A review or 3

A short while ago, I was contacted by Groupon, to see if I would like to review their website and try out some products. I jumped at the chance, and quickly chose 3 things that I thought you would be interested in.
All the opinions are entirely my own and unbiased.

1. Kindle Case

The Kindle Fire is taking over, and I can't get enough of mine, and I know some of you guys love yours too. I bought a case on eBay initially for just over a fiver. It was a generic case, which was ok, but didn't fit perfectly, and was a nightmare to charge whilst in the case.

The case from Groupon is AWESOME. It's faux leather, and looks like a moleskine journal, and with the Groupon code (48% discount) it came out at a reasonable £12.50. The Kindle fits in securely and all of the charger points are accessible. An added bonus are the double stands that are built in to the suede effect lining. These mean that the Kindle can be freestanding; both portrait and landscape. I used this feature whilst on the train to London when I met Erica last week. It was perfect, and I could crochet at the same time #win!

Rating 9/10 (I've knocked off 1 mark for the slightly plastic smell which has thankfully mostly vanished)

2. Instagram Coasters

This isn't something I would have necessarily thought about before, but these coasters are so cute. It was such a quick process - go online, log into the website using your Instagram login details, choose your photos and Hey Presto!
They arrived really quickly, and they are really good quality (Rory said so!) We chose some black and white and colour images; the printing is sharp and clear - great. With the Groupon voucher, these 4 coasters were £9.99, but full price they are almost £20. Me being me, I wouldn't pay that much, but for a novelty gift (with a Groupon code) I would totally recommend these.

Rating 8/10 (Points deducted for full price ridiculousness)

3. Konig Portable Photo Studio

I added some of my own hard earned cash to buy this portable photo studio with diffused light box, 2 lights on stands, a selection of backdrops and a camera stand, complete with carry case.

I wish I could say this has changed the way I photograph everything. Sadly, this is not the case. The lights get dangerously hot very quickly, one light broke the instant I tried to re-position it. The backdrops are so creased as a result of being folded and are made of a fabric that is impossible to iron. The light box itself is quite cumbersome, but can be flat packed. Unfortunately, the box cannot be detached from the carry case, which means there is a large, black case that has to balance on top of the box, totally blacking out any natural light.

I am seriously gutted with this product. The RRP price was supposedly £70. With a Groupon code it was £34.99. As I part paid for this with my cash (rather than the generous voucher I was given by Groupon) I feel a bit gutted. The only good thing is the camera stand, which is really sturdy. Would I pay £30 for a camera stand. No. It really didn't live up to expectations.

Rating 1/10 (Purely for the camera stand, the rest is a waste of time and money)


My experience using Groupon was positive. The website is easy to use and, lets face it, I love a bargain. Next time, I will just think more carefully about whether an offer seems a little too good to be true!

Have you ever used Groupon before? Were your experiences positive or negative?
If you want to check it out for yourself go to  http://www.groupon.co.uk/vouchers/
(Rory: They have some very tempting hotel breaks...)