News

DineOut is here to stay!

Fri 30th Oct 2009 09:05PM by CJD

An update for our members and restaurant owners

You may have received emails or letters from ID Limited of Christchurch in respect of a website called DineSmart.

ID Limited claims that DineOut (and the DineOut card) has been "replaced" - and that DineOut is "now 100% owned and operated" by ID under the name DineSmart.

This is not true. You can check it out by going to www.dineout.co.nz! DineOut was established almost 10 years ago and has grown and grown until today it has well over 35,000 reviews, over 19,650 registered members, and more than 5,390 listed restaurants. These figures are rising daily.

A year ago as founders of DineOut we entered a joint venture with ID Limited. Together we ran DineOut until August this year when they ended that joint venture.

Our agreement with them was clear. Once they ended it the DineOut web-site, content and software were again ours. The "Fanbase" concept which ID had introduced remained theirs. So DineOut was back with us - and thriving.

Next, DineSmart was started by ID Limited. It claimed to be new, but in fact it took and used DineOut's content and software. It is still doing this, so this is now with our lawyers.

We have had overwhelming support - from our members, from restaurants, from old and new contributors. The public vote is clear - and it's a vote for DineOut. Faced with this, ID Limited is now making misleading and deceptive claims.

If you want to deal with ID, you can. If you want to read some of our old content on their web-site, you may be able to for a little while longer (much has been removed following demands from us and our contributors).

Since August we have posted over 2,000 new reviews that ID doesn't dare copy! DineOut is the up to date, widely used, and highly popular review site, just as it has been for the last 10 years.

If you want to list and promote your restaurant you can pay ID (but you should know that few people look at their site) - or as has always been the case we at DineOut will provide your listing for free. We can provide a password to enhance your listing with photos and menus, and also place feedback on your reviews - just contact us for your password if you don't have it already.

We believe in competitive trade. But trade has to be fair to be competitive. We have not enjoyed writing this to you, but we will protect DineOut (and we think that means protect you too).

We are writing to explain this to you. We are taking other steps as well. If you have anything you think we should know, tell us. If you want ID out of your life, tell them - many of our members and restaurants already have and have written to tell us that.

Best wishes & prosperity

Chris & Tracey
www.DineOut.co.nz