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Home Depot Rebate Goes in Deep Freeze

By Ed Foster, Section The Gripelog
Posted on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 01:02:57 AM PDT

The litany of excuses that rebate fulfillment houses will use for putting your rebate on ice seems never ending. But one reader decided she was going to put an end to the excuses when rebates she was owed on a refrigerator purchased at Home Depot went unfulfilled by Continental Promotion Group.

"I've got a gripe with Home Depot's rebate company, Continental Promotion Group," the reader wrote. "In a nutshell, I bought a Hotpoint frig in July and got the rebate forms when it was delivered -- one for making a purchase that qualified for a $25 gift card and another for reimbursement for the $55 delivery charge. I sent everything in on time with all the necessary documents."

"Then the excuses began," the reader wrote. "The thing that clued me into the scam was that each time the reason for not having gotten the rebates was different, like the copies were illegible (not so -- checked them carefully before I mailed them) or they didn't receive the customer invoice (I'm obsessive-compulsive, so do you think I just happened to leave something out? Not a chance.) I refused to jump through their hoops by sending duplicate stuff. I talked with the Home Depot customer complaint center by phone twice with promises, promises, and finally discovered the name of the rebate company online and called them."

Continental Promotion Group, which along with its www.rebatestatus.com website has been the source of rebate gripes before, wasn't happy to hear from the reader. "I think they were a little shocked I got their telephone number because it wasn't on any of the forms -- just addresses and websites and one automated rebate voicemail that was listen-to options only. There is no way to access a real human and no option to leave a message. I told 'Unwa' I thought his company was a scam and I'd be busy making sure as many people as I could know it. I'm so mad I want to make a big sign saying that rebates should be called scam bait and go picket in front of those huge rebate promotions posted outside the local Home Depot."

The more the reader researches rebate practices in general, the madder she gets. "I guess, when I did hours of research yesterday online and discovered that these companies get away with STEALING consumers' hard earned dollars and blatantly practicing the art of deceit, I just snapped," the reader wrote. "How these people can sleep at night is beyond me. I had a lengthy conversation with the assistant manager of our local Home Depot last evening, giving him copies of blog comments I ran across yesterday when I discovered I'm not alone. He was shocked, or at least he put up a good front. I've filed a complaint with the FTC online yesterday and will do the same with attorney general as soon as I can. Thanks for listening - I feel a little better, anyway."

Filing a complaint with the FTC, your state Attorney General's office, and the store where you bought the product are all good steps when you get stuck with a deadbeat rebate. Better yet, try to deal with retailers like Office Max and Best Buy that are generally eliminating mail-in rebates. That's probably the only way to the rebate fulfillment houses in the deep freeze.

Post your comments about this column below, write me at Foster@gripe2ed.com or phone my voice mail at 1 888 875-7916.

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Home Depot Rebate Goes in Deep Freeze | 41 comments (41 topical) | Post A Comment

Postal Fraud[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#1)
by Fushigi on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 07:12:01 AM PDT

You mailed using snail mail, yes? Contact your local postmaster's office. The postal service usually doesn't take kindly to instances of postal fraud.

Thankfully, I have been fairly lucky in that virtually every rebate I apply for I receive. There have been a couple of excpetions but for the most part they've worked. Still, I've grown tired of that game and don't generally let rebates sway me towards purchasing something anymore. I'd rather wait for a real sale or a reduction in retail price, which in many cases follows shortly after the rebate expires.

[ Reply to This ]

Mail Fraud[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#2)
by sconeu on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 08:31:43 AM PDT

Ohh! That's a good one. And to be honest, it's probably her best bet.

All the others (except the State AG) are pretty much a slap on the wrist, but Mail Fraud is Federal Crime, and my understaning is that the USPS is very diligent in pursuing such cases.

--
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the United States of America.
[ Parent | Reply to This ]

USPS should be diligent...[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#3)
by krby34 on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 09:14:36 AM PDT

it is the single greatest advantage to using the USPS over other delivery services including e-mail and web forms.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

It is also the reason to use registered mail...[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#4)
by Anonymous User on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 10:57:54 AM PDT

For this reason, I use Registered Mail or Signature Confirmation when sending a rebate form out. It stinks that I end up spending $3-5 of the rebate to do so, but there is no way they can say they didn't receive my mail; I have proof that someone signed for it, and can show it.

For this reason, a lot of the rebate houses make sure that trackable mail results in a rebate being fulfilled; it's a lot harder to make excuses.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

re: registered mail[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#7)
by Anonymous User on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 01:54:20 PM PDT

I've heard people mention this before but what happens if there is no one to sign for the letter? Or they just refuse. Just curious.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

re: registered mail[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#8)
by Anonymous User on Fri Nov 17, 2006 at 11:18:45 AM PDT

I don't know, because I've never had one refused. I've done it a few times (I try to avoid rebates, but every once in awhile, something comes up that happens to have one and is a good deal, or I need an item and can wait a little on a rebate rather than waiting for an e-tailer that has a good non-rebate price) and while it has taken time, I've gotten my rebates back.

Some rebate houses like Onrebate.com actually show the status of rebates you've sent in to them. It is often possible to find out who is handling the rebate before you buy, and see if they have an online tracking option.

Ultimately, I still avoid rebates when I can. I think it's a big-box scam, and I can get reasonable prices online in most cases where I save right away, rather than let someone hold on to my money for 8-10 weeks.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Then you sue.[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#9)
by Anonymous User on Fri Nov 17, 2006 at 11:19:50 AM PDT

Then you sue. If they ignore or don't even receive submitted rebate forms, it's strong evidence of fraud. So you maybe even press charges or contact the AG or whatever.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Another idea...[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#13)
by Anonymous User on Mon Nov 20, 2006 at 08:00:06 PM PDT

I don't know how much legal weight it would have, but wouldn't it be interesting, if there were a note in the envelope with all the rebate paperwork, attesting to the fact that all of the required paperwork is present, with a notarized stamp on the note...granted, this would only be economically feasible for a huge rebate or if you know a notary willing to help you out cheaply...but it's an interesting thought. THEN send it registered mail. The recipient won't be able to pull any of the usual crap (we didn't recieve it, it's missing paperwork, etc).

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Ugh[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#14)
by Anonymous User on Tue Nov 21, 2006 at 08:00:32 AM PDT

Registered mail. Notaries. What additional hoops (and I notice they are all expensive hoops) will they think of next for people to have to go through to get what should be an up-front discount on the price?

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

The true story?[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#21)
by Anonymous User on Tue Nov 21, 2006 at 03:10:06 PM PDT

I recently got stiffed on a PNY rebate for a memory card purchased at COMPUsa (I have only been stiffed three times in all the years I have been doing rebates and they were all for items bought at COMPUsa). When I did not receive my rebate I called the fulfillment house and got to speak with a real person right away. She told me that she had no record of my rebate. I told her that I would resubmit the copies. She told me it would just be a waste of time because PNY only provides a certain amount of money for each promotion. When the money is used up the unpaid rebate requests are thrown out. I then called PNY and was connected to the woman who handles rebates. I turns out she does not handle complaints, she only sets up the promotions. When I asked her about what the fulfillment company told me she would not confirm that requests are thrown out but she did confirm that only a certain amount of money is allocated the promotion ends even if the cut off date has not been reached. Basically she told me I was out of luck. I then called the rebate number for COMPUsa and they told me there is nothing they could do. Of course now I will pass whenever I see a "good deal" from PNY.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Ummmmm... That's fraud.[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#24)
by Anonymous User on Fri Nov 24, 2006 at 06:05:54 PM PDT

They advertised a post-rebate price, implying that everyone is eligible for a rebate. If you have copies (or better yet, have the names & numbers of people who told you what) start sending letters to the CEOs of PNY, CompUSA, and get the Postal Police involved. The more you become a thorn in someone's side, the more they'll just pay to shut you up. (Even better if the rebate is small and you have nothing better to do...)

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Great Article, i agreee with you[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#43)
by Anonymous User on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 10:15:25 PM PDT

dis j'ai jamais vu de poisson sans ouies........et avec une forme pareille.......Internet Marketing 迷你倉護膚 .

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

ddd[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#42)
by Anonymous User on Fri Aug 08, 2008 at 01:12:44 AM PDT

Lucky[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#5)
by tcsbiz on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 12:57:56 PM PDT

I must be really lucky!

I've never had a problem with a rebate that wasn't my fault. I recently received my $55 rebate from Home Depot for the refrigerator I bought.

Are the rebate companies picking and choosing which rebates to honor and which to not honor? How ever they're doing it, it's entirely dishonorable.

I must be really lucky!

Tom.

[ Reply to This ]

Hypothesis[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#10)
by Anonymous User on Fri Nov 17, 2006 at 11:23:22 AM PDT

It's not hard to figure out how they're doing it or exactly how you got "lucky".

Evidently, they pick a random sample of people from the phonebook whose rebates will be consistently fulfilled and treated with proper respect; these people will then provide testimonials on blogs like this one about how the rebate process has always worked for them.

I'd guess it involves hashing customer names into a small number of buckets, say 100, and never deadbeating anything in bucket #37 or some such.

Try submitting a few rebates with phony names and see if they are more likely to be rejected. (Don't actually let the phoniness be detected or that could be the reason. Instead, borrow a friend's name, address, and phone number -- with their consent of course, and maybe an offer of a few dollars of the proceeds if its fulfilled -- and see if there's a higher failure rate for those. That will strongly imply that different people get treated differently.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Conspiracy theory, meet statistics.[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#26)
by foxyshadis1 on Fri Nov 24, 2006 at 09:41:01 PM PDT

I can't even tell if that's sarcastic or not, but going through that much trouble on the remote chance that it might convert a few people to an evangelist is silly.

More likely (and occasionally strongly evidenced) is that most rebate companies find any reason they possibly can to reject rebates, and of those that do pass muster, scrap another 1-10% or so, however many it takes to meet their profit goals. In that case, a number of people will statistically have never had trouble, especially if they aren't signing up for rebates all the time. The more you get, the more likely you are to get stiffed.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

I got Continental to pay up--AFTER 5 MONTHS...[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#6)
by Anonymous User on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 01:06:13 PM PDT

About 8 months ago, I bought a Bosch dishwasher from Sears that was eligible for a rebate from Sears and another $100 rebate through Continental. Five weeks after sending in the rebate form, Continental sent me a postcard saying the reason the rebate was denied was "insufficient information gathered". At that stage, Continental proved they had received the rebate request and chose to deny it. They included their rebatestatus.com website and a phone number on the card. Checking rebatestatus.com yielded the same useless "insufficient information gathered". The voice jail had a question "has it been 8 weeks since you sent in your rebate form?". In my haste, I picked "no"... "Please call back in a few weeks"--despite the fact that they had already denied the rebate. I immediately called back and said "yes" to the question and someone who barely spoke English revealed that the serial number was incorrect... I knew I got the correct s/n, but couldn't verify it because the dishwasher was already installed...

Filling in their web form 3 separate times asking for more information yielded nothing. The third time, I said that I would go to the Illinois & Arizona Attorney Generals--no response from Continental. Now I had to take it up a notch...

Following recommendations of Cook County's (Chicago) Small Claims Court website, I sent a letter to Continental demanding payment within 30 days. I also sent letters to the CEOs of Sears and Bosch. I thanked Sears for fulfilling their rebate honestly and asked them for their assistance in the Continental rebate. (Like it or not, Sears was a party to this mess since they advertised the post-rebate price, the Continental rebate form was printed on Sears register paper, etc.) I also opened a case with the Arizona BBB. In my letter to the CEO of BSH Home Appliances Corp...

"I find it disappointing that a respectable company like Bosch would do business with a company like Continental Promotions Group, a company with numerous complaints regarding their rebate practices in online forums (do a Google search for 'Continental Promotions Group') and with over 1400 complaints in the past 36 months with the Arizona Better Business Bureau."

I made sure that Continental was aware that I sent letters to the CEOs of Bosch and Sears. In my letters to Bosch & Sears, I also included a copy of my letter to Continental.

I never heard anything from Bosch, but I'll give credit to Sears for tracking me down--I didn't include my phone number in my letter to them but they pulled the sale info to call me. The day after Sears left me a message (before I called them back), I got my $100 rebate from Continental.

Moral of the story--get anyone and everyone possible involved. I've found that the smaller the rebate, the more likely you'll get a response. ("He sent a letter to the CEO over a $20 rebate?!? RESOLVE IT!")

And for anyone looking for information on Continental--from the AZ BBB... ;-)

Continental Promotions Group
Deanna Lee, Supervisor
1120 W. Warner Rd.
Tempe, AZ 85284

[ Reply to This ]

If more people did this[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#12)
by Anonymous User on Mon Nov 20, 2006 at 10:33:42 AM PDT

I don't bother dealing with the rebate fulfillment houses on unclear or incorrect denial notices, or even a failure to respond. I send a copy of everything to the retailer, and if appropriate, the manufacturer, along with a polite request that they deal with the problem. These are the companies that want your business again. I've never had to take it past this level. If more people pursued their rebates to this degree, stores and manufacturers would realize how much rebates actually cost, and hopefully apply the money they spend on rebates and fulfillmnent to simply compeating on price.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

FET UP WITH REBATES[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#33)
by Anonymous User on Wed Nov 29, 2006 at 11:58:23 AM PDT

I purchased new kitchen cabnets from home depot.I purchased so many for my kitchen($5000.00) I was entitled to a $500.00 gift card, well since July of 2006 I am still waiting,calling, threating,waiting, found out someone in arizona used the whole thing,fraud,(they sent it to the wrong zipcode) oh my I'm so pissed off!!!!continental promotions group should be so ashamed of themselves HOW DO THEY SLEEP AT NIGHT?I will no longer shop in any Home Depot.I even tried contacting Deanna Lee, couln't find her. I WILL NOT GIVE UP !!

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

dfghn[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#41)
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[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Home Depot Rebates[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#15)
by ppersch on Tue Nov 21, 2006 at 11:40:37 AM PDT

I applied for a Schlage lockset rebate, only to be told that the finish of the lockset that I purchased was not part of the rebate program. Finish was never mentioned on the rebate form. Rebate is only $4, so I am not pursuing it. But I am annoyed. I deal with my local hardware store whenever possible.

[ Reply to This ]

Bravo - Congratulations - Doing What's Right[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#16)
by Anonymous User on Tue Nov 21, 2006 at 12:35:42 PM PDT

I congratulate the afflicted person for doing what's right and speaking out to stop the carnage. Too often people see bad things and do nothing. If only people would just take more actions to stop those bad things, it all might get better. So bravo, and hopefully others will get the idea as well and speak out when they see wrong.

[ Reply to This ]

Home Depot Rebates[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#17)
by Anonymous User on Tue Nov 21, 2006 at 01:03:54 PM PDT

I had the same problem with Home Depot Rebates. I received a letter and email from them telling me that the purchased product did not qualify. I have no doubt that it did qualify, so I responded to their email asking why. Two month later... still waiting for response!

[ Reply to This ]

Me Too![ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#19)
by must68 on Tue Nov 21, 2006 at 01:26:14 PM PDT

I have also had problems with Home Depot rebates. I was told by the rebate company that the item in question for the rebate was not correctly identified on the form I recieved from Home Depot. So the rebate would not be honored. I was so furious that I called the Home Depot corporate office to complain that it is was not my fault that the form was incorrectly prepared by the local Home Depot store. To my surprise, and while I was on the phone, the customer rep. called the local store, verified the purchase and sent me the rebate directly from the corporate office!!!

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

OfficeMAx gets my business[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#18)
by Anonymous User on Tue Nov 21, 2006 at 01:25:58 PM PDT

When I see an OfficeMax Ad that does not require a rebate and I see the equivalent item in the Office Depot Ad with a rebate, guess which one I buy? If we refuse to buy items with a rebate, they will cease to exist.

[ Reply to This ]

rebates vs instant discounts[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#35)
by Anonymous User on Mon Sep 10, 2007 at 08:01:29 PM PDT

unfortunately you wont see an item at OfficeMax at a price equivilant to Office Depot on rebate. there is no way a manufacturer is going give Office Max the same price on the product as they give Office Depot for a product on Rebate. Its simple math. If you buy from OfficeMax and the rebate is actually a price discount, that means 100% redemption. No manufacturer wants 100% redemption, much like no insurance company wants all its policy holders to get into an accident. They are able offer a lower perceived price to Office Max customers because they know only 40-60% of the people are actually going to submit for a rebate.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

You can also work on the rebate sponsor[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#20)
by sbhollingsworth on Tue Nov 21, 2006 at 02:59:47 PM PDT

It may be the store, the manufacturer, or a distributor. Dealing with TigerDirect I save a lot of money but I end up jumping through the rebate hoops. They seem to have a closely-held subsidiary onrebate.com that I have ultimately never been defeated by. The one case that was an especially intense struggle started with "We are sorry to inform you that your rebate has been denied by one of our vendors for the following reasons: Vendor Name: Computer World Solution US Offer Code: XG-1788 Rebate Description: $95 MIR on 19" Select Ultra Thin High Res LCD Monitors Rebate Amount: 95.0000 Your Tracking Number is: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Reason: Invalid Serial Number."

Of course, I had copies of what I had sent and could plainly see I had given correct information. I broke the logjam by locating Computer World Solutions and weren't they surprised to hear what onrebate said they were saying?! Caught in their lie and getting hit from both CWS and from me, suddenly the rebate was approved!

[ Reply to This ]

Jeezz, it's sooo simple...[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#22)
by Anonymous User on Fri Nov 24, 2006 at 11:51:16 AM PDT

...just go to the store where you bought it, and DEMAND satisfaction in cash, check, credit, etc.

It works. You'll get paid.

Let the STORE work out the details! (They'll charge it to an internal "customer satisfaction" acct and be done with it).

I'm surprised you tried to hold the rebate fulfillment company responsible. Yes, Virginia, there are scams... and bad, bad people who CAN sleep at night.

BWilde

[ Reply to This ]

A happier rebate story (with a twist)[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#23)
by Anonymous User on Fri Nov 24, 2006 at 02:34:48 PM PDT

Last holiday season I got 3 iMacs for my nephews from an Apple Store (you know, those with the big Apple logo out in front). Apple was offering a rebate of up to $100 with an accompanying purchase of one of several printers, so I took them up on their offer, getting a printer to go along with each iMac. I filled out the required paperwork and waited. Within a month I got a letter from the rebate processor saying that they were going to honor my rebate despite the fact that I had made my purchase from a reseller not normally allowed in the rebate program (or something like that--sorry, I don't have the letter in front of me).

I sent a copy of the text of the rebate letter to sjobs@apple.com along with the question of "what stores DO qualify for the rebate program?" I got back a prompt response from an Apple representative saying that he would fix this problem.

[ Reply to This ]

re: happier rebate.[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#25)
by Anonymous User on Fri Nov 24, 2006 at 06:36:00 PM PDT

I'm surprised you received a rebate for each printer you bought. I thought most rebates were limited to one per household. I bought two sticks of ram and tried to claim rebates on both. I was denied the 2nd rebate. So now if there is a restriction like this I submit additional rebates under the names and addresses of friends.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Multiple rebates same address[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#27)
by Garminski on Mon Nov 27, 2006 at 03:55:00 PM PDT

I have also added an Apartment # 1 when filling out these types of rebates. Send one in my wife's name Apt # 1. One in my name Apt # 2.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Multiple rebates[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#29)
by Anonymous User on Tue Nov 28, 2006 at 12:42:34 PM PDT

This particular rebate program from Apple was for multiple machines. In fact the form I got from Apple had enough lines for about a dozen separate serial numbers, and if I recall correctly one could submit multiple forms.

But then after all: it was for the purchase of a Mac computer and printer. I think the real intention of this program was for institutional purchasers.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Another potential fraud foiled[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#28)
by Anonymous User on Tue Nov 28, 2006 at 12:09:53 PM PDT

I had the same thing happen with an eVGA $20 rebate for a video card that I bought through NewEgg. I made sure to send in everything, and my handwriting is very, very legible. I eventually got an e-mail stating that I did not provide the necessary proof of purchase. I scanned everything before I sent the rebate out, so I had a complete picture of what was included with the rebate. I also made sure to include the rebate certificate in the scan with a high enough resolution that all of the rebate requirements could be read. So, their comment that I did not have the necessary requirements was complete and utter BS.

I replied stating in essence that (A) they're full of sh_t, (B) this is why is despise rebates, and (C) I've reported rebate fraud to the PA Attorney General before and I'll do it again. I closed with saying, "Now send me my damned rebate!"

I got an e-mail a few days later stating that my rebate information had been corrected. The $20 check arrived two weeks later.

Honestly, it's time that Congress passed a law that said explicity that rebates are illegal. It's nothing more than a crap shoot that we'll get our money. If we do just so happen to get the rebate, we don't even get any applicable sales tax back, which is theft as far as I'm concerned. Regardless, why the hell should they be allowed to collect interest on our money? Either give us the discount at the point of sale or don't offer the discount!

It's for reasons like this that I *REFUSE* to purchase from places that seemn to thrive on rebates, like TigerDirect. Scum. The lot of them.

My Perl code for rebates from now on:

if ($ITEM_PRICE eq "AFTER REBATE") {
$PURCHASE = "N";
$COMPANY = "Scum";
$FUTURE_PURCHASE = "N";
$PURCHASE_FROM ANOTHER_COMPANY = "Y";
}

[ Reply to This ]

Here's how it really works[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#30)
by Anonymous User on Tue Nov 28, 2006 at 04:08:13 PM PDT

Product Mktg Mgnr or whatever for company X wants to run a rebate so he meets his sales numbers early and makes his bonus. Calls n vendors. Most rebate companies now give fixed price deals - and clearly said PMM is going to like that.

Rebate fulfillment is so competitive that they have had to do fixed price bids for years now.

So the _Rebate Company_ sets the limit on the pool of money. After they exceed that the resulting profit is less than they computed when they came up with the bid. So the Rebate salesman's you-know-whjat is on the line if the product is more popular than he expected. Ergo, when they start to reach that limit - or sooner depending how bad the month/quarter/year has been - the gaol posts are moved, as many times as are necessary.

[ Reply to This ]

Go back to the store[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#31)
by Anonymous User on Tue Nov 28, 2006 at 07:21:34 PM PDT

I do not participate in many rebate programs. However, I have played the games a few times and have had the occassional problem. In every instance I went back to the store and spoke with the store manager. In every case except one, the result was an immediate payment to me of the rebate amount. This has worked at Office Depot, Staples and others. The one exception was CompUsa but the threat of standing outside the store telling every customer walking in how they rip off their customers netted me the rebate. To do this properly, you must have copies of all the documentation with you and then behave in a professional manner. These days, I do business with Office Max so I don't even bother with the rebates.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

My Most Amusing Rebate Experience[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#32)
by ricegf on Wed Nov 29, 2006 at 06:08:33 AM PDT

Two years ago I purchased a CD of science information from Fry's for $25, with the option of either receiving a free year's membership is some off-beat science club or a $25 rebate. Naturally, I chose the latter.

A few weeks later I received a polite reply stating that they hadn't expected everyone to demand the rebate, so they were canceling that. I was now the proud owner of a free year's membership in their club.

That was the last time I ever heard from them. Perhaps the club wasn't allowed to continue in whatever prison they found themselves...
----- George F. Rice It is better to copy success than to invent mediocrity.
[ Reply to This ]

File your Rebate Online[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#34)
by Anonymous User on Sun Aug 26, 2007 at 05:47:14 PM PDT

One way to avoid the scam and excuse of rebate companies claiming they never received your paperwork is to first file it online. Most reputable companies allow that these days. Sure you have to send the documentation in later (copies of course, or you save copies for yourself), but you can enter all the info. they want, receipt numbers, model numbers, etc., then screen print what you have filled in, as well as their confirmation that they received it. They don't usually claim they haven't received the following paperwork that way for some reason. Then, check online for the progress of the processing. I've been really lucky myself too in that I always receive my rebates, however, it hasn't been easy sometimes. I take responsibility and first do everything exactly as the rebate requires, then follow up and even bug the crap out of them if I have to! I'm currently waiting for a $12 paint rebate from Home Depot and the online status shows they mailed the check to me on August 13th. Today is the 26th so it's been just about two WEEKS and I still don't have the check. I've learned from experience though that they probably noted they "mailed" the check on August 13th when that's the day they probably submitted it to the accounting office who gets around to cutting the check whenever they feel like it. If I don't receive the check sometime this week, I'll be hounding both the rebate company AND Home Depot, you can count on that.

[ Reply to This ]

aderalahoo.com[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#39)
by rickman on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 08:48:05 PM PDT

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wslaat[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#40)
by thegame on Sat Jun 21, 2008 at 02:54:28 AM PDT

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thank you[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#44)
by Anonymous User on Mon Oct 06, 2008 at 07:02:08 AM PDT

asder[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#45)
by Anonymous User on Thu Nov 06, 2008 at 04:35:18 AM PDT

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