Need some advice

[kaynava]

Hi everyone, I need a bit of advice on what I should do concerning some coupons. Since I'm really new to couponing I didn't realize what I did was wrong by photocopying my printed coupons, and I am really really sorry I did something this stupid. The only thing on my mind was that I was getting a good deal on products I actually use. I had wanted to save on my ink at home and since I have free photocopying at work I thought to make use of it. My past experiences with printed coupons have been pdfs and images I found on Mrs January, Smart Canucks or other coupon sites. To save ink or share some of my findings I'd just print one or two (if they were skinny coupons so I could put them on one page) and photocopy them for my friends and family. So when I found some printed coupons on facebook I did the same thing I had done before and printed two of each coupon so I could stack them on a single page (to save paper) and use some for myself as well as share them around for my mostly technologically inept side of the family who don't pay much attention to coupons. I didn't fully read the fine print or barcodes aside from whether it was one per purchase or transaction. After recently printing some websaver coupons and reading the fine print more closely, I went to look up topics on photocopying coupons and now I've gotten myself terrified over what I've done.

I'm not exactly sure how many copies I made. I don't think I made too too many, but I'm sure my mother and aunts have used theirs and I've thrown away the copies I had left. I am so so sorry for being a part of the group of people who ruin coupons for everyone else and also for any trouble/loss of profit from the places I used the coupons at. I am certainly never going to be doing this again, but I am still really scared of the possible consequences for my bad judgement after reading websaver's disclaimer on reproduced coupons and penalties. As I used my facebook account to print the coupons, am I going to be in serious trouble now?

[Slaney]

You might be. The codes are all traced to your ISP, even if you gave away & didn't use the coupons they know who they oriiginated from.

[Poirot]

I think the only thing websaver would do is cancel your account.

[kaynava]

Well I didn't photocopy any websaver coupons. The only ones that weren't pdf/img files that I photocopied were through coupons.com via a facebook link. I wouldn't mind never being able to print or receive coupons ever again, I'm just afraid of any other penalties/criminal record(?) that may come from this.

[Pinkypie]

At least you discovered your fault and fixed it! People do this all the time knowingly with no shame!

[Slaney]

I've heard they're starting to crack down on coupon fraud so I really don't know what might happen

[Poirot]

Well I didn't photocopy any websaver coupons. The only ones that weren't pdf/img files that I photocopied were through coupons.com via a facebook link. I wouldn't mind never being able to print or receive coupons ever again, I'm just afraid of any other penalties/criminal record(?) that may come from this.

I don't think they would have bother with that.Look at those people on Extreme Couponing committing fraud right on tv nothing's happened to them.

[Natalka]

I think now that you know better, you will do better!

There are still situations where even SCers disagree on what it 'ethical' regarding some coupons...

[bgheuchert]

When I first started to coupon I hadnt even found SM yet, I had no idea that you couldnt use coupons with US addresses in Canada, so I used them, a lot of them! When I finally figured out what I was doing, I wrote the companies (I knew which ones to write because I used to keep detailed lists of what I bought, which coupons I used etc...) telling them exactly what I did, and apologized for it. I told them I now knew that what I did was fraudulant and that it was a mistake that was made in earnst niaviety, and that I hoped that actions like mine would not cause penalities for others who were couponing within the "rules". A week later I started getting emails back with companies appologizing TO ME, saying they could see how confusion could arrise and then they sent me mail out canadian versions of the coupons that I had used. Point being I think if you just write the companies honestly and explain the situation they will not only over look the fowl, but help you to coupon within the "rules" as well. Just my experience.

[kaynava]

Thank you all for your honest opinions! I just recently went to 2 of the 3 stores I used those photocopied coupons at and explained my mistake and asked if I could pay back the money that was not covered by the voided coupons. The person told me not to worry about it since a cashier had already accepted them and the coupons that were used weren't too too many (I think 5 of 7 were void, but my mother and aunt have already thrown away their receipts so I can only go by memory of how many I gave to the both of them). Gosh I was calculating in my mind and I think I might've made around 24 voided coupons!

I think I'll be writing to the company whose coupons I photocopied and explaining my horrible mistake, though I'm still a little scared. I don't want my family (especially my mother) to find out what a mess I've made since they've got enough problems of their own to be worrying about me.

And how could people commit coupon fraud on national television? I thought those people were supposed to be pros!

[Slaney]

They buy fake coupons from Ebay. There was one episode someone bought a bunch of beef jerky & that company didn't even have coupons

[kaynava]

Yikes.

Anyways, instead of emailing I just wanted to rip off the bandage and get it over with so I called the company and talked to a lady about what I did. She said she appreciated my honesty and said she would let it slide as long as I "cease and desist" from doing such a thing again. I think my printing privileges will probably still be cut since she never asked for my name or information to link up to my voided coupons, but that's fine. I'm too freaked out by printed coupons now to do any more printing anyways.

[hollyquaiscer]

I'm happy to see that you have a concious. So many people don't. You didn't know what you were doing was wrong, and you have now tried to rectify the situation as best you could. Probably nothing will happen, but I would keep my receipts and jot down the date and time you went back to the stores you did, just in case. Thank you for being so honest.

We all make mistakes, the newbies and us old timers too. It happens.