Online Coupon Leaves Diner Hungry for Deal

By Kristina Schnack Kotlus

Lake Ridge, Va. — When Lauren Maher saw a deal for an online deals website for Los Toltecos Mexican restaurant in Lake Ridge, she decided she would get the coupon and treat a friend to lunch. However, when it came time to settle the bill, the restaurant staff refused her coupon.

“They told me that they were no longer accepting vouchers from Restaurant.com”, said Maher. “But I purchased the certificate in August and there is no expiration date. They must have gotten this problem a lot because the man who dealt with us didn’t even let me speak and wouldn’t even take his sunglasses off to talk to us.”

Maher bought the $25 coupon for $10 from Restaurant.com, an online couponing service, which allows customers to purchase a deal that offers buyers discounted meals.

Frustrated, Maher asked to see a manager at Los Toltecos. The manager didn’t accept the Restaurant.com coupon but did give her $10 off her meal.

“It should have been a fun day out, but I left feeling frustrated and embarrassed,” said Maher.

When she got home, Maher checked Restaurant.com too see if deals for Los Toltecos are still available for purchase on the website. They were, which made Maher think the restaurant was simply using false pretenses to lure new customers. Not true, according to Los Toltecos General Manager Noe Zarate.

“I canceled with Restaurant.com effective the last day of October. They continue to offer this deal without my consent and now I have customers who are angry,” said Zarate.

Another Los Toletcos manager, Oscar Chavez , noted that the certificates had caused problems for the wait staff.

“There is supposed to be an 18 percent gratuity included on the price of the actual meal, but people are paying cash and only paying their bill and leaving a $1 or $2 tip. This isn’t good for our staff,” said Chavez.

Restaurants that sign up for the service can cancel, but that doesn’t mean they’ll automatically be taken off the site, according to Restaurant.com representative Christin Accomando.

Restaurant.com said that their website is dedicated to 100 percent customer satisfaction and would offer Maher the chance to exchange her coupon for one from another restaurant.

But Maher said that’s not good enough.

“Even if [Restaurant.com] issued me another certificate for a different restaurant, that doesn’t change the experience that I had. They are responsible for making sure the content on their site is up to date and correct,” said Maher.

Would-be customers that have purchased deals from Restaurant.com can call ahead to restaurants to make sure their coupons are still accepted.

Prince William Chamber of Commerce CEO & President Rob Clapper said concerns about online marketing are all too common.

“We hear a lot of questions about online marketing. It’s an ever evolving area, which can make it difficult to keep up with the learning curve,” said Clapper.

He noted that the next small business roundtable – a focus group held for chamber of commerce members — will focus on just this issue.

“We hope that programs like this, that bring entrepreneurs together to learn from one another, can help area businesses reap the rewards of online marketing while avoiding potential pitfalls.”

Potential online deal shoppers should also carefully check the refund or exchange policy on any website before making a purchase, and can always consult with the Better Business Bureau for website rankings before making a purchase, warns the UCLA Tech blog.