Can I complain about another grocery site?

[bigsweetie]

I paid for a 3 month membership at a different site. I didn't really get into the website too much, but mainly registered for the newsletter (I was new to couponing). I got the newsletter and it was filled with pics of everyone's deals for the month (which had long expired by the time I got the newsletter) and the last half was rebates. I didn't find it too useful. I wasted a whole $8 (which now that i'm a member here just kills me - do you know how much food I can buy for $8??? LOL!)

The site everyone else is talking about sounds like a HUGE rip off!!

I read where some thought it was easier because they match up the coupons for you... well I guess you're right if the lists in your area are correct. If they're not, what a waste of time and money!

Even here I double check the deals with the ads from my local store. Store sales vary from store to store on some items so even if someone here posts that they got Cheerios for X amount with a particular coupon, I still make sure that the Cheerios are on sale at my local store for the same price.

It may be more legwork on the front end, but i'd be ticked if I got to the store and the "list" I got from the other site wasn't accurate. Now you've wasted your membership fee AND your gas! Not worth it, IMO. I'll take the time at home to read here, and make my own list that I KNOW is accurate.

I have found this site to be extremely valuable and I haven't even been here that long. I even told my H that next month (he's on a trip) that I am taking a whole day all to myself to even better familiarize myself with this site and all it has to offer (I haven't gotten into trading, auctions, etc.). I can't wait!!!

[ATLmom]

The mantra they keep repeating there is "Trust the list." Like you're supposed to blindly get the list, collect the coupons, go shopping and it all magically matches up perfectly. Bull! Then when you ask cs why your list didn't match up and why you can't "trust the list" they just say that some stores may vary. WTF?! How can you trust the list if it doesn't even match up? Arrrgh! Anyway, I'm done there. I do miss the color coding, but it was way too disappointing to have to pay for the service, then do all the double checking myself anyway.

I find that reading through the flyer to get familiar with this week's sales, then coming here to see the matchups that are done for each store, and reading through the threads for each store to see what others have found is the best way for me. I'm still in awe of all the folks here who are so darn good at this stuff. What a resource. I'm hoping to be able to contribute more myself as I learn.

[mommamoody]

Oh yes, ATL Mom, I live in Atl too, and I noticed that the Kroger list started having errors about 6 weeks ago. As I understood it, we pay them to walk down the aisles with the coupons and make sure they match, but about 3 times now I have had issues, I even emailed the company because I thought maybe they have a new person doing the list and they need a little help.
(Now there is a free site and they had problems matching too, but I didn't pay them).
I joined in Jan of this year and up until now it was always perfect and then recently not..... I am going to cancel my membership for at least that store before the next cycle and go to Publix. They get better deals there anyways.
Plus I read HCW enough that I don't need that paid list so I might just cancel altogether.

Its like learning the internet in the 90's, you always started out on AOL because it was so simple... and then once you figured out how to use the web, you went onto something faster and better!

[zoeys_mom]

Originally Posted by queenofthehivemomof5 Mushy pink elephants...sounds like a fruity cocktail. Someone pour me a glass and lets toast to HCW for being FREE! I know the site of course and yes they talk in a secret code on thier forums because they leave thier forums open for reading to non-paying members and of course they do not wish for the deals to be leeked to non-paying member, or what would be the point of paying for the list? Of course if they COULD make thier forums readable only to paid members and they could freely discuss the deals without using a secret code words. I hear they give a discount to members that blog or mention that site on other message boards (we have seen it, usually oh 2-3 times year on our forums). So what do I need to give HCW members to get them to blog about us or spam message boards? Anyone want a surley teenager or distructive toddlers? Now move out of my way before I run you over with my shopping cart, that box of tampons is MINE!

A cool monkey bubble to go with my monkey monkey underpants would be nice

[Lev8mysoul]

Originally Posted by daltregirl I have to ask now - what is the big deal about putting the name of the "other site" out in the open for everyone to see? Lots can figure it out, but what about the ones that can't and unknowingly waste their money continuing their membership. To me that is not much different that mushy pink elephants.

You know what's funny? I had no idea which site you were talking about but took some clues from this thread, did a google search, and saw what came up.... NOW I know what site you're talking about. I've heard about them, went to the site once, saw that you had to pay and said to myself "why would I want to pay to save money?" so I left and didn't bother. I'm glad I found this site. The work everyone has put into it is very obvious, and I'm already hooked. Best of all, it's FREE.

[jessl]

I use that other site and have for over a year. I've saved thousands of dollars since joining it. I was a complete coupon newbie when I started. I just found this site a few weeks ago.

I think that the quality of the lists varies. I'm dropping my Stop and Shop list because it never really matched up for me, but I love my Shaws list. True a lot of the info is here too but for now I'm keeping it. The only complaint I have with it is that it doesn't repeat coupons. It also doesn' use blinkies and tearpads.

I'm on the fence about the drug store lists. There is a lot of info here and I can probably get rid of them but I'm not sure yet. As others have mentioned a big plus is the color coding and having it all in one place. With the drug store lists you have all week to use the list which is a plus.

My renew date for that site is tomorrow so I think I'm going to keep everything except S&S for another 8 weeks and compare the lists with the info here.

I also agree with the previous poster about trains on that site. I'm on four trains there and run one. I like the way they are continuous. From what I've read here the trains last a short time and you are limited to how many you can be on at one time.

[Scrapping Mommy]

Originally Posted by jessl I use that other site and have for over a year. I've saved thousands of dollars since joining it. I was a complete coupon newbie when I started. I just found this site a few weeks ago. I think that the quality of the lists varies. I'm dropping my Stop and Shop list because it never really matched up for me, but I love my Shaws list. True a lot of the info is here too but for now I'm keeping it. The only complaint I have with it is that it doesn't repeat coupons. It also doesn' use blinkies and tearpads. I'm on the fence about the drug store lists. There is a lot of info here and I can probably get rid of them but I'm not sure yet. As others have mentioned a big plus is the color coding and having it all in one place. With the drug store lists you have all week to use the list which is a plus. My renew date for that site is tomorrow so I think I'm going to keep everything except S&S for another 8 weeks and compare the lists with the info here. I also agree with the previous poster about trains on that site. I'm on four trains there and run one. I like the way they are continuous. From what I've read here the trains last a short time and you are limited to how many you can be on at one time.

What I did was go through the ads and posts here, and come up with my own list, and then compare it against theirs. I did that for about 4 weeks (until my sub ran out), and found I wasn't missing much. I canceled, and still find amazing savings; better, I think, becuase I can use tearpads, IPs, etc.

[johnnylingoman]

Wow the same thing actually happened with ************ It was kind of weird, but then it sorted out again. Do these things really work?

[too-old-now]

I would never pay for another couponing site. There are so many free ones out there, each trying to do their own thing. There are lots of members here who are also members on multiple other sites.

For some, though, the pay sites are a huge blessing. If it costs someone $10/month to save $200 - and it also saves them an hour or more in time, they may be glad to consider that $10 well spent. If the same information is available free here or elsewhere, but it might take them another 30 minutes to be useful, they may not be interested in saving that extra $10 since the time might be more important to them.

The HCW owners have their own rules, including the right not to publicize other sites, to limit discussions of certain topics, etc. that other sites are more open about. For some parts of the country, the store forums are clearly much more active here than other free coupon sites. In other parts of the country, well, I guess it's safer to say HCW still has an opportunity to grow its membership.

Clearly, though, just because a site is free, it doesn't mean it's for everyone. Same for pay sites. Folks have gotten warned or infractionated or even banned from here and elsewhere for not following the rules, and folks have run away screaming from this and other free sites because of a lack of rules, or just plain getting uncomfortable here or there. Members from pay sites undoubtedly have had similar experiences.

I believe every member should respect the site they are on when they are on it. I'm guessing the person who suggested posting comments/links/ads about HCW on other unnamed sites' message boards was just kidding - I don't think the owners here really deserve that sort of headache. What may sound like fun to some can turn into a mess pretty easily, often unintentionally (I've learned this but forgotten it too often). If Heidi or Julie has to take time to respond to a request from another site owner complaining about having to delete new messages pointing people here, or business cards promoting HCW inserted in a coupon train, it's one more hassle for them. They get enough drama dealing with their own rules here, and running their own lives.

If someone here or at another site asks about competing sites, it's important to make sure your response follows the rules of the site you're on. Here at HCW, other sites are generally not allowed to be named - but I think there are sometimes exceptions about giving credit to who/where info copied/pasted from another site came from - and in that case I don't beleive links are permitted here, but initials might be.

Other sites (free and pay) may or may not be as strict about naming other sites - or at least may not have come up with the same rules yet. HCW is run as a business, often with a lotof thought behind its rules. Clearly HCW is doing well - and Heidi and Julie have consistently reminded us that the mods and members are the reasons for, and beneficiaries of, its success.

[BringontheWonder]

Oh, goodness. I started out couponing with the help of that site. Paid my $1 for their blue widget...um, I mean list...for the trial, and then $25 for 3 months. I learned the ins and outs of couponing from the message board, but found that I was getting better deals once I understood the basics. It became a fun hobby for me to scan the Wednesday Albertsons ads and get my coupons ready right away or even go ahead and shop before the list even came out on Sunday. I never paid again, but continued to be active on the message board until the censors kept slapping me down. I found, as others have, that much of the information from their users was from right here at HCW, sometimes even copied word-for-word as others have also said. For a site so big on keeping secrets so they get credit, they certainly didn't want to give credit to HCW or the folks at SD. I remember once trying to direct a user to HCW via a PM, and the message was censored to read "quack quack" or some other nonsense. That site is big on convincing people that "OMG! IT'S SO MUCH WORK AND YOU DON'T HAVE TIME OR BRAINS TO FIGURE IT OUT ON YOUR OWN. IDK WHY YOU WOULD EVEN TRY. OUR FOLKS WILL DO IT FOR YOU!!!!!" Just never type anything that hints of a complaint or even constructive criticism. You are also censored for even sharing an e-mail from a store's customer service regarding coupon policy. Certainly don't even try to help other shoppers out either. Good grief. They need to get over themselves.

I have been getting "Look what you're missing" type e-mails with increasing frequency lately trying to woo me back. I have a look at the deals they share and have a good laugh.