Over 80% of the reviews are one star... 90% of those would be ZERO if we could vote that way. AOL decided to make these clowns part of their monthly package. I made a purchase and have hated myself for ever getting sucked into a "bargain". Imagine if I had gone on my date without enough money to cover the bill when they refused my certificate. Restaurant.com could care less... they got the money.
So you see all these bad reviews of Restaurant.com. I took advantage of a great deal.
100 - $50 cards for $500 from Citi Easy Deals. That $4500 of free food
Just avoid these assumptions:
1) It's not off any restaurant. Get a Visa Gift Card if you want that. Enjoy your fees.
2) It's not a free meal. It's up to half off the total bill. You can use the remainder elsewhere.
3) It's one use per restaurant per month. Not getting 1/2 price sushi every weekend. Goto a different restaurant tomorrow.
4) You have to log into the app to find the card to redeem. Yes it shows your name. Got to log in anyway. That bugs me! Lose one Star.
5) Let the server tap the screen to redeem.
You will hit one of these the first time through. After that it's discount city.
Got my food budget in line through some hard times.
Technical difficulties made it difficult to even get started. Then customer service only got worse. I have requested a refund from Living social. Beware, do not purchase big time scam and horrible customer service.
Three times now I have tried and entered the number from living social, three times the credit showed up but then disappeared when I would try to check out the shopping cart. I am sorely disappointed in the website functionality and the poor representation for customer service. Clearly you did not read nor respond to the concerns that I expressed. I will be requesting a refund from Living social and leaving reviews every where I can find so that others may be warned about your garbage business practices.
Thank you,
Kelly
I wish there was a zero star option or even negative stars. This place is nothing but a scam. The gift certificate I purchased was totally worthless. The restaurant did not accept it and said they knew nothing about restaurant.com.
How can they stay in business ripping off people for so long?
I wish I had seen these reviews before my purchase.
I have to agree with the majority of the posts here, and I also feel bad about the restaurant owner who voiced his views. I recently got one of these certificates, and before downloading, read everything, TWICE, but got something totally different when printed. I have no problem what so ever with paying a higher gratuity, that is if the coupon really is what it says. But when I am asked to spend 25, for 50, but now need to spend 100, it is blatantly a bad scam in my opinion. I wish I had seen this site before I did this, but learned a lesson the hard way, and am now smart enough not to be fooled again.
Although the coupons seemed to work, I experienced issues with restaurants going out of business, new ownership refusing them, and the 30-day redemption limitation. I bought over $100 and probably didn't save that much by the time I finally gave up dealing with all of the associated hassle. Seems only local restaurants and franchised chain locations take them, and for good reason. My guess is that corporate lawyers advised against this (more-or-less) scam. Even the places that accepted them did so reluctantly.
I have purchased numerous certificates from this website. Many of them have quite a bit of fine print i. E. not good on weekends, minimum orders required, %gratuity included, etc. Nothing totally ridiculous, you just need to read every word. However, the last few times I've tried to use one, the restaurant declined it. They said that restaurant.com offered these certificates without their permission. I find that hard to believe, but that doesn't help when you are already at the restaurant, ready to order. They will offer an exchange certificate, but if your is close to expiring. You are out of luck. There are other easier, less risky ways out there to save on eating out, so I'll quit with restaurant.com If you use them, read all the fine print and use long before the expiration date. I don't think in the long run it saves much money due to requirements to use the certificates.
When you're paying a fraction of the savings offered, -- people need to keep it real on that it's not a Visa Gift Card. If you go to the website, put in your zip code, there are "Plenty" of restaurant options to select. Pull up code on your phone or print paper certificate. Follow instructions and 99% of the time, the restaurant will accept coupons as they get several a month as they're partners with this company. If a restaurant stopped accepting, which happens but is rare, then Restaurant Dot Com will give you new code to go elsewhere. Period, end of story. Follow the rules and the experience is ideal.
There is almost no point in getting these coupons, it's a complete con! I paid $15 for a $25 gift certificate, you can only use 1 gift certificate at a time, they add 20% gratuity before they apply the discount, and it's a minimum $50 purchase... so what did I save? Most people tip 15% gratuity... this website should be illegal, especially because they don't show you the "rules" until after it is purchased! I want a refund... a-holes!
This company called my restaurant and spoke to a server, asking for address verification. We get these calls a lot for people trying to find us, so she didn't think much of it. Within days, a coupon was up on their website and people were presenting them, as they had PAID for them, expecting to be able to redeem them. When I called to request that they take it down, they said she had authorized it. Then they went on a five minute spiel about how I "didn't understand the value" they provided and it was clear to me what had most likely happened with her. Their sales pitch is one that makes it impossible to say no unless you just hang up. Zero stars. Zero trust. Will do zero business with these people. Ever.
TOTAL SCAM. I purchased 2 travel vouchers and 2 restaurant vouchers from restaurant.com. They were supposed to provide savings codes to use with the travel vouchers. They cant be redeemed without a savings code. After multiple emails in which I received a generic response twice then no responses after that and never answering my question. The phone number provided has a recording that sends you to their web site if you have any questions. No live person or customer service extension is offered. I have asked for a refund but have not received any at this time.
Tried to purchase GC's via the site. Was "offered" an additional 40% that disappears when I try to check out.
Took my CC info and appeared to confirm sale. However, no email, and site says I have no GC to redeem. I don't see a charge on my Visa st this point; but if it shows up, that's going to be a problem.
No customer service on weekends, really?
Seems like either a scam or hassle. Either way, best to avoid
The website is slow, and often times out before finishing loading. I put some gift certificates in my cart, which now won't load. Restaurant.com then sent a 'save an additional 40%' email, and the link within won't load. The restaurant selection is horrible. In a city filled with tons and tons of restaurants, how are there so few good-rated restaurants available in the restaurant.com selection? My favorite part is when I click on 'FAQ' or 'Get help', it takes me to a broken link. Clearly shows how much this company wants to assist its customers.
A bit confusing on how to use, it states:
$25 gift certificate -$10
Minimum purchase $50
No customer service appears available, there is a 1-800 number (although not on their website) and it is for Restaurant.com, however you will remain on hold and no one will ever talk to you. I am glad that I did not pay for this service as it seems like this would not be worth purchasing.
Only a few restaurants show up as available, one on my list closed the doors years ago. Not sure how many more years this company will be in business, doesn't seem to be good for either side of their customers (restaurants or patrons)
I bought 30$ worth of coupons. First time l tried to redeem one (rascals bar and grill)I was told they have never worked with restaurants.com and they do not honor their coupons. I emailed restaurants.com 2 times nobody ever contacted me. Don't waste your money
I purchased two of the heated vests as pictured on their website. After many many months of not receiving the product I contacted restaurant.com and the manufacturer. Restaurant.com responded but they evidently have no control over what is sold and what is pictured. Very very disappointed as the items only heated on the rear left shoulder blade. Heated vest is poorly made and it will only work with the battery supply they sell. I will never purchased any of their specials again. I do like their restaurant certificates and will continue to use them.
All I can say is do your research first. I purchased some certificates to use at a restaurant in our local mall which was listed on 5/30/2014. I tried to use them today only to be told that they do not participate any longer. Their words were "we have contacted them repeatedly and asked them to remove us from the program but they still have not done it". After managerial discussion I was kindly advised that I could not be compensated by restaurant.com then I can come back and they would honor my certificate this one time. I thought this was a very kind act. I notified R.com so they can remove them. Let's see what happens. I am not upset just very cautious after the experience.
I received a $50 restaurant.com gift card when I signed up for a membership at BJ's Wholesale Club (Jan 2016). Don't waste your money and time. Unable to redeem anything. Aggravating and frustrating website. This is one of the worst promotional scams I have ever seen. If you try to redeem a certificate the waitress/restaurant look at you like your crazy. They don't know anything about this. You have a discount your trying to claim on your mobile device?... DENIED! I'm cutting my card in half and throwing it away. I've got better things to do.
I purchased 6 coupons for 6 different restaurants from this website and attempted to redeem them this month on different days. None of the restaurants excepted the coupons and stated that they had never signed up with Restaurant.com. The only thing restaurant.com offer you is a credit to purchase another worthless coupon. I would like a total refund but you can not reach a live person. I have a feeling this website is ran by a 50-year old unemployed single man living in his parents basement! Basically, they are just like Entertainment.com. SCAM ARTISTS!
They sent me a message to my work email address. It's an "Important Message About Your Certificates" It appears that I have 2 certificates for restaurants that are no longer available in their program. I've never used this outfit. Ever. So had to check them out to see what their deal is. Apparently from the reviews I've read, they don't have a deal.
Answer: Same thing happened to me. There is no live person to talk to. They will give you a credit to use on another voucher but you will probably run into the same problem.
Answer: Burn it! Restaurant.com is not going to work with you at all. They are scam artists
Answer: Most likely because of people like me. I had never heard of this company, but, was offered their cards as part of a promotion. After being burned, I took the time to post my opinion. Others may not take the time to caution others...
Answer: Yes you need to pay almost 5 times as much as you pay. Dont do that
Answer: Terms of use make it nearly impossible to redeem gift cards.
Answer: No restaurants directly accept the gift card at the restaurant.
Answer: Don't even bother
Answer: You probably can't since it is virtually impossible to reach the company. I wish I had a better answer for you.
Answer: Your question is not very clear but if your certificate is "unused" I assume that means it hasn't been used yet and it is available for you to use. Be sure to check for other possible restrictions and minimum purchases.
Answer: And when you call restaurant.com Theresa K or some other staff member will politely tell you, in essence, you don't have any $135 value. They will find a reason but they will suggest you spend more only to loss that too. Be cautious.
Restaurant.com has a rating of 1.5 stars from 866 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with Restaurant.com most frequently mention gift card, customer service and minimum purchase. Restaurant.com ranks 322nd among Restaurants sites.