Complaint Review: Linksys (A Division Of Cisco Systems Inc.)

I've just run into trouble with the Linksys rebate center. Back in April of 2008, I purchased a Linksys wireless router from newegg.com. The router had a $10 rebate that asked for the following:
1. Copy or original store identified dated sales receipt (easily printed from the newegg.com website)
2. Completed rebate form
3. Original UPC code cut out from the router box.

I mailed the above to the Linksys rebate center, and after 50 days or so, received a notice from Linksys that although they appreciated my purchase, my rebate submission was invalid. The notice claimed that I had not included the original UPC.

It's possible that somebody at their rebate center innocently misplaced my UPC while processing my request. But a web search revealed other customers who had been burned by Linksys rebates. You can find these reports here on ripoffreport.com, as well as elsewhere on the net. This suggests that their rebate center is instructed to lose the occasional UPC to keep costs down. I hope I'm wrong. It makes me wonder if they've read the rules and regulations printed on their rebate form, which state "Misuse of this rebate request constitutes fraud."

BUT... having read an excellent consumer advocacy website (consumerist.com), I had known to make xerox copies of everything before I mailed it in. I decided to call the Linksys customer service line, with a goal of getting my rebate without paying any extra money for the privilege. I also wanted a personal guarantee that I would receive my rebate in a timely fashion; a name and direct phone number that I could call if I hadn't received anything in a month.

I didn't record the phone call to a sound file, but I kept a journal. Here it is:

6/11, 9:37 am (CST): I speak to Mark at the Linksys rebate center (1-888-226-8092). He's courteous and polite. He gets my information and I explain my problem to him. When I mention that I had made copies of everything before sending it in he says great, fax or mail in the copies and you'll get your rebate. I explained that I didn't want to pay for the cost of the call or the stamp and asked to speak with a supervisor.
9:44 am: Mark transfers my call and I'm on hold.
9:56 am: After waiting for twelve minutes on hold, my call is dropped.

9:57 am: I try again. After going through the initial phone tree, my call is dropped again at 10 am, before I can talk to a human being. Linksys might want to change phone service providers.

10:01 am: I try again. I manage to get through to Mark again; he apologizes for my troubles, and transfers my call to his supervisor again. After waiting for a minute, Shawn comes on the line. He's the floor manager. I explain my problem to him, and my desired resolution: rebate plus cost of postage. $10.42. There's a little bit of surprise in his voice: "The cost of a stamp?" He firmly says that no, he won't do that; he can't do that. I ask if there's a supervisor who would have the authority to make that happen. He tells me that there aren't. He doesn't know of anyone else who could help me. I thank him for his time, and end the call.

So... Where do I go from here?

1. Eat the cost of the stamp: It's just 42 cents to mail a copy of my UPC to the rebate center. But I don't want to have to spend extra money to force a company to honor their rebate. I would have been out $10.42 if I hadn't made copies of the rebate materials before sending them in. I have no guarantee that they'll honor my rebate request this time.

2. Contact executives: Linksys is a division of Cisco Systems, Inc. Anyone have some phone numbers I could call? I will try emailing the company as well.
3. Use the power of newegg.com: I bought the Linksys product (a wireless router) through their website. Newegg has a history of excellent customer service, even helping them recover rebates. At the least, I can write about my rebate experience in their product reviews.
4. Write about my negative Linksys experience to several consumer advocacy websites. Warn people to xerox everything before they send in their rebate submissions. Heck, take a digital photo, too. If you want to get extreme, you can have the rebate materials notarized (which your bank might do) or sent to the company via certified mail.

I hope to update this report with a positive reaction from Linksys.

David
Madison, Wisconsin
U.S.A.