No love: Groupon users revolt against FTD deal





NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- A day after Groupon offered $20 off of $40 worth of flowers and gifts from FTD, users are calling the deal a scam.

The coupon, which nearly 3,300 people bought, directed buyers to a special FTD website -- FTD.com/groupon -- to take advantage of the offer. The problem, users said, was that prices were higher than on the regular website, effectively diminishing the value of the deal.

In fact, it appeared that a Valentine's Day bouquet would cost more if users redeemed their Groupon.

"What a scam. The ftd groupon site has a price $10-$20 more than their own site. So basically you didn't save anything," Joann L. wrote in the comments section of Groupon's site

"Yes -- groupon, refund my money! The ftd.com/groupon site has higher prices than the regular site," echoed another user.

Disgruntled shoppers also noted that high service and shipping charges further depleted the voucher's value. Others found that bouquets would not be delivered before Feb. 15, the day after Valentines Day.

In response to the negative feedback, Groupon closed the deal a day early.

"It was way too big of a headache for our customers and that isn't how Groupon treats people," Groupon's spokeswoman Julie Mossler said in an email to CNNMoney.

The deal's original terms were that the Groupon could not be combined with other offers and discounts, which are already calculated in at the regular FTD.com site. But both Groupon and FTD acknowledged that the deal was confusing and apologized.

"We understand that some Groupon customers were disappointed they were unable to combine the discounts," said FTD Group President Rob Apatoff in a prepared statement. "We apologize for any confusion this offer may have caused."

FTD set up a phone line specifically for Groupon customer care: 855-645-6214 and Groupon said customers are welcome to email support@groupon.com for a credit or refund.

"To make this right, we've worked together with FTD to make sure that discounts available on FTD.com will now also be available to use with your Groupon. For those of you who already purchased items that were on sale on FTD.com, FTD will automatically issue you a refund on the credit card you used with the difference as additional savings," Groupon said in an email to its customers.