Article on msnbc about frustration with mail-in rebates.

[flexy]

Nice read, totally agree.

He describes what pain in the *** it is often to get a promised mail-in rebate....like, after 5 months...if ever....
Good read.

Edit: yeah, it was msnbc, sorry

Btw...wondering how long it takes to get my $5 (five MIR back for the mouse i just bought from amazon.com...
I also agree that MIRs are a total consumer-rip off and should be at least considered semi-illegal
I think it's a joke because nowadays you can do almost all transactions online in a matter of minutes, from my CC/checking acount whatever to someone else and vice virsa - but for getting some ridiculous rebate back i have to cut labels, make copies and *mail* in forms. In theory some could get a rebate in a matter of a day or two (maybe even minutes) doing it online. But...of course it's al meant to be a pain in the ***...

 

[Tal]

HOLY SH!T Free Article? nice! I'll take two please.!

 

[kindest]

scandalous doesnt cover it!

go red wings, damn you kariya!

 

[Jadow]

I wish they'd just make mail in rebates illegal. I dont even mess with them anymore. If an item is 80 dollars after a 50 dollar mail in rebate at one place, and 100 at another place without rebate, ill buy it from the 100 dollar place every time. I am so sick of rebates.

 

[thrashev]

oh look another non hot deal in the hot deal forum

 

[sk3tch]

Thanks for posting...good read.

 

[yodayoda]

um, that was MSNBC, not CNN. maybe you need to work on your reading skills--may help complete those rebate forms =)

btw, i have done hundreds of mail in rebates and i have collected on every single one. all it takes is time and persistence.

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: thrashev
oh look another non hot deal in the hot deal forum

if you don't like it, why don't you take a deep breath............then press the BACK button on your browser.

 

[pxc]

My name is pxc and I'm a rebate junkie.

hi pxc

I've been doing rebates for years now and I even have 46 out right now

<gasp>

$150 or so every week in the mail is my drug, but I'm getting better one day at a time

<clap, clap, clap>

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: pxc
My name is pxc and I'm a rebate junkie.

hi pxc

I've been doing rebates for years now and I even have 46 out right now

<gasp>

$150 or so every week in the mail is my drug, but I'm getting better one day at a time

<clap, clap, clap>

The funniest sig I read in a Hot Deals forum was, "You know you have a problem when you pay next month's rent by cashing rebate checks"

or something like that.

 

[unclebud]

"btw, i have done hundreds of mail in rebates and i have collected on every single one. all it takes is time and persistence."
some of us have jobs AND families. viewsonic cheated me after i called several times on that a90 monitor rebate. told me even though my stuff was correct (it had been resubmitted after they lost it the FIRST time) and i had been accepted, i was still not getting the rebate. reported them to ftc and bbb, fat lot of good it did me
i agree with the 100 vs 80 comment now, i used to think like the above
but if they won't pay, THEY WON'T PAY
plus visiontek rebate is taking a long time also -- they keep bumping the date -- i was supposed to recieve it last july
why should it take time and persistence anyway? it doesn't say that in the advertisement! "if, after hopping around on one hand while baying at the full moon simultaneously @ high noon, you can have this printer for $10 off! what a deal!"
wait till getting jerked and remember what i said
can't beat the odds

 

[pspada]

I hate rebates so much that now I just steal the items! You should have seen me with that 21" monitor in my shorts...

 

[Tal]

Originally posted by: pspada
I hate rebates so much that now I just steal the items! You should have seen me with that 21" monitor in my shorts...

muhahahahahaha!!!

I hate rebates myself, but can't resist their pull. I'm sure I've got a couple hundred bucks out right now.

 

[unclebud]

hahahahahahaha
go on with the bad self then!
link

 

[yodayoda]

Originally posted by: unclebud
"btw, i have done hundreds of mail in rebates and i have collected on every single one. all it takes is time and persistence."
some of us have jobs AND families. viewsonic cheated me after i called several times on that a90 monitor rebate. told me even though my stuff was correct (it had been resubmitted after they lost it the FIRST time) and i had been accepted, i was still not getting the rebate. reported them to ftc and bbb, fat lot of good it did me
i agree with the 100 vs 80 comment now, i used to think like the above
but if they won't pay, THEY WON'T PAY
plus visiontek rebate is taking a long time also -- they keep bumping the date -- i was supposed to recieve it last july
why should it take time and persistence anyway? it doesn't say that in the advertisement! "if, after hopping around on one hand while baying at the full moon simultaneously @ high noon, you can have this printer for $10 off! what a deal!"
wait till getting jerked and remember what i said
can't beat the odds

recommended reading:

AT Rebate Tracking Thread
FTC Online Complaint page

let me tell you a story about Viewsonic. i bought a VG150 from dell.com, expecting a $100 rebate on it. when they rejected my rebate (something about dell not being an authorized vendor), i went back to AT and asked if anyone else was being rejected. we all were so we all filed complaints with the FTC--there was also two laywers in the group who drafted letters to viewsonic corporate and parago (the fulfillment company). LESS THAN 5 DAYS LATER i had a Fedex Overnight envelope with a $100 rebate in it. just have to push the right buttons....

 

[MrDingleDangle]

Originally posted by: pspada
I hate rebates so much that now I just steal the items! You should have seen me with that 21" monitor in my shorts...

ok that made me laugh

 

[sak]

Originally posted by: pspada
I hate rebates so much that now I just steal the items! You should have seen me with that 21" monitor in my shorts...

LOL man i dont want to see the sight of that..oor well mabey if i have my camera..it would be funny to post it on the web..

anywhoo..i have be very very fortunate in getting all my rebates i have sent in..all u gotta do is be very carful in sending all ur rebates and always ALWAYS back ur stuff up..so that u can send it back to the company if they dont sent the rebate in.

I also recommend that u keep like an excel spreedsheet to keep track of all ur rebates..so if u dont get back on u'll have a record of it.

i know all this is hard..but if u gonna do it..do it right..i say..

 

[drue]

Any lawyers wanting to quote specific cases by the FTC in their threatening letters should see the Philips mentioned in the local news story a few messages back. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/08/philipsokie.htm

Also, anyone who got denied on the OfficeMax Belkin deal from January or February, PM me. I'm curious as to how many people got stiffed.

Here's the link to the rebate offer:

http://images.officemax.com/pdf/2003_02/Belkin1.pdf

and the original offending text (and reason for denial):

"Offers good on purchases of Belkin products listed above at OfficeMax
during the specified time frames only (1/26/03 through 3/1/03). All rebate submissions must be
postmarked by 02/08/03."

As far as I'm concerned, that's blatant false advertising if they deny the rebate based on that (which they did). I even included a note pointing out the typo (the offer really was available until 3/1 and the mail-in date should have reflected that) and stating that I expected the rebate to be approved despite being postmarked after 2/8. The processing company is Parago:

RebatesHQ Processing
Resubmission Department
P.O. Box 028516
Miami, FL 33102-8516

 

[FTLOSM]

Good Luck with rebateshq of Miami, I had a $50 cendyne dvd burner rebate coming to me since last year december with those jerks, after NUMEROUS phone and email contacts and re-submitting my info on more than 5 occasions (VIA CERTIFIED MAIL EVEN) they still denied my claim as first, lost in mail, second incomplete, third un readable, fourth past date of entry of submission, I finally printed out all the emails took in my certified mail receipt they signed for it, and their denial remarks and info into the store i bought the burner at over the weekend and said to the manager, ok what do you suggest I do now?????

She gave me a $60 in store gift card to use on anything, so I was happy but as it sits right now still even if I resubmitted or repeatedly contacted them I got different stories, different answers, and basically the run around on the rebate owed to me (which I followed EVERY step of %100) the manger said rebates have been SUCH a problem lately that they were now authorized to give in store gift cards (vs cash) when customers came in with a similar situation as mine.

So rather than deal with them anymore (too much time wasted on my end) I at least got an instore credit...

Bill

 

[hyderabadi]

I agree, they should be banned. Until that happens (and let's hope we will live to see that day), however, I'll continue to make sure that rebates are not the primary motivator for my purchases.

Thanks, flexy, for the URL.

 

[feralkid]

<<"They?ll often demand that you include serial numbers and product codes that are difficult or almost impossible to find.">>





I've learned it's real often located on or around the freaking box.

 

[Bob/NYC]

Slowly belchin' my Belkin:
Promotion: Up to $20.00 Mail in Rebate on select Belkin products at Office Max Submission Type: MAIL Date Received: 03-12-2003 Status: Processing Rebate Status Detail: Your rebate is valid and is in the final stages of processing and should be mailed to you within the next 30 days.

 

[jimmyhaha]

I agree, they should be banned.

We all know that we love cheap stuff and hate rebates, who don't ? <- dilemma

thus, rebate will NEVER be banned. Period.

If u can not win them, join them.

P.S. notice that more and more product require u to register the product online/by mail in order to be eligible for the rebate...

thanks for the url, btw.

 

[MikeBee]

I've gotten ripped a few times on Rebates...

$100 on Sprint Phone rebate :brokenheart:
$100 on Sony Laptop rebate :brokenheart:
$120 on PNY Memory rebate :brokenheart:

Best thing to do is to send them through certified mail, so that you have proof that you sent it in...but again, I don't know if they will honor that.

:frown:

 

[ReiAyanami]

anybody remember cyberrebates....