With stockinsg hung and only two days until Christmas, Groupon has canceled some orders for Google's Nexus 7 Tablet that were placed on Black Friday.
The consumer watchdog website Consumerist reported that customers were promised delivery as recently as a week ago, but Groupon sent out a notice on Monday along with a $50 credit. Groupon's Facebook page was littered with various complaints about the cancellation, many of which Groupon individually responded to.
See also: 5 Ways To Boost Productivity With Your Tablet
Post by Kimberly Rosati.
Post by Crystal Pistol.
Groupon spokesperson Nick Halliwell told Mashable more than 95% of the orders for the deal had shipped successfully. The shortcoming stemmed from orders placed through a third party vendor, he added.
"Depending on the deal, Groupon either purchases the inventory and ships it to consumers or we sell another vendor's inventory and they drop ship to our customers directly," Halliwell said. "And in some cases, it’s both, which is what happened with the Nexus tablet. We proactively notified these customers to let them know that we were sorry we didn’t deliver the experience we promised, canceled their order and offered a Groupon credit."
Groupon launched the retail portion of its site called Groupon Goods more than two years ago in a bid to diversify from the coupon model growing crowded with competition. In that short time, Goods has already become a major revenue source for the company. With about $252 million in revenues in the third quarter of 2013, the retail arm now accounts for roughly 42% of Groupon's income.
The retail portion of Groupon will need to remain healthy. Its original daily deals business has struggled after peaking in early 2012.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Image: Scott Olson/Getty