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Some Rebates Suck!

What was that?

Postby jaymz668 on Wed Dec 04, 2002 7:00 pm

BuddhaTB wrote:
jaymz668 wrote:I still haven't received my fuji rebate from a month ago! And it was done via their website and sent in. so... yeah, rebates suck

Give Fuji a call and I'm sure they will help you out like they did with my situation.
Call Fuji toll free at 1-866-385-4435 Monday - Friday 9AM - 8PM EST


tried all day, the number was busy
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Postby BuddhaTB on Wed Dec 04, 2002 7:21 pm

jaymz668 wrote:tried all day, the number was busy

That's because they only have one person doing the customer service for the Fuji rebates. I would keep trying until you get through. Most of the times that I got through was about an hour before they closed for the night.
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beware of Belkin

Postby Kantos Kan on Wed Dec 04, 2002 7:45 pm

I've always gotten my rebates, though sometimes with some prodding. PNY got me with a little trick, the offer ran for months, but you had to have your submission mailed within 10 days of purchase. Keep your eyes open for that one.

Having said all that, don't buy a Belkin product with a rebate. it's not worth the aggravation. They always take forever to process your rebate, and only seem to get moving if you start calling them. Their web site that tracks your rebate is worthless.

Back in August, I bought a Belkin 10/100 notebook LAN card for $29.99 with a $25 rebate. I submitted the rebate form at the end of August, and I was supposed to allow up to 10 weeks for processing. Ten weeks pass and I start checking in to this. I just found out this week that a check was finally mailed out the last week of November. But get this, the Belkin rep says it was sent to the wrong address! I was then told that Belkin will not issue another check for 30 days. So, if all goes well, I am looking at getting a rebate for an early August purchase in 2003.
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Re: beware of Belkin

Postby BuddhaTB on Wed Dec 04, 2002 7:54 pm

Kantos Kan wrote:Having said all that, don't buy a Belkin product with a rebate. it's not worth the aggravation. They always take forever to process your rebate, and only seem to get moving if you start calling them. Their web site that tracks your rebate is worthless.

I second that. Belkin does not process your rebate in a timely manner.
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Postby imtim83 on Sat Dec 14, 2002 1:01 am

My first Rebate from Fuji took only about 29 to 30 days maybe a little longer. The 2nd one has not come in yet. It was from a deal the week after. Its $10 worth and i made sure i copied everything. I never really have trusted mail in rebates because there is no way its 100% for sure :(
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Elusive Rebate

Postby F1Pilot on Sun Jan 05, 2003 7:28 pm

I had a problem with a Hawking rebate. I needed a router pronto, and found a deal on one that had a $30.00 rebate. To make a long story short, 3 months later, I still didn't see it. I stumbled upon a site called rebatesHQ. I decided to give it a shot. Lo and behold...my info was in the database. Of course, I received a letter stating that in error (*coughBScough*), they hadn't processed my rebate. I finally received it 2 weeks later.

I'm not sure if only certain companies are on there or what. Hopefully that site can help others here.

:P F1
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Postby UALOneKPlus on Tue Jan 21, 2003 4:04 am

Thanks for the info.

Rebates are a pain in the a$$!!!

There's got to be a better way to do rebates!!!
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Rebates: Who comes through and when

Postby Kantos Kan on Sat Feb 08, 2003 12:35 am

I thought I would post here some rebate processing results I've experienced in the last few months. I have grouped them by retailer.

OFFICEMAX:
Kingston DRAM $10 rebate -- received in 55 days
Kingston DRAM $10 rebate -- 53 days and still waiting
Hi-Val CD-R 100 pack $20 rebate -- 53 days and still waiting


STAPLES:
PNY DRAM $15 rebate -- received in 42 days
Memorex 25 pack slim jewel cases $4 rebate -- received in 20 days
Khypermedia CD-R 100 pack $20 rebate -- received in 20 days


BUY.COM:
PowerQuest Drive Image Software $30 rebate -- 67 days and still waiting


COMPUSA:
WD 8MB cache hard drive $40 rebate -- 53 days and still waiting
Memorex keyboard $6 rebate -- received in 60 days
Phillips CD-R 50 pack $14 rebate -- received in 73 days
Samsung CD-RW drive $40 rebate -- received in 98 days
TDK CD-R 50 pack $10 rebate -- received in 38 days


BESTBUY:
Memorex CD-R 100 pack $20 rebate -- received in 49 days
Memorex CD-R 50 pack $10 rebate -- received in 36 days
Fuji CD-R 100 pack $18 rebate -- received in 125 days


MICROCENTER:
Belkin 10/100 LAN Notebook Card $25 rebate -- received in 157 days
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Re: Rebates: Who comes through and when

Postby BuddhaTB on Sat Feb 08, 2003 2:21 am

Kantos Kan wrote:Fuji CD-R 100 pack $18 rebate -- received in 125 days

Fuji claims they will send out the rebate check 20 days after receiving your rebate forms. That's a big LIE! I sent in my Fuji 100-pack rebate back toward the end of November and I still haven't gotten any rebate check yet. It's been over 2 months and counting and still nothing. :evil: I've written to and called Fuji to check the status of my rebates, but they won't give me any info that's of any help.
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Postby TheWizard on Sat Feb 08, 2003 2:29 am

I always thought Fuji was good too, maybe they are inundated with rebates. Heck, Best Buy has Fuji rebate offers practically every week. :P
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Postby cfitz on Sat Feb 08, 2003 2:29 am

BuddhaTB's experience has been my experience as well. Fuji is extremely slow returning rebate checks. They haven't stiffed me altogether like some companies, but they sure take a long time to send the checks.

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Postby Spazmogen on Sat Feb 08, 2003 4:50 am

Do none of these companies have a rebate status web page?

I've been dealing with Staples.ca and you just input your surname, street address & postal code (aka zip code). You can check the status on all of your rebates easily.

I have 2 pending.

$13.50 for a 20 pack of Verbatim 48x cd-r's
$75 for a Viewsonic A90F 19" flat screen.

The monitor was listed as $424 in the catalogue, but was $349 in the store and I had a $30 off coupon too THEN the $75 rebate...it's a clearance item-brand new! I used the Visa Gold card and doubled the warranty, just by using it.

I can easily see that both of these rebates are still pending. When a cheque is mailed, I'll be able to see what day it was mailed.

I have a $45 upgrade rebate pending with Symantec too, but you can't log in and check with their site. That was another $149 item -$25 off coupon -$45 mail in rebate. 8)

Christ I'm cheap.
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Postby TheWizard on Sat Feb 08, 2003 5:36 am

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Postby BuddhaTB on Sat Feb 08, 2003 2:44 pm

Spazmogen wrote:Do none of these companies have a rebate status web page?

I just checked on my Fuji rebate once again and you know what the status of my 11/26/02 rebate is, Fuji claims it to be new. Even one of the rebates that is listed as approved, I already got the rebate check for it. They don't even update the status, the one I already gotten the rebate check for should be listed as rebate sent. Fuji had a really good reputation of sending out rebates fast, but after fall 2002, they seem to really slow in sending out stuff. I already complained about my other rebate and that seemed to get nowhere. It's like only one person is working the entire Fuji rebate system.

Here are my rebate status' from Fuji
Product Name Confirmation # Status Date
100 Pack Spindle 203866033 Payment Sent
CD-R 50 Pack Spindle 499140667 Approved
100 Pack Spindle 7128707 New 2002-11-26
100 Pack Spindle 944520701 New 2003-01-22

Fuji wrote:Note, rebate checks are mailed within 20 days after receipt of paperwork.

It's a BIG LIE!!! :evil: :evil:
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Postby imtim83 on Sun Feb 09, 2003 11:52 am

BuddhaTB i had my $10 rebate from a 50 pack of Fuji CD-Rs sent to me in 30 days i believe it was or a little over. I gave it like 10 days to be sent their and to be sent back to me so i would say it was 20 days sense the 20 days does not include time sent and time to you. This is the only time i got it this quick though.
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More on rebates

Postby Kantos Kan on Thu Jul 24, 2003 5:30 pm

From CBS.Marketwatch.com:

Rebates that reek
Money-back rules can be obstacles, or even fraudulent

By Jennie L. Phipps, Bankrate.com
Last Update: 12:02 AM ET July 24, 2003

NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla. (Bankrate.com) -- The retail world is in a rebate frenzy.

It's hard to buy electronics, appliances, baby furniture or a host of other products without encountering at least one offer to get back part of your purchase price.

But beware: Even if you follow rebate rules to the letter, you may not see a dime. And following the rules can be very difficult.

The rebate theory seems simple. You buy a product, mail in proof of purchase and the company sends you a check. The manufacturer and the retailer win because rebates stimulate sales without reducing the sales price. The consumer wins by pocketing what is often a deep discount.

In practice, however, the rebate business is tricky, fraught with the potential for misunderstanding and even fraud on both sides.

The Federal Trade Commission has been investigating complaints about rebate practices since 1998. "Rebates are a headache," says Michael Dershowitz, senior attorney in the division of advertising practices for the FTC. "Frustrating for consumers and frustrating for us."

In five years, the FTC has taken action against a relatively small number of offenders. They include Iomega, Memorex disk producer Memtek Products, scanner maker UMAX Technologies and Okidata, all for nondelivery of rebates. It dinged Philips Electronics, Office Depot and Value America for late delivery. Buy.com was cited for deceptive advertising that promised free Internet service with computer purchases without explaining that a three-year contract was required.

Part of the problem is the question of who's issuing the check. Confusion over where rebates originate leaves consumers unable to target the problem and get it fixed.

Manufacturers offer most rebates, although occasionally retailers offer them. But consumers usually aim their frustration at the industry that manages rebates, called fulfillment companies.

These companies handle the details, but it's not their money. They collect the rebate forms and proofs of purchase and then tell the manufacturer (or the retailer) what is owed. When the manufacturer pays up, the fulfillment house cuts the checks and mails them to the consumers.

One of the largest fulfillment houses, TCA of New Rochelle, N.Y., lists slow-paying manufacturers and retailers as one of the key reasons why it takes so long for consumers to get their money. "Customers get upset with us when it's really a manufacturer's or a retailer's problem," says a TCA employee who wishes to remain anonymous.

Complicated process means lost rebates

But most of the time, says Dershowitz, the problem is on the other end. Frequently, the consumer doesn't or can't follow the often-complicated directions associated with rebates.

"The system is so full of paperwork that somewhere along the way, some of it is going to get fouled up," he says.

The foul-ups aren't always the consumer's fault. For instance, Boston attorney Edgar Dworsky, editor of Consumerworld.org, points to an offer of a $35 rebate from Internet retailer J&R Electronics on a Jungsoft storage device.

Dworsky thought the rebate was a good deal until he read the fine print: The storage device had to be purchased between Feb. 9 and Feb. 16, with the completed rebate request postmarked by Feb. 17 and received at the fulfillment house by Feb. 24. Under those terms, notes Dworsky, it was impossible for anyone outside New York City, where J&R has a retail store, to buy the item, receive it via mail and submit the rebate request in time.

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 percent 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."

Some state lawmakers are stepping into the rebate debate. Legislation is pending in New York, for example, that would force manufacturers to post a bond equal to the amount of money the company would have to pay if every consumer claimed the rebate.

"If consumers would not be comfortable loaning money to a company, they should feel no more comfortable giving that company a temporary windfall, to be repaid at a later date through a rebate," says New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. "Consumers are not banks, and should be careful not to assume that role."

http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7BBDA13C73%2DE3C6%2D44DC%2D94AB%2D6865500F7E7B%7D&siteid=mktw
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Postby UALOneKPlus on Sat Jul 26, 2003 6:14 pm

Thanks, a great article!!!

I think we need to hire consumer rebate enforcers, with dark sunglasses and big baseball bats, to help the seedy companies "pay up"...
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Postby CDRecorder on Tue Aug 12, 2003 12:49 pm

I've been really happy with Maxtor's rebate service. Usually, their rebates have come back very fast, and I've never had to contact Maxtor about a rebate that didn't arrive. Other companies haven't been so good about their rebates, though.
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Postby cfitz on Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:33 am

Okay, I'll resurrect this thread to annoy Matt ( :wink: ) and to provide a counter-example that shows rebates need not be the hellish experience we are used to from the electronics and computer vendors.

I picked up a Crest White Strips kit from my dentist a couple of weeks ago. The kit came with a $15 rebate that I filled out while on an airplane jetting off on vacation. I dropped the completed rebate form in the mail when I arrived at my first destination, and 8 days later (counting a weekend) when I returned home, the check was already in my mailbox waiting for me!!! :o

Wow! Kudos, Crest! Well done.

Now, someone please explain to me why it takes the electronics and computer vendors 3 to 6 months or more to do the same thing. :x

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Postby UALOneKPlus on Wed Nov 12, 2003 6:39 am

My day of reckoning with OfficeMax will come soon. I've got rebates on CD-RW drives from beginning of the year that have yet to be paid.

I'm going to print out the rebate forms, take them to OfficeMax, and demand my money.

By the way, I've been burned on a few Belkin rebates - the most recent was at Fry's. I will not buy any Belkin products in the future, unless there is no other alternative available.

My frustration with rebates is NOT about the money. It's about principle. I buy the product, take valuable time to fill out the forms, cut out the UPC, address the letter, pay for stamps to mail them. After all that work, I better be compensated!!!! :evil:
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