~~~~ 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.

 

[ScrapSilicon]

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


-------------------------
Thanks Lanyap!!

 

[Lanyap]

hehe, you beat me to it this time ScrapSilicon

Thanks

 

[Soong]

i tried like post that but man...it takes a while to get all that info showing and have everything working...much more appreciative of you guys...

 

[cmf21]

Rejected - Staples Philips 100 pack 40x cd's

Said I didn't include original upc. I guess their blind because I taped it and stapled it to the form in plain view. Anyone else have this problem.

Rebate went to:

$20 Rebate on Disc Spindle
Dept. #CDR02109
P.O. Box 3600
Medina, OH 44258-3600

 

[Lanyap]

Originally posted by: Soong
i tried like post that but man...it takes a while to get all that info showing and have everything working...much more appreciative of you guys...

I learned a while back to copy/paste everything into a word doc when I was editing the rebate info. Whenever the mod starts a new one I just call up my latest file and copy/paste into the post in the new thread.

 

[Sophia]

I just received (9/3) a few Amazon rebates with check dates of 7/18. Is that legal? Must rebate checks be mailed with a certain amount of time from the check date? Unfortunately they were no postmarks, but I'm willing to bet the post office didn't take six weeks to deliver them.

 

[novice]

I recently got an email rejecting my Office Depot Maxtor 40 gig harddrive rebate ($30) due to "store not participating in maxtor/Office Dept promotion! Of course, it was the one rebate I hadn't scanned to show I had sent everything in on time. But I went to the local OD where I purchased it (with my receipt in hand) and explained it to the manager and they refunded me the $30 plus tax!! so my $30 rebate grew to a $32.25 rebate! I was impressed. I still got to keep my free PC-133 ATA controller card, too.
Also just received my $70 Staples Envision monitor rebate today. Not a bad deal, Envision 17" basic (non flat screen) monitor for $49.95 after coupon and rebate. The rebate didn't take that long either. I was getting a little worried because it took Staples almost 3 weeks to "receive" my paperwork after online submission. REceived my check within 2 weeks of their acknowledging receipt of paperwork.

 

[CHAOSMAN]

staples rebates rock, they just emailed me and confirmed my 40x virbatim rebate for $40 it seemed like i only sent it in a few weeks ago, kudos to staplesrebates

 

[Engineer]

While "technically" not a rebate, I just received the FREE CD player with speakers from purchasing any CD-RW from OfficeMax (they have been running this promotion for a month or so). Only took 3 weeks from the time the coupon was mailed until I received the unit.

If this isn't considered a "rebate", just whack me on the head and I'll leave!

Good Luck to everyone on their rebates....

 

[KF]

Fast. I Got my $10 Fuji CDR rebate in three weeks using the website sign-up. Mailed 8/11, received 9/3.


>staples rebates rock, they just emailed me and confirmed my 40x virbatim rebate for $40 it seemed
>like i only sent it in a few weeks ago, kudos to staplesrebates

I got several email confimations of rebates within a few weeks of mailing, none invovling Staples. I haven't received any of the checks yet, and I don't expect I will before the time limit.

An email which was titled a confirmation, from Kingmax + OM, turned out to be a denial when I followed the link to a web site. They said it wasn't postmarked within 14 days of the date on the receipt. I don't know when the post office postmarked it, and I sure can't prove it was before.

 

[Gaard]

Question: Do manufacturer rebates only apply if you buy the product from a certain retailer? IOW, those Cendyne burners at OM have a $40 manufacturer MIR...can I still get the rebate if I buy the exact same burner from a different retailer?

 

[Lizardman]

I just got my two $20 rebates for PNY DDR from BB changed from 15.

 

[Lanyap]

Originally posted by: Gaard
Question: Do manufacturer rebates only apply if you buy the product from a certain retailer? IOW, those Cendyne burners at OM have a $40 manufacturer MIR...can I still get the rebate if I buy the exact same burner from a different retailer?

It varies. You need to read all of the fine print on the rebate form. If it says you must purchase it from store xyz then you will be denied if you purchase it from another store. And then there are the rebates that do not specify a store but you find on their website that they only honor the rebate from certain stores. I think this second scenario is not legal but the rebate centers may try to enforce it. In the case of the OM Cendyne rebate I think it says you must purchase from OM so you will be denied if you buy from somewhere else.

 

[ZroK]

My $20 rebate for PNY 256MB PC2100 DDR-SDRAM by Circuit City was rejected. It says: "The 256S133.UPC we received with your rebate submission is not correct. " Stupid as I am, I threw away the packaging long time ago. If someone has a scan of the PNY 256MB UPC, please email it to me at zrok@myrealbox.com. TIA!

 

[TJ665]

Office Depot Rebate "Texas InsTI 83 Plus Graph. Cal. Sku # 905-739 $5"

Been Qualified. Sent it 8/29/02.

 

[tigerbait]

the express group strikes again :|

C2376xxx Sean xxxxx
Reject for the following reasons:
Insufficient amount(s) or product(s) purchased to qualify.UPC Code(s) provided does not match offer.
Description: PNY 256MB DDR $65 8/28-9/1/02

 

[DAWeinG]

Everyone who pricematched and used the coupon for the OD $10 chair deal, prepare to have your rebate rejected. I just checked the status of mine and two of my other friends' rebate and we're all rejected. The store manager at office depot warned us about this but gave us the deal anyway. I think a simple phone call will fix all this so don't worry I'm going to call them up tomorrow and report it.

Office Depot has two rebate centers. One is on their website and the other is on the expressgroup.com's website. Two of office depot's rebate centers are listed on the expressgroup.com site, one of which is the same as the one on the office depot front page.

Click here to check the status of your chair AND PNY $65 rebate. Some people got rejected for the PNY $65 rebate. My friends and I are qualified however. A simple phone call should fix up everything. I will update everyone tomorrow.

Edit: Please keep in mind that the two rebate centers, while similar in names and logos and affiliation to office depot will give DIFFERENT results.

the express group strikes again

Quote



C2376xxx Sean xxxxx



Reject for the following reasons:
Insufficient amount(s) or product(s) purchased to qualify.UPC Code(s) provided does not match offer.
Description: PNY 256MB DDR $65 8/28-9/1/02

Tigerbait, my friends, all 3 of them have qualifying $65 rebates on the website. This is what we did, pricematched to the office depot website and used the $20 off $50 coupon as most others did. A phone call should fix it. We're getting rejected for the chair deal however.


EDIT: My friend sent in BOTH the UPC's from the chair AND box and his status page says "review." I sent in the UPC only from the box like the rebate form says and it says "REJECT." So if you haven't sent in your chair rebates yet, send in BOTH upc's to be on the safe side.

 

[ZroK]

Followup to myself. It seems like other people are also having problem with this particular rebate. The UPC code we sent were correct. You need to call rebateshq.com and have them fix this. Now my rebate status is changed to 'Processing'.

Originally posted by: ZroK
My $20 rebate for PNY 256MB PC2100 DDR-SDRAM by Circuit City was rejected. It says: "The 256S133.UPC we received with your rebate submission is not correct. " Stupid as I am, I threw away the packaging long time ago. If someone has a scan of the PNY 256MB UPC, please email it to me at zrok@myrealbox.com. TIA!

 

[Foghorn]

Anyone who bought a Radeon 8500 last May through the $100 (for the AIW) $50 for the 8500 that has not received their rebate, please contact me. This rebate is through the infamous TCA Rebate Fufillment. Mine is 7 weeks overdue, and TCA claims that ATI has "delayed" releasing the checks.

I need help from those who kept copies of everything for the rebate, and has not received it within 8 weeks. (I can't use people who have not documented their rebates YET) I work for a large law enforcement agency in Michigan and am starting the groundwork for a formal complaint against TCA and ATI with the Michigan Atty. General's office, then the FTC.

ATI has contacted me with a promise that this would be taken care of in 10 days, well, that time has come and gone, so it's time to take legal action. Maybe some FTC fines and fraud charges might shake things up at TCA.

Right now I can't deal with anything other than the ATI rebate issue. I know TCA has a horrid track record, so more of those complaints may be solicited by me if neccessary. I just don't have the time to tackle all TCA's rebate problems right now, unless the AG wants more examples of TCA fraud.

I'll keep you posted.

 

[RichardK]

If you're waiting for a TT Systems phone rebate (sold by Office Max in April '02), you need to call 1-858-279-2945.

I have the impression they aren't sending the checks unless you call TT Systems directly. Express Group Rebates referred me to this number, and a very polite gentleman said the check would be "expedited". When I asked what the problem was, he said "the response was overwhelming". I suppose that means "We didn't have enough money to cover all the rebates, so we're hoping lots of people forget about them."

 

[Foghorn]

Yeah, that's what Iomega said about the zip drive rebate that the FTC fined them big time on.

Never trust a rebate vendor. They are professional thieves.

 

[Soong]

received the $30 rebate on the Officemax chair deal of 7-29. Unusually quick. However the 5 dollar rebate for the hi-val cdr's aren't around yet nor have I gotten my belkin rebate tho it shows final processing

 

[darkie]

Seems there is trouble with getting rebate for Polaroid Burnmax. See following message I got

Good morning Mr. xxx,

The database does not reflect your documents verification, due to the
ernormous amounts of rebate submissions we are experiencing.

We ask for your patience as we continuously upgrade, and work through the
tedious steps necessary to process your paperwork for the Polaroid BurnMAX
product.

A series of meetings have been conducted since Thursday 8/28 to evaluate
what can be done to more quickly process the tremendous response rate from
this program. More personnel have been added to help with processing the
claims.

As a side note, we recommend you always use Registered or Certified mail.

We appreciate your patience and patronage.


Damon Martin
VP Bus. Development & Cust. Serv.
DFT, Inc.

 

[lsman]

Originally posted by: ZroK
Followup to myself. It seems like other people are also having problem with this particular rebate. The UPC code we sent were correct. You need to call rebateshq.com and have them fix this. Now my rebate status is changed to 'Processing'.

Originally posted by: ZroK
My $20 rebate for PNY 256MB PC2100 DDR-SDRAM by Circuit City was rejected. It says: "The 256S133.UPC we received with your rebate submission is not correct. " Stupid as I am, I threw away the packaging long time ago. If someone has a scan of the PNY 256MB UPC, please email it to me at zrok@myrealbox.com. TIA!

Has to call tomorrow.