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2.2 125 Reviews

Restaurant.com Complaints Summary

33 Resolved
82 Unresolved
Our verdict: When using services from Restaurant.com with a poor resolution rate, be vigilant. Understand the common pitfalls other customers have faced. Prepare thoroughly for any interactions with their customer service, and consider alternative solutions if your issues are not addressed satisfactorily.
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Restaurant.com reviews & complaints 125

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ComplaintsBoard
G
1:32 pm EST
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Restaurant.com Bad service

The day before my aniversary I decided to buy my husband a gift certificate from Restaurant.com, paid right away $40 and my aniversary was ruined, had to tell my husband I have bought something that did not arrive (nov 15), as his birthday was yesterday, though at least would be able to use it by them and invite him for a nice dinner. Tried to call more than 30 times, for the past 5 days, no matter what day or what time there is nobody that ever picks up the phone and you are always forced to leave a message (what I did not as I dont like to talk to machines) I also emailed customer service twice and no answer. NOW I MIGHT HAVE TO WAIT 45 DAYS OR MORE TO HAVE MY MONEY BACK... the good thing is that I used a wonderful company PAYPAL and They will help me retrieve my money from this company. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS PEOPLE, CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFERS NO SERVICE!

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Lucille J
Congers, US
Jul 02, 2010 1:36 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I love restaurant.com. I just bought about 40 certificates and used my printer to print them out.

I have so far used 3 certificates so far.

I always purchase additional items, such as a cocktail, appertizer and coffee & dessert.

I am still saving $25 and have a wonderful full course meal.

The people that are complaining are probably the type of people that the restaurant can do without because all they want to do is spend the $25 and they will never return.

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indy1ryan
Indianapolis, US
Mar 29, 2010 9:02 am EDT

The one time I purchased a coupon for a restaurant that had closed, they cheerfully replaced it with a different restaurant with no question or problem. I have purchased coupons for various area restaurants and had great experiences. You must print the coupons on your own home printer!

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claude kaz
West Seneca, US
Mar 19, 2010 7:28 am EDT

the certificates are not mailed to you, you have to print them on your computer. also, about not getting in touch with them by phone, check the no. had no problem calling them at all. some times a rest. will either go out of business or stop participating in the program, i had no problem redeeming a cert. for another rest. GREAT COMPANY...have many more to use !

ComplaintsBoard
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9:18 am EDT

Restaurant.com unauthorized purchases with my credit card

I am writing about restaurant.com and the scam they are doing to custmers who purchase gift certicates on their site. It is unethical, and they are doing it for ecomomic gain without your consent.
When you purchase a gift certificate, you are unwillingly letting them sign you up for a company called Shopping Essentials which bills your credit card for $14.95 per month. Restaurant.com has over 3, 000, 000 visits per month and about 5% of people purchase the gift certificate. If 150, 000 gift certificates are sold per month and they are billing $14.95 per month, it works out to $2, 242, 500 per month. Thats a huge number and they are doing it without your knowlege. I bought my gift certificate in May of 2008 and my first bill for Shopping Esstentials was July 2008. Apparently they wait a month so you forget that you purchased it over the internet and dont link it to them. As a restaurant consumer, I am appalled that a company would steal money from me in this nature. As a restaurant owner, I would not allow my reputation in the community be destroyed because some company is scamming my customers. Its not the restaurants fault, they DO NOT receive any money and are unaware its happening. They are legitimate, and using the program correctly. Restaurant.com should be ashamed of themselves for scamming unsuspecting people from their hard earned money, and also risking the restaurants reputation by cross selling products customers are not seeking. I hope the restaurant owners out there are reading this because you are unwillingly scamming your customers without your consent. Pass this on to restaurants. I am.

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Shane2009
Chapel Hill, US
Nov 18, 2009 7:52 am EST

I have had a same experience with restaurant.com. Two years ago after buying certificates from it and looking at credit card statement a few months later, I noticed a monthly $14.95 charge from Shopping Esstentials which is the result of buying the certificates from restaurant.com. At that time, it was too late to file an complain tp credit card issuer and get money back. I will never do any business with restaurant.com!

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restaurant.comarescammers
, US
Jan 28, 2009 11:33 am EST

thanks for letting me know- I just got taken by the same scam, I plan to contact my cities convention and visitors ctr as well so they can pass along the word to other restaurant owners about these clowns- tell EVERYONE you know in the industry and pass the word along.

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restaurant owner
,
Oct 24, 2008 9:15 pm EDT

I just emailed you a couple of days ago. I sent a link to this
site to a district manager for restaurant.com I am happy to
say that after weeks of struggling to cancel a restaurant contract with restaurant.com I received a telephone call day
cancelling the contract and taking down our restaurant from
their site. I am so happy to be rid of the fraudulent service
that prays upon both the restaurant owners and their customers. Believe me restaurant owners do not want to
participate with such businesses. You are so right they have
never responded to any emails that I have sent or telephone
messages other than transferring me and putting me on hold
on a voice mail.

ComplaintsBoard
V
8:00 am EST
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Restaurant.com Scam and unauthorized charges!

In July 2007, I signed up for a coupon on restaurant.com to a restaurant near where I work. In JANUARY, Shopping Essentials Plus (an on-line shopping site of some kind) began charging my credit card for some type of membership fee for some type of services I never knew about and never requested. I traced the charges back to restaurant.com, but they claimed I must have signed up for Shopping Essentials Plus when I filled out an on-line questionnaire on their site.

I went back and reviewed restaurant.com's terms and conditions of use, and it states nothing about giving your credit card information to Shopping Essentials Plus, which is exactly what they did, without permission. Restaurant.com claimed no responsibility and simply referred me to Shopping Essentials Plus.

When I called Shopping Essentials Plus, I have to say, they were very nice. The lady I spoke to, Kanika, was apologetic and said she would credit the the membership charges back to my card. Restaurant.com was clearly not apologetic at all.

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lalala007
saint joseph, US
Mar 20, 2011 12:52 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

look ppl if you do read the fine print its all there if someone gets info about a rest obvisouly they have sighned up, they dont pull the inffo out of the sky now do they?

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Olguitabonita
Covina, US
Jan 06, 2011 1:35 am EST

I had the same problem...soo embarrassing! The last one I tried to used was posted as "new"...the clerk told me they no longer have a business relationship...I am scared of using the other ones I bought...

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jojomojo
Lakewood, US
Dec 22, 2010 3:27 am EST

We have been to two restaurants that have refused to honor the Restaurants.Com certificates which we purchased last week (at 80% off), both claiming that neither of them have a relationship/contract with Restaurants.com.
This was not an issue with time of day, total amount of purchase, etc. or other fine print of which I am aware.
This is smelling like a big scam!

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mlp137
struthers, US
Dec 05, 2010 12:02 am EST

READ ALL OF THE FINE PRINT! Yes some have stipulations. ex. spend $35 min excludes alcohol and includes 18% gratuity. They are not fake or a scam to me. I just used one at a local diner. Our bill was $45.00 the cost was $22.00. As with anything real the fine print. Call the restaurant, ask them if it's legit. Common sense people.

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BCK9900
, US
Dec 03, 2010 4:26 am EST

The Falcon- are you just a total sexist or a [censor]? Perhaps a bit of both. I don't know what the "hunters" have done to you but it is time to get rid of all those cats in your mobile home; shave your legs and get back to work.

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The Falcon
Cape May Courthouse, US
Nov 27, 2010 12:39 pm EST

Invariably, the people taken advantage of in these circumstances are always men who are in a hurry and are naive to these "opt-out" boxes to check or uncheck. I know this discussion area doesn't qualify as "scientific", but it is nevertheless interesting that all the men were "ripped off" and the two women respondents easily handled the requirements to avoid being "ripped off". Men are supposed to be the "Hunters", women the "Gatherers" from the beginning of time. This is a perfect example of bad hunters who got caught by the sabre-toothed tiger... Having learned this lesson I have taught my son how to avoid being "scammed", and you guys ought to learn from your mistakes, and pass it on to your male offspring, the girls you produce will be able to figure it out on their own - they are all born with the "shopping gene" which is akin to that "gatherer" business... Learn to hunt...

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BKorb
Santa Cruz, US
Nov 11, 2010 10:48 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Glad you had such a good experience, Dave. I spoke with them very politely and worked my way up the pecking order, but they were adamant about only returning one month. Based on my Googling, it is clear that they only have pissed off customers. My credit card company crammed a second refund down their throats, but I am still out 10 payments of 11.95. So, now, I am on a campaign to let the world know that Chase Bank and our legal system allows obvious criminals to sucker the public.

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DaveYeah
Philadelphi, US
Mar 30, 2010 10:51 am EDT

Dave again...

After my last post, I spoke to a representative of Shopping Essentials plus, and she passed me on to a supervisor who confirmed that I will be getting back all of the fees that they took from my account. I just looked in my account, and indeed there has been credits for every one of my payments, which added up to the total fees that I calculated. The whole situation took under a week to resolve.

To the companies credit, (or perhaps to the credit of their customer reps...) the refund process was relatively painless. I spent more time fretting than I did dealing with the company. My instinct was to ready myself for a high blood pressure inducing battle, but I just kept calm and everything went okay.

If you just call Shopping Essentials and be nice and explain that you didn't know you were signing up for SE+, you will hopefully have the same experience I had.

-Dave

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DaveYeah
Philadelphi, US
Mar 26, 2010 9:55 am EDT

Well, I guess I spoke too soon. I just got an email confirming my "membership" cancellation (where by membership I mean they take money out of my account) and they are only refunding one month of fees. I sent an email telling them I want my entire fee history back and will call later this afternoon.

-Dave

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DaveYeah
Philadelphi, US
Mar 24, 2010 11:50 am EDT

I fell for the same thing as the OP, and my girlfriend just discovered the problem after over a year of charges (I'm pretty bad at checking out my bank account info... my own personal failure...)

I just got off the phone with a representative from Shopping Essentials. I didn't have an account number and the system did not recognize my phone number, so I waited for a representative to pick up the line; she took my email address, which apparently pulled my account successfully since she asked me if I was the person whose name was on the account.

I explained my situation in the following way (paraphrased, of course):

"I signed up for restaurants.com last January, and was unwittingly signed up for shopping essentials as well; I have never signed into your web site and was not aware of the charges, and I would like to have my account cancelled and a refund of my payments."

I tried to sound nice as possible, as the person on the phone with me is NOT the person who devised what may be considered a scam; they just want to do their job.

The individual that I spoke with told me that she'd credit my bank account and cancel my shopping essentials account, and gave me her name and a confirmation number.

I REALLY don't know how I signed up for this; I'm the type of person who avoids signing up for anything that might lead to spam, ignores all "special offers, " and I'm very net-savvy and protective of my information. I'm not presuming that my "No, thanks" to the offer was ignored, but I'm just puzzled by the whole situation.

I'll come back here in a few days to let everyone know if this case is closed successfully.

-Dave

ComplaintsBoard
B
12:00 am EDT

Restaurant.com Buyers beware, they are shysters!

Restaurant.com, Shysters!

I was overcharged for certificates I purchased. I've made several attempts to get in touch by email or phone.

They won't answer emails or pick-up phone... Shysters!

Buyers Beware, they are SHYSTERS!

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JAC DESHA
Hernando, US
Nov 13, 2012 4:30 pm EST

11-13-12

MY USES FOR THE COUPONS ARE MOSTLY TO GIVEMY REALESTATE CLIENTS FOR A GREAT MEAL --THEY DO NOT MIND PAYING THE BALANCE !

I HAVEHADNUMEROUS QUESTIONS OVER THE 2 YEARS WITH RESTAURANTS, COM AND ALWAYS -ALWAYS I WAS HELPED TO THE INTH DEGREE AND MMOST RECENTLY BU JERLISA WHITE - SHE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TELLING MWE SHORTCUTS TO THE PROGRAM --I WAS LOST IN THE SIT -FROM NOT USING IT OFTEN ENOUGH FOR MYSELF--NOW I AM FINE AND THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HELPFUL ! JAC DESHA-FLA

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SMOOTH OPERATORS
Albuquerque, US
May 17, 2012 3:31 am EDT

Great Customer Service from :
Christina Catalan...Rob Vorhies...William Weimer...

I messed up trying to purchase gift certificates each one of these Customer Service Rep's were all 10's...
when I sent out an email for help they all immediately responded and resolved each of my issues.

It is a wonderful experience to have a knowledgeable rep help you. A+'s to each of them.

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Lori Waite
Oregon City, US
Nov 03, 2011 9:32 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

On November 2, 2011, I purchased a $25 certificate for $10. When I hit the "print" button, a center message popped up giving a message about the coupon: I must have a $50 minimum purchase. Minimum purchases were not mentioned in their "terms and conditions". The next day, I called [protected], and spoke with an agent named Julie Krumwidee. I explained the above information. After checking with her boss, she credited back the $10.00. She explained that since i just became a member on the day (11/2) I made the purchase, she would give me a one-time courtesy favor of reversing the charge. I remained pleasant the entire time and she mirrored back great customer service. Just remember...if it sounds too good to be true, read the entire fine print. When I revisited restaurant.com and the restaurant site, the minimum purchase was actually stated on the screen: There was a message in red that said something about a promo code, and then right under it in black print, was "on a minimum purchase of $50". I was too much in a hurry to read EVERYTHING!

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LathamJoe T
, US
Jun 24, 2011 8:02 pm EDT

My friend, Charlie, earned $100 in gift certificates with Restaurant.com. I assisted him in printing out $50 worth of certificates in January 2011. Recently, We attempted to print out the remaining $50 but could not find a current portal for access. Upon sending an email to the website's customer service dept., I received a prompt and helpful reply from William Weimer of Restaurant.com.
We have obtained the remaining gift certifcates and we are thankful to Mr. Weimer for his excellent customer service.

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Joy De Lara
San Rafael, US
Jun 30, 2010 6:19 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I live in San Rafael, California. I bought the $25 gift certificate for $2.00. I don't own a printer so I emailed Restaurant.com my situation and certificate number.

A week later Bryan in Customer Service emailed me he had mailed my certificate to me from Chicago. It arrived today for a great local restaurant.

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lah lee lah
Asheboro, US
Mar 12, 2010 10:42 pm EST

I don't think the minimum purchase amount changing is fraud, it's a matter of website design. Apparently a lot of people don't see that the radio buttons to the left of the coupon values (on the list of participating restaurants) are meant to be selected and the conditions listed below will change accordingly. Did you really think you were going to use a coupon for $50 off on a meal of $35, thus getting the meal practically for free? What would be the point, to the restaurant? "Come on in, folks, free food!"

The other two complaints do not divulge sufficient detail. Is there some disagreement about the time frame in which free promo discount coupons can be used? I don't understand the disagreement.

And Mr./Ms. Runyon, in what way were you overcharged?

Sorry, but none of this was very helpful.

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Harvey Zwyer
, US
Feb 16, 2009 6:39 pm EST

these people hide behind the legal agreement when you set up the account. The fraud is that the minimum amount changes as you select the coupon you want.

Then when you get the coupon wow watch out, you will get screwed. An honest vendor would have returned the money if a customer was not satisfied with one week.

SCAM, SCAM, SCAM

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Bob Diliberto
,
Jul 08, 2008 9:14 am EDT

Ms. Guitierrez,
I have a copy of the promotion email sent to me, however since you are being very stubborn about making good on your deal and also not willing to give a refund, I will once again ask nicely for either a refund or my free certificate. If you decide on neither I will forward the promotional email to the local BBB and the local fox TV investigator, and have them both contact you for resolution. In case you forgot here is the infor once again!

6/22/2008

get $25 gift certificates for only $4 and save 60%. plus, get a free $10
gift certificate with every order!

robert di liberto

[protected] $10.00 grumpy's cafe
[protected] $10.00 grumpy's cafe
[protected] $10.00 grumpy's cafe
[protected] $10.00 grumpy's cafe
[protected] $25.00 mcnulty's
[protected] $25.00 mcnulty's

Robert Di Liberto

----- Original Message ----
From: yvonne gutierrez
To: Bob D
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2008 10:57:36 AM
Subject: RE: free cerificate not received->7/1/2008 1:52:32 AM

Dear Robert,

I apologize for the inconvenience, the promotional emails do state the dates
that the promotion are valid for, so that is why I could not honor the
discount for this order. Since you agreed to our terms and conditions we can
not issue a refund. If the certificates are under the 90 day exchange
period, with accordance to our terms, I can only send you a credit to the
Restaurant.com website.

Yvonne Gutierrez
Customer Service
ygutierrez@restaurant.com
[protected]

Please tell my boss how I am doing by e-mailing myboss@restaurant.com

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Paula
,
Apr 01, 2008 9:09 am EDT

They ripped me off. I reread it and there was nothing about giving my creditcard to another company. I got the 'survey' line also, and the only thing on the site is an already marked box stating if you want to hear of other offers type of thing.

ComplaintsBoard
D
12:00 am EDT
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

Restaurant.com - This company is a scam!

Hello, I recently bought some certificate from restaurant.com. The purchase was paid with my credit and but I didn't not receive any certificate. I try to contact the company about the certificate through multiple emails and phone calls. I didn't get a reply through email and when I try to call no one pick up the phone. I hope that no one will do business with this company because it is all just a scam. DK

Read full review of Restaurant.com and 71 comments

Restaurant.com Customer Reviews Overview

Restaurant.com is a popular online platform that connects diners with local restaurants. The website offers a wide range of dining options, including casual eateries, fine dining establishments, and everything in between. Customers can purchase discounted gift certificates to use at their favorite restaurants, making it an affordable way to enjoy a night out.

One of the biggest advantages of Restaurant.com is the variety of restaurants available. With thousands of options across the United States, customers can find something to suit their tastes and budget. The website is easy to navigate, with search filters that allow users to narrow down their options by location, cuisine, price range, and more.

Another positive aspect of Restaurant.com is the savings. Gift certificates are available at a fraction of their face value, meaning customers can enjoy a meal out without breaking the bank. The website also offers regular promotions and discounts, making it even more affordable to dine out.

Overall, Restaurant.com is a great resource for anyone looking to explore local dining options. With a wide range of restaurants to choose from and significant savings available, it's a great way to enjoy a night out without spending a fortune.
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