Kmart Lost Two Customers Over Ten Dollars

How rediculous. Good for you for complaining about this. It will not
make any differince whether it's in color or black and white. I just
a printed a return slip for Amazon.com and they don't care if it's in
color. There scanner works just as well either way. Furthermor, even
if you did print it in color that doens't nessesarily rule out that
its not a copy. I'm not saying you did copy it, but I'm just pointing
out that a color copy is just as proned to being recopied as a black
and white. What was Kmart thinking????

Wow, that really is ridiculous. I would take the issue to the store
director if I were you. I don't have any access to a color printer at
all, and even if I did, couldn't I just print out the coupon many
times?? Eesh.

I'm pretty sure the KM associate was just plain wrong. I wonder if
the associate had asked for help, or if the OP would have asked for a
higher power, if the end result would have been the same.

I would like to comend you for speaking out for customers that utilize
coupons in this time of slow economy. What has happened to good
customer service?
Times like these one would think businesses would stress good
customer service and competent employees.

Keep writing letters to let others know about your good and bad
experiences with different stores. Enjoyed reading your letter, it
was quite informative.

Ok...maybe I am just not smart enough to understand, but if people can
re-copy a coupon in black and white and get multiple copies, can they
not keep re-printing it in color also and get multiple copies?

So what is the difference?

It's so stupid, anyone with a printer can print off 100 copies if they
want. Why bother putting it on their OWN website only to have it
rejected? I'm guessing even if the OP had printed it in color they
still would not accept it! Just keep stuff low in price so we would
never have to use a coupon again! Same with the grocery stores who
have the cards for additional discounts. All they do is track how much
of whatever you are buying, it's almost like an invasion of privacy if
you ask me.

I got an online coupon for Michaels the other day, so I printed it,
then my daughter mentioned that she was also going there to make a
purchase, so I tried to print one for her as well. Since it already
printed one, when I clicked to print one for her, I wasn't able to.
It says something to the effect "We're sorry you're having trouble
printing, please visit our website at...." I figured that was how
they prevented people from printing multiple copies.

I don't know if this is the case for K-Mart, but I know many online
retailers print a unique number on the coupons that can only be
redeemed once. ONce the coupon has been scanned or typed in, the
system knows the coupon has been redeemed and will not let it be
redeemed again.

Basically, this is so the coupon can't be used a bunch of times and if
you tell your friends about the coupon and they want one too, they are
forced to submit their information to the website for future marketing
purposes.

Coupons will soon go they way of the dinosaurs. I have been hearing
this for years.

Some retailers that use "cards" allow you to preload coupons onto your
card, from the stores website. More and more stores are using the
cards, so who knows.

The numbers I see in my trade publications that less than 1% of all
coupons are ever redeemed.


Good Day

It really is time for the government to do something. Many states
have laws regarding coupons and almost all have them regarding sale
prices/advertising. I wish they would start to force stores to take
THEIR OWN coupons.

Have you ever seen the CVS ones? They state "cannot be copied" or
something like that. Isn't an internet printed coupon the same as a
copy??? lol

Maybe you should complain to your local consumer reporter?

Why does the internet have all these coupon sites that you can print
off and then when you try to redeem them it's impossible? I remember
when my son was a baby and I kept getting email from baby food
companies and they would ALWAYS have a coupon link. So I printed some
out and when a store had a sale I stocked up and when I handed my
coupon in, lo and behold the store doesn't accept it!

I payed for the food anyway since my baby had to eat but damn...it was
the last time I ever tried to use a printed coupon again! I stick with
the ones out of the sunday paper.

I have issues with Kmart anyway so I'm not surprised by this letter
one bit. Sounds like an average day there.

This is one thing I do not understand. Why do companies offer
internet coupons when most stores do not accept them or place limits
on them to the point they are not worth using.

You do have a very valid complaint, and I hope someone gets back with
you.

There was another letter here recently with the same complaint, only
it was for another store (Walgreen's or Walmart, I believe). I agree
-- their website should say something about coupons needing to be in
color. Then you could have an option of clicking a button and they
send you the coupon (perhaps minus postage, although that'd seem
tacky) via the mail. Not only do many people not have color printers,
many people aren't even online.

I have never used an internet coupon, and may never. However, it
seems most internet coupons say "void if photocopied," or the
equivalent.

Therefore, if they are going to cast suspicion and turn away coupons
simply because they are B&W, it should say right on the coupon that
only color coupons are valid.

As you say, there are color copiers, and this whole internet coupon
thing sounds rife for "coupon fraud" if they are worried about
copies.

By the way - there is no need to feel like a criminal if you did
nothing wrong. Just stand your ground and hold your head high - there
is no need to be embarrassed or feel less of a person than anyone
else.