Tuesday Tidbits & Tips: Legitimate Coupons???

Okay guys...some of you have been asking whether or not the recent coupon for a free travel-sized bottle of Downy was legitimate. When you print it out, it looks quite suspicious. The front and back of the coupon print on one page. You would have to tape them together in order to use it, which is VERY strange...

I've done some research, and here is what I can find:

• This coupon was on the Downy website at one point.
• When you go to the Downy website, it has been replaced with a $1 off coupon.
• When some people have tried to use this coupon at the register, it only takes off $1.
• Many couponers have contacted Downy directly, and the representatives have confirmed that it is definitely a legitimate coupon.

From all of this information, I say...You can try it, but there's no guarantee that the store will take it. Honestly, I think it's way too iffy. I won't be using it, but that's just me. It appears to be totally legit, but I'm just afraid to take a taped-together coupon in to the store.

On a side note, counterfeit coupons definitely exist on the Internet, so be careful when printing. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is. Be careful about really high value or free item coupons.

Two rules I try to follow in determining whether the coupon is counterfeit are: 1. Does it have a bar code? and 2. Does it have an expiration date? Usually if a coupon has these 2 things, you can be pretty sure it's not fake. However, there are experts out there who specialize in creating counterfeit coupons, and they have expiration dates and bar codes!

For a list of some of the most common fraudulent coupons circulating the internet at the moment, go HERE.

I thank my readers for the concern about the Downy coupon. We should always strive to be honest and ethical couponers. Unfortunately, the use of fraudulent coupons ends up hurting all of us in the long run. This is what causes store policies to be changed for the worse.

Hope that helps! =)