Are Expiration Dates On Groupon Deals Illegal?

Groupon was sued eight times in all of 2010—but in 2011, that pace has increased. It’s been sued in federal court 12 times this year. After going through the complaints, it turns out nine of those lawsuits are all about expiration dates. In fact, the lawsuits are so similar, it looks as if some of the lawyers working in this space are actually copying each other’s complaints, word for word. The promotional value of a Groupon expires at a certain time, often within a few months. But the value that you paid for the Groupon is good for a much longer period of time, which varies by state. Groupon didn't respond to a request for comment about these lawsuits, but a Groupon rep responded to this issue on the Consumerist blog in January, describing the situation like this: “Law doesn't really specify if Groupon is a gift card or a coupon. Gift card law is more stringent, so that’s what we adhere to. A Groupon is good until its expiration date; at that time, the merchant will still have to honor what you PAID (NOT face value), for five years or in accordance with state law. It’s five years in Illinois, and that’s the most strict in the country, so that’s what we ask merchants to abide by.”