A customer waiting at a KFC counter shows the coupon on Tuesday, April 6, 2010. [Photo: CFP/CRIENGLISH.com]
Fast food chain KFC suspended operations at some of its outlets in Nanjing, eastern China's Jiangsu province, on Tuesday after hundreds of angry customers filled the restaurants, complaining that the company had unexpectedly reneged on a promotion, China Foto Press reported.
Customers held KFC coupons downloaded from the internet that allowed them to pay half the original price for either the "family box meal" package or the fried chicken steak package, or obtain a spicy chicken hamburger for free if they bought one at its regular price. But the sellers rejected the coupons, citing an order from KFC China headquarters.
The coupons for the "family box" package were valid from April 6-9, and those for the chicken steak package and hamburger could be used on any Tuesday within the month. Copies were also acceptable, according to the text printed on the coupons.
The Shanghai-based KFC China headquarters released a statement at 6:00pm Tuesday to formally suspend the use of the coupons for the "family box" and the hamburger throughout the country, claiming many coupons were counterfeit.
The company had planned to put the coupons on certain websites in three separate rounds and let members of the public claim them on a "first come, first served" basis. Coupons for the chicken steak package were given out in the first round.
The company said in the statement that a huge number of fake coupons had been circulating on the internet ahead of the second and third round of releases, during which the company was to issue coupons for the designated hamburger and the "family box meal" package respectively.
An unnamed official with KFC China's public relations department said a date for the offer's reintroduction has not been fixed.
The halt triggered a backlash from consumers who criticized the company's actions and complained that its various outlets differed in the way they treated valid coupons.
Zhou Hui, Secretary-general of the Nanjing Consumers Association, suggested sellers design practical promotion plans and make efforts to ensure the activities run smoothly. He also reminded affected consumers to retain the coupons for possible legal disputes in the future.
