Restaurant.com review: Scam 71

Scam! Scam! Scam! I got a gift card to Restaurant.com with a purchase from Abe's of Maine. With the card, I purchased 3 discount coupons for 3 different restaurants. The first time I tried to use one, I was informed that they didn't deal with the company any more, but would still honor the coupon as a favor. I complained to restaurant.com and was told that I should call ahead to make sure they will take the coupon. What? Why should it be up to me to call ahead? Why do they issue coupons if the restaurants won't take them. Still, for the second coupon, I called ahead and guess what I was told: We don't take them. We were misled by them. They are a scam.

What do you think I'm going to do with the third coupon? You can imagine where I'd like to stick it!

Sorry to hear you had problems. I had none. Used 3 coupons, no problem. Great restaurants. No, I don't work for Restaurants.com.

I went to a restaurant that we frequent occasionally and saw a sign on their door that indicated that they will no longer accept restaurant.com coupons after a certain date. They had the sign posted for several months before the end date. I think that restaurants that stop participating in the restaurant.com program should post a sign to let patrons know when they will stop accepting coupons because you could have purchased the coupon months before you used it and in that time the restaurant may have stopped participating in the restaurant.com program. In that case it's not restaurant.com's responsibility or problem. They don't sell any GCs to restaurants that aren't currently participating. That isn't to say that a restaurant couldn't cancel their membership with restaurant.com a day after you bought a coupon from them. But why would that be restaurant.com's fault? I would never buy a restaurant.com coupon for full price. Always find a discount code to buy at 70 or 80% off that way the worst you will be out is a few bucks if for some reason you don't end up using your coupon.

Max is an idiot. restaurant.com is a total sham. Never give someone a gift card from that site. It's not a gift if the receiver has to spend double the amount of the card. WHAT A JOKE! It IS a scam. Cannot believe they still exhist, what a joke. I totally agree with you. I wanted to take the stupid paper and shove it up the restaurant managers you know what. Any restaurant that deals with them I will never go to either. Because they are obviously ###s for working with them, so I doubt I can trust the cooking from them as well.

I was given a $25 "gift Card". The only restaurant in my area who "honored" it CLOSED. Since I am going on vacation to Sanibel Island, I decided to use the "Gift Card" there. I went through the lengthly log-in process, and NONE of the restaurants that "honor" this card, have any "Dining Certificates" available. NONE! This is a SCAM, pure and simple!

i always thought it sounded a little fishy considering you get a giftcard for such a low price. thanks for the info.

Hey Headphonz, Max is an idiot because it worked out for him well? Really? You're the idiot.

We've used them without the problems you have mentioned.

Unfortunately, you need to purchase such high amounts of food 50 dollars on a 25 dollar certificate, 25 dollars on a 10 dollar certificate that you can't actually spend the amount without friends. So much for a date night.

RDC has ALWAYS given me credit for restaurants that no longer accept coupons so I just buy another one from the site.

I am a restaurant owner who has dealt with Restaurant.com and I am still dealing with the mess of restaurant.com. He is correct. They are a sham. Unfortunately I signed a one year contract with them without reading the entire over written mess. It states that R.C can use my images, logos..etc for any use whatsoever as they deem fit. Which means blasting the coupons all over the internet with no responsibility of taking them down when I cancel my membership. Simply...it's a bad business practice. They don't care because people still purchase coupons. I was the stupid one for signing up. It's a horrible business and you will know when you speak to anyone of their representatives.

Here's the sham of a contract http://www.restaurant.com/gcp/

What a scam...they advertise great deals on restaurant gift certificates - like $4 for a $25 restaurant gift certificate - and they show you quite a selection of name brand and "heard of" restaurants..so you fall for it..and buy one. THEN you see ALL of the EXCLUSIONS...CAN'T USE it on certain nights/days of week; CAN'T USE more than 1 per month or combine them; CAN'T USE them for certain menus/items AND if the restaurants "decides" that it is a "special night" they can CHOOSE to NOT ACCEPT them...YIKES! What is the deal then, if you can't use them? The DEAL is for Restaurant.com - NOT the consumer. I even EXCHANGED my certificicates - and then was told that THEY NOW CAN'T BE USED TO BUY ANY OF THEIR "SPECIALS" - Like the $4 deal I bought before. I can now only exchange them for a "dollar-for-dollar" certificate...SCAM BIG TIME...STAY AWAY unless you like throwing money away...I usually NEVER buy 'deals' - and I shouuld have stuck with my gut..

This company sells $25 gift certificates for restaurants at a fraction of that price. Problem is, if the restaurant goes out of business before you can use your certificate, they refuse you a refund.

Also, if the restaurant doesn't honor the certificate, the restaurant.com simply shrugs their shoulders. I would not have tried the restaurant I went to if I had not had a certificate. This is a scam to get you to the restaurant thinking you're getting some kind of a deal!

Worse still, the way they've set up their certificates for when you print, the certificate number may or may not appear! Apparently, it's up to the consumer to scour the section meant for the restaurant to make sure that all is as it should be.

This last Saturday night, we were at a restaurant (Ouest) that refused to honor the certificate because the number was missing. Restaurant.com was of no help whatsoever, refused to even refund my money for the certificate.

Buyer beware!

I've always got a refund on the ones where the restuarant went out of business. I do not understand why you wouldn have got one.

We signed up with Restaurant.com about a month ago under false pretenses. A representative from their company came into our restaurant and reassured us that we were making the right decision to sign up. First, she promised alot of advertising and exposure but all we got were 2 little pictures and customers that tried to get away with paying the minimum. Next, she promised that only 1 certificate per day would be sold but we found out over 175 were sold in less than a month. Next, she said we would get customers that would spend much more than their certificates are worth but all we got were customers that spent the minimum or less even though they know the rules which are clearly stated on the certificate. The only ones that profit here are Restaurant.com. Our restaurant has not made ONE penny from any of the "customers" that have been sent from restaurant.com as a matter of fact we know those customers won't be back unless they have another certificate. We cannot afford to fill our tables with people that come in with a certificate they bought for$10.00, then spend another$10.00 to be at their minimum. At this point I have made $15.00. Oh, the tax goes to the government and the 18% gratuity goes to my server but I still have to cover my food cost, my overhead and servers salary. So, I have just given my food away to a table that won't be back. Currently my attorney is dealing with Restaurant.com. I hope if there are any other restaurants out there that have been lied to, manipulated and SCAMED by Restaurant.com they to will make similar postings.

To put things in perspective, the ONLY 2 victims of Restaurant.com are the restaurants and the consumers that are tricked into the certificate SCAM... As consumers they sell you certificates with all kinds of restrictions that are made up front to you and others you find out when you get to the establishment. All of these restrictions are known well in advance to Restaurant.com but not to you(the consumer). As a restaurant they promise so many things to get you to sign on the dotted line and then the real drama unfolds. They sell as many certificates as possible knowing their own stipulations and also knowing in advance restaurants that no longer participate or are not willing to honor certificates with no regard for the consumer. They only care about selling as many certificates as possible and letting the consumer deal with the headache. After all, they already got their money from thousands of consumers. If they sell a minimum of a 1, 000 a day@ $10.00 per city nationwide times 365 days a year. Well, you do the math... I'm sure it's way more than that. So when a consumer calls to complain I'm sure they are not too terribly worried about losing you as a customer. This Restaurant.com scam has got to stop. The only one laughing all the way to the bank is Restaurant.com.

Use Restaurant.com certificates all the time and I love it. Lets us go out to dinner more then usual and try new places. If I ever have a place close or not except certificates any more. I just call and they give me a code for another place to dine at. Restaurant.com Rocks!

Your complaint is very suspicious - I bought a certificate for a restaurant which begain to refuse to honor the restaurant.com certificate, and I was allowed to exchange it for any other restaurant which participates in the program, no additonal charge. I've purchased several certificates with no problems whatsoever. Wasn't thrilled with all the restaurants I tried, but that's not their fault.

Have to say I agree. This is a bad deal all the way around. Customers don't know that the restaurant gets none of the money they paid up front, restaurants get lots of cranky and/or cheapskate customers and have to hire lawyers to get out of the deal.

We're trying to get out of our deal with them now.

The ONLY people making out on this deal is Restaurant.com.

i do have the same problem with you..what a shame..they only tell you what can make you to sign the contact..they dont really care what happen later..even you like it or not..i am so regret to sign up that mess..i am finding a lawyer now see if anything they can do..i will leave a note here if i find out anything..hope will help someone like me..and to the people who just purchase the coupon to eat at the restaurant..before you buy it dont just think about yourself..think about other people too..bcuz you guys being cheap you are really hurting other people at the same time..so if you like that restaurant that you try it..please please pay for the full price..because right now restaurant are very hard to make money so if you dont want to see them close down..dont just want to be cheap...

This company is a bunch of lying dirtbags. They sell hundreds of the copons, and one person can buy 12 or more at a time. If you try to cancel, they ignore you. The only way out is to simply stop honoring the certificates. Then the customer gets mad at you, not them. Biggest Mistake Ever. These people should rot in hell.

Restaurant.com is a scam for both the consumer and the restaurant owner! They mislead the restaurant owner into a contract that they claim will help them with the business and that they can change the terms whenever they want. That is a total lie. I worked at a restaurant where the manager got dooped into this deal with Restaurant.com. The site was totally screwed up, they were selling coupons so cheap my boss was losing money with every customer that came to redeem them. Then weeks later when he got the password to change the website and terms as he was promised, he found out that he could not change the terms or coupons sold, the "corporate" office was the only ones that could change the terms! He was so pissed. He immediately hired a lawyer and they are sueing Restaurant.com for misrepresentation, internet fraud, identity theft, and damages to his restaurant reputation. Restaurant.com still is selling coupons even though we stopped accepting them for over three months ago. Most consumers get mad at my boss or me when we show them the sings on the doors or cashier area saying "Do not accept Restaurant.com coupons". We always offer them a discount for the inconvenience and tell them to get a refund from the website. Some are happy with the discount, some get mad and never come back. Restaurant.com is a fraud! I hope there could be a class action lawsuit against them by owners who were mislead like my boss and customers who bought coupons from restaurants when Restaurant.com knows that they will not be honored.

This company is a scam to both small businesses and consumers. Restaurant.com does not reimburse it's restaurant/ bar partners and will continue to sell coupons against the restuarant/ bar owner's will. A consumer can purchase a coupon to a restaurant that does not participate or conduct business with restaurant.com. Restaurant.com does not offer any refunds for the coupon purchased by the customer nor tell the customer the truth about why they are selling coupons for restaurants that do not conduct business with them which makes the restaurant look like a crook. I would be careful if you decide to purchase coupons off restaurant.com. Double check the authenticity of the coupon and call the restaurant first hand and ask if they participate with this shady company before making any purchases from these vultures.

To whom it may concern at Restaurant.com,

I just wanted to take a few minutes, and let you know I will never be using your service again. When I purchased “gift certificates” from you, I was under the impression they were just that, a set value to be redeemed at a business. In reality, I purchased coupons from you, that have a nice list of strings attached, such as not to be used on weekends, no happy hour, not to be used on days that have sporting events, dine in only, not to be used on beverages, etc ad nauseum. I have tried to get a few people together to use some of the larger COUPONS I purchased, but it is a tough sell on a Tuesday or Wednesday night, after happy hour, as long as there isn’t a sporting event going on in Seattle.

Admittingly, I didn’t read all of the fine print on your web site, and don’t expect a refund for not reading the entire terms of service, for each of the restaurants I was looking to try.

So, the only recourse I have, is to print these up, try to enjoy the meal, then let management know that although I came in with one of your coupons, I would have tried them anyways, and that I won’t return until they stop using your service.

I do commend you however on an excellent, yet hopefully short lived business model.

Best regards,

G****

My wife and I just left the Dallas restaurant Deli-News where our waiter told us Restuarant.com was a scam and that they had to resort to having their lawyer write them a letter. It seems they NEVER AGREED TO PARTICIPATE but Restaurant.com went ahead and sold certificates in their name anyway! We have been swindled! Why aren't these people under arrest for fraud?

Interesting... I've used restaurant.com for over year and never had an issue. From the consumer's position it works well. Perhaps the owners have a problem, but not this customer. We go out more often and never have a problem meeting the cost criteria. I guess this could be a problem for people going to dives, but not for respectable establishments.

I have had good and bad experiences with Restaurant.com. I have had to exchange at least 3 certificates due to the restaurants no longer accepting the gift certificates. In one instance, I had just purchased the gift certificate on rdc and went to the restaurant that night and the certificate was refused. RDC was very helpful with my exchange.
As of today, 2 of the 3 restaurants that are no longer accepting the certificates, are still having certificates sold through the RDC website.
I have come to the conclusion that we have to call the restaurant before we make a certificate purchase or eat at their restaurant.

I purchased a$25 certificate from restaurant.com. When I went to the restaurant, they informed me that they told restaurant.com that they were no longer interested in being in their program. The restaurant would not honor the certificate.

I emailed restaurant.com and explained the situation and asked for a refund since I could not use the certificate. They said that the restaurant is responsible and that they don't issue refunds.

BUYER BEWARE!

I forgot to mention that the restaurant told restaurant.com that they didn't want to be in their program 6 months prior to my incident. Restaurant.com continues to sell bogus certificates anyway.

Every single one of these complaints on this site talks about "reading the fine print" or "I made a purchase, then read the fine print, and zoinks! Fraud!"
It's all there for you to read, for better or for worse. Yes, some certificates are not beneficial if booze isn't included...so don't buy it. I "don't buy" them all the time for that very reason.
I've used restaurant.com for 6 years and have been reading at or above the 12th grade level since I was 8 years old.
If you can read, and want to save quite a bit of money from time to time, USE restaurant.com
Because, there's no such thing as a FREE lunch anyhow.

As a restaurant owner and operator, we were approached by this Restaurant.com and other companies (Entertainment Book Co. etc...) Unlike many of the previous complaints and posts, we actually read the entire agreement and THEN decided not to sign. I only blame those restauranters who lack the ability to read what they are signing.

Having used at least 2 certificates at participating local restaurants in the last year, all I can say is: it works and it's a great deal, especially when Restaurant.com offers $25 certificates for $2. If you subscribe to their emails, you will be able to purchase at that rate at least 4-6 times per year. The restaurants have always honored the certificates, with no question or problem.

I have read every item posted here, and I see that most of the complaints come from folks who obviously didn't read the terms and conditions posted at the Restaurant.com website. Yes, there ARE restrictions; each individual restaurant has its own specifications on when the certificates can be used, what the minimum FOOD purchase is, etc. I'm guessing a lot of the complainants did not read thru the entire site before purchasing. The certificates used to have expiration dates, usually one year. Recently, though, I see that the certificates never expire. I also see complaints from restauranteurs who are dissatisfied with the service; they joined to generate business & repeat customers, and are now upset that 'too many' people are using the certificates, causing them a loss. Apparently, when they try to opt out of their commitment/contract, they leave the customer with the certificate 'holding the bag' when they refuse to honor it. Some restaurant owners & certificate buyers seem to have had difficulty communicating with Restaurant.com, so I can't comment on this issue. The one time I, as a customer, called Restaurant.com, the call was answered promptly, and the information I was seeking was helpful. I never tried to email.

To anyone who wants to try dining with these certificates, all I can recommend is that you call the restaurant before you purchase the certificate, and then use the certificate promptly, just in case the restaurant is subsequently seeking to opt out of the program & is unwilling to honor the certificate. Present the certificate to the waiter BEFORE you order, to be sure they will honor it. If not, you then have the option to leave. Buy the certificates one at a time, so there's no prolonged time period wherein an unhappy restauranteur decides to refuse them. Because of the many restauranteur complaints I see here, it's probably not a good idea to give a certificate as a gift, unless you're sure the recipient will use it rather soon. Remember that it's not a 'free' meal to the recipient; they will have to pay something.

And to the unhappy restauranteurs: please do the right thing & honor the certificates; they were purchased with your knowledge & understanding of the program, and if you're not happy with Restaurant.com for any reason, the customer should not be the one to 'pay' for your dissatisfaction. For example, when I have used a certificate once, I have returned to that same restaurant, if I liked the food & service, numerous other times without a certificate (because the repeat visit is usually a spur-of-the-moment decision), and have recommended the restaurant to friends. The certificate DID generate repeat business, at least on my part, and offered a great, inexpensive way to try a new place. When you refuse to honor a certificate, you can be ASSURED a customer won't return!

And, no, I don't work for or have any connection to Restaurant.com; I'm just an average 'Jane' consumer in a small town in northwestern NJ, looking forward to my next new dining experience.

I could NOT use the $25 coupon at CINDI'S in Dallas because I had to buy $50 in food to get the $25 off-is that a deal-NO ! Of course this wasn't told to me. WHAT A RIP OFF. Don't buy these cards ! I got 2-$25 from them.

Every restaurant I have tried from restaurant.com participated in the program, what you wrote doesn't make any sense.

I went to use a restaurant.com coupon last night at a "newer" restaurant in Sicklerville, New Jersey. They informed me that they are under new ownership and that they are under no obligation to accept the coupons. They told me that they would give us 50 Cents off of our hamburgers-- which means we got $1.00 off our bill in the end! I'm beginning to think that it is a scam and any restaurant can tell you that they are no longer accepting the coupons. It worked on us! We were already seated, hungry, and forked out $37.00 for a crappy dinner!

ummm... there is no fine print. Its in clear font, decent size right under the damn add to cart button... in what world do you think you can buy a "gift card" worth $100 for only $40 bucks and that $40 is 80% off... not a scam... your all just dumb as hell lol.

[censored] thats all im saying . she or he is prolly butt hurt becuase they cant print so they call the company and ###

for those that are saying this site is a scam, I have used it as a customer in the past and have found resturants that I would never have gone to any other way and became a good customer after.

If you treat your customer right with the coupon, maybe they will become regulars and spend even more money and tell their friends!
You get out of this what you put in. I have been to some places from this site that acted like "I owed them" for using the coupon...these places I would NEVER go back to!
this is a CUSTOMER'S POINT OF VIEW!

As a consumer..I've saved a lot of money using those.. But only when they are 70-80% off making it a steal practically.
The only complaint I have is with the 18% Gratuity.. I'm not cheap, I am a former waitress of 8 years. BUT: I Tip mainly based on the service me & my family recieve and will tip Above or Below the recommended. I would like to have a choice there.
I am sorry if the Restraunts themselves are not seeing a profit from the extra business the coupons could bring in.

I also have a problem with the 18% and do not go to those places! Even though one is a few doors from my home and is probably pretty good. In my experience, those places are the ones that make you feel badly for using the coupons in the first place!

The 18% gratuity is simple. Its to protect the staff from ignorant patrons that tip on the discounted amount, not the bill of sale. I know, I know...that isn't YOU, but it's a sad majority. Restaurant standard is 15-20% anyway. 18% is reasonable.

As for all the other complaints... they are easily refuted. Restaurant.com provides FREE advertising for the restaurant and promises to bring people into their restaurant, by way of discounted meals. People who might otherwise never think to stop in. Once the customer is in the door, it is the RESTAURANTS responsibility to earn their repeat business. All these owners that complain certificate users will only wait till the next month to use another coupon are just lazy. Loyalty must be earned.