Groupon for Online NRA Concealed Carry Class????

[TLynnHughes]

Has anyone see this? It's getting a lot of attention on social media because it claims to be an official NRA class. And upon completion, you will be able to apply for your CHL in 34 states.

http://www.groupon.com/deals/midwest-ca ... 1807508768

I did a search for this before I posted so I do apologize if there's already a thread involved. This has to be wrong. Would be nice to shut them down somehow!

Thanks,
Tracy

[Keith B]

It's an online course to give you a 'training certificate' showing you completed a firearms safety course allowing you to apply for the Arizona non-resident concealed permit. Their site is confusing and majorly misleading https://www.onlinecarrytraining.com/faqs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They word the thing liek you can use their certificate to apply for your state license, but it is wrong. For instance they list Missouri, but you must complete the Missouri CCW course to get a resident license and it requires shooting.

This company is very deceptive in their language. I deplore Groupon anyway and refuse to use it as many of the companies are only there to make a fast buck and do not support their product after the sale.

[thatguy]

Goupon is a waste of time and money.

[Pawpaw]

Goupon is a waste of time and money.

Not always. Andyc & I enjoyed a nice round of sporting clays we bought off Groupon.

[Right2Carry]

I have found several good deals on Groupon and have never had any issues using them. Like anything else read the fine print and understand what you are purchasing. I haven't booked any trips but I have seen deals that looked very interesting.

[Keith B]

I should clarify my statement; I don't dislike Groupon in and of itself, but many of the companies that utilize their service are either struggling to get business or are not 100% above board in their business practices. I have known of at least companies that advertised their service and then refused to provide the service when requested, stating it was only a 'special time frame' offer and the service would be performed at the businesses discretion when they had openings. Nowhere in the Groupon ad did it state anything about times and availability being restricted.

[thatguy]

I should clarify my statement; I don't dislike Groupon in and of itself, but many of the companies that utilize their service are either struggling to get business or are not 100% above board in their business practices. I have known of at least companies that advertised their service and then refused to provide the service when requested, stating it was only a 'special time frame' offer and the service would be performed at the businesses discretion when they had openings. Nowhere in the Groupon ad did it state anything about times and availability being restricted.

Kinda where I was going, not so bad for the end user but a money loser for the business.

[jmorris]

I should clarify my statement; I don't dislike Groupon in and of itself, but many of the companies that utilize their service are either struggling to get business or are not 100% above board in their business practices. I have known of at least companies that advertised their service and then refused to provide the service when requested, stating it was only a 'special time frame' offer and the service would be performed at the businesses discretion when they had openings. Nowhere in the Groupon ad did it state anything about times and availability being restricted.

Kinda where I was going, not so bad for the end user but a money loser for the business.

We've only used it for restaurants and never had any problems. Probably tried at least a dozen that we never would have. A few we've returned to.

[OCH]

Has anyone see this? It's getting a lot of attention on social media because it claims to be an official NRA class.

It's not one of the NRA classes?

And upon completion, you will be able to apply for your CHL in 34 states.

Where does it say that? To me it looked like they say it's valid training for the Arizona license and some other states but they were really pushing Arizona to cover most of the 34 states.

I didn't see Florida on the list but I think any class taught by NRA instructors are good enough for Florida. That gives you around 30 states, depending if you''re a resident, but I think it's more expensive than Arizona.

[ELB]

I should clarify my statement; I don't dislike Groupon in and of itself, but many of the companies that utilize their service are either struggling to get business or are not 100% above board in their business practices. I have known of at least companies that advertised their service and then refused to provide the service when requested, stating it was only a 'special time frame' offer and the service would be performed at the businesses discretion when they had openings. Nowhere in the Groupon ad did it state anything about times and availability being restricted.

Kinda where I was going, not so bad for the end user but a money loser for the business.

IIRC, Groupon claims about half of the fee paid, and that's of a fee that is already significantly reduced just to be on Groupon (or on similar services). So yes it really is a money loser for the business, it is basically just to get some customers flowing through, a form of advertising, but if the business is not careful they can get overwhelmed by the response. My wife ran into this with one particular offer -- the provider was just swamped, unable to fulfill all appointments in timely manner, was not doing a great job, and the business's staff got worn out and surly in the process. I don't think she ever got all the services she paid for.

But we have had a few good experiences - I once stayed in the Hilton Arboretum (I think that's what its called) in Austin for $85/nite or so while I went to a shooting course, and the beat the stuffings out of Super 8. :)

And I love to see gun-training and other gun-related offers on Group-on and its competitors. A lot of them disappeared after Newtown (or Newton?).

One thing my wife figured out -- if you see an offer you like, call the merchant directly and ask them for a deal. If they are willing to cut their price 70% or so (between the advertised price and what they have to pay to Groupon), they are very likely willing cut you a direct deal for 40% or 50%. Especially the smaller businesses, I think. Groupon probably would not like this, may boot the merchant if they find out, but the merchant may be willing to take that chance.