Elite Deal Club Review – How Much Money Can You Save Here?

You know what they say: a dollar saved is a dollar earned. If you live by this proverb, you’re probably always on the lookout for additional ways to save a penny or two. Elite Deal Club is a site that claims it will help you with that. And this review will reveal whether they really keep this promise.

For starters, let’s say a word or two on how this panel works. If you’re a frequent Amazon shopper, you are certainly aware of various discounts happening there. Well, Elite Deal Club offers additional, often very alluring discounts to their members. And what do you need to do in return? Don’t worry – you don’t have to pay a dime in entry or member fees. All you need to do is buy that product and leave a review as a regular user of Amazon.

How Do I Know If This Site is Legit?

You can never be 100% sure that a site is legit. Not in the era of so many perceivably legit companies that nevertheless end up compromising personal data of thousands of users.

In a world where bits and pieces of our digital identity are scattered all over the internet, it’s impossible to predict whether or when someone will decide to sell them without our consent. However, there are certain indicators that you CAN trust a site and provide them with your info.

In the case of Elite Deal Club, the first sign of trustworthiness is the fact that they are abiding by the rules of GDPR (“General Data Protection Regulation”). In essence, this compliance guarantees all EU users that their data will be protected.

The company behind this site is called Viral Marketing LLC, and is based off of Indiana.

They have a file including their full address on the Better Business Bureau. Even though they aren’t accredited and hold a lousy F rating there, it’s still a confirmation that the business is legit.

But what about the very bad user reviews on BBB and elsewhere? Well, users have every right to be unhappy with the service. And we will definitely factor in the common complaints when making our final verdict.

Now, a complete newcomer to this site would probably think that they are some sort of Amazon subsidiary business. Alas, that’s not the case! Amazon doesn’t endorse this site in any way. All these guys are doing is conducting business with certain Amazon sellers. Hence the special discounts that are exclusively available for EDC members. 

How Does It Work?

The deal is fairly simple. Signing up is free, but you’ll have to subscribe to their email newsletter as part of the signup process. Then, you will get emails each day, containing the list of current coupons and discounts. Grab a coupon code, add the product to cart, apply the coupon and that’s it. You’ll get the product at 50% to 90% (sometimes even 99%) off. And the last part of the bargain is that you need to write a relatively detailed review of the product at hand.

But does this review have to be positive?

That’s the catch. The site never says that they expect you to write positive reviews. In fact, as you’ll see from their welcome email, they are not “providing products in exchange for a review”. That would be a clear violation of Amazon’s rules.

However, most users will naturally feel obliged to give positive reviews. And the company is probably counting on it. Why else would some of the Amazon top sellers grant those discounts to EDC members when they can live (and sell) perfectly well without them?

But does it mean you can shop at discounts from dusk till dawn? Of course not! The number of coupons isn’t unlimited. Out of 200+ offers, every member can take advantage of up to five coupons per day. Therefore, you have to make your choice carefully. Plus, you should keep in mind that the majority of good deals are released around 2pm every day. So, that’s when you’ll want to log in and check the available offers.

If you decide to give this site a try after reading this review, make sure to always proceed to checkout with a single product in your cart. That way, you’ll minimize the chance of a failed coupon code.

Important Tip

If you ever come across the so-called Elite Deals or Premium Deals, you should be extra careful. Sure, the offers may seem very enticing. But you will have to pay a certain fee in exchange for the coupon code.

Does that sound a bit sketchy? Maybe, but it’s no secret, as the disclaimer in the FAQ section clearly states it.

Therefore, it’s probably best not to add your payment info anywhere on this site. That way, they won’t be able to deduce any fees from any of your purchases.

Is There a Referral Program?

They do have a referral program in place, but don’t hope to get additional discounts or rewards if you partake. It works like a contest where you have to be one of the top 20 referrers within a week. And what do you get if you make it to the 20 lucky members? Amazon gift cards, of course. If you’re number one, you will get a $25 gift card. The next three referrers will get $10 in Amazon gift cards, whereas the rest of referrers have to do with $5.

Advantages

• If you’re a regular Amazon shopper, it is possible to save some cash as an Elite Deal Club member. That’s of course if you’re wise enough to resist getting stuff you don’t need just because of a (perceivably) huge price drop.
• If you make it to the top 20 referrers, you may win a $5-$25 Amazon gift card. I’m not a huge fan of this type of incentive, but it’s still worth mentioning. Especially if you have lots of friends or acquaintances who regularly shop on Amazon. To maximize your chances of being elected to the top 20, it’s recommendable to share your referral link through your Facebook account or other social media.
• Membership is free. At least most of the time! For more info on that, scroll down to the first point under Disadvantages.

Disadvantages

• They sometimes charge “a small fee” for what they call “premium deals”. In other words, products that are deemed very attractive. They don’t say how small this fee is, which isn’t fair to say the least. Users need to know what they are signing up for!
• Keep an eye on the shipping fees if you’re not an Amazon Prime member! If you don’t, you may easily end up paying huge monthly amounts for shipping.
• As with all coupons ever, this site can easily lead you to purchase things you normally wouldn’t. With up to five discounted products per day, you may find a huge hole in your wallet at the end of the month. Especially if you buy electronics, kitchenware, or other items that are on the pricier side. So if you’re a shopaholic or an impulse buyer, beware of spending more than you manage to save!
• Many users complain that the coupon codes are invalid more often than not. In fact, this is because the number of coupons is limited. The FAQ section on their website clearly states that “some products can sell out quickly, so you must be fast to grab coupons”. But the fact that there is an explanation for this doesn’t mean we should be happy with it!
• Another common complaint concerns many accounts being flagged or banned with no obvious reason. There are a few possible explanations for this issue. Maybe these users grabbed more coupons than they would use, which is a violation of EDC’s rules. Or maybe it’s a bug or glitch of some sort. If neither of those, it smacks of abusive behavior or, simply and plainly, lousy user experience. And that will eventually spell the end of the company.
• Bad customer service? Again, that’s what disgruntled users claim. When they inquired about their banned accounts or lack of discounts, they were left without reply. I have no reason to doubt these incriminations. If they weren’t true, the customer service would have replied somehow to all of the negative reviews on BBB!

Final Word – Does It Make Sense to Join Elite Deal Club?

For the sake of clarity, let’s summarize this business model. With Elite Deal Club, you are being incentivized to buy a particular product that you normally wouldn’t have bought. And I’m not a fan of such models.

I am not saying that you shouldn’t take advantage of coupons, sales or discounts. All I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t run around buying various products just because they are offered at 90% off. How can you be sure of their real value? 90% off of an inflated price can prove to be a worse deal than 50% off the true price. And Amazon sellers are notorious for inflating their list prices, so as to make their offers more attractive. If you want a huge selection of various products, brands and retailers, I think it’s a better idea to check out Ebates or other renowned cashback apps.

As for Elite Deal Club, I don’t see why this system is better than using simple Amazon price trackers like CamelCamelCamel. They don’t demand of you to spend cash on a product just because you want to grab a discount. Or to write a fake or even mildly dishonest review of a product just because you bought it at a fraction of its (regular?) price on Amazon.