Comments on: Oprah KFC Coupon Sparks Frustration & Confrontations Across U.S.

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 18 May 2009 00:53:33 +0000

@Jen

I can understand your point of view (being a businessman myself), but let me explain mine.

I rarely watch Oprah, but happened to be watching it at a friends house and saw the promo. I went online, and after fighting a little bit with the KFC site, I finally got the coupon to print.

I went to KFC for the FIRST TIME and what did they say…. Your coupon is FRAUDULENT! What about these honest people like me, trying to get a free meal (believe me, I probably wouldn’t have complained even if it tasted like cardboard!) but were told that their coupon is a fraud?

I know I won’t go back to KFC.

First Impression is Lasting (or LAST) Impression.

Thanks, KFC for NOTHING!

By: Wayne

Wayne — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:23:02 +0000

@Jen

As you stated this is a promo designed to bring customers to your establishment and instead it has frustrated a lot of people including myself.

If you are a KFC manager your attitude toward customer complaints only displays how much KFC really cares about customers and drawing in business.

You should be thanking each and every customer that visits your restaurant as they’re the ones who make your pay check.

It is well known that if you please one customer they might tell two or three people about it, but if you piss them off they will tell ten or more people about it. I’m sure you’ll see what I mean very soon.

By: John Bolling

John Bolling — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:13:30 +0000

I printed my coupons went to a local KFC to redeem it and they said they would not and were nasty to me. I went home called other outlets(5) . Nobody were answerering the phones including district office. I will never set foot in another KFC. They can cram it.

By: No name

No name — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:55:03 +0000

I printed my coupon without problems the day the show aired. However, our only KFC refuses to accept them claiming “coupon fraud”. What a joke and a poor excuse. I will never go to KFC again.

By: Rosemary

Rosemary — Sun, 10 May 2009 03:37:49 +0000

I was able to print out the coupons and get our meals for free. I thought it was a great deal and
the employees where I received the meals were very polite and helpful. Good job.

By: jen

jen — Sun, 10 May 2009 01:38:35 +0000

as a manager of KFC, allow me to explain some things. Oprah was a fan of the grilled chicken…she wanted to endorse it. she met with KFC and they hatched this plan to help those families in economic distress AND anyone else in this free country to try this new product AT NO COST TO THEM. however, the heads at KFC made a mistake by choosing to do this around the nationally busiest sales day of KFC, Mother’s Day. Our suppliers are literally running out of very key products(i.e cole slaw, biscuits, CHICKEN.) our restaurants are now scrambling to find product. not to mention, oprah hasnt contributed one cent to this promo. this comes out of OUR profit. now, i know some of you may say that im whining about losing those sales….but would you want to run your butt off at your work and not be getting anywhere? are your jobs ok if you are losing profit? the area that i am in, has not had to deal with “rioting” or any of that nonsense. however, i have had a few ungrateful customers who complained that they couldnt choose their side dishes(we offer mashed and slaw)…and a group of well dressed businessmen who grumbled about having to pay for a bottle of water. i mean, come on, do you people hear yourselves complaining about your FREE MEAL? this truly shows americas greed and unappreciation for anything anyone tries to do for them. i hope to god that the people who are complaining about not ever coming back because of this promo mean what they say…because some other restaurant can deal with you. and to those of you who appreciated it…thank you…come anytime:)

By: Tasha

Tasha — Sat, 09 May 2009 02:30:04 +0000

Damn some people act like they deserve free shit. People should not be mad at Oprah or KFC. They are not responsible for ignorance. And I not even a fan of Oprah. I had my meal and had no problem. There were like 50 people inside and 20 cars in the line. I like Kfc but i understand why some of the restaurants stop accepting the coupons. It is overwhelming with all the people. Some of the employees should not be treating the customers like shit for wanting a free meal cause I can assure you if they was off they ass would be in line right along with them.

By: Gandydancer

Gandydancer — Fri, 08 May 2009 23:25:26 +0000

The only thing that was “managers choice” was which two pieces of chicken you got, not whether the store honored thecoupon. Though the coupon did say “at participating restaurants”, so franchises may have an out. One they would be stupid to exercise, of course. Nearly as stupid as the decision to treat coupon holders as second-class customers, keeping the stock of chicken for the customers paying cash. Yes, treat me like a vagrant if I use a coupon you gave me. Gives that warm feeling of wanting to come back. And then there’s the “rain check” procedure where you have to give KFC a form with your name and address, along with the original coupon (or maybe four forms, one for each coupon?) so they can mail you a replacement. What’s wrong with honoring the coupons for a month or so after the expiration date? Treating my time as if it has no value gives me even more warm fuzzies for the Colonel.

There are bait-and-switch laws which KFC probably violated. I hope some lawyer makes a bundle off them. This clown Roger Eaton who signed off on the “thank you for your understanding” rain check offer ought to be fired for sure.

By: Don

Don — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:43:08 +0000

Brian, the Manager’s Choice was directly linked to the piece of chicken offered, not which stores would accept.

There were problems printing the coupons, they went to pdf and not the printer. The pdf coupons all had the same code and the store I used would not accept them. I was able to print coupons and did get my meal, dry, but free.

By: June Sanders

June Sanders — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:19:09 +0000

I live in Wheaton Illinois. I stopped by the kfc near my house. I was told by the manager they could not honor my coupon becuase there were a franchise and not a corporaton. What the hell! that info was not listed on the coupon. I don’t blame oprah I feel this was kfc greedy way of getting publicity that in the end will cost them. I will take my business to “popeyes” better chicken anyway. I feel Oprah was not informed . IN the end, the famous kfc chickend out!