~~~~ Rebate Tracking Thread ~~~~

[AnandTech Moderator]

Continued from the previous thread

---

Are your rebates coming? Are there problems or delays getting them?

Post the latest information about various rebates, here. If you want your posts to be helpful, keep them factual. If you believe there is a problem with a specific rebate, do your homework and learn the facts before you post. DO NOT speculate about what may or may not be happening.

The most helpful posts include:

1. Verified contact information (mailing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, names etc.) for rebate sources. Active links always help.

2. Accurate details of the kinds of proof of purchase and other documentation required (UPC codes, receipts, etc.).

3. Significant updates and changes in any of the above info.

Hint - To find info about a particular rebate, use [Ctrl + F] to search for key words, member names, etc.

This thread is for sharing helpful informatation with your fellow members. Please DO NOT just brag about the rebate you got, or moan about the one that got away, without contributing to the discussion. We have a thread for that.

---

~~~~ Rebate Tracking Thread ~~~~ continued here.

 

[CMeyst]

It seems that it is no longer possible to reach a live person via the Parago rebate center phone numbers.

I have a problem with a $30 rebate for a Cendyne CD-RW drive (purchased at Office Max). When it was first submitted, they recorded it for a different item, causing it to be rejected as invalid to the wrong UPC code. I called (and then spoke to a live person) was told to send my copies in again to the resubmissions. I did that, and now it shows as invalid because I didn't include the serial number (they say to send in the seriial number the resubmissions). That's impossible because the serial number (photocopy of bar code label with serial number labeled as such) was on the same sheet of paper as the actual rebate form!

I have e-mailed them about this. Does anyone know how long it takes them to respond via e-mail?

I really don't want to have to send it in again to the resubmissions because it will then take at least another month, when I should have had this long ago.

Should I wait for e-mail response, or just give up and send again to their resubmissions? Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[Greatwolf]

Get their fax number and fax the submissions to them instead. It's much quicker that way.

Ok my question, looks like my Visiontek GeForce 3 Ti200 I got from the gateway deal last time has finally been approved and mailed out (something that I submitted all the way back in March 4th. God they suck!). There was only one problem when I called them up about it: they somehow misspelled my last name wrong by one letter (a Z instead of a T). I don't know whether this was intentional or not but does anyone know if there'll be any difficulties in cashing/depositing this check to my account because only one letter was misspelled?

They already told me the check has been sent out and if I can't cash it I'll have to send it back in and they'll send me another one with the correct name.

Thanx

 

[Lanyap]

Parago / RebatesHQ
Coppell, TX & McAllen, TX
www.rebateshq.com (Rebate Lookup)
www.rebateshq.com/parago/contact_us.htm (Rebate Center contact numbers by vendor)
www.rebateshq.com/clients/parago/rebates/email_us.jsp (Email webpage)
866-450-9695
888-221-4692


TCArebates / WheresMyRebate.com
New Rochelle, NY
www.wheresmyrebate.com
http://www.wheresmyrebate.com/results.asp?postalcode=00000&SearchSubmit=Find+Rebate(s) (Zipcode only search. More helpful than using last name and zipcode, cause they sometimes mistype. Replace 00000 with your zipcode)
customerservice@wheresmyrebate.com (Email)
800-390-2344 (TCA only allows *3* rebates to be checked per telephone call)
914-633-8772 (Fax)


Continental Promotions Group / CPG
Phoenix, AZ & Scottsdale, AZ
www.rebatestatus.com (Does not list all rebates)
www.rebatestatus.com (Email webpage)
800-554-9838 ext. 6100
888-314-9908
888-314-9903


ExpressGroup
Walled Lake, MI
www.expressgroup.com
rebateinq@expressgroup.com (Email)
888-738-9201
800-962-4664


Young America
Young America, MN
www.young-america.com (No online rebate lookup)
888-213-9761


Global Fulfillment Services / GFS
Mesa, AZ
www.gfsinc.com (Business Website)
www.web-rebates.com (No direct links to anything - just a webpage)
www.web-rebates.com/linksys (Linksys Rebate Inquiry)
www.web-rebates.com/belkin (Belkin Rebate Inquiry)
www.web-rebates.com/compaq/status (Compaq Rebate Inquiry)
www.web-rebates.com/usrobotics (USRobotics Rebate Inquiry)
www.web-rebates.com/dlink/status (D-Link Rebate Inquiry)
888-859-3988


Philips
http://www.pcerebates.com
800-531-0039


Imation, Polaroid, Spin-X products
www.easierrebate.com
PO BOX 19959
Seattle, WA 98109-1559
866-979-2800


I/O Magic / HiVal / Digital Research
Santa Ana, CA
http://www.iomagic.com/rebatesmain.htm
800-607-7466 (M-F, 8am-5pm PST)


BestBuy Rebate Center
Calais, ME
www.bestbuy.com/RebateCenter
800-369-5050 opt. 5 (Customer Relations - when all else fails to get a Best Buy rebate)
888-797-3956
800-849-0444


CompUSA Headquarters Rebate Center
Dallas, TX
www.cusarebates.com
800-278-4685 (Call this number when all else fails to get a CompUSA advertised rebate)
800-773-6709


Circuit City
Richmond, VA
www.circuitcityrebates.com (Rebate lookup)
www.circuitcity.com (Click Rebate tab at top of page for main rebate page)
866-254-1568
888-690-4231


Office Depot
Walled Lake, MI (ExpressGroup)
209.69.149.201/test/default.asp
lmiller@expressgroup.com (Email)
888-738-9201
800-962-4664


OfficeMax
800-283-7674


Staples
Coppell, TX & McAllen, TX (Parago / RebatesHQ)
www.staplesrebates.com
877-266-6483
888-856-9210
800-338-0252 (Office of Staples President)


Memorex
Young America, MN
www.memorex.com/special_promotions/rebates.php
888-258-4575


Microsoft
Clifton, NJ & Ridgely, MD
www.microsoft.com/insider/rebates (List of current rebates only)
800-622-4445 (8:30am-5:30pm ET)


PNY
800-340-0108



Site with links to current and past rebates
www.spoofee.com/rebates.html

Maxtor Current Rebates
www.maxtor.com/promotions

Sears Current Rebates
www.bcrebates.com/printablelist.jsp?divisionId=1



WHERE TO COMPLAIN IF YOUR REBATE DOESN'T ARRIVE

www.PlanetFeedback.com
They'll help you write a gripe letter and forward it to the company. Plus, you can send copies to lawmakers.


www.NAAG.org
National Association of Attorneys General
Find your state attorney general's contact info, and call in a complaint. AGs will take action if they see a pattern.


www.FTC.gov
The Federal Trade Commission
File a complaint on line or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.


www.RipOffReport.com
Share your horror story with other irate consumers. The site's caustic editorials will feed your rebate rage.


Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Online Complaint Form
www.ftc.gov
877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)


FTC Taking the Bait Out of Rebates
www.ftc.gov


FTC Main Site
www.ftc.gov


Better Business Bureau Online Complaint System
www.bbb.org


PCWorld.com: Rebate or Rip-Off?
www.pcworld.com/resource/printable/article/0,aid,7957,00.asp


PCWorld.com: Consumer Watch: Bait and Rebate
www.pcworld.com/resource/printable/article/0,aid,55310,00.asp




<<< HELPFUL HINTS >>>

1) Read rebate requirements before you buy the product or as soon as you buy the product to be sure you meet the eligibility requirements and you know the mail-in dates.
2) If you are buying a product and the rebate is online, download and/or print the rebate immediately. Some online sites will remove rebates as soon as the sale/promotion is over.
3) ALWAYS make good copies of everything you send in for a rebate.
4) Complete all information requested on rebate form in a legible hand writing. You may want to use all caps.
5) Provide all documents requested on the rebate form.
6) Put your rebate documentation and copies in a safe place and follow up on the dates they are due.
7) Call about your rebate if you do not receive it when it is due.Rejected! Rebates Get Harder to Collect --- As Cash-Back Offers Multiply, So Do Obstacles to Consumers; Best Ways to Get Your Check


Rejected! Rebates Get Harder to Collect --- As Cash-Back Offers Multiply, So Do Obstacles to Consumers; Best Ways to Get Your Check

COMPANIES ARE OFFERING RECORD numbers of mail-in rebates on everything from shampoo to shotguns. But try actually getting one of them.

To move merchandise in the tight economy, companies have spun themselves into a rebating frenzy. The pace of offers has picked up in just the past few weeks: amazon.com is in the midst of a "40 days of $40 rebates" promotion, and Gateway, Apple, eMachines and Compaq just jolted the PC market with a slew of new offers.

But the surge in rebate offers, combined with some changes in the way they are processed, is making it harder than ever for you to collect. The rebates are often contingent on a long and sometimes onerous list of terms, some of which are written in small print on the backs of rebates forms. On top of this, many companies now subcontract rebate processing to firms that then do their own subcontracting, making it that much trickier for customers to track missing checks.

Sony, for example, initially turned down more than 25% of applicants for a $100 rebate on its Vaio laptop for failing to meet the conditions. Microsoft is currently promoting a $300 rebate on a $549 Visual Basic software upgrade -- but to qualify, customers must have the cardboard box that the original software came in -- a tall order since many first purchased the product in 1998. (Microsoft has loosened the policy slightly, but hasn't changed the wording on its rebate form.)

State and federal regulators are starting to crack down on misleading rebate offers. Florida's attorney general recently filed a complaint against CompuServe for failing to pay $400 rebates to dozens of customers who had signed up for three years of Internet service. Texas settled with CompuServe over the same issue. The Federal Trade Commission has taken action against several electronics makers for routinely paying out rebates months late. They include Memtek Products, which makes Memorex disks, and UMAX Technologies, which makes scanners. In the past year, complaints lodged with the Better Business Bureau against TCA, which processes rebates for CompUSA and Microsoft, have doubled.

And that's just the more-established companies. In March, New York's attorney general warned consumers about Web retailers that sell at inflated prices promising generous rebates. One such site, CyberRebate.com, filed for bankruptcy-court protection, owing customers $90 million in rebates; one particularly exuberant shopper is owed $90,000.

Of course, to some degree companies that offer mail-in rebates have always banked on your laziness. Only 5% of offers are claimed by consumers, which allows companies to advertise low prices without having to absorb the cost of a flat-out price cut. Claim rates rise with the value of the rebate, but even on electronics, redemption rates are still only 40% on average, according to BDS Marketing.

Despite the low redemption rate, companies routinely reject applicants for any violation of their strict "terms and conditions." On one of Sprint PCS's latest promotions, the fine print stipulates that customers must have a "preferred credit rating" to qualify. Failing to write in the date of purchase (even if it's printed on the receipt) or sending a photocopy of the receipt can also be cause for rejection on many rebates.

Part of the problem is that many companies aren't equipped to follow through, says Michael Dershowitz, a senior attorney at the FTC. "They don't realize the demand they're creating," he says.

Serial outsourcing can also lead to quagmires. Last month, Bryan Turner, a 34-year-old San Francisco resident, attempted to track down a $40 Nokia phone rebate he sent away for last September. He soon found himself in a puzzling e-mail dialogue with Nokia customer service. "We at Customer Care NokiaUSA do not have any authority regarding rebates and promotions," read one e-mail.

Mr. Turner's rebate, for a Nokia 5165 phone, was being handled by Young America, one of the nation's largest rebate fulfillment centers, located in Minnesota. Since Young America handles upward of 20 million rebates a year for dozens of clients, mix-ups are inevitable -- and in Mr. Turner's limited experience, not unusual. Both his roommate, Rob Peacock, and his roommate's mother, Catherine Peacock, had similar problems with the Nokia phone rebate.

A Nokia spokesman says that 97.7% of qualifying applicants received their checks on that promotion within seven weeks; he says 15% of applicants were rejected for failing to follow the offer terms.

Certain fulfillment houses have particularly abysmal records. TCA in New Rochelle, N.Y., has an "unsatisfactory" record with the New York Better Business Bureau, which received 109 complaints about TCA in the past 12 months, versus 44 in the year-earlier period.

Peter Kuehnel of British Columbia isn't surprised. When he tried to cash a $15 check last month issued by TCA, it was returned -- for insufficient funds. "Then the bank charged me a $3 returned-check fee," he says. The check was a rebate for 256 megabytes of Kingston Technology RAM that Mr. Kuehnel had purchased.

TCA calls Mr. Kuehnel's experience "a fluke," and says the company accidentally bounced 200 checks last month because of a technical glitch. The company has promised to re-issue all checks.


---
Where to Complain
If Your Rebate Doesn't Arrive
The Site: www.PlanetFeedback.com
Comment: They'll help you write a gripe letter and forward it to the
company. Plus, you can send copies to lawmakers.
The Site: National Association of Attorneys General; www.NAAG.org
Comment: Find your state attorney general's contact info, and call in
a complaint. AGs will take action if they see a pattern.
The Site: The Federal Trade Commission; www.FTC.com
Comment: File a complaint on line or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.
The Site: www.RipOffReport.com
Comment: Share your horror story with other irate consumers. The
site's caustic editorials will feed your rebate rage.
---
Avoiding the Rebate Runaround
Where to find details on current offers.
Researching Rebates
The Site: www.RebatePlace.com
Comment: Site tracks current rebate deals on computers and
electronics, including expiration dates and restrictions. Plus, you
can print copies of rebate forms to read all the fine print.
The Site: www.mtv411.com/rebates-coupons/
Comment: An MTV community site with one useful feature: It offers
contact info for major rebate fulfillment houses and links to online
rebate centers for manufacturers and retailers.
The Site: http://edmund.com/edwweb/holdback/html
Comment: Plug in your zip code to find auto-rebate deals in your area.

< Thanx to nishantd for the article>

Wall Street Journal Article

 

[lsman]

IO Magic $15 sent 3/7
IBM viavoice $20 sent 4/16
Peachtree accounting 2002 $140 sent 5/23
Altec Lansing avs300 $20 sent 5/23
PNY memory $17 sent 5/23

Got back $212 today!

 

[badluck]

Received my $40 rebate check from Staples for the Maxtor 80gb deal a few weeks back. Most people won't do it, but send an e-mail to Staples thanking them for the quick turnaround time on rebates. They should be quick, but I got mine in 3-4 weeks which is outstanding.

Also, I wonder why the check said: Staples and had the word Hauppauge next to it. I was wondering if I forgot about a rebate from sometime back from Hauppauge??? But, I'm sure it was for the Maxtor...

 

[lungster]

$20 for Cendyne (LiteOn) 24x10x40 cd/rw from OM 4/8/02
$10 for TDK CDR 80 50-pack from Staples 5/19/02

 

[huzefa1]

Got my $20 check from Staples for the Phillips 100pk CDR rebate from a couple of weeks ago. This is one of the fastest turn-arounds ever. Funny thing is, on the check it says Lexmark, not Phillips.

 

[Greatwolf]

Any comments on my situation a few post up?

Thanx

 

[carmann]

Originally posted by: Greatwolf
Any comments on my situation a few post up? Thanx

I recently read a thread that people were discussing this. Some people said they usually sign the check twice. The 1st sig is how the check is printed. The 2nd sig would be your name.

I know in the past when I rec'd checks with my name mispelled, I just sign them like any other check and deposit them. I've never had a problem.

 

[Greatwolf]

okie thanx. that's encouraging to know. I'll try that after the check comes in.

 

[super6628]

Hi, Can anyone please send me the rebate form for the Microsoft Basic Mouse $10 Rebate back in May 19 from Staples.com ?

I lost the rebate form.

Please help me if you can.

send it to: neo6628@hotmail.com

 

[Justincase]

Payday

Got 5 Dell GX240 $100.00 rebates today, and 2 Dell Inspiron 8100 $200.00 rebates as well; $900.00 in all from D-E-L-L. Despite indicating that the rebates should be made payable to me, these rebate submissions were all originally entered in the system under my company name (company went out of business 5 years ago :Q). It took 2 calls and 2 corresponding faxes to get it changed to my own name. To their credit, without my asking for it, the rep that I spoke to the second time apparently requested that the checks be expedited :Q

Dell 8100
Mailed: 4/25/02
Due: 6/25/02-7/09/02
Calls: 2 phone, 2 fax
Received: 6/24/02
Turnaround time: about 8 weeks

Dell GX240
Mailed: 5/07/02
Due: 7/7/02-7/22/02
Calls: 2 phone, 2 fax
Received: 6/24/02
Turnaround time: about 7 weeks


Also received the Outpost/Western Digital 80GB Drive $55.00 rebate.
Mailed: 4/13/02
Due: 6/13/02
Calls: 2
Received: 6/24/02
Turnaround time: about 10 weeks


Also received another $75.18 from Buyerassurance for a pricematch...another quick turnaround of 25 days from mailing to receipt on that one. Time to go on a shopping spree :Q

 

[ULI]

I received 2 $9.95 rebate checks from the Rebate Center, PO Box 15800 Scottsdale, AZ 85267-5800. My records do not show these rebate amounts. Can someone tell me the name of the rebate center and possibly provide a toll-free number for me to call? I hope I am not getting stiffed on what should be larger amounts.

 

[Lanyap]

Try this:

Continental Promotions Group / CPG
Phoenix, AZ & Scottsdale, AZ
www.rebatestatus.com
800-554-9838 ext. 6100
888-314-9908
888-314-9903

 

[Lars]

I just got my reabte for the Rio 600 mp3 player even though I forgot to send them the UPC!!!!

 

[poppagene]

I just got my $30 and $20 Norton anti virus checks from april (free after rebate). Both Checks were dated 5/23 so they've been holding on to the money for a long time.

 

[Jhill]

Should I be alarmed? Staples.com rebate center says they didn't recieve my rebate yet or it is in the process of being entered in their systems. It is a 50.00 cendryne 32x cdrw that I sent on May 22. Today is June 26 so its been over a month. Does it usually take this long or should I call them?
Thanks for any help.

 

[LuckyStrike]

Jhill I just called staples on the 50$ cendyne rebate and was told to resubmit a copy of the original forms. Think I will give it a couple more weeks I smell something fishy here with this rebate. Staples is usually very good and I've had good luck but this one has me thinking??

Time will tell

 

[Jhill]

My friend just got a postcard in the mail for his 50 dollar staples cendryne 32x cdrw rebate saying his purshase dates where wrong for the rebate when I know he bought it during the correct dates.
I definately think there is something fishy going on.

 

[V00DOO]

I just checked wheresmyrebate for Compusa $50 Visiontek GF3 rebate and the status says the the check was mailed 6/7/02. I haven't received the check yet. Should I be worry. I tried to call them but phone doesn't work.

 

[fouroaks]

Just received my 50 Visiontek from Feb Gateway.

 

[4824guy]

I got my $20 MIR on the IBM via-voice software from the Staples sale on 3/16.

 

[scrubman]

staples Cendyne $50 rebate FINALLY lookin good... took them over 1 month to say they received the paperwork... hang in there guys, i think they are just overloaded with these rebates! it also says i should receive my check within 30 days!!!

 

[neovan]

Holy crap...my VisionTek GF3 Ti200 $50 rebate finally came. Better late than never.