Abigael D.

I became reacquainted with restaurant.com after they sent me an email saying several of the restaurants I purchased certificates for are no longer participating in the program. I purchased at least a dozen in 2009 when they were having $2 for $25 restaurant gift certificates. I've never used them and I totally forgot about them until restaurant.com sent me a reminder email. I had no problem exchanging them for restaurants that are participating. I was terrified of giving them away as presents after reading the awful reviews. However, it soon became clear why they're getting bad reviews. I think it's funny how many negative reviews this website had received when in truth, people JUST DON'T READ THE FREAKING FINE PRINTS.

-To avoid being "scammed" for buying certificates that are not being honored, I made sure to make a call to each restaurant I'm planning to go to. Out of the 5 restaurants, one canceled their account with restaurant.com a few days ago, another is only honoring the certificates til the end of the year, and the remaining 3 are still participating. I was able to exchange gift certificates online with no problem. Be informed, do the freaking research. It took a minute to confirm with each restaurant.

-Read the fine print that's not even a fine print. I saw the minimum purchase amount multiple times. There was even a pop-up right before you confirm your order saying that the $25 gift certificate you are about to purchase must be used on a minimum order of $37.50. This is printed on the gift certificate as well. Other terms & conditions (cannot be combined with any other promotions, not valid for taxes/tips, etc.) are also printed on the gift certificate. All other information to help you make an informed purchase are available on the website. I thought it was funny when I called one of the restaurants and he wanted to remind me that there is a minimum purchase required because he's been asked multiple times despite the amount being clearly printed on the gift certificate.

-Some people said that the gift certificates are miniscule compared to the amount you pay for dinner, which some mentioned are high end and pricey. Again, do your freaking research. These are DISCOUNT certificates. Feelings of entitlement only lead to disappointment.

Be a smart consumer and read before you buy. Some restaurants are probably being included in restaurant.com without their knowledge, but I don't know about that. I'm speaking from a viewpoint of critical-thinking consumer.