M&M Meat Shops has ordered Ottawa-based company YourCityDeals.com to remove its online promotion for discount gift cards.
"YourCityDeals is not an authorized distributor of M&M Meat Shops gift cards, nor do they have permission to use our trademark or brand on their website." The Kitchener food company wrote in a statement.
"A representative from YourCityDeals has agreed to remove M&M Meat Shops from the site."
But the owners of YourCityDeals.com insist they’ve done nothing wrong. Vice-President Michael Bailey says they never took down the promotion it simply sold out at 300 cards. The M&M Meats promotion can still be found on the website’s “recent deals” section.
Bailey says the company is purchasing the gift cards at full price and selling them at a loss. He says it’s an investment to build a customer base which will one day pay to subscribe to the online deals.
Still, other companies like the LCBO recently issued a warning to its customers about the online deals saying gift cards should only be purchased directly off its website or from listed authorized dealers.
YourCityDeals.com was also the focus of many angry consumers who purchased thousands of Petro-Canada gas cards. The payment of those cards never went though, leaving many seeking refunds.
“There's other ways to promote your business. Sounds like a gimmick to me,” says Susan Brennan who shops at M&M Meat Shops.
Others say they might be wooed by the deal.
“I don't know. I'm not sure. I do look for bargains and stuff like that,” says Vera Visnevskis.
According to the YourCityDeals.com website 2,660 LCBO gift cards were sold.
9,667 Petro-Canada gift cards were also purchased.
With a report from CTV’s John Hua
