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InPhonic Wirefly How to get your Rebate Processsed and get your money from Inphonic!! ripoff Washington District of Columbia
March 28, 2006
In late January of 2005 I purchased a cell phone and service with T-Mobile through a company called Wirefly.com. They advertised relentlessly everywhere on the Internet. I later found that they had probably a dozen aliases but their parent company was you Inphonic, Inc.
The phone purchased came with 2 - $50 rebates. The requirements of the rebates were probably the most stringent I've ever seen. We were to send it after 180 days but before 210 days of purchase plus several strange things were to be sent with it including a phone bill with the amount of the previous bill shown paid in full, which I promptly sent!
I am a veteran of the rebate wars, though, and after gathering all of the data required and making multiple copies of absolutely everything I sent it certified mail with signature required. After six weeks I received an e-mail indicating that they had received my documentation but were denying me because I sent them in after 210 days, which is false!
Well after six months of dead-ends and false promises!! I finally hit the jackpot. I reported them to the Federal Trade Commission! Two days later I get this email from Inphonic..
Dear Sir,
We were contacted by the Federal Trade Commission on your most recent inquiry regarding your rebate.
Our records show your rebate was denied due to your submission being mailed past the required postmark period. Please note this matter has been reviewed by our Corporate Offices and although their rebate was denied, as a valued customer we will honor the rebate as one time courtesy.
Please allow 6-8 weeks for your rebate to be processed.
We trust that this resolves your rebate issue. Should you need further assistance, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
D.Brooks
Financial Operations Dept.
Then Ms. Hollie Kapos from the Consumer Complaints Dept at Inphonic, called last week to confirm if I was satisfied with their response. I told her I would be satisfied once I get the refund! Not another BS story to wait six weeks!
She promised to follow up with me this week! She Didn't!!
But the Legal Dept of Inphonic did!! I spoke to Kesha Evans, apparent Legal counsel for Inphonic...She had ask me if I received my refund yet? I explained to her that I had not received anything. She researched my submission and once again stated my Rebate was late.."Which Is Bull#hit" I have the photocopied date stamp on letter! I offered to fax it but she declined to see it! She did advise the company had already submitted the information and the check would be in route in the next couple of weeks! She will follow up next month to verify!
Anyone else call her directly at Inphonic Corp Legal Dept..202-333-0001 Ext#131 She did not believe there were that many unhappy consumers out there! Let her hear about it!!
Ed
fords, New Jersey
U.S.A.
9 Updates & Rebuttals
Brian
Blackshear,Georgia,
U.S.A.
InPhonic Rebate Check received & How To Obtain
#10Consumer Comment
Thu, August 03, 2006
Hello. I wanted to let everyone know that I mailed off my rebate forms on 05/01/06 and received an email from Inphonic on 05/09/06 that my rebate checks were being processed. I had to do some digging but I found an individual that works with InPhonic. I contacted the individual that works with Inphonic around 07/25/06 by the name of Jon Delahay and they have been of great assistance with informing me about my rebate checks and when the checks would be mailed out.
I received my rebate checks today, 08/03/06 in the mail. If you would like to find out more information on the status of your rebate check you can contact Jon at jdelahay@inphonic.com
Make sure you include your Claim ID number in the email so Jon can assist you promptly. Jon and the staff have been of great assisitance. Give them a chance an hope this information helps everyone.
Ed
fords,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Check Received 07-28-06
#10Author of original report
Fri, July 28, 2006
To my surprise my check was sitting on my doorstep this afternoon deilvered from FED-EX. Upon opening it I was slighty surprised to see my Rebate check had finally made its way home!!
I called Kesha Evans, which of course is never in her office to take a call!! Upon telling the operator about my good fortune she suddenly became avaliable. I told its to bad it has taken over ten months of writing to anyone that would listen! It puts a black eye on compaines doing business on the net. There alot of good compaines out there, this is the only one that took me for a ride!! But I soon flatten there tire...the Attorney General for Wash D.C. will flatten the rest of them!!
Jana
Fort Lauderdale,Florida,
U.S.A.
Conversation with DC Attorney General's Office Re: Lawsuit
#10Consumer Comment
Thu, July 20, 2006
Hi Ed and all my fellow rip-off-ees,
Late this afternoon I spoke with Wendy Weinberg (the Assistant Attorney General in DC who is handling the lawsuit against InPhonic).
She said they have had tons of complaints pouring in since they first announced the lawsuit. I told her that I (and others) have been all over the internet telling consumers about it and encouraging them to get their complaints in. She said "it must have worked" because they're getting swamped. She also said that the AG's office ABSOLUTELY wants people anywhere in the country to call them and send in their complaints regarding InPhonic.
She also said she currently knows of about 3 class action lawsuits that have been or are going to be filed against InPhonic, but they have to be approved by the judges as "class action" before they're made public to affected consumers for joining in.
I also wanted everyone to know that I was misinformed by the AG's office earlier this month with respect to the trial being in September. Wendy said it will be at a much later date (my guess is that the lawsuit and number of complaints have grown so much that it's going to be a slightly bigger deal than InPhonic's CEO, David Steinberg, is deluding himself with by calling it "frivolous").
I told Wendy about Steinberg's interview/press conference of July 7 where he grossly underplays the lawsuit, calls it frivolous, etc., and she became very interested in hearing what he had said. I asked her if she wanted me to send her the website so she could listen to it herself, and she said yes. I was more than happy to oblige!
HEY EVERYONE: We're getting there!!! The AG seems to be more and more annoyed with InPhonic's shenanigans in the last couple of months, and they are more than aware of the same sickening excuses they've been using to deny payments. Wendy said she has also heard about the non-working (or nonexistent) website(s) the company has been directing people to go to for info on their rebates.
Additionally, class action lawsuits are revving up! I don't know about you guys, but I'm certainly starting to feel better.
Ed
fords,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Update - Still No Check In the Mail
#10Author of original report
Thu, July 20, 2006
Well they sent me an email to tell me the check is being processed early June. Today I check the confrimation email its states the Claim no longer exists. So now I'm back at square one!!
Ed
Lane
Richardson,Texas,
U.S.A.
Thank you for your work so far.
#10Consumer Suggestion
Fri, June 09, 2006
Dear Ed,
I too am being scammed by inphonics. I have contacted the attorney general so hopefully as reports come in, something will be done.
My issue is that they are telling me the rebate was expired before the product was even sold to me. They of course pushed me off to Tigerdirect who is also pushing me off.
It's a long story I won't go into, but I just wanted to thank you for posting that link.
Lane
Richardson,Texas,
U.S.A.
Thank you for your work so far.
#10Consumer Suggestion
Fri, June 09, 2006
Dear Ed,
I too am being scammed by inphonics. I have contacted the attorney general so hopefully as reports come in, something will be done.
My issue is that they are telling me the rebate was expired before the product was even sold to me. They of course pushed me off to Tigerdirect who is also pushing me off.
It's a long story I won't go into, but I just wanted to thank you for posting that link.
Lane
Richardson,Texas,
U.S.A.
Thank you for your work so far.
#10Consumer Suggestion
Fri, June 09, 2006
Dear Ed,
I too am being scammed by inphonics. I have contacted the attorney general so hopefully as reports come in, something will be done.
My issue is that they are telling me the rebate was expired before the product was even sold to me. They of course pushed me off to Tigerdirect who is also pushing me off.
It's a long story I won't go into, but I just wanted to thank you for posting that link.
Lane
Richardson,Texas,
U.S.A.
Thank you for your work so far.
#10Consumer Suggestion
Fri, June 09, 2006
Dear Ed,
I too am being scammed by inphonics. I have contacted the attorney general so hopefully as reports come in, something will be done.
My issue is that they are telling me the rebate was expired before the product was even sold to me. They of course pushed me off to Tigerdirect who is also pushing me off.
It's a long story I won't go into, but I just wanted to thank you for posting that link.
Ed
fords,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Office of the Attorney General DC taken an interest
#10Author of original report
Wed, June 07, 2006
Wendy Weinberg Assistant Attoreny General has taken an interest in my issue with InPhonic Rebate!! As of this date I still have not received my rebate refund! Please call her tell her your diffculties with InPhonic!!
http://occ.dc.gov/occ/site/default.asp
(202)727-2870 Wendy J. Weinberg
Assistant Attorney General
441 4th Street NW, Suite 450-N
Washington, DC 20001