The Game of MIRs

[ajaju]

Hi Everybody.
Ok this may seem a bit out of topic... but I think it is in general interest of all the folks over here.

Have you ever wondered what the OMAX, Staples, OD guys do with your MIRs (Mail In Rebates)
... If you are curious, take a look at this

COMPANY's WEBSITE

These are the people who "manage" your MIRs. Interest to note are their "Rebate Management Services" and "Duplicate and Fraud Detection" process. Take a look.

 

[Hgabriel]

I think most people understand the rebate game by now. Just be prepared to get flamed for this thread. You know it is coming.

 

[paradox0521]

sounds like Ajaju is trying to promote that company (perhaps he works for them?). That web doesn't give huge details..just simple outlines - it's a waste of time and his posting is probably in the wrong forum anyhow.

 

[Holycrap]

The most interesting line can be found in their competitive advantage section:



<< TCA new clients realize a reduction of 10% to 25% in rebate redemption rates due to our advanced verification processes. >>

 

[telstar1]

So that company measures success by the percentage of rebates the turn away.
Okay...

 

[MIDIman]

Anyone else notice that the only link on that page that does not work is the &quot;Rebate Status&quot; link? For some reason, this really made me laugh! Not a very hot deal if you asked me...

 

[GeorgeBenson]

Wow, this is some tough crowd! That was educational enough for my liking.

 

[Cyberian]

I'd be curious to know what the total cost to OD (or whoever) is to send me a $10 MIR.

You sure this is a legitimate company?
They are not located in Young America, MN!

 

[cappsa]

Yeah, they're definitely legit. Lots of my free after rebate CD-R rebates come from them. Speaking of rebates, I got a $30 one from HP and $20 from Circuit City yesterday. Good rebate day.

 

[ajaju]

Ok, here's my much desired apology.

sounds like Ajaju is trying to promote that company (perhaps he works for them?).

that is not correct. I do not work for them or anybody for that matter. Also, I guess the company would not benefit at all if I or anybody would promote it here... unless o'course the VP (marketing) of Staples, OD and OMAX are a part of this forum.

anyways, this was in the interest of those who have no idea of how MIRs work. Its surprising to see millions of posts over here that talk about things like ....

&quot; ... I spoke with CSR at Staples and they said, a copy of UPC is ok...&quot; or

&quot; .... I am not sure if they will honor my MIR if I get an instant rebate at the B&amp;M...&quot;

&quot;... I took out the 2 UPCs and sent it in from 2 addresses...&quot;

... and so on.

This thread just highlighted the fact[\i] that the staples, OM, OD guys have almost nothing to do with these MIRs.. show how little control they have over these things...when companies such as these make decisions[\i] on whether to send back the rebates.

anyways, I happy if people learnt anything from my earlier post and my apologies if I wasted your time...

 

[amnesiac]

Ajaju, don't worry about these self-proclaimed net.ghods. They're just upset b/c AT is the only place on earth where they feel they have any sort of authority.

The flamers have been added to my list. (see thread by KEN20 about labelmakers)

[edit]

Ooh, the rebate status link WORKS!!!

Full Name: ********, *****
Street Address: *****
Promotion Name : LEXAR COMPACTFLASH REBATE
Rebate Status: APPROVED
Rebate Amount: $40.00
Check Date: 04-22-2001

 

[SinMen]

I thought we have a hot deal on a game named MIR.

 

[NobodybutMe]

Good info to remember ... MIRs SUCK ... TCARebates pisses me off

 

[urameatball]

would you like to share with me your HP $30 code?
cuz I'm dying to get the HP9150i +RIO500 HOT DEAL.
and 199-30=169-50MIR=119 would be totally amazing.

 

[mccall]

All your rebate are belong to us!

On a serious note, before I send in a rebate I keep an extra rebate form (if possible) and I photocopy the filled in form, the UPC code, and the receipt. The extra rebate form is for phone numbers or URLs to check status. These are usually printed so small as to be unreadable on photocopies.

I have been denied rebates in the past with the stated reason being that I did not include the UPC code or the receipt, when of course I did. When I produce photocopies, the rebate is honored. There are also some companies that seem to wait until you call them before the rebate check is processed.

I'm waiting to see what happens with the CompUSA Pres Day 64 mb Ram rebates. Some people, on the advice of CompUSA store managers or Corporate, submitted one form for both rebates or two forms with identical names &amp; adresses for both rebates. I'm interested to see if they are honored, but I guess we have another 8 weeks or so to wait and see.

 

[T2T III]

They're professional... yessir-E! They even use AOL for their E-mail: Tell 'em what you really think!

 

[Sept1967]

Thats way cool,
I have several rebate there, and it shows approved, and when the date of the check is. I have several to look forward to.

And my Buy.com Kingston rebate was there also.

 

[Sept1967]

My HP hot deal came thru, yesterday.

The Hp 9350 a few months ago, Was $199 (50 off instant),
and $50 HP mail-in. A week later, they reduced it to $99 , after the HP rebate expired, but they matched the price.

So it was $99, with $50 mailin, which i received yesterday from HP.

 

[breweyez]

ditoo on what mccall said...
I had to call that company and talk to a manager to get my rebates from november I sent(the checks arrived monday march 5th). Also I had to resend info to a rebate on compusa blank cds(memorex). They had no record of my rebate submission(in other words its in the trash). Its a good idea to scan the upc before you send.

 

[chrisrafter]

I can't complain about this thread, if some found it educational, then it was worth it.

Nowhere does it say they reject legitimate claims, only that their competitive advantage is that they have sophisticated means of eliminating duplicates in rebate replies. Nothing illegal or immoral about that.

How do you think rebates work anyway? Do you foolishly think that the stores launch rebate programs expecting that every single person buying that product is going to send it in?

Rebates are a form of what's called &quot;PRICE DISCRIMINATION&quot;. It's an economic concept that states that a market achieves its greatest efficiency when each buyer pays the highest price they are willing to pay. If a product retails for $50 with a $20 rebate, then there are really 2 prices and two classes of users:

1. Those who pay $50 because they don't send in the rebate and
2. Those who pay $30 because they DO send in the rebate.

Rebates have some other benefits, such as driving traffic into the store, increasing your time in the store (Looking for the damn rebate slips!), buying more product while in the store, trying and introducing you to products you wouldn't have tried otherwise, etc.

 

[HawkeyeNJ]

Well I gave all my info @ TCA ... NONE of my rebates for staples came up... hmmm

But when I go to check my STAPLES rebates here Parago Inc [
They all show up nicely hmmmmmm

Well that is my .02

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