Peter L.

I've used LivingSocial occasionally over about three years. Things have gone smoothly on about three occasions - the rest of the time there has always been some problem or other.

Firstly, the website is very unstable. Often, when you click on an interesting deal and then click through to "buy", the panel that is supposed to give you the discount code simply fails to appear - the text tells you to click on the code, but neither the panel nor the code is there. Sometimes I've just given up, but sometimes the deal has been so interesting that I've persisted, going back to the ad and clicking through to the 'buy' page time and time again. After many tries, the code at last appears and allows you to proceed to the purchase page. No, my computer is NOT faulty (as one LS customer service agent declared) - it works perfectly on all other online purchase sites.

Secondly, on two previous occasions the merchant has not recognised the LivingSocial deal and has charged me his full retail price on my credit card. On one occasion LivingSocial arranged for a refund, on another they said the problem was between me and the merchant and Living Social could not help me. My credit card company got me a refund, saying that they had a long history of problems with that merchant and were no longer accepting his business. So why was LS doing business with the merchant?

In spite of this poor history I recently made one last try, because the offered deal was so good. It was a deal for a TOTAL WHITE teeth whitening kit, normally about £80 - £90, for £16 plus £4.95 postage. Again, it took me several tries to bring up the LS site page with a discount code panel, but eventually it appeared. The next day I received an emailed invoice from the merchant for the postage which was immediately deducted from my credit card account. I received the product OK, a couple of days later, but two weeks later £79.95 was deducted from my credit card account. I immediately emailed LivingSocial who emailed a reply saying they didn't accept emailed complaints and that I must phone their customer service - difficult for me because my vocal cords are paralysed (as I had said in my email to them).

I phoned as requested and was told by a very snotty (female) "customer service (!)" agent that it was not their problem and I had to call the merchant. I phoned TOTALWHITE who said that they had no knowledge of any such discount offer and my order had been treated as a normal transaction at their usual price and terms. I phoned LivingSocial again, this time to find a much more sympathetic (male) agent who took all my details and promised to investigate the problem, to sort it out. And to email me back. Guess what? Nothing further.

I've given up, life is too short to spend hours on the phone or at the keyboard sorting out these problems - which, of course, is what these soulless internet scam artists count on. But I'm putting LivingSocial on my blocked address list and telling as many people as I can - DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS (DIS)ORGANISATION. Like the man said "If it seems too good to be true, it is." Don't buy, don't get caught.

I've used LivingSocial occasionally over about three years. Things have gone smoothly on about three occasions - the rest of the time there has always been some problem or other.

Firstly, the website is very unstable. Often, when you click on an interesting deal and then click through to "buy", the panel that is supposed to give you the discount code simply fails to appear - the text tells you to click on the code, but neither the panel nor the code is there. Sometimes I've just given up, but sometimes the deal has been so interesting that I've persisted, going back to the ad and clicking through to the 'buy' page time and time again. After many tries, the code at last appears and allows you to proceed to the purchase page. No, my computer is NOT faulty (as one LS customer service agent declared) - it works perfectly on all other online purchase sites.

Secondly, on two previous occasions the merchant has not recognised the LivingSocial deal and has charged me his full retail price on my credit card. On one occasion LivingSocial arranged for a refund, on another they said the problem was between me and the merchant and Living Social could not help me. My credit card company got me a refund, saying that they had a long history of problems with that merchant and were no longer accepting his business. So why was LS doing business with the merchant?

In spite of this poor history I recently made one last try, because the offered deal was so good. It was a deal for a TOTAL WHITE teeth whitening kit, normally about £80 - £90, for £16 plus £4.95 postage. Again, it took me several tries to bring up the LS site page with a discount code panel, but eventually it appeared. The next day I received an emailed invoice from the merchant for the postage which was immediately deducted from my credit card account. I received the product OK, a couple of days later, but two weeks later £79.95 was deducted from my credit card account. I immediately emailed LivingSocial who emailed a reply saying they didn't accept emailed complaints and that I must phone their customer service - difficult for me because my vocal cords are paralysed (as I had said in my email to them).

I phoned as requested and was told by a very snotty (female) "customer service (!)" agent that it was not their problem and I had to call the merchant. I phoned TOTALWHITE who said that they had no knowledge of any such discount offer and my order had been treated as a normal transaction at their usual price and terms. I phoned LivingSocial again, this time to find a much more sympathetic (male) agent who took all my details and promised to investigate the problem, to sort it out. And to email me back. Guess what? Nothing further.

I've given up, life is too short to spend hours on the phone or at the keyboard sorting out these problems - which, of course, is what these soulless internet scam artists count on. But I'm putting LivingSocial on my blocked address list and telling as many people as I can - DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS (DIS)ORGANISATION. Like the man said "If it seems too good to be true, it is." Don't buy, don't get caught.