Please stay away from Living Social and Stop buying deals from this company

LivingSocial Help Request #10127618
I purchased a deal from Living Social. Planned to use it, However, have unusual circumstances. Our family experience unusual experience. We experience 3 sudden back to back death in the family last year (July-Nov-december). So, I explained the situation in a long email, explaining that we are grieving, and I would like to get a refund please, because there's no way we can utilize the service. My daughter is supposed to use the tennis lesson, but she's really closed to both my aunt and her uncle that just passed away last year! So, she did not want to do it right now.

The next day, I got the response from Daniel, the customer service rep, and I got this common template that they use to response to customer. Apparently, He did not even read my questions, and just responded below:

Hi Vimala,
We're sorry your deal for High Octane Tennis didn't work out for you, and we understand you'd like your voucher to be refunded. Unfortunately we are unable to extend you a credit card refund or Deal Bucks credit because your request is outside of our refund policy. We do, however, have two options for you to choose from:

•You can make someone's day by gifting your voucher to a friend. To learn more about gifting, check out this article: How do I give a deal as a gift?
•If you're not able to use your voucher prior to the expiration date, we've got you covered. For many of our deals, you can still use your voucher for the paid amount beyond the promotional value expiration date. To find out more about using your voucher for its paid value of $98, take a quick peek at this article: What happens if my deal is expired?
This is how I translated the response:

Number 1 response: I really don't care if your family had sudden family death and still grieving, why don't you just give that away to your friends/family? Who cares if your family is grieving, move one and give the deal to your friends anyway.

Number 2 response: Well, I really don't care if your family is grieving, you still can use the voucher with the original value. Living social really doesn't care. We already took your $98, why do we care? Let me give you a link to make you feel better to read for: "What happen when my deal is expired?" What??!!!!!

There is no HUMILITY for people that work for this company. Obviously, the main goal for the company is to extract as much money from people, and deal with the refund/cancellation policy maybe..I guarantee, that this company will not give you a refund. I am truly dissapointed, cause I had been using Living Social for the past 3 years. However, the company LOST ME, and I will spread this review to my Facebook account, twitter, and post all this review online. So, everyone can be aware, and please stay away from buying deals from Living Social. Obviously Living Social does not think of its customer or is trying to do the right thing. I would never use Living Social again.

LivingSocial Help Request #10127618
Daniel is my customer service rep...Hopefully you learn your lesson next time!

A Sinking Company Who Doesn't Understand the Concept of Customer Service - STAY AWAY

Worst customer service EVER! Bought a coupon to a 3rd party merchant for an electronic product. LivingSocial charged against credit card, and 3rd party sent defective product. Contacted 3rd party via phone number listed on their website, and number was "temporarily unavailable". Emailed 3rd party, but (surprise, surpise!!) never responded. LivingSocial flatly refused to provide refund for a defective product. Basically, they take your money, then directs you to their "partner", and you're SOL if their "partner" doesn't deliver. Had to dispute through credit card to get a refund. STAY AWAY -- I've heard other people having similar poor customer experience. Groupon is 10x better -- they get the concept of "customer service"!

Living Social is a harbor for bad companies to get to your wallet.

Ther are SCAMS everywhere! I know this. What bothers me is that Living Social does nothing to help protect its customers from companies that are running SCAMS. They always hide behind their policies which apprently do not protect you as member. They only serve to protect the SCAM merchant.

Don't trust Living Social. I have never had a problem with Groupon. Living Social on the other hand, has no standards to which they hold their merchants to and they refuse to help you resolve issues with merchants.

SCAM!!!

I purchased sky diving tickets for 2 people ($422) through them back last 2012 Dec, and found out there is no such company. It was a scam. Their customer service was terrible. You would think they would call and apologize repeatedly and try and fix the problem asap right? Instead nobody contacted me, nobody responded to my claims, and one day (after I called my own credit card company to dispute the charges), they just deleted the "voucher" off of my account and gave me my money back (probably because of the dispute through the bank). several months later I thought I'd give them another chance when I saw they had a deal for a "sumo wresting show- with sushi and hot sake" and I made the purchase. Well, this time, I hired a nanny and took my husband out on a surprise date night and guess what? After commuting to the show in traffic for 60 min. we found out at the venue that the show had been cancelled!??!! Nobody had called to let us know :(
Livingsocial is a joke! It is a pity because they have some good deals on it, but what good is it if they are a waist of time and money. I am forgiving to mistakes, but what they lack is a good customer service on top of it.

SCAM!

This site has been a complete disappointment. Twice I have tried purchasing "deals" and both times they were invalid. When I contacted the company about it they assured me it would be taken care of and they would get back to me but never again contacted me and I lost out on what I bought. I will absolutely never again buy anything from this website again and advise you not to either.

Living Social is going bankrupt!!!

Living Social deal site is about to go bankrupt so I would avoid them at all costs they are going under. Unsurprising really with their poor customer service! and poor reviews!!!

A scam avoid the hotel and travel deals .

Purchased a Yosemite deal voucher clearly stated that the promotional value expires 4/30 went to make a reservation and was told it expired 3/31 , called living social about the typo error on their voucher and they refused me a refund . Even the reps initially told me the deal expired 4/30 . I would be very careful about these deals they are heavily discounted and it is hard to make a reservation .

You don't get enough information prior to purchase…they should tell you if not suitable for use by people with limited mobility.

LIVING SOCIAL DEALS….. BE AWARE
I only purchase local deals from Living Social for my area Leeds, Wakefield. However did you know that if you purchase goods and it has to be returned….. they make you return to the manufacturer….NOT the local dealer! I purchased a £169 item and I was unable to even get into it… so had to return it as unusable by myself… I HAD TO SEND IT BACK TO GERMANY AT A COST OF £58.60 TO MYSELF!!! I just want my friends to be aware that a local deal is not always local and you can be well out of pocket!!! DO NOT BUY GOODS FROM THIS COMPANY IF THERE IS EVEN A DOUBT IN YOUR MIND ABOUT IT'S USABILITY!!! I had problems contacting them as their inter links were always down but I managed to email them by going through every link I could find and I have to say they were quick to reimburse my £169 but it still left me £58.60 out of pocket… I expected to pay £20 or thereabouts to return locally but this was exorbitant.

a joke of a so-called "business"

I purchased two iphone keyring chargers ... and they did not work! I contacted Living Social about it and they told me to contact the merchant. So I did. Well that was weeks ago and I have still yet to see a refund. No one has responded to my most recent emails. I reached out to Living Social AGAIN to let them know the issues I'm having (since I can't be the only one!) and the response was basically that they couldn't/wouldn't do anything for me. Really?!? My advice: Use Groupon instead ... they stand by their offers and have great customer service. I will NEVER use Living Social again.

Merchants stay away! LivingSocial does not honor its contracts and will put you through hell when it comes time to write your ad.

I am writing this as merchant who has done business with LivingSocial.

LivingSocial is a poorly run and disorganized company without a speck of honor.

While our coupon deal was running, an unethical competitor called them to complain about something that we got in our contract that he did not get in his. Of course, our deal has nothing to do with him, but he convinced LivingSocial to pull our ad, even though they were the ones who contacted us and offered us the deal in the first place. A contract was signed, yet LivingSocial breached it. But, that isn't all.

During the process of putting the ad together with their production department, apparently run by Nazis, LivingSocial exhibited tremendous incompentence and arrogance. Their copyrighting was amateurish, like some 13-year-old was doing their writing. They erred constantly while condescendingly ignoring our input. We had to fight tooth-and-nail to have our company and services properly represented in the ad. They treated us like feces and, hence, LivingSocial is the worst business I have ever experienced.

Avoid!

I purchased a personalised calendar from living social from a company called clubzoo. when i received the calendar i received 12 black pictures!, i have been chasing my refund now for 4 months and no one will reply to my emails or phone calls. I will never use either of these companies again.

Antosocial living social

had a voucher for Bruschetta in glasgow. they never answered their phone so I couldn't book and use it. From reviews on trip advisor I wasn't alone in this, however despite several e mails to living social highlighting the problem and asking for a refund all I have had is 2 automated replies saying they would investigate. After over 3 weeks they still haven't responded. Have used other voucher companies such as KGB and Groupon and never experienced these problems. Will not use living social again and would advise others not to either. No customer care whatsoever.

Don't follow their own terms and conditions

Had a problem with a voucher and tried to cancel it for a refund within the 7 working days like it said I could in the terms I agreed to when purchasing. They kept coming up with reasons for not refunding it, and making me run around contacting different people, before coming back and saying they weren't refunding it, and not even giving a reason. I had to contact my credit card issuer and have the transaction charged back. Was a lot of hassle, would never use livingsocial ever again, and would actively discourage others from using this company.

They took away my $25!!

They took away my $25!!
I have a $25 credit on living social that expire on Feb. 4. When I try to use it on Feb. 4, it said says credit expired.
Their explanation is that when they mean expire on Feb. 4, it can expire any time on Feb. 4. So when I try to use it, it's the time that they decide to take away my credit and they are not give it back! This is completely a ripoff.

AVOID this company

This company is extremely bad at letting you know when offers or vouchers that you have bought are expring, hoping you would forget and they cash in i suppose, they are not in any wat customer service orientated, there are much better companies out there with a similar service, please avoid this on in particular.

BAD BAD BAD

I bought 3 vouchers for Christmas Hampers from Cotswold Deli Hampers through Livingsocial. Only 1 hamper was delivered! I've tried contacting Cotswold Deli and Livingsocial several times, no response. I even went to Cotswold Deli registered address, and guess what? They have moved out of the premised 9 months ago! Livingsocial is only interested in selling the deals and after that...they just dont care! Tried the telephone number given on the website......wrong number!

Unhelpful, Dont Care Attitude

Spent fifty pound on a voucher, could not contact vendor to redeem. Living social refused to refund or credit account. Definitely do Not use this company, I certainly will not use again.

Scam Deals!!!!!

Living Social offers, they sell a deal through their website, but when you try to redeem your voucher the vendor doesn't answer calls or returns my voice msgs. I have tried to contact them the entire week, they are probably out of business, because any business running would check clients voice messages on a daily basis.
This is the response I got from Living Social, another words, they are no help at all.

Watch out! you might became a victim like me, they sell services from a dead beat vendors like "Orlando Medical Center".

Hi Liliam,

Thanks for following up with us.
We apologize you have been unable to contact the merchant via phone, and kindly suggest you try emailing info@orlandomedicalcenter.net or visiting their Contact page.
your request is outside our refund policy, LivingSocial cannot issue a refund. Additionally, our terms & conditions do state The Merchant is the issuer of the Voucher and is solely responsible for redeeming the Voucher.

Thanks for LivingSocial,

Angela | Consumer Services | LivingSocial | help.livingsocial.com

Lies, deceit and crap companies!

The first 2 times I have used LivingSocial have left a terrible nasty sour taste in my mouth. I believe that they are extremely deceitful in advertising for these companies, and the companies lose business because of it.

First deal -- $35 for free eye exam, lenses and frames up to $245 value. NYC. Sounds great right? I did my research before purchasing the deal and blah blah blah. Purchased it, went to the place and realized that the markup of the frames were WAY too much, forcing a patron to come out of pocket around $300 or more. The advertised "81% off with this deal" is DECEIT. If you do the math, you are only getting 81% off the lenses, the eye exams are already free and a typical pair of Raybans in the store are marked up to $450+. (we all know Raybans cost around $180 tops). Couldn't get a refund from LS so they gave me their invisible fake LS bucks and encouraged me to purchase another crap deal.

Second time, I purchased a 50% savings, $20 for $40 worth of shit at decorative words. Did ALL my research and purchased that deal. The company advertises free shipping but apparently doesn't work with the LS deal, so 25% of your voucher will already go to shipping. I put 2 items in my cart and the entire order with shipping was around $38. When I went to check out, the deal wouldn't work. Apparently your order has to be over like $30 BEFORE adding shipping. I don't know if this makes sense to anyone else, but IMO it seems as though you are NOT going to be able to purchase anything without coming out of pocket and paying the company directly. Called decorative words and they insinuated that I was cheap for not getting more than $40 worth of merchandise.

Basically, I'm done with living social. The companies they deal with are shit, and their customer service is just awful. AWFUL!!

Love to take your money but NO Customer service after that...

I would agree with most of the other reviewers. Living Social loves to take your money but when there is an issue, they hide and send you back pre-set messages and there is no way to contact anyone live.

The customer service has been non-existant.

I bought Golf Hub coupons and the vendor will not live up to what is on the face of the coupon issued by Living Social. Frankly, the Golf Hub deal was a scam that both they and Living Social benefited from. Groupon and Wag Jag have much better customer service and seem to help you out with vendors who are misleading or fraudulant.

Never buy from Living Social!

HORRIBLE COMPANY - FALSE ADVERTISING

I have purchased 4 Living Social Advertisement Vouchers for various offers and have had problems with ALL 4.

1st one – kept cancelling appointments – took me 4 times and having to get rude to get them to keep the appointment.
2nd one was a gift for friends and when they went the facility was CLOSED DOWN AND CHAINED UP
3rd one – It has taken 3 months of stress and again having to get rude to get an appointment set up – we’ll see if they show.
4th one – Is this one

I want my money back. The deals are FALSE ADVERTISING and/or the stress and time I am taking in the mornings, on lunch breaks, in the evenings and week-ends to use them is not worth any advertised savings if they ever respond.

They have REFUSED to refund my money. They offer a credit for more horrible deals with them.

HORRIBLE COMPANY. This is the 2nd time this has happened with LIVING SOCIAL! FALSE ADVERTISING!!! I purchased a Living Social coupon in March 2012 for Adler's Contracting and have been leaving messages for them to contact me on the phone number provided as well as multiple e-mails. NO ONE has responded to my many, many calls and multiple e-mails to schedule the advertised offer for painting and the coupon expires in Sept. BUYER BEWARE!!!! WITH THIS COMPANY AND LIVING SOCIAL. I have also been contacting Living Social who refuses to refund my money, claims they will contact me back and never do, I finally started keeping written names and dates of who I've spoken with and as of today my 4th call to them they still refuse to refund my money. DO NOT PURCHASE ANYTHING THROUGH LIVING SOCIAL is my recommendation.

GROUPON and RESTAURANT.COM are GREAT!! I've never had any problems with the offers on their sites.

Two failed deals! Poor customer service.

Originally bought a Cinema Coupon for Cineworld from LivingSocial. Voucher code did not work on the Cineworld website. Requested for a refund but LivingSocial gave me store credit instead. I then bought a coupon for Fast Canvas Prints from LivingSocial. Ordered my canvas 4 months ago and still have not received it. I have tried contacting both Fast Canvas Prints and LivingSocial on phone and email regarding this but have not had a reply. Extremely disappointed.

Debbi Anceravage found this review useful

READ Privacy Policy

I participated with Living Social and did not have a problem. I just went to purchase through Spin Saver and read the Privacy policy.

Your Personal Information may be processed and stored in other countries (including the United States) where laws regarding processing of Personal Information may be less stringent than the laws in your country. Your Personal Information will not, however, be used or disclosed for purposes for which you have not given consent or which are not permitted under applicable law.

I obviously did not purchase from them. I tried to check Living Social, but their website is down. I am sure it is similar.

Customer service non exsistant

My wife and I have been using living social for some time with good results. Now I will never use them again and caution anyone thinking of buying a getaway. We purchased a getaway and have been trying to use it and the resort is all but unresponsive. I have gotten so fed up at this point I just wanted my money back, and living socials attitude was to bad we wont help. DO Not Use them unless you like throwing money away, so far we have tot he tune of $531.00, I have also filed a complaint with the better business bureau

Debbi Anceravage found this review useful

Had a bad experience, hesitant to try again

I purchased a deal with Living Social, two photo Canvas prints), one of which was a gift for my parents. When we tried to use the voucher it didn't work, I contacted them and the company but had no reply.

I know other people have used the site and say it is brilliant but I would not use it again given the experience I have had

Debbi Anceravage found this review useful