Dealfind, like Groupon, is one of the many websites that offers deals at discounted prices. However, unlike Groupon, they have horrible customer service and makes me question the way they deal with discussion board responses.
Currently there is a deal for afternoon tea at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver: $38 for 2 people ($76 value). Almost 9000 have been bought so far. The discussion board can be found here: http://www.dealfind.com/discuss.php?DiscussionID=16705&market=1
Dealfind is claiming that the 12% tax and 15% tip should be charged on the original value of $76. I understand the tip part, but tax on original value? Really? Since when did we have to pay tax for something valued at $76 when we only paid $38 out of our own pockets? Users on the discussion board have already called CRA and Revenue Canada to confirm that taxes should only be charged on the amount paid for, NOT what the actual value is. DealFind did not bother to call the Government of Canada to clarify anything for the customers, and instead, deleted user posts, copy/pasted unrelated answers, and avoided questions. I also had a post that was deleted by them:
The ironic thing is, DealFind had a Fairmont afternoon tea deal last year as well, however they dealt with it in quite a different manner:
http://www.dealfind.com/discuss.php?DiscussionID=1643&market=1
I understand that paying 12% tax on the original value of $76 IS still a deal, but again, it’s not a matter of money anymore, it’s a matter of principle. If DealFind is not willing to answer customers’ questions, then they can expect to be very unpopular in the near future. Groupon handles this kind of thing a lot differently than DealFind, and I think DealFind can do a lot to learn from them.
Also, as a side note, Fairmont’s original menu stated that afternoon tea is $36 per person. However, after the DealFind deal was released and customers pointed out this price difference, Fairmont changed the price of afternoon tea to $38 per person. Hmm…
Update:
Over 10,000 vouchers have been bought so far, so that’s over $47,000 in tax that consumers should not have to pay for. Are Fairmont and/or DealFind just pocketing that difference? It’s not just a matter of a few dollars anymore.
I would understand if DealFind or Fairmont had just said in the first place that discount is taken AFTER the final bill of $76 has been processed, but deleting/ignoring people’s comments makes me feel like they are hiding something. Otherwise, why not just come out and give a straight answer?
Thanks to Angela who actually called the HST/GST office, she found out about a form that can be filled out and submitted to the government if you feel like you have been taxed incorrectly:
Go to: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/gf/gst189/gst189-12e.pdf for the form to get rebate on HST or see below: