MSE News: Sainsbury's shopper arrested for coupon fraud 26 September 2011 at 10:31AM in Discount codes & vouchers 148 replies 41.3K views

Former_MSE_Guy

This is the discussion thread for the following MSE News Story:

"A woman has been cautioned by the police for fraudulently trying to use the same coupon multiple times ..."

Read the full story:
Sainsbury's shopper arrested for coupon fraud

lilac_lady

Maybe she had just watched "Extreme Couponing" and thought "I'll give it a go!"

myrtleturtle

exactly why the rest of us genuine users are now having problems using coupons in stores

kerri_gt

I'm shocked but sadly not suprised, some people cannot be happy with a pound or two off items they are genuinely buying and therefore cause problems like the rest of us.

I am sure the programme Extreme Couponing has a part to play - but the US system is very different to that in the UK.

SteffiWe

So she used the same coupon over and over?

Or did she just use coupons she didn't have the product for?

Either way it's no wonder!

S. x

holly_hobby

How did they know she had already used it ?

Did she use the same one a few times on the one transaction she was arrested for, or did they track back ?

How interesting (poor woman though !) ....

myalphabetgirls

The article also says she used different names - well haven't we all done that too. Especially more recently I insert "personalised" for first name and "coupon" for second.

There has got to be more to this story than what is being divulged. I so wish Martin and his team wouldn't only post half a story.

More info please Martin and stop putting the fear of fraud into us!

This particular sainsburys shopper was probably taking the preverbial in one way or another - similar to what resulted in Tesco pulling their generous "double the difference" to their price guarantee. Also, as MyrtleTurtle posts above - recently coupons have been appearing in "Grabbit" on here and people have had personality transplants over potential free items.

Truth is - the world has gone greed crazy.

Edited to comment (in response to my post being quoted several times) - I was clearly naive in thinking this thread would be a "read & run" and therefore did not elaborate on my comment "well, haven't we all done that" in relation to the use of different names. By this I did not mean using a "fake" name & address etc, I meant - having access to more than one p.c (and I know not everyone has this option) and therefore able to print additional sets of coupons, using your OH/parents name or in my case an 18 yr old daughter who has no desire to "like" unilever on facebook but whose mum would very much like the coupon, than you very much.

Sometimes forget that on here, in an open forum, your written word is taken literally. So many judgmental people.

At the end of the day we still don't know the full story here; there is clearly more to it than the mis-use of a few coupons. We are left to draw our own conclusions with only a few vague facts.

From my own experience in sainsburys, the self scan tills are manned and one or two coupons is the maximum allowed before override by an SA is required which causes quite the palava! Also, long gone are those lovely days when you could use your coupons as cash against any shopping. The correct item does need now to be purchased, this is something all stores I have been to and used coupons in are adament about.

copperheadjack

I dont get what she did.
Did she copy the coupon mutiple times or did she print coupons out with different names on using different e-mail addresses? Did she buy the item the coupons were for or just scan the coupon at the self serve?

But anyway thats what happens when they abuse the coupon system

globetraveller

The grabbit board is full of posts where people are providing links not from the original source and folks offering to email others or pm with codes. In the main coupon thread on the forum where all the vouchers and codes are meant to be( according to MSE itself) we have posts being deleted as they are against MSE rules. By allowing to openly have posts where people are bragging about 100 boxes of cereal is surely encouraging the whole thing? Perhaps its time for MSE to operate their rules throughout the whole site.
I wonder if the woman was a member of MSE?

lookinforabargain

Would like to hear the whole story on this one. I know with the Unilever VIP on facebook that when you went to print, the print box popped up and you could put in how many you wanted, but they would all come out with the same barcodes so maybe that's what she did and it was traced back to her?

Who knows really, but as MT says it's just making life difficult for the rest of us who use them honestly and are happy to save a few quid here and there

holly_hobby

What about the dove vouchers - I read that lots of people just kept putting in new email & names to get more vouchers, some had 60+ cans I remember reading ..

How would they trace you back ?

I suppose they would use the email & home address you submitted as part of your registration - but if they were false (if the individual knew they were going to photocopy the voucher and get up to a bit of jiggery pokery), I suppose they would have to go to your IP (AOL or whomever), and try and trace you through your IP address .....

I can't help feeling sorry for the woman .. it must have been absolutely frightful for her and upsetting ... without the facts though who can say what went on ...