Answers for retailers and manufacturers
Common questions about how our coupon clearinghouse and rebate processing services work. Don’t see your question? Contact us directly.
Retailer Questions
What will Mandlik & Rhodes do for us?+
We count, sort, and invoice your coupons to all the manufacturers or their agents and send you one check for the entire shipment. We also provide detailed reports, track payments, and assist with recovery of unpaid amounts.
Do we have to pay any deposits or dues upfront? Is there a minimum shipment size?+
No. There is nothing to pay upfront — a one-time setup fee and any applicable association dues are deducted from settlement rather than billed to you, and both are disclosed before you ship. We accept any size coupon shipment and never charge a penalty for small shipments.
How does Mandlik & Rhodes make money from my coupons?+
Most of our costs are covered by the handling fees paid by the manufacturers. Anything deducted from your settlement — a one-time setup fee and any applicable association dues — is disclosed before you ship, and we never issue postage or fee chargebacks after payment.
We can send coupons directly to the manufacturer ourselves. Why use a clearinghouse like Mandlik & Rhodes?+
A clearinghouse eliminates sorting hassles, tracks payments across many different manufacturers, maintains an updated shipping database, and handles address changes automatically whenever a manufacturer switches processors or brands.
Why should we trust Mandlik & Rhodes?+
We have served the coupon industry since 1995, and one out of every ten coupons in the United States is redeemed using our technology and/or services. We’re known for integrity, fraud vigilance, and technology trusted by major manufacturers.
How do we know if our shipment has reached your plant?+
We send you an email notification as soon as your shipment is received and sorted.
Can you help protect us against accepting counterfeit coupons?+
Yes. We send email alerts from the Coupon Information Corporation (CIC) to keep you informed about all known counterfeits.
Why do manufacturers not pay for some coupons?+
Common reasons include proof-of-purchase requirements, grace period policies, and counting errors. In each case, we provide detailed adjustment documentation and pursue collection efforts on your behalf.
Should we count the coupons before sending them to you?+
It is not necessary — we will count them when we receive your shipment. We do recommend recording an approximate weight and value on your manifest.
How do we distinguish between valid and invalid coupons?+
Valid coupons scan accurately at the register and show a current, unexpired date. Free-product and high-value coupons also carry the Coupon Information Corporation’s security hologram over the expiration date, and legitimate internet print-at-home coupons include a unique serial or PIN number in an industry-standard format. Reject any coupon that looks copied, blurry, distorted, or altered, and check the Coupon Information Corporation’s counterfeit notifications for coupons currently circulating as known fakes.
Are invalid coupons sent back to us?+
Yes. You may then contact the manufacturer’s sales representative to recover money for those coupons where applicable.
Manufacturer Questions
We’ve never distributed coupons before — what will Mandlik & Rhodes do for us?+
We specialize in working with new couponers. From concept to completion, we’ll guide you through launching your coupons, creating barcodes, setting payment policies, and reviewing performance.
What is the single most important thing to consider when selecting a processing agent?+
The most important thing is that retailers are paid on time, and that the processor provides real-time, web-based information so you can verify that retailers are paid.
We’re switching to Mandlik & Rhodes, but our current processor’s address is already printed on our coupons. What happens to those submissions?+
You’ll notify your current processor to forward coupons to the new address we provide. All processors forward coupons in these cases.
How do I sign up with Mandlik & Rhodes?+
Contact us for a quote and provide information about your company and planned coupon activity, and we’ll send you a proposal.
We can process coupons ourselves, in-house. Why use a processor like Mandlik & Rhodes?+
Unless you have millions of coupon submissions, it may not make sense to tie up your own resources to count coupons, verify retailers, control fraud, and disburse payments to hundreds of retailers.
Why should we trust Mandlik & Rhodes?+
We’ve been in the coupon industry since 1995, with a reputation for honesty, integrity, fraud vigilance, and sophisticated technology.
Our coupon volume is in the millions — can Mandlik & Rhodes handle it?+
Yes. Our plant has significant capacity and our systems are built to handle large volume.
How should we protect against misredemption?+
Our staff perform thorough physical reviews of incoming submissions, and our retailer verification procedures and system fraud-detection tools, such as MIMS, provide an additional layer of defense.
Are you compliant with the GS1 DataBar?+
Yes — all of our manufacturers’ coupons are produced using the GS1 DataBar.
What are the hurdles of converting our data and historical redemption records from our current processor?+
We’ll load your coupon information and historical data into our system. We’ve handled many conversions — it’s a smooth process.
How many users from my company will get access to your system?+
There is no limit, and there is no per-user charge.