Oprah Fans Complain About Not Getting Free KFC Chicken

(Getty Images | Inset from unthinkkfc.com)

Oprah Winfrey forged an unholy alliance with KFC for a huge new promotional campaign to give everyone in America free chicken.

Problems with printing and redeeming the special online coupons developed for the promotion have led many to complain that the whole thing is a giant scam. Here's how it works: For two days (May 5 until midnight May 6) you can go to oprah.com or unthinkkfc.com to download an executable file that then prints your coupon for two pieces of grilled chicken, two sides and a biscuit.

You then take the coupon to KFC and get the promised chicken for free. At least that's how it's supposed to work.

Reports have been coming in throughout Wednesday that some locations have either stopped honoring the coupons or have run out of the grilled chicken. Gothamist reports that the promotion made the scene at one KFC very tense:
I went over to our nearest KFC a few minutes ago...and chaos ensued. Despite the very visible grilled chicken behind the register, the manager told everyone with coupons to leave and that the promotion was over for the day. The people there are currently holding a sit-in and refusing to leave until they get their free chicken...or the cops are called. Racial epithets were being spewed, people who actually wanted to pay for chicken were facing a potential beatdown, and the manager ran from the screaming horde. Oprah, what have ye wrought? Meanwhile the Baltimore Sun reports that even if you get to a restaurant that's honoring the coupon, that doesn't mean you'll get free chicken.

ALL the pdf versions of the coupons have the 1234 UPC number [which means they are all invalid]. I have a call into KFC public relations about this and about whether they're going to be swamped by all the demand. Will report back when I hear.

UPDATE: More reports of KFC customers unable to redeem grilled chicken coupons. Metro New York customers do not seem to be having good KFC experiences today:

"If the coupon doesn't print, consider it a blessing! the portchestoer NY store sort of honored a few before noon (2 wings, mash & no biscuit) and then told the remaining coupon holders (that were shunned into a separate line) that the chicken was gone. I eat atr this KFC regularly and was treated like a vagrant because I had a coupon; that they issued!"
Personally I couldn't get the coupon to print. I got a message that says, "Sorry! You have already printed this coupon the number of times allowed." So I assume someone in my office got to the chicken first *sigh*.

But I did call around to a few KFCs to see if they were honoring the coupons. Of the five Bay Area KFC restaurants that answered the phone (one was busy, two didn't answer) all five said they are still honoring the Oprah coupons. So perhaps there is hope.

What do you think? Is the Oprah KFC promotion a scam or success? Vote here.

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