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Subway owner refusing to honor TIPPR Deal - BEWARE

Started 8 months ago by sparklingspirit
Latest reply from ketchup

sparklingspirit
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I bought a recent deal for Subway on TIPPR on Aug 18. (see it here https://tippr.com/offer/promotion-for-subway/)

The deal - it very clearly says spend $5 and get $10 in credit at the store. I am (was) a regular at the Subway on 16th, and thought this was a great deal.

When my husband and I showed up to use our coupon on Aug 19, the employees had not heard of it and had no idea how to ring it up. The employee refused to honor it, and said we would have to call the manager "Faraz". I gave them the benefit of the doubt and we bought our sandwiches at regular price.

I called the owner on Tues Aug 20 and again on Thurs Aug 22. I have yet to have a phone call in response. We went again tonight (Sep 2), hoping that maybe the owner has trained his employees in how to handle this coupon. The same employee was there, and had no idea; he called "Faraz" again - this time he said "he is the owner, he is very busy. he never answers his phone". And he was correct, the owner did not answer his phone, and the employee just stared at us.

We were extremely frustrated, and left, this time without purchasing anything.

I have contacted TIPPR asking for my money back (we spent a total of $20 on this deal)

This is a warning to anyone else who was suckered into buying this deal, good luck trying to get it redeemed at the White Center (16th AVE SW) location. To me, this seems like a clear cut case of business owner who can't be bothered to train his employees about a deal, and then disrespects a loyal customer by refusing to return phone calls. its a shame the customer service is so poor because I really like Subway sandwiches. But I guess from now on, we'll hit the Safeway deli for made to order sandwiches. or anyone know of a good sandwich place in Westwood area?

Cristine Naylor

Posted 8 months ago #
LisaH
Member Profile

That happened to me with Groupon and Dominoes pizza. Hopefully they will refund you with an apology as Groupon did for me. Good luck!

Posted 8 months ago #
Rod Clark
Member Profile

Huong Xua on 16th Ave makes good pork sandwiches. You can ask them to leave off the hot peppers. They're next door to Full Tilt.

If you don't believe me, read the random opinions of yelping urban spooners. Urban Spoon: Huong Xua

Or spooning urban yelpers. Yelp: Huong Xua

Posted 8 months ago #
JanS
Member Profile

The sammies at Huong Xua are yummy..leave the peppers on, and then go to Full Tilt to cool your mouth off ;-)

(actually) I let them put the peppers on, and then take them off myself, so there's a little "essence" left behind. Those jalapenoa are might hot !)

Posted 8 months ago #
GenHillOne
Member Profile

Isn't Subway (Dominoes, Taco Time, McDonald's, you name it) franchised? I've never heard of TIPPR, but I think Groupon, Living Social, Amazon Local, and most coupons in general include a disclaimer like "at participating locations" in fine print somewhere. If that location didn't agree to participate, or even have the information, it sounds like more of a TIPPR problem than anything and I'm not sure I'd blast the owner. Couldn't you use it at another Subway? Of course, if that other shop doesn't know what it is, I wouldn't buy any more TIPPR "deals."

Posted 8 months ago #
dhg
Member Profile

I've never met a Subway sandwich I've liked. Jimmy John's subways are oddly addicting and delicious and, like others have posted, the Vietnamese sandwiches (i.e. Ban Mi Ga)served in White Center are tasty and healthy!

Posted 8 months ago #
Halyn
Member Profile

GenHillOne, I thought that same thing, so I clicked on the OP's link. The offer is valid at that Subway location. I wonder if the owner changed his mind about participating after he signed up? I would certainly complain to TIPPR about it...if you can't use their product at the stores they specify, that's a problem.
Also, I second the motion that you find a better sub shop. My vote is for Jimmy John's...love the #9 with peppers! By the way, why isn't there a Jimmy John's in West Seattle? I'd be there at least once a week!

Posted 8 months ago #
JanS
Member Profile

Halyn..that's my fave at Jimmy John's, too...and I find their tuna subs highly addictive, too...

hmmm..there are two empty spaces at the retail building by the Admiral Safeway..maybe we should petition JJ's :)

Posted 8 months ago #
JanS
Member Profile

sadly, according to their website, there are no franchises available in King County at the moment :(

Posted 8 months ago #
dhg
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Hey Jan S, I, too, checked their website for franchise availability. It was after I first had one of their sandwiches in Pioneer Square. it looks like nothing available for any region I'd care to live in.

Posted 8 months ago #
GenHillOne
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Well there you go then...I admit, I rarely click on an unknown link!

Posted 8 months ago #
JanS
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dhg...there's a JJ down near Krispy Kreme on 1st Ave. Now, if they only delivered over the bridge :)

Posted 8 months ago #
TipprJen
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@SparklingSpirit --- Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I'm actually the rep who helped to put this deal together. I've reached out to the owner and I'm currently working on fixing this issue.

@GenHillOne --- This was a promotion between Tippr (a local Seattle based daily deal site) and a local Seattle Subway Franchise owner. The deal states the four locations in which you can redeem the voucher.

Posted 8 months ago #
TipprJen
Member Profile

I connected with Fraz, he's reaching out to his employees to make sure everyone knows how to redeem the vouchers. The vouchers are good for 1 sandwich, 1 chip and 1 soda(https://tippr.com/offer/promotion-for-subway/)as mentioned in the promotion.

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience as this is not how we intend for our deals to be. Fraz will be connecting with all of his employees and this should not be an issue moving forward.

If you have any further questions or concerns please feel free to reach me directly at: Jennifer@tippr.com as I'll be happy to help you.

Posted 8 months ago #
FullTilt
Member Profile

As a business owner, I have had some horrible dealings with TIPPR. Last year about this time I got a call from someone saying they were from King5. This was during the Best of Western Washington promo they run. The guy on the phone told me he could get me a spot on Evening Magazine if I signed up for this group buy promotion. All kinds of alarms are going off in my head hearing this. I asked him several times if he actually worked for King5 and he said he did every time.
I called king5 and they told me this guy does not work for them. He also said that they would never offer something like paying to be on their news show.

The next day I get a call from the same tippr guy saying he was with King5 and we had to do the deal today because of the production timeline. Then he went in to this line that if I could not do it right then, he was going to offer it to my competitor, and that they would be on Evening Magazine. He told me I was assured a spot on the Friday broad cast, but I had the sign the contract that he was going to email over right then. I asked him again if he was with King5 and he assure me he was. I then told him I had talked to King5 and they had told me was not employed there. What followed was a very long pause. Then he finally told me the name of his company. Tippr. I told him what he had just done was fraud and he hung up on me.

I called tippr and asked to talk to a sales manager. I was put through to a voicemail where I left my number and explained this story never heard back from anyone except the original sales guy that kept calling and trying to get me to sign up.

As a business owner I get calls from group buy deal companies almost every day, and it was not long before I got a call from a different Tippr sales rep. I explained to the woman who called why I was not going to use their services and about the original guy that tried to scam me. She told me she would have a manager call me. Never did. I have heard from about eight different sales reps from Tippr that cold call my shops. I have told each of them the same story and each one said they would have a manager call me. Not once has a manager called me back.

Posted 8 months ago #
chrisma
Member Profile

@Full Tilt: thanks for sharing your experience. I am somehow not surprised.

I would be interested in hearing from any business owners that have had a good experience with one of these deal companies. What's in it for you, as a business owner?

Posted 8 months ago #
Kimberley
Member Profile

Wow - thanks for sharing that FullTilt. If that's the way that these companies do business, I certainly don't want to use them - I'm going to unsubscribe from Tippr now. They may be a start-up but those business practices won't get them very far.

Posted 8 months ago #
ghar72
Member Profile

Very interesting article about how the Groupon-style deal works. Would be interested in hearing from businesses that have signed up for these deals if it pans out the way the article states.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/13/why-groupon-is-poised-for-collapse/

Posted 8 months ago #
chrisma
Member Profile

Fascinating article ghar72. Thanks for sharing.

I'm amused to read this because my initial reaction to things like Groupon is one of skepticism and distaste. I doubt I'd ever buy into one of these deals because my sense is the discount is coming out if something, and it's probably going to be the quality of the good or service you're purchasing.

TNSTAAFL: there's no such thing as a free lunch.

So far, that seems to be backed up by friends who have used the deal sites. Rarely has it been a truly good deal for them.

All in all, I'd rather pay regular prices for the things I consume to business that I want to support and trust that the owners are running their businesses in a sustainable way.

Posted 8 months ago #
squareeyes
Member Profile

That was a very interesting read, including the comments at the bottom.
Here's another article about a retailer who tried Living Social and Groupon and wrote about the experience.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/26/technology/groupon_vs_livingsocial/index.htm

Posted 8 months ago #
FullTilt
Member Profile

Actually, groupon was good for us. The rep I had has been great. We also set it up where we would not loose money on the deal. I am working on another groupon deal soon.

Posted 8 months ago #
TipprJen
Member Profile

@FullTilt --- I was the woman who called you in the past. As I was hoping we could work with you because I very much enjoy your ice cream, delicious!

I understand the confusion and concern in the past, we do work with a number of television stations within our network. They ask us to help source deals for them. The station asked us to help them source deals for their Best of Western Washington. There was an opportunity for some local businesses to possibly receive air time, which I believe the rep was trying to discuss.

Tippr is a daily deal site that doesn't charge businesses to work with them, there wouldn't have been a charge to be on the station's site or potentially to receive any coverage if your business was chosen to receive air time.

I do recall having my manager reach out to you at the end of June after our last conversation as I wanted to apologize for the last rep who reached out to you, the gentlemen you had mentioned. He no longer works here and hasn't since the beginning of this year. I wanted to apologize because I feel there was a miscommunication.

We do have many businesses that we work with locally that have enjoyed our services and that have received great results. I'm sorry that you didn't have the best initial introduction to our services. We have reached out to apologize in the past and I'm sorry to hear that you are still dissatisfied with our attempt to discuss this matter with you in June.

Posted 8 months ago #
datamuse
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I now officially hate the phrase "reach out to".

Posted 8 months ago #
SarahScoot
Member Profile

LOL, datamuse. I started a similar comment when I read this thread an hour ago, then thought better of it because I don't want to fuel the fire.
Since you started it, though, I'll just add that I despise "corporate speak": "reach out to," "connect with," "touch base," etc. I cannot take seriously a person who speaks like that on a regular basis. It's so devoid of authenticity.

Posted 8 months ago #
KBear
Member Profile

They need to source some new phrases.

Posted 8 months ago #
DBP
Member Profile

Cracking up over this discussion.

Sometimes I think language is wasted on humans.

(Never stops me from talking, though.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-QNAwUdHUQ

Posted 8 months ago #
Aurek
Member Profile

You people really need to get a life. She's just doing her job, and if she was all like "omg like we tried to call you and stuff," she'd be pissed on as well. The fact that she's even replying is more than a lot of businesses do.

So go back to packing your kid's lunch and mooching off your husband's money. I mean, get that out of the way, missy, as there's hundreds of other blogs you need to troll today! So busy you are!

Posted 8 months ago #
chrisma
Member Profile

Impactful
Incentivize
Partner (as a verb)

Arrgh!

Posted 8 months ago #
Que
Member Profile

Wow Aurek, for someone who just joined this community, those are some fairly incendiary comments to make about people....

Assumptions and misogyny much?

Posted 8 months ago #
Aurek
Member Profile

Yeah, assumptions get assumptions back: "It's so devoid of authenticity."

I guess I just feel for the Tipper person, as I work in the corporate world too. The fact that she's even posting on this blog says something positive to me.

Posted 8 months ago #
shed22
Member Profile

Not to threadjack, but . . . Datamuse, SarahScoot - what are some alternatives to "reach out to you", "connect with", "touch base"? I am being sincere. I work in phone based sales and would love to add more authentic language when "reaching out" to potential clients. I work with superintendents, principals, and other high level administrators in education that are very difficult to get "in touch" with. "I would like to talk with you about" or "I was hoping to have a conversation regarding" also doesn't seem to get much attention, especially when leaving voice messages. So what are the alternatives?

Posted 8 months ago #
KBear
Member Profile

"Reach out" is fine. Just don't do it 3 times in 2 paragraphs. The CNN Money article referenced above also used "reach out" several times, which probably added to the groan factor.

Posted 8 months ago #
JanS
Member Profile

Main Entry: communicate
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: give or exchange information, idea

Synonyms: acquaint, advertise, advise, announce, be in touch, betray, break, broadcast, carry, connect, contact, convey, correspond, declare, disclose, discover, disseminate, divulge, enlighten, get across, get through, hint, impart, imply, inform, interact, interface, keep in touch, let on, let out, make known, network*, pass on, phone, proclaim, publicize, publish, raise, reach out , relate, report, reveal, ring up, signify, spread, state, suggest, tell, touch base, transfer, transmit, unfold, write

Main Entry: contact
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: communicate with
Synonyms: approach, be in touch with, buzz*, call, check with, connect, get, get ahold of, get in touch with, interact, interface, network*, phone, reach, reach out , relate, speak to, talk, telephone, touch base, visit, write to
Antonyms: avoid

Main Entry: talk
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: discuss with another
Synonyms: argue, be in contact, canvass, carry on conversation, chew*, collogue, commune, confabulate, confer, confide, consult, contact, deliberate, dialogue, engage in conversation, exchange, go into a huddle, groupthink, have a meet, hold discussion, huddle, interact, interface, interview, join in conversation, keep in touch, negotiate, network*, palaver, parley, reach out , reason, relate, thrash out, touch base, touch*, vent, visit
Antonyms: refrain, refuse

Posted 8 months ago #
JanS
Member Profile

I esp. like "confabulate" - lol...

Posted 8 months ago #
datamuse
Member Profile

shed22, as the recipient of many a vendor solicitation at my job, I can tell you that the more specific you are about your intentions and hoped-for outcome, the better. "Talk with you about" is fine. "Reach out to you about" sounds like either a ministry or a personals service.

My issue with "reach out to" is that it's vague, feel-good phrasing that in this instance does not to me suggest any concrete amelioration of FullTilt's concerns. I'll grant you that that probably wasn't the intent.

Regarding your question: your potential clients are even busier than I am, and frankly I ignore four out of five solicitations I receive--and those I don't, are usually for products I was already aware of and considering. Your best chance lies in being specific, concrete, and brief, especially with regard to why they'd be interested in your product in the first place. (Also, not saying you do this, but while I'm thinking about it: NEVER badmouth a competitor's product. It just makes you look bad.)

Posted 8 months ago #
miws
Member Profile

But those words and phrases are simply tools of communication! ;-)

Mike

Posted 8 months ago #
hopey
Member Profile

Looks like this business owner has some issues in general. See this post:
http://westseattleblog.com/forum/topic/rant-filled-with-disappontmentand-disbelief

Posted 8 months ago #
TipprJen
Member Profile

@Hopey --- Thanks for the info, we really appreciate any feedback.

Posted 8 months ago #
FullTilt
Member Profile

@tipprJen "I do recall having my manager reach out to you at the end of June after our last conversation as I wanted to apologize for the last rep who reached out to you, the gentlemen you had mentioned."

Nope. No manger from your company has ever "reached out" to me. At least not with a telephone. That is the entire reason I am pissed. I had an employee of your company try to pressure me into a deal under false claims, and no one in your corporation seems to have any issue with that. Your employee lied repeatedly until I told him that I had spoken with King5, and no one at your company has ever tried to "reach out" and say that was wrong.

"We have reached out to apologize in the past and I'm sorry to hear that you are still dissatisfied with our attempt to discuss this matter with you in June. "
Having telemarketers repeatedly call and try to get me to sign up is not apologizing or trying to discuss this matter with me, it is a blind sales call.

Posted 8 months ago #
TipprJen
Member Profile

@FullTilt We do work with KING5 and Belo to help source deals for their daily deal site Yollar.

I remember having my manager call you about this as I asked him to do so.

I've put a note in our system to make sure that no one contacts you in the future.

I'm sorry to hear that you are still upset about the call, but as I had said before the rep no longer works here.

Posted 8 months ago #
Cait
Member Profile

One wonders why it took bad publicity for that note to be made...

Posted 8 months ago #
shed22
Member Profile

Thanks, Datamuse. I have learned over the years to be direct and succint, especially since I have very little time to deliver a message.

Fortunately, I represent an AMAZING product.

Posted 8 months ago #
ketchup
Member Profile

I now officially hate the word "AMAZING"

Posted 8 months ago #