Better Business Bureau Tips Regarding Online Coupons
Coupons are a significant factor. The number of American adults using online coupons rose by 39% to 36 million between 2005 and 2008, according to a survey conducted by Simmons/Experian Research and Coupons, Inc.
According to the CEO of Coupons.com, in March of 2009, the company experienced a 192% increase in the value of coupons printed from its site when compared with the previous year. The total value of the coupons printed out in that month alone was $57 million.
BBB advice to consumers:
- Check to see if the coupon is being offered directly by the store or if it is being offered by a third-party such as a partner or affiliate. If it is via a third-party, they might ask for additional info or require that the consumer sign up for additional services to redeem the coupon. If so, be sure you understand the offer completely and use extreme caution before divulging any personal information. Check the reliability of the company at www.bbb.org.
- Be wary of pop-up ad coupon offers that require you to immediately click to redeem. Clicking on the ad may automatically sign the consumer up for services they were not interested in receiving, causing them to be billed every month.
- Carefully read the terms and conditions for the use of the coupon. Check for the expiration date, limitations of use and whether it is an online coupon good for only online purchases or if it can also be redeemed at the physical store location.
- Because some stores are concerned about fraud related to online coupons, not all businesses are eager to redeem them. BBB recommends contacting the store where you wish to use the coupon directly to find out whether the coupon is being honored or not.
- Be extremely cautious if the coupon requires that the consumer call the company to redeem the value of the coupon, and/or has any requirement to give personal information.
BBB advice to businesses:
- Make sure you’re ok with the terms and conditions for the use of the coupons and that they are spelled out clearly. This includes expiration dates, limitations of use, whether it can be redeemed online and/or in store, etc.
- To prevent consumers from printing multiple coupons, businesses should speak with their Webmaster so that only one coupon can be printed from each IP address. Businesses can also state on the coupons “only one coupon per purchase” or “one coupon per customer”.
- Be sure that you and your employees are completely comfortable with honoring all coupons. Failing to honor legitimate coupons won’t help build customers and could be detrimental to your business.