Site updates: Trust Score and Pays-2-Share
Yesterday we implemented a couple of updates to CouponChief.com, which are aimed at improving your browsing experience.
Trust Score
First, every coupon contributor has now been assigned a Trust Score. A user’s Trust Score is simply an indication of how reliable coupons are from a given contributor. It will be used on our website to help rank & order coupon listings, and to help our visitors quickly locate the most reliable coupons.
We calculate a contributors trust score based on 4 factors:
1. How many coupons they’ve entered over the past 30 days.
2. How reliable these coupons have been.
3. How many votes they’ve made over the past 30 days.
4. How accurate these votes have been.
Each contributor’s trust score is indicated on every coupon contibuted, and is also shown on the profile pages.
Coupon Types
Up until now, we’ve allowed users to enter “coupons” which do not require a promotion code. In place of the code, many Pays-2-Share users have been entering text such as “Click Here”, “No Code Required”, etc. From today on, these types of offers will no longer be accepted. We will allow existing coupons to stay in the system for 1 more week, at which point they will be removed.
Again, this change is meant to improve the browsing experience of our visitors, and only provide legitimate, working coupon codes.
Trust Score FAQ
What is my Trust Score?
Your Trust Score is an measure of how much reliable your contributions to CouponChief.com are. For example, if you consistently submit reliable coupons, and make reliable votes on OTHER users’ coupons, you will maintain a high Trust Score. Alternatively, if you submit “spammy”, expired, or non-functional coupons, or make erratic, unverified votes on other users’ coupons, you will have a low Trust Score.
How is my Trust Score used?
Your Trust Score is used throughout CouponChief.com to ensure a positive experience for all of our users. Coupons submitted by users with a high Trust Score will receive prioritized placement over coupons from users with lower scores. Your Trust Score will be indicated next to your name on every coupon you submit, so other users can judge whether or not your coupons are likely to be reliable. Also, votes from users with low trust scores will count for less — we don’t trust these users, so we won’t count their votes!
How is my Trust Score calculated?
Your Trust Score is based off of your contributions to our website:
1) The Reliability of Coupons You Submit - If most of your coupons receive poor votes, your Trust Score will be adversely affected.
2) The Reliability of Votes You Make - If your votes for other users’ coupons are ACCURATE (regardless of whether they are good or bad votes), your Trust Score will improve.
How is the accuracy of my votes determined? How do I ensure my votes are “accurate”?
1000’s of coupons are audited each day by Coupon Chief staff. If your votes typically agree with those of our staff, then they are considered “accurate”. The only way to ensure your votes are accurate are to try out the codes on the respective website, and vote based on whether or not the coupons work. You can vote once per day per coupon, but since all coupons eventually expire, you better re-check the status each day before you vote on a coupon — or else you may hurt your Trust Score!
What if somebody is purposely voting down my coupons to ruin my Trust Score?
These users will only be hurting themselves. Their reckless votes will lower their OWN Trust Score. Since votes from users with low trust score aren’t counted, your own trust score won’t be adversely affected.
How do I improve my Trust Score?
It’s easy…
1) Make sure the coupons your submit actually work.
2) Help the community by voting on other users’ coupons. If you make lots of accurate votes, your score will go up! Just beware, inaccurate votes will hurt your score.
posted by Melinda Herman | March 29th, 2009
Not sure how this is working because my trust score keeps getting worse and people are using my coupons and they are obviously working. I spend countless hours verifying that coupon codes work and am voting appropriately. It seems the more coupons I add, the more I vote, the more my score keeps getting bad.
posted by karen best | April 1st, 2009
How does it work if people just submit coupons, and are not rating coupons? Does the trust score stay low because of that? I had several of these ……..Up until now, we’ve allowed users to enter “coupons” which do not require a promotion code. In place of the code, many Pays-2-Share users have been entering text such as “Click Here”, “No Code Required”, etc……. type coupons which some people rated as not a reliable code. When the offer stated something like up to 70% off of clearance items……Wouldn’t you head to the clearance section to check it out? I know I would!
Thanks,
Karen
posted by CouponChief | April 3rd, 2009
@Melinda - Your trust score is half based on your coupons and half based on your votes. Some of our top contributors have a great trust score.
posted by CouponChief | April 3rd, 2009
@Karen - we agree that some of the most valuable deals onlilne are from offers that have no coupon code. However, allowing these coupons in just creates incentive for spammers and people trying to cheat the program. We are thinking about ways to to allow these offers while keeping the true coupons front and center. We’ll post more details here as we develop them.
posted by Debbie | April 4th, 2009
I notice people are trying to cheat the system with the click here and put the coupon code in the description. They know full well that the coupon is already posted. That is EXTREMELY unfair to the original poster of that coupon and I feel it should be removed for that reason. If I see it I post a comment and will give bad score for doing it. I hope that is correct. If not please let me know.
posted by Debbie | April 5th, 2009
I would like to add to my previous post. Perhaps if members would clean up and delete these non functional coupons there wouldn’t be any bad feedback to worry about. I have been trying to go through all of my own to make sure they work and am getting rid of the click here type coupons.
However, I am still noticing others uploading these coupon links which are supposed to be banned. Just my thoughts.
posted by CouponChief | April 7th, 2009
@Debbie - we are working to remove these coupons as they will not be allowed. They are an obvious attempt to game the program and will be deleted when we figure out the best way. These also typically have a negative rating, so by voting against them, you are increasing your trust score.
posted by CICI | April 11th, 2009
WELL, I THINK THE NEW CHANGE IS FOR THE BEST ! IT DOES TOO,PAIN ME TO SEE OTHERS CHEATING TO GET CODES THAT ARE ALREADY POSTED. IT MAKES THE SITE LOOK SLOPPY,NOT TO MENTION THE ONES THAT DO NOT ADD EXPIRATION DATES !!! JUST MAKE SURE YOUR COUPONS ARE LEGIT,HAVE A EXPIRATION DATE & SOON YOU WILL SEE A RISE IN YOUR MONEY & POPULARITY !!! THANKS COUPON CHIEF KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK !
posted by CICI | April 12th, 2009
OK,HOW COME I WAS TOLD THAT BY VOTING AGAINST USERS THAT SUBMIT COUPONS LIKE,”CLICK TO ACTIVATE” MY SCORE SHOULD GO UP ??? ITS NOT WORKING FOR ME ITS WORKING AGAINST ME ! THE RATINGS FOR THE SAME USERS THAT SUBMIT THESE TYPES OF COUPONS ARE GOING UP & MY SCORE HAS WENT DOWN…AM I DOING SOMETHING WRONG NOW ? ALL MY COUPONS ARE UP TO DATE & LEGITIMATE,SO WHAT HAS OCCURED WITH MY ACCOUNT ? SHOULD I STOP VOTING AGAINST THESE USERS ???
posted by Debbie | April 12th, 2009
Scores are based on two things from my understanding. Codes that work is 50% of your score and when you vote correctly on others which is 50%. If you vote wrong about someone your score goes down not theirs.
posted by CouponChief | April 13th, 2009
@CICI - Just to be clear… Their are coupons on the site that say “Click to Activate” which are entered by CouponChief.com staff. These coupons are special in that many of them actually do require users to click through the link to use the coupon. The Target “$5 off $50″ is a good example. So hopefully, you have not been blindly voting against these coupons, since the majority of them really do work.
We made some changes to the site today to make this more clear. It now says “contributed by: Coupon Chief” on these coupons.
Anyways, debbie’s post is correct. To get a high trust score, you need good coupons and good votes. If you have bad coupons in the system (ie coupons which have been getting many poor votes), they will continue to bring your score down. HOWEVER, the score is always calculated over the past 30 days. So start improving the quality of the coupon you contribute and continue to make helpful votes, and you’ll slowly start seeing your score go up. Hope that helps!
posted by Andre Jordan | April 14th, 2009
If your coupon has a date please add the date,that way you may not get hit with this message “This code did not work” etc…Purposely & continuously leaving undated codes on Coupon Chief makes the board look kind of messy,especially when you have too many messages saying “Invalid” or expired 2008.People like myself want reliable dated codes.I know that there are some codes that do not have an expiration date or do not expire,but not too many.Usually if I see a code that is not dated I usually run from it.if you find an undated code,try to test the code or ask the company if they have an expiration date set.Delete codes that you know are expired or codes that are not valid.It may be time consuming if you loaded a lot of codes,but it really can be helpful.Don’t race for codes by grabbing any codes to be on the top list,take your time and get the best codes on Coupon Chief to bring in more people.
posted by CICI | April 20th, 2009
OH MY GOD !!! I AM VERY MAD RIGHT NOW. THERE ARE 2 USERS THAT HAVE PURPOSELY WENT THROUGH ALL MY COUPONS & HAVE MARKEDEVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM AS NOT WORKING. SAYING,THEY DONT WORK & NONE OF THEM HAVE EVEN EXPIRED YET!! THIS IS RIDICULOUS. EVEN THOUGH I JUST ADDED THOSE SAME NEW COUPONS DAYS AGO !!!!! THESE SAME PEOPLE ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE TERRIBLE SCORES AND WANT TO MAKE MY SCORE AS LOW AS MINE ! WHERE IS THE PROTECTION ?? PEOPLE WITH LOW SCORES SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO VOTE ! NOW HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO REDEEM MY SCORE WHEN I HAVE VALID CODES THAT ARE ALL VALID BUT HAVE BEEN VOTED WRONG FOR NO REASON ???? THANKS
posted by CouponChief | April 20th, 2009
@CICI - We have deleted the offending spammy comments as well as votes, and we are dealing with these users separately. Thanks for your feedback, and for your participation in Pays-2-Share.
posted by lisa | April 20th, 2009
Hi CICI….I’m pretty sure you’ll keep getting a great score. Don’t worry too much, didn’t you read where it says the users score will go down if they continue to make bad judgements!! Just keep making a lot of money and focus not on what’s going to hurt them in the long run!
posted by airbrushedtees | April 20th, 2009
There are some users that are doing the same to me.Something is seriously wrong.Me and someone figured this out,they are posting messages to their self !! I’ve seen this trick before!
posted by kc | April 21st, 2009
I PERSONALLY SPOKE TO GARY THIS MORNING REGARDIN PEOPLE POSTING COMMENTS THAT MY COUPONS DO NOT WORK OR THAT CERTAIN STORES DO NOT ALLOW COUPONS. THERE ARE TWO INDIVIDUALS DOING THIS AND I HAVE GIVEN GARY THEIR NAMES. I AM TIRED OF MY COUPONS BEING RATED POOR WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN VALIDATED BY THE SITES I IGET THEM FROM. I HAVE BEEN ASSURED THAT GARY WILL BE LOOKING INTO THIS. HOPEFULLY THESE TWO ACCOUNTS WILL BE SUSPENED.
posted by Lisa(foxyme40) | April 21st, 2009
Hey Sis…it’s funny! I Thought you were CICI @ first…but hey…this is gone too far. Hope everyone get it together because I for one wouldn’t want to be disqualified at all. In no way shape , form or fashion will I try to do harm against anyone’s business. Coupon chief has really helped me a lot. I can now pay for my prescription medicine….so come on everyone…join in and load those great coupons. Hopefully I can get a better score soon…
posted by Lisa(foxyme40) | April 21st, 2009
God bless you all…gotta get back to work here…Thanks
posted by CICI (AMAZING_1) | April 22nd, 2009
ITS ALL SO CHILDISH. THERE IS PLENTY OF MONEY TO BE MADE BY EVERYONE. WHY MARK OTHERS’ COUPONS INVALID WHEN THEY ARE NOT ?!? IT WILL ONLY COME BACK TO BITE YOU ! I AM NOT HERE TO SABATOGE ANYONE BUT IF I DO SEE A COUPON THAT IS INVALID OR EXPIRED I WILL KINDLY LET YOU KNOW ABOUT IT…THIS IS A GREAT SITE. ITS A HONEST SITE,SO WHY ALLOW A FEW PEOPLE TO RUIN SOMETHING GOOD ? LIKE I POSTED PREVIOUSLY JUST MAKE SURE YOUR COUPONS ARE VALID & HAVE A EXPIRATION DATE TO ENSURE A GOOD SCORE.
posted by CICI (AMAZING_1) | April 22nd, 2009
JUST NOTICED THAT COUPONCHIEF IS NO LONGER ALLOWING USERS TO VOTE ON EACH OTHERS COUPONS. THIS IS A GREAT & SENSIBLE CHANGE, GLAD IT WAS MADE. THANKS !
posted by airbrushedtees | April 22nd, 2009
There is more than 2 people that purposely does this and they all had left comments with their user names in my comment sections…and uses email pretending to be someone else.I learned something else that they are doing and I hope that CouponChief bust them in the act real soon!! They are hard headed.
posted by Debbie (Luv2deal) | April 23rd, 2009
There are many reasons a coupon can fail. It could be the merchants site that has decided to pull the code or any other multiple reasons they fail. I know I do not intentionally mark any codes as bad unless they actually are not working upon my testing it. Maybe a better way is to have some sort of communication system on Couponchief so we can give the poster a heads up on a non working code. A discussion forum for members instead of using the blog to communicate. Comments anyone?
posted by Kim (princesso08) | April 24th, 2009
Wow!! This is a great site and I’m looking forward to working to the best of my ability. I hope everyone have fun, make money and load good coupons for our community…with the sluggish economy it’s great to have a site like this to count on. Thanks coupon chief!
posted by AMAZING_1 | April 27th, 2009
HELP ! TRYING TO ADD MY ONLINE STORE BUT ITS NOT WORKING. -THANKS
posted by AMAZING_1 | April 29th, 2009
DOES THE NEW POLICY OF EACH USER ONLY BEING ABLE TO SUBMIT A TOTAL OF (3) COUPONS PER STORE APPLIES TO EVERYONE ?!?
posted by Lisa(foxyme40) | May 4th, 2009
Everyone will make some change in the pay to share program. Let’s just continue to be productive, putting in working coupons only. Do not try to game the program because it will hurt everyone in the long run. Even though I don’t have a great score, I do put in a lot of working codes. I don’t vote on other’s so that coud be the key my low score.(I’ll try soon ) I don’t cheat. Why?? Ask yourself….what if you ran a business??
posted by Lisa(foxyme40) | May 9th, 2009
Just wondering if my score will become neutral, being that I’ve been 99.9% accurate in putting in working codes Thanks
posted by lisa | June 6th, 2009
There’s no need to vote anonymously….I truly know who it is… Remember, as long as it’s done truthfully there’s no problem. It will help me delete the expired codes….so come on!
posted by Mindy | June 13th, 2009
Thanks to Coupon Chief and all you others out there that are offering coupons and helping each other out by posting valid coupons and voting positively. I, too, depend on the money from this program for health insurance and medical bills. We are lucky to have the opportunity to be eligible to receive a portion of Coupon Chief’s profits. I don’t shop unless I have a coupon, so keep posting valid coupons and you can make some money from me! I would also like to thank Coupon Chief for implementing their trust score program, it really has helped clean the site up a bit. Also, thanks for offering such great customer service and fast, friendly responses when I need them.
posted by lisa | July 4th, 2009
if you can be on this coupon chief site all by yourself, i guess you’ll be the happiest person in the world. Unfortunately this site wasn’t built just for you. We have to learn to share just like coupon chief shared with us. once again, Thanks coupon chief….the greatest coupon site. and…I agree with Mindy 100%.
posted by lisa | July 26th, 2009
if you have more than one computer….you will soon be found out! stop putting in comments that have nothing to do with codes please
posted by lisa | August 1st, 2009
Hi dreamer09 / AMAZING1 what kind of online store do you run. I would like to check it out. Thanks!
posted by Amazing_1 | August 3rd, 2009
Lisa,I have a Ebay store online in addition to Couponchief. It is very helpful to work online as I am disabled & am wheel chair bound. Thanks
posted by AMAZING_1 | August 3rd, 2009
There appears to be a problem with Couponchiefs system. A lot of coupons that are valid are being marked wrong & they are valid. I have noticed this problem with some of my coupons as well as other users. Is there some way that this can be fixed ? Thanks
posted by Michelle Singer | August 11th, 2009
Hello all,
My name is Michelle and I have just joined Coupon Chief. I haven’ t made any money yet but I am egar to do well I have been reading all your post to try and get to know all of you and how the site works. Lol.. I just hope I don’t get caught up in all the low down things that seem to have been happing before I came, you all have my solem oath to do my part to make this a great site, I have enjoyed it just the few days I been here, hope you all will tell me (in a kind way) if I do something wrong .. thank you Coupon Chief.. oh and by the way I have already used some of your coupons so thank you to all that posted them..Michelle
posted by Michelle Singer | August 17th, 2009
I have a question that might seem stupid but is there somewhere that I can see just a list of my coupons that I post, I would like to keep up with them and delete the ones that are to old. Like I said before I am new at this so maybe it is right in front of me and I just am missing it. I see where the money I made is, (or isn’t lol) but there are no stores there? Thank you for any help you can give me. Michelle .. PS since I have been on a month and haven’t made anything I was wondering what I am doing wrong?
posted by Michelle Singer | September 18th, 2009
Why is it that some people are limited to 3 coupons per store, and others list as many as they want , as a result others do not have a chance to post. I love this website I wish there was more fairness, it seems as if some ppl have an insiders right to do as they please..
posted by lisa | September 23rd, 2009
Michelle, everyone is limited to 3 coupons per store. The extra codes you see on others accounts were already placed prior to the new rule. If you have an expiring code, you can delete it and replace it with the newer code. Now, as for AMAZING1/dreamer09 she needs to let me know how she grab those good codes so fast?? Do she have 4 pairs of eyes??? j/j:) you are on top of the list in like 85% of the stores….
posted by AMAZING_1 | October 11th, 2009
Hi Lisa, I have been a internet shopper for years since leaving the house for me is a total drag LOL ! I have found some of the best sites on the internet that I can rely on to supply me with the best coupons. Online coupons are everywhere, you just have to know where to look & when. Also consistency is the key to having great coupons. I am not perfect but I try to maintain my account, making sure that my coupons are active, & expiration dates are correct. I have noticed several users that tend to add anything, this only makes the site look horrible, & most certainly leaves the user with a less reliable rating. Also I would like to address that I DO NOT have more than one account here. Dreamer09 no longer exist, it was disabled by Coupon Chief. I did not know that each user enrolled in the Pays-2-share program is only limited to one account. Understandably, if everyone on this site had more than one account it makes things unfair for the next person & everyone here should have a fair chance. So to inform everyone if you have multiple Pays-2-share accounts then they will be disabled by Coupon Chief & you will no longer be able to make any commission from that account .
posted by Nicole | October 16th, 2009
Make sure you put the CORRECT name of the store in and you DO NOT try to duplicate the code. Some people are doing this, they know who they are. It will just cause problems.
posted by foxyme40 | October 22nd, 2009
I knew it, Amazing1….you had an enormous amount of codes/money to begin with. (should’ve known better)having 2 accounts mean you just trying to beat the 3code policy. Now keep it fair…LOL
Something else I’ve noticed here as well. If someone else already had a code you’ve tried to enter some users will try to mark it down, or just duplicate it some kind of way. what’s up with that????
posted by foxyme40 | October 28th, 2009
Lately i’ve been getting codes emailed to me directly from the stores. I honestly believe there are a few users on here that purposely hit the red and I think it’s pure evil, greedy, and selfish to do such a thing. They will get away with it by doing it from someone else’s computer so that they are never found out!!!! You know who you are! It’s rediculous…it really is!!
posted by foxyme40 | November 15th, 2009
Don’t believe everything you hear!