'Daily Deal' Offers For Painting Services? Buyer Beware!

One of the most popular ways to purchase products and services online today is through group buying websites.  And painting services are no exception. 

Most of you have heard of sites like Groupon and Living Social who offer 'the deal of the day', which features a particular product or service that is being promoted for a short period of time - usually just a few days - before the deal closes.

The concept that makes these sites work so well is that the buyer gets a great deal because the seller is getting a large volume of business in return for discounting what's being sold.  A win-win for both the customer and the company.

So What Could Go Wrong?

In most cases, if you're buying discounted painting services on a group buying website everything works out as advertised.  However, as the Better Business Bureau reports, "a bargain price is no deal if the product (or service) isn't delivered."

In this recent Ohio BBB article there are now over 500 national consumer complaints with the BBB alone about companies not fulfilling their end of the deal with these types of website offers.

The most common reasons for these complains are:

• Miscommunication -These deals can sometimes create confusion between the customer and the painting company offering the deal.  Most of these promotions are being advertised at a substantial discount over the regular price, and in order for the companies to offer these deals without going broke they often times have to get creative, adding fine-print details to protect themselves.

• The Company Being Ill-Prepared - Too much of a good thing is not necessarily good if the seller is not prepared for the kind of response that many of these deals receive.  It's not uncommon for more orders to come in to the business than what they have the ability to fill.  And while poor planning on the part of the painting company offering the deal should not be the concern of the customer, it can certainly create a serious problem when this situation arises.

How Can You Protect Yourself?

Group buying websites are a great place to find deep discounts on painting services that you can share with friends and family, but don't assume that there's no risk involved. 

The truth is that, for the most part, many of these websites do a good job of qualifying the companies before allowing them to promote their business, but they are not necessarily endorsing the companies featured on their promotions and there's no way they can anticipate how they will respond if that business finds themself in a less-than-desireable situation. 

So it's up to the consumer to do some homework first.

1.  Always research the painting company before purchasing a coupon for their services.  Check to see how long they've been operating, and check out their reviews on reputable sites like Angie's List and the BBB.

2.  Call the company directly to ask questions before purchasing anything.  Download our How To Choose A Painting Contractor guide for more information on what to ask.

3.  Check for money-back guarantees being offered by the website or the painting company.

So leverage the power of group buying, and don't miss out on the great 'daily deals' being offered on your favorite site.  But exercise some caution and apply the same wisdom when purchasing these online coupons as you would if you were buying direct from the painting company.

 Photo by: beeki / CC BY 4.0