Rejected! Rebates Get Harder to Collect: ARTICLE

[scoreadeal]

Spreadsheets? Good grief, you guys must have all the free time in the world! :Q

I just make a photocopy and throw it in my pile of bills to be paid. That way each time I pay a bill, I feel better being reminded that someone actually owes me some money as well.

Plus, then you have all the evidence you need to file a complaint if it ever comes to that point.

Does anyone know there this Amaozn 40 days of rebates page is? I know they have a Rebate-O-Rama page, etc... but the one mentioned in the article ???

 

[scoreadeal]

Never mind, I finally found it, the 40 Days of $40 Rebates, ends July 7th.

 

[LuNoTiCK]

Thanks, it is very informative.

 

[HalfFerengi]

Good Post. Thanks from us all.

 

[GDogX]

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.

someone has wayy to much time on their hands ;p

 

[Antz]

Originally posted by: 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. :|

Are you referring to the black friday sale? If so, I just called also, and they said to call back in a week to check the rebate status. Originally, they accused me of sending in multiple submissions, I think that was just their own mistake filing my rebate twice, idiots. Was that your problem also?

 

[Foghorn]

Funny that these scumbag rebate compaines expect you to follow the wording on the rebate to the letter, but can "extend" the period you can expect your rebate on a whim.....

There needs to be stricter laws penalizing these scum. This is fraud. 7 months is BS.

 

[Garet Jax]

Great post! Good to know about the websites to help get recourse with the Rebate companies.

My strategy is to photocopy everything and to phone the rebate company before I send the rebate just to let them know it is coming

 

[Nerdwannabe]

The best way is to photocopy everything down and make some sort of reminder. I always mark down on calandar to check the rebates. I bet thost rebate companies will only pay out to those people who contacted them for rebate status.

Sometimes, they will play dirty and issue checks exetremely late. Their envolop never have any postmark which allow them to send out the check RIGHT BEFORE check expires. I got 3 checks from 3 different program like a week after check expires. I called back and complianed, but they blamed me for cashing in the check too late.

Talking about dirty little tricks.

 

[daveshel]

I boycott rebates. I don't buy anything that has a rebate.

Join me. Let the manufacturers know we don't buy the illusion that they will someday pay us back. Make them change their marketing practices: computer hardware is a buyers market for the most part.

 

[jasonja]

No thanks, I'm a fan of rebates because companies will make items cheap after rebates because they know must people won't follow thru on them, not to mention when you combine them with coupons it's a hot deal. I follow the rules explicitly and I make photocopies of everything and I ALWAYS write on the copies the date I maied the rebate in. I've received $1000's in rebates in the last 3 years I've been doing it. Every couple weeks I go thru my rebates to see who owes me and if it's past due I call. The calls usually solve any delays I have.

On that note I wish more companies had rebate tracking on the web like Staples does. Their online tracking is great and must save them tons on phone calls. My APC rebate from them came in 3 weeks (that's a new record!) and I can see that my Audiovox Maestro rebate (which I already sold on Ebay for a profit) has been approved and should expect a check in 3 weeks.

 

[858diver]

From my recent experience, all of our bitching and moaning about and to the fulfillment houses seems to be helping improve turnaround times.

I simply make a photocopy of all submissions, mark the date when the check should arrive, and check the fulfillment house's website within the submission period to confirm it was received and there are no issues. In virtually every case, any issues are resolved during that time. For rebates over $30, I usually use certified mail.

If a check doesn't arrive within the time specified, I begin to press the fulfillment house AND the seller. In many cases, the store manager will pay off the rebate in cash.

 

[Kartman]

Personally, I would think that the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) would be interested in said article. Why? Because, this activity lays down a premise for proving misleading and intentional/questionable business practices. My first rebate experience was bad to the bone. It was 1993 and on a Sharp Microwave. Five years later and another Sharp microwave they did it to me again. Never again.

I have had a couple of good experiences. ViewSonic got a return-to-send on a rebate they mailed out to me. They simply, and timely, issued another--no questions asked on that $100 rebate! Then, I once got a $40 rebate from Western Digital that was so quick I doubted the check staring me in the face, hehe.

Unfortunately, unless its something I am really willing to not bother with (easily accept the rebateless loss) I'll just ignore the fact that it exists. Too many times have I been burned on Best Buy, CompUSA, and other retail or retailer-associated rebates. If they cannot afford to sell me the product at face value, $%#& them! I did manage to screw BB three weeks ago (although they seem to be trying to screw me right now {re: Buyer Beware, BestBuy.com = Bad Experience}) when they forgot to take down obsolete shelf-pricing and it cost them $50 on what should have been a $250 purchase.

I do not know the business logic in rebates, unless they are strictly manufacturer-lead. Retailer rebates 'seem' to be nothing more than a way to show daily sales under a false light, which is something the FTC/SEC needs to take a closer look at these days.

 

[vinnyracer]

daveshel is right, we have to boycott anything that has a rebate.

 

[katka]

I agree with "jasonja" make copies and follow-up and if you must file complaints you have the ammunition.

 

[stinkydiver]

A lot of good advice here - thanks.

My rule is not to buy anything that would be too expensive if I didn't
get the rebate - then the rebate is a bonus. (Though they have all
come through eventually so far).

For example, the CompUSA 'buy 100 CDRs for $70 and get $65
in rebates' - no thanks!

 

[TheMariner]

Originally posted by: Antz

Originally posted by: 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. :|

Are you referring to the black friday sale? If so, I just called also, and they said to call back in a week to check the rebate status. Originally, they accused me of sending in multiple submissions, I think that was just their own mistake filing my rebate twice, idiots. Was that your problem also?

Visiontek pulled that same crap on me.

SAME RECEIPT WAS USED BY MORE THAN ONE CUSTOMER

Is what it said on wheresmyrebate.com. I was ticked I immediatley called bestbuy and they guy from bestbuy called transferred me to visiontek and stayed on the line to "assist and make sure everything goes smoothley." So the woman from visiontek say's "well I need to run it by my supervisior, but it looks like it should be ok." It felt like she had said this before.

Oh and as to the buisness practice, I am not sure if this would work but a great sales increase when the time comes to release your financial statments and then pay out the checks before tax time (for on big deduction). Not sure if this is possible but just throwing it out there.

 

[Foghorn]

There's no doubt that there's financial gimmickry going on with these rebates. It certainly can't take months to process them.

 

[dArtagnan]

I think rebates are a total scam. Circuit city still owes me $200 in rebates for 2 laptops I bought - I doubt I ever see the money.

 

[Long]

The most hideous rebate scam is when they finally approve your rebate then intentionally make a significant typo in your address so it never gets to you. They end up keeping the money (this is one of the ways how rebate companies make money). Fortunately, I was tracking the rebate online and noticed the typo in the address. Some of these rebate status web sites have purposely removed the display of your address so you won't notice the address typo.

 

[Jdog]

bookmarked! thanks.

 

[iluvazngurl902]

My rebate was rejected by Young America, the rebate center mentioned in the article.
on the rebate form, it clearly states the promoton period. I mailed in my rebate 2 weeks
before the promotion ends. I received the mail back today with a red stamp noting: offer expired
ahhhh
there goes 50 moola

 

[Rainguy]

Very good info, thanks

Best people to get rebates from: Microsoft, Staples, TDK

Worst things to buy with a rebate (and I will never buy again): Buslink, Fuji :|

 

[tennesota]

Excellent post.

 

[JRez]

Best experiences have been with Staples and Officemax. I've recieved all my CompUSA rebates from the TCA fulfillment center (*knock on wood*). The WORST is Worst Buy. I waited 8 months for a $30 rebate on an ATI All-in-Wonder Radeon. That's frickin' insane. I already used and SOLD the card before the rebate came. I refuse to do business with them between the rebates and the transmission of CC data over unencrypted 802.11b. Anytime Staples has a deal involving a rebate, I won't hesitate to jump right on it.