Ensogo - the site that launched a thousand questions

The group buying phenomenon has truly taken the world by storm. Whether it is a bane or boon to businesses is debatable. One thing is clear though, the consumer is the winner. (so long as one doesn't suffer from impulse buying. Then it's just the group buying site that wins.)

As with any purchase, online or not, there's a saying that goes caveat emptor. Buyer beware. The same applies to group deals. The consumer must practice caution when buying these online deals.

Although details and descriptions of the deals may take up an entire page, that doesn't make them complete or clear. I've come across angry comments accusing certain group buying sites and/or merchants of deliberately using misleading titles and ambiguous details. To give them the benefit of the doubt, there probably is no bad intent, just negligence in details. But when numerous questions arise and still no effort is made by either the site or the merchant to clarify, it becomes really frustrating and annoying.

I blogged about a recent dining experience at Secret Recipe using vouchers bought from Ensogo without going into the details of the deal so as not to digress from the topic. I was terribly disappointed at how Ensogo handled questions. I don't know if it happens on a regular basis due to the number of simultaneous active deals it has but that's still not an excuse.

How exactly did Ensogo answer questions? Here is the discussions page of the Secret Recipe deal. The question of the number of vouchers that may be shared was asked several times, owing to the fact that the deal only indicated that "Unlimited voucher purchase per person" is allowed and that "vouchers may be combined for group use". As the questions multiplied, answers from Ensogo got more confusing.

To highlight some questions from potential buyers and responses from Ensogo Team: (Q - Question, E - Answer from Ensogo Team, S - Answer from Secret Recipe)

Q: hi. i would like to ask. if i buy 4 vouchers, that means 2400php worth of food at secret recipe?
E: Hi Catherine :) You may use the voucher to any dish from Secret Recipe’s Western and Asian selections that is worth P600 which you can only pay as low as P280 by presenting the voucher. ! voucher is for 1 dish. 

Q: if 1 voucher is only for 1 dish, and I ordered a dish worth 280 only, how will my voucher use the excess amount? say 600 is voucher minus 280 worth of dish, then where can i use the 320 worth excess in voucher? 
E: Hi Julie Ann :) The dish in Secret Recipe that is worth P600 you will only get as low as P280

At this point, Secret Recipe made some clarifications:

S: Hi Joana, it does not limit to 1 Asian and 1 Western only but until you reach P600 or less. Thank you and see you in the outlets! To see our complete menu, http://www.secretrecipe.com.ph/manila.html
S: Hi Catherine, that is correct! Your 4 vouchers will give you P2400 worth of food! Please don't forget to call ahead and confirm your visit dates. Thank you and see you in the outlets!





Q: hello, to clarify PHP600 is consummable right (I can order a meal, a drink, a dessert, etc. as long as it will total to PHP600)? Can more than 1 person use 1 voucher (as long as the orders are equivalent to PHP600)? Can I use unlimited number of vouchers per visit at Secret Recipe? thanks! 
E: Hi Denise :) Yes there is no number of voucher that can be used per visit. Just contact Secret Recipe for reservation and advise them on how many are you. 1 voucher is for 1 person only you can order meal, drinks or dessert as long as you consume the P600.

I have highlighted the questionable reply from Ensogo above, which raised even more questions and inquiries about refund. It is interesting to note that the Ensogo Team gave conflicting answers, and obviously incorrect ones despite a clarification already made by Secret Recipe. I've included the timeline available from the discussions page to illustrate my point.

Ensogo Team  53 Days ago

Hi Kent :) Yes 1 voucher is good for 1 person, Unlimited voucher purchase per person. Vouchers may be combined for group use 

Ensogo Team  53 Days ago

Hi Everyone :) Secret recipe voucher is valid for sharing maximum of two person per voucher. 

Secret Recipe  53 Days ago

Hi Everyone! Thank you for supporting and purchasing the Secret Recipe Ensogo vouchers! To share this sweet treat, we are allowing maximum of 2 persons to share one voucher. Again, a gentle reminder to please advise us of your scheduled visit. For outlet & menu details, please visit www.secretrecipe.com.ph Like us on Facebook for future promos & events, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Secret-Recipe-Manila/463515795625 THANK YOU!!! 

Ensogo Team  50 Days ago

Hi :) Voucher applies to Western & Asian meals (including Chicken line up) and may add on beverages and cakes of their choice. Hot dishes and past can be accommodated. The P600 was designed for single guest consumption including food, beverages and cake.

How can such critical info be left out from the details of the deal? And more importantly, how could the Ensogo Team give conflicting answers? Did they not clarify the details with Secret Recipe prior to the deal launch or even when the first question about voucher sharing was brought up?

Another thing that I personally had an issue with is the amount to be paid in excess of the voucher value. When a value is said to be consumable, logically, when it is exceeded, the balance to be settled is just the difference between the consumable amount and the actual total. This wasn't the case with the Secret Recipe deal.

In my blog about Secret Recipe, I described how we were being charged for the amount of the least-priced item in the bill because the total amount exceeded the consumable amount by more than P100. But I know logic is not the issue here, rather the details/restrictions of the deal. So logical or not, if the deal had explicitly indicated those terms, then no questions asked. But the fact is, it did not.

Going back to the discussions page, an irate buyer wrote the following comment:
I just made a reservation for the weekend at RP branch, and according to the staff there ... 1) soup and pasta are NOT included in the promo? How come? It wasn't written when you were selling the vouchers? 2) If you exceed the 600 amount of the voucher, you have to pay for the lowest priced dish. For example, your bill for 2 food orders is 300 and 320, for a total of Php620, you have 1 voucher worth 600, you dont pay the excess of Php20 only. You have to pay 300. I don't think this was explained clearly when you were selling the vouchers? Or maybe the staff at RP is not familiar with the the ensogo deal? Please clarify this matter. 

Nowhere was the question of excess amount answered clearly and directly by Ensogo, except for some earlier vague comments.

Ensogo Team  57 Days ago

To all Secret Recipe voucher holder the P600 is consummable of all hot meal food plus add ons like drinks and cakes as long as it does not exceed the P600 amount, not applicable on Mothers day. 

Ensogo Team  53 Days ago

Hi Jerry :) P600 is consumable, no additonal payment. If ever you exceed the P600 that will be the time that you will pay an additonal.

In fact, the Ensogo Team has stopped responding to questions in the discussions page, after the deal closed I presume. However, redemption of vouchers does not end until August 14, 2011. Granted, Ensogo might have responded to the remaining questions privately, via phone or email, but it does not take away the fact that how they handled the concerns was less than satisfactory.

I'm sure Ensogo does not hold the monopoly of vague deals and uncoordinated responses. It just so happened that in the 10 or so deals I've purchased (and redeemed) across different sites so far, the experience I described is a first for me. And so I enjoin all present and future patrons of group buying sites, take the time to read the details and ask questions before clicking that Buy button. It will save you the headaches later on.