The ripoffs behind rebates...

[IGBT]

Text

..I always felt this was a scam. And it's worse yet for membership stores (costco)..why don't they apply the rebate at the cash register..


They're hoping you won't bother
Certainly, manufacturers have a vested interest in making the process difficult. In their defense, the potential for fraud exists. TCA says $500 million is lost annually on fraudulent rebate claims.

But part of the appeal of rebates to manufacturers is the number of people who don't make legitimate claims.

The FTC's Dershowitz estimates that at least 50% of rebates go unclaimed because consumers lose the form, throw away the UPC code or just can't be bothered to fill out the paperwork and mail it. And TCA brags on its Web site to its potential customers that it rejects 800,000 claims a year, "saving our customers $20 million."

 

[daveshel]

Not sure why this is here, but ok. I do not buy anything that has a rebate. Never.

 

[Dissipate]

I always mail in my rebates and have never had a problem. The stuff you have to do is *kind* of tricky, but it never takes me more than 10 minutes doing everything to mail it out.

 

[AnyMal]

How's any of this news to anyone?

 

[joshw10]

you have to be a lawyer to fill out the maze of forms sometimes..

 

[jackschmittusa]

I have gotten hundreds of rebates over the years. I have only had problems with maybe 2% of them, and a couple of them got resolved.

 

[Starbuck1975]

I have always taken advantage of rebates, and have never had a problem.

 

[acemcmac]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975
I have always taken advantage of rebates, and have never had a problem.

I always take advantage of them too, but have been burned more than once for no legitimate reason at all. I often duck deals if they have more than one rebate or I don't feel like dealing with rebates

 

[arsbanned]

*shrug* I fill them out and send them in immediately and have never had a problem that I know of. If I can get 10%-20% and sometimes more off by spending 5 minutes filling in the form and cutting the UPC out, it's not a bad thing. But I figured that the majority don't even bother. Welcome to Amedeeca.

 

[herkulease]

Originally posted by: IGBT
Text

..I always felt this was a scam. And it's worse yet for membership stores (costco)..why don't they apply the rebate at the cash register..


They're hoping you won't bother
Certainly, manufacturers have a vested interest in making the process difficult. In their defense, the potential for fraud exists. TCA says $500 million is lost annually on fraudulent rebate claims.

But part of the appeal of rebates to manufacturers is the number of people who don't make legitimate claims.

The FTC's Dershowitz estimates that at least 50% of rebates go unclaimed because consumers lose the form, throw away the UPC code or just can't be bothered to fill out the paperwork and mail it. And TCA brags on its Web site to its potential customers that it rejects 800,000 claims a year, "saving our customers $20 million."

You're complaing about costco?

Costco has NEVER failed for me and many others. there's no requirements for UPC just fill form out and mail or fill it out on line.

if it doesn't come through you just walk over to the membership desk and they'll promptly give you a refund with almost no questions ask. If that is too difficult then I don't konw what else is easy.

I have never found any other retail store is THAT easy with rejected rebates. On top of that they have one of the most liberal return policies. I've seen people return coffee mugs with coffee in them and they'll take it back. I would never do such a thing but the option is always there.

Now if you said compusa or some of frys stuff yeah they suck so bad.

 

[compuwiz1]

Heh, if you don't ask for, or don't know about a rebate, that's your fault. When I worked a a Ford store, customers always knew about the rebates, which are deducted at the time of sale.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Have never ended up without the rebate.

A couple of times, it was questinoed; faxing copies of the "misplaced" info, resolved it.

I have actually received double rebates twice when they were "lost" and I had to file formal complaints to the sponsor company.

 

[Imdmn04]

You do realize that the point of rebate is to bank on people who doesnt fill them out right?

If everybody filled them out, we wouldnt have rebates.

 

[cumhail]

Originally posted by: herkulease
You're complaing about costco?

Costco has NEVER failed for me and many others. there's no requirements for UPC just fill form out and mail or fill it out on line.

if it doesn't come through you just walk over to the membership desk and they'll promptly give you a refund with almost no questions ask. If that is too difficult then I don't konw what else is easy.

I have never found any other retail store is THAT easy with rejected rebates. On top of that they have one of the most liberal return policies. I've seen people return coffee mugs with coffee in them and they'll take it back. I would never do such a thing but the option is always there.

Now if you said compusa or some of frys stuff yeah they suck so bad.

I'm with herkulease Costco rebates are, by far, the easiest to submit and quickest to arrive. It takes about 30 seconds to enter a rebate on their web site; and I've never had to wait much more than two weeks to receive my check. On recent rebate deals from Staples and BB, meanwhile, I had to wait over three months.

goll

 

[Engineer]

Which is why I love it when manufacturers/rebate houses/retailers screw up and have multiple rebates. Reminds me of another site (Hot deals like) that had a screwup 2 years ago in which 4 - $200 rebates were given at the same time (overlapping by mistake) for a $550 color laser printer. There was a limit of 5 on each. So they paid $250 per printer for you to take them home!

I've NEVER lost a rebate. The worst one was an Office Depot / ATI rebate and the BBB took care of that one!

 

[Zebo]

Rebates are for chumps not worth my time. nickles and dimes practically speaking with a time commitment and some people even have to fight for it. Sometime my wife will do them but I discourage it in general. Mailing list sellers love you for them though.

Ive found I'm much better off and happier finding sale items at discount etailers or retailers and paying that price than bothering. JMO.

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: herkulease

Originally posted by: IGBT
Text

..I always felt this was a scam. And it's worse yet for membership stores (costco)..why don't they apply the rebate at the cash register..


They're hoping you won't bother
Certainly, manufacturers have a vested interest in making the process difficult. In their defense, the potential for fraud exists. TCA says $500 million is lost annually on fraudulent rebate claims.

But part of the appeal of rebates to manufacturers is the number of people who don't make legitimate claims.

The FTC's Dershowitz estimates that at least 50% of rebates go unclaimed because consumers lose the form, throw away the UPC code or just can't be bothered to fill out the paperwork and mail it. And TCA brags on its Web site to its potential customers that it rejects 800,000 claims a year, "saving our customers $20 million."

You're complaing about costco?

Costco has NEVER failed for me and many others. there's no requirements for UPC just fill form out and mail or fill it out on line.

if it doesn't come through you just walk over to the membership desk and they'll promptly give you a refund with almost no questions ask. If that is too difficult then I don't konw what else is easy.

I have never found any other retail store is THAT easy with rejected rebates. On top of that they have one of the most liberal return policies. I've seen people return coffee mugs with coffee in them and they'll take it back. I would never do such a thing but the option is always there.

Now if you said compusa or some of frys stuff yeah they suck so bad.

That's true Costco handles thier own rebates.. meaning can be done on-line, instantly, no mailing, no filling out complicated forms, no UPC, no BS and always comes in 6 weeks or less. Their vendors must agree to costco's handling of them to even offer them, due to privacy concerns, then costco gets at the backend from vendors of totals.


< Zebo's freind a VP at Costco.

 

[Cerb]

Um...that's the point. They want you to buy for the low AMiR price, but not send in the rebate itself. Otherwise, they'd be losing money offering the rebates, or make the rebates very small (FI: a Newegg sale price ).

 

[realsup]

Cannot believe you put Costco as your bitch.

Have never had a single problem getting a rebate from them. In fact there the easist rebates to get. Just come online type in the info with your reciept #.