Rejected! Rebates Get Harder to Collect: ARTICLE

[JJordan]

Wheresmyrebate.com sucks, but so far (fingers crossed) staples has been the best. My recent $300 in Staples rebates all show as approved and for payment. Free is good. Keep copies of everything. I cannot count the number of times someone post that they need a copyof the UPC or the receipt or the this or that. KEEP COPIES !!!!!!

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

I was inspired to make my monthly call to wheresmyrebate.com to check on my GF3 rebate from Thanksgiving... I was told that the processing time has been extended, and that I should call back in 3 weeks....

It will be 7 months by then. I am sooooo pissed. :|

 

[vinnyracer]

I had an I/O Magic rebate that never came and I decided to e-mail them, than a week later I got my check. Lucky for me, that I keep a note of it.

One more thing, Sony seen to have the fastest rebate response time. I received a Sony rebate with-in 2 weeks.

 

[The_Dude8]

staples rebate has the best turn around time. compusa, diamond (rio 600) rebate, bestbuy (GF3 video card) rebate take an enternity to come.

xcellent post frugalguy.

 

[Shame]

I have one of those 4'x6' tack boards in my home office and simply make a copy and tack up all the rebate nfo on the wall.. When it comes in I toss the copies... Works well for me.. I usually have 2 or 3 out at any given time and simply nag the rebate company and/or the manufacturer if it is more than 60 days...

 

[dbLA]

My best rebate experiences have been with Rite Aid, but those are all small potatoes.

 

[spanky]

one particularly exuberant shopper is owed $90,000.

ouch!

 

[Agaricus]

The local store manager can sometimes be of help. If the companies really wanted you to get the item at the rebated price, they would offer it at that price rather than use rebates which as a minimum cost both parties an extra $0.34 in postage.(insignificant with a $300.00 rebate but not with all those $5.00 and less rebates).

 

[bigboxes]

Good article with good advice. Although those who did business with CyberRebate.com didn't have it coming to them, you kind of wonder at their common sense. Pay 2-3X retail price with the promise of an item being rebated that amount. Tempting, but you know what happens when you try to get something for nothing... I try to resist the "too good to be true" deals.

 

[Creig]

Oddly enough it is Staples that is giving me the biggest runaround yet. $60 rebate on an Envision 17" monitor purchased at the end of October last year. First two submissions of paperwork have mysteriously been "lost". Faxed 3rd set the other day. We'll see what happens.

 

[bonk102]

the two companies i've actaully had the most luck with have been dell and staples, i've received 100% of my rebates from them, while officemax and officedepot, i've got maybe 50% of my rebates back from, it sucks

 

[Omagh]

My RBA is about 99%. Have only 1 outstanding and I know that I will get it. It was already issued to a wrong address
and they have to reissue it. Have done a good fifty rebates.

I keep copies of EVERYTHING that I send in and bug the rebate houses when my submitted rebates seem to be getting old. Have only been rebating about a year now and have done about 50.00 deals. For a while I slowed down a little (nothing else I needed to buy) but recently I was asked by a neighbor to build a machine and fix another one so I have been busy scouting for deals with rebates. Scored several good ones yesterday and today ... all at Staples who takes my coupon readily.

The system works for me. Not perfectly since I sometimes have to write to the "Office of the President" to get action. If that does not elicit any response then its a letter to the legal department citing their violation of my contract with them and my intention of taking them to small claims court. Sue for the amount plus other costs. Legal will step in and make Marketing Dept take action.

My system. Keep copies. Write the amount due and date sent on the copies in big letters. When the rebate comes back I simply move the copies from the pending folder to the paid folder. Simple but effective. I can program but wouldn't waste
my time. It is easier and more convenient to use my suggested method.

YMMV

 

[Marm]

Thanks for the good info.

I think that some of the rebates they just look for any excuese to say that you did something wrong and are out of luck so no moola for you.

 

[dentalboy]

good file to copy away,

 

[Banana]

It's not worth one's time to chase rebates. The best guideline is to not make a purchase based on the POST-rebate price. Think of the hours spent shopping for a rebate, filling in the forms, tracking it, and sometimes following up on a unfulfilled rebate. Lets not even talk about the aggravation and the little moments of anxiety wondering if a rebate check will arrive.

How much do you make an hour? I'd bet it's much more than (rebate $ amount divided by time spent)!!

If you can't "fire and forget" a rebate--don't buy it!

1YP

 

[Jobowoo]

thanks! great read, will be more aware!

 

[jandaman]

Great info.

 

[Lanyap]

Thanks, I placed this in my Rebate Center info post in the ~~~~ Rebate Tracking Thread ~~~~.

 

[Lizardman]

Thanks to rebate rebate i have been to able to keep track of all of my rebates and get over 600 dollars back from rebates. I would say that every 1 in 5 rebates i send out i actually have to call up and complain.

 

[dpham00]

the two companies i've actaully had the most luck with have been dell and staples,

Staples has been good to me. i got $40 for the Soundman X1 (yes, these things suck), $50 for APC, and $70 for visioneer 8100.

Frys and CRAPUSSR are the worst.

 

[msbytes]

rebate-rebate is a great program. but they stopped supporting it about a year ago,and I'm not sure where you can still download it

 

[shurato]

Staples rebates has been the best for me. I've had turn around times as quick as 3 weeks. I had a Nokia rebate for 50 dollars which was rejected because I did not clip the proper UPC code from the box. The rebate form was confusing and there was literally 3 different types of barcodes on the box which confused me. Anyways, I called the rebate center and complained and they gave me the contact information to a manager and I wrote her a letter explaining my situation. A few weeks later I recieved my 50 dollars. You just have to follow through on everything. Whether its 5 dollars or 50 dollars, its a matter of principle.

 

[Devistater]

Great post, thanks!

 

[zxczxc]

I hate rebates cuz they never come until I call them... the last time I bought something with rebate was uhh Dimaond's monster 3D card... I waited three months then I called them... I got the $50 check in a week.

 

[Askalon]

I think the general rule here is that you send them in, wait two to 4 weeks and then call. I am also making my own rebate tracker in an excel spreadsheet, shouldn't be too hard...