Learning, I had a similar-ish issue, not with Groupon but with Wowcher. It tooks 8 weeks to sort out, but I eventually got a cash refund 🙂
- So - when you contact your bank/CC company, they will tell you that Groupon is a middle-man, and because your issue with the people who failed to supply your chairs, you can't do a chargeback - HOWEVER, you might be able to make use of the Visa/Mastercard scheme (if they don't mention this, tell them!)
This isn't a done deal, and you will need to provide evidence, including details of all emails, phone records etc, and then Visa/Mastercard *might* uphold it.
- SO - you tell Groupon you are going to do a chargeback, and they won't care, because they know you can't: so you then tell them that you have been advised by your bank/CC company to recoup your funds through the mastercard/Visa scheme (whichever logo's on your bank card) if they fail to refund you correctly
- You appreciate their points, however, it is *their* supplier, vetted and approved by them, who has let you down, and as a result, you don't feel that a refund of Groupon credits is an acceptable resolution to your case
- You will, if this refund is not forthcoming, be reporting both their approved supplier (keep hammering that home) and Groupon to Trading Standards, as well as Action Fraud, because you feel very strongly that a crime has been committed - they have taken your money without supplying you the requested goods (fraud/monies by deception etc) and as businesses, both have let you down
- You look forward to receving your full cash refund by x date
You may have to repeat your points more than once - I know once you've escalated to customer support, Wowcher will only deal with you by email - as they may not grasp exactly what's happened. It's key to remain totally polite throughout - their CS rep who eventiually authorised by claim said that she thought I was the most polite complainant they had ever had - because that's helpful to getting them onside and encourages them to do what you want more swiftly: you want to seem as though you are being totally reasonable, because then, it follows on that what you are suggesting is reasonable (NB I am not for a minute suggesting you have - or would be - ranty or rude, no matter how well deserved!)
I had all sorts of rubbish with them - saying they'd respond within x days and then only getting back to me when chased (4 times) but my final email, mentioning TS and AF, and also saying that, because of the money involved (in my case, £109) I would have no choice to pursue them and the trader through the Small Claims Court because, as a business, no doubt it was insignificant to them, but it represented a considerable investment from my salary - unless I heard back from them within 72 hours that they were refunding in full.
Every time I wrote, I added my further complaints about their poor customer service (which was totally deficient every time except for the last time - they basically failed to meet the deadlines they had set) and reiterated that, whilst I appreciated the offer of a voucher credit, that wasn't appropriate in the circumstances.
Actually, I was super-relieved - because the very helpful girl at my CC company had advised me that using the Visa scheme still might not work, as Wowcher where the ones with whom I had a contract, and not the supplier: I don't know what the magiv bullet was, but I suspect, it was the combination of TS, AF and the SCC - up until that final email, they were adamant that I was not getting any cash...
Good luck - and persevere, too: it's your money, and they shouldn't make you feel like they are doing you a favour by giving you a "goodwill" refund of credit to spend on their site - as if you'd ever use them again after this experience!
(Sorry for the long post - literally just got this resolved this week...)
