Staples won't give me my $20 rebate...

[Hawk]

sorry, don't know where else to vent. So I mailed all that stuff in-original UPC, receipt, rebate form, with my address, etc. About 3 weeks later, they send me a postcard saying I didn't put in the UPC. I thought, being the moron that I could be, that I forgot it. I go home, check the box--nope, the UPC is cut out, so it was definitely in there (trust me, it was there). So I call them, they say that the rebate is NOW over, and I can't get the money anymore, even though I sent everything in before the deadline, and they messed up (they said that the UPC didn't look like the original to them or something). Grrr...

 

[Ranger X]

Sorry to hear that. I, fortunately, got my $20 rebate from Staples on a 900mhz phone that I ordered. Without that rebate, the deal would have been mediocre. That's what I hate about rebates. They're always willing to screw you.

 

[pen^2]

staples is evil... i dig where ya coming from tho... VA still owes me $50!

 

[AndrewR]

Go back to the store and demand your money from them. The rebate place is not lying to you since the retail company will give them a date past which no money is to be handed out (I've run into this before). Head over to the store, talk to the store manager, then explain what happened and that you need your money from Staples since Staples is who is preventing you from receiving it from the rebate place.

I hope you have copies of your rebate submission stuff... (if you don't, consider this a $20 lesson in a one page copy -- it has saved me more money than anything else)

 

[Josh]

so sue 'em

 

[Josh]

or beat 'em

 

[goog40]

son of a b$%&%, they just sent me the email to check my rebate, and they say I didn't purchase it in the correct time slot, even though I know I did, and the link for the rebate even came directly off the product's page.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

It took me about 9 months to get the $50 rebate on my scanner.

 

[CinderElmo]

There should probably be a Help fAQ or something on how to do rebates. At the very least you should make a copy of your rebate slip (front and back if possible), your receipt, and a copy of the UPC. Then write the date you sent it on the top...and store it in a central place for all your rebates. Whenever you get one filled you pull it out and put it in a different file (or throw it away).

Then, the oldest ones are obvious and you got all the info you need to let the Bitchin' begin. Like said in another post it has saved me a lot of hassle to have my sh*t together when I go in to protest!

Good Luck!

PS on the BIG rebates (say >50) I always used registered mail (even to PO boxes). It costs like 3 bucks...but gives piece of mind. Just one more piece of ammo in your arsenal if they try to F you.

 

[apoppin]

What CinderElmo said, except I don't bother to certify or register - too expensive - a simple and cheap "proof of mailing" from the PO will suffice.

 

[goog40]

It pays to bitch. I wrote to them telling them how corrupt they were, and magically my rebate is now validated, completing my free d-link mp3 player

 

[AndrewR]

I used Certified Mail for anything at or over $100. That's a fairly high threshold, and I want to guarantee myself when sending those big ones in.

To date, I don't honestly recall not receiving a rebate that was properly submitted. Some have been harder than others and required some faxes, emails, or letters, but they have all come through. The easiest ones are the ones directly to large manufacturers (Microsoft, for example). That place in Arizona has improved but was damn horrible several years ago (CompUSA uses them exclusively, Best Buy has many rebates there, too).

CinderElmo's advice above is excellent and is exactly how I do my rebate submissions. Just keep a folder and check it every now and again. Call as soon as the longest wait period specified has passed. If you cannot get any satisfaction there, go back to the store. Be nice, but make them understand that they are definitely wrong if they refuse to honor a rebate since it was an inducement to purchase. They usually cave and will give you the money.

 

[wjones]

I HATE STAPLES REBATE
I've received the white post card from them before (SAME reason, no UPC. But i did sent in the UPC for sure). I called in and they asked me to fax in the photocopy. Then I received my rebate in a month.

Maybe you get a bad CSR, try to call in again.

 

[Gustavus]

Here's a rebate story for the books. In the big Staples rebate offering in the middle of September one of the items was Eudora Pro 4.2 which Staples showed on their sales flyer as $40 with a $40 rebate so they had a caption "Free after rebate". The rebate was actually a $10 rebate from Qualcom, who manufactures Eudora, and a $30 rebate from Staples -- both of which asked for the original UPC. Since I have had so much trouble with Staples rebates in the past, before I bought the software, I sent an e-mail to Staples Customer Service asking about this and got back a FAX signed by Kiren in CS saying that I should send the original UPC to Qualcom and a copy of the UPC to the Staples rebate center in Coppell, Texas. I not only did this, but I attached a copy of the FAX from Staples Customer Service saying that this is what I should do. I got the same white card as the rest of you saying they could not honor the rebate since I did not send in the orginal UPC. Incidentally, out of eight rebates I applied for in that promotion, three have so far been answered with the dreaded white card. I am presently sending copies of all of the materials I submitted to the Staples resubmission center. We'll see what happens. I have had good luck at getting the B&M Staples to make good on what their rebate center did not do, so I expect to get my money back e-v-e-n-t-u-a-l-l-y.