Computer Rebates Not As Sinister As You Think

Lam1969 writes "Robert Mitchell dug up some details about rebates after getting up at 5 a.m. to get a free (with rebates) computer bundle at Circuit City. He had to deal with five separate mail-in rebates to get his money back, and decided to ask an expert about whether rebate come-ons are some sort of attempt to trick consumers. The reply: 'The big lie that the media and attorneys general want you to believe is that all the retailers and manufacturers are crooked and the reason [they] do rebates is breakage, which is people not turning them in.' Furthermore, Mitchell reports that retailers are making the process easier, by printing rebate forms and receipt copies at the register, and letting people track rebates online. His conclusion: The trade-off of having to do a few hours of copying and envelope-stuffing is worth the price of a new computer, so stop whining -- 'suck it up and accept your rebate check like a man.'"

Comments

Re:Rebates Suck

[shawb]

I've done rebates before... 15 minutes of my time on about $120 in rebates (on less than $200 in merchandise before rebates.) This was on merchandise that I was going to purchase anyways, so I essentially made $480 an hour for the time spent. If you don't want rebates... then don't take them. But I have never in my life seen things discounted as deeply in sales as they are rebates. If they were, people would just buy several of the product and sell them off on ebay. (An address to actually mail the rebate to.)

If you really are that cynical, just take a look at the faces of the mass consumers... they smile a lot more than you. You know what? That means they are happier than you. If you think you're being funny, you're not. The tired cliche of making fun of american consumerism has been overdone like extra well done prime rib.

America is indeed a free country, and one of the freedoms is to buy and sell items in a way you see fit. If the terms that are being offered are acceptable to you, then you should have the freedom to take the terms. Otherwise, you don't have freedom.