When that online deal becomes a steal

[mandy]

Online shoppers can sniff out retailers’ mistakes and exploit them within minutes -- snapping up free goods, rebates and gift cards without a twinge of regret.

For some online shoppers, the line between a bargain and a steal is getting ever more blurry.

The explosion of deal sites and shopping chat rooms on the Web has allowed shoppers to spread the word to thousands of fellow bargain-hunters when they discover a glitch or loophole that delivers free or heavily discounted merchandise.

“Any mistake (shoppers) can find on a Web site, they will exploit,”...

full article: http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Savi...140372.asp

[bargainbloodhound]

The explosion of deal sites and shopping chat rooms on the Web has allowed shoppers to spread the word to thousands of fellow bargain-hunters when they discover a glitch or loophole that delivers free or heavily discounted merchandise.

That's why I opted out of PayPal's Buyer Protection Policy. 

[valleygirl]

One of the most common tactics, Mulpuru says, is registering multiple times under multiple e-mail addresses to get first-time customer discounts such as free shipping or 20% off.

I've refunded the payments of a few buyers I caught doing this.  It isn't hard for a smaller merchant to spot 10 different accounts with the same billing and shipping addresses. 

[mandy]

A related article:

FOURTEEN staff at Tesco's main UK call centre in Dundee have been sacked or suspended after auditors uncovered a massive fraud involving false discount vouchers used to buy groceries, alcohol, cigarettes and DVDs over the internet...

Instead of answering calls from customers, crooked employees spent hours on the office internet purchasing thousands of pounds worth of groceries, drink, cigarettes and DVDs for pennies by inputting codes for VIP discount vouchers into online orders...

Some internet shopping bills were slashed from £200 to just £10 ...

One woman involved is said to have defrauded more than her £13,000-a year salary...

full article: http://news.scotsman.com/dundee.cfm?id=298472006