is it a deal or no deal?

unless you've been living in a cave or some remote island with no internet access for the past year or so, you would know that deal sites or groupon sites have been popping everywhere. you can say that i'm a fan and for good reasons. deal sites/groupon sites give you a chance to try new places to eat for usually a cheaper price. a lot of sites have also offered deals for travel. and of course i've also managed to take advantage of a few deals myself. but caveat emptor (buyer beware), do your due diligence. not all sites are created equal. some are scams while some take advantage of unaware buyers. 

some tips before you click buy and finalize payment:

1. a little research won't hurt. try to find out if you're really getting a good deal or you're just being taken for a ride.

2. for travel deals, check the merchant and the schedule. make sure that the travel period  of the deal matches your plans. if possible, call ahead to check if bookings are possible. i've heard a lot of horror stories about deals going sour because of so many reasons. 

3. as i mentioned above, not all sites are created equal. what do i mean? make sure that the site will be able to deliver the goods, so to speak. sometimes, if it's too good to be true, it probably can't be trusted. a lot of sites have come under fire for not being able to deliver. don't be a victim. 

4. read the fine print. always always read the fine print. some of the typical details that people fail to check are block-out dates. most merchants also require reservations. make sure you call ahead to make your reservation. 

now for the good part. so as to not totally discourage you from checking out deal sites, here are some of the deals that i've bought in the past. i'll post the deal and from what site i bought it from.

1. bellaroca - deal grocer; 1 terraza for 4 people (3d2n) for only P 23,600.00

2. sheridan beach resort - deal grocer; 1 deluxe pool view room (3d2n) for 2 for only P10,600.00

3. spiral buffet - cashcashpinoy; P1,392.00 per person

4. xintiandi dimsum all-you-can - deal grocer; P788.00 per person

5. 1 month unlimited classes at planet infinity - ensogo; P699.00

6. 10 classes at gold's gym - metrodeal; P1,000.00 

of course i can't enumerate all the deals i've bought because for one, there's just too many of them and another, i can't remember all of them. (though i have kept all the vouchers, or at least the pdfs for future reference). hopefully this post has helped you in one way or another! happy safe buying! ;)