Restaurant.com FAIL!

So a few weeks ago, my mom bought some Restaurant.com “gift certificates” for me. It seemed like a good deal – $25 gift certificates for just $2. Not bad, right? Well, that is until you read the fine print and actually go to one of their “participating” restaurants…

[Flickr/Twain]

MAJOR FAIL #1
To sum up my dining experience this evening in a nutshell, the restaurant did NOT accept my Restaurant.com gift certificate. In fact, so many customers before me have tried to redeem their coupons that the restaurant has had to post a sign on their front door stating that they would not honor them. What the heck, Restaurant.com?! Seems like you’re just arbitrarily listing any restaurant that you can think of on your site as a participant. What a MAJOR FAIL!

MAJOR FAIL #2
Coincidentally, my mom decided to try and use her Restaurant.com coupon this evening as well. While she had a completely different experience, it was equally as disappointing as my experience.

Rather than telling you the story, let me break it down with some simple math:

Here’s the premise: The Restaurant.com gift certificate for this restaurant requires the user to spend at least $50 and provide an %18 minimum gratuity on the pre-discounted meal.

Cost of the meal: $58
Cost of the gift certificate: $2
Tip: $10
Tax: $5
Discount: $25
Total: $50

In the words of Mastercard, this is “priceless” and ridiculously ironic if you ask me. Once again, MAJOR FAIL!

CONCLUSION
Now believe you me, I have no intention of ever using Restaurant.com again and I am pretty sure my mom feels the same way,  but don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what some other more prominent bloggers have to say:

• Consumerist – Chris Walters calls it “shady” and warns consumers to watch out for a no good, sneaky third-party vendor – Shopping Essentials – that wants $15 from you every month in exchange for a non-existent service.
• WiseBread – As much as I like and respect WiseBread, I can’t help but wonder if Xin Liu and her readers have been force feed Restaurant.com Kool-Aid, ’cause the feedback is overwhelmingly positive and supportive.

I Heart Coupons: Sephora

[Flickr/DisneyMike]

So to bring a little structure to this blog, I’ve decided to start a new section called “I Heart Coupons.” To start things off, here’s a little something for beauty mavens everywhere – Sephora is having their friends & family sale (e.g., everything is 20% off) from now until Mon., 11/2. Here’s the coupon code: FF2009

In using this code and making my first online purchase at Sephora.com, I got a pretty good deal. I bought two full price items (basics which I consider to be must haves) and a few three sale items (things that I wouldn’t buy at full price). While I won’t line list everything that I bought, here are my favorite buys:

Cargo OneBase
(This is a great foundation/concealer for people like me who just needs some light cover up. It has also been a pain in the ass to find. I must have went to at least 4 different Sephora stores and NONE of them had my shade in stock. Unbelievable!)
Original Price = $26.00
W/Discount = $20.08

Sephora Illuminating Tweezers
(Since I lost my good tweezers, I’ve been in the market for a new one. I like the fact that this one lights up, we’ll see if it’s any good though.)
Original Price = $22.00
Sale Price = $11.00
W/Discount = $8.80 (^_^)

In total, I saved $11.70, got free shipping (which is typically over $5) by ordering more than $50 worth of merchandise and got three free samples with my order. IMHO, I thought it was pretty good deal even if Sephora is just a tad bit pricier than Target. My only gripe is that my purchases are not showing up on my Beauty Insider account – I want my points damn it! Gurr…I’m gonna have to call customer services to see what’s up, what a pain!