Groupon
Contents6
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Legal Structure | Public |
| Industry | eCommerce |
| Also known as | |
| Official website | https://groupon.com/ |
Groupon, Inc. is an American global e-commerce marketplace connecting subscribers with local merchants by offering activities, travel, goods and services in 13 countries.[1]
Consumer-impact summary
Overview of concerns that arise from the company's conduct regarding (if applicable):
- User freedom
- User privacy
- Business model
- Market control
Add your text below this box. Once this section is complete, delete this box by clicking on it and pressing backspace.
Incidents
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the Groupon category.
Accounting scandal (2011)
In 2011, Groupon faced coverage for giving $810 million of the acquired $946 million to early investors of the company, including the founder Andrew Mason with $28 million and co-founder Eric Lefkosky with $381 million.[2] This left $136 million for company expenses.
Unclear consumer rights and procedures (2013-)
In 2013, the Consumer Authority of the Netherlands shared that Groupon signed an enforcement agreement to defining their role as a company more clearly in the Netherlands.[3] Customers filed complaints that they were not clearly informed on the responsibilities of Groupon to their customers, nor where customers could ask questions or file complaints.[3] The background information of the enforcement agreement also mentions that customers did not know who to contact if their discount codes were not properly redeemed, or where to send their products within the return period.[3]
In 2021, Groupon faced the threat of legal action by the UK's competition watchdog over multiple concerns (redeeming vouchers, quality, no return of payment and just offering "credits").[4]
See also
Link to relevant theme articles or companies with similar incidents.
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References
- ↑ "Groupon closes shop in South Africa as part of strategic re-alignment" - innovation-village.com - 2016-11-04 - accessed 2025-01-30 (Archived)
- ↑ "Groupon Accounting Scandal, and We're Surprised?" - forbes.com - 2014-04-03 - accessed 2025-01-30 (Archived)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Consumentenautoriteit (2013-02-19). "Groupon gaat consumenten duidelijker informeren" [Groupon will inform consumers more clearly]. ACM (Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets) (in Nederlands). Archived from the original on 4 Aug 2025.
- ↑ "Groupon told to improve how it treats customers". BBC. 9 Aug 2021. Archived from the original on 4 Aug 2025.