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."

Comments

a bad employee...

[SC-James]

How does someone not notice when you walk out to the dumpster with 1300 envelopes?

That's the reason

[Judg3]

..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.

Re:That's the reason

[Mattintosh]

I don't buy things with mail-in rebates. If retailers want to play games, they can find someone else. If they want me to buy stuff, they can put the real price on the shelf instead of the after-rebate price. Instant rebates are a different matter...

arrest warrant for key managers

[EMB Numbers]

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.

Re:Fry's Merely Chose the Wrong Company

[ackthpt]

Excerpt from the enclosed rebates:

Congratulations on the purchase of your new Intel Core 2 Duo! To apply to recieve your $100.00 rebate in 6 to 8 weeks, please enclose your original reciept, this completed form & the original UPC from the product in a self addressed stamped envelope and send it to:

INTEL CORE 2 DUO REBATE OFFER LONG NAMED CLEARINGHOUSE PLACE
c/o Vastech
888 Bestgate Road
Suite # The Dumpster Behind Denny's
Annapolis, MD 21401
Yeah, be sure to check the address on those things. Also, I believe the Vatican uses Vastech to handle all their "Children's Letters to God" mail.

Actually it was a bad employee. The employee was supposed to shread them first.

Re:Gullible is no longer in the dictionary

[Original Replica]

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.