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Are Rebates Scandalous?

Posted by Cliff on from the send-your-coupons-in-now! dept.

theodp asks: "Motley Fool offers a dead-on take on the computer mail-in rebate fulfillment process--Once I receive your 'claim,' I will begin to 'process' it. Assuming that you filled out all the information correctly, and assuming nothing is missing, and assuming your claim doesn't get lost somehow, and if you call or write a few times to check on your claim's status, then I will mail your check within 10 to 12 weeks. Maybe. Or maybe it'll be four to six months. Or never." What are your thoughts on rebates, and have any of you noticed who, at least in the computing industry, is more trustworthy with rebates than others? Update by J : Here's the short version of the article.

5 of 575 comments (clear)

  1. The form for my rebate... by wikkiewikkie · · Score: 3, Funny

    on MSFT Flight Sim was so small I had to take it to that guy in the mall that writes your name on a grain of rice so I could fill it out properly.

  2. Re:How to get a rebate on time EVERY time by Loosewire · · Score: 3, Funny

    I put in sweeties :-)
    they think "Hey this is a nice guy, lets send him the rebate promptly"

    --
    Slashdot - The one stop shop for procrastination
  3. The etymology of the word Rebate by Radical+Rad · · Score: 3, Funny
    Few people outside the Marketing industry know that the word rebate is a actually a contraction of two words, retard and bait.

    http://www.wordorigins.org/wordorr.htm#Rebate

  4. Re:rebates are a total waste of time by Santos+L.+Halper · · Score: 3, Funny

    1. Buy a bunch of crap.
    2. Cut out rebate form and UPC.
    3. Send everything in.
    4. Wait.
    5. Wait.
    6. Wait.
    7. Complain.
    8. Wait.
    9. Complain.
    10. ??????
    11. Profit!

    --

    "Ask not for whom the bone bones. It bones for thee." --Bender
  5. Micro$oft by buzzonga · · Score: 3, Funny

    These guys are the best (don't flame me yet). Years ago they were doing a $50 rebate on the latest and greatest office. The real neat thing was instead of just the usual UPC code they accepted the following, from ANY of the products you UPGRADED from.
    Top of the box
    Front page of the manual
    Paper insert from the CD. (didn't specify front or back so I used both.
    You had to have a receipt (real tough to make..)
    The original rebate coupon (slick paper copied great at kinkos)
    So at the big company I worked for they actually bought boxed versions, no license agreement and we kept them in the storage room, TONS of them.
    Toughest part was the limit of two per address. Ended sending them to every friend and relative I had. Also tried (and succeeded) by slighty changing my name and street name for multiple receipts at the ole home address. Worked, and redemption time was pretty quick. We called them presents from "Uncle Bill" Odd thing though, about eighteen months later I did start getting random junk mail to those bogus address...

    ??? Profit.