Rebates and rebate rewards? (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

I sent in for a Mail-in rebate for a hard drive last month, and got email confirmation that they had received my rebate submission request.

I was also directed to confirm my rebate submission eligibility by clicking on a link which sent me to a Track your rebate page, and I was given the option to use ClickChoice to select other "rewards" that had MSRPs in excess of my cash rebate value, and in lieu of wanting the cash, I could select from a list of 8 bundles/items:

Home Entertainment Bundle (software package)
Children's Game Bundle 2 (software)
Children's Reference Bundle (software)
Microsoft Blue Optical Mouse
Sony MDR-G52LP headphones
VisualStream PC Web Camera
RPI CD-55 Player w/Speakers
PrintShop CD Label Kit with 20 CDs

all with listed MSRPs over the $30 rebate value for my particular rebate submission.

The only thing that the page doesn't provide is a link saying "Just send me my damn rebate check".

Anyone else get this sort of last-ditch effort to send merchandise over cold, hard cash by companies who use rebates to entice buyers to buy their product?

 

[Mike Frezon]

Patrick: I did a whole lot of rebate shopping on Black Friday this year...all of it at Staples. All but one of the rebate offers were through Staples itself, the other was through Maxtor on an 80gb HD.

I received the Staples rebates REALLY fast! Big thumbs up for Staples on those--one was for $150 on a flat panel monitor!!!

The only one yet to receive is the Maxtor rebate $55. Their e-mail tracking system says my rebate was deemed valid on December 13 and that the check should ship within 30 days. Is MAxtor the company you're dealing with? I have received no offers/options to transfer my rebate $ into other products.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Yep, it was a $30 Maxtor rebate.

 

[Dick White]

Patrick, at first I couldn't remember ever having had this happen, but upon reflection, I think maybe it did happen on one rebate, probably Maxtor. But I didn't have a problem getting the cash. I've gotten several from Maxtor with no problems.

 

[DaveB]

We bought a Maxtor drive late summer and it took a good 2 months for the rebate check to arrive.

 

[Carlo_M]

I mailed in a Fuji rebate (CDR 100 pack) and even registered on their "My rewards" website so that I would get the rebate "within 20 days of receipt of the materials". Well that was back in October of 2003.

I just contacted their CS dept through an online chat and they claim to have never received the stuff I mailed. So I told the guy that I had copies of everything, and offered to fax it to him. He agreed and hopefully my rebate will be here soon...

 

[Jason Spencer]

This is a new tactic that most of the major (offmax, staples, officedepot) rebate companies started in the middle of last year . Just do nothing. As long as you got the confirmation (email) that they got your info and it is valid you'll get the check in another month or so. You only need to use that "alternative to cash" site if you want to lose money, er, partake of their retail value gift items, which you can usually get cheaper online with the cash if you just get the $$$...

 

[Chris_Morris]

I've had two rebates "denied" recently for stupid reasons.

1. $10 on the Hulk. Said the submission was not within guidelines. Only thing I could find was that I did not circle the DVD price, but A)It was the only DVD on the receipt B)They even had placed a check mark by it I circled the priced and sent it back with a nice polite note

2. We signed up for US Cellular wireless service in December and the phone cost $30, with a $30 MIR. Checked the status last week and it was 'denied' due to the receipt not being from a qualifying store, even though it was purchased directly from US Cellular. The customer no-service guy gave me the equivalent of a blank look, but I faxed copies to them, along with a copy of the first bill showing the purchase (and referencing the same invoice that was faxed to them). So we will see.


Chris

 

[Ted Lee]

interesting...didn't know companies were doing that. it's a pretty smart move, since it's doubtful they paid retail price in the first place.

best buy was offering a free recliner with the purchase of a rptv. some lady was like, "i'd prefer to take the 350 dollar value of the recliner off the tv". i kinda looked at her, winked, and said "do you really think we paid 350 for that chair?"

she got the point pretty quickly....

 

[Ken Custodio]

I was about to post a "Best Buy bashing" post, because I purchased an Epson C84 inkjet printer and it was $99 with a $20 mail in rebate. When I got home I saw that it was a $20 gift card rebate not a money rebate...I was plenty pissed since nowhere did the add say it was for a gift card not money back. But then I saw there was another rebate receipt for $20 back on the printer, so I got a $20 rebate AND a $20 gift card for a pretty good $99 printer.

Ofcourse I haven't got the rebates back yet, and could be waiting a very long time for them like Patrick.
:frowning:

 

[Mike Frezon]

Hey Patrick! Ever get your rebate?!?!

I just got mine. $55 rebate on a Maxtor 80gig HD from Staples purchased on Black Friday!!! And the paperwork went in the mail the following Monday!

They didn't even come close to the "you'll receive your rebate check within 30 days of receiving this e-mail". (More like 60 days!) Hell, they didn't even make the 6 - 8 week leeway they give themselves to return the rebate after submitting the paperwork.

But, as they say, better late than never. I just deposited the check in the bank.

 

[Patrick Sun]

The rebates have been coming in every other day it seems. I got a $30 rebate from Circuit City for a hard drive I bought around Black Friday. Got some of my Office Max FAR checks on knick-knacks (power outlets, 100 thin CD cases, etc), got a $70 rebate check for a Western Digital hard drive, and am waiting on the other $70 WD HD check (email from the rebate clearing house indicates that it passed mustard).

 

[Peka J]

I didn't get the plug to take crap merchandise in lieu of my rebate, but I did get an option to take crap merchandise in addition to an imation rebate. It was all garbage and it seemed like just another chance to get your email address and send you sales info so I declined.

I also recently was denied a rebate from Logitech because I supposedly bought the product (wireless keyboard and mouse) from buy.com after the period provided in the rebate. The order form clearly had a date within the rebate period, so I sent it back with a letter explaining this and received my rebate. I guess they get credit for correcting their "error" but I can't help but think this is another attempt to add an extra step to getting to refund so some people won't bother. First, not all epople bother to send the rebate in the first place, which allows them to advertise a price lower than most people will pay, then of those that send it in, fewer will bother to write back when denied. Seems like a mini-scam.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Probably nothing all that "mini" about it.