Lauren O.

Very helpful. I like how you can quickly enter stocks and quickly get feedback. I wish it was easier to find equity analysts for a particular stock, though- as I like seeing links to their opinions.

Fantastic resource! Gives you the option of skimming headlines on its "Cheat Sheet."
And... if you're into bar trivia- a quick skim through the headlines means you're well prepared.
But don't neglect the thoughtful, insightful articles to the left and right.

One of my favorite news sites. Visually- it's easier to use than other network sites. With the exception of the Daily Beast- it should be number one on everyone's water cooler beat checks.

I am such a fan of this website. I'm a consumer writer myself, so I may be biased- but it's hilarious.
It doesn't just help consumers, it makes them laugh.
Use it to learn about chargebacks (when you don't get the service you pay for) and small claims court. And use it to laugh during your work day.

If you had asked me a few weeks ago, I would have rated this higher. They have a new feature where tv episodes keep playing automatically- not helpful if you like to go to sleep while watching a single episode...

When you're in a long distance relationship- it's an essential. Thanks to Skype, my boyfriend and I can do everything from cook together to playing online scrabble. It's been a godsend while he's been three hours away!
Video quality is relatively poor- but it honestly doesn't bother me.

For some reason my purchases don't go through all the time. It's strange. I contacted customer services, and they issued a $20 credit to my account for my trouble. Nice response, Groupon.
I'd do this again for small purchases.
I have had a really bad experience with LivingSocial (scammed out of nearly $200 by a fraudulent retailer- they have been no help and rude)- which might cloud my judgment in thinking Groupon is fantastic. But I really do think they handled an error in a professional way.
Good job, Groupon, hence my rating of "okay."

LivingSocial is NOT a scam. However, its affiliated retailers can have scams listed as deals- and LivingSocial will not advocate for the customer at all- nor will they issue refunds. And, to make matters worse, they'll admit their business model isn't about you getting the service- it's about the money. The honesty kind of rubs it in when you've had a bad experience, no?
I have been battling LivingSocial over a $199 mattress voucher for going on two weeks now. I went in A Goodnight Sleep Store prior to purchasing the voucher because I have heard that LivingSocial is a scam. There were two deal options- a $49 option and a $199 option. The retailer tells me the scam part is that the discount is applied to the wholesale price. She shows me the mattresses that will work for the deals and convinces me the $199 is the way to go. Basically, it means $500 toward luxury mattresses. I say, pointing to a mattress, so this one wouldn't be more than $200 with the deal? She says yes. I take pictures of the mattresses she shows me and take notes.
I purchase the voucher.
Turns out, it works for none of the mattresses she quoted me for. Only for mattresses that are more than $2,000. Needless to say, I don't have $1,500 and was very explicit about my price range. She says she can swap out my coupon for the $50 coupon, but can't give me money (making me out $150, on top of mattress expenses). That's weird. So she calls LivingSocial in front of me. "Chris" from LivingSocial says it's impossible to give refunds, regardless of whether the retailer will honor the deal. He says the merchant has to talk to merchant services, gives us the number.
The next day, the mattress lady tells me she has had a two hour conversation with LivingSocial and that they won't budge. She says they say they've been getting complaints all day.
I call a claims agent. My claims agent calls LS with me on conference. LS says their Merchant Services dept has never heard from my retailer. They say they will investigate, ask me to hold off on the claim.
I do.
They say I'll hear back from them in two days.
In five days, after two emails from me, I get a response saying they will refund all but $34 of my money.
I say, this is unacceptable, since you admitted the retailer scammed both of us on the phone. My claims agent recorded the call with LS permission, so it's not like there's not proof. And my photos. And my notes.
"Chris" writes back- same guy who said it was impossible to give any kind of refund- says it's all they are willing to do.
The moral of this- by keeping $34 of my money (does that seem arbitrary to anyone else?), they've lost a customer and had a complaint forwarded to the BBB and Consumerist. Additionally, I'm still going to go through with the claim.
So- don't avoid LivingSocial because they are a scam. Avoid them because they admit that they do not advocate for the customer and admit that they do not care if a service is fulfilled.
On another note, I used Groupon for the first time this week. An order had an error- they credited my account $20. It took a five second email for them to address the complaint professionally. Not five hours on the phone and in-store with no result.
If it's a big purchase, I'd avoid a deal site. But if it's a small purchase, like a coffee coupon or a free pizza- I'd go with Groupon.
Because they try to fix mistakes.
I'm still trying to work this out with LS. I'm so floored that I feel there must be some sort of mistake. Hopefully, they'll issue a full refund and I can withdraw my complaint.

L