How to get 99% of your rebates back.

[HDTVMan]

As for rebates its real easy.
1- Print Clearly. I cant stress that enough.

2- Attach a Printed Address label on the Envelope, Rebate, Receipt, and UPC. You can either print them yourselves of get a roll for about 5.00 for something like 1000 labels. They have no excuse then for not being able to read your handwriting or any of the labels with the same information posted on 4 pieces of information given to them.

3- If its a large rebate its only like 30 cent to a buck to get a confirmation of delivery from the post office. The post office is not evil and it only takes a minute to do. Get a gun while your there. Just kidding the US Post Office rocks.

4- Keep a list of your rebates and rebates websites on a piece of paper next to your PC and mark them off as they arrive. I usually just put down Company, Amount, Item, and rebate link.

Best Rebates:
Staples (Easy Rebate is King)
Walgreens (Yes Walgreens) Dont overlook them its just as easy as Staples but only done like once a month.

Worst Rebates:
Mad Dog.

Hope that helps someone.

 

[mshan]

Can you get delivery confirmation on a regular, 37 cent stamped envelope?

Or is it better to get certified mail, with or without return receipt requested?

 

[intogamer]

:thumbsup:btw I think it is 55 cents for FIRST CLASS

 

[virtueixi]

Originally posted by: mshan
Can you get delivery confirmation on a regular, 37 cent stamped envelope?

Or is it better to get certified mail, with or without return receipt requested?

Do you know how much certified mail with return receipt costs?

 

[bentwookie]

you left out- Make copies of everything.. rebate form, upc, (original receipt)

 

[Banana]

Make copies!
--
heh, wookie is fast!

BTW, this thread has useful rebate tips.

 

[intogamer]

Originally posted by: virtueixi

Originally posted by: mshan
Can you get delivery confirmation on a regular, 37 cent stamped envelope?

Or is it better to get certified mail, with or without return receipt requested?

Do you know how much certified mail with return receipt costs?

unless it is a car rebate?

 

[bentwookie]

btw there is a small thread here on rebates.

 

[bentwookie]

banana - we are even.

 

[skriefal]

I've seen rebate forms that state that they will refuse any submissions that use address labels, and instruct the submitter to write their address/name. Obviously they're using this as yet another reason to reject submissions so they can cut down their pay-out amounts.

 

[IconK7]

Also:

5- Copy EVERYTHING you send to them. Including the UPC code & the stamped & addressed envelope. I've had them returned as 'incomplete' but then called & faxed my copy and received my rebate in as little as 3 days.

Once my entire rebate envelope was returned as 'missing UPC code'. The UPC code was still in the envelope. When I called & faxed my copy I had the rebate in hand the same week.

6- Ask a live Postal clerk to stamp the postmark by hand. You will KNOW the date is on there.

I have seen those forms that ask for handwritten addresses. I write them by hand and put a printed return address label in a nearby blank space. Haven't had one rejected for that reason yet. I'm sure they would say they want original handwriting to help them cut down on multiple submissions. Give 'em both. Would be insanely unreasonable to reject a handwritten form because a printed label was included.

 

[AtlantaBob]

7.) Call the manager of the store that you purchased the item from -- Microcenter in Atlanta was particularly good about getting a response from evil MadDog (a check was FedEx'd out the next day).

8.) Use the BBB's website (www.bbb.org)--they have lots of phone numbers for companies, especially helpful for Parago (they own Rebates HQ). You can generally get people who can help you by calling the number listed for "official inquiries." Also look through the list of "other numbers" -- they typically contain direct-dial numbers to higher-ups.

P.S. MadDog is horrible.

 

[pxc]

Originally posted by: HDTVMan
Worst Rebates:
Mad Dog.

Hardly. I've gotten all 17 or 18 MD rebates i've sent in over the last few years.

The worst is easily i/o magic. They will accept or reject rebates (it doesn't matter), and if the rebate is resubmitted and "approved", they will still not pay it. Staples is pretty much the only place that will have i/o magic rebates paid without huge hassles. If you're lucky and do a lot of followup, you *might* be paid in 5-10 months from another store.

 

[HDTVMan]

Originally posted by: mshan
Can you get delivery confirmation on a regular, 37 cent stamped envelope?

Or is it better to get certified mail, with or without return receipt requested?

YES! you can on a 37 cent stamped envelope.

Delivery confirmation has a return receipt that confirms delivery.

Never had to do certified mail.

 

[leigh6]

Soyo rebates makes Mad Dog rebates look like Instant Rebates.

 

[Jaxidian]

My experience has been that I don't buy things with rebates from randomstore.com sites (or hardly from any online store, including places such as Newegg and such). I will only do rebates from stores such as Fry's, Staples, Office Max, etc. And if one of those rebates get rejected or doesn't come in properly, I go talk to some high-up CS execs from those stores and get them to ship me a rebate check from their own bank account and let them deal with the rebate company. I've never once had a store refuse to do something like this (though occassionally they have asked that I give them a week with the rebate company to have them send it out and if it's still not resolved then the store will send it out). If I do have a store refuse to do this then I will be very happy to point out the fraud they committed by advertising a product at a certain price with a certain rebate and failing to hold true to such a thing. In these cases I usually work my way up to a VP's assistant who will then cut me a check that day.

But randomstore.com rebates don't really care much at all about rebates and there is not much you can do (unless the rebates total for more than $50 then you could file a small claims court lawsuit, from what my limited, ignorant understanding of the law is).

So far this tactic has worked well for me. Seems to me that about 40% of my rebates get rejected (for no fault of my own) and then I have to go do all of this crap. And of course every time this happens I leave a BBB and FTC complaint.

 

[Trikat]

I think delivery confirmation requires the package to be a certain width/fatness, but then some people still get away with it lol.

I feel bad for you that you get 40% of ur rebates rejected. I have 95% + of my rebates that come perfectly.

 

[vital]

why not just avoid rebates all together?

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: vital
why not just avoid rebates all together?

because a lot of times that is what makes for a hot deal.

 

[Jaxidian]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: vital
why not just avoid rebates all together?

because a lot of times that is what makes for a hot deal.

Yup! Had a local Fry's grand opening sale that had a bunch of FAR items (PSUs, cases, AGP video cards, DVD-Rs, etc.). Spent about $600 there myself ($200 of that was a fridge, no rebates) and about $300 of that came back in rebates (actually spent $1,800 or so but most of the stuff was for some buddies at work). So ignoring the fridge (which was a great deal), I spent $100 (and some effort) to get $400 of goodies. Had to put forth some effort on about $100 of the rebates for some of the most idiodic reasons.

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: HDTVMan

Originally posted by: mshan
Can you get delivery confirmation on a regular, 37 cent stamped envelope?

Or is it better to get certified mail, with or without return receipt requested?

YES! you can on a 37 cent stamped envelope.

Delivery confirmation has a return receipt that confirms delivery.

Never had to do certified mail.

That's interesting. I tried to get delivery confirmation on a letter I sent out via First class mail and they said they don't do delivery confirmation on first class mail

 

[SelArom]

as an alternative to writing your rebates on paper, try out my Rebate Reminder program. It's free and only needs the .NET Framework installed.

Info Link. <--This link will change because I'm moving my domain, but you can always find it by going to http://www.selarom.com/Software I'll always have it there. Hope you find it useful!

-SelArom

 

Originally posted by: dabuddha

Originally posted by: HDTVMan

Originally posted by: mshan
Can you get delivery confirmation on a regular, 37 cent stamped envelope?

Or is it better to get certified mail, with or without return receipt requested?

YES! you can on a 37 cent stamped envelope.

Delivery confirmation has a return receipt that confirms delivery.

Never had to do certified mail.

That's interesting. I tried to get delivery confirmation on a letter I sent out via First class mail and they said they don't do delivery confirmation on first class mail

The person you spoke with was incorrect. You can certainly add DC to a first-class letter.

 

[imported_Decaf]

Certified mail is $2.20.
There is no need to pay for a return receipt, because you can get it by email if you actually need it. Of course you'll have to pay for it when you want it.

 

[intogamer]

Originally posted by: dabuddha

Originally posted by: HDTVMan

Originally posted by: mshan
Can you get delivery confirmation on a regular, 37 cent stamped envelope?

Or is it better to get certified mail, with or without return receipt requested?

YES! you can on a 37 cent stamped envelope.

Delivery confirmation has a return receipt that confirms delivery.

Never had to do certified mail.

That's interesting. I tried to get delivery confirmation on a letter I sent out via First class mail and they said they don't do delivery confirmation on first class mail

eh first class=mail & packages