Complaint Review: Emachines - Gateway - Bestbuy

Watch yourself when you buy that cheapo PC from Best Buy. The machine is only cheap because of the multiple rebates, and your rebate may be rejected even if you follow the rules set forth in the rebate form that bestbuy prints out with the receipt.

I purchased a Emachines T3838 from BB, took it home and eventually set it up. Spent an hour copying, and filling out the rebates, all of which had a specific date that printed out from the register. Made copies, mailed them in a few days before the printed deadline. took them to the window to make sure they were postmarked. Kept copies.

All the non-emachines or gateway rebates came in 2 weeks. Emachines sent a decline letter on $100 of rebates, because it claimed that the reabte had to be postmarked in 30 days - not the date clearly marked on my receipt.

$ is not a big deal. But I called the rebate people, who said "tough We follow our rules, not those on the slips Bestbuy prints" They gave me the number to some dolt at Emachines/gateway, who said the same thing, and would not pass me through to a supervisor.

So I ponder; do I spend the 40 bucks and file a small claims case? Do I have a bit more fun and file a class action? (I am a practicing attorney who specializes in consumer fraud). Or do I let the 100 bucks slide? How many 100 bucks slide each month?

Just to make sure we are all clear:

Bestbuy advertises and sells the computer - based in part upon the advertised (in big bold print) rebates. Bestbuy prints a slip with certain deadlines, deadlines that Emachines, which is owned by Gateway, then fails to honor that rebate and therefore earns an additional $100 on the computer for which I paid $700 (including printer, etc). Has anyone else seen this problem?

Please don't respond by saying I must have done something wrong. I didn't staple the UPC to the form, use the wrong sized envelope, or forget to bless myself before putting the package in the mailbox. And if you're an emachines employee, please don't respond like you are a consumer. That is such the wuss way out.

By the way, puter works fine, except for the CD rom/dvd drive which stuck in place halfway out 3 days after I plugged the thing in. We'll see what happens with warranty service.

tony
phila, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.