Consumer Woes :: Pizza Hut coupon fraud

This is the story of a die-hard Pizza Hut fan ... who is accused of coupon fraud.

Danielle orders Pizza Hut frequently online and receives advertisements and promotions via email. At the beginning of August, she received a Pizza Hut coupon offering her two free medium pizzas and an order of breadsticks. Danielle could claim her free pizzas as long as she signed up for a free trial of Rhapsody (followed by membership).

According to her story, the coupon was advertised on the Pizza Hut Web site. Thinking the advertisement was legitimate, Danielle signed up for her free trial of Rhapsody and clicked on the link where she could redeem her prize.

She followed the instructions and when she went to check out she was charged $10. Why was she charged $10? A fee was only supposed to be applied if the order was a delivery. The order was marked as takeout so this fee didn't make sense.

Here is where the consumer woe sets in.

Danielle calls Pizza Hut asking about the coupon and why there was a fee. She first spoke with a rep who didn't have any idea about the coupon. He transferred her to his supervisor.

The woman claims Danielle was "making the coupon up" and tells Danielle that she is complaining about a charge that was legitimate. The woman could not explain how the charge was legitimate, or how the coupon got onto the Pizza Hut Web site. The woman proceeds to explain that if she had "read the fine print, it says the two companies aren't connected and that we have no responsibility regarding the coupon."

Danielle demands the coupon be honored, because it was Pizza Hut who sent her the coupon. Eventually she got the woman to call her local store to get the $10 charge taken off.

To read Danielle's version of the consumer woe, click here.