It's time for American consumers to rebel against that insidious marketing ploy known as a 'rebate'. You see the ads all the time for a really low price on an item you really want, or maybe even need. On second look, in very small print, the ad states 'After rebate'. You still have to pay the regular, sometimes-inflated price and send for the promised refund known as a rebate. The manufacturers assume that consumers don't mind spending a lot of time, effort and some postage to send for the promised rebate.
Sigh! So many rebates offered, so many never received!
In order for a consumer to receive the promised rebate, many things need to happen. A form for the rebate must be completed properly and then all of the proofs of purchase must be gathered together. They suggest everything should be copied 'for your records' before sending it to an address for that particular rebate. Of course, what this really means is the consumer needs the copies to remind them of the rebate they never received, but I digress! (This address is usually written so small that a magnifying glass needs to used to read it.) I know why they offer these rebates. They hope the buyer will give up in disgust over all of the requirements, especially when they have to cut a proof of purchase from a cardboard box that is at least an inch thick!, Well, that is an exaggeration, but it seems like it sometimes. Then of course the request must be received before the deadline. In fact many people do not send for the rebate, either they forget, lose some of the necessary requirements or just don't want to bother. That's why we keep seeing those ads for rebates on products. They are good for the merchant, good for the manufacturer, bad for the consumer who never gets the rebate!
If the consumer only has a P O Box for his/her address, sorry, Out of Luck! Can't use a P O Box, even though it is the correct and only address! (I guess this is to prevent someone from getting two rebates, but two products would need to be purchased to get the rebates, so....another consumer ripoff!)
In order for merchants to make consumers themselves look good, they often will provide a receipt just for the rebate. There is a warning here, if the receipt has written on it what the rebate is for, make sure it is for the same product purchased! This is experience talking here! Never mind if the print on the receipt is faint or hard to read, trust me, the folks at the Rebate center can read it. (I lost $5.00 on that ploy.)
Excuses, excuses!
Not responsible for requests not postmarked by the deadline! Wrong item purchased! (It wasn't, but my receipt said otherwise.) Not responsible for items lost by the Postal Service. (They do get blamed for a lot of things!)
I have purchased many items and sent for rebates that were duly received. Microsoft has the fastest response time here, less than three weeks. I was impressed! I sent for one rebate and received notification that my submission was approved and being processed, but never received the rebate. That was Office Max. Most of the time I have received the rebate eventually, sometimes long after I had forgotten about it. (I now keep a record in Excel, for who, when sent, amount and if ever received.)
Most of the time the rebate check comes like a postcard. It's no wonder some are never received. Or if they are received, easily un-noticed amid all of the junk mail and probably tossed.
I am still waiting for my Gift cards (the latest marketing ploy) that I have been assured are 'in the mail'. If I never receive them, I have been told I can get them sent again, providing no one has used them. What a ripoff! An immediate discount would have impressed me a lot more! I must admit the cards are for items I would have bought anyway, but since they were offered, why not send for them?
This isn't the first time I have written about rebates. I had a rebate experience with Symantec that was totally infuriating, so much so that I will never buy another of their products. You can read about that in ' I Am Going to Say 'Goodbye' to Symantec', in a previous post.
So I am rebelling against rebates. If I see a product that I want on sale with a rebate, I will keep looking. The hassle and frustration is too much for an old lady like me!
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