Groupon has a rating of 1.6 stars from 5,271 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about Groupon most frequently mention customer service, credit card, and fine print problems. Groupon ranks 250th among Daily Deals sites.
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You should always check to see what the real price of the items are before buying a Groupon. Lot of their stuff is just regular price but with some gimmick added on. Other than that, usually they have good deals. I still buy from them often.
Theatre voucher failed to appear. After about two hours of online chat we were told the problem would be investigated which would likely take 48-72 hours. The show started in 2 hours. Attached picture shows order still processing an hour after the show began. Utterly incompetent and useless.
My nieces and nephews look onhere for deals all the time. Adding sex toys was inappropriate. I will not use this app anymore
Date of experience: January 21, 2018
I purchased several deals problem with everyone canceled all closed account. They told me to contact merchant which did not help.
Date of experience: March 19, 2017
The shipping takes a long time and you may buy something that has already been used. I wouldn't recommend services for anyone.
Date of experience: November 26, 2018
Wow, I found this is very usefull, I have saved a lot of my money in just few weeks after I discovered groupon.
Date of experience: March 28, 2017
As a merchant I've dealt with Dealfind, Teambuy, Living Social, Kijiji, and Groupon, and Groupon is far and away the best. Customer service has been excellent and prompt with any questions or concerns I've had.
To track my sales they sent me an I-phone 4 that allows me to scan my customers coupons or their smartphones for the UPC code (saves paper tree huggers) and updates my sales database immediately. I can tell exactly how many people are using them and when as well as frequency of their visits for things like multiple day pass deals.
Ask for more than 50/50. After running deals with Dealfind that sold over 1250 vouchers I had enough clout to ask them for 75/25 split. Once Groupon contacted me I asked for the same and got 72/28 but they cover all the credit card fees that Dealfind doesn't ( don't worry Dealfind you guys are still my second favorite) so it was pretty even.
If you are a business owner don't overextend yourself. I read about people going under and losing money and boo hoo hoo poor Me. Read the agreement like I did. If you are a service based business make sure what you get at least covers your costs and think of the rest as great advertising. If you are goods based same deal but don't give too much. I have no sympathy for people that whine about losses after they got to look at the deal and sign off on it. Remember that redemption is rarely more than 50% but be aware it could go higher and be prepared for that. It's been nothing but good for me.
Just a quick add on regarding payment and hidden fees. Haven't had any problems and payment was always prompt. Since we were a top selling deal we were featured in some other offers for new and V. I. P. Members and ended up getting a couple more cheques in the months following our deal.
Date of experience: January 24, 2013
I have been using groupon now for about 5 years. I had issues before but was able to contact someone to correct the issues.
I just had a packaged that never delivered to me but was returned to the sender, and instead of contacting me and telling me that they have received the item back, they contacted me and asked for my review of the item. OK, an automated e-mail, I get it, but when I tried to get a hold of someone to rectify the issue, they not only knew about the returned item but hadn't done anything to change it.
And lets talk about the process to talk to someone. They make you select a bunch of options on their website before they even offer to let you chat with someone, or give you their customer service call line. But once you spend 30 minutes answering their un-related questions you get the opportunity to talk to someone who is not in the US, or if they are, english is not their first language. I asked to speak to another representative because this one was having a hard time understanding me and she said, "That won't help, you will have the same issues with any other agent because the issue is on your end, not ours."... WHAT? I spelled my name for 10 minutes with no avail and it was MY issue? Even if in some strange world, it was my issue, can't you let me talk to someone else? To out right deny me the ability to talk to someone else is horrible customer service!
They gave me a refund instead of the item I purchased because it is their policy to not resend items...? I would rather of had the item! I purchased it because I wanted the item obviously...
All I can say is that you should use groupon carefully, if everything works as it should you are ok, but the minute something goes wrong you are in a nightmare. I was treated like I was an inconvenience to them to ask for my item I paid for.
A note to groupon: If an item is sent back to you, consider contacting the customer first and saving them the nightmare of talking to your horrible customer service reps. ALSO get better reps, seriously. Train them on manners and make it easier to contact someone.
Date of experience: March 17, 2017
I purchased two chairs on December 7 for $519.58 and they sent me a tracking number and the arrival date (DEC 19) using FEDEX as a carrier. (tracking number: **************)
On DEC 19/2017, I called Fedex because I did not received any items and FEDEX said that they only created a label but never sent anything. I started a dispute with my bank to claim the money they stolen me. I also sent the notification to Better business biu-rouw in order to alert other people. I had trust in GRUPON but lately they are allowing unsecured companies to sell on their platform. And now these things happen (SCAM). For this reason I DO NOT DECLARE THIS SITE AS RELIABLE.
Also, Groupon does not have a phone number to call, so, I just send emails but I did not receive any answer. Finally after put a lot of reviews on social media, they contact me in private telling me that maybe the tracking number was wrong and the items were on the way. But there are 14 days after I purchased the order and I did not receive anything. My bank gave me back the money. But the essence is that they did not matter about my problem, they did not import with my problem, they did not contact the seller to inform about the situation, but they also had the nerve to tell me to order it again. It is the worst experience in buying online. For me so far, the company that is selling the chairs called "Esfir Accent Tufted Velvet" is still a scam. I did a review to alert others and they left me in pending. That is, nobody can see it.
Date of experience: December 21, 2017
I have two long standing issues with Groupon that they wont fix.
Seicam 720p
I bought a camera which never arrived for just under $100. They refused to get involve. Im still trying to get it or get a refund years later. Theyve consistently said to contact the seller but they claim it was delivered via USPS who then gave it to UPS and someone (no name) signed for it.? This is the year later answer they finally responded with. It never came. Now they say, I shouldve told them sooner!
Yoga hop
Groupon sent me an email with a Groupon saying try this again! So I bought it for $45. But this yoga place only does 1 time customers. They wouldnt honour it and Groupon, beyond the embarrassment of being REJECTED by the yoga place, REFUSED TO REFUND MY MONEY!
So I paid 2 times around $140 for nothing. This site makes it SO HARD TO COMMUNICATE. They blocked these two groupons from customer support. Its the worst example of customer care ever. They do not actually care about anything but your money.
Date of experience: May 12, 2018
I purchased a SAMS CLUB MEMBERSHIP FROM GROUPON BUT THEY HAD YOU DO SLL THESE STUPID STEPS SO I CANCELED THEMBERSHIP AN HOUR LATER! I was told my refund would be refunded back to my Bank Debit Card in7-10 Days.that was March 3 2023 today is April 27,2023 and GROUPON HASNT refunded my Money! BEWARE DO NOT PURCHASE ANYTHING FROM GROUPON ALMOST 2 months LATER STILL DONT HAVE MY FUNDS REFUNDED AND IM PISSED! Not so much the Money is because I've DM OVER 30 times NO RETURN CALL AND NOBREFUND! TheyRE SO CHEAP TGEY DONT EVEN HAVE A 800customee Service line! GROUPON IS A STRAIGHT SCAM!
Tip for consumers:
BEWARE GROUPON DOESNT HAVE 800 customer service number that only accept DM MESSAGING!!! GROUPON RIPPED ME OFF
Products used:
Groupon selling SAMS CLUB MEMBERSHIPS
Date of experience: April 27, 2023
Do not use Groupon for any getaways or vacations. They are very horrible customer service. They are not about pleasing their customers for returning business they are only out to make their money, which is why they do not supply any customer service number whatsoever. Their chat line is a facade, it's been a month and they refuse to help me and took $189 from out of my account and I receive no service. DO NOT USE THEM. I am a business owner myself and you do not treat your customers this way for amazing ratings and satisfied customers. On my way leaving Bahamas, I booked 2 nights in Miami through groupon. 5-10 mins after I booked, front desk at my stay notified me the ferry was cancelled to leave Bahamas that afternoon. I immediately called hotel, they said they hadn't received any reservations from group yet and for me to contact Groupon. So ofcourse they have no no#, and you have to go through hoops to find the chat. So I message them, gave them no# to where I was staying and name of place to verify. All I asked them was to take off that night as it was not still needed but I still needed the next night. Because where I was staying in Bahamas was also making everyone that was now stuck on island pay another night there too. So to make a long story short. Not only did they ignore my request, they took my money, and when I got to Miami the next day, they never sent my reservation either. So I was out of $189 AND had to spend more money to book at a hotel because they didn't have my room reserved, but yet took my money. I've been a Groupon customer for years, and always told people to use them, never ever ever again. Not when you steal my money and cause me so much unnecessary stress. Do not use them for any vacations if anything may arise they do not care, and just keep your money.
Date of experience: November 19, 2017
I used to be an avid Ideeli shopper. I loved all the sales they had and they have great deals. HOWEVER, they used to be soooo accomodating! A few years ago, I bought a pair of shoes, they didn't fit and they gave me a credit right then to re-buy them so they wouldn't sell out. I returned them the next day via UPS no problem and had my new shoes that fit! Fast forward to literally a few minutes ago and the same thing happened, and I was told that not only can I NOT do that, but they wouldn't even apply my credit for my returned jacket unless the return made it to their wearhouse before they shipped out the new jacket. This was frustrating especially because they can see where your package is (so they know it will be there in THREE days) and could easily prove it was on the way. Not only that, but worst case, if it didn't meet their return standards or they didn't receive the jacket, they could just charge me for the jacket I exchanged it for. It's not like they don't have my credit card on file!
Anyway, after "Glen" told me he'd issue me a $10 credit to use today, I asked him if I could change my store credit return for the jacket I'd just shipped back to a refund. That $10 would cover the $8 they charge you to refund your card, so it'd balance out. Then he told me he had to escalate it to returns and I wouldn't know if I could change that until tomorrow. But the $10 is only good for today. So really, if they decide not to honor my request, I've spent $90 on a jacket I was planning on paying $50 for. And I don't want to have even more money out on that site. So, I left hating Ideeli and not even wanting the damn jacket. Thanks Ideeli for screwing up my Saturday morning!
Date of experience: June 15, 2013
Groupon does not assist and help their merchants or their costumers. Either parties harass each other all this takes place because Groupon will ignore you issues.
This is an email a Merchant received from a customer. All because Groupon is arrogant. Merchant had to take legal action for being bullied and harassed. Groupon has a shut eye on this and many other matters refused to respond.
I CONFIRMED WITH YOU! Where does it say you will have to reconfirm with me? My god, you are a complete IDIOT. Absolutely stupid. Ive never dealt with someone so moronic as you and Ive had some doozies. You have no respect for other people where you dont reply to e-mails or respect their time. You say that you didnt reply because you were out of town so right after you sent me an e-mail on June 1 at 8:35 AM you disappeared for 22 days? You come up with such circular logic that Im surprised you can keep up with your excuses and lies. Give me a break. You are a real piece of work. My money is already been credited back to me so good luck with your hundreds of bookings. Ill see if I can find you on any of the other daily deals websites and make sure everyone knows what a complete nightmare you are just wow.
I CONFIRMED WITH YOU! Where does it say you will have to reconfirm with me? My god, you are a complete IDIOT. Absolutely stupid. Ive never dealt with someone so moronic as you and Ive had some doozies. You have no respect for other people where you dont reply to e-mails or respect their time. You say that you didnt reply because you were out of town so right after you sent me an e-mail on June 1 at 8:35 AM you disappeared for 22 days? You come up with such circular logic that Im surprised you can keep up with your excuses and lies. Give me a break. You are a real piece of work. My money is already been credited back to me so good luck with your hundreds of bookings. Ill see if I can find you on any of the other daily deals websites and make sure everyone knows what a complete nightmare you are just wow.
Date of experience: June 25, 2014
I used to like getting local deals through Groupon. Wow, can they be horrible though if you need any sort of customer service at all. When I tried to get a local yoga deal with one of their flash sale discounts (which has a time limit on it) and the discount code didn't work, I contacted their live chat. The chat person was pleasant enough (other than disconnecting on me toward the end there before I was actually through with the chat), but I made it clear at the beginning of the chat that I had tried to check out with the deal and the discount code BEFORE the code was set to expire.
Well, she kept me going on the chat with her while she "investigated" until one minute after the discount ran out and then had the nerve to try to tell me that I couldn't apply the discount to the deal because it had expired, and that's why I was having trouble with checking out. When I tried to tell her that the discount wasn't expired when I had contacted customer service, she said there was nothing she could do because the discount was expired now, so it couldn't be investigated further. They also couldn't give me any sort of discount to make up for it.
This is super upsetting, not just because I couldn't get my discounted deal, but also because I felt deliberately misled by the customer service person. I don't think she was investigating anything. I think she was running down the clock. Why she couldn't have been honest and told me she had no idea why the discount wasn't working on the deal I don't know. She then further lied to me and told me that they were working hard to make sure this same thing didn't happen again. Yeah right. Working hard to forget that I had ever contacted them is more like it. I bet she doesn't give me or this problem a second thought. But apparently honesty as well as good service aren't among Groupon Customer Service personnel's strong suits.
Date of experience: September 21, 2015
OMG! I had the worst experience ever! You can't get anyone on the phone and live chat it not even a person. Sound like some kind of bot and they disconnected because "it" was done with me. How rude!
Company placed an incorrect credit on my account. I had no idea, thought I won something and used it. Then they called and I was fine with sending it back. They even sent me an e-mail with the return shipping label. All was fine, then out of nowhere they reported me for fraud! Ummm... excuse me! You guys were the ones that made the mistake in the first place. I just thought I was lucky and won and used the credit. Now you have to nerve to call me on fraud? Shame! Shame!
To add insult to injury, they won't even let me have the correct credit put back on my account. I was told someone will get back to me as soon as possible. Whatever that means. Tried to ask the rep time frame and "it" just decided the conversation has ended because other customers are in need of help. Well, I guess I am just not important enough for them!
Buy from other sites, better shipping and prices. I have bought from Gilt, HauteLook, Modnique, Beyond The Rack, and Rue La La and Ideeli is the worst to me. Highest shipping price and totally riduculous care in customer service. They don't have customer serviice... more like customer disservice.
Don't go slandering your customers when you guys are the ones who made the mistake! Never again! Just stay away from them, not worth the time or the trouble. You would think a company with all that it has going for it and being on top in the flash site industry would value their customers more and not lie about their own mistakes and placing blame on others.
Mr. Paul Hurley, CEO and founder of ideeli.com, if you are out there looking at this... make sure your reps are properly trained and that your business standards is not about covering your own $#*! by throwing your customers under the bus. This is one IPO I will not look forward to or place any stock in.
Date of experience: August 24, 2011
Hi FC,
Thank you for sharing your feedback on Sitejabber. We certainly apologize for the confusion surrounding the discount voucher you received with an incorrect value.
As our Customer Service Supervisor explained via telephone yesterday, when adding the discount to your account, we inadvertently inputted the wrong amount. As a result, you received several thousand dollars in credit, rather than the $10.00 amount we intended to give you. Upon realizing this error, we immediately called you and explained that this credit could not be applied to the order you placed.
We were happy to either charge your credit card for the full amount of the order, or have the order returned to us at no cost to you. Per our records, you agreed to have the order returned to us. Thus, we informed UPS and intercepted the package.
Per UPS policy, packages that are re-routed under these circumstances are given the fraud designation. We do not report members for fraud, this is just a UPS classification for this type of re-route.
Again, we truly apologize for the confusion, and for any inconvenience you've experienced. A member of our Customer Service team will be reaching out to you via telephone today to further assist and address any remaining concerns.
Best,
Jason Faria
Sr. Manager Customer Service
On 09/20/2023 I purchased 2 Groupons for the Island Spa in NJ. Upon arrival, I learned that the spa follows NJ State rules and regulations, and I would have to use a hot tub with a naked man who is transgender. I don't believe for a minute that there is a law in NJ that requires a woman to get in a hot tub with a person who has a penis. I requested a refund from Groupon immediately, and I got a refund for one voucher. I contacted Groupon's customer service the following day, and requested a refund for the 2nd voucher. I spoke to two representatives. The 1st one was Karishma Banu. She told me that she would come back with the resolution. I waited for 20 minutes, but she never did. The 2nd one was Samvel E. This representative told me that I already used one voucher and told me to get a confirmation email from Island spa confirming that I never used the voucher. I requested him to send me an image that says that the voucher was used because my voucher was clearly stating that it was not used. I also pointed out to him that the website allows me to exchange this voucher for Groupon bucks. Why would I get Groupon bucks for the used voucher? Clearly, Groupon doesn't want to follow their own policy, and doesn't care about their own reputation. Groupon stock price dropped from $75.40 down to $11.30. I understand why. GROUPON, STOP STEALING FROM YOUR CUSTOMERS!
Date of experience: September 21, 2023
I thought I was placing an order in order to use a $58 credit that I had available. I even got an order number. When I went to check the website for order delivery information it showed that my order did not go through and I had a balance of $58. It showed me my order and asked if I wanted to reorder. Of course I said yes, because I wanted to use my credit. The website then asked for my credit card info. I thought to myself why when I have more than enough credit to cover the order in full. I decided to "speak" to a representative. I spoke to Esther. The entire "conversation" was confusing. Esther didn't know if she was coming or going. She gave me so much misinformation and blamed it on the computer system. She asked if she could call and I said yes. Over the phone she told me that according to Ideeli's policy I must give credit card information even if I had sufficient credit. I informed Esther that I did not trust Ideeli's system enough to given my credit card info because I might get charged and Ideeli may issue me another unusable credit. She tried to understand my misgivings with Ideeli's system but reiterated the policy. I asked why I just couldn't order the merchandise with her on the phone using my available credit and she stated she could not do that and I must give my credit card info. I refused to do that and she stated there was nothing she could do for me. She wouldn't get anyone else on the phone because no one could do anything for me. So, even though I already took a $10 hit on the shipping the entire amount is now a bust because Ideeli will not allow me to order merchandise without using a credit card! What a shame! Ideeli should be very ashamed of their policy. I would understand if I owed a balance, but that was not the case. I will have to agree with order negative reviews. I am happy that some people are comfortable inputting their credit card info. That is not a chance I am willing to make with a company that refuses to work with me. I have learned my lesson and will ensure that all the women I know, which are a lot because I am a nurse at a major teaching hospital, know not to shop with Ideeli unless they are willing to risk losing all their money.
Date of experience: January 19, 2012
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for sharing your experience here, and my apologies for any confusion you encountered. Although I'd have to investigate the incident thoroughly before commenting, I can provide a bit of initial clarification. As with most online retailers, ideeli requires all members to have a valid credit card on file in their account. If your order is paid for completely in credits, your credit card will not be charged. So I can look up the correspondence history and further address your concerns, can you please send me a message with your user id and the order number? Thanks in advance.
Best,
Jason Faria
Sr. Manager Customer Service
I wish I can unsuscribe from their mail. I keep unsuscribing but they keep sending me spam emails. Please adjust your email policies. Thank you
Date of experience: April 20, 2012
VERY long waits to get through to these people, either by phone, "live chat", and they don't respond real well to emails either.
Date of experience: October 31, 2015
I love a bargain, but it took me a month to successfully un subscribe from the multitude of emails EVERY DAY! Not worth it!
Date of experience: February 22, 2016
Im permanently disabled on a fix income and I use Groupon for their Discounts. Recently, Groupon is refusing to refund purchases made that I am entitled to. I have requested multiple times by email the need to resolve this matter and I'm constantly dismissed! I'm just trying to get what's rightfully mine. I've sent them Proof of pictures of the original purchases with pricing, pictures from my bank account showing refunded amounts, Groupon account showing pre-existing transactions for account credits and they keep saying Everything has been refunded. If I had existing Groupon credits on my account and Made purchases using those credits but later canceled those transactions, I should not only be refunded with my purchase money but also the pre existing credits. Groupon not only didn't refund my purchase money they wouldn't give me back my pre-existing credits. In addition to not allowing me to speak to management to get this mater resolved. Till this day no one has called me back. This is very unprofessional to say the least. This has been very troubling and I can't believe a company like this would be so dishonest. On 2/11/22 I purchased 7 Groupons in which I canceled ALL TRANSACTIONS CONDUCTED. In addition to those transactions I had two pre-existing credits already applied to my Groupon account which were available for immediate use. I uploaded all documents in question and still won't correct the matter.
I sent two pictures from my bank.
1.) One stating the original purchases of 174.75 and 120.91 withdrawn from my bank.
2.) Two Trade-in credits of the pre-existing credits. 109.86 before membership discount.
3.) The 7 items purchased on 2/11/22 with their purchase numbers attached.
4.)Pictures of Five transactions that were refunded.
5.) Current Groupon Credits on system. Lower then owed.
I made 7 purchases and only 5 refunded. I should have credits should have 9 TRANSACTIONS TOTAL REFUNDED!
GROUPON IS A FRAUD!
Tip for consumers:
Don’t use Groupon! They don’t treat you as a valued customer.
Products used:
All purchases were canceled and GROUPON gave a partial refund. I purchased 7 services they refunded me for 5 and I had two pre-existing credits from the previous year that they never gave back. Missing GROUPON BUCKS AND CASH REFUND. I can’t even get a call back to resolve the issue.
Date of experience: March 1, 2022
I bought a Dell Latitude E6430 which was refurbished and I absolutely love it! Great Price and fast shipping!
Date of experience: December 27, 2017
TERRIBLE. I purchased two groupons and could not access them online. I had scheduled an appointment with the merchant that I purchased the groupon for, and they called me back stating that Groupon has not been paying them and that they're no longer able to afford doing free work. I called Groupon, and the guy was nice at first when I told him I can't access my groupon. He claimed he cannot find it on my transaction history and that I must not have purchased it.
Then he asked me for my card number. I gave it to him, and he went on to say that someone had already refunded the money earlier today and that the transaction should take about 10 days to appear at the amount of $30 to another card number. He said that I had given him the wrong card number. Turns out that was someone else's account. I was very concerned b/c I bought the groupon for $195!
Eventually, he was able to find the transaction, and he stated that again, someone had already refunded the money. This time, he's in a very defensive tone.
I asked him why I was refunded without notice, and he defensively stated that 5 minutes ago I had told him the problem and that I should already know what the problem is. He then collectively states, "Lasier Genie and Groupon somehow had a falling out, and now we will be refunding customers their money."
My guess is that they're cancelling the groupons and will be waiting for customers to contact them about their disappeared Groupons. This means that the people who don't contact them will be down money and probably won't even realize it.
This place is VERY disorganized, not honest, and I would think twice about trusting anymore of my money with these people. STAY AWAY and BEWARE!
Date of experience: January 7, 2011
The whole damn thing is useless when you actually have a problem.
Here is part of my email exchange with groupon's "Customer Support":
Hi *********,
I'm so sorry for the trouble. Unfortunately, we aren't able to issue a refund in this situation. We're only able to issue refunds if the business has closed, is no longer accepting Groupons, or if they have displayed an act of customer disservice.
If you are unable to use your Groupon before the expiration date, you can still use it for the price you paid.
Thank you for your understanding.
Regards,
Drew J.
Groupon Customer Support
Mr. Drew,
I am NOT looking for a refund. All I am asking is that my Groupon account be credited with the $32 before this disreputable person tries to cash-in my groupon without having rendered any services. As I stated previously, I had to email her a. Pdf of the groupon to prove I was a groupon customer. The section of her website for "Groupon Customers" had no appt. Link, so I had to make the appoint through her regular customer channels. She wanted the Groupon voucher info before I came in. Thus, she has the voucher info and may try to redeem the voucher as if she did anything.
Again, I am NOT looking for a refund, I just want the $32 put into my Groupon acct because she has " displayed an act of customer disservice".
Hi ************,
Unfortunately, we will not be able to issue a refund of any sort in this case. It is not unusual for a merchant to ask for your voucher information prior to your appointment. Additionally, the redemption instructions asked that you call or email for scheduling. There was no mention of a redemption process through the business's website.
Thanks for understanding.
Regards,
Drew J.
Groupon Customer Support... This pretty much speaks for itself.
Date of experience: March 18, 2013
Groupon is the largest "daily deal" site, selling vouchers for discounted local experiences and services such as restaurants and spas, as well as travel packages, shopping, and a number of other items. Vouchers are purchased upfront and typically must be redeemed by a certain date, after which time Groupons expire. To businesses Groupon markets itself as a way to drive new customers. Groupon is a public company (NASDAQ: GRPN) and is based in Chicago, IL.
Hi Rebecca,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback on SiteJabber. I truly apologize that you've had this experience with our support team. If you wish to return an item, we need to be able to process it through our warehouse to inspect the condition of the item (here's our FAQ for more information on how we process our returns: http://idee.li/ideelireturns) If you wish to place an order for a different size, we can apply the return credit to your order when it appears in your account. I'd be happy to assist you directly, please private me your user id and order number so I can help you immediately. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Jason Faria
Director, Customer Service