Warner Bros. rebate promotion....not happy (1 Viewer)

[michaelHAR]

In the mail, I was recently the unfortunate recipient of my returned $50 rebate offer(with all of the necessary goodies such as receipts tabs, etc).

The dvd's were all bought before 7/1, and it was mailed in time to reach the mailing address before the deadline. I've called the customer service number on the form, but I have found them to be utterly useless.

I can't find out why it was returned, and they don't show record of receiving it. I'm basically stuck. They say it arrived after the deadline, and I have no way to prove that it was received. The postmark shows that it mailed in what should have been plenty of time to reach them(according to the USPS).

Basically, I've bought 6 box sets, and Warner Brothers has no interest in seeing that I'm taken care of. Assuming that they are correct(which I'm not assuming), and it arrived a day after the mailing deadline, I find it hard to believe that a company with which I just spend $200 would be so uninterested in their customers. I basically spent a bunch of money to get dvds that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

The part that hacks me the most is that I(IMHO) am the ideal customer. I don't let people borrow dvds so that they can make copies, and I try to avoid used channels such as ebay. I look for deals at retailers, and try to support the "system".

I know there is nothing anyone here can do, but I wanted to vent. I also wanted to know if anyone had an address to reach Warner Brothers. I also wondered if anyone else has had a problem with this rebate.

Michael H.

 

[Mark Talmadge]

The problem is that the rebate has to be mailed out before the June 30th deadline. That means that the Post Office would stamp the date that it was received by them and that's the date that they would go by. If youo still have the sealed return I would try calling them and voicing your complaint.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

These rebates are handled by rebate-handling companies, not by the companies whose products you actually purchased.

Generally when you have a problem with them, call and ask to speak with a supervisor. Be polite but firm, and keep asking for the next person up the chain of command until someone is able to help you out. Usually it pays off. (A lot of times the first person you speak with just doesn't have the ability to help.)

I have also been told on numerous occasions by different CSRs that there is generally a grace period -- they may allow as much as a couple of extra weeks for people to send stuff in.

Good luck!

 

[michaelHAR]

I'd like to be able to write or contact Warner Bros. by phone. I've never seen any type of rebate that wouldn't give some sort of grace period.

I'm still not convinced that mine didn't make it on time, and I have a hard time knowing that I have no recourse to collect my $50. I have to take their word for it, and I'm not happy with that. I hate to think that I have to start sending my rebate forms with delivery confirmation.

 

[JoePassmore]

Hold on, if the postmark is before the deadline don't they have to take it? That's what it usually says in the rules, no? It always mentions something along the lines of "Postmarked no later than blah blah blah..".??

 

[Jay_B!]

I'm always wary of promotions like that, I never received my $20 from FYE for the Sex and The City Complete Series set I bought 9 months ago

 

[LindseyS]

FYE rebates are a PAIN. I've heard that they try to make loopholes after the promotion has ended, to try to justify not sending the rebates. I sent a rebate for the Facts of Life DVDs, and then they sent me postcard telling me that not all items were submitted. They didn't tell me which items I needed to send, and the postcard didn't even mention FYE or the rebate, I had to look up the Trans Star or whatever company it was online. I finally called the number on the postcard and they said they would send the rebate. I don't know why they sent the postcard in the first place as ALL MY MATERIALS WERE SUBMITTED. Sorry, I just needed to vent about that.

 

[Bryan^H]

I watched something on CNN a few months ago about how horrible these rebate companies are. The companies that handle the rebates don't expect the consumer to actually send in for the rebate. They find any small loophole they can to back out if possible, even if the consumer has gone through all the right steps.

The people interviewed(mostly people dealing with rebates from buying a new computer) were just fed up. One lady said she has been waiting for over 1year for a $100 rebate. She tried contacting the company numerous times but got nowhere, so she had just given up.

These rebate companies seem like real fly by night operations. A little shady, and a lot of scam.

 

[Phyll]

I went through a similar situation with Amazon.com. They lost a $100 postal money order I sent them. It took six months of me nagging them everyday until they finally mailed a refund check. If anything find out what the website is and just harrass them to no end. At least they will have to use up man hours to respond to your emails and that should cost the company $50!!
If I were you I would keep nagging and nagging. At least you will feel better. If you mailed it through the USPS then try contacting a postmaster and maybe they can help. It sounds like you did everything right and they just don't want to pay off because it was near the deadline but that should be their loss and not yours. It is just so annoying sometimes how these big companies treat people. But like I stated before keep nagging for awhile and see if you don't get your $50. I did that same rebate and it took almost 5 months to get my $50. I mean to spend $200 for dvds is alot and they should send you the $50 immediately.

 

[Dax P]

I'm pretty sure (it's not in front of me right now, but I have it somewhere...) the deadline for receipt on the Warners deal was 7/15. The dvds had to have been PURCHASED by 6/30...

 

[michaelHAR]

You are exactly right on those dates, Dax. In my case, I'm sure that the purchases were in time. With cash register receipts a requirement, this area is black and white. The problem I have is knowing that I sent the necessary things in plenty of time. However, without bothering to use a delivery confirmation, I'm at their mercy. $50 means much more to me than it does to them.


Michael H.

 

[Doug^Ch]

Rebates simply aren't worth the hassel. I generally avoid anything with a mail in rebate. The companies make it as difficult as possible to actually claim the money, because they know the 75% of people will never send in the rebate form. If anything, mail in rebates will make me look at a competing product, which I generally will buy in lieu of the rebated product. The Warner rebate angered me, because in fine print in tells you they will not mail to a P.O. Box, and if that is your only mailing address, you are screwed.

 

[MarkA]

I hate rebates too. When I do a rebate I make sure I have photocopies of everything. The one time I had a hassle (with a box set of Scarface rebate), I let them know I had photocopies and they sent the rebate out. I do believe they are a scam and a poor way to do business. They need to make the price lower or get the rebate automatically in store or I would not do business with a rebate.

 

[Mary_P]

I don't love them either, but the choice of getting, say, a hard drive for possibly-$60-off with a rebate or getting it for positively-no-money-off without one, well, I guess I'll take my chances with a rebate. I keep copies of everything I send with the date it was sent. I'm hoping I don't have to pull that out, as Office De(s)pot hasn't yet confirmed receipt of said rebate application and it's been a coupla weeks.

But yes, generally I'm not a big fan of rebates, other than those of the "instant" variety.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I feel everybody's pain re: the rebates.

My wife and I are real bargain shoppers and love a low price as much as anyone else--maybe more. But rebates can become a real headache.

Hats off to Staples for providing some of the easiest on-line rebating ever! And, you know, I've had a pretty good experience with Best Buy's rebates, too!

 

[Al.Anderson]

I detest rebates. I lost rebates of $50 & $100 due to unwarranted "didn't follow the rules" statements. There were others, but those were the biggest. Both of my big hitters didn't provide phone numbers or a alternate contacts. so I was stuck.

Now I refuse to buy anything that is only the best deal because of the rebate. My one exception is Costco, which allows on-line rebate entry, processes payments quickly, and is great with complaint resolution.

 

[Nick Zbu]

I'm having the same trouble with my WB rebates. Personally I just had the stuff already so applying wasn't a big ordeal but I sent my stuff in on June 15th and haven't heard a peep yet. I'm thinking about complaining to Warner directly. Maybe we could get some action if we took it to the source.

EDIT: I just found some addresses and phone numbers to complain to. The one at the bottom is the last resort (at Time Warner itself) so if you call some of these numbers to complain, maybe you can get some satisfaction--or your rebate.

Warner Bros Consumer Products
4001 W. Olive Ave
Burbank, CA 91505-4272
818-954-7980

Warner Bros Entertainment Inc
4000 Warner Blvd
Burbank, CA 91522
818-954-6000

TIME Warner Inc
1 Time Warner Ctr
New York, NY 10019
212 484-8000

 

[michaelHAR]

Sorry to hear that Nick. Have you heard anything, or gotten anything returned? What do they tell you at the 1-800 number listed on the bottom of the rebate form?

 

[Mary_P]

Is anybody still waiting on their rebates? Some friends and I sent in ours about the same time in mid- to late-May; I received mine several weeks ago, but they're both still waiting.

 

[Craig Byrne]

I got a letter sending my stuff back and saying that one of the six proofs of purchases were invalid.

But, they wouldn't really tell me how or why!

I don't save receipts so I couldn't send them a new sixth item. So I mailed it back saying "just give me $40." But it's so stupid :frowning: