Slashdot Mirror
FTC Tells CompUSA to Pay Up QPS Rebates
prostoalex writes "FTC told CompUSA they will have to keep their word on paying out rebates for QPS equipment purchased at CompUSA. QPS is currently bankrupt, according to the article, although it's not clear whether they went out of business before or after the promised 6-8 weeks deadline came. CBS MarketWatch says this should spur rebate re-evaluation among other electronic retailers. The habit of offering rebate incentives seems be especially notorious in the consumer electronics and computer hardware industries as a third of shoppers for such goods bought a product with a rebate offered. Reason for such popularity? 41% of shoppers never send in their rebates."
"41% of shoppers never send in their rebates."
Of course. It's too much hassle to sign a receipt and mail it to the company and wait a few weeks, in which they'll most likely forget all about the whole thing, and get a surprize $30 in the mail. Laziness costs more than cigarettes these days.
Rebates serve 3 purposes. One is to take advantage of people who don't send them in. Another is to trick people by offering rebates that expire too soon for people to actually get them (see Tiger Direct - rebates often expire in a few days). And lastly, in a corporate environment I've heard of _people_ getting rebates for corporate purchases - this amounts to a way of bribing purchasers or other such corruption. If you want to offer a discount, just reduce the price. There's no ethically decent reason for rebates.
Retailers generally get to report earnings based on dollars brought in at the register, _then_ they pay out rebates. So even if 100% of customers send in their 50% off rebates, ACME gets to report $100,000 in widget sales, when really they only sold $50,000 in widgets.
I used to have a good sig...
I'm glad rebates of that kind doesn't exist over here. Here rebates are pretty much unheard of besides for groceries, and those are handled directly at the checkout, no mail-that-in-later stuff.
Doesn't take a genius to figure out that all that handling just makes it more expensive for the customers in the end.
Belief is the currency of delusion.
I have personally mailed in dozens of rebates in my lifetime. I have received less than half of these back. Sure, some probably got lost in the mail. But even though the USPS does suck, their success rate in delivering an envelope to its destination is still well over 90%. So what happened to the other 40% of my rebates?
Now I'm not gonna hire an attorney over a $20 rebate I never got, and they know this, so they can sit there and go "eeny meeny miny moe" and pick out every other rebate request and toss it in the trash.
They (the gov) don't even have to outlaw rebates. Just make it false advertising to put prices in ads or store displays with the rebate amount already subtracted.
I just hope that rebates don't come over to the UK. We hardly have any compared to the US but I find them so annoying! Leave them in the US for everyone's sake (ok, maybe not the companies..).
The article said 41% of consumers don't send in the rebate paperwork. Well I send in close to 100% of mine, and I fail to get the checks for about 41% of them. So they will maintain their 41% non-payment rate one way or another.
Now I stop thinking about rebates before purchasing and only buy based on the full price. If one thing is plain $50 and a similar product is $60 with a $20 rebate, I'll buy the $50 one.
If I do buy something with a rebate, after buying I'll send in the papers and hope to receive the money and if I get it, it's a bonus. But I won't factor it into my purchase decision because I don't trust that I'll actually get it.
---------
There is inferior bacteria on the interior of your posterior.
They really have no incentive to change it. Since the rebates NEVER refund the taxes, the states get a extra windfall in taxes.
It just another conspiracy to collect more taxes.
I have never had anything "lost" in the mail ...ever.
:-P
The problem usually lies in either end - before or after the USPS part - as inthe sender never sent it, or receiver lost it, etc.
The 13 years when I rented various houses, I mailed out the rent check every month and it always got there. That's 156/156 perfect deliveries. The USPS is awesome, and no I don't work for them
..........FULL STOP.
If you paid attention at the link, 41% is how many forgot to send in rebates, amongst all those that didn't get rebates. The relevant amount you ought to have quoted (though it isn't as prominently place in the title) is, "Half of consumers never even try to get the rebates."
ProofReading Markup Language - and yes, I find typos.
i bought a 160 gig maxtor harddrive from staples that included a 35 dollar rebate, this was just after christmas (early January), i have yet to see it, i did see Staples spend a bunch on marketing these rebates in television commercials, seems to me that if staples would spend less on television advertising then they could afford to hire more manpower to handle these rebates...
Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
You know why 41% of people don't send in rebates? Because most of the time you never get your damn money. It's not worth the $10 or whatever to fight with customer service when your money never arrives. I even signed up for a recurring rebate for a drug prescription, and they sent me all the materials and a rebate card with my name on it; shortly thereafter came a letter saying that they had no record of me and couldn't issue my rebate. Then how did they issue my personalized rebate card?! This sort of fraud seems standard practice with rebates. It's no wonder nobody sends them in. I've given up.
WTF, CompuUSA is the seller, the mfg is responsible for the rebates! That is unless it was a CompUSA rebate, we are not getting the whole story here!
BTW, to the guy who posted he only received 41% of his rebates back, get a life. I get 100% of my rebates back, I think!
I had similar problems with some retailers.
From: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/8138630.htm
After being extremely diligent in filling out the paperwork and making sure that I adhered to all the requirements of the offer, my rebate was still denied by Maxtor (a digital storage manufacturer) because the paperwork ''wasn't received in time.'' If true, it would have meant that it took the postal service more than two weeks to move a letter about 20 miles from my home to the Miami rebate center. It was only after contacting the Better Business Bureau that was I able to get my request honored.
After doing an informal poll of some of my co-workers and associates, many of whom work with information technology, I was surprised to learn that almost all of them had had rebate requests denied. Unfortunately, many didn't send their requests via certified mail because the rebate amounts, often $5 to $25, didn't seem to warrant it.
After my experiences, I would suggest a few steps:
Read the rebate requests thoroughly. Many times, they require the actual register receipt and not a copy. Some will require that the rebate item is circled on the receipt even if it's the only item listed.
Keep physical and digital copies of your paperwork and receipts, including the envelope used to send the forms. This makes it easier to forward copies to the state consumer affairs department, Attorney General and the Better Business Bureau.
Submit the paperwork immediately. Retailers count on customers to lose receipts or forget to request the rebate.
Use certified mail to prevent the convenient excuse of ''late mail.''
If you're denied your rebate after complying with the offer, make sure to send your information to your state Attorney General's office. It can't take up your case directly, but it can help establish a pattern of activity.
"even though the USPS does suck, their success rate in delivering an envelope to its destination is still well over 90%."
Dude. I've probably lived probably 2-3 times as long as you, and in that time, I can't remember the post office ever losing a letter.
That's not to say they don't.
But I'd guess their success rate is probably closer to 99.999%
1) Mailing the claim can cost as much as $10 with reception confirmation and other such options... make that $2 for plain enveloppe and international postal charges.
2) Cashing the refund can cost over $5 for people without USA-funds banking accounts.
3) Most rebates I have seen have a disclaimer that says they will be honoured at the manufacturer's sole discretion.
Because of this, I only buy into rebates when the base price suits me - FutureShop having a $110 CDN Audigy2 sale plus $45 mail-in is nice when the next lowest regular price around is $115 - this is how I discovered that USA rebates cost about $10 to claim... so that $45 rebate barely covered taxes, postage and cash-in costs so the card cost me about $110 net.
All in all, rebates are annoying and doubly so when they are in some other funds, not worth bothering with if under $20 - I prefer waiting a little longer until the "rebate" price becomes the regular price since rebates usually mean pending price adjustments and new models.
The promises were made in a timely manner? Duh. I guess we can't complain too much about slashdot writing skills, when even the "professionals" are incompetent.
Half of consumers never even try to get the rebates. [...] Most who missed out on the rebates forgot to redeem them (41%). Others lost the forms, receipts or product bar codes (25%), didn't feel the rebate was worth the effort (20%) or thought the redemption process was too complicated (14%) [...]
The above is unclear to me (or incomplete). Does it mean the following?
If so, the first sentence is confusing because it only includes the last two categories. This would also mean that only 20% of consumers forgot their rebate (41% of the 50% who didn't get the rebate)
Off Topic. Just wanted to mention that I love your signature. PoS has been a favorite of mine for a long time.
I read the directions and send them in religiously. Got a card back from Belkin saying I hadn't sent in 'some required information'. Not enough info on the card to tell me what information, or what rebate, or when. So what the hell do I do? Stop buying Belkin is about all I can do.
What I did in a similar situation was phone and ask what information was missing. The person said that she could not tell me. I told her that I wanted them to return everything that I sent. She smugly informed me that the rebate says that they can keep everything I send. No, I told her, it does not. It says that they may keep it if they pay the rebate. Since they were not paying the rebate, I wanted it back. Suddenly a supervisor got on the line and said that he was approving payment. I had the check in under a week.
I recently purchased something at Frys, they PRINTED OFF my rebate form. I sent it in, after filling it out. I was notified that I had not purchased the product in the proper time period. The only reason I purchased the product was because it was free (a book). Anyway, I'll not be a customer of that fraud anymore. More people should do the same if they are cheated.
as a matter of fact, I've received almost $200 in rebate checks in the last 3 weeks alone.. $100 for my cell phones from Cingular, iomagic, intuit, etc.. Sure, it takes more like 12-14 weeks instead of the 6-8 they promise. the IOMagic rebate was more than 4 months old.. Only rebate I ever had a problem with was a $100 rebate on a laptop from Tiger Direct, but after a few emails and irate phone calls, they're processing the rebate now.. The big thing is you need to keep copies of EVERYTHING. receipts, completed rebate forms, etc. I even date the photocopies and store them in case I either dont get a rebate, or I get a letter saying I "forgot" something. usually sending copies of everything I sent them with a sternly worded letter clears that right up.. I've also found that if you go someplace like Office Depot or officemax, they'll offer a substitute item if they're out of stock for the price AFTER the rebate, so, sometimes it pays to wait a day or 2 and not be there banging on the door sunday morning..
If we must have rebates, I have to admit that Staples is the way they should go. You get instant online verification of your rebate, no waiting 6 weeks to get a postcard that states you supplied incorrect information.
The rebates at Stapes are handled online very quickly and you have a tracking number to follow. Everything is upfront and out in the open.
I had one item that was disallowed this past Christmas and since it was online and there was recourse (email), the problem was cleared up within days. I had records on my computer and everything worked. Very nice.
About 6 years ago I did a stint as a low level manager at a CompUSA in the northwest while I was between jobs. Rebates were a constant thorn in my side. Every weekend a flyer hit the paper offering about 10 different items that were "free after rebate." People would line up out front waiting for the doors to open. Then they would rush in and grab up all of our stock of that item. Then the fun began. Those people who came in after the rush would get belligerent that we didn't have any more and start big scenes in the store. Or, we wouldn't have enough rebate forms for everyone. I was also always dealing with customers that never got their rebate, or got a card telling them that they didn't handle the process correctly and were not going to receive their money. What most seem to not understand is that 99% of the rebates that were offered were given buy the manufacturer, not CompUSA. Our sales agreements forced us to offer these rebates, then we were forced to deal with inventory and coupon shortages caused by the vendor, and the customers that never got their check. VERY, VERY, rarely did CompUSA offer their own rebate. But since we were the retailer those with problems came to use for resolution. I felt bad for them that I was not able to help. Corporate policy forbade us from giving them anything as compensation (the thought was that WE did not own them, the vendor did, so why does it have to come off our bottom line). My thought is that we possibly made money off the transaction, so we should do something. But in the end it was a lose-lose situation.
My
"What you mean is that fraudulantly offering an unredeemable rebate should be illegal, which it already is."
Here's my beef.
Rebates in some theoretical sense are fine.
There's two things I have a problem with, one of them is philosophical, one of them is practical. Lets start with the practical.
I have in several cases, sent in rebates. I'm usually very careful. I have in several cases (a) not received a response ever or (b) The rebate fulfillment house claims I didn't send in enough paperwork (and well past the deadline for submission.
I have no recourse in these situations. I'm just out the money. And what's worse, nobody has an incentive to make this right, because the company is simply out money if its correct, and they get more money if I'm screwed.
On a more philosophical level, I have a beef with rebates. Lets go through this:
Merchant: Buy this widget for $2, and I'll give you $1 back in the mail.
Me: Why not just sell it to me for $1?
Merchant: Because I'm hoping you'll forget to send it in, and I won't have to pay you that $1.
You see? Its almost fraud but not quite. So from that viewpoint, I understand why people think it should be illegal to offer rebates.
But even if you disagree with my philosophical conclusion, how do you deal with the practical aspect of a system that has no ability to be corrected? Its like playing the lotto as to whether that rebate actually comes.
You were mistaken. Which is odd, since memory shouldn't be a problem for you
I used to buy supplies (monitors, printers) on company expense and make a copy of the receipt before turning it into accounting. Then mail in the rebate myself and have it sent to my home. Cha-ching.
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
Several years back, CompUSA used to have so-called "Power Buys" on the back page of their circular, where you would buy an item and get rebates for the full purchase price, resulting in the item being free except for the tax. I took advantage of these often and got all kinds of free stuff like speakers, floppys, sound cards, mice, keyborads, etc. It was all junk but it was free.
But actually collecting on the rebate required extreme vigilence. I would follow the instructions to the letter (difficult enough and sometimes impossible). I'd have about a 4-day window to make the purchase, another 10 days in which to mail the rebate, then I'd wait 8-12 weeks for the check. It would never come. Then, I would call the 800# and they would say they never got it. I would have to fax the copies of everything I sent. Then, and only then, would they send the check. The check would show up weeks later looking like a postcard or other piece of junk mail just begging to be thrown out.
I always wondered:
What % ever send in the rebate at all?
What % send it in on time?
What % remember they even sent it?
What % made copies they could fax in to prove they sent it?
What % dipose of the checks as junk mail?
What % deposit the check within the 60-day period before it becomes invalid?
The rebate company is always a 3rd-party that probably contracts from the store or manufacturer for, say, $100,000 worth of rebates for which they get paid $50,000. I can't imagine them paying out more that 10% on most rebates/promotions. The rest is their profit.
Research shows that 67% of those who use the term "research shows", are just making shit up.
41% of shoppers never send in their rebates.
...
If your read the very poorly written article, it appears that 41 % of those who missed out on the rebates just forgot to redeem them. There is no figure about how many people actually send the rebates, and no figure about how many of them did receive their payment.
Beside, the quoted article seem to be based on another article, whose link is broken
More info about the study behing those figures can be found here.
I disagree with several of the posters here who say that rebates ought to be illegal and offer no value other than to return products to market value.
If the rebate is not paid, then that is fraud, otherwise:
Rebates are the equivalent of a flexible pricing plan that allow those people that care enough about the $20 to go through the hassle of completing the transaction. At this point most consumers are fully aware of the annoyance level and factor that in to their buying decision.
Poor/Parsimonious people who really need the product will follow through, get the discount and purchase the product. The rest will do so at some much lower hit rate (well below 50%).
This means that the price people pay varies based on need.
The result is that more people are able to buy the product so it can be manufactured and sold in higher volume (and therefore possibly at lower cost).
Regarding the cost benefit of rebates, I can state definitively that the best rebate deals at Fry's are usually selling products below cost of manufacture (eg 250G HDDs for $99, network hubs for $0). Sure, some products use rebates to return prices to the discounted price of their competitors but smart consumers can do the math, realize that, and decide if its worth the hassle.
Even without rebates, the airline industries pricing model, convenience-store pricing, and apparel industry off-season discounts are all examples of flexible pricing to capture different consumers at different times with exactly the same product.
As a lazy consumer, I wish everything were flat priced so I would never have to worry about whether I'm getting "screwed" by paying more than the best (or even average) price.
Legislating flat-pricing would be nice, but I believe it would end up producing higher-priced products overall.
Rebates are one place where I believe a LOT MORE federal govt. oversight is needed!
I used to do a lot of rebates and have found that over the past year, a much greater percentage of rebates are NOT being fufilled.
I think that GETTING a rebate is an anomaly these days!What I'd like to know is how come the postal service loses so much mail that's supposed to go to the rebate processors (so they claim), yet all my other mail seems to arrive everywhere else without problem.
Do these lying sacks of S**T really believe that we buy their crap?I never buy any product that has any advertised rebate offers.
Filliing out the form and sending it in with the hope of getting money is like sending my E-mail address to a spammer to "opt out". They're already in a scummy industry, why should I trust them with anything in the hope of getting something?
Well, I guess the FTC just changed that corporate policy! (and it's about time!)
By the way, I got stiffed on a 60 dollar rebate for a Seagate hard drive by Comp USA. Seagate claimed they never received it, even though it was sent with tracking (which proved it had been delievered)I've stopped buying much stuff at Fry's anyway. Nowadays if I need something generic like a hard drive and I can wait a day, I'll usually just order it online from Newegg or some other nearby e-tailer for the same or an even lower price as Fry's, and there's no paperwork hassle.
Never got anything back. Avoid companies that offer you mail-in rebates.
Laywers get rich
Stuck down a hole! In the middle of the night! With an owl!
I sent in the rebate form for a Maxtor hard drive in October 2003 and promply received a confirmation e-mail. Now, 17 months later, despite three e-mail complaints and one complaint to the FTC, I still haven't received a check. The rebate tracking page has been promising it "in 10 to 15 days" for 15 months now. Guess what brand of hard drive's I'm no longer buying?
When Costco has rebates, they print a URL on your charge slip plus a rebate code. Go home, type in the rebate code, and it tells you right then and there whether or not the rebate info is good. Takes a couple weeks to get the check after that. You can check status on multiple rebates you might have.
I've done several hundred dollars in rebates on eMachines through Best Buy and they work. They take so damn long you forget but they work. Just be prepared to wait about 6 months.
From the city in which I reside. 6 arrived within 3 days!!! 3 took over a week !!! and one never arrived. All were identically addressed, my laser printer works well. So where is the problem? Riddle me that Batman.
I can honestly say that in my 25 years as an active consumer, I have had less than 10 rebates give me any problems. It does require about 10 mins to carefully read the instructions and fill out the form, but as long as you have the ability to pay attention to detail, you shouldn't have a problem.
On the rebates that I have had issues with, normally a simple call to their customer service line will get results. Especially if you start the conversation by stating that you have no problems informing your local Attorney General of their failure to comply with their rebate offers.
My worst experience was with Office Depot which has a notoriously bad rep for not fulfilling rebates. To get my rebate from them last year, I finally took a handful of paperwork from my small claims court to the store where I bought the product and the Store Manager seemed happy to cash out the amount of my rebate to me on the spot.
Rebates are okay by me. I don't care where you look online, you can't find a 160GB hard drive for 30 bucks straight out. Nor can you find a Dlink 802.11G Router and PCM Card bundle for 20 bucks. Both of these deals I got within the past 6 months with rebate offers.
http://jayceecorder.blogspot.com
you get a name, address, maybe even email and phone number of someone that bought a product.
eric
"The same way you'd deal with a supplier/retailer that won't address the fact that they sold you a defective product, or over charged your credit card, etc."
This doesn't even make sense.
If CompUSA is selling Seagate drives with a $20 rebate fulfilled by Young America, and I don't get the rebate, are you suggesting I stop dealing with CompUSA, Seagate, or Young America.
Or all 3?
Despite all your mumbo-jumbo of how it works, the *intent* is still basically fraudulent. Everybody wants a cash flow based on a premise that they know they won't have to pay the rebate. Its is *inherently* a bad scheme for the consumer.
Personally I find 'mail in rebates' just a way to advertise a lower price than they are really selling an item for and get away with it - They put *29.95* up there in large font but then in small print below it include (after $50 mail in rebate).
If they put 29.95 as the price in large print, I should be able to walk in the store with 29.95 (plus tax, etc), and be able to walk out with the item. Its just a scam that I have to *loan* them an additional $50 interest free that I then have to jump though hoops to *maybe* get back - and yes I'm sure they count on lots of people to not even bother.
For that I would never consider rebates (except in-store ones) when comparison shopping. I go by the amount they expect me to pay at the register.
I used to be able to just laugh this thread off, knowing that if any of those scummy retailers out there *cough Best Buy cough* tried this kind of illegal business practice on me, I could head straight for Eliot Spitzer. Companies cower at that man's name. Now I'll just be screwed in two years.
But seriously, if people are doing the things people here are posting about (offering rebates after expiry, giving you a card that said you didn't get the rebate there on time - which I would document by paying the extra for tracking confirmation or photocopying the stamped envelope) then go to your state's attorney general or whatever their international equivalent is.
I have totally given up on rebates. Even after jumping through all of the necessary hoops; it either takes several months to get the rebate, or the rebate never arrives. I now refuse to buy anything that has the "after rebate" price shown instead of the actual price. I have had a few salesdroids get totally pissed off when I told them that I would have bought the item if he had told me the real price instead of telling me the price after rebate.
I'm surprised nobody has touched on the economic aspects yet. If they work properly, rebates should benefit everyone. Corrupt rebates don't, as far as I can see...
It's simply another form of price-discrimination. That is, it's a way to get richer people to pay more than everyone else... or, equivalently, it's a way to allow poorer people to pay less. The reasoning being that rebates are a hassle to obtain, so whether people bother with them or not depends on how much the money is worth to them.
There are plenty of other examples of price discrimination. Airline tickets are the classic example. When you buy your budget ticket, are you thankful that everyone in first class is paying ten times what you are? You should be. Student prices are another good example. Students typically have less cash, so they can sensibly be charged less.
The bottom line is, price discrimination both increases profits for the manufacturer and allows people who could not otherwise have afforded the product to buy it at a reduced price.
So, in an ideal world, rebates are far from evil. In the real world... well, see all the other posts :-)
Officemax is a serial rebate abuser. They put all their rebate coupons in a little book with very small writing.
What you're unlikely to notice, are the absurd submission post mark dates. Often less than one a week after purchase. That's hardly time to even test the newly purchased equipment. To return a defective item, the packaging must be intact which precludes submitting the rebate paperwork on time. So they take advantage of the customers inattentiveness/work load to scam them out of their rebates.
Note: They'll often advertise the same item (with similar rebate) every month or so.
If everyone sent in their rebates, there would be no more rebates. Companies can offer insanely low proces with the rebate because they can bank on the 41% that don't return it, thus they make a profit. If everyone ent in the rebate they would make no profi, hence the rebate would go away. We should APPLAUD those 41% for allowing the rest of us compulsive people to get good bargains.
First of all, I have a problem with banning anything - I think consumers should be able to evaluate if they like rebates or not, and purchase accordingly. I happen to like rebates.
If you are willing to take the time to fill them out and follow up when necessary, rebates can be good. I've gotten over $8,000 in MIR since I started keeping track (the excel spreadsheet is here.
Rebates can be good in a couple ways. First of all, if you stack a rebate with a coupon with a minimum spending limit - ie a $20 off $100 coupon - you get to use the coupon and send for the rebate. Secondly, stores also offer FAR (free after rebate) stuff, and they aren't just going to hand you free stuff - but they will after rebates. Thirdly, sometimes through loopholes you can make out - I recently got paid $45 by Microsoft for buying OneNote - it was $55 from Amazon with a $100 rebate from Microsoft.
Also, if you are having trouble with a rebate, the rebate tracking forum on Fatwallet is a great resource - you can learn which companies are good and bad about paying in a timely manner, and there is a sticky thread with contact info for most major rebate processors.
I have blog like everyone else
IIRC, they have a law that prohibits advertising the "after rebate" price unless the rebate is given at the point of sale. Seems to me that's an ideal model law for other states: remove the incentive for this borderline fraudulent practice, and help it go away.
I too have felt the cold finger of injustice.
How to get your rebates:
Here are my opinions about how to get your rebates and how to think about rebates in general. We've applied for several thousands of dollars of rebates, and gotten almost all of them, usually after a lot of work. I'm not saying you should get involved with the rebate game, but you may get a good laugh from reading about it. Getting rebates got to be a hobby with us. Like a lot of people, we carried our hobby to extremes. My wife just read this and said, "Oh, it's not a hobby, it's painful when I need to call", but she feels very different when she is in a store that has ridiculously low prices after rebates.
Use the F word: Just say "Fraud". There are only a few rebate fulfillment companies. Once you are on the list as someone who uses the fraud word, they don't try to steal from you.
Always be friendly. Always be businesslike. Call the rebate company. Politely ask the name of the person who answers. Write that down. Mention that offering a rebate and not sending it may be fraud. The employee will usually give some scripted lie, like saying they didn't receive the rebate request. Just politely continue asking for your rebate, and mention that, in legal cases involving fraud, it usually won't be the top managers that go to jail. Mention that anyone who has knowledge of the fraud may be prosecuted.
The rebate staff person does not want to risk legal trouble for a minimum-wage job. They are authorized to give you your rebate in extreme cases. Be an extreme case.
The rebate company does not want to lose a staff person, because it costs money to hire and train them. That is what is likely to happen if the staff person is afraid of legal problems. The manager of the rebate company will tell the staff that there is no chance they will be prosecuted for fraud, which will only make the staff more scared. In this particular case, this particular F word is very powerful.
More tips:
Beware of worthless items: Be aware that many computer items that are sold with rebates are actually worthless. They have been found to be so defective that they could not be sold normally. So, they are advertised as free after rebates, or for a very low cost after rebates. (Usually they use more than one rebate to make it less likely you will do the work.)
We bought three Netgear FVS318 router/firewalls from Fry's. They were advertised with a rebate. After many lost hours we found: 1) The remote administration of the FVS318 requires sending the password in the clear, so there is little remote security. 2) The Log Out menu choice sometimes does not log out. Sometimes the FVS318 becomes confused, and cannot establish a VPN. 3) There were other bugs, more than can be recounted here. 4) Netgear first-level technical support is (at least partly) in Tamil Nadu, India. They are friendly and will happily talk for hours. However, Netgear does not appear to have given the Tamil employees much training. So, in my opinion it is arguable that no one should buy the FVS318. Maybe that's why the rebate offer.
Fry's and Netgear played another trick with the FVS318 rebate offer. They wrote a very long rebate form, with the name and the address at the top, as usual, but asked for the name and the address again at the bottom. If you didn't see the second request for name and address, or thought it was a mistake, they denied the rebate request. We didn't enter the information at the bottom. Our rebates were denied. A friendly Fry's mid-level manager told us she would take care of it, and, after two or three calls to her, she got Netgear to give us our rebates. Elapsed time: 5 1/2 months.
On the other hand, there are good deals: We bought four CD recorder drives for $5 each after rebate that work very well and came with a non-restricted copy of Roxio Easy CD Creator 6.
Shop on the day after Thanksgiving: The best time for rebates is the day after Thanksgiving. That's when people begi
Rebates have kept me from buying a lot of stuff.
/.ers to be aware of. Food stores are now charging different prices for the exact same piece of meat based on how it is cut!!!
I mean if it's $900 after rebate and $1200 before (microcenter is a good example) I won't buy it if I can't find it somewhere for $900 without having to go through the rebae hassle.
The plus side is that I've been spending a LOT less money on gadgets.
I mean it's either $900 or it isn't.
Here's one I wan't all the omnivore and carnovore
For example in the SE USA Publix sells beef ribs. If you buy them as the come to the store they are $1.99/lb. If have the butcher cut them as 'short ribs' they are still $1.99/lb. However, if you ask the butcher to cut them across the bone, in thin slices, for making kalbi (AKA flanken style but a bit thinner) they want $3.19/lb!
This is happening with other cuts of meat as well. I strongly suggest you collect your "Joy of Cooking" recipe book and read the section on cuts of meat. Then when you go to the store you ask the price for the standard cut prior to having it cut the way you want.
I work at CompUSA and I have never heard of this company. Who are they? What do they make?
41% of shoppers never send in their rebates.
And when you do send in your rebate, you often end not getting paid for some minutia excuse. Other times, you just simply never hear a response back. Rebates are a racket in my opinion. If companies really wanted to rebate you, they should, at check out time.
I'm willing to play that game because the annoyance doesn't exceed my hourly value and out of, I don't know -- going on "dozens", I'm pretty sure I've only been burned once. Put a return sticker with my P.O. Box _on_the_ENVELOPE_ and the Minnesota redemption center held it for like three months past the offer and sent it back saying "rules say we don't honor post boxes".
On the other hand, Office Max honored a rebate from a bankrupt company a couple years ago. AFAIK without prodding.
I have a machine plucked from beside a dumpster that I upgraded with a $9 CD-RW, a 99 cent NIC, a $30 hard drive, and a free mouse connecting through an $8 router -- all rebates I collected. Runs SimplyMEPIS as an icecast and living room stereo streamer and workstation in a pince. In my experience bottom feeding, rebate stuff works.
Helps that I'm within walking distance of a Microcenter. Coincidence? I think not!
Want to know how to get your rebates? Read How to get your rebates, a comment posted later in this story.
rebate are nothing but a scam.
I think of all the ones I sent in I only got one and that was for 5 dollars - it's funny when you expect the big rebates they didn't get all the information they needed. and then even if you have copies to get the information to them it is beyond the deadline of the rebate offer.
they are nothing but a scam and nobody should rely on them.
When I'm shopping nowadays, I don't even consider the rebate in price comparison.
Store#1 has the item for $120 with no rebate and store#2 has the same item for $130 with a $15 rebate. I buy from store#1 and make it a point to tell store#2 why I didn't buy from them. "Hey, you could have had the sale if it hadn't been for that rebate shit. Five bucks ain't worth the hassle, especially since I have only a 75% chance (my own stats from years ago) of ever seeing it."
The only rebates I consider good are INSTANT rebates at the checkout. But, why make it so complicated? If you want to sell at the lower price, just lower the fucking price.
Fry's Electronics and CompUSA are notorious for their rebate SCAMS. I've learned that whenever I see the word "rebate" I skip that item and buy something else. It's become so engrained in my shopping habits that it's almost like ad banners appearing on pages I visit. I just don't see them anymore.
I've been scammed way too many times with rebate fraud. Anybody who sets up this elaborate scheme I don't consider ethical enough nor worthy enough to earn my money. If you really want to take a stand I suggest doing the same, instead of not factoring the rebate into your purchase, as that still tells them you want to buy their stuff.
eTrade SUCKS
Here's an article on how to get every rebate you send in for.
Neutiquam erro
Rebates serve a real purpose that benefits the consumers. Rebates allow manufacturers to sell the same product at two different prices, with the customer self selecting which price group they belong to.
Generally, those who are more affluent ends up not sending in the rebates since the time it takes them to fill in the rebate forms is worth more than the amount to be recieved. Those to whom the rebate amount is more valuable will tend to send in the rebate. However, the rebate system as it is implemented today has some real problems. They take too long to process and are too unreliable. But the idea of rebates is not an evil one.
Regards,
Spock_NPA
Yeah, not an elegant title but it's the absolute truth. They offer the worst customer service I've ever encountered. Just a few days ago, I e-mailed customer support to find out if they would special order an item not on their web site (I keep getting CompUSA gift cards from relatives). They told me to call the store.
So, I try calling the store and it was absoutely impossible to get a hold of a live person. The only thing I could get was the store manager's voice mail (like the guy is going to even listen to the fucking thing). This after complaining vociferously about this problem a couple of years earlier.
So I had to drive all the way to the store and ask someone on the floor just to have one simple question asked. WTF???
I refuse to spend my own money there.
---Technology will liberate us if it doesn't enslave us first.
SoyoUSA is getting out of the motherboard game, but over the last year there were tons of 'almost for free' after rebates out there. After sending the rebate information registered mail, six months later they came back and told me they never received it. Funny, I got a postcard that says you did...
Not worth the $90 to hunt it down beyond what I have done, but I don't factor rebates into the cost/value of the item anymore.
+++ UGUCAUCGUAUUUCU
Maybe they should get David Spade to do rebate fulfillment.
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." -- Albert Einstein
Maybe they should get David Spade to do rebate fulfillment.
(I replied to the wrong parent before. -- I'm lame.)
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." -- Albert Einstein
If so ... d'oh!
Guess it's time for me to replace my external hard drive before it dies on me without recourse.
State and sometimes local govt have no reason to step in and adjust rebates.
If you sell Product A at $100 with a 5% tax the state collects $5.
If you sell Product A at $100 with a $50 rebate the state still collects $5.
Now if the price is reduced to $50 the tax is reduced to $2.50?
Do you really think the govt is going to step in and help?!?!?
Parsimonious
Nobody seems to realize the biggest benefit to the stores, and biggest abuse to the customer. The rebates are specifically set up to deny you the right to return the product. Every rebate requires you to damage the box. If you try to return the product after cutting out the upc, you are out of luck.
especially now that they have online rebate submission. I've not had a lot of trouble with rebates in general, but agree that it's an irritating practice. My approach is to fill out the rebate forms and get it ready to mail as soon as I get home with the item. I'd say, without having kept accurate records, that my rate of return is about 80%.
"Do the Right Thing. It will gratify some people and astound the rest." - Mark Twain
"Do the Right Thing. It will gratify some people and astound the rest." - Mark Twain
...and 61% of the people who do send in the rebates never receive their money! (I just made that up, but it can't be too far off.)
Rebates suck. I will not buy ANYTHING with a rebate. I'd rather wait for a true "sale" on an item at a decent price with no rebate.
Too often, I've followed the directions of the rebate to the letter, even going so far as to photocopy my submission for backup only to have the rebate rejected as "incomplete," or incorrect. When I have showed proof of my proper submission, I have been told to send it in again, only to have my rebate fall into a black hole.
Again, rebates suck and I will not purchase anything, not even FREE AFTER REBATE items, as I don't trust the promotions any more.
Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.
Those who forget the past are doomed
We would average 5-10 different people a day come in or call about a rebate they sent in 3-4 months prior who got a rejection letter even if they did everything right. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to denials or accepts.
At first I thought it was just our lame duck salesmen telling them the wrong information, which was a common exercise on their part. Then a friend of mine who had moved for college and "transferred" to a CompUSA there was telling me about the same thing.
Most of the time we could get everything straightened out in a day or two. Some of them we had to battle our own corporate monkeys to get them their scratch.
My advice for people shopping at CompUSA because of a rebate: Keep photocopies of everything you send if the rebate requires the original receipts and such. Seperate them into individual "packets" for each rebate (it's much faster/easier if you do this prior to coming to the CS desk and have to shuffle through a manila folder full of loose documents). If you're sure everything was correct and you got burned, take it to the store and rattle your saber. They can enter the information directly to the powers that be who will usually approve any legit claims in 24-48 hours.
41% of shoppers never send in their rebates.
This is plain wrong. RTFA:
Most who missed out on the rebates forgot to redeem them (41%). Others lost the forms, receipts or product bar codes (25%), didn't feel the rebate was worth the effort (20%) or thought the redemption process was too complicated (14%), according to a survey by Leflein Associates Inc.
Guess what? 41+25+20+14 = 100%. This was a survey, and they asked people the question, they responded why they didn't file their rebate. 41% of those people who didn't file their rebate forgot to do it. This doesn't mean that 41% of all people who purchased a product with a rebate forgot. It means that was the most common reason why they didn't.
Unfortunately, the article doesn't state how many didn't file for their rebate... if it had, you could do some math to figure out who many had forgotten. For example, if only 50% of rebates were fulfilled, then you could say that 20.5% of all shoppers forgot to submit theirs.
This doesn't take a stats degree to figure out, it takes some rudimentary logic.
- passion
Perhaps ~40% don't mail it in, then another huge bunch don't get it because it "somehow" expired, or they later on tell you they do not honor the offer for PO Boxes (even though there were NO mention of that on the M.I.R.!). So I'm guessing for a 100$ M.I.R., they probably only really hand out something like 30$ in average.
And I find it annoying to make a unplanned detour to a crowded mall for something with a M.I.R. to find out that they don't work with PO Boxes... So for those of us with that for only address, it's pretty much forget about those things.
And to top things off, I see a lot of offers (*cough* bestbuy *cough*) for like, a 250$ HD that cost 130$ everywhere else, but with a 125$ M.I.R. making it a whole 5$ cheaper (that's IF you ever get your money back, and last I tried on something like that, surprisingly, I didn't!), you still pay taxes on that 125$ part you're supposed to get back (@15% tax here, that's almost 20$) making it absolutely pointless buying it in the first place, risking (or most likely?) not getting the money back, and if you ever get it back, still paying interest (or not getting paid interest) on that 125$ for x weeks/months.
Illegal? Maybe not, but not really honest of them, and definately not worth the trouble.
///<sig
Had I known they were going to pull the old tight deadline trick on the rebate check, I would never have bought their memory. And now, if it weren't too late, I would return that Kingston memory for a full refund.
30 day return policies have got to be a big reason why they don't turn these rebate offers around in 2 weeks like we all know they could. Otherwise we could simply take items back if we found out too soon that we were going to get screwed out of our rebates. Plus, the bit about carving the UPC off the package much sooner than 30 days really crimps the return option. Ever bought something, hurriedly sent off for the rebate because the dealines are that tight, then discovered some minor detail about the item that unfortunately makes it nearly worthless?
I won't forget what Kingston pulled. But it's tough when they're all pulling these rebate stunts. What are we to do? All of us boycott all of them and make do with only 64M or less of RAM per computer, until they clean up? They know we won't do that. Squeak at them on the phone until they pay? Very few people have or want to spend the hours it takes to achieve that. Take them to court? Maybe a class action suite? Not happening either. Pass some laws that actually help? That's possible. Wish something would change, because the rebate racket really does stink. Makes us angry and cynical, and makes companies look bad.
Intellectual Property is a monopolistic, selfish, and defective concept. It is "tyranny over the mind of man"
Sales Rep: "Here's a pile of rebate coupons. Your customers will get $20 back from us if they buy something out of your stock, but they've got to do it this month."
Why not just refund the retailer the $20 for items purchased that month then ? That's who they have the business relationship with, after all.
What does the above rant have to do with rebates? It seems more political than anything
Diplomacy is the art of saying "Nice doggie" until you can find a rock. Will Rogers
Do not do this, this is mail fraud. Never lie to the post office about who lives where, or make up people.
OTOH, because you don't have to live somewhere to receive mail there, feel free to tell the post office that you can receive mail at those addresses. Which amounts to the same thing but doesn't involve a made up person. (Actually, you don't need to tell the post office, so I'm not exactly sure what the parent is talking about. They'll either deliver the mail to those people, or 'correct' it to your address, and either way it works.)
If you're really clever, you can go to the post office and have your mail forwarded from their address to yours. (You'll want to inform them first, although legally you probably don't have to.)
But most people already have plenty of places they actually could receive mail. Like their parent's or sibling's house. (And you trust them a bit more than random neighbors.)
If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
The article is a bit hard to understand. It doesn't say what the Slashdot article says it says. Nor does it say what its own headline says it says.
As I read it:
- "Half" of people don't send in rebates
- of that half, 41% forget, 25% lost UPC, 20% don't bother, 14% find it too complicated.
Contrary to the article's own headline, 20.5% (or so) of people forget to send in rebates. Furthermore, since the articles reasons for missing out on rebates add up to 100%, *none* of the people who missed out on rebates did so because their rebates were rejected, or "lost in the mail." Or so the article implies.
Some banks won't honor checks over six months old, and a few amount won't honor checks with a different expiration date...but many will, and you just need to slip it into the system once. Once it get into the computer, it won't be stopped, computers have no idea of expiration dates.
And if they accept it, they can't take it back out, even if they realize it later. It's not 'fraudulent', it's just that they failed to follow their own policy in what checks they would accept.
So first go to your bank and try to deposit it. (Not cash, just deposit, they pay a lot less attention to those checks, because if it's bad they can suck the money back out. Also note your bank has no incentive to care.) Then try their bank.
If all that fails, or you no longer have the check, you have the legal right to contact the issuer and demand they honor their debt. The check expiration was not part of the rebate rules...they still owe you that money.
Check expirations are mainly a scam. Don't fall for it. A check is not a contract, and just printing something one is explictly not legally binding under the UCC. Even if the check won't be honored by a bank, the money is still owed to you, and you can demand another check.
If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
people that do the opposite. They buy a product, get a refund, and return the product. I know of at least three people that do this all the time. The UPC symbol or proof is no big deal to them. They xerox it on some stiff paper and the processor doesnt know the difference. So rebate companies do sometime get screwed too. I also know a guy that buys a new printer at comp usa, switches out the ink jet cartridges with some empties and returns the printer. Another upgrades his hard drive in a similar way. I know this is all wrong, but brick and mortar retailers get screwed all the time. Internet retailers fair better because of shipping costs. It amazed me how many people find creative ways to screw retailers. Rebates opened new horizons for these criminals.
It also doesn't break down the figures by dollar value. I'm sure that almost none of the $1-5 rebates get mailed in, but most of the $100+ rebates are claimed. If an item has one or two $2 rebates, I don't even consider them when deciding to purchase the product.
You may wonder why many people don't send in their rebates. It's because the fine print frequently reveals lots of hassle not disclosed in the rebate advertisement. Sometimes you go through all the hassle and still never get the rebate. The companies can always claim there was some small deviation from the rules even if the customer follows the directions perfectly. This is a fundamental part of their business plan. A while back I was stiffed by Linksys on a router rebate. I wasted hours on the phone with them trying to find an explanation which they promised to find, but which they never provided. The operative word here is "waste". I never received the rebate. My time is not completely worthless, so it would have been a waste of my time even if Linksys had eventually coughed up the money they owed me. What am I going to do? Take them to court? Now we're talking real waste of time and money. Companies also count on infinite delay of rebate checks to dampen enthusiasm for sending in the paperwork. I've been waiting since last year to get a rebate check from Epson. The outside company hired by Epson to delay rebate checks now acknowledges that they received the rebate materials from me, and plan to look more closely at my rebate application sometime soon. So far they've merely entered my name in a database. Who knows if I'll ever actually get the $100 the guy at the store so glibly promised me. Meanwhile I'm supposed to maintain a database of outstanding rebate applications so I can keep track of who to nag. Why do I bother with rebates at all? Good question. The companies are gradually training me to ignore rebates. In the last few months I've bought several products with advertised rebates, and have simply thrown away the rebate information. Some of you will now wonder why I don't simply boycott products that offer rebates. In some instances the competitors also offer rebates! In other cases I genuinely want a particular product, but must ignore the rebate when considering the cost. I sincerely doubt anything short of villagers lighting torches and marching to the company gates at midnight will have any effect on rebate practices. Rebates are simply too good a deal for the companies that advertise rebates but don't actually pay them.
Excellent advice, but that's so much work, I don't think it's worth the hassle. I'll send 'em in, but I won't follow up on them like this. If I get the rebate back, I see it as a bonus. I won't buy it if I think it's a bad deal without the rebate.
It also locks you into the purchase, making it more difficult to return something that turns out to be less-than-suitable for its intended use (though not actually broken).
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
A bit off topic, but a good warning.
Ultimate electronics which used to be audio king has recently (as of last month) filed for bankruptcy. This means you might be in the same situation if you are expecting your rebates.
I don't know how their warranties work, most of all their lifetime warranty on speakers / amps you can buy (if it breaks, they replace it, not the manufacture).
So if your planning on buying any equipment from them, you might want to bring this up with the employee before hand.
TruePunk | Games
What started out as an interesting post ended up being an anti-Bush rant. How you got there, I have no idea.
[the sales rep knows that he'll only earn commission on another order from Big Box if he helps Big Box cycle inventory]
Then the anti-mail-in-rebate law needs to exist to protect the retailer from unfair manufacturer practices, as well as the customer. If the entire system can't work without someone having to use a scheme that will ultimately cheat someone else (as it used to work), we're going to be in for a long, hard road without some major changes to that system.
Remember "Bring 'em on"? *sigh
i got a 250gb hitatchi from compusa for $169 with $20 instant rebate and $80 mail in rebate, so i got 250gb for $70 after rebates, whats wrong with that?
my friend however does not spend 1 minute to get an envelope and stamp and copy his receipt and send it in with upc to save $80.
i really dont understand why he does not.
otherwise it would be nice if the price at purchase was final, but then you couldnt get the rebates that PAY YOU MONEY, e.g. $50 product with $75 rebate. free money back + free product is bad how?
rebates are a good investment.
Reason I ask is that I found a check in my office the other day from a mortgage company. It was expired- but I figured- what the hell- and deposited it at the Credit Union. The cashier gave me my slip and I walked away- figuring I had snuck one in.
Couple days later- got something from the credit union- saying the check had been returned and they charged me $20. I haven't got around to calling them and ripping them a new one-- but now it is higher on my list. If I can get a second source on this info you share- I will have something else to rip into them about.
They way I see it- the teller put it in the system- it would be her responsibility to verify that the check is not expired- or damaged- and meets all of their requirements.
Typo: That should have read "Staples make money by selling goods." Sorry for the sloppy proofreading.
Rebates are the equivalent of a flexible pricing plan that allow those people that care enough about the $20 to go through the hassle of completing the transaction. At this point most consumers are fully aware of the annoyance level and factor that in to their buying decision.
Remember that because of the griwing "invisiiblity" in this culture, where everything is for sale, any time you provide your name, address, and whatever else to another entity you're setting yourself up for more abuse via junk mail, phone calls, etc. And, as always, there is no telling where this information will utlimately end up. Best thing to do: refuse the rebates...let the retailer know that you'd buy at rebated price, but you will not apply for one. You may have to walk away empty handed, but is the information you have to provide them, and the time you have to wait, only worth the small amount that you'll save?
I agree with the parent. I've gotten about $900 in rebates since 2001, out of $2000 spent. That's 45% cash back (though I would estimate the actual savings to be around 20 to 30 percent, given inflated pre-rebate prices). Some people say retailers should abolish rebates and set prices at a reasonable level (which would be higher than rebated prices, obviously). This would be good for the average consumer who forgets to send in his or her rebates half the time, but not too great for deal seekers who take advantage of the fact that manufacturers offer rebates because there are more people who don't submit them than those who do. I'm not saying that all rebates are good, because two-thirds of them are designed for suckers; they raise the actual retail price 30% over the street price and give you a 35% rebate. I had a friend who bought Quake II from cyberrebate.com for $60 with a $60 rebate when Quake II was retailing for around $15 in store bargain bins. CyberRebate, of course, went bankrupt and I don't know if he ever got his $60 back. I generally don't buy any product with a rebate unless the post-rebate price is 20% lower than what I would normally expect to pay an online retailer like newegg.com without rebates. Heavily inflated pre-rebate prices tend to be fishy and I stay away from those as well.
Surprisingly, I've only had 2 rebates that were either denied or unsent more than 2 months after the dueback date. And for both of these, I still managed to get my check after a polite phone call. The most important thing to do in ensuring your rebates are processed is to remember that you're owed money in the first place. I used to use a Microsoft Access database to keep track of my rebates, but found using rebate-tracker.com to be faster and easier.
Not only that, but you have to pay sales tax (in jurisdictions where that's an issue, there may still be one or two places on the planet that don't have it) on the full retail price. You don't get a rebate of the tax you paid on the difference between the retail and the after-rebate price, so you've paid more sales tax than you would have if the store just offered the item at the lower price in the first place.
Mind, if it's a store rebate rather than a manufacturer rebate, the store itself may be pocketing the difference between the sales tax they collect and the tax they pay on the reported sales. That's almost certainly illegal at least in spirit, but fancy accounting may meet the letter of the law.
-- Alastair
And the other bank can, like I said, after three months (They've changed that since I looked last, apparently.), refuse to honor a check if it so chooses. (Although 'expires after 45 days or 30 days' are just gibberish. A bank cannot refuse a legitimate check written on itself issued less than three months ago (aka, non-overdue) unless there has been a hold placed on it by the payee.)
I'm still not sure as to how they got away with taking the money back out. However, there are two sets of banking regulations in this country. The legal regulations that state how banks have to treat each other, and non-customers, and the contract you signed with your bank. It's entirely possibly they can withdraw all the money from your account because you looked at them funny. (So maybe you shouldn't take my advise and try to deposit expired checks, at least not without checking your bank contract. But you can still take them to the bank they are issued on.)
However, you need to point out to your bank that the other bank chose to dishonor (Be sure to use the word 'dishonor', it's a legal term.) your perfectly valid overdue check. If your bank won't refund the money they charged you, close your account with them. Don't put up with that crap. It's one thing to take the cash back out, it's another to treat it like a bad check...it isn't, legally. Banks cannot honor bad checks, banks choose not to honor overdue checks.
Be sure to read up here on how checks work. Be sure to pay careful attention to terms...a check is 'a negotiable instrument that is a draft that's payable on demand'. Not a 'cashier's check' or a 'teller's check'.
If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
Read the rebate requests thoroughly. Many times. Keep physical and digital copies of your paperwork and receipts, including the envelope used to send the forms. Submit the paperwork immediately.
All for $20?
As a former small business retailer, I can honestly say that the rebate is not actually for the consumer, it gets passed along to the consumer. The rebates are actually for the retailer to benefit from. Such as if a 15in LCD Monitor costs 299 with a 50 mail in rebate the item costs 149 after rebates. In actuality the rebate is for the retailer to further benefit from, by selling the item at the price after rebate 249, and getting their additional 50 incentive rebate from the manufacturer. But because the retailers did not want to go through the hassle of managing the rebates or coordinating the customer information they pass the rebate on to the consumer... Remember Cash Back on purchasing a car does not really help you purchase the car, it is a value that is assigned to the specific vehicle by the manufacturer as an incentive to the car dealer to sell that vehicle, and it gets written back into the value of the car on the close of sale. eg Car costs 16000 +cash back 1500 (Manu. Rebate) total 17500 Value of vehicle -Incentive 1500 Rebate goes to dealer $16000 Financed with no-down the money is for the car dealer and with electronics the rebate is really for the retailer but passed along to the customer.
The rebate foolishness is so extreame that I tried to figure out how to get them up front.
Here is what you do:
find the item you want in another store that does a price match but does not have the rabate for that product that week.
Go to the store that is offering the rebate and get the price.
Go back to the other store and ask them to match price, which they will usually, and you don't have to deal with rebate slips.
Simple. And it works.
Rebates suck, they should not be allowed. They provide extra tax for the state (sales tax). They are a scam and contribute to accounting fraud (see what Office Max was doing and then they had to restate earnings.).
My TiVo rebate only required that I send in clear photocopies of the documentation. That's how I was able to score a rebate from both Circuit City ($50 gift card) and TiVo ($100 check) and yes, both have been fulfilled.
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
4. Rebates get customers into the store, so that they have to make a purchase of some kind if they don't want to have wasted a trip.
...they can give you a great deal on another model for $399.99 that's from a better manufacturer with a better warranty. No, there's no rebate, it's really $399.99, but as long as you're here and you've made the trip, why not consider it?
How many times have you gone into AstoreUSA or Somestore Depot because they had a brand new 17" LCD monitor in their ad for $0.00 (FREEEEE!!!!): $599.99 - $299.99 manufacturer mail-in rebate - $200.00 store mail-in rebate - $100.00 club mail in rebate.
Only when you get there after a 45 minute drive, and they're ALL SOLD OUT, OH NO, even though you called ahead to make sure they had some! Of course, they have a big giant poster and a bunch of price signs next to an empty shelf to show you where these mystical items "WERE" but (the salesperson tells you) they were all gone by noon. HOWEVER...
It's bait-and-switch. I'd list that as reason #1, based on the number of times I've gone to AstoreUSA or Somestore Depot only to find that 90% of the "rebate" items in their circular are completely sold out by noon on the FIRST DAY of the "sale."
STOP . AMERICA . NOW
Advice: Get a life.
How many hours did it take you to write up all that non-sense? You're just randomly blabbing and most of it doesn't even make sense. You must not value your time much to be going through all this trouble just for rebates.
eTrade SUCKS
Oh n0es. Greedy class action lawyers can't file huge lawsuits against large corporations in tiny backwater towns full of jurors who like to give away the money of "big evil corporations". Now big class action lawsuits will more often need to go to Federal court, which makes sense anyway if it's a big national scale issue being contested.
My other first post is car post.
What percentage of people skip the "sale" just because they don't want to mess with rebates. I know Best Buy has lost a lot of my business over the last few years because they never put anything on sale, they just pile on multiple rebates. I just say screw it and order from Newegg or some other online site with a decent, no hassle price.
Should anyone accept advice from someone who calls himself "Jesus is the Devil"?
I bought DVD XCopy from Fry's for $55 with a $55 rebate. 1-2-3 Studios (the manufacturer) went out of business. Fry's paid me the $55. It took some doing and complaining, but I did get the money.
I have NEVER had a problem getting a rebate from a Fry's purchase, other than the one mentioned above, and another where I stupidly didn't follow the directions. And I've probably gotten 50 rebates from them in all in the last few years, including many free-after-rebate items.
Look: if you think the rebate submission deadlines are too short, if you have trouble following directions, if you don't want to take the time to submit/keep a copy/track, or if you just think rebates are a scam --- DON'T BUY THE PRODUCTS IN THE FIRST PLACE. But quit whining about it.
Leave it to us who can deal with it.
I HATE FUCKING REBATES!!!
CompUSA depends on them, but for me, if I see an sd card for $20 after a $10 "instant" rebate, a $10 dollar "CompUSA" rebate, and a $10 "manufacturers" rebate, I say fuck it and get the sandisk one for $65
Everyone should boycott these dumb-ass rebates: it just consumers and customers floating these companies an interest free loan....
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
Sort of off topic, but related to rebates: A few years ago, my wife and I decided to get DSL from SBC. The deal at the time was this: it's $150 for the modem, but you'll get a $150 rebate automaticly (I didn't have to do anything). So ok, fine, we signed up.
4-5 months later, it occurs to me that I never got my rebate. So I call SBC. Well, it seems that they "outsourced" their rebate department to some company in NJ. Fine, I call them. Over the course of a week, I call at least 6 times before getting hold of someone. Sometimes the phone rings with no answer; sometimes I get voicemail that is never responded to. But finally, I get hold of someone, who says they sent me a "gift card" (like a debit/credit card), but since I never received it, she'll send me another one.
Two weeks go by....
Hmmm, still no card. Call the company back. After 3-4 tries, I get hold of someone else, who has no record of them sending out another card, so a new-new card is sent out. I am assured that it's going out this time.
3 weeks go by...still no card.
I call the company back, and the phone gets answered right away. I ask for a manager, but the operator didn't want to transfer me. After explaining what has happened (it's been over 6 months now), she says that she can send a new card out to me. No way; I want a manager. So finally, I get a manager, who give me the same song-and-dance about sending a new card out. I tell her point blank that I don't believe her, since I've been told this 3 times before (2 by this company, once by SBC), but she assures me that it will be sent out the next day. Fine.
About a week later, I finally receive my gift card. No idea what happened to the other cards, but I finally got one. My wife and I use it, and forget about it.
About 4 months later, we receive a check from this company for the full $150. No letter or any other info, just a check (hand written, even). We promptly deposit it, and when it's still there a few weeks later, we use the money.
About a year or 2 later, SBC calls me up to try to get me to switch back (we left for cable shortly after getting the check). I tell the (poor) telemarketer that I wont do business with SBC anymore because of the whole rebate deal. When the woman tries to argue that it wasn't her companies fault, I told her that it was; her company promised it to me, so it's their obligation, and they were unwilling to help me when I had problems with their contractor. We both hang up, since the conversation isn't going anywhere.
SBC has never called me back.But, if they do, I'll tell them again why I wont do business with them.
Ed Wedig
Graphic design services
docbrown.net