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I Hate Rebates

post #1 of 51
6/8/04 at 4:08pm
Thread Starter 
Well, 8 weeks ago I mailed in $40 worth of rebates on Wireless D-Link products I bought from Best Buy. I called tonight to find out status since no checks have arrived.

Well $10 will be mailed out in 10 days and the other $30 (composed of a $20 and a $10 rebate) are hosed up because someone at the rebate center lost my UPC label I mailed in.

Fortunately I keep copies of everything so now I have to fax them the copies of the 2 rebate forms/receipts/UPC's. It will now take another 2 weeks just to confirm they got my faxes.

Unfortunately I mailed 2 of the rebates with the same offer number together. Had I not done that, the one with the UPC would have been processed and the other could have been fixed over the phone. The rebate person is authorized to fix up to $20. Because I mailed a $10 and $20 rebate together they combine it and treat it like a $30 rebate.

Did I say I hate rebates and the whole process sucks. Hopefully I'll get my $30 sometime before the end of the year.
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post #2 of 51
6/8/04 at 4:16pm
I love rebates. Especially BECAUSE they take so long. By the time I get my check in the mail, I've forgotten all about sending it in the first place, and I can treat it like an unexpected windfall and buy that box set I'd had my eye on.
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post #3 of 51
6/8/04 at 5:27pm
Ah, good old rebates. I have to agree with Rob about the unexpected winfall coming in handy. Plus, whenever I tell my wife about the new (insert item that the wife will give me grief over) I got, I say, "and I got $*.00 off on a rebate", it helps smooth things over. However, your results may vary.
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post #4 of 51
6/8/04 at 5:57pm
I agree, rebates are a colossal pain in the ass. Just give me the money off at the register, and save me the headache of clipping upc's, photocopying receipts, filling in registration cards, licking stamps, etc.

Moe.
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post #5 of 51
6/8/04 at 7:13pm
Quote:
Plus, whenever I tell my wife about the new (insert item that the wife will give me grief over) I got, I say, "and I got $*.00 off on a rebate", it helps smooth things over.

Honey, I just saved us a LOT of money today!
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post #6 of 51
6/9/04 at 6:45am
Oh God how I hate them- HATE them! It's so stupid. Give them money and then they send you money back. It's amazing that we're such suckers that we put up with this horse-pucky.

Of course they probably do it because enough people don't apply for it, especially the small ones, which can add up.

I once had a rebate of $4.39 from a Staples purchase. I sent for it on principle. It's unfair for them to overcharge for something just because they'll promise to send you some of it back.
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post #7 of 51
6/9/04 at 7:20am
Quote:
I agree, rebates are a colossal pain in the ass. Just give me the money off at the register, and save me the headache of clipping upc's, photocopying receipts, filling in registration cards, licking stamps, etc.
But that's the whole point. It's a way for retailers & manufacturers to advertise low prices knowing that many will end up not taking advantage of it.

Yeah, they're a PITA, but it really only takes about 5 minutes to prep the mailing. No big deal really.

Plus, who licks stamps anymore?? Doesn't Canada have the self-adhesive ones??
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post #8 of 51
6/9/04 at 7:22am
Rebates are okay if they can be done online, like CostCo (another plus for this company) or some combination like Circuit City. Strictly mailing them is a pain, which is why I hesitate about the Fye deals on DVDs. I've experienced enough lost or screwed up rebates (sometimes my fault) to be hesitant.
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post #9 of 51
6/9/04 at 8:06am
I love rebates. How else can I keep getting most of my smaller computer stuff ( mousepads, mice, antivorus software, firewall software, surge protectors, cables) for only the cost of the sales tax? How else can I get a 160 GB HD for $70?

I agree that it's annoying for the smaller rebates but I have saved literally hundreds of dollars on stuff that I was going to buy anyway thanks to the mail-in rebates.

Filling out the form and mailing it takes just a few minutes, and I have never had a problem with getting the money either. Sometimes it's taken a while, but I have always gotten it.

/Mike
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post #10 of 51
6/9/04 at 8:06am
Thread Starter 
Yeah, they're a PITA, but it really only takes about 5 minutes to prep the mailing. No big deal really.


But that's my point. I don't mind collecting the stuff and the mailing it off part. Here's what really annoys me. First, if it gets hosed up you never know unless you track them down. So I call and find out, through no fault of my own, someone lost my UPC label. Now, I have to fax or mail copies and keep tracking through the whole process until I get my checks. I'd say, so far I have a couple hours invested in this and it's not over. I wish it was a 5 minute process.
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post #11 of 51
6/9/04 at 9:22am
I had 2 rebates on my cell phone a few years back. Cash and a gift card to Best Buy. Got the cash, never got the card, and it was too big a pain to follow up on. When the process works, I'm fine with it (because I elected to do it.) But cellphone rebates are evil. Just give me a good price on the phone up front, damn it.
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post #12 of 51
6/9/04 at 9:31am
I don't do rebates. I buy most things online, where I can get them for the same price and not have to bother with rebates. I also purpously buy brands that do not have rebates because I do not want to encourage the companies to keep doing them.
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post #13 of 51
6/9/04 at 9:46am
Rebates are a big pain in the butt. I'm still waiting for $30 worth of rebates from the Taxcut software I bought about 5 months ago. I've resubmitted both rebates twice and called them many times but still haven't received the checks. I definitely won't be buying Taxcut ever again.
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post #14 of 51
6/9/04 at 10:50am
MickeS, wouldn't you "save" the same if they just sold it to you at the correct price in the first place? A rebate is not a discount. It's usually overcharging you, then sending you the extra money back.
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post #15 of 51
6/9/04 at 2:26pm
Quote:
Of course they probably do it because enough people don't apply for it, especially the small ones, which can add up.
DING! DING! DING!
Quote:
A rebate is not a discount. It's usually overcharging you, then sending you the extra money back.
That's probably the best way of looking at it.

Kind of like the radio ads that say "Mention this ad and receive (insert deal here)". It sounds like a secret deal (to the consumer) that only you know about because someone, who didn't hear it on the radio, won't get this (seemingly) LOW price. When, in fact, the rebated price is the REAL price and the marked price is overpriced.
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post #16 of 51
6/10/04 at 5:33pm
Rebates are a nasty scam. Most people don't mail them in, so that is why they are used. That's fine, if you do not mail it in its your problem. What is not fine is that the fullfillment houses get a contract price with whoever is giving out the rebate regardless of how many rebates are actually redeemed. The fewer rebates they send out, the more money they get to put in their pockets. Ever notice they won't accept any mail with return receipt or tracking? The rebate forms then mysteriously get lost and many of these companies WILL NOT allow copies. What a coincidence.

Companies should not be allowed to advertise the after rebate price, because that is not really the price. It is only the "money that you might get back after going through the major pain in the ass of copying UPC labels, filling out forms with tiny print and mailing the stuff in and hoping it doesn't get lost and waiting for three months for the check you hope doesn't get lost on its way back to you" price. Not quite the same.

Which reminds me--I have to fill out a rebate form. *sigh*
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post #17 of 51
6/10/04 at 6:51pm
I'm not a fan of mail in rebates either. They are usually convoluted, and I invariably screw something up. I also was burned with a lot of the online rebates, which cost me a few hundred dollars in unpaid rebates, since I wouldn't have bought the merchandise without them.

Small rebates aren't worth the mail cost. Remeber those $1 back coupons that mom used to send in?
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post #18 of 51
6/10/04 at 8:53pm
I hate em as well. I'm just too lazy of a guy to go through the work (not a big fan of mail). Heck I used to let bills go because I was too lazy to write out a check and mail it. I know I know, it is a sickness. But thank goodness for online billpay....especially automated.

So rebates, even the large ones just don't happen with me. I even let a $200 one from my cell phone slip through.
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post #19 of 51
6/10/04 at 9:30pm
Heck I used to let bills go because I was too lazy to write out a check and mail it. I know I know, it is a sickness.

Daddy!

Seriously, he lets his bills pile up until he gets disconnect notices from the utilities, then he'll finally write a check. Unfortunately, he's a technophobe as well, so he'll never get to the online billpay stage.
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post #20 of 51
6/10/04 at 9:55pm
I got my rebate from Symantec yesterday for NAV 2004. I was very surprised. It only took a month for it to come.
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post #21 of 51
6/11/04 at 5:57am
I send in EVERY rebate that comes with stuff I buy. I do it because most times I wouldn't have bought the item at the 'full' price. I also hate the theory behind them, where the company figures it will make money due to people not sending them in, or fouling up the sometimes complex requirements.
Here in N.Y. we have a 5 cent deposit on all soda/beer cans, plastic containers and glass. I return EVERY bottle because I know that the big companies keep whatever deposit money they don't return. I just read an article saying that the bottlers are lobbying the N.Y. state legislature to keep them from changing the law and re-directing the unclaimed deposits
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post #22 of 51
6/23/04 at 4:01pm
Thread Starter 
Update:

After faxing copies of all my documentation to D-Link (rebate center) I have received both of my $10 rebates and the last $20 check is being mailed out today. Looking forward to getting that and being done.
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post #23 of 51
6/23/04 at 4:01pm
Thread Starter 
Update:

After faxing copies of all my documentation to D-Link (rebate center) I have received both of my $10 rebates and the last $20 check is being mailed out today. Looking forward to getting that and being done.
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post #24 of 51
6/23/04 at 4:57pm
I used to hate rebates because I wouldn't get around to sending them in until it was too late. I like them ever since I developed a new methodology.

Whatever it is, I have to fill out the rebate and put it in the mailbox before I can play with it.

I broke this rule over the weekend with a stick of RAM I got from Staples. Hope I can still find the paperwork/receipt. That's what I get for breaking my own rule.

And I like the surprise windfall - good on weeks that I am poor, to buy gas money, pizza, or movie tickets.
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post #25 of 51
6/23/04 at 4:57pm
I used to hate rebates because I wouldn't get around to sending them in until it was too late. I like them ever since I developed a new methodology.

Whatever it is, I have to fill out the rebate and put it in the mailbox before I can play with it.

I broke this rule over the weekend with a stick of RAM I got from Staples. Hope I can still find the paperwork/receipt. That's what I get for breaking my own rule.

And I like the surprise windfall - good on weeks that I am poor, to buy gas money, pizza, or movie tickets.
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post #26 of 51
6/23/04 at 5:01pm
Quote:
I'm still waiting for $30 worth of rebates from the Taxcut software I bought about 5 months ago.
I got my Taxcut rebate with no problem.
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post #27 of 51
6/23/04 at 5:01pm
Quote:
I'm still waiting for $30 worth of rebates from the Taxcut software I bought about 5 months ago.
I got my Taxcut rebate with no problem.
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post #28 of 51
6/23/04 at 5:43pm
MickeS, wouldn't you "save" the same if they just sold it to you at the correct price in the first place?


Yes, I would. But I doubt that McAfee will start selling their newest software for $6 incl tax soon. Or that Belkin will start selling their surge protectors for $1 incl tax. Or that Western Digital will sell their 160GB drive for $70 incl tax (well, that will happen soon of course, but you get my point ). I only do substantial rebates that either give me the item for free (excl tax) or at a substantially reduced cost not matched by any online retailer. Unless it's something I would have bought anyway, then I do the smaller ones too.

Let's hope this didn't jinx me, I have 3 outstanding rebates now, one of which was sent in 3 months ago... hmmm...

/Mike
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post #29 of 51
6/23/04 at 5:43pm
MickeS, wouldn't you "save" the same if they just sold it to you at the correct price in the first place?


Yes, I would. But I doubt that McAfee will start selling their newest software for $6 incl tax soon. Or that Belkin will start selling their surge protectors for $1 incl tax. Or that Western Digital will sell their 160GB drive for $70 incl tax (well, that will happen soon of course, but you get my point ). I only do substantial rebates that either give me the item for free (excl tax) or at a substantially reduced cost not matched by any online retailer. Unless it's something I would have bought anyway, then I do the smaller ones too.

Let's hope this didn't jinx me, I have 3 outstanding rebates now, one of which was sent in 3 months ago... hmmm...

/Mike
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post #30 of 51
6/23/04 at 6:11pm
I'm the same way. I will definitely do an online order before an after-rebate item.

But $20 AR for an 80GB, 8MB cache drive? (now that was a killer deal - I got 2 of them)
$10 AR for Master & Commander, & Kill Bill (new, release week)?
$30 AR for 256MB PC2700? (Online rate is about $40+ for a decent brand)

It's worth the hassle, sometimes.
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