What You Need to Know About "Grocery Savings for AARP Members - Coinflip"

[italiangm812]

I read the information page for this service and signed-up during June 2017. The connection to my Kroger Digital Coupon account was quick and easy. I was looking forward to choosing which offers I wanted to add to my Kroger Digital Coupons. But that's not how it happened.

Instead, 32 digital coupons were loaded in addition to the ones I had selected like usual using the Kroger Digital Coupon site. Of the 32, only one was of interest to me.

Unfortunately, once the coupons are pushed from Coinflip to your digital coupon account, you can't delete the ones you don't want. You are stuck with them until they expire, which in the batch I got was June 30, 2017.

I like to print out a list of the digital coupons I selected just before I go shopping. That way I know how much the discount is, how many items I can (or must) buy, and when the offer expires. My printed list is usually 1 page, sometimes 2.  After the Coinflip dump, the list grew to 5 pages. Since I wouldn't be using most of the coupons, the list woud be wasting 3-4 pages of paper and ink. Instead I copied the text of the list and moved it to a text file where I could eliminate the unneeded coupons.

I contacted AARP about what happened and asked why did they not advise we could not select desired coupons from Coinflip. After all, that would be the customer-focused thing to do, right?

During the course of the conversation I made it clear if this dump of many coupons would happen again in July, I wanted to be disenrolled/unsubscribed from Coinflip.

July rolls around and yet another dump of coupons occurred. Unhappy, I explained the situation yet again, and told them to disenroll/unsubscribe me. Here was their response: "I'm assuming that you haven't went shopping yet at Kroger since you've signed up, if so these are not coupons on the website they are simply additional savings on top of the coupons that you clip for your store program which is Kroger. There is no clipping coupons at all and nothing is added to your store program card. This is simply if you buy these certain products you save when you link your AARP membership number and you can also still stack coupons on these offers."

I had been using Kroger's digital coupons since the first day they started, so I was quite familiar with how they worked. Of course, the person responding had obviously never used Kroger's digital coupons or they'd know the Coinflip coupons were indeed loaded to my digital coupon list.

I asked them to stop explaining how the system worked, and told them their task was to  disenroll/unsubscribe me from Coinflip. If they were unable to do this, I would escalate my complaint up the AARP foodchain until they processed my request.

They finally disenrolled/unsubscribed me from Coinflip. I just had to put up with the unneeded coupons until they expired on 7/31.

So, a word to the wise: If you don't mind receiving a bunch of digital coupons you might not use added to your account, go for it. If you do mind, you can copy, paste and delete the offers you don't want. Or, not sign up for Coinflip until they make it more customer friendly.

p.s. There is no selection to disenroll/unsubscribe from the Coinflip site. AARP and Coinflip must process your request. Yet another customer-unfriendly process.

[m434104c]

I also wish I had never agreed to Coinflip. I do not use the items they put on my card! 

[CouponClipr]

 Awful “service,” isn’t it? See comments above for instructions on how to have it removed. Otherwise, before long, at 30 coupons per month, your card will be loaded with all of the CoinFlip coupons and you won’t be able to download the ones you want, since the maximum number of coupons permitted is 150.

[pschwier49]

Found out the same issue. In 2 months they maxed out my Kroger loyalty card.

Contacted them via email at info@coinflip.network with immediate results.

They deactivated my account and removed all their coupons from my loyalty card.

All this within an estimated 15 minutes in response to my contact.

I would utilize their coupons in the future if they let you choose which coupons you want and also have a way to deactivate from their system. They just need to be more user-friendly.

[italiangm812]

Glad to hear customer support has sped up the disenrollment process. Sounds like they've also stopped trying to convince members the way their program works is a wonderful feature instead of an annoying problem.

It's too bad they still haven't fixed the customer unfriendly part of the program yet. Like you, I might be interested if the program allowed us to select desired coupons. Not gonna hold my breath, though...

[CouponClipr]

@italiangm812Thanks for your post!  I could have written it myself!  Wish I would have read it before I signed up for this lousy "service." 

The really bad thing is that I forgot I had even signed up for CoinFlip and assumed Kroger was adding these coupons to my loyalty card.  When it got to the point that I had maxed out the number of coupons I could load to my Kroger card, in irritation, I called Kroger to complain about these coupons that were added to my account.  Suprisingly, they said they neither put them on nor could remove them!  Thankfully, a supervisor I spoke with remembered there was some partnership with AARP and asked if I could have possibly signed up for that?  I didn't remember doing it, but apparently I did.  This "service" certainly has no interest in customer service!  Their website has no FAQs, "real" contact us info (it just directs you back to AARP), and no way of removing your store info or opting out.  I've spoken with several folks at AARP about this, in a fervent effort to undo CoinFlip before the October batch of coupons get loaded to my Kroger card.  I just had a thought - maybe I should just load the maximum number of coupons now, before the October ones from CoinFlip hit, then I can at least remove the ones I load and don't want!

The following is an email that I sent to member@aarp.org and info@coinflip.network:

At AARP’s recommendation, I made the big mistake of linking CoinFlip to my Kroger loyalty card.  Every month 30 some digital coupons that I have no interest in are automatically loaded to my Kroger card, often preventing me from loading coupons from Kroger that I actually WANT to use, due to their maximum coupon limits.  These are coupons that neither I nor Kroger can remove – what a racket!  To say I HATE this “service” is a HUGE understatement!!!!  The really bad aspect of it – as far as I can see – is there’s no way to opt out from it or remove my Kroger card information from CoinFlip!  I would strongly advise AARP to sever your relationship with this company – they certainly aren’t user friendly!  There’s no way to remove your card from them once you’ve made the mistake of giving them that information, or of contacting them directly.  If you’re able to remove me from CoinFlip, PLEASE do so !!!  With great reservation and strictly for the purpose of getting CoinFlip removed, I’ll give you my Kroger loyalty card number which is XXXXXXXXX.  Please discontinue adding coupons to my Kroger loyalty card effective IMMEDIATELY and opt me out of anything connected with CoinFlip!! 

For future reference, I would recommend that CoinFlip provide an option on their website for removing a loyalty card and for updating the number (in the event someone does want the service and has to have their card replaced) and list a customer service telephone number and/or email address that goes directly to them, rather than to AARP which really doesn’t know much about this program, let alone have the ability to make any changes.

[italiangm812]

@CouponCliprEeesh. What an awful experience! I didn't know Kroger had a maximum number of coupons one could add to their account.

I hope AARP Member Relations gets Coinflip Member Support to shut off the unwanted coupons before the October "dump" to your Kroger account occurs.

The fact that AARP and Coinflip failed to advise members using the "service" that they can't choose which coupons to add to their account was an unwelcome surprise. Learning that it takes enormous effort to unsubscribe from the service was equally unwelcome.

In the future, I will always ask questions about how the process works if that information doesn't appear in the terms or FAQ.

[liviatrivia]

I also have the same problem. I am so glad you reported it. How do I contact coinflip to disenroll?

[italiangm812]

When I called AARP member services as they recommended, they pointed the finger at Coinflip, and Coinflip pointed the finger at AARP.

So, to get the problem resolved, I emailed my disenrollment request to member@aarp.org. They eventually put my request in the hands of the AARP group responsible for the program, who in turn disenrolled me.

Be prepared for resistance. I received 3 emails explaining how the program works instead of a confirmation of disenrollment. On my 4th request, I also copied media@aarp.com. A few days later, I received email acknowledgement of disenrollment.

At the end of this ordeal, I told AARP it was not very customer-focused to permit self-enrollment into the Coinflip program without also providing a way to self-disenroll.

Good luck!