Rebates are a scam

[RobCur]

You either get it 6-8 week or not at all and rarely do you get it less then 6 week. This is a pyramid scheme where you money is piled up together, and whether you get rebates back or not is up to them. They couldn't sell very well could they with the advertised price of say 39.99 so with something like 9.99 after rebate, it sure drive up the sale like madness! There are times i get rebate and there are times I don't and theres nothing you can do about it except take it as a loss. Whats funny is that once somebody get into this rebate scheme, they buy even more next time, sometime doubling or even tripling the amount of their previous purchases. I'll laugh my a$$ off when they don't get any of their rebates back, its going to happen sooner or later. Once they have enough people invested in their rebates, they will run away with it, leaving those waiting for it, disappointed/outraged. The stock market crash ring any bell to you?

 

[WinkOsmosis]

It's been 2 months and I still haven't gotten the $100 rebate from my WD 200gb hard drive. I got the $20 rebate though. Bastards.

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: RobCur
There are times i get rebate and there are times I don't and theres nothing you can do about it except take it as a loss.

Wrong. Follow the rebate guidelines and always make copies of the information you submit and you are fine.

 

[optoman]

Sure, whatever you say.

I have gotten back close to $2000 in the past couple of years and have also received every single one I sent in. Half of my computer if free after rebate.

 

[ElFenix]

its not a pyramid scheme, but it is a scam

 

[freakflag]

In the last few years I have filed, literally, hundreds of rebates and ALL of them have come through.

 

[wfbberzerker]

"blasphemy!" sayeth the grand nagus.

 

[littleprince]

I know I dont get them all back.

Sometimes the compnay sends a letter something like this
"Our rebates are intended for.... you purchased the item at a discount.... therefor the rebate is not honoured"

Sometimes it just takes them a frickin long time to send it back...
But of course if I owed them money, they would expect it back within like 2 days and not a minute later.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
its not a pyramid scheme, but it is a scam

No, it's not a scam unless there is fraud involved.

Rebates are a simple form of sales promotion, like cupons. They bring people into the store immediately and the overall amount of people who actually send the rebates in is relatively low so it's cost-effective for the company.

Once they have enough people invested in their rebates, they will run away with it, leaving those waiting for it, disappointed/outraged. The stock market crash ring any bell to you?

What stock market crash, the 1920's crash? This recent "crash" is nothing more than a correction from the bubble economy of the past few years. Note the trend in this plotting of the DJIA values for the past 20 years. You can clearly see the bubble surge and correction.

ZV

 

[Cyberian]

Originally posted by: RobCur
You either get it 6-8 week or not at all and rarely do you get it less then 6 week. This is a pyramid scheme where you money is piled up together, and whether you get rebates back or not is up to them. They couldn't sell very well could they with the advertised price of say 39.99 so with something like 9.99 after rebate, it sure drive up the sale like madness! There are times i get rebate and there are times I don't and theres nothing you can do about it except take it as a loss. Whats funny is that once somebody get into this rebate scheme, they buy even more next time, sometime doubling or even tripling the amount of their previous purchases. I'll laugh my a$$ off when they don't get any of their rebates back, its going to happen sooner or later. Once they have enough people invested in their rebates, they will run away with it, leaving those waiting for it, disappointed/outraged. The stock market crash ring any bell to you?

You actually frighten me.

 

[RobCur]

There are some who aren't as fortunate, where their rebate was rejected or don't even get a notice at all. Its risky and waiting 6-8 week just make my skin crawl. Its like putting some money in a stranger's pocket and hoping he will return it to you after he's done borrowing it. A few will get it but the majority will not which is how rebates work, a bait to get everyone into the game. I quit and some that are aware hopefully will too, so we can end this silly games of theirs. Its ruining the economy as well, and if you are skeptical, you should be. Are we forgetting something folks? what about your investment, how much did you lost? LOL. maybe all of it?

 

[optoman]

Originally posted by: RobCur
There are some who aren't as fortunate, where their rebate was rejected or don't even get a notice at all. Its risky and waiting 6-8 week just make my skin crawl. Its like putting some money in a stranger's pocket and hoping he will return it to you after he's done borrowing it. A few will get it but the majority will not which is how rebates work, a bait to get everyone into the game. I quit and some that are aware hopefully will too, so we can end this silly games of theirs. Its ruining the economy as well, and if you are skeptical, you should be. Are we forgetting something folks? what about your investment, how much did you lost? LOL. maybe all of it?

LOL

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: RobCur
There are some who aren't as fortunate, where their rebate was rejected or don't even get a notice at all. Its risky and waiting 6-8 week just make my skin crawl. Its like putting some money in a stranger's pocket and hoping he will return it to you after he's done borrowing it. A few will get it but the majority will not which is how rebates work, a bait to get everyone into the game. I quit and some that are aware hopefully will too, so we can end this silly games of theirs. Its ruining the economy as well, and if you are skeptical, you should be. Are we forgetting something folks? what about your investment, how much did you lost? LOL. maybe all of it?

You're funny. I've never had a rebate denied.

ZV

EDIT: Also, if one invested prior to about 1996, then they haven't lost anything. It's just stupid to invest for the short term when the market is so much above the long run regression plot.

 

[Mallow]

I have only not gotten one rebate... $25 from K-Byte. Just be smart about your rebates and you will prevail.

 

[alexjohnson16]

The only rebate I haven't gotten was the rebate on my US Cellular cell phone...

Sposed to be free phone with the plan I got, pay $30 up front and get the rebate in 4-6 weeks... its been 4 Months, and no reply from the USCC Online Rebate site...

 

[MrCodeDude]

Fry's is the WORST at rebates. I don't think there is more than a few times where I've gotten the rebate back with no hassle on my part.

They always send, "You did not purchase this and that during the time limits and it was only valid for whatever store, etc." So, I end up calling the # on the card thing and tell them I have a copy of the Rebate, my Reciept and UPC. They go, "Oh, that was our fault, we mistook your rebate for the Best Buy rebate. We'll send out your check immediately." So then I ask, "What would have happend if I didn't call?" They're answer, "I don't know for sure."

Sure, companies make mistakes. But they should recognize their mistake and send out real checks when they know what they did was fraudulant. I have half of a filing cabinent dedicated to rebates. I sort them by week (when I should recieve them). If any are left after however many weeks they specified, I call them up and ask where my rebate is.

It takes a little bit of work, but at least you don't get screwed over. I find Staples to be the best at giving me rebates, not once have I had to call them up to ask where mine was or did they send me the wrong amount, etc.
-- mrcodedude

 

[rayma2]

the thing is that they have the ability to reject your rebate for so many reasons that it is easy to loose it.

 

[cmf21]

I have to agree on the part that it's mostly a scam. I've basically gotten back every rebate I've ever sent in but lately, they all seem to be rejected because some idiot in the processing department doesn't look at anything but my name and address and then denies my rebates because they say I didn't include the upc when they have a huge copy of it of it stapled to the darn rebate along with my receipt. My latest beef is with the Sony pega-WL100 wireless adapter for $50 where they said I didn't include the upc when I had included a huge copy of it highlighted in red permanent marker. How they didn't see that just blows my mind.

Make sure you always photocopy everything and complain and complain until you get your rebate. Resubmission is a joke as well because you have to wait even longer to receive it and just isn't acceptable. Always try to get them to approve it over the phone.

 

[Lars]

Staples is always very good with rebates; other companies are so-so.

 

[RobCur]

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: RobCur
There are times i get rebate and there are times I don't and theres nothing you can do about it except take it as a loss.

Wrong. Follow the rebate guidelines and always make copies of the information you submit and you are fine.

You may play by the rules but they will be the one that bends them, then what? Hire a lawyer? I rather pay a little less then retail price buying it online and not having to worry about rebates coming back or not. Greed can often fireback, and get those who never satisfy with what they have, empty handed, lmao.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: RobCur
You may play by the rules but they will be the one that bends them, then what? Hire a lawyer? I rather pay a little less then retail price buying it online and not having to worry about rebates coming back or not. Greed can often fireback, and get those who never satisfy with what they have, empty handed, lmao.

These are some of the strangest posts I have ever seen. Massive conspiracy theorizing and an excessively alarmist tone. They remind me of the over-paranoid and slightly comic figures in bad Science Fiction films.

ZV

 

[ThisIsMatt]

I've never not received a rebate I was expecting. Sure, some take time...

I have about 4 pages of rebates listed at staplesrebates.com totally hundreds of dollars.

 

[ElFenix]

has anyone ever gotten their rebate in the 6 to 8 weeks claimed?

 

[JW310]

Originally posted by: cmf21
I have to agree on the part that it's mostly a scam. I've basically gotten back every rebate I've ever sent in but lately, they all seem to be rejected because some idiot in the processing department doesn't look at anything but my name and address and then denies my rebates because they say I didn't include the upc when they have a huge copy of it of it stapled to the darn rebate along with my receipt. My latest beef is with the Sony pega-WL100 wireless adapter for $50 where they said I didn't include the upc when I had included a huge copy of it highlighted in red permanent marker. How they didn't see that just blows my mind.

Make sure you always photocopy everything and complain and complain until you get your rebate. Resubmission is a joke as well because you have to wait even longer to receive it and just isn't acceptable. Always try to get them to approve it over the phone.

Maybe you were supposed to send the original UPC instead of "a huge copy" of the UPC?

JW

 

[ReiAyanami]

Rebates are fine as long as they come. It doesn't matter if you don't make copies most of the time, because from experience if they don't come, they don't. (Specifically FRYS and NEW ROCHELLERE/COMPUSSR rebates)