Here is my take on the rebate scam you pay the full amount for the product. The company gets their cut of this money which is higher than if they just reduced the price. They take this extra money invest it for a couple of months then if anyone does in fact apply for a rebate(they usually don't) they can send that person their money from the intrest they've gathered and not cut into the principle of the extra money they got by not reducing the price of the item.
Slashdot Mirror
Here is my take on the rebate scam you pay the full amount for the product. The company gets their cut of this money which is higher than if they just reduced the price. They take this extra money invest it for a couple of months then if anyone does in fact apply for a rebate(they usually don't) they can send that person their money from the intrest they've gathered and not cut into the principle of the extra money they got by not reducing the price of the item.