going to reschedule then they would still be missing a vacanacy that another paying client could have taken. They were perfectly right to expect a cancellation fee. Any professional photographer would expect the same.

I don't know how their set up is run and how busy they are but if their working out of an office setting and are paying a weekly wage to their staff they may not have been put out at all. They are entitled to cancellation fee, whether or not they want to upset customers by taking one just because they're entitled too is another matter.

If anything its admirable they are aware of potential health risks to their other clients.

It's true, babies are disease ridden. I'm not being sarcastic either they are. I have a friend that works in a creche and they're always getting sick from the kids coming in with things.

Of course all of this should have been conveyed to you in a polite and professional manner so if it wasn't thats where they are at fault but everything else you mentioned is perfectly reasonable and really doesn't warrant a post like this which could have a direct knock on effect on their business.

Customer satisfaction is more important than just about anything. I know people that are rubbish at what they do but every body likes them so they get work (that's across many professions, it's not a photography thing). They may not become the biggest and best but they can make a living.

Word of mouth from a real person is worth more than the most expensive advertising campaign and it cost nothing to be nice.

MMAGirl

Kenny Logins wrote: »

You wouldn't choose one based on something positive, like a good portfolio and quick phone call?

You'll probably find one bad review for any product or service, and while I would take note, I wouldn't let it carry enough weight to completely rule them out.

The OP could be a competitor for all we know, I'm not suggesting he is BTW.

I will take both good and bad reviews into account. The op sounds genuine enough to me. He company in question should come on and defend themselves if they want.
I haven't got time to Investigate. I'm just looking to cut my list down to the best company for my business.

tororosso

Splinters wrote: »

What benefit would that be to them?

On a side note I think there is a trend with a lot of Groupon voucher services that could be related to what the OP experienced. Normally with a lot of services you mightn't pay for the service or product until after you have actually gotten it. With Groupons the business and service providers are paid long in advance and then the voucher approaches looking for the service or product. Seen it with a few restaurants on the Groupon deals; as soon as the voucher is mentioned they are out of the best duck or other meat on the menu!

Mylow

The margins on these "deals" are non existent. I imagine they were hoping to make on additional photo's sold. I think they were entitled to a cancellation fee. They shouldn't be rude either.

As for meal/hotel deals. I would just ring the Restaurant/Hotel direct and ask them to match it, the commission charged on these deals is huge.

Corkbah

MMAGirl wrote: »

I will take both good and bad reviews into account. The op sounds genuine enough to me. He company in question should come on and defend themselves if they want.
I haven't got time to Investigate. I'm just looking to cut my list down to the best company for my business.

not every company has a boards profile or even knows boards exists - many businesses do not have the time to devote to a forum and are busy actually working or trying to figure out the most cost effective way to advertise and get more clients.

if people actually aired their complaints to the various companies instead of ranting (not saying the OP is ranting in this case), but if people in general, actually talked to the companies or individuals and were polite and understanding maybe more businesses would be more accommodating (assuming of course that the people running those businesses know the importance of good customer service) - people use the internet to whinge and whine and in most cases they dont realise that they could be libelling or making defamatory statements and are not protected by a username.

What you say on the internet - regardless of your username etc - you can be held accountable for libel and defamation, if someone really wanted to they could get a court order for boards to reveal the details they have on you (ie. your real name mobile number, address etc)

MMAGirl

Corkbah wrote: »

not every company has a boards profile or even knows boards exists - many businesses do not have the time to devote to a forum and are busy actually working or trying to figure out the most cost effective way to advertise and get more clients.

if people actually aired their complaints to the various companies instead of ranting (not saying the OP is ranting in this case), but if people in general, actually talked to the companies or individuals and were polite and understanding maybe more businesses would be more accommodating (assuming of course that the people running those businesses know the importance of good customer service) - people use the internet to whinge and whine and in most cases they dont realise that they could be libelling or making defamatory statements and are not protected by a username.

What you say on the internet - regardless of your username etc - you can be held accountable for libel and defamation, if someone really wanted to they could get a court order for boards to reveal the details they have on you (ie. your real name mobile number, address etc)

A company who has bad press though it may not be true will be put lower on my list than one with positive or no feedback anywhere.
Good luck with getting a court order to get my name from boards. I'm only responding to a complaint someone has made publicly about a company. Dont think you'll get a court order for that.

Corkbah

MMAGirl wrote: »

A company who has bad press though it may not be true will be put lower on my list than one with positive or no feedback anywhere.
Good luck with getting a court order to get my name from boards. I'm only responding to a complaint someone has made publicly about a company. Dont think you'll get a court order for that.

I'm not saying you specifically - just to make people that read the thread aware that what they say they can be held accountable for it.

as regards a company having bad press on the internet - you do realise that some companies have people employed to go online and write positive reviews - plenty of online reports about companies encouraging their employees to write positive reviews about hotels, staff etc, I have been told there are people employed by vodafone to create texts/jokes to try get them to go viral (loads of jimmy saville jokes, happy new year texts)....I don't know if its true or not as its just something that I've been told.

essence of my point is that you cant believe whats on the internet. (good or bad reviews)

with the original post . .... groupon and similar sites do not check if the photographer is a professional, they dont care !! - they get 25% of the groupon deals sold, once they sell "x" amount they make their money and the customer has their voucher.... have a google for "groupon problems" or "groupon issues" or similar phrase ... will that stop you from using groupon ? probably not - but it does make you aware that not everyone is a happy customer (even search boards for the many unhappy groupon or similar sites with bad reviews)

MMAGirl

I already explained my reasons for crossing them off my list as simply as I can. I can't make it any clearer

Corkbah

I think you are missing my point !!

you asked for the company to come on here and defend themselves - something which they may or may not be aware of.

you are very much entitled not to use the company in the future or scratch them off your list - but as I mentioned above ...if you put in any company name and put "complaints", "problems" , "issues" after it you'll find loads of disgruntled customers .... some which might be genuine, some which might be created by competitors.

MMAGirl

Corkbah wrote: »

I think you are missing my point !!

you asked for the company to come on here and defend themselves - something which they may or may not be aware of.

you are very much entitled not to use the company in the future or scratch them off your list - but as I mentioned above ...if you put in any company name and put "complaints", "problems" , "issues" after it you'll find loads of disgruntled customers .... some which might be genuine, some which might be created by competitors.

There is only one person missing the point here to be fair.
I can only go on the info available to me.
If its only bad info then thats all i can go on.

Kenny Logins

MMAGirl wrote: »

There is only one person missing the point here to be fair.
I can only go on the info available to me.
If its only bad info then thats all i can go on.

You. One person posts a bad review based on their experience and then you add some weight to it by stating because of this you will not deal with them either. You haven't even heard the other side of the story...

If this was Facebook you'd have a string of people now claiming to be actively boycotting this business or service even though they probably had no intention of using it anyway.

You have to question what motivates somebody to sign up to a forum purely to bad-mouth (or praise) a business... Mad. :pac:

Corkbah

I understand your view - and I agree with you.

but you asked for the company to come on here and defend themselves - I pointed out they may not be aware of the complaints against them.

MMAGirl

Corkbah wrote: »

I understand your view - and I agree with you.

but you asked for the company to come on here and defend themselves - I pointed out they may not be aware of the complaints against them.

I didnt ask them them come on.
I said they can come on if they want. For all I know the OP didnt even send them the thread, so they dont know about it. It still doesnt change my opinion that bad press vs no bad press - no bad press wins.

In the absence of of further info, there is only bad info available.
My decision is based on that only.

MMAGirl

Kenny Logins wrote: »

You. One person posts a bad review based on their experience and then you add some weight to it by stating because of this you will not deal with them either. You haven't even heard the other side of the story...

If this was Facebook you'd have a string of people now claiming to be actively boycotting this business or service even though they probably had no intention of using it anyway.

You have to question what motivates somebody to sign up to a forum purely to bad-mouth (or praise) a business... Mad. :pac:

Go back and read the thread again.
And email the thread to the company if you feel like it.

AnimalRights

lololololololol

Kenny Logins

MMAGirl wrote: »

Go back and read the thread again.
And email the thread to the company if you feel like it.

Corkbah

MMAGirl wrote: »

Thanks. I've removed them from my list that I was compiling to ask about getting a family portrait done.

MMAGirl wrote: »

I didnt ask them them come on.
I said they can come on if they want. For all I know the OP didnt even send them the thread, so they dont know about it. It still doesnt change my opinion that bad press vs no bad press - no bad press wins.

In the absence of of further info, there is only bad info available.
My decision is based on that only.

MMAGirl wrote: »

I will take both good and bad reviews into account. The op sounds genuine enough to me. He company in question should come on and defend themselves if they want.
I haven't got time to Investigate. I'm just looking to cut my list down to the best company for my business.

I apologise if I misinterpreted you saying that the company "should" come on with you saying they "can" come on....I understood it that you wanted to company to come on and defend themselves given that someone was making a claim against them, instead (and I'm open to correction here) do you say that the company can come on and defend themselves. (despite the fact they may not ever know of this thread)


Also - your posts seem a bit odd ..... are you looking for someone to do a family portrait or photographers for your business ???

Kenny Logins

Turns out they do have a Facebook page, maybe the OP should have posted there instead.

https://www.facebook.com/trueshotphotography

MMAGirl

Kenny Logins wrote: »

Turns out they do have a Facebook page, maybe the OP should have posted there instead.

https://www.facebook.com/trueshotphotography

Maybe the OP doesnt do facebook. I know I dont.
Why dont you post a link to this thread on their facebook page and let them see it.

Kenny Logins

MMAGirl wrote: »

Maybe the OP doesnt do facebook. I know I dont.
Why dont you post a link to this thread on their facebook page and let them see it.

OP doesn't do boards either, but that didn't stop them.

MMAGirl

Corkbah wrote: »

I apologise if I misinterpreted you saying that the company "should" come on with you saying they "can" come on....I understood it that you wanted to company to come on and defend themselves given that someone was making a claim against them, instead (and I'm open to correction here) do you say that the company can come on and defend themselves. (despite the fact they may not ever know of this thread)


Also - your posts seem a bit odd ..... are you looking for someone to do a family portrait or photographers for your business ???

Whats odd about my posts.
We have a family wedding coming up in June.
Many generations of the family will be in the one place for the day before the wedding and we are going to get portraits of everyone and every family done on the same day.

Some people are very quick to jump on the op. They seem on the level to me.

Its not up to me to ask the company to defend themselves. I dont care, i have lots of choices. I just drop them from my list. I dont really need to put any effort into helping a company impress me.

MMAGirl

Kenny Logins wrote: »

OP doesn't do boards either, but that didn't stop them.

hmmmm.
Hassle signing up to boards vs hassle signing up to facebook.
I know what id rather do.

Paddy James

MMAGirl wrote: »

hmmmm.
Hassle signing up to boards vs hassle signing up to facebook.
I know what id rather do.

I by accident came across all this

Have people not got better things to do than to complain? Get on with with things plenty that can take pictures and simply write to them saying your issue don't put on net ruining what could be someone's good name

MMAGirl

I think we are going around in circles here.
I'm looking for a photographer. I have a list that is too long.
I need to narrow it down. I see a bad review and i cross it off my list.
Thats all there is to it. Nothing more to say really.

Corkbah

MMAGirl wrote: »

Whats odd about my posts.
We have a family wedding coming up in June.
Many generations of the family will be in the one place for the day before the wedding and we are going to get portraits of everyone and every family done on the same day.

Some people are very quick to jump on the op. They seem on the level to me.

Its not up to me to ask the company to defend themselves. I dont care, i have lots of choices. I just drop them from my list. I dont really need to put any effort into helping a company impress me.

The thing that I said was odd about your posts is that you initially said you were looking for family portraits and later in the thread you said you were looking for photographers for your business....to me thats odd....now its not that you are looking for family portraits, you are looking for a photographer who can take group pics on the day of a wedding.

maybe you should look at wedding photographers instead of studio photographers, a wedding photographer will be capable of taking group images of different families....also, have you discussed this with the bride/groom (assuming you are not either bride or groom) ?

if you are a bride/groom then ensure you know what you expect of your photographer and ensure your photographer knows what is expected of them - get it all in writing - lots of threads on boards about people with bad wedding photographer experiences (some of them through groupon or similar)

AnimalRights

Paddy James wrote: »

I by accident came across all this

Have people not got better things to do than to complain?

If i had never have complained to anybody in life all my adult years I would have been screwed over many times.

Corkbah

MMAGirl wrote: »

I think we are going around in circles here.
I'm looking for a photographer. I have a list that is too long.
I need to narrow it down. I see a bad review and i cross it off my list.
Thats all there is to it. Nothing more to say really.

maybe you should goto the weddings section of boards, read some of the recommendations there and ask for advice based on what you require from a photographer.

Kenny Logins

AnimalRights wrote: »

If i had never have complained to anybody in life all my adult years I would have been screwed over many times.

Complain to, or about?

MMAGirl

Corkbah wrote: »

The thing that I said was odd about your posts is that you initially said you were looking for family portraits and later in the thread you said you were looking for photographers for your business....to me thats odd....now its not that you are looking for family portraits, you are looking for a photographer who can take group pics on the day of a wedding.

maybe you should look at wedding photographers instead of studio photographers, a wedding photographer will be capable of taking group images of different families....also, have you discussed this with the bride/groom (assuming you are not either bride or groom) ?

if you are a bride/groom then ensure you know what you expect of your photographer and ensure your photographer knows what is expected of them - get it all in writing - lots of threads on boards about people with bad wedding photographer experiences (some of them through groupon or similar)

Have you never heard "my business" in the context of "i will give a company my business".
You seem to be making a lot of assumptions and attributing things to me that I am not saying at all.
I am not a bride/groom.
I do not want a wedding photographer.
I want studio photos.
I want lots of group shots and single shots.
There will be about 20 people on the day.
This is going to cost thousands so im entitled to take my time deciding who to give my business to.
I am not getting them taken on the day of the wedding. I said the day before the wedding. The only thing the wedding has to do with these photos is that its the event that is getting the family together.

Im sorry i had to post again in here, but you have so many wrong assumptions I had to correct you.
Please read the things you are quoting properly.
We are going around in circles so best for me to bow out.

Paddy James

AnimalRights wrote: »

If i had never have complained to anybody in life all my adult years I would have been screwed over many times.

I hear what you saying but just making a point if as much energy was put into helping this country and the thousands that are leaving as there are complaining on boards.ie we would be a lot better off

Just my view and everyone entitled to their view and I respect yours

Ben D Bus

Paddy James wrote: »

I hear what you saying but just making a point if as much energy was put into helping this country and the thousands that are leaving as there are complaining on boards.ie we would be a lot better off

Just my view and everyone entitled to their view and I respect yours

Yeah, let's solve all our problems by keeping quiet about them. That's worked so well in Ireland over the years. :rolleyes:

Complaining about poor service will result in better service, which helps the country. Staying quiet allows things to stay bad. Bad service results in corporate failures, unemployment, emigration.

This is starting to feel like an After Hours thread...

condra

If someone is paying you good money for any product or service, you should treat them with consideration and trust, and if they need to inconvenience you, so be it.

The best service providers will go out of their way for customer satisfaction, even if it ultimately costs them time or money, because they understand the true value of a good reputation.

magicbastarder

Splinters wrote: »

If you were going to reschedule then they would still be missing a vacanacy that another paying client could have taken. They were perfectly right to expect a cancellation fee. Any professional photographer would expect the same.

true, but you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. people will have genuine reasons for postponing and it's up to a business to decide whether they want to take a mild knock which will curry favour, or play the letter of the law and piss off the client but get a small amount of money out of it.

the fact that they went with groupon might imply they were looking to drum up business by word of mouth, so even though there's a smaller margin, you might think they'd be flexible.

ScumLord

Ben D Bus wrote: »

Complaining about poor service will result in better service,

If anything Irish people maybe don't complain enough. I tend to only complain to companies that I like. Because I want to keep using that company I let them know where I think they are lacking. If I don't like a company I say **** em, and wait for their demise.

I think if a complaint is a constructive criticism there's absolutely nothing wrong with it and it should be welcomed. The problem is, the majority of Irish people complain under their breath and the company doesn't know it's doing anything wrong.

jenny92

Have to agree dealt with these on the same voucher, and despite the fact that they supplied incorrect details, hence prevented my friend and the recipient of this gift from using the voucher, they showed no sign of respect or interest in her as a customer. Their responses were incredibly rude. They are now re-running the voucher so I would warn people off it, they are just in this for a quick buck ad you will not receive the service you would expect.

Corkbah

jenny92 wrote: »

Have to agree dealt with these on the same voucher, and despite the fact that they supplied incorrect details, hence prevented my friend and the recipient of this gift from using the voucher, they showed no sign of respect or interest in her as a customer. Their responses were incredibly rude. They are now re-running the voucher so I would warn people off it, they are just in this for a quick buck ad you will not receive the service you would expect.

is that because "you" may have different expectations than the ordinary person…..every business is in it for the quick buck ….and the more quick bucks the better, there isn't a working photographer that doesn't want to get paid money if it was optional.

"you" = not directed at a person …speaking as a general term for a group/collective of people.

jenny92

Corkbah wrote: »

is that because "you" may have different expectations than the ordinary person…..every business is in it for the quick buck ….and the more quick bucks the better, there isn't a working photographer that doesn't want to get paid money if it was optional.

"you" = not directed at a person …speaking as a general term for a group/collective of people.

Actually, I think most businesses are in it to cultivate an on-going and self sustaining business. The beauty of these types of deals is you can show customers, who otherwise would be unsure and uncomfortable spending large sums of money, what you have to offer. Then in the future they will be more inclined to pay extra as they can be sure of what they will get. Perhaps I am alone in that view, but I know I now frequent several businesses that I otherwise would not, and recommend them to friends.

I am not questioning that the photographers want payment, that would be ridiculous, however you are taking this quote out of context and without a proper understanding of my point. If they want repeat custom, they must be prepared to deal with people respectfully and with the aim of pleasing the customer. If they want one time customers (ie easy money/a quick buck), then they are going about it the right way.

Corkbah

jenny92 wrote: »

Actually, I think most businesses are in it to cultivate an on-going and self sustaining business. The beauty of these types of deals is you can show customers, who otherwise would be unsure and uncomfortable spending large sums of money, what you have to offer. Then in the future they will be more inclined to pay extra as they can be sure of what they will get. Perhaps I am alone in that view, but I know I now frequent several businesses that I otherwise would not, and recommend them to friends.

I am not questioning that the photographers want payment, that would be ridiculous, however you are taking this quote out of context and without a proper understanding of my point. If they want repeat custom, they must be prepared to deal with people respectfully and with the aim of pleasing the customer. If they want one time customers (ie easy money/a quick buck), then they are going about it the right way.

As someone who has been able to see the inner workings of two different deal sites - its extremely rare that a reputable named photographer offers a deal to show them what they can get if they spend more money - they are performed by people looking for an extra couple of quid and often as we have seen by some of the threads here - sometimes done by people who do not know how to produce quality photography.

As I have said to many people before - those "deal" websites are only good if you were going to purchase from that company prior to finding the "deal" - otherwise you are paying money out because of the perceived discount.

it works for some photographers - and they make money from it - but for the ones that cannot cope ..it crashes spectacularly and they usually bury their head in the sand and try to ignore irate customers.

jenny92

Corkbah wrote: »

As someone who has been able to see the inner workings of two different deal sites - its extremely rare that a reputable named photographer offers a deal to show them what they can get if they spend more money - they are performed by people looking for an extra couple of quid and often as we have seen by some of the threads here - sometimes done by people who do not know how to produce quality photography.

As I have said to many people before - those "deal" websites are only good if you were going to purchase from that company prior to finding the "deal" - otherwise you are paying money out because of the perceived discount.

it works for some photographers - and they make money from it - but for the ones that cannot cope ..it crashes spectacularly and they usually bury their head in the sand and try to ignore irate customers.

Again I feel like your missing the point, I hardly think deal rush etc are in it to cultivate these businesses, however I feel the businesses should, and in many cases do use it as an oppurtunity to cultivate their business.

I'm not sure why you think the deal is only good if you already knew the company and were going to buy anyway? I use it as an opportunity to try things new things, which I would otherwise not want to gamble so much money on. If I enjoy the service them I won't mind spending more money in the future. This 'perceived' discount (not sure why your using perceived, it is a lesser cost than usually offered ergo it is not perceived but real) is a means to test a service with minimal loss.

Lastly you said that 'for the ones that cannot cope ..it crashes spectacularly and they usually bury their head in the sand and try to ignore irate customers.' I think this backs up my original point. This company could not cope with the amount they sold. I also feel wholly within my right to leave a bad review for and be disappointed with a service who deals with problems by burying their head in the sand. Also if this is how they react to this problem, then I feel within my rights to guess that should an issue arise in a different situation that the company might not deal with that problem very well either, as they have proven that customer service and reliability are neither their forte nor their first priority.

Corkbah

jenny92 wrote: »

Again I feel like your missing the point, I hardly think deal rush etc are in it to cultivate these businesses, however I feel the businesses should, and in many cases do use it as an oppurtunity to cultivate their business.

I'm not sure why you think the deal is only good if you already knew the company and were going to buy anyway? I use it as an opportunity to try things new things, which I would otherwise not want to gamble so much money on. If I enjoy the service them I won't mind spending more money in the future. This 'perceived' discount (not sure why your using perceived, it is a lesser cost than usually offered ergo it is not perceived but real) is a means to test a service with minimal loss.

Lastly you said that 'for the ones that cannot cope ..it crashes spectacularly and they usually bury their head in the sand and try to ignore irate customers.' I think this backs up my original point. This company could not cope with the amount they sold. I also feel wholly within my right to leave a bad review for and be disappointed with a service who deals with problems by burying their head in the sand. Also if this is how they react to this problem, then I feel within my rights to guess that should an issue arise in a different situation that the company might not deal with that problem very well either, as they have proven that customer service and reliability are neither their forte nor their first priority.

Maybe I am missing your point but I'm guessing you can't see mine also - Dealrush and all those sites in general don't care who the business is as long as they get their cut of the "deals" - for them its doesn't matter if the business is legit or if the business is established or not.

As regards your usage of the "Deal" sites … you say you only use it to try new things which you probably wouldn't have tried before due to the relative costs they normally charge - so effectively you would not have spent money with these companies unless they offered their service at a huge discount …so if the deal sites didn't exist you would never use these companies….which is exactly my point !!

these businesses try to get your attention with a huge discount - offering 75% off original price etc etc …. but if you wouldn't use them prior to the deal sites but will use them when they are discounted then you are simply using them because of a "perceived" discount….. the reason I use "perceived" in inverted commas is simply because the discount is artificial in a lot of cases….a lot of these "deals" sites curb advertising rules as the deals are an opt in service and as such not seen as advertising…so the discount available does not have to have been the actual price sold in previous months as per advertising standards rules.

take a look at one of the deal sites and goto their own website - often the offered "deal" is not as much of a bargain as predicted…..recently there was someone on adverts selling a studio session that they purchased through pigsback, it was valued at €250 …. but when purchased through pigsback the price was €29 - if you went to the studio website a studio session with print etc exactly as it was advertised on the pigs back site … was available for €150…..and while you might think well it was still available for €29 instead of €150, you also have to think would I have used this studio anyway - before I saw the deal or would I have used a different studio ??? the deal sites offer you an experience with a service - its a business advertising to try to get your attention….not to offer you their service but to advertise themselves to let you know where they are.

jenny92

ok i'm going to deal with each of your points individually and then i'm going to stop writing back, because you seem like a bit of a keyboard warrior and i have no idea why these posts (by myself and others) have bugged you so much?

"Dealrush and all those sites in general don't care who the business is as long as they get their cut of the "deals" - for them its doesn't matter if the business is legit or if the business is established or not."

-I never once expressed an issue with these deal sites, I understand how they work, I don't care whether they vet companies.

"As regards your usage of the "Deal" sites … you say you only use it to try new things which you probably wouldn't have tried before due to the relative costs they normally charge - so effectively you would not have spent money with these companies unless they offered their service at a huge discount …so if the deal sites didn't exist you would never use these companies….which is exactly my point !!"

-No this is true in any particular instance, without the deal, I would not have spent that particular sum of money. However my point from the get-go has been, I use the deal as a tester. If I find a service useful and or enjoyable, I then proceed to continue my custom. Which means that by supplying the deal and a good service they gain repeat custom and ongoing source of income. So yes if the deal doesn't exist i wouldn't use the company at all, but the deal combined with a good service means I spend far more money on repeat custom, than just buying the deal.

so lets recap:
-no deal=no money
-deal+bad service=only the cost of the deal
-deal+good service= the cost of the deal plus repeat custom and a healthy business


"these businesses try to get your attention with a huge discount - offering 75% off original price etc etc …. but if you wouldn't use them prior to the deal sites but will use them when they are discounted then you are simply using them because of a "perceived" discount….. the reason I use "perceived" in inverted commas is simply because the discount is artificial in a lot of cases….a lot of these "deals" sites curb advertising rules as the deals are an opt in service and as such not seen as advertising…so the discount available does not have to have been the actual price sold in previous months as per advertising standards rules."

-I am not buying them because of the discount, I'm buying them because it is an opportunity to test something which interests me with less of a loss should the experience be less than I had hoped.

"take a look at one of the deal sites and goto their own website - often the offered "deal" is not as much of a bargain as predicted…..recently there was someone on adverts selling a studio session that they purchased through pigsback, it was valued at €250 …. but when purchased through pigsback the price was €29 - if you went to the studio website a studio session with print etc exactly as it was advertised on the pigs back site … was available for €150…..and while you might think well it was still available for €29 instead of €150, you also have to think would I have used this studio anyway - before I saw the deal or would I have used a different studio ??? the deal sites offer you an experience with a service - its a business advertising to try to get your attention….not to offer you their service but to advertise themselves to let you know where they are."

-29 instead of 250 or 150 is still a vast discount so it's not perceived, it's real. And once again, no I would not use it without the guarantee of previous good experience. However after trying and testing it through one of these deals, I would and have return to a company at regular price, being sure of a good service.

Lastly, incase your in doubt I use deal sites for a whole range of vouchers, to try restaurants, salons, sports and in this case a photography session.

You are clearly not taking in the broader message I'm giving, and purely pulling random quotes. If your not going to read my replies, don't post back.