Hitting back
Groupon claims nine in ten Groupon customers are happy with its service, hitting back at critics after a damaging report from the Office of Fair Trading. Groupon is moving to reassure its shareholders after the regulator found that the firm has broken customer protection laws over ads, pricing, unfair terms and misleading offers. Joint MD of Groupon UK, Tobias Tschotsch, is speaking out to defend the firm’s practises, citing a report the firm carried out in November in which 88% of customers said that they would use Groupon again.
Groupon’s other joint UK MD, Roy Blanga, is also defending the firm. “As a young and innovative business, Groupon acknowledges that our processes and procedures have not always kept pace with our rapid growth,” he says. “We take their concerns very seriously and will be willingly implementing the recommended changes.”
Despite the daily deals firm’s protestations, its UK Twitter feed is still being barraged with tweets from customers experiencing difficulties with deals. The OFT is giving Groupon three months address the allegations, or it could face court action. The regulator ruled that Groupon must ensure its deals are “accurate, honest and transparent”.
Meanwhile, Groupon is also rolling out a free beta version of Groupon Scheduler, an online booking and staffing management tool, which will be available to small businesses in the US and Canada, excluding Quebec. Scheduler provides merchants with a platform for accepting online bookings, and integrates Groupon deals into the booking process.
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