Johnny D's/Groupons

[vibrantabyss.livejournal.com]

Have several Groupons for $20 of food/drink - they expire today.  $10 will get you one.  Will take first two or three responders.

Or not.  Apparently, Johnny D's had thought they set up the vouchers to be good *until* but *not including* today.  They had a really hot act playing, with $25 tickets, which they can't afford to take a soaking on (they get $6 for each $20 voucher...)

And they were dealing with a *flood* of groupons today.

They were courteous, they were cool, and they held the line - which was fine.  As a gesture of goodwill, they are accepting groupons at the value paid (so $10 not $20)  through October, even though they only get $6 per from groupon - so said a manager.

So I stayed for a beer - they let me and a friend skip the cover and listen to a few songs - and damn, incredible artist - and use one cert for (almost) a couple of beers.  So the evening was not a total waste.

So yay for Johnny D's dealing gracefully with a screwup, boo for Groupon not getting the dates straight. This is my 1st bad experience with Groupon, and we shall see what their customer service says about all this....

Comments

[tim-sackton.livejournal.com]

I am not entirely positive about this, and IANAL, but my understanding is that based on the law that says gift cards don't expire, you can use a Groupon for the value paid (in this case $10) indefinitely, even past the expiration date. So I am pretty sure Johnny D's should be accepting Groupons for the value paid indefinitely, and not just through October.

[vibrantabyss.livejournal.com]

First: seven years from issue, not "don't ever expire"

Second: not applicable for unaffiliated merchants - which I take to mean you could demand the $10 from Groupon, but not from Johnny D's

Third: since the vouchers have a face value that is greater than the price paid, I think that removes them from the legal definition of "gift card"

[808.livejournal.com]

First: I agree.
Second: Isn't Johnny D's "affiliated" with Groupon?
Third: Maybe, but my interpretation of this page (http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=ocaterminal&L=4&L0=Home&L1=Consumer&L2=Shopping%2C+Retail+%26+E-Commerce&L3=Shopping+Rights&sid=Eoca&b=terminalcontent&f=the_new_massachusetts_gift_certificate_law&csid=Eoca) says it would qualify. I see no rule that the gift card has to be worth what was paid for it.

If Groupon made the error, then Johnny D's probably has to honor it but could probably make Groupon liable. If Johnny D's made the error, then they have to honor the card or a face $300 fine. However, this seems like an honest mistake. Kudos to Johnny D's AND vibrantabyss for being cool about it and just using common sense to solve the problem.

Thanks and... er?

[vibrantabyss.livejournal.com]

Appreciate the kudos!

And I think I will call the state and try to clarify since "a certificate where the issuer has received payment for the full face value" and "of at least an equal value" seem to contradict each other.

Also of note from your link: if those *are* gift certificates, then Groupon shall be fined not more than $300 for each one they have issued, since none of them have seven year expiry dates...

Re: Thanks and... er?

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

These things are becoming more popular, so the state needs to address these issues soon anyway. I can see a lawsuit or two in the future if they don't come down on the side of the consumer.

FYI

[jesseh.livejournal.com]

From the Groupon FAQ (http://www.groupon.com/faq):

What happens if my Groupon expires?

All is not lost! Once a Groupon reaches its expiration date, it loses its promotional value, but you can still redeem it at the price you paid for the length of time stated by gift certificate laws in your state.

Re: FYI

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Oh, fascinating!