Best Buy ripping off Black Friday Shoppers

[Pulsar]

Ahhh crap. Ignore my rant. This isn't the forum I thought I was in. Please don't reply to this.

For the first time, I did the whole stand in line thing at Best Buy because my sister-in-law wanted a computer. I and my wife each picked up one of the "$199" emachines, one for us and one as a christmas present for my sister-in-law.

When I started filling out a the rebate forms, they state, and I quote: "Limit one rebate per eligible eMachines monitor per hosuehold." Confusing language, to be sure, so I called eMachine. They confirmed my fear - the rebate is limited to ONE PER HOUSEHOLD.

Now, I thought, it may have been my mistake, surely. So I went back and checked the Best Buy Flyer, which is still online here: http://bestbuy.dailyshopper.co...453&batchid=245203

But sure enough, NO WHERE on the promotional flyer page does it say that the rebate on the emachine is one to a household! I called the Best Buy rebate line and asked them the same question. The fellow on the other end seemed pretty smart - he pulled up the webpage and agreed that NO WHERE does it say one per customer. Then he mentioned, "offhand", that I could only send one in. My neighbor could send one in too.

Nice move Best Buy. Trying to screw customers once again.

If you guys can find ANYWHERE on those adds where it limits the eMachine quantity to one per household, I'll gladly eat crow.

 

[Triforceofcourage]

Bump

 

[dartworth]

why not use the address for the person you are giving too?

 

[Pulsar]

Probably shouldn't reply to this - it will likely be locked by an admin, but

dartworth - that's what I'm going to do. But anyone who bought several for their own household are going to be awfully upset when they only get one rebate. Especially when NONE of the ads say limit 1. The only time you discover there's a limit is after you make the purchase and take the time to read the rebate receipt that the cash register prints out. Pretty damn shady.

 

[hevnsnt]

Or use a friends who didn't buy one..

 

[Zorro]

Originally posted by: LsDPulsar
Ahhh crap. Ignore my rant. This isn't the forum I thought I was in. Please don't reply to this.

For the first time, I did the whole stand in line thing at Best Buy because my sister-in-law wanted a computer. I and my wife each picked up one of the "$199" emachines, one for us and one as a christmas present for my sister-in-law.

When I started filling out a the rebate forms, they state, and I quote: "Limit one rebate per eligible eMachines monitor per hosuehold." Confusing language, to be sure, so I called eMachine. They confirmed my fear - the rebate is limited to ONE PER HOUSEHOLD.

Now, I thought, it may have been my mistake, surely. So I went back and checked the Best Buy Flyer, which is still online here: http://bestbuy.dailyshopper.co...453&batchid=245203

But sure enough, NO WHERE on the promotional flyer page does it say that the rebate on the emachine is one to a household! I called the Best Buy rebate line and asked them the same question. The fellow on the other end seemed pretty smart - he pulled up the webpage and agreed that NO WHERE does it say one per customer. Then he mentioned, "offhand", that I could only send one in. My neighbor could send one in too.

Nice move Best Buy. Trying to screw customers once again.

If you guys can find ANYWHERE on those adds where it limits the eMachine quantity to one per household, I'll gladly eat crow.

Yuo are joking i hope?

You must be kidding if you think you could send in multiple rebate per household. This stops the dealers and everyone from buying multiple items.

 

[Zorro]

And by the way where is the HOT DEAL here?????????????????????????????

 

[Pulsar]

No "Zorro", I'm not joking. If you want to show me, the average guy who just attended his first black friday sale, where it tells me that I can't buy one for my sister and one for my brother and get the rebates on them, then do so.

But the inference I get from your post is that there is some way that a consumer is magically supposed to know he can only buy ONE. Show me where and how I'm supposed to know that, because at this point I can't find it.

And zorro, since you continue to make an ass of yourself, I'll just point out that I had already edited my post and stated that I had mistakenly put it in the wrong forum, 16 minutes before you opened your mouth. Grow up.

 

[Jeraden]

Well, generally ALL rebates are one per household. There are occasionally exceptions, but unless you can see the actual rebate form before purchase, always assume its 1 per household.

 

[Pulsar]

Thanks Jeraden. I'll keep that in mind in the future.

It certainly seems like that should be directly on the picture on best buy's advertisement though. Finding out after you purchased it seems just a little off to me.

 

[dabuddha]

It's quite common knowledge that 99.9% of rebates are always 1 per household.

I'm sorry you didn't know this but you could always send the other rebate to another family member or someone you trust to give you the check when it comes in. I send a lot of rebates to my parents as well as their stores so I have 6 addresses I can use.

 

[imported_chrisbtx]

None of the other ads that I looked at said anything about limits for rebates either, but just about every rebate is one per household. This is not something limited to Best Buy... check CC ads and Fry's stuff as well....

To repeat what others have said, you should just send in both rebates from separate addresses, but be warned, if you purchased both of the computers together, you've just about killed your chance at getting both rebates back. It's best, when purchasing items with MIRs, to ring each up separately and with two separate forms of payment (IE: two different credit cards or a credit card and then cash). Good luck getting your rebates back though!

 

[dirtrat]

I agree, almost ALL rebates are 1 per household. I fail to understand what this post is about or why he's complaining! This is not Best Buys fault. Sounds like he is an unexperienced consumer if you ask me.

Originally posted by: dabuddha
It's quite common knowledge that 99.9% of rebates are always 1 per household.

I'm sorry you didn't know this but you could always send the other rebate to another family member or someone you trust to give you the check when it comes in. I send a lot of rebates to my parents as well as their stores so I have 6 addresses I can use.

 

[Pulsar]

Dirtrat, I'll try to explain this.

"Common knowledge" isn't "common". Especially for people who aren't normally big time shoppers. I saw a deal on a computer I wanted. I mentioned it to a family member who wanted it too. I checked the ad and NO where did it say I couldn't buy more than one and still get the deal.

Now, if you can show me something LEGAL that says I wasn't supposed to buy two computers at Best Buy at that price, then I'll happily eat crow and slink away quietly. But if Best Buy puts out a flyer with NO limit on the purchases, they certainly can't expect to somehow stop you from getting your rebates AFTER you make the purchase!

 

[mzkhadir]

there is no limit on the purchases, after you purchase on for 199 all the rest are regular price

 

[bunnyfubbles]

yes, lets let people buy up all the good deals screwing everyone else. Hats off to BB for making sure more people get the opportunity to get a good deal especially if they've taken the time to actually go out and try and get a deal instead of relying on someone else to "also pick one up for them."

Second if you were clever enough you'd allow for some other household to pay for the 2nd machine and just pay them back, easy to do if you have any close friends or relatives.

 

[bgc99]

The only rebate I've seen lately that wasn't limit 1 was for Raptor hard drives, which was limit 2. It would be nice if they would offer more rebates that allowed one person to purchase more than 1 item. Things like hard drives and memory sticks come to mind, where needing more than 1 would not be odd.

BGC

 

[Vcize]

Originally posted by: bunnyfubbles
yes, lets let people buy up all the good deals screwing everyone else. Hats off to BB for making sure more people get the opportunity to get a good deal especially if they've taken the time to actually go out and try and get a deal instead of relying on someone else to "also pick one up for them."

Seriously, I don't understand why people can't read and comprehend on a 3rd grade level. He doesn't have a problem with having a limit so that everyone can get in on the deal, his problem is with the fact that they failed to tell him this or print it anywhere until AFTER he had laid out his money.

 

[NuNuNYC]

it's funny to see all the little people runnin off with 5 of the same item... it'll do wonders on how they will have to track and find 5 neighbors and friends for the next 8-10 weeks

 

[Fritzo]

THis is very common on any rebate. Use a work address, a friend's address, or a neighbor's address to get around it.

 

[Richardito]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
THis is very common on any rebate. Use a work address, a friend's address, or a neighbor's address to get around it.

You are right, that is the only way to do it. But in the past months I'm beginning to think that the rebate companies are starting to tag the names too and denying rebates because they have "exceeded the household limit". Right now I'm fighting with this on one of my Soyo rebates (three more came in with no issues) and another rebate for a hard disk. Rebates are just evil...

 

[darkrelevance]

but then again, you also got to think about all the other people in line behind you that didnt get one because you wanted two.

 

[Sandor]

One rebate/household may be common knowledge, but that doesn't make it legally binding. If it was, then no companies would list a limit on rebates.

 

[rgreen83]

more than one per household isnt necessarily as uncommon as some think, most cell phones purchased these days come with a MIR and the most common limit is five on those.

 

[deldd]

Rebates are a pain in the butt. Best Buy and other retailers should list how many per household in the ad or somewhere besides the rebate form and the receipt, that is just plain deceptive practices and they know it.