3.28 PM Thursday, 28 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:57 06:11 12:27 15:53 18:37 19:51
28 March 2024

Where have Grosper deals gone?

Published
By Parag Deulgaonkar

Has Grosper.com become the first group buying website to close shop?

A message on their website reads: “This website is temporary under maintenance. For any queries, please send us an email info@grosper.com."

Cross-checked, there have been no tweets, Facebook update or emails of discounted offers from Grosper.com since February 2.

Several calls made by Emirates 24|7 to the office number, mentioned in their previous emails, remained unanswered. Emails sent to the above stated ID were not replied.

Mohammad Hingora, co-founder of Grosper, said in a previous interview that the company was aiming to make it big by offering discounts on home rentals.

Hingora told The Next Web that they were in talks with several developers and would be offering discounts for home rentals in the range of 15 to 20 per cent  of the actual value.

In his blog post, dated December 10, 2011, Mohammad Hingora, co-founder of Grosper said: “Today, I want to speak about some of the issues that a startup with a small budget can face in a place like Dubai.

“As a company with a limited budget, it is critical that we identify the key areas for capital allocation and optimise our performance in those areas to ensure a respectable ROI.”

He went on to add: “… It can be very challenging working for a startup as the uncertainty can be unnerving, the lack of processes uncomfortable which is why we try to hire people based on their character and drive, rather than any particular skill set.”

Group buying offers products/services at significantly reduced prices on the condition that a minimum number of buyers make the purchase.

The UAE market is now saturated with incumbent players such as LivingSocial, GoNabit, Nail the Deal, Cobone and Groupon.

Local banks such as RAK Bank have also joined the bandwagon.

There have also been many complaints on social networks as concerns the service of Groupon Complaints have varied from delays in orders to even deals being called off.

Click here to read: Groupon blows off deal