Daily Deal Site SaveMore Accused of Being a Scam


The Better Business Bureau has issued an alert to the public about daily deals site SaveMore.com, which according to over 1,000 complaints “took money for daily deal coupons, never delivered.” This case illustrates one of the risks of dealing with daily deal sites whether as a consumer or as a business offering the deals. If the operator of the daily deal site does not follow through and honor the deal that it sold, it leaves a trail of spitting-mad consumers and legitimate businesses that may lose money and get their reputations sullied in the process when unhappy consumers complain.

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According to the Better Business Bureau, customers in 45 out of the 50 U.S. states have filed complaints. SaveMore has a BBB rating of F, the lowest possible. Michelle Corey, BBB president and CEO, is quoted as saying the number of consumers affected is astonishing. “We may never know how many people were taken in by this company,” she said.

SaveMore shares close ownership ties with Douglas Van Arsdale, founder of debt settlement company, Credit Solutions of America. Credit Solutions was sued in 2009 by several state attorneys general. Daily Deals Media points out more about the people and network of companies surrounding SaveMore.  The article also points out that a number of the “merchants” featured on the SaveMore website are actually affiliated with SaveMore in some way.

It also appears that legitimate small businesses have not been paid for deals that SaveMore issued in their name, and have filed complaints.

As of this writing the SaveMore.com website is still up and running. The site is still apparently accepting money from unsuspecting consumers, and possibly snaring more unaware small businesses to sign up to offer deals.  The site claims to have saved over $9 million — the only question is for whom!

There’s a lot of press right now about Groupon and its IPO, but in my view the real story in the daily deal space is not about a legitimate company like Groupon. Rather, it’s always been about the potential for fraudsters playing in this space. Just look at the daily deals business model. It’s simply too easy to set up a website, collect email addresses, and purport to sell people something in the form of a voucher or coupon – and then pocket the money.  Even a legitimate daily-deals company with the  best of intentions can run into trouble and find the money all too tempting when the rent is due.

And then consumers and small business merchants get hurt.

46 Comments ▼

Anita Campbell Anita Campbell is the Founder, CEO and Publisher of Small Business Trends and has been following trends in small businesses since 2003. She is the owner of BizSugar, a social media site for small businesses.

46 Reactions
  1. Outfits like these guys give those of us working hard to do it right a bad name.

    • Hi Steve, I agree. Fraud is a real issue and there are players who have historically skirted the edge or gone over the edge, who are attracted to the daily deal space. That’s a shame for legitimate daily deal operators.

      – Anita

  2. Oh heavens. I hope they get shut down ASAP.

    • Me too, Robert! You know, I am completely against governments being able to just shut down websites if someone complains about copyright, without due process, a recent piece of legislation was attempting to do.

      But you’d think in a case like this, that someone could step in and file with a court requesting a temporary restraining order from operating the site or at least making more sales.

      – Anita

  3. This is a perfect example of why it pays to be ethical in every business endeavor you embark upon.

    • Yes, Colin. Your reputation follows you around, and today, with the Web, that bad press is going to stick for years. So even if you reform and attempt to recover, it’s going to be hard.

      – Anita

  4. They got me on 2 deals…I tried to call and email and recoup my money. I will now file with my credit card company.

  5. I hope they get shut down. I was one of those that was taken.

  6. They are scammers-in December they ran a special for a $25 gift card from Barnes & Noble for $15-I ordered it as a Christmas gift-it never arrived and the one customer service person I was able to reach told me they were on “back order”-that was 6 months ago and I haven’t been able to reach a live person since. I wonder what the folks at Barnes & Noble think about their company being part of the scam…

    • Yes, I got the same one! Barnes and Noble for $15… My poor mom got 2 of them! and I called and got the same answer… They even gave me a $10 credit to my account, ha! If i were smart I would have filed with my credit card company but I think it’s way too late now.

      • It’s worth a shot to see if your credit card company will refund…give them a call and see. Can’t hurt to try.

  7. Mike the Gardener

    Our company ran a deal with SaveMore. We were paid for the vouchers sold, but we did have some customers contact us that they were having issues retrieving their vouchers from the company.

  8. SaveMore.com is shutdown as of today!!! They deleted their Facebook page just minutes after their last status update of “Closed….”.
    Glad to hear they won’t be scamming anyone anymore!

  9. My husband and I both purchased deals for Walgreens from Savemore.com that we never received. The deal was $5 for $10 at Walgreens, what a deal right?! Or so I thought. We purchased two of them. There was a “link” to retrieve it, but it kept saying that the page is longer available. Called in about 10 times through out one entire month assuming they were a small busy company. Finally gave up after no reply to emails or multiple phone calls. I just want my money back or my voucher. Any law suits in the air on this one so people like me can file with it?

    • SiprutPc is investestigating the number is 312-588-1440. Lawyer is Gregg M. Barbakoff.
      I was robbed by those crooks too and am glad that the hammer is finally coming down on them. Douglas van Arsdale is worse than Bernie Madoff imo and after the credit solutions of America scam came to light I have no idea why the government would allow someone like that to continue on just to scam more hard working Americans.

  10. Savemore duped me too – they had an offer at Christmas time for a $25 giftcard for Barnes & Noble for $15 dollars…never saw it and can’t reach a live person at the phone number they provide. I reported it to Barnes & Noble in hope they can also take some action.

  11. Savemore duped me too on 2 deals, one was papajohn’s pizzas for $6.00 you can $12.00 worth of food. the other one was auto zone ,I paid 15.00 for 25.00 gift card.I have email them a lots of time, and also call them.

  12. I also paid 15.00 for an auto zone card which never came – what do I do at this point?

    • You can try to get your money back thru whoever was your payment source…either a credit card or your bank. Don’t waste any time though because there is a time limit of like 6 months. I got refunded on 2 out of 3 of the deals they took me for. One of them was too old.

  13. The site was finally closed down. Not sure when but glad to see it done. I only hope they don’t open another site with a different name. They took me on 3 deals back in November. I reported them to the BBB and the Attorney General of Texas. I got replies from them but never got any follow up to see if anything was done…I’m thinking no.

  14. I have a gift certificate that I have not redeemed yet what should I do?

  15. the first deal i bought i got it the second deal i bought i only got half of it and contacted them several times with no response from anyone…. wont do this again

  16. THese guys took my money for a deal at Burger King, the worse was that I recommended the site to several of my friends and they also got ripped off by the same company, I feel so bad that I recommended these crooks….
    I would be glad to testify against them if a process is opened against them…..

  17. As of Sept 24, the SaveMore site is down. I actually wanted to try (for the 10+ time) to get in touch with someone there to get my money back for two deals I purchased and attempted to redeem at the same time. I hope a suit opens against them. I’d jump on and testify in a heartbeat!

  18. the website worked great for me , sad to see it go

  19. Someone needs to shut down these blood sucking leaches. How disgraceful to dupe all of these unsuspecting hard working people out off their hard earned money during these hard times. People are simply trying to stretch their dollar a little and buy bargains. Sudden Values is another of these companies that are run by such low down scum. If someone scams you on the street and takes your money they get arrested. Why then, after the on line scam companies have been identified as fakes, are they allowed to remain in business and take the money from people that are barely able to make ends meet. I would be willing to bet that the CEO’s of these companies are driving Mercedes and eating steaks with no remorse. How can we shut them down sooner?

  20. Sorry, but Suddenvalues.com is still up and running. I get emails from them almost every day and can’t stop them

  21. The point is: these guys are crooks. They are hurting unsuspecting people and they are also making reputable sites look bad. I have not claimed anything with my credit card company, although I suspect it wouldn’t be terribly difficult now that the site is down (I say that, but the things I purchased were made about a year ago) and you have a supportive bank. I am not a fan of law suits, but these guys deserve it.

    • If you pay for anything on these sites, use an AMEX or similar card if possible. They will protect you and will not charge you if you don’t get what you purchased. payPal will not reumburse you for any money spent when you get scammed, they will only arbritrate on your behalf. I always used them, because I thought they protected you but I dound out that they don’t. Be sure to only pay with a credit card that will let you dispute a charge and protect you. By all means, check with the better business bureau or other such company rhat researches and collects complaints against companies.

      • I have gotten refunds from Paypal when I haven’t received items. Yes, they will try to arbitrate but when no one responds after a certain amount of time they will then refund the money…at least that has been my experience. I usually pay for online purchases with my debit card. I bank with a large nationwide bank and they protect against fraud.

      • I actually called Paypal today to check on this very subject because I bought an Ipad from another site and thought I was protected by PayPal. After all of this mess with the other company I got paranoid and called PayPal to ask them if I was protected. They said I was but only as far as them going to bat for me, not to refund my money. I also thought I read somewhere that it was illegal to charge a credit card until the item was shipped but apparently that is not true. I’m keeping my fingers crossed regarding my Ipad but I don’t get a warm fuzzy feeling. I believe I will be avoiding any on line deals from now on. Too bad for the legitimate companies to be dragged down with these loosers.

      • That’s strange because I have gotten refunds 2 times when I either couldn’t work out the problem with the seller or when I couldn’t reach the seller. Also, I have been a seller on Ebay and they don’t release the money to the seller until you can prove you have shipped the item. They take the money from the payer’s account but they put a hold on it. I had a hold for a couple of weeks on one sale because the guy that bought the item from me was local so we just met up instead of him paying shipping charges. Good luck with your IPad. I’m jealous lol.

  22. how do I get back my money fr savemore? would like to know is there a site where people go to get refunds?
    thank you
    Georgina

    • They closed down. You can’t get your money back from them. They are crooks. I tried for months to get them to refund my money when the site was still active and they ignored me. Sorry but there isn’t anything that can be done now…it has been too long to even get a refund from your bank or credit cards.

  23. I just received this e-mail from “Savemore” in my spam folder – I had a very bad experience with Savemore in 2011 – seems they are trying to revive themselves under another name now – I wouldn’t recommend “WeeklyPlus.com”!!!!

    Dear SaveMore Customer

    SaveMore would like to wish you a Happy New Year and reach out to you regarding your account. We understand that you have been missing out on some great opportunities to save money.

    WeeklyPlus.com has a fantastic reputation “A rating on the BBB” for over 3 years and they’re known for taking excellent care of their customers. WeeklyPlus.com also offers some of the best local deals & over 40 weekly national deals are available. Things like $14 for an LED Lighted Mouse Pad Featuring Any NFL Team Logo & more nationwide. Continue to save more on the things you love with world class customer support.

    Happy Shopping,
    The SaveMore Team

    If you no longer wish to receive emails, please Unsubscribe

    12700 Park Central Drive, 21st floor, Dallas, TX 75251

    • Wow, they have a lot of nerve. I knew he would resurface, it was only a matter of time. You should send that email to the BBB in Dallas which is where they were previously located. I would also send it to the BBB in Denver which is where this entity is located. What a schmuck!!! I no longer purchase from those types of companies after getting burned by Savemore but thanks for the heads up all the same.

  24. I bought a voucher from them from livestrong or something of the sort to get a digital bathroom scale. in Jan 2012. Never recevied my scale. 🙁 Junk! But Im glad they are shut down! They were ripping money off people left and right!

  25. I also bought a certificate from SaveMore. The code they provided would not work. I contacted the merchant and they couldn’t help. Now I’m left with nothing as it is too late to file with my credit card, even though it is AMEX. It’s only 60 days for most credit cards.