You do not want to piss of 1.3 billion potential customers. That seems to be the conclusion arrived at by the honchos of KFC China, which has apologized for a botched coupon promotion that left some customers with empty buckets. After canceling the promotion in April, KFC was roundly criticized and was even subject to “quasi-violent protests.” Who says there isn’t freedom of speech in China?

As in countless other coupon blunders from around the world, KFC underestimated consumer demand for the deal, which offered diners a 50% discount on KFC family deals. Coupons were offered online during three periods on April 6, and KFC yanked the promo in the face of what the company called a “large number of invalid e-coupons.”

Han Jilin, general manager of KFC and vice-president of Yum China offered up some self-criticism, promising that “the company will use the unpleasant occasion as a lesson and promises to do more for customers and that the event will not repeat in the future.”

KFC officially apologizes for previous coupon-cancellation event [Global Times]

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