NOTE: This thread locked to make room for NEW FAQ!
This is version 1.0 of our Hot Deal Forum FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions - but you know that much already right?)
If you have any suggestions or new questions, post them in this thread so we can update this thread as we go along!
Common abbreviations: AFAIK - As far as I know AR - After rebate B&M – Brick and mortar store (A physical retail store as opposed to an online merchant) B1G1 or BOGO – Buy one get one free BB – Best Buy BTW - By the way BVG - Best Value Guarantee (Offered by some credit card companies) CC – Circuit City CC – Credit card CPN - Coupon CSR - Customer service representative CYM - Check your mail DD - Deal discussion GC – Gift certificate FAR - Free after rebate FWIW - For what it's worth GDA – Good deal at HD - Hot deal HSN – Home Shopping Network IIRC - If I Recall Correctly IMHO - In My Honest/Humble Opinion IMO - In my opinion IR - Instant rebate LMK - Let me know MFG - Manufacturer MFR - Manufacturer MIR – Mail in rebate OD – Office Depot OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer OM – Office Max OOS - Out of stock OP - Original Poster (author of thread) OT - Off topic PM – Price match PM - Private Message RAOK – Random act of kindness SASE - Self addressed stamped envelope S/H – Shipping and handling TIA - Thanks in advance TRU – Toys R Us YAFTS - Yet another free T-Shirt YMMV - Your mileage may vary YGM - You've got mail YGPM - You've got a private message
What information should I include when I post a deal? Try to include details such as the expiration date of the coupon, minimum purchase requirements, site link, shipping and handling costs, and the coupon code. The more information you include, the better. Follow up if possible, so you can edit your post to include new developments.
How do I link to a website in my post? To place a link in your post, simply click the HTTP button above the posting area. For secure links, use the HTTPS button.
Copy and paste the entire address into the popup window,
Click okay.
Type the title of the link in the next popup window,
Click okay.
Your link is now “clickable” to other users.
General usage comments Prior to posting, please use the search feature to see if your contribution has already been posted.
Prior to posting, please use our price comparison tool to see if your "deal" is really a deal.
Please don't post anything that opens our users up to fraudulent/illegal activities. Since scans of UPC's, receipts, etc are most commonly used fraudulently, please do not offer or ask for them. Thanks!
Deal requests and questions belong in the Deal Discussion category.
Hot deals that are worth less than $10 and are absolutely free belong in the Free Stuff category. Free magazine subscriptions also go in the Free Stuff category.
Self-promotion and referral links are not allowed. If you would like to advertise on FatWallet, please contact advertise@fatwallet.com.
Treat other forum members with respect. Please don’t flame others. We are all here for the same purpose - to find hot deals and to share the deals we find.
Please refrain from using vulgar and/or explicit language.
To remove the opportunity for abuse, we will not allow links to competing websites in a user's signature. However, we do not restrict users from stating where they found information in their message.
<font size=4>Message Deletions (March 24, 2005) Messages are deleted for a number of reasons, all to maintain our healthy community of smart, fun consumers. Following are the violations and related notes that would be sent by moderators when deleting a message.
REPOST! Please let us know about reposts without posting in the thread. By alerting the moderator instead, we limit messages in a worthless thread, the moderator can edit/lock/link as necessary, and we keep the forums friendly and efficient for participants and viewers alike. Please include the URL of the original topic in your moderator alert message. Thanks!
WRONG FORUM! Please let us know about misplaced topics without posting in the thread. By alerting moderator instead, we limit unconstructive messages, allow the moderator to move topics as necessary, and keep our forums friendly and efficient for participants and viewers alike. Please include your suggestion for better location in your moderator alert message. Thanks!
Flaming, Discouraging others FatWallet forums exist for the benefit of interested consumers. We expect comments to be positive and constructive to the topic being discussed, and to help others make informed decisions. Please refrain from flaming, name-calling or otherwise discouraging our members. If you see something offensive, please alert moderators from the offending post rather than commenting yourself.
Personal Attacks Personal attacks are not allowed here at FatWallet. Please help us foster a smart, fun community by focusing your comments at products, deals and retailers rather than individual forum members or groups. If you find another member is offensive or unreliable, please alert moderators from one of the offender’s posts. Thank you!
Arguments and Squabbles There is no room for personal arguments in our deal forums. While we invite both positive and negative commentary on products, deals and retailers, we must insist that commentary is limited to the topic. When our moderator becomes aware of a personal argument, he or she will remove it completely for the benefit of our community… which may mean nearby messages are deleted in kind. Please keep your comments constructive and focused on the topic (not individuals). Finally, please accept our apologies if your message was deleted by mere geographic association with this squabble.
Off Topic FatWallet welcomes all opinions regarding the originally posted topic, whether positive, neutral or negative. Still, we require comments be related to the subject matter initially posted. In the interest of keeping our forums organized and valuable to all viewers, we may delete posts that drift off topic. Thanks for your understanding.
Not constructive[ Thank you for your recent participation in the forums. However, your remarks were not constructive to the original topic and have been deleted.
Inappropriate Language This message contained inappropriate language for our forum, or demonstrated an effort at circumventing our censored words list. Please express yourself with respect to the many ages and groups of people who view our forums. Thank you!
Offensive Content Our forums are viewed by a wide variety of people, including youth and others potentially offended by this message. Please be sure to post messages with due respect and sensitivity to all potential viewers. Thank you!
Personal Information Please do not post personal information in our forums. Thank you.
Quote of Deleted Message This message was deleted because it quoted another message requiring deletion.
One Day Bump Limit Please limit the bumping of your thread to once a day. Thank you.
One-Time-Use Coupons To keep our forums organized, we gave One-Time-Use Coupons their very own forum! We do not allow requests for one-time-use coupon codes in our Hot Deals forum. Also, buying, selling or trading is not allowed in our forums, including coupons/codes. If you are interested in requesting or sharing one-time-use coupon codes, please limit posts to that particular forum. (All forum categories are listed on the left side of our forums main page, and in the Category drop-down on forum pages.) Thanks!
SPAM: Affiliation with site It is never acceptable at FatWallet to use our forums for individual benefit that is greater than available to the community as a whole. As stated in our Sign-Up Agreement, you may not be affiliated in any way with the site/merchant you post about. Continued violation of our Sign-Up Agreement in this way will result in a loss of posting privileges and possible further sanctions. If you are interested in advertising on our site, please send your inquiry to: advertise@fatwallet.com
SPAM: Referrals requested, linked, or associated with It is never acceptable at FatWallet to use our forums for individual benefit that is greater than available to the community as a whole. We do not allow URL’s/links that include referral information, or links to referral programs or sites. Finally, discussion of or links to conga, pyramid or like-minded rewards sites are not allowed. In sum, anything related to referrals will be removed from our forums.
SPAM: Indirect link A link in your message apparently benefited someone other than the site/merchant making the offer. Please be sure the links you provide are the most direct possible. Thanks!
eBay and other Auction links To maintain the integrity of our forums, FatWallet does not allow links to auctions which may benefit the poster. All auction links are removed from our Hot Deals forum, and some from Deal Discussion at discretion of the moderator. Auction links “for entertainment purposes only” are allowed in our Off Topic and Off Topic: Politically Incorrect forums. Thank you.
UPC’s and Cash Register Receipts Cash register receipts and UPC’s are frequently bought, sold or traded for fraudulent purposes. Therefore, we do not allow discussion of this topic in our forums. We understand there are legitimate reasons to request and offer these items. Still, to avoid subjective decision on each scenario and any chance of fraudulent activity, we choose a zero-tolerance policy. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and thank you for your cooperation going forward.
Coupons: De-coding and Misrepresenting A coupon has printed text that describes the agreement between the consumer, the store, and the manufacturer. This text is what creates the agreement. The bar-coded information is a method to expeditiously handle the coupon-entry into the store's payment system.
The information revealed in the code may allow the code to be accepted by the store for a product other than that stated on the coupon, but if it does not fall within the stated text of the coupon, the use would be determined to be fraudulent [i.e. illegal].
Decoding is also known as coupon misredemption. Coupon misredemption takes place when a coupon is used other than in connection with the purchase of the product as stated in the PRINTED text. Decoding of coupons is a deliberate misuse and abuse of what the manufacturer intended.
With that in mind - any messages we are made aware of as having the fraudulent intent of misredemption of coupons will be deleted. Further, any discussion of coupon misredemption will be removed. Please take care not to discuss these issues in our forums. Thanks!
Coupons: Altering how-to, and links to altered coupons FatWallet chooses not to associate in any way with altering coupons. Links to altered coupons are not allowed, nor is discussion of how to alter them.
Coupons: Scanned and image files We intend to maintain our status as the best online shopping community, and opening our members and viewers to fraudulent activity is not in our collective best interest. Scanned coupons and saved coupon image files (PDF’s) skirt around the manufacturer’s intended limitations on the number of copies that can be legally printed. Links determined by the moderator to contain such an image or to a file that was found to have been possibly modified will be deleted. Only links that go directly to the manufacturer’s website or known third party distributor are acceptable. Discussion of how to obtain these images will likewise not be allowed.
Fraudulent of otherwise Illegal Activities FatWallet chooses not to associate with any activities which may be fraudulent or otherwise illegal. Please do not post messages that discuss or otherwise encourage misbehavior. Thank you!
No selling, buying or trading. Consumer-to-consumer selling, buying and trading is not one of FatWallet's core competencies. Therefore, we decline to be involved with this process in any way. If you have a one-time-use coupon code you'd like to obtain or give away, please do so in that particular forum. Otherwise, we ask that your personal buying, selling and trading take place outside of our forums (on eBay, for instance). Thank you for your understanding.
AMS
senior member
posted: Jan. 7, 2002 @ 12:11p
true1ever
Happy Member
posted: Jan. 7, 2002 @ 12:12p
Good idea Tim... This should reduce the number of less-relevant hot deal followup questions.
IR - Instant Rebate YMMV - Your Mileage may vary. BUMP - 70's dance and Moving a thread to the top of the list OOS - Out of stock CSR - Customer Service Retar..uh.. Representative WTF - Watt Tub Fudge
Monga
Senior Member - 2K
posted: Jan. 7, 2002 @ 12:53p
Nice job, Chief!
Rocker
Ancient Member
posted: Jan. 7, 2002 @ 12:56p
Great post
magflo
Member
posted: Jan. 7, 2002 @ 1:45p
I'm glad this was posted because I was about to ask what YMMV meant!
RedArt
Senior Member - 6K
posted: Jan. 7, 2002 @ 2:35p
I keep seeing the abbreviation "FW" on other boards. What does that stand for?
i.e. "Stolen from FW", "As posted in FW", "Link to FW thread"....
(BTW...this is a joke...evidently a pretty lame one.)
OK, This is a GREAT idea! Thanks to swissjim and Chief Mucky Muck.
I've got a question...and I hope it isn't too stupid, but what exactly is a repost? Is it when you post a deal that has already been posted or is it when you post again to a post you started? Does that make sense?
A repost is when you start a new thread for a deal that has already been posted.
Waddle
Senior Member - 1K
posted: Jan. 7, 2002 @ 9:48p
Nice..this will be helpful to newcomers..
whassup
Member
posted: Jan. 7, 2002 @ 9:50p
how about a little faq on AMEX Blue (or other best price guarantee cards)?
Ribbet
Member
posted: Jan. 7, 2002 @ 10:04p
Great, helpful idea Tim. Thanks. Some suggestions:::
* Ask folks to use DATES, not "Today," "Tomorrow," "Next Week," etc. For example, one of your recent threads includes "Monday, Jan 7" -- clear & specific. Since threads can re-emerge days/weeks/months after they began, a phrase like "Today-only" in a title can mislead.
* If a deal changes (e.g., Out of Stock, Coupon Denied, etc.), ask the original poster to "[UPDATE: date]" their original Title (and Message).
* Where appropriate, add synonyms to abbreviation. For example, for "AR" add (also: "After MIR," "MIR". After "YGM" add (also: "YGPM," "YHM," or "YHPM".
* Finally, while this suggestion may be controversial (but fun )::: How about asking folks to INTRODUCE each new topic with THEIR impression of its "hotness" on a scale of 0 - 10:
[10] 19" Hitachi Monitor - $164 @ buy.com (for the WMCs still around)
[0] 48 rolls of Toilet Paper for $38 at My_TP_Store.Com
This might eliminate the need for "Blazingly hot!," "Plasma Hot," "SSSMOKINNNN" and other inventive hyperbole, while giving those who respond a standard range. (Folks will still disagree -- per their needs/perspectives. But at least they'll do so w/in a confined range).
Maybe I can put down my fire extinguisher from all the new flames
InterestedOnlooker
Senior Member - 1K
posted: Jan. 8, 2002 @ 6:16a
DH = Dear Husband DW = Dear Wife DS = Dear Son DD = Dear Daughter SIL = Sister-in-Law BIL = Brother-in Law MIL = Mother-in-Law FIL = Father-in-Law ADDY = Address CRT = Cash Register Tape GC = Gift Certificate CC = Credit Card
Rosebud
Senior Member - 1K
posted: Jan. 8, 2002 @ 6:56a
One of the most common rebate related questions I see in the threads is, I can't find my rebate form, can someone tell me where to find one?
You should consider the rebate form as important as your receipt. Be sure to print and save both, as many times the form will be pulled from the website just before you go get it.
How about phone numbers/addresses for companies like Amazon, Buy.com, target, etc.
dealsdyker
Addicted Member
posted: Jan. 8, 2002 @ 12:02p
What about adding this FAQ as a "pop up" link on the top of the page rather than a message? Along with ability to submit to you added abbreviations on that page?
MuTiny
Member
posted: Jan. 8, 2002 @ 1:02p
definatley helpful i didnt know over 1/2 of these.
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