Deal.com.sg - NO DEAL

IT SOUNDED too good to be true. And it was.

Early last month, online coupon site Deal.com.sg dangled a four-day trip to Bangkok which included a four-star hotel stay and return airfare on premium airlines for $188 - about half the stated original price. Customers had 18 hours to buy the coupons.

But some holiday-makers who took up the offer found that the deal contained high additional charges and did not offer a choice of airline or hotel, despite several airlines and hotels being listed in the promotion. The travel agency in the deal also took at least a month to confirm bookings.

The additional charges involved had increased the price to as much as $426. The complaints surfaced on Deal's Facebook page, with the promotion drawing about 1,100 comments.

To pacify upset customers, Deal.com.sg issued 211 refunds, which is less than 10 per cent of the number of packages bought. It is the first reported incident of mass refunds for online coupon sites here.

ORIGINAL SOURCE