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1300 Unopened Fry's Rebate Forms Found In Dumpster
blackmonday writes "The Consumerist is reporting a find of 1,300 unopened rebate submissions in a dumpster belonging to Vastech, a rebate processor hired by Fry's Electronics. Vastech's management blames it on a bad employee."
How does someone not notice when you walk out to the dumpster with 1300 envelopes?
..that I don't send in rebates any more unless they are $50 or higher. Seems like 9 times out of 10 I never hear from the company again if the rebate is a smallish amount - now I know why.
It truly is brilliant though, how hard would you try to get a small $3.50 rebate back, but it was the reason you picked that product over a competitor. So they win twice, once on getting your business and again when they don't send you the check and you don't really care.
Looking for hardware (Currently need: Large Etch-a-Sketch) Have one? See my journal!
I've gotten into the habit of completely ignoring mail-in rebates because I've never once received one. Over the years, I've sent in maybe as many as 10 rebates, and never gotten any kind of a response.
Of course, in the fine print of every rebate is something along the lines of, "We have no legal obligation to actually send you a rebate, even if you send this in. If we believe any piece of information is wrong for any reason, we reserve the right to trash your rebate application."
It's a scam. If they really intended to give you the discount, they'd have an "instant rebate", meaning a price-cut in the store. The whole point of a mail-in rebate is to trick people into thinking things are cheaper than they are. They advertise "$199 w/ mail-in rebate (normally $299)". So you start thinking the product is $199 even though you'll give the store $299 when you buy it. Then, either you forget to send the mail in rebate, or they find some excuse not to honor it. You've just bought the item for $299.
Rebates are a scam that allows a company to pad their ledger with artificial profits that get refunded some time later. It's an accounting scam. They make money by having more money in the bank, earning interest, while you don't. They also count on a good fraction of people simply not filling out the rebate form. So it's a form of false advertising that allows them to advertise one price when in fact you have to give them a different amount of money.
Don't do business with companies that offer rebates. Pay for what things are worth and screw this stupid shell game. I've not gotten my rebate many times, without explanation.
This crap should be illegal.
1^2=1; (-1)^2=1; 1^2=(-1)^2; 1=-1; 1=0.
This is so clearly fraud that the MD attorney general should have completed the arrest warrant for key members of Vastech's management by tomorrow morning. With arraignment hopefully postponed until Monday morning, the managers will be well motivated to correct the situation after they post bail.
In all seriousness, rebate letters that contain irreplaceable original receipts should be handled with the same care as bank deposits, and the same penalty should apply as would apply if a Bank manager discarded all of the night deposits for a bank branch.
I call this fraud and criminal negligence, and if nobody is prosecuted, it will be a travesty of justice.
That's getting into grand theft range if not already there.
BC
Actually it was a bad employee. The employee was supposed to shread them first.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
About a month ago the fatwallet community produced a crazy rebate scheme where you profit off bundled software. The scheme originated in this thread. The scheme has since been used for many more deals. I am just wondering if it is related? The rebate T&C say the rebate can not be for more than the cost of the product. The scheme worked by claiming rebates from the retailer (by buying a hardware and software bundle) and the software distributor at the same time and assuming they don't realize your the same person (i.e. lack of communication from the retailer and distributor). To sweeten the scheme you could buy competing software packages and use them for the upgrade rebate. If this is related then Frys must of caught onto the scheme.
Over the years I've mailed in probably two dozen rebates for various products at brick-and-mortar places like Best Buy, Circuit City, Office Depot, Staples, AT&T/Cingular, etc. I'm referring to $25-$200+ back on things like laptops, TV's, Tivos, software, cell phones, etc. I had a Cingular rebate once that was 4 weeks overdue. One 10 minute phone call and the rebate was re-issued and arrived 3 days later. I've even done a couple of the 'come test drive the new Mazda Whatever and get a $25 gift card' rebates, and those have always arrived as well.
OTOH, I've never bothered with the '$3.50 rebate on a $5 pack of CD-R' type things, as it's just not worth my time.
FWIW, I've always carefully followed the directions and have received the rebates within roughly the correct time period as stated. I keep a copy of everything I sent and make a note in my calendar for 6,8,12,whatever weeks away that I should have received it and then just forget about it until then. My point is, rebates suck, but they aren't *always* a scam....
Does this matter to a place like Fry's. Admittedly, no it doesn't, but I feel better about it.
When shopping for tech toys I always treat the rebate as secondary, the price has to be the lowest before the rebate, if the rebate is instant even better but you just can rely on the companies servicing these things
to come through; read the fine print on most of the rebates and you will find that you are responsible for making sure the company has received and processed your rebate, once its sent you've more than likely sent the only copy you have along with the original qualifying UPC/product label, once that's lost your chances at getting the rebate fulfilled are next to nil.
This kind of news just amuses me, it is obvious though that the company didn't do this intentionally, that kind of move would have involved shredding.
Unix, an obscure operating system developed by bored researchers in an attempt to get a better game playing experience.
D'oh! Preview button, gotta remember that. Such clauses are usually considered unenforceable by the courts, and the rebate company would have to honor it regardless.
Security is mostly a superstition... Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. - Helen Keller
what really amazes me are people like yourself who actually believe that the CEO didn't do this himself.
Regardless of if the CEO actually did the physical work,the CEO should be held responsible. Here's how I see it, if an employee does something good and the company makes $$$, what share of that does the employee get and what share does the CEO and other upper management get? Why should the distribution of criminal guilt be any different? All of the rewards and none of the responsibility just doesn't ring true to me.
We are all just people.
no one notices it because they saw you do the same thing last month, and the month before that, and every month since they were hired.
rebates are a BS way of advertising. If they want to lower the price of some thing, great! I'm all for that.
Just don't tell me that if I pay full price now you will give me some money back in 6 to 8 weeks.
I try to ignore the false price they like to post on the shelf, that includes the rebate, and look closely to see how much I'm realy paying.
-- Sig under construction...
My point is, there are ways you can get that rebate without incurring any cost to you.
Unless you count time and dignity.
(Oddly enough, I place both of those above a nigh-free CDR spindle)
sic transit gloria mundi
If the manufacturer actually pays out the $30.00, then that's a bonus
Heck that's shady business practice. You accept this kind of corrupt behaviour in your country? Hmm, your place is more messed up than I thought it was. Personally I'd be hassling my political representative to get the law changed so said companies get hauled over hot coals metaphorically speaking if they don't honour their promises.
Actually, I don't really get the 'rebate' idea really - how does it work legally? Why don't they just get told by the law to sell the 70 dollar hard drive with a 30 dollar rebate for 40 dollars at point of sale? I understand how it works from their point of view - that not everybody will claim their rebate, so they win - but this seems very dodgy business practice. How is it structured? do you buy the drive for 70 dollars and inside the box is a slip you post off and they supposedly post back the rebate? Is this common practice?
cheers
A good employee would have opened the envelopes, copied all the personal information into the junk mail, telemarketing, and spam lists and THEN shredded the rebate forms.
What do you think these rebates are for, anyway?
Waltz, nymph, for quick jigs vex Bud.
I've learned even better: Stop dicking with mail-in rebate bullshit, and buy my stuff online. I'm not an animal to be trained to jump through hoops, thank you very little.
My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
Because no online store offers mail-in rebates.