Hot - Color Handspring Visor Prism $449-$200 mail-in at CompUSA B&M

[iDazzler]

Hey Gang,

Spotted and got me this deal at COMPUSA in Raleigh NC:

Handspring Visor Prism $449 - $200 Mail-In Rebate = $249 !!!

Hard to Beat that for 65,000+ Color Visor.

Enjoy!!!

 

[ISH]

.

 

[iDazzler]

ISH,

I have the mail-in rebate, and I can guarantee you it is not. The Salesperson told me that he really wanted the deal too, but could not afford the initial disbursement.

The mail-in is directly to Handspring in Phoenix, AZ.

 

[MontyBurns]

Wait, this makes it the same price as the handspring deluxe...

Something doesn't seem right.
For instance: why isn't CompUSA advertising this?

 

[dna2z]

It's a typo. Go here and read the post titled "Re: Prism Rebate"

 

[MontyBurns]

But it CAN'T be a typo, because iDazzler has a copy of the rebate in his hand.

iDazzler: Can you please scan the rebate form?

 

[MontyBurns]

Never mind, someone has scanned the form here.

This form looks a bit shady in its design, but the wording seems legit. Holy crap.

 

[MontyBurns]

On the other board referenced above, some people are alleging this is actually a combo deal involving an Omnisky wireless modem. Others swear no, the Omnisky deal is different. So frustrating! And tempting.

The biggest red flag, however, is that you send the rebate in to "Mindspring Rebate." Obviously something is amiss here. Mindspring isn't known for having AOL/Compuserve-style rebate scams. But this could very well be a promotion tied to establishing a Mindspring account (the form asks for an e-mail address.)

 

[SpideyCU]

Why does the rebate say to mail it to "Mindspring Rebate Center", and not "Handspring Rebate Center"...odd, no?

Edit: heh, I kept the message screen up for too long, he said what I was going to.

 

[RossMAN]

If this deal pans out and the $200 rebate turns out to be legit I'm gonna be $449 - $200 poorer

 

[av1998]

Another fishy fact is that Mindspring no longer exist, they have merged into Earthlink !! Hmmm ..... what a mysterious deal .....

 

[emonkey]

or if its not legit you will be $449 poorer and stuck with a palm you probably wouldnt have bought in the first place.

Most compusa people say its a typo because its supposed to be part of an omnisky contract, but the people who want this deal to be legit will only quote the (probably) misinformed compusa employees wanting to make the sale. And considering compusa charges 15% restocking, youre stuck waiting 6-8 weeks for your $200 and lose youre UPC then its too risky for me.

 

[Holycrap]

OK. I have not done this deal (yet), but here are my thoughts.

1. It makes no sense that the form SHOULD have said "MINDSPRING", but rather it is sensible that the person typing the form typed "MINDSPRING" (a long defunct ISP having merged into Earthlink) instead of the correct "HANDSPRING".
2. The address is a rather typical address for one of the larger rebate processing companies, Continental Promotions Company. If someone wants to find out more information tomorrow, the phone number for the company is 800.340.0108. Reference the department number (it identifies what the rebate is) 28359 and they should have information on it. Please post your results if you call.

 

[ignorus]

There is no requirements listed on the rebate form that say you have to join/buy something else, just the visor. You could probably argue your case if they give you rebate hassles and win in the long run... That being said, I don't know if I would risk $450 on it - plus like $40 on top in tax

 

[emonkey]

Heres the legal way for Californians to "hopefully" ensure the rebate. I still think its too much a risk and wont be honored, but heres the law for you anyway. This was clipped from another group...


<<<I'm looking at the CA Civil Code, while the lights are still on, and it's quite clear:

CALIFORNIA CODES
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE
SECTION 17530-17539.6

17537.11. (a) It is unlawful for any person to offer a coupon that is in any manner untrue or misleading.

(c) For purposes of this section:
(1) &quot;Coupon&quot; includes any coupon, certificate, document, discount,or similar matter that purports to entitle the user of the coupon to obtain goods or services for free or for a special or reduced price.>>>

 

[RossMAN]

emonkey,

or if its not legit you will be $449 poorer and stuck with a palm you probably wouldnt have bought in the first place.

Most compusa people say its a typo because its supposed to be part of an omnisky contract, but the people who want this deal to be legit will only quote the (probably) misinformed compusa employees wanting to make the sale. And considering compusa charges 15% restocking, youre stuck waiting 6-8 weeks for your $200 and lose youre UPC then its too risky for me.

Wise advice, thanks you just saved me $249

 

[AndrewR]

LOOK AT THE FORM!! There is NOTHING on there about Omnisky or any other purchase of any kind. The rebate terms are quite explicit, and there's nothing ambiguous about it. The only minor point is the &quot;Mindpring Rebate&quot;, which is only one letter off and almost certainly a misprint on the form -- in any case, it's only the address, which doesn't affect the terms of the rebate offer.

THIS APPEARS PERFECTLY LEGITIMATE. $200?? That's a hefty rebate. I'm almost tempted, but I think I'll wait for something at Amazon as I clutch my $150 Gift Certificate from MCI.

 

[w1ngman]

WOW am I probably gonna get a flame here...especially since this is my first post on this incredibly informative forum,...but here goes...

Sooo many threads I see posters speak of contacting Customer Service Reps for this and that...the scanned form I viewed has a 1-800 number right on it,...yet I've yet to hear any of the posters on this thread speak of having called and *asked* someone about this rebate form!

You guys are gonna talk yourselves right into an expiration date on this forum. The rebate form indicates that a purchase must be made by Jan 20th and rebate submission postmarked by Feb 3rd. If you are interested, make a call, let the posters here know, and wait out a likely sweeet deal to come back to you in 6-8 weeks.

I hope I'm not outta line here...cuz again, I really do like this forum.

Thanks!

 

[RossMAN]

w1ngman - Also good advice, I didn't know that the rebate expires 1/20. I don't really NEED a PDA but it would be nice esp for $249.

I'll be willing to call about the rebate tomorrow does anyone have the 800 # from the rebate form? I'll make sure to speak with a manager.

 

[w1ngman]

Sure RossMAN,

MontyBurns earns a bump for tagging a link to the scanned form. Also, although I didn't initially notice his advice, after reviewing this thread again, HolyCrap deserves 1st bump for suggesting to call a 1-800 number (his suggestion was the company number...I was suggesting the rebate number on the form). Here's the info:


SKU#278176
1-800-773-6709 (rebate status number)
1-800-340-0108 (company number)
Reference &quot;dept number&quot;: 28359
Regarding: [Mind]spring Rebate?

Good Luck!

 

[RossMAN]

Thanks I'll call them tomorrow during regular hours. I'm kind of hoping this deal doesn't go through otherwise I may buy the Handspring ...

Does anyone have input on just how good the Prism color quality is? I heard that it just blows away the Palm IIIc.

Are there at least 50 new applications which take advantage of the color LCD?

 

[w1ngman]

Someone's probably gonna pinch me for some netiquette issue here, but RossMAN, check out the following for some good info. If suggesting this is bad manners on my part, I'll probably know momentarily... But the site *does* offer some very good information on its product (including an area for realizing its color offerings -- checkout &quot;free color software download&quot; for more info on that part RossMAN)

http://www.handspring.com/products/visorprism/

BTW, RossMAN, not sure all of what your looking for in a handheld, but I'd consider your application intentions given that, for all it has going for it, (as far as I'm concerned -- read: IMHO) the Color Handspring's 8meg of memory is a bit of a sour point. Just a heads up...rest of units features seem very good to me...but the thought of bringing in e-mails w/ attachments (which I'd do in my line of work waaaaaaay too much each day) would gobble up 8meg... Knowhaddamean?

 

[cejay]

scanned in form link doesnt work... whats up.. is this legit.. or what
cj

 

[yodayoda]

hehehe, netiquette, how gay. anyways, i just wanted to remind this forum that the handspring prism has a smaller display than the other handspring visors (deluxe, solo, platinum) and sucks up batteries like there is no tomorrow. if you guys are going to flip on eb*y, that's cool, but don't buy one for yourself, you'll be disappointed.

 

[MontyBurns]

yodayoda: I want to remind you that handspring prism doesn't use batteries, but rather a rechargeable battery pack. It charges every time it's sitting on the cradle. So you won't need to worry about that.