WD 80GB 7200 RPM Drive for $63 plus some tax?

[Northland]

<FONT size=3>I posted this yesterday in "Off Topic" and didn't get any responses, so I will post this deal here and see what people think. Flame me if you must . . . This is a hot deal if it works.

I have the Amex gold card which has the Best Value Guarantee.

Here is my question: Does anybody have any recent experience with Best Value Guarantee and rebates? I have read on other sites that Amex will "tighten up" BVG and only do a price match on the purchase price after rebate, not before (like in the good old days).

Here is the deal I was thinking of trying:

Best Buy - 80GB WD retail drive 180
Best Buy rebate (probably thru WD) -50
BVG pricematch to retail drive -67
(Pcbuyerclub.com has retail drive for $113)

Net price $63 (plus tax on $180)

I know that most people have been able to pricematch the WD800BBRTL to the OEM drive (WD800BB) with no problems (although I am not sure why Amex would do this). My question is whether Amex is really tightening up the "rebate and price match" loophole?

In the past, I have picked up two WD800BBRTL's for a net cost of $40 for both after rebates and pricematches. This deal isn't quite as good but it is still potentially hot!

Any thoughts and comments would be appreciated.

I have decided to try this deal on Monday by purchasing the drive, filing the BVG and waiting to see if I get it. I have 30 days to file the BB rebate and 30 days to return the unopened drive if the deal goes south. I have been receiving BVG checks in about two weeks so the timing should work.

Northland </FONT><B>
</B>

 

[ringzero]

Sounds like fraud to me.

 

[BD231]

Sounds kind of scandalous to me

 

[Northland]

I know what you are thinking! This must be fraud!

If you read the BVG rules carefully, it mentions that they will not PM to an item after rebate, meaning you can't PM the $80 item you buy to the same item item later offered by some vendor at say $75 - $20 MIR, giving you a $25 BVG check. The rules do not preclude you filing both a rebate and a BVG.

Here is a major thread outlining how this has been done in the past:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=40&threadid=731420

A lot of people have been doing this type of deal. Until the BVG rules specifically exclude this I am going to continue to use this method.

Just because it is a great deal doesn't necessarily mean it is fraud!

BTW - I just filed a new BVG claim a few minutes ago on a Panasonic cordless phone. The agent didn't even ask if the item I purchased had a rebate on it at the time of sale!

Northland

 

[Justincase]

It is fraud. Call up BVG and ask them if they will PM a retail product to an OEM product. If you get a CSR with a functional set of brain cells, the answer will be NO.

 

[Northland]

I did my PM to a retail drive at $113 at PCBuyerClub.com because I did not want to chance the OEM version.

As I said above, I am not sure why Amex is doing a PM to the OEM version of the drive. I just know that they are . . .

Northland

 

[Northland]

Here is a thread at Fxtwallet discussing this deal:

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=18&threadid=84477

 

[PC166]

why so much space, yet so easy to lose all of it. I bought some nice 17 and 20 gig for 44 and 47 at consumerdepot.com with only 5.73 shipping. I am very pleased they work very well quiet and brand name too, quantum/fujitsu. Try it if you just wanna built some cheap extra computer, for me it was a bargain! need more space? use CDR instead, cheaper and more reliable.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Crap like this killed the BVG for Blue.

 

[Northland]

Gonad,

You are right. I couldn't in good conscience pricematch to the OEM drive, so I used a valid PM to a retail drive. This I have no problem with.

I will change the original post to PM a retail boxed drive.

As for killing the BVG for blue, these kinds of deals probably did help to kill it. Get an Amex gold for free (for the first year) and ride this train for another year if you like.

Northland