Why won’t Groupon refund me? The restaurant closed!

Illustration by Dustin Elliott

Sofya Mumford’s $65 Groupon voucher is worthless after the restaurant goes out of business. Why won’t the company refund her money?

Question

I bought a voucher through Groupon for a restaurant in Minneapolis. The restaurant closed before I could use the voucher. I asked Groupon for a refund but it refused and instead gave me $65 in Groupon Bucks, which I can use for a new Groupon purchase. The reason: The original credit card I used to purchase the voucher had expired, and Groupon will only refund to the original form of payment.

I don’t want Groupon Bucks — I want a refund. Can you help me? — Sofya Mumford, Lutz, Fla.

Answer

Groupon should have refunded you for the voucher. When a merchant closes, Groupon’s terms say that you get a refund if the restaurant closes within three days of your purchase. We’ve had several cases where Groupon defaults to issuing credits, which is understandable — it’s better for Groupon if it can keep your money. (It’s understandable: Customers often fail to redeem the vouchers, which means the company gets to keep their money.) By the way, if Groupon won’t listen, you can always contact one of its executives. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the Groupon customer service managers on my consumer…