The coupon read "Free appetizer with the purchase of two entrees". I tore it out of the calendar and headed out to a lunch meeting with a colleague.

We chose the restaurant because of the coupon. There were three possibilities, this one was slightly more expensive, but the coupon made up for it.

After arriving at the place, my coworker ordered his food. I made my selection, ordered my food, and presented the coupon for our free entree.

The nice lady behind the register looked at the coupon, then looked at me with a pleasant grin, and said "this coupon is only good with the purchase of two entrees".

I immediately thought, "Bingo! That's why I'm handing it to you".

But she wasn't finished.

"We only serve entrees for dinner" she said as she proceeded to pull out a dinner menu from the behind the counter - a menu I had never seen. And there, at the top of the menu, in big red letters, was the word ENTREE.

Seriously? Our lunch entrees were not considered entrees because the menu didn't call them entrees?

The coupon said nothing about entrees only being served at dinner, or that it was only good during dinner.

I really liked this place. And I wanted to be happy and enjoy my lunch. But I was feeling deceived. Scammed. The victim of sales tactic.

I know that's not the case. I know the owner. I know it was an ambiguous coupon.

The lesson here is that a coupon, poorly crafted, can do more harm than good. Instead of getting a bonus and leaving with a positive impression, the customer is left feeling ripped off or cheated. A critical mistake for any business, but especially for a new business with hundreds of first-time customers.

Are ambiguous or misleading coupons hurting your business?