Canebrake Groupon Fail

[jne]

So some time ago I bought a Groupon - prepayed 169$ for a 2 night stay at the Canebrake (great deal!).  This deal expires on March 1st.  I was just told that they are booked solid through March 1st.  Because they are booked up, they are offering a $118 credit (they claim as the retail value -original groupon claims $168 in savings BTW) to be used on a 2 night stay once they have openings and told me it would be $100 per night.  So a 169$ Groupon for 2 nights becomes $369 for 2 nights ($32 more than the original value claimed before discount!) or $169 for absolutely nothing.  I can't see anywhere in the terms that you are SOL if they are booked up...  Seems like a scenario rife for scams if this is allowable.  I've heard great things about the lodging, restaurant, and the staff.  I'm a little shocked at the way they've handled their Groupon boom.  

The math is all over the place.  According to the website, the room I paid for is $139 per night on a weekday and $149 on a weekend.  That would be a savings on 2 weekdays of $109 or 2 weekends $149 - so they split the difference on value, took 11 bucks to the pocket for the hell of it (maybe Groupon fee?), and then raised their room rates by $45.50 for a weekday? Hmmm...

[TheTed]

Groupon (and various competitors) have always given me a refund when asked. Once I got one for a restaurant when I was vacationing. Got there and they had decided to close for a few days, making it impossible for me to visit while I was in town.

I sent Groupon a photo of their "we decided to close for a few days" sign and promptly got a refund.

The scenario you describe, plus all the restrictions on dates, always prevent me from buying groupons for lodging. Plus most of those lodging groupons in major cities are easily beaten by priceline bidding.

[jne]

Groupon (and various competitors) have always given me a refund when asked. Once I got one for a restaurant when I was vacationing. Got there and they had decided to close for a few days, making it impossible for me to visit while I was in town.

I sent Groupon a photo of their "we decided to close for a few days" sign and promptly got a refund.

The scenario you describe, plus all the restrictions on dates, always prevent me from buying groupons for lodging. Plus most of those lodging groupons in major cities are easily beaten by priceline bidding.

Yeah, it looks like Groupon claims to provide a refund option.  Just gave explanation and requested refund. 

[sgrizzle]

BTW, groupon keeps the full $169 and only if you redeem it, Canebrake gets half ($84.50)

[jne]

BTW, groupon keeps the full $169 and only if you redeem it, Canebrake gets half ($84.50)

Wow.  I do have some sympathy for the Canebrake getting in over their heads - clearly math is not a strong point.

[TheTed]

Which is why most of the groupons are for overpriced crap, beauty and faux-medical procedures and other things that don't really have a value that strongly relates to the price.

If you didn't believe the eyeglass industry was a giant scam before groupon came along, please note that the groupons offering the largest discounts percentage-wise are for eyeglasses.

[Conan71]

I've been to brunch there several times as well as stayed there in one of the cabins for a yoga retreat a few years ago.  Really good folks, great food.  It's well worth their rack rate to stay there.

[Gaspar]

Groupon falls all over themselves to give refunds.  We do a Groupon for something at least once a week, and have had several opportunities to request refunds, and they are always granted, no questions asked.  Good customer service.

I've found that when a company starts to issue Groupons, either one of two things is happening.  Either they just opened and need the boom, or they are getting ready to go under.  We've had at least half a dozen refunds because the business went out of business before we were able to redeem the Groupon.

[jne]

I've been to brunch there several times as well as stayed there in one of the cabins for a yoga retreat a few years ago.  Really good folks, great food.  It's well worth their rack rate to stay there.

Yeah, that is what I hear consistently.  I probably would have paid straight up (esp for the wife's birthday - a daily yoger), but the Groupon thing got me all wound up...  Price Tower it is.

[rdj]

Groupon is horrible for most businesses.  Especially those that are service based.

[TUalum0982]

My wife and I have used groupon atleast a dozen times with only 1 hiccup.  We bought 20 dollars worth of food from Casa Laredo downtown for 10 bucks.  We ate lunch there one day, I presented my iphone to the cashier to record the number and between her not speaking good english and my horrible spanish, I was told it must be paper form.  They would not accept just my phone.  Other than that, we have used it at Webers root beer, the price tower in Bville, Oilers tickets, the donut shop in Jenks by Louies (the name escapes me) and a few others that my wife used.

We like to look for ones for restaurants that we havent ever been to before.  For instance, Webers.  Its been around FOREVER, but we have never been.  For 8 dollars, we got 2 cheeseburgers, 2 fries and 2 large drinks.  Now  I know Groupon took half of that 8 dollars, so Webers only got 4 bucks, but we have been back 5 times in less then 2 months.  I liked their root beer so well, I bought two 6 packs to take home with me, (at a cost of 12 dollars per) so they definitely made their money back on us!!

[RecycleMichael]

I bought three of the Weber's groupons and gave them to friends as gifts.

I love Weber's root beer!

[TUalum0982]

I bought three of the Weber's groupons and gave them to friends as gifts.

I love Weber's root beer!

I end up there now once a week usually on my days off treating myself to a large root beer with light ice.  I am not a big fan of root beer, but theirs has so many flavors its AMAZING! Never would have thought it could be so different from IBC or A&W

[sgrizzle]

My wife and I have used groupon atleast a dozen times with only 1 hiccup.  We bought 20 dollars worth of food from Casa Laredo downtown for 10 bucks.  We ate lunch there one day, I presented my iphone to the cashier to record the number and between her not speaking good english and my horrible spanish, I was told it must be paper form.  They would not accept just my phone.  Other than that, we have used it at Webers root beer, the price tower in Bville, Oilers tickets, the donut shop in Jenks by Louies (the name escapes me) and a few others that my wife used.

We like to look for ones for restaurants that we havent ever been to before.  For instance, Webers.  Its been around FOREVER, but we have never been.  For 8 dollars, we got 2 cheeseburgers, 2 fries and 2 large drinks.  Now  I know Groupon took half of that 8 dollars, so Webers only got 4 bucks, but we have been back 5 times in less then 2 months.  I liked their root beer so well, I bought two 6 packs to take home with me, (at a cost of 12 dollars per) so they definitely made their money back on us!!

I used my iPhone at Casa Laredo but they made me write down a laundry list of information so I may as well have printed out. A coworker went there and they only took $18 off of his tab.

[Townsend]

Today's Groupon.

Up to 51% Off Bikini Wax at Faccia Bella 
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Head's up RM.