We all know that Groupon made an outstanding business model back in 2010. So good that it was adapted by many so called 'group buying' portals all over the world. We've had our fair share of deal sites and from here in the Philippines where we've been seeing a lot of very nice grabs from different kinds of products and services, some of which we haven't even heard about.
Back in my place lies a spa. I know the rate of that spa since I've been there. Funny enough, I see it displayed as a deal. What's even funnier is that its declared promo/deal price is actually its regular price. I smirked and shrugged it off.
Now here I am currently on Ensogo. I'm planning a Cebu trip soon and I was hoping to find actual deals around the deal sites. What's currently there is a hotel deal for Movenpick Resort and Spa. PHP15,000 for a 3day2night stay with inclusives. Hhhmmmm... I checked out the reviews for the site and it is indeed a top resort and the place, according to photos, seemed nice.
Then I went off to find its official website. And hey, a booking of 3D2N actually gave me around 15k as well. Oh how nice. It's their actual rate as well. It says by acquiring the 15k package from Ensogo, I'd be saving 52% from its original 32k price tag. I was hella turned off. Consider the screenshots below.
The screenshots proved that the best and regular deal is already at around PHP15,000.00++. There are even far better deals actually. If you notice the left side of the images, there's even a rate that offers PHP4,875 a night for summer. There's also a rate that goes at PHP5,200 if I plan to schedule and book 21 days in advance (which is viable because the voucher is valid only until August 10, 2011 - at least 2 months from the time the offer at the deal site expires.). Also notice how the two screenshots are of different booking dates - one next month and one more than a year in the making. Both of which clearly show that the standard rate for a Deluxe Room for a 3D2N stay is around 15k - far from the 32k value declared to 'prove' a 52% savings.
Further checking out, I can even book myself a Deluxe Ocean Room for a Summer (PHP14,117.62) or Early Booking (PHP15,112.80) promo. Likewise I can book a Suite Room for a Summer or Family Weekend Getaway Promo for PHP16,571.24, which isn't far of a price tag from the Deluxe.
The agenda to have people search and find a better deal in their official website, book there, and evade the chances of commissioning deal sites, as some might think, is plausible.
The Groupon business model was supposed to be a great leverage of entry level for businesses you never even heard of. It's supposed to give people a chance to meet your organization and say Hello, potentially become a new customer, and return some time in the near future if things turn out fine. It's not a place where you try to sell what you're already selling and claim that it is a deal by claiming fictional higher original prices just to satisfy the 50% off feeling of the discount site. Last I checked, 1 deal bought as shown in the screenshot above :/
I wouldn't want to blame Ensogo on this one. I applaud them for giving businesses a chance to gain a new batch of customers as well as give clients like us a new way to discover businesses that we hardly knew existed. But its their responsibility to screen the so-called deals and make sure their customers are getting what they went to the site for - a deal. You're already doing great and gaining much respect from us. Please don't ruin it all and make things as if it's all about money... though in a way, yes that is understandable in an e-commerce world.
As for Movenpick, meh. So much for first impression on a new resort I discovered.
It helps to research. Once you see a good find, you need some info to back it up and know that it IS a good find. In our age of technology, it's fairly easy to verify a couple of things, so learn to give spare time to haul your fingers up to type in a few keywords. Question every time you plan on getting those vouchers or coupons, rather than being spoon-fed and taking in every scoop and bite. This is not TV where media can make sugarcoat things and you're stuck at what they presented you. Do the works.