The truth behind rebates?

[VirtualLarry]

Rebate Bait

I just came across this story now, and I thought that it would be quite relevant to the Hot Deals crowd here.
It seems to imply that most technology-item rebates are in fact (as I have hypothesized in the past) intentially fraudulent on their face. It doesn't surprise me one bit, personally. It's a game folk, and like any game, there are going to be winners, and losers. The only way to avoid that, is to not play the game.

 

[elanarchist]

Don't get me started on TCA Rebates. Those mother***** still owe me $100 after 18 months, scum of the Earth they are. The other fulfillment houses have never cheated me.

 

[imported_intercollector]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
Rebate Bait

I just came across this story now, and I thought that it would be quite relevant to the Hot Deals crowd here.
It seems to imply that most technology-item rebates are in fact (as I have hypothesized in the past) intentially fraudulent on their face. It doesn't surprise me one bit, personally. It's a game folk, and like any game, there are going to be winners, and losers. The only way to avoid that, is to not play the game.

Bastards need to die and go to hell. Whether or not it's legal or not, I find it to be extremely unethical to run a business and make money off of people in this manner. It is ok to make money off of someones laziness if you are helping them with a service, but in this case it is the actual laziness that they are targetting, and therefore unethical.

 

[mrrman]

I am so warry of these rebates and hate them with a passion..I was lucky to buy some HD's at a low price so the rebate was a bonus when it did arrive yesterday..I was still thinking that the rebate would not show but it did. I still avoid buying stuff with rebates unless the prices are so low that the rebate doesnt make that much of a difference..just my opinion

 

[hahher]

wow, i'd like to see a copy of the actuarial table

 

[NogginBoink]

Color me not surprised.

I kinda count on every rebate I send being denied once, then approved when I send them photocopies of everything. It's the way the game is played these days. Still, would be nice to see the FTC get interested in this scam.

 

[Dran]

Originally posted by: NogginBoink
Still, would be nice to see the FTC get interested in this scam.

Never happen. The government makes money off this system, too (referring to the taxes you pay on an item, but never receive back after a rebate), and they're not about to cut off a source of free revenue.

 

[BurningDog]

you posted this in the wrong place.... it should be in the forum 'Old News' , or "Things Everybody Knows"

 

[NogginBoink]

Originally posted by: Dran

Originally posted by: NogginBoink
Still, would be nice to see the FTC get interested in this scam.

Never happen. The government makes money off this system, too (referring to the taxes you pay on an item, but never receive back after a rebate), and they're not about to cut off a source of free revenue.

Rebates never reduce sales taxes, even when the consumer actually does get his rebate check. You pay sales tax on the full price at the register, the rebate pays you money, the government keeps the money from the sales tax.

Secondly, the FTC is a *federal* agnecy, sales tax monies go to state and local governments. The federal government doesn't get sales tax money in the first place so it wouldn't hurt them a bit if rebates reduced sales taxes.

Which they don't.

 

[FPSguy]

Originally posted by: Dran

Originally posted by: NogginBoink
Still, would be nice to see the FTC get interested in this scam.

Never happen. The government makes money off this system, too (referring to the taxes you pay on an item, but never receive back after a rebate), and they're not about to cut off a source of free revenue.

I don't think the Federal Trade Commission is all that interested in how much state sales tax you pay. If they could make out a case of fraud, I think they would be all over these people.

 

[1ucid]

what truth are you looking for? Nothing factworthy in the article says they are scamming people, just that statistically only a certain percentage of rebates are fulfilled. Maybe not everyone applies for the rebates? *shrug* Better keep copies just in case =)

 

[digiram]

lol, my brother hit office max hard durring last year's black friday. He was denied several rebates before from them, so this time around(durring black friday). He sent out several copies of the same rebates, to a bunch of different addresses. Amazingly, all of these rebates came in, multiple times. lol, that was great. He didn't know that he was going to get all these rebate checks back. He just wanted to make sure that they get the rebate forms. Now they print out rebate reciepts.

 

[xerocool]

Originally posted by: digiram
lol, my brother hit office max hard durring last year's black friday. He was denied several rebates before from them, so this time around(durring black friday). He sent out several copies of the same rebates, to a bunch of different addresses. Amazingly, all of these rebates came in, multiple times. lol, that was great. He didn't know that he was going to get all these rebate checks back. He just wanted to make sure that they get the rebate forms. Now they print out rebate reciepts.

what different addresses are you referring to? you mean he sent out his rebates to different addresses (if so, what other ones than the one listed on the rebate form?) or he sent out multiple rebates to the same address but in the filled out section, he listed different addresses where to recieve the rebates?

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

No sh!t.

 

[SemperFi]

Originally posted by: NogginBoink

Originally posted by: Dran

Originally posted by: NogginBoink
Still, would be nice to see the FTC get interested in this scam.

Never happen. The government makes money off this system, too (referring to the taxes you pay on an item, but never receive back after a rebate), and they're not about to cut off a source of free revenue.

Rebates never reduce sales taxes, even when the consumer actually does get his rebate check. You pay sales tax on the full price at the register, the rebate pays you money, the government keeps the money from the sales tax.

Secondly, the FTC is a *federal* agnecy, sales tax monies go to state and local governments. The federal government doesn't get sales tax money in the first place so it wouldn't hurt them a bit if rebates reduced sales taxes.

Which they don't.

I believe what Dran is getting at is if they would go back to having a sale and actually sell it at the store for a lower price instead of a rebate. Like the old days when they advertised a sale price and that is what you paid at the store.

I don't necessecarily agree with the theory. I really doubt if the ftc gives a rip about the irs. But that is just my opinion.

 

[Threader]

I trust BB, CC, & Staples in house MIR. ALways get em.

 

[TestGuyCT]

I learned the hard way ... Make copies of everything. Then use the Better Business Bureau website to file a claim when all else fails. By using the BBB, I was able to get a $40 rebate that would have otherwise been denied.

 

[Delbert]

"Now, here's the interesting part," the reader wrote. "The rebate fulfillment house will GUARANTEE IN WRITING to the manufacturer that the percentage of rebates claimed as presented in this table will not be exceeded. They will eat the cost if it is."

Small wonder then that the rebate house sometimes just can't see that receipt you're certain you included in the envelope. If they wind up paying the rebates out of their own pocket, it makes sense to just pay off those who scream the loudest. And small wonder the vendors are tempted to offer these magical discounts on their products. If one rebate fulfillment house won't guarantee to keep your costs low enough, just use a slightly sleazier one that will.

So that why my reciept or upc often comes up missing. Bastards.

 

[Mermaidman]

I've only been screwed on two out of many many rebates. One was a rebate sent directly to a small company, EZONICS. The other was an Amazon rebate for a Nextel phone. Amazon failed to reimburse me, but Nextel went ahead and credited me. Couple other rebates were rejected, but they were due to my mistakes

As mentioned above, make copies of the submission, and double-check your forms, receipts, and UPCs.

And don't forget, when you get your rebate, it's not 'extra' money You're just getting back what you already spent.

 

[Conscript]

Originally posted by: FPS Guy

Secondly, the FTC is a *federal* agnecy, sales tax monies go to state and local governments. The federal government doesn't get sales tax money in the first place so it wouldn't hurt them a bit if rebates reduced sales taxes.

Which they don't.[/quote]

hmm, you don't think Bestbuy files a federal tax return every year (actually every quarter)? :roll:

 

[Lanyap]

Originally posted by: hahher
wow, i'd like to see a copy of the actuarial table

http://web.archive.org/web/20010822172811/http://www.frontlinenow.com/newsletter/redemptionrates.html

Interesting research paper on rebates:
http://gsbwww.uchicago.edu/kilts/research/workshop/WorkshopPapers/rebate1.pdf

 

[ActuaryTm]

Originally posted by: hahher
wow, i'd like to see a copy of the actuarial table

Is truly ashame de Moivre never had an opportunity to analyze cohorts that include TCA, TigerDirect, etc.

At the very least there is comfort in knowing should I ever find my present area of concentration to be lacking, I could venture into the exciting realm of rebate mortality. Woo.

 

[forcemac101]

I think Valsalva should read that article....wherever he is......(from rabid Raptor thread awhile back)

 

[joecool]

none of this is very surprising ... it's dumb to ask why companies do rebates; they do it 'cause it makes them money! i'm amazed at the number of people i know, who are otherwise thrifty, who won't take 5 minutes to apply for a $30 rebate. i don't know about you, but that's way more than i get paid! sure, it's a hassle, and sometimes you have to bug the vendor to get the $, but it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick! i have applied for and received literally hundreds of dollars of rebates a year for three or four years now and only been denied a handful, most for legitimate reasons (applied for more than 1/household, missed the date, etc). and most of the time the rebate is processed correctly the first time out, with no extra effort required. the only company that ever screwed me is dvdXpress, and i should have known better. how can you expect to trust anyone whose entire business is based on selling software to break copyright laws?! so, yeah, rebates blow, but if everyone applied for them, and if everyone followed up and demanded payment, they'd quickly go the way of the dodo bird. until then, those of us who do apply can get some screaming deals, funded in part by the suckers who don't!

-joe

 

[PoPPeR]

funny I just got my TCA rebate yesterday.