Mail-In Rebates

Post by **Dale** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:29 am

Mail-In Rebates must be resisted. Rise up!

Here's my latest encounter:

Promotion ML-2010 $50 Rebate
Rebate Number 070439
Promotion Type Rebate
Submission ID 69851968
Status We are currently unable to approve your rebate for the reason listed below.

The receipt you submitted was dated prior to the qualifying period for this promotion.

You will receive a letter or postcard describing this problem. The letter or postcard may have instructions on how to correct this error.

Get it? I wasn't late. I was early.

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:35 am

I walk away if I see "mail in rebate" on a price sticker of something I'm thinking of buying, or I'll inform the sales staff that this is why I'm not buying the product after all.

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:37 am

I detest mail-in rebates, and won't buy anything that comes with one anymore.

A couple of years ago we went to battle with one company that refused to send us our rebate because we receive our mail via a P.O. box! I spent hours on the phone, working my way up through the management ranks, explaining that we don't HAVE house-to-house mail delivery here, and the only way we CAN receive mail is via our P.O. box. I would have given up, but it was a significant rebate for a fairly expensive product. They did finally mail it to our box, but it took a lot of increasingly angry phone calls and letters.

Redwolf

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:38 am

I hate mail in rebates!
I stay away from them with the exception of my camera gear; Nikon is always seems to be running some kind of mail-in promo on their advanced and pro gear.

Congratulations · Post by **Congratulations** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:38 am

I don't purposefully avoid products with mail-in rebates, but I don't take them into consideration when I'm buying. Because I know I'm not going to send them in, and if I did I wouldn't get the money, anyway. So I pretend like they don't exist.

I've had several bad experiences with mail-in rebates.

Post by **Dale** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:40 am

I generally do avoid them like a plague. In this case, the price before the rebate was really good, and so I couldn't resist.

I understand BEST BUY is phasing out mail-in rebates.

susnfx · Post by **susnfx** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:49 am

The only problem I have with mail-in rebates is the "6-8 weeks" it takes to receive the rebate check. By then I've completely forgotten about it and when the check arrives, it take some time to figure what the heck it is. I've received every one I've ever sent in without problem--which is surprising to me because they send them in the stupidest ways: the last one came as a single slip of paper, one side made out as a check, the other side with my address. That said, however, I must admit that I rarely make pricey purchases and my rebates are usually in cents, not dollars.

Susan

fearfaoin · Post by **fearfaoin** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:58 am

Dale wrote:I understand BEST BUY is phasing out mail-in rebates.

Well, it's about time! I hate 'em. They're worthless. It's like giving a
company an interest-free loan that they may not even pay back.

fyffer · Post by **fyffer** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:01 am

I don't mind them so much, and I don't seek them out, but if they're there, and available, I take the 20 seconds or so to fill them out, and affix the stamp.
Just this week I received a postcard-style check for a whoping $3.95.
I don't even remember what it was for ....

I think I'll go buy myself a beer (it'll have to be domestic draft, though. Oh poo.).

jen f · Post by **jen f** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 10:25 am

Actually, I've had very good luck with the Walgreens rebate program. I've gotten a ton of free stuff--mostly toiletries like toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, etc. I've always gotten my money, even when I've postmarked it a day or two late.

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 12:54 pm

Dale wrote: I understand BEST BUY is phasing out mail-in rebates.

I got a friend who works ato one. Next time I see him I'll ask.

I never get my hopes up for mail in rebate, I may send it, but I keep my expectations extremly low. This way if they do send the money I am happy, if not I don't care I wasn't actually expecting it.

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 1:48 pm

My two most noteworthy rebate experiences were actually quite positive ones.

The first one, I needed to replace my HP Pavilion 15" monitor because something had gone wrong with it. I wanted to replace it with the same model. A local computer chain happened to have the floor models on clearance because the new M series models were coming out. There was also a $50 rebate on the older model - but the floor model had no UPC or packaging. I wrote a letter to HP with my receipt, explaining the situation and asking to qualify for the rebate, and got a cheque in a couple of weeks. I think it helped that I was making the purchase because the other monitor had gone bad!

The second one was more recent, January of 2004. I had bought a Pentax digital camera in December. In January, a rebate offer came out direct from Pentax. I enclosed my documents and asked if I could please qualify for the rebate even though I had purchased the camera a week before the rebate period started, and they honoured the request. I was pleasantly surprised on that one, but I've always liked Pentax.

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:01 am

jen f wrote:Actually, I've had very good luck with the Walgreens rebate program. I've gotten a ton of free stuff--mostly toiletries like toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, etc. I've always gotten my money, even when I've postmarked it a day or two late.

I highly recommend the Walgreen's rebate as well! I use it nearly every month, and have done so for years. I always get the refund. In fact, if you'll accept a gift card instead of a check, they'll give you an extra 10%.

Every month, they have a little booklet at the front of the store. It lists the products and has a form to fill out. Everything goes on the ONE form. You mail it in and a check arrives a few weeks later. And, yes, even when I've mailed it a day or two late, I still get the refund.

The best part about it is the FREE products. There will always be several free products ranging from shampoo or hair styling products, to hair color, to makeup, to lotions, , to toothpaste and toothbrushes, to adhesive bandages, disposable heating pads, cough lozenges, and vitamins. It ranges in aggregate value from $15 to sometimes $40 or more a month. A lot of the products are new on the market.

I get most everything on the free list, even if I don't use it, and send what I do not want off to the homeless shelter.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 10:18 pm

I've never used one. I've gotten them on stuff like shampoo and medicines before, but they're usually for amounts such as $1.00 or $0.59, and when a stamp costs $0.39, that gets kind of pointless.

I'd think that the US Postal Service likes them, at any rate.

Miwokhill · Post by **Miwokhill** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 10:27 pm

Reminds me of the 'employee discounts' that big auto company was offering recently. I heard someone refer to it as 'phantom marketing' --I guess what they meant is they'd give you the $3500 off the sticker price anyway only this month they'd be calling it the employee discount. With the rebates though it's really a way to make people think they're getting the 50 bucks off and then 30% don't get around to sending it in...that's the only motovation I can think of for them doing it that way.