J
n interesting piece about some coupons used on TLC's Extreme Couponing All-
used a number of these coupons in one transaction with a value up to $5.99 per bottle of HE 32 load bottles of Tide at Glazier's Food Marketplace in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jill said he used 200 Free TIDE coupons with a value up to $5.99.
I did the math ---- That's $1,198 in free product.
I placed a call to Chris Duff the featured shopper but no answer as of the time of this post. If I speak with him, I'll update immediately.
I did some digging myself and looked at completed auctions on ebay.
(This is the only way to explain how a Pennsylvania shopper got his hands on so many FREE Tide coupons from an appliance dealership in Chicago.)
There are some insane auctions going on for these coupons on ebay. For instance the search engine will pull up an auction for 2 Free HE TIDE coupons but the seller is being so generous and including 8 for free. The auction is for the clipping and shipping, not the coupons --- Standard rhetoric.
Anyway -- the seller is also charging $5 in shipping.
Once s
NOTICE -- THE COUPON DOES NOT HAVE AN EXPIRATION DATE IN THE YELLOW FIELD AND IT DOES NOT FEATURE A HOLOGRAM ON THE FRONT.
THAT'S NOT A DEAL!!
Go
and
ctions that ended as late as Sunday -- March 4.
I spoke with Bud Miller, Executive Director of the Coupon Information Corporation, this morning and he said almost if not all of the free coupons sold on EBAY are fraudulent.
While there are certainly exceptions, the moral of the story is never trust coupons being sold on EBAY.
Miller went on to say that the CIC encourages all manufacturers to include the CIC hologram on 'free' product coupons. Not all of them abide by the request but Procter & Gamble is definitely a partner in the fraud prevention program.
Did you know people purchasing coupons on ebay can turn in a seller distributing fraudulent coupons and the CIC will respond?
If you do purchase a coupon that is an obvious fake you can report the transaction, seller information and more here:
Coupon Information Corporation
115-D South Saint Asaph Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Tel (703) 684-5307
For more information about the COUPON INFORMATION CORPORATION,
Go
mation.
Tide® $2,500
REWARD* Due to widespread counterfeiting, a $2,500 reward has been issued for information leading to the successful
prosecution of the individual(s) responsible for producing the counterfeit coupon shown below:
The counterfeit coupon is listed below:
FREE: One Free Tide® or Tide HE Up to 32 Loads Offer Code: #22908. Expiration:
12/31/12
This offer was a legitimate coupon; however offer terms, value and expiration dates have been altered and
the hologram has been removed. The counterfeits are being sold and distributed on Internet auction sites and by e-mail.
P&G does not authorize the sale or distribution of Tide coupons in any form.
RETAILERS: Valid Tide® Free product coupons will carry the CIC hologram (a silvery bar at the top of
the coupon – embedded in the printed copy & cannot be peeled off the copy stop paper stock. The CIC
logo is embedded in small circles & faces various directions). Free coupons without CIC holograms
should not be accepted.
Do not accept Internet Print at Home coupons for P&G brands and be advised P&G will NOT pay for
these unauthorized coupons. Retailers may call 800-543-8443 to confirm the validity of any P&G
coupon. PLEASE NOTE: There are VALID Tide coupons still in circulation.
FREE Offer + NO Hologram = COUNTERFEIT COUPON
FREE Offer + FAKE Hologram = COUNTERFEIT COUPON
CLEARINGHOUSES: Please advise retailers of this counterfeit coupon notice.
CONSUMERS: Print at Home P&G coupons found on the Internet, or printable coupons distributed via email
or auction sites are not authorized by P&G. Counterfeiting is fraud against our Consumers and
Retailers and P&G.
HERE'S AN EXCERPT OF THE EPISODE: