DEll REBATE Scam: Order date <> date placed - they WILL NOT HONOR IT (8250 Educational deal)

[DocACE]

I have been dealing with Dell for 2 days and am fed up.

I order an 8250 on 11/26/02 and received my order acknowledgement within 1 hr. My order, however was NOT processed by dell until 12/2/2002. Thus their "order date" on my packing form is 12/2/02

There are $650 worth of rebates

Dell will only honor rebates based on WHEN THEY PROCESS them - not when you place the order. You have no idea how many times I told people "but I have an order acknowledgement from 11/26/02 showing I placed the order.

They don't care. they claim there is nothing they can do.

Well, I am returning tis POS to them and they will pay the freight.

Be warned. This is the worst scam I have ever seen.

 

[Pothead]

haha

 

[RossMAN]

In case anyone needs a copy of the rebates, they can be found here.

If you check your Dell order status ... what does it show for your INVOICE DATE?

 

[kyutip]

wow, mucho ouch ! :disgust:

best of luck to you guys.

 

[johto]

um right on the packing slip it has the order date.

 

[Blues X]

In my packing slip, the order date says 11/26/02. The ship date is 12/03/02.

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: DocACE
I have been dealing with Dell for 2 days and am fed up.

I order an 8250 on 11/26/02 and received my order acknowledgement within 1 hr. My order, however was NOT processed by dell until 12/2/2002. Thus their "order date" on my packing form is 12/2/02

There are $650 worth of rebates

Dell will only honor rebates based on WHEN THEY PROCESS them - not when you place the order. You have no idea how many times I told people "but I have an order acknowledgement from 11/26/02 showing I placed the order.

They don't care. they claim there is nothing they can do.

Well, I am returning tis POS to them and they will pay the freight.

Be warned. This is the worst scam I have ever seen.

I had the same problem and i talked to Dell CSR. They opened up a Revenue Adjustment Case for me. When you receive your system, you call them up and give them the case #. Give them all the rebates info and they take ~1 week to look all the rebates. Then you will receive a call from Dell and they will tell you to go ahead and mail the rebates and they will be valid since they have taken care of your order with the rebate center. If still anything goes wrong, call up dell again with the Case # and they will personally take care of it.

I had ordered 2 systems and both showed the same case as you. so now i have two different revenue adjustment case numbers (1 for each system) and just received a call from DELL to go ahead and mail in my rebates and everything will be fine for me. They said that if for some reason the rebate center messes up, give them back a call and they will fix it up. They told me to include a explanation letter with each rebate just in case....

so what i suggest to you is to call dell, be POLITE POLITE POLITE, and explain the situation to the CSR. Tell them to verify your order date (they did this for both of my system - takes ~3-4 min) and then tell them the rebate thing. Ask them what to do (DONT GIVE YOUR OWN SUGGESTIONS) and they will suggest you that they will open up the revenue adjustment case and then you are set.

btw, the rebates total $710 (not $650)

PS: Be nice to the CSRs and they will take good care of you if you get mad at them, they have the power to screw you out of your pocket.

Hope that helps...

 

[dlaw]

My packing slip says 11/26, so I am fine?

 

[jimmyhaha]

> Be nice to the CSRs and they will take good care of you if you get mad at them, they have the power to screw you

that's v. true..

and more than $600 multiple rebates, just like playing russina roulette...

good luck

 

[gsethi]

If the ORDER Date on your Packing slip says 11/26/02, then YOU ARE FINE.

If the Order date on your Packing slip is after 11/26/02 BUT you ordered on 11/26/02 and you have proof (Order Acceptance Email from DELL showing time and date of order placed), Then call them (BE POLITE AND NICE) and explain them (read couple of posts above) and they will handle the matter.

You will have to wait for a call from DELL as to when to mail in your rebates (DONT MAIL IN THE REBATES BEFORE THEY TELL YOU).

hope that solves all the problems.

PS: oh yeah, one more thing, after you are done dealing for the day with your CSR, ask him/her to transfer you to the feedback department where you can leave some positive feedback on how helpfull he/she was. I did this to ~3 or 4 CSRs and by chance, i got the same CSR later and she remembered my name and took special extra care of me and appreciated the positive feedback left by me. Ofcourse, i left another positive feedback for her....(hey, gotta do anything to get my rebates)

 

[MisterMe]

Yepper - I would have to agree with the nice first, nasty later strategy. Maybe even go so far as using the "nasty later" routine after you have gotten way past the point of totally giving up. I have stood in too many lines and listened to too many condescending ash holes that grill the $8 an hour CSR only to see them end up leaving steamed and no better off than when they got there. I then get the same CSR, hit my "nice" button and walk away with exactly what I wanted...It really works...

All in favor of being nice say "I"...

By the way, they prolly won't refund your shipping with your "nasty" turned on...you go get em though - return the thing - that'll realy get 'em! Ha!

 

[olouie]

Originally posted by: MisterMe
Yepper - I would have to agree with the nice first, nasty later strategy. Maybe even go so far as using the "nasty later" routine after you have gotten way past the point of totally giving up. I have stood in too many lines and listened to too many condescending ash holes that grill the $8 an hour CSR only to see them end up leaving steamed and no better off than when they got there. I then get the same CSR, hit my "nice" button and walk away with exactly what I wanted...It really works...

All in favor of being nice say "I"...

By the way, they prolly won't refund your shipping with your "nasty" turned on...you go get em though - return the thing - that'll realy get 'em! Ha!

 

[mindless1]

Hmmmmm, I would be nice for about 5 minutes, it's up to Dell whether that 5 minutes is spent waiting on hold or talking to a CSR. Then I would be nasty, contact the BBB, whatever futher measures are necessary.

EDIT: The above line should have read "Then I would be nasty if, after explaining the situation, they still refused my rebates and "they claim there is nothing they can do" as DocACE reported.

A customer isn't required to be nice when Dell tries to pull a "fast-one". I don't remember EVER reading on a rebate form that "being nice on the phone", or even having to call in at all, is a requirement to get the rebate. Is there any guarantee of maximum time interval between Dell's order receipt and processing completion? If not, what's to stop Dell from turning every rebate into some sort of lottery where only the orders randomly processed before the cutoff date will be honored. This crap can't be tolerated, at best this is a deceitful practice designed to screw ppl. Dell is not an overnight success that's never had to deal with rebates before, they MUST have known that their policy [on using the processing date rather than order date] would cause rebate problems.

 

[MisterMe]

So, while on hold for 5 minutes, you would automatically and further jump to the conclusion that Dell, the number one PC Oem, in the world, is trying to pull a fast one? Wow - how ridiculous is that? I mean unless a person is completely igg-nernt, only then would they assume it's all a scandal. Trouble is, it's that same person that will call in with a chip on their shoulder and DEMAND a resolution - only to find that the road to resolution wouldn't have been so difficult if they had at least some basic manners.

No, being nice isn't a requirement for getting anything - but getting what you want doesn't require being a dick about it either - all of 5 minutes on hold or otherwise. Imagine this - Reverse the rolls and put yourself on the phone at Dell - have your alter ego call in with the BFG blazing. Now, what would YOU do? How > eager < would YOU be to make all this all just go away. I thought so....

My message is simply this...BE the person that you, yourself would want to give good service to. Treat people like b^tches and expect nothing different in return. Treat people with some common decentcy, and expect at least more of the same. Nothing is such that it requires being a dick about it...you'll get farther working with people instead of against them...

See you in line...I'll be the guy heckling you to get a life...

 

[BentValve]

Originally posted by: MisterMe
So, while on hold for 5 minutes, you would automatically and further jump to the conclusion that Dell, the number one PC Oem, in the world, is trying to pull a fast one? Wow - how ridiculous is that? I mean unless a person is completely igg-nernt, only then would they assume it's all a scandal. Trouble is, it's that same person that will call in with a chip on their shoulder and DEMAND a resolution - only to find that the road to resolution wouldn't have been so difficult if they had at least some basic manners.

No, being nice isn't a requirement for getting anything - but getting what you want doesn't require being a dick about it either - all of 5 minutes on hold or otherwise. Imagine this - Reverse the rolls and put yourself on the phone at Dell - have your alter ego call in with the BFG blazing. Now, what would YOU do? How > eager < would YOU be to make all this all just go away. I thought so....

My message is simply this...BE the person that you, yourself would want to give good service to. Treat people like b^tches and expect nothing different in return. Treat people with some common decentcy, and expect at least more of the same. Nothing is such that it requires being a dick about it...you'll get farther working with people instead of against them...

See you in line...I'll be the guy heckling you to get a life...

That is good advice and the truth.

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: mindless1
Hmmmmm, I would be nice for about 5 minutes, it's up to Dell whether that 5 minutes is spent waiting on hold or talking to a CSR. Then I would be nasty, contact the BBB, whatever futher measures are necessary.

A customer isn't required to be nice when Dell tries to pull a "fast-one". I don't remember EVER reading on a rebate form that "being nice on the phone", or even having to call in at all, is a requirement to get the rebate. Is there any guarantee of maximum time interval between Dell's order receipt and processing completion? If not, what's to stop Dell from turning every rebate into some sort of lottery where only the orders randomly processed before the cutoff date will be honored. This crap can't be tolerated, at best this is a deceitful practice designed to screw ppl. Dell is not an overnight success that's never had to deal with rebates before, they MUST have known that their policy [on using the processing date rather than order date] would cause rebate problems.

Dell received thousands of Orders on 11/26/02 and there is no way they can process ALL orders the same day. What about orders placed ONLINE @ 10:30 PM or 11:59 PM ? they will be processed only next day when the staff comes in to process them. So, its not Dell's fault.

Again, i repeat, if you are nice to the CSRs, they will do everything to make sure that you get your rebate. What if someone yells at you at your work and you would be like "screw this guy, i am not helping him". Remember that the person on the other side is also a human just like you trying to do his job.

If you will be nice to them and explain them the whole situation, they will look at the date and time you placed your order and will then go ahead and process your rebates. Thats what they have a Revenue Adjustment Department for, cases like these.

And one more thing, when you place your order, your order is NOT confirmed. Dell can do anything with your order unless they charge you. They are under no legal constraints since they had not charged you till the day your order was shipped, so contacting BBB would be useless. Remember, you Clicked on "I AGREE" to abide with DELLs rules and regulations, not them.

Again, its your $710 and only your actions will decide how and when you can get it back.

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: MisterMe
So, while on hold for 5 minutes, you would automatically and further jump to the conclusion that Dell, the number one PC Oem, in the world, is trying to pull a fast one? Wow - how ridiculous is that? I mean unless a person is completely igg-nernt, only then would they assume it's all a scandal. Trouble is, it's that same person that will call in with a chip on their shoulder and DEMAND a resolution - only to find that the road to resolution wouldn't have been so difficult if they had at least some basic manners.

No, being nice isn't a requirement for getting anything - but getting what you want doesn't require being a dick about it either - all of 5 minutes on hold or otherwise. Imagine this - Reverse the rolls and put yourself on the phone at Dell - have your alter ego call in with the BFG blazing. Now, what would YOU do? How > eager < would YOU be to make all this all just go away. I thought so....

My message is simply this...BE the person that you, yourself would want to give good service to. Treat people like b^tches and expect nothing different in return. Treat people with some common decentcy, and expect at least more of the same. Nothing is such that it requires being a dick about it...you'll get farther working with people instead of against them...

See you in line...I'll be the guy heckling you to get a life...

Yes, I do think that companies that use policies that are self-serving, that cause a customer to loose money to their benefit, while they make no mention of this when the purchase is made, are bordering on criminal activity. They have a contractual obligation to fullfill the rebate so long as you meet the terms. If the terms or product page and further order processing pages don't include mention that Dell may delay processing for DAYS, making the purchase ineligible for the rebate, then Dell is not meeting their end of the deal.

I don't have a "chip on my shoulder", nor would I call in trying to be "a dick about it", but I'm not as shallow as you, I see a middle ground, between being nice and a dick.

If i were to reverse the rolls, be a CSR for Dell, I would tell the supervisor that the processing policy is invalidating rebates and if their policy towards processing didn't change, I would find employment elsewhere. You can't claim a CSR is completely innocent if they know of the policy, the problems the policy causes, but they continue to enable, help Dell continue business while retaining this policy that will CERTAINLY continue to cost customers time and/or money.

As for you being "the guy heckling you to get a life", that would make YOU the immature "dick".

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: gsethi
Dell received thousands of Orders on 11/26/02 and there is no way they can process ALL orders the same day. What about orders placed ONLINE @ 10:30 PM or 11:59 PM ? they will be processed only next day when the staff comes in to process them. So, its not Dell's fault.

Again, i repeat, if you are nice to the CSRs, they will do everything to make sure that you get your rebate. What if someone yells at you at your work and you would be like "screw this guy, i am not helping him". Remember that the person on the other side is also a human just like you trying to do his job.

If you will be nice to them and explain them the whole situation, they will look at the date and time you placed your order and will then go ahead and process your rebates. Thats what they have a Revenue Adjustment Department for, cases like these.

And one more thing, when you place your order, your order is NOT confirmed. Dell can do anything with your order unless they charge you. They are under no legal constraints since they had not charged you till the day your order was shipped, so contacting BBB would be useless. Remember, you Clicked on "I AGREE" to abide with DELLs rules and regulations, not them.

Again, its your $710 and only your actions will decide how and when you can get it back.

Dell is not a new business, they have been swamped with orders before. Other online vendors are also swamped with orders, but manage to get the purchase date correct to fullfill the rebates.

If Dell wished to cancel my order, I would be only mildly upset, but they DO inform the customer of this policy, the customer isn't misled into a purchase that won't qualify for the rebate. The idea that a customer has to call in and is at the mercy of a CSR to get the problem resolved or else there is still the possibility that the rebate won't be honored, is unacceptable IMHO. I'm not claiming that I would be or encourage someone else to be rude or abusive, but on the other hand, they really DON'T have a choice if they don't inform the customer prior to purchase. Perhaps there is some fine-print somewhere on their website that I have missed, in which case I am incorrect, but IIRC, courts have also declared that the policies/terms have to be clearly visible... are they?

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: mindless1

Originally posted by: gsethi
Dell received thousands of Orders on 11/26/02 and there is no way they can process ALL orders the same day. What about orders placed ONLINE @ 10:30 PM or 11:59 PM ? they will be processed only next day when the staff comes in to process them. So, its not Dell's fault.

Again, i repeat, if you are nice to the CSRs, they will do everything to make sure that you get your rebate. What if someone yells at you at your work and you would be like "screw this guy, i am not helping him". Remember that the person on the other side is also a human just like you trying to do his job.

If you will be nice to them and explain them the whole situation, they will look at the date and time you placed your order and will then go ahead and process your rebates. Thats what they have a Revenue Adjustment Department for, cases like these.

And one more thing, when you place your order, your order is NOT confirmed. Dell can do anything with your order unless they charge you. They are under no legal constraints since they had not charged you till the day your order was shipped, so contacting BBB would be useless. Remember, you Clicked on "I AGREE" to abide with DELLs rules and regulations, not them.

Again, its your $710 and only your actions will decide how and when you can get it back.

Dell is not a new business, they have been swamped with orders before. Other online vendors are also swamped with orders, but manage to get the purchase date correct to fullfill the rebates.

If Dell wished to cancel my order, I would be only mildly upset, but they DO inform the customer of this policy, the customer isn't misled into a purchase that won't qualify for the rebate. The idea that a customer has to call in and is at the mercy of a CSR to get the problem resolved or else there is still the possibility that the rebate won't be honored, is unacceptable IMHO. I'm not claiming that I would be or encourage someone else to be rude or abusive, but on the other hand, they really DON'T have a choice if they don't inform the customer prior to purchase. Perhaps there is some fine-print somewhere on their website that I have missed, in which case I am incorrect, but IIRC, courts have also declared that the policies/terms have to be clearly visible... are they?

When was the last time you read through the entire page of Rules and Regulations before Clicking "I AGREE" ? I am pretty sure that companies cover themselves somewhere in that lengthy 5+ pages of rules and regulations that most of us (~99%) dont read. Oh yeah, also make sure to hire a lawyer to explain you some of the terms that they use in those agreements

and one more thing, the main purpose of the Rebates is to confuse the customer so that he buys the stuff and then forgets about the rebates. If companies were so serious about giving those rebates to us, they would rather just give us the discount of that amount at the time of purchase. Remember, rebates are offered on the logic that certain percentage of people will forget them, certain percentage of rebate forms will be invalid and only certain percentages would be fulfilled. IMHO, Rebates are just like gambling but with better odds

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: gsethi

When was the last time you read through the entire page of Rules and Regulations before Clicking "I AGREE" ? I am pretty sure that companies cover themselves somewhere in that lengthy 5+ pages of rules and regulations that most of us (~99%) dont read. Oh yeah, also make sure to hire a lawyer to explain you some of the terms that they use in those agreements

and one more thing, the main purpose of the Rebates is to confuse the customer so that he buys the stuff and then forgets about the rebates. If companies were so serious about giving those rebates to us, they would rather just give us the discount of that amount at the time of purchase. Remember, rebates are offered on the logic that certain percentage of people will forget them, certain percentage of rebate forms will be invalid and only certain percentages would be fulfilled. IMHO, Rebates are just like gambling but with better odds

For any purchase wtih hundreds of $ worth of rebates, I'd read the fine print.

My main concern is how Dell handles these situations. If for some reason they feel compelled to keep the policy (using a processing date for eligiblity, contrary to the "order date" on the rebate form), then at the end of the processing day, the cutoff date for rebate qualification, they have remaining customers that should be notified that they no longer qualify for the rebate and the order should be put on hold, or the steps should be taken by Dell to assure that the rebates are honored without further action by the customer. The orders after the cutoff date should NOT be filled and shipped if/until the customer needs do ANYTHING more to fullfill the rebate than was already disclosed.

I agree with your philosophy on rebates, they are a risk. However there seems to be a growing trend towards finding loopholes (or worse) to disqualify rebate requests. That's not good for any of us.

 

[Richter]

I would just send it back.

 

[mindless1]

Richter, I don't really care if you think I and Replay are the same person, but it looks pretty petty of you to put that in your sig, IMHO.

What was it that caused you to think we're the same person anyway, because we both happened to disagree with you about something? I suppose you want attention, but can't find any constructive way to get that attention?

 

[djlevyii]

I had the same problem with a $500 rebate (5 Dells each with a $100 rebate).

Years ago one of my many bosses told me, "You get more flies with honey than vinegar." How true.

Also, you need to be polite but persistent.

I went through 3 or 4 Dell reps before I got one that would/could help me. What they did was have me fax in my paperwork, the on-line print outs that we all make (right??) whenever we order something from Dell. This clearly showed that I had submitted my order and it was acknowledged within the rebate period.

Dell issued a credit to my credit card for the $500 rebate, and on top of that, they added tax of 5 percent bringing the credit to $525.00.

Dell is not out to rip anyone off. They are just a huge company with tons of employees, some good, some bad, some smart, and some stupid. You just have to stay patent, and get to one of the good, smart employees.

btw, I have gotten back over $3,000 in rebates from Dell in the last 6 months or so.

Oh, and if you get fed up after dealing with Dell for 2 days, you need to relax and mellow out. It took me 3 weeks to straighten out the $500 rebate, but it was time worth it.

Life ain't perfect, and if you think it is, you're setting yourself up for many big falls.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

P.S. If anyone wants to flame me, go right ahead. After 28 years in the Air Force, flying combat, seeing my friends get shot up and die, there ain't nothing anyone on this forum can throw my way that will bother me.

God Bless America!!!!!

 

[tsee]

In a perfect world, you don't need to be nice to get a rebate you deserve. Then again, you wouldn't have a problem in the first case. This is simply about whether being nice would get you the rebate. Yeah, sure, you can complain to BBB and whomever, but you'd spend just a few minutes if you're nice. So if you want to get yourself worked up over something that other people can easily handle, it's your choice.

And the comment about telling your supervisor that the policy is "invalid", IMHO, just shows how little idea you have about the situations of low-level, low-paying workers. I imagine you're in a nice job where you get to exercise some powers, cuz telling that to a boss isn't the way it goes for most people.

 

[VaG]

It is quite obvious by this post you can't even follow the most basic rules. How could you have fooled yourself into believing you could handle the rebate requirements? Instead of crying here maybe you should have started crying on the phone with the Dell CSR. It's too bad your not getting charged return shipping charges & a restocking fee.