Problems with your rebate? Read on....

[mysterX]

I think it should fit in perfectly in "Got Deals"

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/...939720,00.html

As Cash-Back Offers Multiply,
So Do Obstacles for Consumers

By JANE SPENCER
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL


Companies are offering record numbers of mail-in rebates on everything from shampoo to shotguns. But try actually getting one of them.

To move merchandise in the tight economy, companies have spun themselves into a rebating frenzy. The pace of offers has picked up in just the past few weeks: Amazon.com is in the midst of a "40 days of $40 rebates" promotion, and Gateway, Apple, eMachines and Compaq just jolted the PC market with a slew of new offers.

But the surge in rebate offers, combined with some changes in the way they are processed, is making it harder than ever for you to collect. The rebates are often contingent on a long and sometimes onerous list of terms, some of which are written in small print on the backs of rebates forms. On top of this, many companies now subcontract rebate processing to firms that then do their own subcontracting, making it that much trickier for customers to track missing checks.

Sony, for example, initially turned down more than 25% of applicants for a $100 rebate on its Vaio laptop for failing to meet the conditions. Microsoft is currently promoting a $300 rebate on a $549 Visual Basic software upgrade -- but to qualify, customers must have the cardboard box that the original software came in -- a tall order since many first purchased the product in 1998. (Microsoft has loosened the policy slightly, but hasn't changed the wording on its rebate form.)

State and federal regulators are starting to crack down on misleading rebate offers. Florida's attorney general recently filed a complaint against CompuServe for failing to pay $400 rebates to dozens of customers who had signed up for three years of Internet service. Texas settled with CompuServe over the same issue. The Federal Trade Commission has taken action against several electronics makers for routinely paying out rebates months late. They include Memtek Products, which makes Memorex disks, and UMAX Technologies, which makes scanners. In the past year, complaints lodged with the Better Business Bureau against TCA, which processes rebates for CompUSA and Microsoft, have doubled.

WHERE TO COMPLAIN IF YOUR REBATE DOESN'T ARRIVE
www.PlanetFeedback.com They'll help you write a gripe letter and forward it to the company. Plus, you can send copies to lawmakers.

www.NAAG.org/ National Association of Attorneys General Find your state attorney general's contact info, and call in a complaint. AGs will take action if they see a pattern.

www.FTC.gov/ The Federal Trade Commission File a complaint on line or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.

www.RipOffReport.com Share your horror story with other irate consumers. The site's caustic editorials will feed your rebate rage.



And that's just the more-established companies. In March, New York's attorney general warned consumers about Web retailers that sell at inflated prices promising generous rebates. One such site, CyberRebate.com, filed for bankruptcy-court protection, owing customers $90 million in rebates; one particularly exuberant shopper is owed $90,000.

Of course, to some degree companies that offer mail-in rebates have always banked on your laziness. Only 5% of offers are claimed by consumers, which allows companies to advertise low prices without having to absorb the cost of a flat-out price cut. Claim rates rise with the value of the rebate, but even on electronics, redemption rates are still only 40% on average, according to BDS Marketing.

Despite the low redemption rate, companies routinely reject applicants for any violation of their strict "terms and conditions." On one of Sprint PCS's latest promotions, the fine print stipulates that customers must have a "preferred credit rating" to qualify. Failing to write in the date of purchase (even if it's printed on the receipt) or sending a photocopy of the receipt can also be cause for rejection on many rebates.

Part of the problem is that many companies aren't equipped to follow through, says Michael Dershowitz, a senior attorney at the FTC. "They don't realize the demand they're creating," he says.

Serial outsourcing can also lead to quagmires. Last month, Bryan Turner, a 34-year-old San Francisco resident, attempted to track down a $40 Nokia phone rebate he sent away for last September. He soon found himself in a puzzling e-mail dialogue with Nokia customer service. "We at Customer Care NokiaUSA do not have any authority regarding rebates and promotions," read one e-mail.

Mr. Turner's rebate, for a Nokia 5165 phone, was being handled by Young America, one of the nation's largest rebate fulfillment centers, located in Minnesota. Since Young America handles upward of 20 million rebates a year for dozens of clients, mix-ups are inevitable -- and in Mr. Turner's limited experience, not unusual. Both his roommate, Rob Peacock, and his roommate's mother, Catherine Peacock, had similar problems with the Nokia phone rebate.

A Nokia spokesman says that 97.7% of qualifying applicants received their checks on that promotion within seven weeks; he says 15% of applicants were rejected for failing to follow the offer terms.

Certain fulfillment houses have particularly abysmal records. TCA in New Rochelle, N.Y., has an "unsatisfactory" record with the New York Better Business Bureau, which received 109 complaints about TCA in the past 12 months, versus 44 in the year-earlier period.

Peter Kuehnel of British Columbia isn't surprised. When he tried to cash a $15 check last month issued by TCA, it was returned -- for insufficient funds. "Then the bank charged me a $3 returned-check fee," he says. The check was a rebate for 256 megabytes of Kingston Technology RAM that Mr. Kuehnel had purchased.

TCA calls Mr. Kuehnel's experience "a fluke," and says the company accidentally bounced 200 checks last month because of a technical glitch. The company has promised to re-issue all checks.

Write to Jane Spencer at [email protected]

[ribitch]

bestbuy and circuit city have screwed me in the past. Bestbuy was 100 bucks for a camera and printer bought together and cirtcuit city was 7 bucks for some ram. The bestbuy one ticked me off. The RAM was bought for a client, so I made the money on that one.

[DoPeY5007]

Nice info mysterX

[mcs328]

Very helpful. I try to scan all the forms and UPC codes and keep a record of what was sent and received. The rebates I don't like are the ones that say you have two weeks to have the rebate postmark and sent. I recently got a rebate a few days ago that was issued by the company in April and it'll be void by next week.

My gf parents bought a computer that came with like a dozen rebates for the monitor, computer and printer. Two rebates asked for an original UPC code each instead of a photocopy. It said the UPC was inside the box but nope...nothing. Went back to BestBuy and had them credit us the $20 because we couldn't get it thru MIR..plus he added $3.

[mojo]

i got screwed on that camera rebate from last year...the one that was like 2 cams for $9 from outpost. i was in hawaii during the time that i was supposed to send off the rebate form. i didn't realize i basically had a couple days to send it...since usually you have a couple months

[VileOFFender]

Thanks for the heads up on who to watch out for while we are all looking for that "great deal" I can remember several times (or in this case, can't remember) where I can't remember if I even got my rebates back for CD-R's and stuff...oh well, guess I should really remember to write these things down in the future

[bugaboo]

so, does anyone know how long does officemax rebates take? I am waiting for like 5-6 rebates. This was like 2 months ago.

[Jeffbx]

I almost never buy products with a mail in rebate - I've heard too many complaints about them.

If I do happen to do it, I make sure I keep copies of everything, and then make an appointment in my calendar for 8 weeks (or however long it says it takes) reminding me that I should have gotten a check. I put the phone number or address of the rebate company & give them a call that same day if I haven't gotten anything yet. Of about 5 or 6 rebates I've mailed in in the past few years, I've had to call probably 4 times. The good news is that I've gotten all of the rebates I applied for.

I remember that whole fiasco with Cyberrebate - what a f-up! I feel sorry for the poor sods still waiting for their money....

[INeedAVacation]

problems with my rebates?.....hmm...cyberrebate.....urbanq.....yeah, I guess you could say I have problems with my rebates....

[paulc]

I've had every single rebate I ever sent go through. The fastest is Centon (memory) at usually just 2-4 weeks, Circuit City is next at between 3 and 5 weeks, various manufacturers directly 6-10 weeks and the worst is CompUSA (5-8 months) and Fry's (4-5 months). Lexmark sent my last $50 laser printer rebate in just 3 weeks. CompUSA was the only place I had to actually call or email on one 8 month rebate wait. I contacted them at 4 months.

[NullUnit2000]

I've had two occasions where I recieved letters saying I didn't qualify for a particular rebate, but then recieved them anyway.

One was for the $50 rebate on the Rio One from BB for buying XP on day one. The other was a $50 gift card to BB for buying a Nokia cel phone.

[Bires]

In the past staples has done really good rebates. I've recived about $200 in rebates in the past 24 months. Unfortunately, they farm their rebates out to rebateshq.com now. I am waiting for the $50 they owe me for my 32X CenDyne CDRW. I sent in three rebates at the same time (to different 'departments'). the other two are in their final stages of processing...the cendyne (the biggest one)...they are still waiting for my paperwork!!!!!

If they don't get on it soon...I'm off to the RipOffReport.

WHY, STAPLES, WHY!?!? Why must you send my rebate to some lame rebate company? You were such a cool place to buy stuff...WERE

[brainsmile]

https://secure.rebatestatus.com/bscr...t?planguage=EN

[groebuck]

Best Buy has a website called www.wheresmyrebate.com - Getting them from BB is the worst. On a Samsung CDRW it took 5 months - on the Visiontek - well read on.

I bought it in Januaray, by June I had no rebate still. I checked the site and it said it had been approved and the proposed mail date was June 06th. I called the company and they informed that Visiontek had postponed it until July. I went to the Vtek website where they have a place to email regarding rebates. I told them my story and that 7 months for a rebate that is supposed to be here in 4-6 weeks was a joke and becuase of this I would never buy a Visiontek product again (I own two Visiontek cards). I got an email back in an hour saying they would expedite the check to me. Two weeks later I did get my 50 bucks, some 38 weeks after 24 weeks after I sent it in.

[Box]

I have had pretty good luck so far. I do wish they would mail you a check in and envelope instead of a postcard check.... They get lost in the mail too easy.

I had a interesting story with amazon. I purchased Stuffit they advertised for $30.00 with a $30.00 rebate (basically free after shipping) I received the product. Went online to get the rebate and no rebate form. Yet they still showed the rebate. Contacted the company (maker of stuffit) no rebate. Called amazon. Said yes should have a rebate. Said would check into it. Called me back an hour later told me he had contacted the manufactur for it. Next day I was told they would make it right and give me a check for $30.00.

I figure this is good place to deal with... They did slip a little.

I received a check for 3 cents... $ .03

Called them and it took awhile for them to straiten it out. They at no time told me I was not going to get it. Finally about a month later I mentioned to the one person. Would crediting my credit card be easier than a check. Turned out yes. They had it done that day.

Oh yeah they deducted the $.03 cents...

box

[caribiner23]

Best Buy has a website called www.wheresmyrebate.com

Actually, that site is run by one of the rebate processing houses that handles rebates for a bunch of companies. My 3Com cable modem that I bought through Amazon has its rebate through the people at wheresmyrebate.com.

By the way, my rebate from these people is almost at 5 months and still counting. Maybe my DSL will be in by the time I get my cable modem rebate.

[Showtime]

I just got my visiontek rebate for $30. That makes my ti200 that i bought last year like $121 out the door.
Dlink tried to block a $5 rebate on a nic card. I filed with bbb and a week later $5 check.
Sending out my Samsung rebate this weekend for $50. That will bring the final price of my Samsung 19 inch flat to $152 shipped. I better get that one.
-jel
ps:i read that same article a little while ago i think. either that or some serious deja vu