No Guarantees from Cashcashpinoy

This is a follow-up to my Dusit Basix/Cashcashpinoy experience. In the process of trying to figure out what my legal rights with regards to these vouchers, it starts to dawn on me that buying from Cashcashpinoy is the same as playing Russian roulette. It may seem a good deal in paper but you are actually gambling. I asked Cashcashpinoy what steps are they doing to protect their consumers and here is what they wrote back:

"CashCashPinoy.com cannot process and grant requests for refunds and/or exchange of goods and/or services. Once the User finalizes the purchase process by checking out, the sale is considered perfected. . . . . . . Any controversy, dispute/s and/or claim/s for refund/s and/or exchange of purchased items which may either be good/s and/or service/s shall be addressed and resolved by the specific Merchant from whom the User purchased the good/s and/or service/s. "

So right from the start, consumers are not protected by the party that brokered the deal, Cashcashpinoy. The most that Cashcashpinoy will do is forward complaints. If you have issues, then you are on own. Imagine if its an isolated case and you are dealing with a large company, good luck getting a feedback, let alone a refund.

Be forewarned as well that Cashcashpinoy has no listed telephone number, a simple prerequisite for most trustworthy businesses. Metrodeal is another website that doesn't have a number.

At this stage when competition is fierce, it is prudent for group buying websites to protect their consumers. Groupon has gone as far as promising a full refund if you are unhappy with a purchase. So be forewarned when buying from Cashcashpinoy. ABSOLUTELY NO REFUNDS

My Letter to Cashcashpinoy

I'm writing on behalf of my friends, whom I dined with at Dusit Basix Dinner Buffet last August 5, 2011. I was able to convince both of them to purchase the vouchers because of the inclusion of free-flowing wine/beer in the beverage choices.

However on the day itself, when I asked for wine/beer from a lady attendant, she said that wine/beer is no longer included in the beverage choices for voucher holders while it was obviously being served to other guests. When my friends arrived, they asked from another lady attendant why wine/beer was no longer included. That was when she agreed to give us a single round of wine. They never offered to refill the glasses even though we were sitting right beside a table where they were religiously refilling the glasses. If it was self-service, they didn't mention it nor was wine/beer visible in the beverage station. If we weren't being inquisitive, we wouldn't even have received the single round of wine.

The buffet spread was also very limited. There was no oysters, no dimsum or peking duck , or sashimi as advertised. I understand buffet spreads varies, but for them to replace popular choices with a Lumpiang Ubod station simply baffles me. Dusit Basix Buffet is the only hotel buffet in Metro Manila that doesn't have a Chinese station, a Japanese station without sashimi and a Lumpiang Ubod station which no one ate from. If Dusit Thani Hotel hoped to advertise Basix Buffet, they certainly succeeded. It is as the name implies, it is VERY BASIC. Please check your expectations at the door because you will just be disappointed. Sorry on being harsh, but this experience has totally ruined my impression of this grand dame of a hotel.

As for Cashcashpinoy, when we purchase from/recommend your website, we are also purchasing a promise from you to deliver on the terms advertised. You simply cannot ask us to renegotiate the terms of the voucher each time we face the merchants themselves. I'm a businessman as well and i understand the growing pains in business. The moment we recommend your website, we put our reputations on the line as well. I have assured friends and family that as long you read the terms and conditions, they will be fine. But based on this experience, apparently it is no longer true.

Whether it is a shortcoming of Dusit or Cashcashpinoy, I am simply disappointed with this experience. The voucher business is based on trust. Without it, I'm not sure I will purchase from nor recommend your website in the future.

Cashcashpinoy Sucks

I rarely complain but in this case i feel compelled to write about my experience with Cashcashpinoy.com so that future consumers can be warned about the potential pitfalls of this website and other group selling websites.

Three of us purchased and used 3 vouchers of Dusit Basix Buffet last August 5, 2011. I was able to coax my friends to purchase the vouchers because Cashcashpinoy expressly advertised that wine/beer was INCLUDED in the buffet deal. It is even still posted on their Facebook account (deal dated May 2011). When we ordered wine, the attendant said it was already excluded from the deal. It was INTENTIONALLY EXCLUDED from voucher holders as we saw that regular patrons were being served beer/wine. There was also other things that Cashcashpinoy advertised which were not included such as dimsum and peking duck stations.

Some people might argue that we already got a good deal paying P699 compared to the full price of P1.4K. To begin with, the buffet spread is nowhere near the discounted price let alone the full price.

Some people might ask, why didn't you point it out to the staff of Dusit Thani Hotel? We did and we got a single serving of wine which is still a far cry from what was advertised. If what was advertised was delivered, we shouldn't even be arguing. Why didn't we argue harder? Do you really want to make a scene when you just wanted a relaxing night with your friends?

Funny thing was I have a friend who purchased around 20 vouchers and used it earlier on during the effective period. They got everything advertised. Perhaps Dusit Thani Hotel Manila felt they got the losing end of the deal and thus unilaterally renege on their side of the bargain. Good job Dusit Thani Hotel Manila. I will forever remember how you shortchanged me and my friends.

This experience shows the extreme weakness of the organization behind Cashcashpinoy.com. This website also does not a listed telephone number you can call. I suppose they already expect to receive a deluge of complaints and they want to hide behind an email address. So next time you are planning to purchase vouchers for an occasion. Don't buy it from Cashcashpinoy. Because at the end of the day, they cannot guarantee what their merchants promise and you cannot trust what they write even if its in black and white. So consumers, BEWARE OF CASHCASHPINOY.COM