Groupon Reviews: A Low Bar for High Status

Groupon, like mana of the gods, supplies us lowly suburbanites with experiences we’d never otherwise be able to afford.

Bowling for four at 30% off? Time to have a family! Only $25 for a $50 credit at the steak house? No one needs to be vegan all the time! Three massages for the price of two? I am ready to be touched all over!

While some (most?) may scoff at the idea of actually using Groupon, there are deals to be had, and those deals can sometimes lead you to a more exciting and fulfilled life. Of course there are also crap deals, crap products, and artificially inflated prices that are then discounted to something they should’ve been anyway.

But that’s why the internet has reviews. That way the money you spend is well spent, and your decisions are informed by those who’ve gone before you.

BUT, there are some things you might want to know about reviews on Groupon. Just like how the site overall can feel a little off, the same can be said of the review section.

The Basics

Typical of any online seller, if you order something through Groupon or buy admission/tickets to an event, a follow up email will hit your inbox, asking you to rate the purchase:

Interacting with the email will bring you to a Groupon page where you’ll then select the star rating and either type a text review or simply leave it with stars.

Additionally, you can review your purchases by going to My Groupons, either in the App or on the site, and viewing the item details for any particular purchase:

So far, so good, all seems normal. And viewing reviews seems fairly normal as well. While you might not be able to search for keywords (like you might in Amazon/Google/Yelp reviews), various keywords are listed, as well as a handful of sorting options:

Again, this all looks normal, good, and above the board. Of particular comfort is the note that all reviews are from real people.

Here’s a bit from Groupon itself on how seriously it treats reviews:

Ratings and reviews on Groupon fall under Groupon's User Generated Content Policy (UGC). Our UGC policy is one of a neutral third-party platform as its purpose is to serve as an avenue to share public information. With that in mind, we are only able to remove a customer review if it is deemed factually inaccurate, unlawful, or in violation of Groupon's terms of use.

In addition, Groupon's anti misrepresentation policy applies to ratings and reviews left on Groupon. Merchants leaving ratings and reviews on their own deals or on their competitors deals where they pose as genuine independent Groupon customers are in violation of this policy and will face the penalties outlined in it.

And that anti-misrepresentation policy is worth reading, so here it is in an image:

It all sounds like Groupon has set its sights on doing the right thing, doing right by the consumer, and to be honest, I’m sure most online sellers have comparable policies in place. The point here is that Groupon looks to be doing a good job.

Buuut there’s a tiny catch.

Even if the reviews posted on their site are legitimate, it doesn’t mean they aren’t influencing you in slightly seedy ways. Case in point, the Top Reviewer and Helpful Reviewer badges that sit by reviewer names, drawing your eyes to their reviews, giving you warm fuzzies because you’ve found someone you can trust.

You’re familiar with the concept. It’s like a Yelp Elite or a Google Guide, an Amazon Vine Voice and so on. These are powerhouses of reviews, buying, writing, informing the masses.

Well, not so much on Groupon. To be fair, a simple mouse-over reveals this information, but it is still a bit misleading to, well, just look:

Yeah. You don’t need dozens of high quality reviews, plus a nomination like a Yelp Elite. You don’t need expertise is a certain product area like a Top Reviewer on Amazon. Just a whopping FIVE text-based reviews to become a Top Reviewer and get that purple glam by your name. To become an undying symbol of trustworthiness. And to be helpful? Have helped two people. TWO!

Again, by and large, it looks like Groupon is doing the right thing, but this was someone’s decision. That low of a bar to become a more influential user. Maybe it persuades said user to buy and review even more, flexing their muscle of entitlement. Maybe it persuades prospective buyers to, well, go ahead and buy, because these big shots say it’s good.

Maybe that’s all fine. Or maybe it stinks, just a little.