Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters recently ran a promotion in which they gave out 10% off coupons alongside collectible pins in the mail. Here is the e-mail that ran with the physical mail offer:

One TINA.org reader received the buttons but no coupon in the pouch. According to the reader, Urban Outfitters explained that “they ran out [of the coupons] but would still honor it.” When he went to Urban Outfitters to try to get the store to honor the 10% discount, presenting the pins and explaining that he never got the coupon, Urban Outfitters refused to honor the discount, saying they couldn’t process the discount without the coupon code.

Get consumers in the store with a discount offer, and then refuse to honor that discount: A classic bait-and-switch.

Be wary of coupon offers that don’t include the coupon. If you find yourself in such a situation, talk to the store’s manager about honoring the discount regardless. And if that fails, alert TINA.org. For more on bait-and-switch advertising, click here.