Complaint Review: Fry's Electronics

I purchased Corel WinDVD 2010 Pro at Fry's in Fishers, IN on Monday, April 12, 2010. The price was $84.99, but included a $35 mail in rebate, making the price after rebate $49.99. Went home and printed off the rebate form at http://images.frys.com/art/rebates_pdf/6039298_040210.pdf. Filled it out completely and mailed it along with a copy of the receipt and the original UPC, as instructed. Scanned everything for my records. On Friday, April 30, I got a postcard saying they couldn't honor my rebate because the original UPC was missing, which is BS. I called the number on the postcard, 866-754-7721 and explained the situation. Unfortunately I neglected to write down the name of the rep I talked to. Was told that my photocopy of the UPC was insufficient and I would need to send the original (which I had already sent) to receive the rebate. Asked to speak to a supervisor, was placed on hold for about 15 minutes until the line disconnected. Tried calling back and nobody answered. Called the Fry's store and was told they couldn't help me. I only paid $85 for the program because of the rebate. Otherwise, I'd have bought it directly from the Corel website for $60.

I guess I just have to add myself to the long list of people who have been ripped off by Fry's rebate scams. Based on what I've seen here and on other sites, it seems no Fry's rebate is actually legitimate. In general I've always liked Fry's, but I'll be shopping with caution now and avoiding anything with a mail in rebate.