rebates should'nt count

[Bandit1]

My opinion is rebates are a JOKE.I don't price by rebate.They suck and you have to jump thru hoops to get that money back.I post it here because they get referenced so much on green vs. red. E-tailers need to man up and give real deals.

 

[Elfear]

I've gotten 95% of my rebates back. They take about 5 minutes to fill out and cut the UPC off the box and $0.44 to mail. I see no problem comparing prices with rebates as long as you put "AR" behind the price. I would rather have the retailer give the discount up front too but that's not going to happen.

 

[Bandit1]

Well,to be fair,getting money back months later is silly.If they really wanted you to get this money which they know X % won't,they should at least digitize the whole thing and make it easy.You know darn well they could easily set that up.

If you price shop against REAL stores,some will price match against NON rebated prices,so that says something,does'nt it?

 

[4ghz]

I've gotten every rebate I've ever filled out. Probably over 40 in just the last 2-3 years. So why shouldn't it count towards the price? If you don't like rebates then shop at Best Buy.

If you price shop against REAL stores,some will price match against NON rebated prices,so that says something,does'nt it?

90% of the time the rebate is paid by the manufacturer. Why would a retailer price match that?

 

[ibex333]

I've gotten every rebate I've ever filled out. Probably over 40 in just the last 2-3 years. So why shouldn't it count towards the price? If you don't like rebates then shop at Best Buy.

Uhhh..... Best Buy has rebates too.....

My opinion is rebates are a JOKE.I don't price by rebate.They suck and you have to jump thru hoops to get that money back.I post it here because they get referenced so much on green vs. red. E-tailers need to man up and give real deals.

Obviously, rebates are a scam made legal, just like fine print, and people who utilize such practices as well as those who made such practices legal would be in prison if it was up to me. The funny thing though, is that at least in this country, many people who suffer from these injustices DO NOT want it to stop! When I made a post a while ago on this forum about how American Express scams people through fine print usage offering to enter sweepstakes where you actually end up paying money I got screamed at by like 100 people that kept telling me how AMEX is a great company, that does nothing bad or illegal.

I'll tell you this much though, when we deal with shit like this, we got two choices. Either get up and do something about it, or shut up and continue taking it up the ass, moaning like a nice little bitch every now and then. Why is it that we don't pick up guns and charge the white house or the local rebate center or a credit card company to change the laws/practices we don't like? We know why.... Therefore, I rather buy something AFTER a rebate for cheap, then to not buy it at all or buy at regular price. Sure it may take a year for me to get the money back, but you can bet that I will do anything in my power to make the manufacturer give me the money they owe me. I will write, I will, call I will complain if I have to.... And to be fair I never had an issue where I wouldn't get my rebate back. How soon I got those rebates is a completely different story.

 

[Bandit1]

Ok.To clarify,why can't e-tailers get the money back from the manufacturer instead of burdening the end buyer and price things without rebates,just a good initial price?Guess i'm in the minority,but i don't shop according to rebates,and don't like the present way.Does'nt anyone remember the way it was before this crap?lol

I do buy according to my stance on this.They could make it easier and they don't.Why is that so hard to agree with?

 

[dguy6789]

I've received less than 25% of all rebates I've filled out that I can remember. There is also no process to go about correcting the issue if you never get a rebate.

 

[pitz]

Rebates help techies buy a small quantity of hardware, and sort of help level the playing field between a buyer of parts for 1 machine, and a bulk buyer (ie: a large business, or a large integrator, ie: Dell).

I don't mind rebates, but I'm not a fan of companies that drag their feet on sending them out.

Its a balancing act between giving the rebate, and having a system that facilitates outright fraud by the middlemen. For instance, corporate IT staff buying a bunch of parts for their machines, and then accepting the rebates as their own.

Computer gear is so dirt cheap these days that who cares...

 

[netxzero64]

good for all of you are experiencing rebates...

down here... there are no rebates, just more taxes LOL!

 

[zerocool84]

I have never gotten all my rebates back. I will pay a little more if it means I don't have to deal with a rebate.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I've been shafted on rebates before, and I do avoid them.

Also, a $10-20 rebate isn't worth the envelope, stamp, time and paper to copy stuff, and time to deposit the check. With direct deposit I almost never have a reason to deposit checks so it's an extra trip.

If I were still a student on a tight budget I might feel differently but now it's not worth my time for small rebates and large rebates are too much of a risk.

To me the main value of mentioning rebates in video threads is they may be a sign of what the price will change to after the existing stock is used up -- so if a card is $130 after rebate this month, there's a good chance it will be $130 with NO rebate next month.

 

[formulav8]

I've got most of my rebates but it still stinks. One negative thing is their taking way to long to "process" a stupid rebate. One of the shadiest parts of many rebate processes is not just how long it takes, but you having to keep pestering them to even get it. They plainly say for example: "fill out the form and follow the directions and we will send you your rebate in 6-8 weeks." If thats the case, why is it most rebates take FAR longer and I literally have to keep pestering them to even get it? Many companys will not even send your rebate if you don't keep on them. No where in the fine print does it say that "you have to keep pestering us and waste your time before we send your rebate."

There is NO reason for those practices except to try and rip off the customer by not sending the rebate. I hate it when money is put above ethics and people.

I do recall dealing with some very smooth rebate manufactors like HP and ECS...

But for the most part rebates are a big hassle for most people.

 

[Ken g6]

I get mail to a PO Box, not a street address, so I can't get rebates.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

It's been hit or miss on rebate over the years so, I never make purchase decisions based on them. If two companies offer the same product and one offers a rebate, I go with the company that has the best reputation. The rebate never influences me.

 

[4ghz]

Uhhh..... Best Buy has rebates too.....

http://www.bby.com/2006/04/10/best-buy-eliminates-nearly-all-computer-related-mail-in-rebates-company-responds-to-customer-requests-by-removing-more-than-65-percent-of-all-rebates/

 

[Zap]

Ok.To clarify,why can't e-tailers get the money back from the manufacturer instead of burdening the end buyer and price things without rebates,just a good initial price?

Some do. For instance Staples Easy Rebates facilitates getting them. All you have to do is file on their web site. It is all linked to your invoice - no need to mail anything in, just file it and you'll get your rebate.

Also, some companies do instant rebates with certain retailers, or channel rebates, or whatever.

Mail-in-rebates are just popular because even if the companies involved are completely legit and really want to pay every properly submitted rebate, there's a good percentage that just do not send in rebates, plus a smaller percentage that get rebates denied for legit reasons. On the flip side, it is proven that rebates spur sales.

I've received less than 25% of all rebates I've filled out that I can remember. There is also no process to go about correcting the issue if you never get a rebate.

If you are getting that few rebates, then either you're doing something wrong or you are invalidating yourself somehow (like going above redemption limit). I've given up trying really hard to get missing/denied rebates, and I probably still get a good 90%+ just from following the directions and waiting a few months.

 

[blastingcap]

My opinion is rebates are a JOKE.I don't price by rebate.They suck and you have to jump thru hoops to get that money back.I post it here because they get referenced so much on green vs. red. E-tailers need to man up and give real deals.

The last rebate I failed to get was from VTEC circa 2001. Even much-maligned MSI gave me back my rebate, albeit after like 3-4 months or something.

 

[Leyawiin]

I haven't purchased a great deal of rebate offer hardware, but the last one I did was an EVGA product and it actually went quite well. Still took 8 weeks (as they said it would), but emailed me regularly to keep me apprised of the process steps. I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[Dark Shroud]

A big part of it comes down to the company and of course who they use to process their rebates.

Old CompUSA never honored their rebates. Trendnet back in the day wouldn't honor theirs as well. OCZ had problems on & off for awhile but they seem to at least care.

Staples lets you feel rebates out eletronically. I rather like this practice so I tend to but supplies from them more.

In the end I but the better brands over cheaper with rebates. If it has a rebate cool I'll send it out otherwise it's not a big issue to me.

 

[Creig]

A lot of people will purchase a product based on its "after rebate" price and then are just too lazy to fill it out. That's why manufacturer's throw them out there. It entices people to purchase their product and then they hope that a good portion of their customers don't actually send them in. That's why a company can offer a product at an "after rebate" price that's lower than their competitor's product that doesn't have a rebate.

I'm just fine with rebates. I fill them out and end up getting an overall lower price on my item for about 5 minutes of work, a couple of photocopies, one envelope and one stamp. If that means I get $10-$20 back, I'm all for it.

I think over the years that I didn't end up receiving about 3-4 rebates I sent in. But a call to the company each time resulted in a "Ah, the computer shows we're processing your rebate now, sir. You should receive it in the next week or so". And it inevitably did.

The key to getting your rebates is:

1) Make sure you read the requirements and follow them to the letter
2) Make copies of EVERYTHING, including the UPC code you cut from the box
3) Monitor your rebate, if possible. Some rebate companies offer on-line tracking of your rebates progress. I currently have a $20 Asus rebate that is showing "received" and I'm even able to view scans of the paperwork I sent them. If they flag it in some way, I will contact them immediately to straighten it out.
4) Keep track of when your rebate is due in your mailbox. Each rebate will have a processing time (4-6 weeks, 6-8 weeks etc). Either mark on a calendar the latest date you should have received your rebate by, or use a freeware program such as "Rebate Rebate" to keep track of your rebates. If you don't receive it by then, contact the company. I'm convinced that some companies wait until you call them before they release your rebate. I think they're hoping you will have forgotten about the rebate so that they can keep the money themselves. So don't forget about it!

Rebates can be a great way to save money on products, as long as you pay attention to them and closely follow their rules. If you don't like rebates, then don't buy products that have them. Or just mentally add the rebate amount to the purchase price when shopping around.

 

[Bateluer]

I never touch rebates, the hassle is more trouble than its worth to save 10-20 dollars. In all likelihood, their competitors are only priced 5 dollars more without any rebates anyway.

 

[Campy]

Rebates are an obvious scam and brings to mind supermarket chains that have "membershsips"

 

[Zap]

The key to getting your rebates is:

1) Make sure you read the requirements and follow them to the letter

That's key. A friend of mine was NEVER getting any rebates. Turned out he was addressing them to his PO Box, and almost all rebates explicitly state no PO Boxes.

Sometimes rebates will have some really retarded "requirements" probably to make people invalidate themselves. For instance I recall encountering requirements to:
circle the purchase price on invoice
put return address on back of envelope
put rebate offer code on back of envelope
checkmark a specific box on the form
circle/checkmark the specific product code on a multi-rebate form

 

[gorobei]

i've only ever had one rebate not pay out and that time it was mostly my fault (didnt notice the ridiculously short rebate period).

i did have one rebate processing co. kick one back for missing receipt, but as soon i called and told them i had stapled the receipt to the form and upc code the csr knew the jig was up and stopped trying to convince me it was my fault. I scan all the forms for all my rebates, so i have a printable/email-able backup. The csr took the info over the phone and i got the check a few weeks later.

rebates on really good deals can go into 50-100$ range and can be well worth the time. Just make sure the rebate comes from a reputable manufacturer. Corsair has probably paid back around $200 in rebates for me.

 

[abaez]

I spent about $1200 on a recent upgrade that had about $400 in rebates and bing cashback. I'm just getting the bing available now, and the rebate cards are coming in as well.

Did nothing but fill out forms and mail them in. Well, well worth it imho.