The Augusta Chronicle has a story today that discusses the coupon fraud and counterfeiting on TLC’s “Extreme Couponing:”
The first season premiered April 6, 2011, and featured two episodes. After the first episode, many couponers like myself were up in arms.
The episode showed a lady using coupons in what appeared to be a fraudulent manner. She used a method of fraud called decoding. Without being too specific, it is a way to use coupons meant for one item to buy items for which the coupons were not intended. An example of decoding would be using a high-value coupon for a six-pack of yogurt to purchase a single container. Eventually, she admitted to decoding in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
During this incident, TLC released a statement to Entertainment Weekly: “We have received a strong response to the premiere and are listening to and reading the various comments around the show – as with all programs, we appreciate the feedback. While the series documents extreme couponing strategies, we take any concerns about specific tactics seriously and are looking into the situation.”
Since that statement, TLC has had no comment regarding any fraud allegation stemming from the program. Also since then, there have been two confirmed cases of counterfeit coupons being used by two different participants. Most recently, in the Dec. 27 Extreme Couponing: All Stars episode, shopper Chris Duff used 200 counterfeit Tide coupons to illegally obtain nearly $1,200 in merchandise.
With all the controversy, you’d think that TLC might consider changing the show’s format for Season 3. However, in the March 6 edition of the Chicago Tribune, Matt Sharp, the executive producer of TLC’s Extreme Couponing, said in an e-mail that the show does not plan any changes.
Heavenlifter says
Too bad that our society favors this type of nonsense to a show about actually saving money.
someonehastobethegoodguy says
Did you know what those who discuss donation, shelf clearing, and way more shadier things were banned then stalked on one of the the largest coupon sites.
Housewives land on these sites having NO idea who the site owners are and what they do off list. You will NOT believe what these women will do and have done with ISP’s, home numbers, names, addresses and more. They even can report innocent members for being a bad trader even if they have never traded in their life. They accuse members in different states, different ISP’s with time stamps even, as all being the same person, when mods can clearly see the ISP’s. Some of the shadies have been in trouble with the law and the IRS so they are well versed on how to stalk and harm an innocent housewife who happened to land on their site hoping to learn about couponing. They will go to such lengths to get an innocent new clueless member in trouble that you wouldn’t believe what they do. These are low lifes who simply pretend to run coupon sites to gain hits, slave workers to post the deals, and more.
When you join these coupon sites you are possibly giving shady mods direct access to your life. If your going to discuss shelf clearing and worse be careful where you post.
This is not even about couponing, shelf clearing, or TLC. This shady stuff has been going on for years and years. TLC has just brought some of the shady to the surface. Just wait till season 10 of the TLC show. It will then be about arrests and things you never knew were going on. After what I have learned I would never be associated with “couponing”. Again these folks have been in trouble for fraud, the irs, and worse for a reason. They all just traded some of their privacy to run sites hoping to make bigger bucks off the website hits.
Again be careful where you post.