MCI $150 Giftcertificate

[Merkat]

Anybody see a pattern emerging in this MCI Amazon GC offer? I don't. I called way back in Dec. for the MCI deal. I got the GC right away. My daughter called the day after I did. She got her GC pronto. Now... my son called when we did & got nada. What's up? Why would some who in the past week called for the deal get their GC & others who called right away get zip?

Maybe there's a God of the internet who blesses & curses according to only God knows what....

 

[dirtrat]

I've about given up! I ordered and received service on 30 November and received the welcome package one week later with no GC. No less than 5-6 calls later and still empty promises about how it should be here in 7-10 business days. The amazing part is they have no explanation about what went wrong and they can't even call the department that sends them out. They can only message them. Any suggestions? I really want this GC but I'm really tired of there lying Bull$hit!!!! I CAN get better rates and customer service.

 

[Acme]

I submitted via their web site back in early December and they promptly lost my request. A guy here at work had called and received his with the GC a week later so I called and resubmitted my request. They said the web site screwed up and lost all the orders from the first time.

So the second time I actually got my welcome pack with no GC on it. Meanwhile, ANOTHER guy at work had managed to get his with the Amazon GC, $75 worth of MCI prepaid calling cards, 5000 miles on American + 5 miles per $1, and the 100 minutes free long distance. He showed me the welcome pack and sure enough everything was there.

So I called back again to complain and this time I said "You didn't give me all the things you promised me..." and I listed off all the stuff my buddy had gotten on his. The girl said, "No problem, I can do that". Then I got some other mailing from MCI a week later but it wasn't a welcome pack. I misunderstood (thinking I got snubbed again) and called back again to complain. This time the guy told me there was no way to combine all those promotions and I would have to pick just one. I swore to him that my buddy had gotten all that stuff but he got snippy. I asked for and got a supervisor on the phone and she was just as snippy. I finally told her I wanted to switch back to AT&T and she snapped to attention.

The supervisor gave me a customer service sunshine speech and then asked if I would just pick one of the promotions. I figured I might as well take the GC before dumping them since I went through all the hassle, then she put me on hold. My buddy who got all the goodies walked up and told me to hang up and call back -- that it really depends on the CSR you are talking to as to whether they will do the deal. I hung up and called right back. The next guy I talked to read me the text on my file saying that the supervisor had put in my request for all three promotions!! He said it would be arriving in 5-7 days.

That same night, I went to the mailbox and lo and behold!! My GC was there, as was the 3-$25 prepaid calling cards, the certificate talking about my 100 free LD minutes, and the thing talking about my 5,000 American Airlines miles over the next five months. Oops. I guess I screamed too soon. Now I'm dying to know if I'll get a second one in the mail next week. I'll letcha know.

So to answer the question, yes, it is possible to *NOT* get the GC on the first shot and to get it when you call back.

Acme

 

[busmaster11]

Funny... they thought I had a small biz... Sent me 10$ for switching fees, calling cards, and the 150$ GC. The GC apparently works if you have 150$ plus in your cart, but you have to use it (all?) immediately once you enter it it, as far as I can tell...

Know any good deals at Amazon? 156$ for the IBM 30 gig sounds too much, esp. if there's no mention of 7200 rpm, GXP, etc...

 

[imreallyscared]

Got mine today. I ordered an overpriced Elsa Gladiac. But nuts, just about everything I wanted to buy in the electronics store could be had at the local Fry's for $50 less so it was really a $100 GC. And whats up with the stock on Amazon. Seems like everything else I wanted to buy is out of stock.

Oh well.

I had a rough time on the phone when I ordered the switch in late December. I kept getting transfered from residential agents to business agents. I lost count of how many times I got transfered. The only thing that saved me was having the promotional code. (It's somwhere on this thread but since the offer expired and I cant remember it I won't post it)

 

[TimidOCer]

Sheesh i signed up like 2 days before deal was over and got my gc two days ago easy as cheez thanks

 

[Scorpi0]

You don't need to use the GC once and all.. You can buy something less than $150 and the balance remains in your account to use later

 

[Yeti]

myunghomike@yahoo.com paid me $5 per used code I emailed him. THrough paypal or C2it. If anyone wants ot make $155 instead of $150 just send him the code. He got the money to me the same day.

---

WARNING! Do NOT send any codes to this person. We believe this is at attempt to work some sort of fraud against MCI.

AnandTech Moderator

 

[CinderElmo]

What possible good could the USED code do for him? Unless he was trying to assemble enough numbers to hack his own. If you try to use your coupon and find it is already used you will know who to blame!

 

[Acme]

Yeah, it sounds like he's got some program to try to hack the algorithm and make his own certificates. Probably the more samples he has, the better.

On a different note, is anyone else as annoyed as I am about the fact that Amazon has *NOTHING* in stock? And up until this past weekend you couldn't sort out the "in stock" stuff from the "out of stock" stuff. Now at least it defaults to the "Best Selling" view and shows what they have in stock at the top, then the stuff that is "On Order".

I keep thinking "hell, I could build a web site full of neat pictures of stuff I don't actually have for sale too!!" But then I remember that even with all they've sold, Amazon has yet to make a dime of profit...

I'm just hoping they get something in stock so I can use this GC soon. I have this recurring nightmare where I log on in the morning and see that they've finally announced Chapter 13 and my GC is worthless.

Acme

 

[busmaster11]

Acme, thats why I ordered my crap ASA I got the GC! Feel bad for Amazon, but as long as they keep showing us deals I'll keep going for them, which, presumable is what they want even though I can't make sense of their figures...

Finally got Transformers the movie on DVD!!!! whoohoo!!

 

[Acme]

Busmaster - Yeah, I keep wondering if I'm screwing up by waiting a little while to use the coupon. I've already applied it to my account (don't worry, I won't go into details), so I'm not too terribly worried about it. It's just that there's nothing I really want to buy.

Honestly, I've been also wondering if the "bare shelves" approach wasn't part of the plan for this promotion. It seems that the stuff they are out of just happens to be the stuff with reasonable prices. Or more to the point, the only stuff they have left is the stuff with way-inflated prices.

My hope is that now that MCI isn't giving out any more new GC's, perhaps the shelves will slowly start to fill back up. Interestingly, I've been looking at the CD-RW section several times per day for the last few weeks and they've had NOTHING of interest available. All the Plextors, for instance, were out of stock with no potential ship date and no backorder info (but they were still listed on the site). Now that we've probably gotten over the hump of people using these GC's, VOILA! this morning they had a few "new" drives in the list that weren't there last night.

However, the ones they are all the sudden selling are older. I think they had a 8x4x32 Plextor for $158 or something, and an identical Iomega drive for about the same price. {UPDATE: It appears the Plextor is gone again now, but the 8x4x32 Iomega is still there for $159.} If you're a conspiracy theorist (like I obviously am), it seems that they wanted the bulk of the MCI GC's to go for stuff with really exorbitant margins because people would be saying "well, I *DID* get $150 off...". And now they're going to start throwing out a few older items they need to clean off the shelves for the next stage of people. I figure I'll wait a little while longer and see what happens a little closer to the deadline. They won't be able to afford to keep the shelves bare for TOO much longer.

(Of course, the other option is that perhaps I'm certifiably crazy and Amazon isn't playing any kind of game here at all...)

Acme

 

[Mustanggt]

Amazon never has anything in stock at least the good products that everyone wants.

 

[feb]

Signed up Dec 31 night via the web, received $150 gift cert in teh mail today (1/12)!!

When I dial 00, I still hear AT&T though but doesn't matter.

I actually almost missed it as it was may be 1am or 2am on Jan 1 EST. When I signed up, I got link to a page saying that the deal was expired.

I change the date/time on my Win98 desktop a few hours back, bingo!

I got the form, filled out all the info, and get a confirmation page saying taht I'll get my Amazon $150 cert.

Didn't get it yesterday while seeing other netters get it as early as Jan 8. Call MCI yesterday, spoke to a rep saying that I didn't sign up until Jan 5 so I won't get teh Amazon GC as it was expired. Spoek to her supervisor, same thing> I complained that I was signed up befroe expiration and if they process after expiration, tehy should honor the deal.

She there there is no way she could do that as it was expired. I ask for 5000 AA miles, no problem, she added it even she claim I should have asdded that when I first signed up, not u8ntil yesterday but she will make a special request to get teh bonus miles for me. In addition, she said she will issue me $50 MCI cert in the mail.

Don't know if I will receive the $50 MCI cert (payable to MCI) but is happy to get the Amazon (though I have nothing that I need to buy immediately other than toilet paper).

If you signed up and have not received the $150, it may be in the mail.
But it never hurt to call MCi again to ask for it. If they claim you won't get it (which it may actually be in teh mail, you neevr know), that will be a good opportunity to ask for other freebies like $50 cert or 5000 miles. I didn't get the $25x3 Prepaid card as other member suggested but that's OK as $75 prepaid from MCI may equal to 300 domestic minutes that mean only $6-$10 value to me.

Good Luck!

 

[vinnyracer]

Does the deal still work or not? I want to call and get the $150 GC too, but don't want to switch if there isn't now GC.

 

[feb]

Read more fine and not fine prints in the letter, better just use the $150 Amazon Gc ASAP and cancel. won't bother with teh additional $50 that they may send me.

Got $5 check payable to MCI to offset the switching fee.
But I won't use it because by endorsing the check, you agree to switch the LD carrier. If this can be pay to local phone company, that's fie, but it's payable MCi only that I don't think I want to even wait for teh first bill (see below).

Monthly fee $4.95 unless you spend $25/month minimum.

Fine prints: MCi and all other LD carrier are require to pay a fell to local carrier, your account will be accessed Carrier Access Line charge of $3.26/line refardless of your montyhly LD usage.

i.e. if I don't use LD, I'll have to pay $4.95/monthly fee, plus $3.26 Carrier line charge, plus tax and extras, may be $10/month or so.

Even though i still hear AT&T when I dial 00 (complicated issue that i won't discuss here, as I have two other small "local" billing agent fighting to get my line which i am sure my billing got messed up as both local company have me in tehir system claiming taht I am their current customer)

I don't need a Palm IIIxe even it's $50 after coupon and rebate.

Already got the BestBuy Iomega CDRW deal. Have teh Sprint cell phone free after price match and rebate. Any good suggestion taht anything worth their face value taht i can buy. (Don't want to buy any overpriced items that i can get much cheaper from other etailers).

p.s. please pardon all my typos. It annoyed me but can't help. It happened in teh recent months but now I don't have insurance taht I can't see a doctor (even if I do, i doubt if she could find out why).

 

[bonk102]

got my welcome pack about a week after i called in the switch, used my gc to get a DVD player i've been wanting for awhile, is it too early to call this the deal of the year?

 

[Fpr]

I signed up the first weekend it was offered. I still haven't received any welcome package. I've called twice, and been told that it has been sent and then resent. Today I was thrilled to find a large, non-bill type MCI letter in the mail. When it opened it, it was a request from MCI for me to call their number to give more information. I called, and the guy stuck me on hold for 4 minutes three times, and then said he was sure it would be mailed out this time. He didn't ask me for any more information.

It is MCI, so I was expecting this going in. VoIP can't come fast enough.

 

[AnandTech Moderator]

~~~~ MODERATOR WARNING ~~~~

If you receive email frommy unghomike@yahoo.com asking for your code, do NOT send anything to him. We believe this is at attempt to work some sort of fraud against MCI.

Do FORWARD any email solicitations from him to abuse@yahoo.com

 

[Zorn]

Ok. I have a little more faith in MCI. I signed up via the website promotion in early December. Got my welcome pack with NO gift certificate. Called MCI in late December and bitched about lack of gift certifcate. CSR told me she would put me in for a GC and it would arrive in 7-10 days. As it was January 12, 2001, I was about to give up on them, when, low and behold, my GC arrived today! Woo hoo! Just picked up a Dreamcast for $149.99 with free shipping. That worked out well. The obligatory ATT check to switch back should arrive in the mail any day now. I love playing the long distance carrier game. Here's to being a long distance whore.

 

[cpumaster]

I got my GC back in December, used it with the $50 off to get a Yamaha CDRW 16x10x40x and then sold it on eGay and pocket the cash hahaha

Yamaha drive $266.94
shipping $ 7.68
GC $150.00
disc. $ 50.00
---------------------
I pay $ 74.62
sold on eGay $245.00
---------------------
pocketing cash $ 170.38

Thanks MCI, now I can get myself a PS2 player...when it becomes available...

 

[Cyber Rage]

Is this deal still going?

 

[gigantor]

I put my original order on dec. 11. I never got the certificate, have called them many many times. Each time they say the previous CSR didn't put it on my order and they'd send it out. it's the same bs everytime.
time to find another deal to change companies..

 

[bashman]

Mci tried to screw me out of my $150 gc. Little did they know they where dealing with a pissed off new yorker. The women on the phone couldnt give me the gc but they gave me $150 credit in free long distance. I wanted the gc but $150 of free long distance is also pretty cool.

 

[dirtrat]

I FINALLY got my $150.00 GC today and I signed up on November 30th. After several calls and broken promises I finally got it. Now to cancel! I'd never stay with these clowns or any company this screwed up.