Mail-in rebates

[pontifex]

Everyone seems to hate on mail-in rebates. Obviously it's annoying to have to send one on in but are they really evil or are people just too fucking dumb to use them?

Now I don't buy a ton of stuff that has a mail-in rebate but every time I have used one, I got it. My experience has been mostly with computer parts.


This seems to be like Paypal/Ebay. I think people are too dumb to use it because I've never had a problem with them either and I've done loads of transactions through Paypal and Ebay, both as buyer and seller.


Poll added

 

[olds]

"too fucking dumb to use them?"
This

 

[Numenorean]

I don't bother with rebates unless they are $50 or more. Anything less isn't worth my time. I just buy stuff when it's a good enough deal without a rebate. I'm not going to waste my time mailing shit in for $5 or something.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

I love mail in rebates. I've sent in hundreds, maybe thousands at this point. I used to use them to pad eBay sales volume. Last year's take was over $1,000. I've only ever had a handful not come back, and each time the manufacturer readily cut me a check from their own accounts after I sent them a short, polite email or letter.

 

[child of wonder]

The only mail in rebates I haven't received in the last 10 years are the ones I failed to mail in.

 

[Linflas]

They are annoying but if it is the only way to get a deal I can live with them.

 

[grrl]

They are annoying, but I've done many. Only two from Fuji film many years ago failed to work.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Annoying but I do them if they make the price cheaper than if I could buy it on sale alone. They've also allowed me to get a lot of things for free or almost free. Logitech, Antec, EVGA, Coolermaster are all great with rebates. I remember Coolermaster had rebates on a number of items that allowed to score several computer cases, power supplies, cpu coolers for like $20 total. Used them to build pcs for family.

I think I've had one rebate that I didn't get.

 

[Anubis]

I don't bother with rebates unless they are $50 or more. Anything less isn't worth my time. I just buy stuff when it's a good enough deal without a rebate. I'm not going to waste my time mailing shit in for $5 or something.

I feel the same way

TBH im not sure i have ever sent in a MIR, i cant recall ever doing so

 

[feralkid]

I don't bother with rebates unless they are $50 or more. Anything less isn't worth my time. I just buy stuff when it's a good enough deal without a rebate. I'm not going to waste my time mailing shit in for $5 or something.

Big deal; I don't bother for less than $150, that's how valuable my time is.

Besides, filling out forms, addressing an envelope and mailing it are jobs even my servants won't do.

 

[olds]

I don't bother with rebates unless they are $50 or more. Anything less isn't worth my time. I just buy stuff when it's a good enough deal without a rebate. I'm not going to waste my time mailing shit in for $5 or something.

I send them "Signature Confirmation" so I don't bother with the smaller ones either.

 

[CRXican]

people aren't dumb just lazy

I always send them in

 

[Pantlegz]

aside from almost never actually getting one back they're great. I've probably not gotten about $500 in rebates. I'm currently waiting more than 10 weeks for rebates from OCZ and ASUS and they're both nice enough to go through 4myrebate and have no contact number so basically if you don't get your rebate there in nobody to call and bitch about it.

 

[allisolm]

The only mail in rebates I haven't received in the last 10 years are the ones I failed to mail in.

This.

 

[acheron]

I've done a lot of rebates, and there was only one of them I didn't get.

You are basically getting your purchases subsidized by lazy people. Works for me.

 

[frostedflakes]

I usually won't even bother unless an item is already pretty cheap before the rebate, or if it was something I needed and was going to buy anyway. Then the rebate is just kind of a "bonus" and I'm not too bummed if it doesn't end up going through.

I think I've had pretty decent success with rebates, though.

 

[shortylickens]

I used to send them in all the time. Maybe one in twenty came back. And trying to track down the seller or manufacturer and force them to give me my money eventually got to be too big a hassle. I would frequently give up after a month and 5 phone calls and two letters and 20 emails. And they know that. The whole mail in rebate concept is a huge scam. Think about it for a minute guys. If they really wanted you to have your money back, why dont they just take it off right there at the sale? Or make the seller deal with the manufacturer? It would be easier for them. They could streamline the process to make it easier for hundreds to go through at a time, instead of dealing with individual customers. The make it challenging deliberately cuz they know most people will give up and few will bother with the cost of a lawyer.

Now I dont bother. When I look at the price of something I always ignore the mail in rebate. If the price is still acceptable I get it.

 

[SparkyJJO]

When I buy something I usually don't base it on the price after rebate, just in case the rebate doesn't go through. I did have one from Coolermaster take 10 months though

However, I've gotten all but 1 rebate back, so my theory is the people who rarely get a rebate back simply aren't following directions.

I'll do rebates $10 and up, because for 10 min of my time and a stamp I can have a free lunch

 

[IceBergSLiM]

Too dumb and Too lazy aren't the same thing. I think its laziness over dumbness.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Low dollar rebates I don't care enough to bother filling them out and sending them in. The high dollar ones are too big a risk because if they don't pan out then you wind up overpaying for the item. The only way I'll buy a product with a rebate is if it's actually a good deal even without cashing in the rebate and that almost never happens.

 

[Wyndru]

"People are too LAZY to use them"

Sometimes the are a pain in the ass, but I still send them in, unless the amount is so low it isn't worth my time.

 

[Brainonska511]

I always fill them out and I've always received the rebate. The best one I ever had was a rebate on a Tamron lens. Sent off the form and received the rebate 1 week later.

 

[pontifex]

Too dumb and Too lazy aren't the same thing. I think its laziness over dumbness.

no, the reason i made this thread is because i always see people, especially in hot deals forum, complain about having to use rebates because they got "burned" before.

 

[Bill Brasky]

Got screwed on a PNY Mail in Rebate. Of course reputable companies like sony (ps3) and sprint honor their MIR's.

Generally I don't purchase computer parts with MIR deals after getting screwed by PNY.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

I generally won't buy a product with a rebate unless the price is decent sans rebate.