Connoisseur Club

HARD SELL - BACKED IN A CORNER – Received a cold call which said not cost to you. However, once A appeared he just goes into his salesman mode. Does not tell you you can try you for 12 months, only promotes the company card as a tax deduction. When you say NO he is dumbfounded. Cannot believe his sales talk did not work. So he tries again and I say I have to discuss with partner.… Read more

He says it is only available today. So I agreed to have a three years with 2 gold cards. He claimed doing me a favor, boss will kill me etc. Finally, got card a week later. I am waiting for the second card and sent an email today! Would have to be a very social butterfly to get your money back.

WORST ICE-CREAM – Just purchased a 1ltr tub of Connoisseur- Chocolate Brownie Custard and didn't find one brownie in it, chocolate Ice-cream was tastless like its expired and only had a few chocolate swirls, this is pure daylight robbery for the price tag $6 on special. Disgusting and will never buy this again........

DO NOT SIGN UP – Hounded on the phone multiple times by someone in their office to organize a meet with one of their sales reps. Eventually I caved and the rep helped himself behind my business front counter in front of all my customers??? Unfortunately I caved and signed up, after promising me a discounted rate and loads of supposedly participating restaurants… Read more

(lie) After taking first payment they turned around and said I had to pay full amount and nothing was agreed. I was hit with collection notices and bombarded with emails. They didn’t even send me a membership card either, just took whatever money I paid them and ran. When contacted regarding getting my money back, unsurprisingly no response via email or phone. Dodgy dodgy salesmen

Terrible – So like everyone else the salesman came into my business and signed me up for their card. After he left i did my research on the company and can see nothing but negative about restaurant world. 2 hours later i called them as i did not want to go ahead with it as salesman was very pushy and did not mention fine printed information. The answering… Read more

machine answered advising their office is open from 9am to 11am.. what sort of business hours is that? so i sent them an email clearly stating that nothing needs to go ahead as i do not want to go ahead with it. No response. I called up next morning and receptionist answered advising that the power has gone out on the computers and it will be back on Tuesday. this is unacceptable. i will need to go to ACCC.

IF Anyone has been stooged by the director salesman, heres response from ACCC:

Your rights: telemarketers, door-to-door sales and pop-up kiosks You have rights under the Australian Consumer Law when a salesperson approaches you at your front door, over the phone or in a public place. These protections apply to sales methods that are called ‘unsolicited consumer agreements’.

When a business approaches you to try to sell you something for $100 or more, they must tell you:

* why they are contacting you * who they represent * that they must leave if asked * that you have a 10-day cooling-off period.

Highest Compliments! – Highest compliments to Connoisseur Club for their great program. The Gold Card has been a worthwhile purchase and saved us money, not only in restaurants, but hotel accommodation and twice on walking tours, which by the way, were so interesting and informative. We have found a new favourite restaurant from their website and can use our card… Read more ·  1

there whenever we like. So much better than any of these coupon-type discounts, which always make you feel a bit cheap when handing them over and have so many restrictions on when you can use them. Not so with the Connoisseur Card - Friday or Saturday nights have not been a problem. The only way this card can be a waste of money is if you don't use it! The more we've used it, the more money we've saved .... and who doesn't love going out for dinner and saving money at the same time?? I've also used it to buy Christmas gifts from Adrenalin and saved money on those too. Good that we can pass it on to family members to use. So far, no complaints Connoisseur Card!

October 10th 2017 Update: You've got to be kidding!!

I am finding it hard to believe some of these people with their negative reviews - are you people crazy?? I have just received a payment from Connoisseur Club just for booking accommodation via their link to Booking.com - $145 back in my pocket, thank you very much Connoisseur Club!

November 6th 2017 Update: Icing on the Cake!

I have used this card many times in restaurants and saved money. I found some fantastic places that I probably wouldn't have tried, but for the fact they accepted the Connoisseur Card. Then, when I booked accommodation for a recent trip, I was contacted by the company to advise that I was due for a cashback of $140!! Not bad .... in fact, I have booked another couple of business trips and am looking forward to more cashback payments. At this rate, it won't take long before I've recouped my membership fee to the club and then all my future savings will be icing on the cake.

Excellent Concept that works – I have now been with Connoisseur Club for over three years. I was very skeptical at first as it is a large sum of money for a Gold card. Never the less, I have easily made that money back through some of the great savings i have gained by using Hotels in Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast. Not to mention the countless free or discounted meals… Read more

I've had.

The reason i have given it a 'Good' rating rather than 'Excellent' is because i would love to see much more diversity of discounted services provided. At this moment its great for Hotels and Dining out (I haven't tried the car rentals yet) but i would love to see more services provided in the areas of Health and Fitness - ie. body therapy services and fitness club discounts or even cheaper/free parking options in the major cities...just a few ideas. Other than that, this service is excellent if you enjoy dining out and traveling from time to time, for business or pleasure. Everything available so far More discounted services and a new website that doesn't lag and has a members section.

Amazing Service – The Experience I had with this organization is nothing but Satisfaction 100%. Professionalism at its best. The savings and benefits were amazing. For every Dollar that left my Pocket I saved another $10. Worth Every Cent. Feel free to ask me more == John == Thankgodim@live.com

Rude and nasty sales person – They expect you to give them $1500 without letting you do research. I googled the company infront of the sales rep and he got offended when I showed him the reviews. He got really nasty and abusive. He said "how dare I not believe him". Yes a guy I just met 10mintues ago and never heard of the company ever, How dare I not give him my money without… Read more

doing research first. Don't let them trick you to give them your money on the spot and not let you do research first. Buyer beware, always do your research first before you buy something that's to good to be true.

Perfect! – I've been a member since December 2018 and am very happy so far. I've received discounts on several occasions when dining out and even got cash back from the holiday we took in January. I really can't fault it and being transferable my sister has used it as well. Reading some of these reviews here I feel I should mention that the sales person… Read more

who came out to see me was very professional and thorough. He explained everything in detail and was very patient (as I work in a busy retail outlet and had several interruptions). I really couldn't fault him or the product and am looking forward to saving a lot more in the years to come.

Pushy sales tactics – The sales people from this company are very pushy and sly. I was pushed into purchasing their membership which I don't even use as the restaurant listed around my area have either cancelled their participation or were not aware they had been signed up. Like what many of the reviewers have said, DON'T BE FOOLED. I wished I had read these reviews before I agreed to meet with these [Cencord Words Removed] merchants: BUYERS BEWARE!!

Dont be fooled stay away – Dont think twice about being forced into a membership. The salesman knows how to do his job well. All starts off good but the minute you say no turns nasty. Wasnt told we couldnt cancel but when we tried was referred to debt collector. Terrible company to deal with needs to be shut down. Not all restaurants aware of card or offers customer need… Read more

to inform them then they need to check with manager all very frustrating. Have had friends sign up but they have cut up there cards as not impressed

BE CAREFUL – I was forced into meeting with one of the sales reps and after seeing the 'bottom line' cost there was no way I could physically afford it as I work part time and currently studying at University. Sales rep got really defensive upon me saying no.

Very forceful – DO NOT get sucked into these people. They tell you, you have an option on whether you choose to sign up for a membership or not. At first the guy was very nice and bubbly, but as soon as I said this membership wasn’t for me, he started getting defensive saying “no one says no to this once off offer” he then kept offering me different packages to… Read more

which I still said no. After going back and fourth for an hour, I just agreed and signed up. I was told I could cancel my membership at any time, when I tried to that they told me I was not allowed. Very terrible customer service, rude and pushy staff. NO CUSTOMER LIKES A FORCEFUL SALES PERSON. Please do not waste your time or money on these idiots. Tell them you’re not interested if they ever happen to call you and do not agree to anything.

Terrible – After they called to come into the office and try to sell this card, we said we would think about it. We didn't go through with it and they pursued entered a default in out credit file as they had asked us to sign that the rep had visited us which they used that as us purchasing the card and not paying for it.

Waste of time – The sales rep informed me the only difference between signing up under my own name, and signing up under my business name would be the ability to write it off as a tax deduction, which sounded like a pretty good deal. Subsequently, I changed my mind and decided not to go ahead (thinking they'd treat me vaguely respectfully). Not only did I have an… Read more

incredibly defensive receptionist (as others have mentioned), but I was informed that due to putting it under my business name, I did not have /any/ cooling off period, a change that is very substantive.

I was informed that after a "careful review" that they would not honour my request to cancel my membership (the first payment was still pending, so they haven't lost or gained anything), meaning I'm on the hook due to their sales representative's dishonest omission of the fact that if I signed it under my business name, that I would have NO POSSIBILITY to change my mind.

If I was aware of such an absurd premise at the time I not only would not have taken up membership in the first place, but I would've immediately ended any discussion of it. Refusing to allow prospective customers who sign up under their business name (because who doesn't want the benefit of a tax deduction?) to terminate the membership, and on top, failing to notify them they wouldn't be able to terminate their membership is beyond unconscionable.

Save your money go to Dimmi's – Had a similar experience to another customer, decided not to go ahead with it 2 days after the grace period and was threatened with legal action. Decided I'd pay for it anyway rather than go through the trouble only to find out the service severely lacked any decent restaurants near my area. THEN the one restaurant that I did want to try… Read more

informed me they cancelled their dealings with Conoisseur Club (even though the CC website still had the restaurant listed).

Seems these days a lot of restaurants are dropping out because I checked the listings just before writing this review and there seemed to be less than 30 restaurants listed in Melbourne's inner city. Pretty pathetic considering how much restaurants deal with Dimmi's and such.

Restaurants, vineyards,hotels,wines THE LIST GOES ON – I am an owner of a business and I purchased this card as I dine out once a week. At first I wasn't sure but after using it you actually do get the red carpet treatment. I saved 25% off the bill taking my staff out for a group dinner which I do once a month. I have also used the card at the Hunter Valley long weekend. Bought some wine and ate at a beautiful restaurant in pokolbin! Bookings.com is also great! Win Win

Fantastic card – I purchased this card a few months back. The card has been nothing but a benefit to both the company and us, It was a great buy and in s very short time we have already got our money back. I would definitely recommend this card to people who enjoy dining out .

Buyer beware – I was told that their would be restaurants locally in my area of Sydney west... but once i paid i got access. ...and NOTHING!!! Out my way.. asked for a refund as it was complete false advertising. Then refused to pay my 2 final payments. They threatened "consumer law "antics. I don't really need to keep going right ???

Don't waste your money by paying a joining fee – Don't waste your money! Connoisseur Club are losing businesses as times goes on and value for money is not there as perhaps once was when the company was at their peak. There are too many other companies offering better deals without any memberships. I also agree with previous customer complaints in the past of not reaching staff on the… Read more

phone.

If you want a gold card just ask, I have 1 collecting dust and prefer to get better discounts through other companies promoting better offers.

Do you want me to publicly show the much better promotions out there ???

Give It A Miss – Unprofessional, the cold call i received, friendly enough but I'm on the DO NOT CALL REGISTER, their first mistake, the caller refused to tell me the all out cost but did say about $4:50 a week second mistake, did not email details as promised 3 rd mistake, come appointment time no show and a call after the fact 4th mistake. Other concerns you… Read more

can't do your due diligence before hand to see if the number if companies in your area are worth your time and money, so what is to hide? Or is this the gimmick to SELL in person?

Not that cheap after all – I intended to use the card when going to Brisbane, I found that other companies are cheaper and a lot easier to use. If you do internet searches they are not the cheapest in car rental and other categories as it was promised to me when i signed up. I agree with others that getting a hold of someone it sometimes difficult but my biggest issue is… Read more

that it is limited with variety and options and it would be extremely beneficial to members if there was a map attachment to get a quick view of the locations.

After about 2 years I am still yet to use my gold card... any whilst they are fully transferable I am not allowed to sell it... supposedly! Nothing can stop me giving it away, I think that's what I will do as I have given up and more happy to look for specials on the internet that are actually the cheapest around.

I would like to see the proof that the feedback given by members is in fact used towards local business awards as I was told it was.

Excellent Value/Program – I have been in the connoisseur club for over two years now and had great savings on both hotels, restaurants and events while travelling locally and interstate- While it is an initial outlay if used as it its meant to be, the savings are fantastic and more than worth it - There is a great selection of restaurants and hotels to choose from - I had… Read more ·  1

one minor hiccup where a restaurant didn't recognise the card initially however this turned out to be due to inadequate training of their staff on the restaurants behalf - On raising the matter with Connoisseur club the matter was rectified immediately with the connoisseur club liaising with the restaurant in question and also providing myself and my partner with a free dinner. Contacting and communicating with Connoisseur club was easy, smooth, timely and efficient - I would highly recommend the card and club to anyone.

Excellent value for money – I have had the card for a few years now. I use the site alot to find somewhere different to go for dinner or lunch most weekends. Have saved a fortune over the years. So not only does it save me money it makes me try new and exciting places, both here in Melbourne or when i travel interstate for work. If ever i have had to contact the… Read more ·  1

company they have been very responsive and always very willing to help out....nothing has ever been too much trouble!

Very satisfied with savings – There is no doubt that you can save quite a lot of money if you are a regular diner. Overall, I am satisfied with the benefits the card has to offer and my only gripe is that I wish there was a greater selection of restaurants in our area to choose from. I love the fact that there are no restrictions on the days/times you can dine and I'm always… Read more ·  1

excited to see which new restaurants will join.. Please get more restaurants onboard in The Hills! I'm also looking forward to using my card in HK when we head over early next year.

Hubby's purchase – My husband bought this membership a couple of months ago - I must admit I was a little skeptical at first -it sounded too good to be true. We have used the card a few times now since his purchase, both in Melbourne and Sydney, and our bill was discounted every time without a fuss. My children have also used it to book Balloon Fights and said… Read more ·  1

they saved around $80 between them just by using the card.

So far so good, will continue to use it as the savings are definitely there to be had.

**Plus this way I get taken out a little more often :)

Great program! – The best part is that there are a number of restaurants with totally uncapped benefits allowing you to save literally 100s in just in single evening if you go as a group... and incredibly, you can keep going back as many times as you want. A genuinely good program.  Show reply

Terrible – Since the day I unfortunately spend a fortune for a membership. disappointed and furious that I got sucked in to this membership! My first experience at one of their restaurants was closed at my arrival and ate there only to show my card after the meal as we were supposed to and the staff knew nothing about the card and the Connoiseur club. This… Read more

same thing has happened to every other restaurant I have been to since. I spent over $1540 for a membership for nothing! Connoiseur club has not been easy to contact to express these issues as non one ever seems to pick up the phone. I want a full refund of my money as I have lost hope attempting to embarrass myself at every restaurant by flashing a useless card!

ALMOST EXCELLENT – Only negative I have to say is website needs to be updated, when my wife bought the card I was sceptical and some places were closed down and staff didn't know, but I found that if I called prior or asked before dining that helped a lot, saved wasting time, but I agree more of a internal communication issue there.. If they can work on getting more restaurants on board that would be great and updating the website apart from that, great savings..  Show reply

Excellent savings - Very happy – Have been a member for a couple of years and very happy with the savings I've received. Really pleased with the Hong Kong website hope you're updating the Aussie one soon?  Show reply

Dining vouchers online are better value! – Stay clear of all Connoisseur Club representatives...a genuine warning to potential purchasers. I wish I had read all the reviews online before I purchased but felt I was signing up safely as their rep told me to ring her mobile within the ten days cooling off period should I change my mind. I rang on the seventh day and left a message. Several… Read more

days later I noticed that over $1500 had been taken out of my account by Restaurant World. I immediately rang the reps mobile again and once again no response so I left a message. No return call several hours later so I emailed the company directly. Within the hour the very defensive receptionist called and a long debate ensued where of course I was not the winner as she implied not only was I stupid for not putting my change of mind in writing, but I was lying as no message from me had ever been received. I asked to speak to someone higher and she said the CEO would call me within 24 hours.

Their version of 24 hours is over one week and he finally contacted me. His approach was very polite but just as defensive and accusatory especially when I told him that their reps mobile goes directly into voicemail. He told me that was not true as he had maintained contact with her over two years and her name was always mentioned in her message. Absolutely untrue as I rang the mobile again to confirm for myself and once again it went to voicemail. I called him back to tell him this and he actually agreed with me as he had also rung the mobile and then told me the reps phone had not been working for a few weeks. Yay! Was I believed then??? No way! Maybe I might have rung but no evidence existed that I had. Of course not!!!! The phone was out of order sir!!! How could there be evidence in that situation? This totally unprofessional man who maintains the club has been in business for nearly 30 years could not give an unhappy customer the benefit of the doubt when all the doubts were from his side and I had facts supporting my side. He continued to say that anyone in my position would put a cancellation in writing. I maintained I followed the instructions from his employee who told me to ring her and cancel. She never mentioned anything about writing and neither does their agreement that he kept referring to. He was very quick to remind me she was not an employee but a sub contractor. Who cares...she approached me representing his organisation. Attempting to appease me, he offered me a second card...really? His rep had already done that so it was not a new carrot to soften me. I just wanted my money returned. He said he had spoken to finance and they were unable to reverse it. What nonsense...they can return it to the same bank account they took it out from.

They were unable to do it but my bank did in a few days after.

Buy the Entertainment book instead – I got this card a few years ago. To be honest, I wouldn't normally splurge on something like this, but I was a bit naive and the sales people are very good at what they do. It turned out to be quite disappointing. The restaurants you can choose from are quite limited and as has been mentioned before, some of them have no idea what the card is… Read more

and refuse to honour it - even though they have the logo displayed on their front window. Overall, the restaurants don't seem all that excited about being part of the club for some reason.

I've also found that once you sign up, even though it's a long-term thing, you don't really feel like you're part of a club. You get an email every now and then, and they share things on their Facebook page from time to time, but it's not all that exciting. As has been mentioned below, their website is very old and clunky and frustrating to use.

Their sales process is very compelling, extremely manipulative and their sales people are very good at delivering it (in retrospect, the kid that signed me up was very dishonest and misleading).

Be warned - once you engage them, it's hard to say no.

Sure, you can get some good deals, but in my opinion the Entertainment book is far better value for money, and far better overall, and seems to be run by a much more ethical company.

I'm not sure what it costs now, but I paid over $1,000 for the card.

Terrible! – The concept seems fantastic, however trying to cancel due to issues and the no longer need for this. Thinking this was a business about reviewing companies they would be ace and have set a good business standard they we're not apathetic in any way or form and only cared for the bottom dollar. When explaining the staff didn't highlight the… Read more

termination fully to me they said I should have read all the terms myself and said I had to pay regardless. Poor form.

Connosieur club.... More members more benefits! – I've had my card for at least 5 years and have saved a heap of money Only had one issue that was resolved after calling the club and the restaurant promptly offered me a complimentary meal to return. I would say this is more a internal restaurant communication/ staff issue than anything else The only down side would be the website Ideally if… Read more

restaurants were put in suburbs not just restaurant name so that when we are out We can search by area not just by cities, just needs grouping and fine tuning on searches

However I agree with most of the others. A great concept, I've paid my investment off within 6 months as we eat out/ travel a lot , not only that we have a great little thai restaurant that has more than earn't not only our repeat business but all our friends as well ... Who don't get the discount so they win both ways

Big savings on accommodation!! – I Just used the clubs accommodation link to book a family holiday to Thailand - I couldn't believe the prices I got, (saved a packet). I checked out all the usual websites before I booked, to double check the prices and Connoisseur was the best, even better prices than Wotif !! Very happy.