Complaint Review: *EDitortial Rebate Rip-offs - Nationwide

You sound uninformed about rebates. Which is not a bad thing, most people are. However, here is a newsflash...NO COMPANY WANTS TO PAY A REBATE - EVER!

Did you know that? The rebate was not invented last year, it has been going on for many years and the stores are held hostage JUST LIKE THE CONSUMER. Think about it, do the math.

A store chain like Fry's Electronics has 38 stores. If every store sold ten of an item with rebates, that would be 380 items. Do you think 380 items constitutes ANY leverage on the part of Fry's Electronics? Do you think Fry's Electronics can "withhold payment" until SONY gets its rebate program up to customer standards? Please. SONY might make 120,000 VCR's of a certain type with a rebate and if Fry's wants to get in on the game they had better take their 380 units and play ball. I have seen situation where the manufacturer sent a letter to a customer saying they needed a correct address to send the rebate! Odd, the letter had the address on it!

Here is the key to 'the game', make a d**n copy of the UPC, the receipt, AND the form that you get from the store. WHEN you get the denial letter, call the manufacturer and ASK..."why does this form from Fry's (or online) say rebate if there is no rebate?" Once you do that you will find out IF there is a mistake on the part of the manufacturer OR on the part of the store. It is possible for a store to mistakenly print a rebate form. Remember, if the store DID make that mistake, then ALL 380 of the DVD players would get their rebate denied. IF not, then the manufacturer is pulling your chain and hoping you will go away.

Bottom line, NO store has any leverage and or ability to withhold legal payment for denial of rebates. Certainly a store can keep track of all denied rebates but the REAL problem is, a manufacturer can open your letter 'lose' the UPC and then tell you it was never received. Customers always come to Fry's and complain about not receiving rebates. Should FRY'S then be responsible for paying your rebate? You are responsible for your rebate and if you give up and go crying to the store then you are being defeated by the manufacturer and playing right into their hands. Don't be a loser. Get the rebate from the company that promised the rebate, not from the distributor.
(((ROR REDACTED)))

Don't make purchase decisions based on mail in rebates. Make the decision based on the price you will pay in the store. I can't stand the companies that show in huge font the price AFTER the rebate, but only show the in store price in small lettering. I will generally IGNORE their advertisements, and seldom shop there.

I found RipoffReport.com while trying to find out if others had been ripped off, like I had by RebateStatus.com. They had. My complaint was with regard to a T-Mobile phone-plus-service package, and it seems I'm not the only one!

While browsing the site, I came across many complaints against Best Buy, in a thread started by Karen of Brockton MA.

I live in California, but in a sudden downpour while on a summer vacation in Maryland I found I needed an umbrella. I don't remember if I ever got the umbrella, but I did step into Best Buy, where a very friendly salesperson convinced me I needed an Advantix camera and some film for it. When I exited the store, I found I had only paid for the film, as the cashier had made a mistake. I did not go back into the store and set it straight, and ever since then, have been wracked by guilt. I would never have treated an individual like that, but somehow, at that time I rationalized, "Big company. I guess they factor this sort of thing in". Even so, that's not a normal choice for me.

Best Buy was clean and bright and friendly, treated me well, and yet I didn't pay for the camera. Guilt! Shame!

Seeing all these complaints by loyal Best Buy customers who were treated callously, has somewhat lessened my sense of guilt. I know, it's still wrong, but considering how Best Buy has swatted down consumers with legitmate compliants, as if they were pesky mosquitos (when they weren't) leaves me somewhat ambivalent about the accidental "blood meal" I was given, some five years ago. If nothing else, perhaps somebody mistreated by Best Buy can smile about it.

But I still feel just a teeny bit bad about it. Just less so. As the scorecard now stands, I've been the victim of callous big companies, far more othen than the reverse. I guess that's how Karma works -imprecisely.

In some states all it takes is for one party to consent to having the call taped. So since you already tacitly consent by doing the taping yourself, that should be sufficient.

Further, the company you were calling already consented to the taping when they announced they would be doing it on their end. For them to think they can deny you the same right is utter criminal arrogance and insanity. Nobody would hold that they have the right to not let you accumulate evidence of their foul deeds, except someone in the criminal justice system who is pro-criminal him/herself. Maybe someone in the American Criminal Liberties Union, also. LOL

Now I am all for the rights of the accused, but not for the right of the guilty to use the system to avoid getting caught and being brought to justice. If I were you I would tape them and then let them try to weasel out by threatening me with a suit if I used the tape. I would love for that chance to go public with their threat and show the world how cold bloodedly and arrogantly they operate.

You can bet I would write them up here at ripoffreport for one, and would expose everyone else in government and in the legal system who agreed that they should be able to screw me in private and get away with it with impunity.

Thanks again Ed Magedson for RipOffReport. We need you! Sorry I am on SS and a virtual pauper or I would send in a big check. :-)

I have bought many things at Best Buy over the past nearly 20 years. I have always encountered knowlegeable & helpful salespeople.

On 12/21/05, I bought a HP notebook at Best Buy on sale ($200.00 off) for $1249.99. There was a rebate on this computer for $200.00 good during 12/18/05 to 12/24/05. It had to be postmarked by 1/23/06. I felt very fortunate to have gone to the store during the required time.

Since this is my first computer, you can imagine how much time I have spent learning to use it, & checking out many things! I didn't send in the rebate till 1/21/06.

Since then I have read so many complaints about terrible customer service & people not receiving their rebates. I began to get worried, so I checked on the BB rebate site, & was pleasantly surprised to learn my rebate had been issued on 2/2/06. Wow! That was fast, as it usually takes weeks. But of course it could always get "lost in the mail".

I received my check for $200.00 on 2/10/06. I think that was excellent service.

Now I realize I may have been one of the lucky ones. But I have always received rebates no matter who I sent them to. I always make sure I have followed the instructions, & mailed them before the postmark date.

HOWEVER, I personally know several people who say they will never set foot in Best Buy again for various reasons. My only complaint about BB is trying to call the 800 number (long wait) & calling the Geek Squad---unfriendly woman who refused to answer my question, but could refer me to a technician for a charge of $49.00. The Geek Squad in the store answered my question for nothing!

Now I will see what happens when I send in the rebate for the Canon printer that was offered with my computer purchase. The printer was only $50.00, & I am supposed to get a $50.00 rebate. I don't need this printer, as I have a HP All-in-one, that I'm sure is much superior to the Canon, but who can pass up a free deal?

My sympathies to all of the people who have had so much trouble with Best Buy. And thank you for giving me the opportunity to voice my opinion.

I have bought many things at Best Buy over the past nearly 20 years. I have always been treated with courtesy by the salespeople, & have received knowledgeable answers to my questions.

On Dec. 21, 2005, I bought a Hewlett Packard notebook at Best Buy. There was a $200.00 rebate which was good on this notebook bought between 12/21/05 to 12/24/05. The postmark date was 1/23/06. I felt very lucky that I had gone into the store during the required time, & that the one I wanted was on sale for $1249.99.

Since this is my first computer, you can imagine how much time I have spent learning to use this HP which has taken me out of the stone age! So I didn't send in the rebate till 1/21/06.

In the past 10 days or so, I discovered this site, plus a few others, & have read so many complaints about terrible customer service & people not receiving rebates. I started to get nervous & worried that I wouldn't receive mine.

So I checked the Best Buy rebate site, & was very pleasantly surprised to see that my rebate had been issued 2/2/06. That doesn't always mean anything, because it could get "lost in the mail".

On 2/10/06, I received my $200.00 check.

Dear Consumers-

All rebates will be honored as long as you read and follow the Terms and Conditions carefully. Make sure you postmark the rebate within the timeframe given and always make copies of your documentation because in most rebate companies they will allow you to resubmit with copies if any documents are missing or lost in the mail.

If you have doubts about what to send in ask the store you purchased it from to provide you with the rebate companies contact information.

Be sure if you follow the instructions through your rebate will be fulfilled.

This OP spends an average of $83.33 dollars a month in Best Buy, that's not a lot of money!

Some retailers who advertise that mail-in rebates are available on products misrepresent the advertised price. An example (from Future Shop) follows:

FutureShop.ca are currently advertising a product with a regular price of $89.99

They first offer a discount of $26.00 bringing the gross price down to $63.99 - no problem there.

Then they offer a mail-in rebate of $60.00. The rebate states that the rebate amount includes tax.

Now here's the problem. They now tell you that the price of the product after rebate $3.99 - but that is absolutely not true.


When I buy the product I pay $63.99 + tax (Tax is 15% where I am).
So I'm not paying $3.99 or even $3.99 + tax, I'm actually paying $11.82 + tax (calculation based on 15% tax other areas may differ).

One might argue that FutureShop is just not very good at math, but in my view to advertise a price of $3.99 is misleading and false advertising.

If anyone would like a clearer explanation of why their math is wrong, let me know and I'll gladly show the calculations.

Oh - and of course, you'll pay more if you (or anyone else involved) mess up the rebate. I have to say that so far I have always received rebates that I have mailed in.

You will find you're really on your own when trying to obtain the rebate. A few years back, my wife and I owned a retail store in California. We received a mailing from the California State Board of Equalization (the sales tax people) on -- you guessed it -- "How to Conduct a Successful Rebate Program." Keep in mind, the state collects sales tax on the full amount of the sale so rebates mean extra income to them. Hence, the title of the response.

I've found there are a lot of repeat offenders in this and just don't buy from anyone I've that's given me a problem when their price requires a rebate. But due keep in mind that the rebate processors handle millions of these forms and sometimes just don't know what they are looking at for documentation. I had a rebate on a monitor refused because "I failed to provide the UPC from the original package." I pointed out that I included the ONLY bar code on the box and just because it didn't have the human readable numbers printed with the UPC didn't mean it wasn't the UPC. Result: I qualified.

On the other hand, I lost a rebate because I mailed the form on a holiday so the post mark was the following day, just one day past the file date. Oh, well, I didn't meet the requirement so I lost the rebate.

First, the issue of politeness, Canadian or American or otherwise, is NOT THE POINT, has nothing to do with getting the money due, and is pretty much based on the individual (rude people happen to be everywhere, so the best way to avoid them is to ask for a supervisor).

As to PNY, I am in the midst of a denial for (get this!) "Invalid Postmark Date, Missing Receipt, Missing Purchase Date, Missing Purchase Location, Invalid Staples Easy Rebate ID or O." [I have no idea what "O" refers to, but I did correctly comply completely with rebate requirements.]
And as to the suggestion to phone for assistance, once I got thru all the automated answering, they just disconnected me on more than one call.

About Staples and OnRebate.com: I was disappointed to find that, altho Staples says they have online rebate registering, you still have to follow up with the hardcopies. But WORSE, you're supposed to get an email from OnRebate (with a registration tracking number for confirmation to use in mailing the rebate) which never comes and you can get no responses to inquiries about it. [Their disclaimer is blatantly prophetic.]

NOW, for THE GOOD NEWS... Altho the idea for the stores to get the rebates from the manufacturers sounds good, we all know they won't want to make the effort. We do a lot of rebates, mostly successful, but the best and easiest rebates are from RITE-AID. It's done completely online, simply supplying store and receipt info; you input receipts throughout the month, and once a month request your check. And it arrives FAST!

We need to start a movement for all retailers to take notice that if Rite-Aid can do it, they certainly can too!! How about it, BadBusinessBureau.com/RipoffReport.com owners? Can you help?

Thanks for providing this forum for us!

In response to Heather and her "wondering why I left my own contry in which I loved." I never at any time mentioned that I loved the USA. As for the reason why I joined in the forts place was to make my father mad, as I was a teen and upsetting ones parents is a natural thing to do at that age.

As for moving to Canada, yes, my American DISABILITY pay goes a lot further up here than in the USA. If one took the time to READ the title of what I wrote, I mentioned that I was injured in the line of duty. Which is the main reason why I am in Canada. I suffer from a painful nerve damage called RSD/CRPS.The best doctor in the world for this injury is in Winnipeg, Canada. If there was a doctor that had his knowledge and experience with this injury, I would have not left my home country.

As for Rod, I never said at any time that I wasn't rude. I am rude. I am not afraid to admit my faults. As for the place you said I "suposidly" work for? I would love to know where I said I worked? I never mentioned where I work here in Canada, mater of fact I did mention I was RETIRED, and INJURED IN THE LINE OF DUTY pretty clear.

I think if people actually take the time to CAREFULLY read what is posted on these sites and then add some tye of constructive criticism instead of trying to second guess what people are saying as if there is hidden messages in their wording, one might have a better understanding of what is being said. This is probably one of the bigest reasons why people have some difficulty in getting their rebates/ services/ goods they desire. They read to fast and dont take the time to slow down and READ what is written. Its not hard to do, just slow down and read. You may be supprised and save some money! I know, I made the same mistake before.

I never said that I support what my father does. My father is a b*****d for the most part. He convinces people to sell thier land so his company can drill for oil. I was using him as an example that I KNOW american dollars go farther in Canada. It wasn't his choice to go to the US, his job was obsolete in the canadian offices and so to continue his job he had to work in the US.

I have to admit that someone that fights for thier country in a war, then leaves that country... it makes me wonder. Why would someone that loved thier country soo much to fight for it would then leave it. Yes the US dollar goes farther in canada.. but eventualyl those dollars will run out, then you will be making canadian dollars, which don't go as far in the world.

As for rudeness vs polite.. you seem to be missing the point completely there Rod.
The customer service atmosphere that I have expierenced in Canada ia MUCH better than anything I have experienced in the US.
I lived in Lansing Michigan for part of my life. I live in Ontario, but only an hour away from Detroit. Have you ever been there? Have you even seen the way they represent themselves? Have you been to my city when all the american take over on weekendsd.. amazed that there is a Hotel with a waterslide inside (big entertainment for detroiters it seems)
No, you have not lived my life. you have not sat down and talked to the president of the company I work for. When asked about why they moved to Canda... location, money, customer service.
You have not taken my phone calls where you had to transfer the call to a supervisor who was still located in the US, in OKC. you have not heard the supervisors,,...not just one, but all that I have come across, be terribly rude to the consumers. hang up on consumers when they do not listen to them.

IN MY OPINION Canadian Customer Service is much better than American Customer Service. This is based on my own experiences, websites such as this, friends complaints... therefore, you are not goingt o get me to change my mind. Look for "Zellers" on this website. it is an CANADIAN company that doesn't have nearly as many complaints as some of the big stores in the US.

As for not mentioning the other reasons the companies are moving over ... the person I was responding to in my original post was complaining about companies moving from the US and the service he/she rcvd. I was responding to that.


And BTW I never said there was not rude canadians. In my experience, Americans are a lot less friendly, polite and intelligent than Canadians. I have come across rude customer service here in Canada as well... but not as often as in the US.

I see that Heather is attempting to defend her belief and comments that Canadians are a far more genteel and polite group of folks, by and large, than the average American citizen. She states that she did not claim that this is the ONLY reason that companies are moving to Canada but a careful re-reading of her first missive nowhere indicates that we should take the difference in currency values into cosideration. (By the way, I did not say that she said that it was the ONLY reason that companies moved there but that it was the only reason that she stated...hmmm...I wonder why?) Often what is left unsaid is as important to understanding one's intent as what is specifically pointed out. She even states that this is a BIG reason...how many BIG reasons are there to this issue? She even cedes Missti's assertation in her second email that the company she works for moved thier facilities to Canada because of (politeness?, no) the currancy value of such a move.

Missti and Heather both seem to be willing to be rude to each other and to the populations of each country in their desire to prove their points. Missti calls Heather ignorant and absurd and then attacks the Canadian populace as a whole based upon what he has seen at a hockey game. Heather goes on the attack by implying that Missti may or may not be truthful about the company that he/she "supposedly" works for. She finishes off by suggesting that Missti is somehow not a REAL American because he/she re-located to Canada after having done his/her time in the service all the while ignoring what it may or may not say about her own father that he eschews employment in his native country in order to make a better wage in America.

Perhaps what we are looking at here is a perfect example of just what my own previous response stated....there are impolite folks on each side of the border and that to suggest that this is indicative of a populace as a whole by either side is, and I cannot state this strongly enough, a sign of bias and ugly bigotry. The kind of thinking that the world as a whole could stand to have a lot less of.

By the way, I still hold fast to my own contention that artificially man-made borders are an exceptionally poor way to determine the behaviour of entire groups of people. Individuals are rude or polite, warlike or peaceful, loving or hateful, intelligent or stupid...not countries. To believe otherwise is to fall into the pitfall of generalization that has brought so many innocent people to sorrow and tears due to lumping all or even most citizens of a given country together. When will it all end?

I see that Heather is attempting to defend her belief and comments that Canadians are a far more genteel and polite group of folks, by and large, than the average American citizen. She states that she did not claim that this is the ONLY reason that companies are moving to Canada but a careful re-reading of her first missive nowhere indicates that we should take the difference in currency values into cosideration. (By the way, I did not say that she said that it was the ONLY reason that companies moved there but that it was the only reason that she stated...hmmm...I wonder why?) Often what is left unsaid is as important to understanding one's intent as what is specifically pointed out. She even states that this is a BIG reason...how many BIG reasons are there to this issue? She even cedes Missti's assertation in her second email that the company she works for moved thier facilities to Canada because of (politeness?, no) the currancy value of such a move.

Missti and Heather both seem to be willing to be rude to each other and to the populations of each country in their desire to prove their points. Missti calls Heather ignorant and absurd and then attacks the Canadian populace as a whole based upon what he has seen at a hockey game. Heather goes on the attack by implying that Missti may or may not be truthful about the company that he/she "supposedly" works for. She finishes off by suggesting that Missti is somehow not a REAL American because he/she re-located to Canada after having done his/her time in the service all the while ignoring what it may or may not say about her own father that he eschews employment in his native country in order to make a better wage in America.

Perhaps what we are looking at here is a perfect example of just what my own previous response stated....there are impolite folks on each side of the border and that to suggest that this is indicative of a populace as a whole by either side is, and I cannot state this strongly enough, a sign of bias and ugly bigotry. The kind of thinking that the world as a whole could stand to have a lot less of.

By the way, I still hold fast to my own contention that artificially man-made borders are an exceptionally poor way to determine the behaviour of entire groups of people. Individuals are rude or polite, warlike or peaceful, loving or hateful, intelligent or stupid...not countries. To believe otherwise is to fall into the pitfall of generalization that has brought so many innocent people to sorrow and tears due to lumping all or even most citizens of a given country together. When will it all end?

I see that Heather is attempting to defend her belief and comments that Canadians are a far more genteel and polite group of folks, by and large, than the average American citizen. She states that she did not claim that this is the ONLY reason that companies are moving to Canada but a careful re-reading of her first missive nowhere indicates that we should take the difference in currency values into cosideration. (By the way, I did not say that she said that it was the ONLY reason that companies moved there but that it was the only reason that she stated...hmmm...I wonder why?) Often what is left unsaid is as important to understanding one's intent as what is specifically pointed out. She even states that this is a BIG reason...how many BIG reasons are there to this issue? She even cedes Missti's assertation in her second email that the company she works for moved thier facilities to Canada because of (politeness?, no) the currancy value of such a move.

Missti and Heather both seem to be willing to be rude to each other and to the populations of each country in their desire to prove their points. Missti calls Heather ignorant and absurd and then attacks the Canadian populace as a whole based upon what he has seen at a hockey game. Heather goes on the attack by implying that Missti may or may not be truthful about the company that he/she "supposedly" works for. She finishes off by suggesting that Missti is somehow not a REAL American because he/she re-located to Canada after having done his/her time in the service all the while ignoring what it may or may not say about her own father that he eschews employment in his native country in order to make a better wage in America.

Perhaps what we are looking at here is a perfect example of just what my own previous response stated....there are impolite folks on each side of the border and that to suggest that this is indicative of a populace as a whole by either side is, and I cannot state this strongly enough, a sign of bias and ugly bigotry. The kind of thinking that the world as a whole could stand to have a lot less of.

By the way, I still hold fast to my own contention that artificially man-made borders are an exceptionally poor way to determine the behaviour of entire groups of people. Individuals are rude or polite, warlike or peaceful, loving or hateful, intelligent or stupid...not countries. To believe otherwise is to fall into the pitfall of generalization that has brought so many innocent people to sorrow and tears due to lumping all or even most citizens of a given country together. When will it all end?

I see that Heather is attempting to defend her belief and comments that Canadians are a far more genteel and polite group of folks, by and large, than the average American citizen. She states that she did not claim that this is the ONLY reason that companies are moving to Canada but a careful re-reading of her first missive nowhere indicates that we should take the difference in currency values into cosideration. (By the way, I did not say that she said that it was the ONLY reason that companies moved there but that it was the only reason that she stated...hmmm...I wonder why?) Often what is left unsaid is as important to understanding one's intent as what is specifically pointed out. She even states that this is a BIG reason...how many BIG reasons are there to this issue? She even cedes Missti's assertation in her second email that the company she works for moved thier facilities to Canada because of (politeness?, no) the currancy value of such a move.

Missti and Heather both seem to be willing to be rude to each other and to the populations of each country in their desire to prove their points. Missti calls Heather ignorant and absurd and then attacks the Canadian populace as a whole based upon what he has seen at a hockey game. Heather goes on the attack by implying that Missti may or may not be truthful about the company that he/she "supposedly" works for. She finishes off by suggesting that Missti is somehow not a REAL American because he/she re-located to Canada after having done his/her time in the service all the while ignoring what it may or may not say about her own father that he eschews employment in his native country in order to make a better wage in America.

Perhaps what we are looking at here is a perfect example of just what my own previous response stated....there are impolite folks on each side of the border and that to suggest that this is indicative of a populace as a whole by either side is, and I cannot state this strongly enough, a sign of bias and ugly bigotry. The kind of thinking that the world as a whole could stand to have a lot less of.

By the way, I still hold fast to my own contention that artificially man-made borders are an exceptionally poor way to determine the behaviour of entire groups of people. Individuals are rude or polite, warlike or peaceful, loving or hateful, intelligent or stupid...not countries. To believe otherwise is to fall into the pitfall of generalization that has brought so many innocent people to sorrow and tears due to lumping all or even most citizens of a given country together. When will it all end?

In the Sunday papers, there are the usually circulars. I see these stores selling notebook computers.

I could use a new notebook.

Some of them start as low as $699.

But, wait, that's the rebate price. The real price is $1099. That's no bargain!

And, oh, wait a minute. The computer is a HP. HP is junk!

If I remember correctly, Compaq is using the rebate con too! They must be junk as well.

That's why they use the fake rebate con to try to get rid of the trash.

Pass!

In fact, pass on any store that's running the rebate con!

They must think I'm an idiot to fall for something that stupid!

The rebate con! Man, oh man! Can't they come up with something better than that?

Does anybody really buy a junk computer hoping to get a rebate?

Whenever I see a rebate, I know to avoid both the product and the store like the plague.

NO, i didn't. What I said was that it was a big part of it, and it is. Speak to the Owner of the company you supposedly work for, ask them about the customer care atmosphere in canada versus the US.

Yes, I realize that the American Dollar goes farther in Canada than it does in the US. That would be why my father works in Michigan and lives in Ontario. This is why the company I work for moved all thier call centre and mailing facilites into canada.

What bothers me more about your post is that you were someone who defended your country but was willing to leave it after finding out that thier money was worth more else where... that says alot about you as an american as well.

I read in Heather's comments that Canadian call centers are polite as apposed to the "rude" Americans, and this is the reason that American companies are moving to Canada for business in call center. This is not only absurd, but shows the true ignorance of some people.

I am an American who recently moved to Canada after retiring from the USA Army due to being injured in the line of duty. The reason? Its simple. It is for the same reason these big corporations are moving up here...because THE AMERICAN DOLLAR GOES FARTHER, not because the people are polite! It just proves that companies will go to extreme lengths to save a buck. And as for the politeness of Canadians? I sugest people go to a hockey game, you will see how "polite" Canadians are just spectating at a simple sport.

I have been called several times from collection agencies up here for bills that were made by someone with my same name WHILE I WAS DEPLOYIED IN A COMPAT ZONE FOR THE ARMY! And I might add the agencies are as rude as those in the United States. I have had to send in my American military information of when I was deployed and not even in the North American hemosphere to prove to them who I was and that they had the wrong person.

And just like most who are writing in here, I am waiting for a rebate from Compaq Pressario in the amount of $200, for a lap top I purchased in 2002 at Best Buy, in Tacoma, Washington, while I was stationed at Ft Lewis Army Base. I filled everything out at the store with the salesman, and sent it priority mail the very next day. It has been over 2 years now since that purchase and every 3 months I have been sending the rebate office my coppies of the originals because they said they "lost" them to later say "we lost your originals but we need your originals to give you your rebate." I think a class action should be started and all of Canada and the USA need to be involved since this is clearly an international FRAUD opperation! I have now purchased items that are at regular price or are on STORE SALE, not some FRAUDULANT REBATE offer.

Heather from Canada would have us believe that the call centers are being handled by Canadians because Americans are not "polite" enough and Canadians are. She seems to imply that if one comes in contact with an impolite Canadian that it is simply an isolated incident as there are "bad ones" out there everywhere.

Her assertion that this does not hold true for Americans and that impolite Americans are not simply a case of a single person (regardless of nationality) being rude is quite insulting and certainly predjudicial wording on her part. I am surprised that such bigoted assertations would be allowed.

While I admit that there most certainly are rude Americans, (as there are rude folks in any nation) the suggestion that Americans as a whole are rude is an outdated but unfortunately widely held belief (even among some Americans, I fear). I for one will continue to be polite despite the needs of some folks to wish that all Americans are otherwise.

This is in response to Bill who is complaining that he was calling Canada.

First of all, we have the right to state that we do not want to be recorded. It is illegal to tap record someone without premission.

if you will note, on the recording it states:
"Your call MAY be recorded for quality and assurance purposes"
So, first of all, not ALL calls are recorded. Secondly, the calls are not recorded to be used against you, or the company. They are not recording your YOUR use.

They are recorded so that a Supervisor of the person you are speaking with may review the call and mark the employee on that call. If the employee has misinformed you, are spoken to you in an unprofessional manner, this is where it is caught, and corrected.

The company is not deceiving you by having you contact another country. As you may or may not have noticed, Americans aren't that polite. They aren't that friendly.
Canadians on the other hand, are polite, and friendly when taking hpnoe calls, for the msot part (there are bad people everywhere). This is a big reason that a lot of US call centres are now moving to Canada.

As well, if you feel that you do not understand the rebate form, call the number provided. It states to call the numberi f there is questions! so just do it before submitting if you are confused!

Oh yeah consumers, please dont be fooled. Even though you may get a check from one manufacturer and not the other, this doesn't mean that you are calling the manufacturers directly. In fact, the same fulfillment center that probably sent you the first check will be the same one that denied you for another rebate. These fulfillment centers process for many manufacturers so keep that in mind. Its not where you purchase mainly. It is who the manufacturer is and how financially stable they are. It is easier to get in touch with popular manufacturers, than the ones that you've probably never heard of before. I agree with the comment before of the stores submitting for the rebates and just deducting the price from the customer's purchase.

Now, this is a bit different. I was actually an employee of a rebate company that processed for big organizations such as Fry's, CompUsa, and so on. Now, let me give you people some insight as to what is done.

First of all, everything you may have done with submitting your rebate may in fact be correct.
However, at times, these manufacturers dont pay the rebate organizations. Therefore, they cannot distribute money to customers if they aren't gettting any.

Also, these companies sign contracts with the manufacturers not to disclose any information. Therefore, when customers call, no one can disclose any information as to the manufacturer's contact info, ph#, address, and account information even if they aren't paying.

The rebate company and its employees have to handle these customers the best way they can. Okay #2, even though these rebates say 6-8 wks or 10 wks. It takes almost 8 wks just to process depending on how much mail or how busy the centers are. Sometimes, you may get lucky and get an early rebate check. However, that is rare.

The time it takes for a consumer to get a rebate is the amount of time it takes for the manufacturers or company's offering the rebates to pay. They often claim a consumer is missing some information that is stopping them from getting the rebate.

Now, things get lost all the time. People try to make things more convenient by cutting and gluing things to the paper. However, they must understand that no one that processes these rebates takes the time to turn over a paper to see if the customer put some other information on the back. If they send all the bar codes because they are unsure of what is required, they will get denied because no one will take the time to look at all of them.

The manufacturers often require some foolishness to make people not even want to bother to submit for the rebate. They make sure that a customer must fully damage the box so that they cannot take the item back, even though they may not get a rebate. They don't care if they lose mail because it saves them money. Often, the places that offer these rebate such as the stores don't know anything about the rebates. They are just trying to sell products to make their commission.

Most rebates have a limit of one in the fine print. The terms and conditions are tricky. Often times, a customer may believe they have months to send in a rebate, when in fact they may only have 15 days from when they purchased.

They don't care about what went on in your life why you couldn't send the rebate in on time, you will still be denied. They just care about how to save themselves money. With all the information, I know, I probably wouldn't be too interested in rebate offers. They can also be denied if someone else buy's something and their name is anywhere on the rebate receipt or store receipt and someone else submits for the rebate. This is considered a transfer even though it makes no sense because you still bought the item. That's just another tricky way for them to deny a rebate. Most customers skip over that part because they don't even know what it means. Pls read these rebates carefully and ask the store question. Get names of people you speak to.

Have the store call the rebate center to verify the info before you submit it. These internet companies offering rebates you should be very scared of. They don't even know where these rebates are supposed to be mailed to. Some store are not even participating retailers for the rebate. Therefore, the customer will be denied because they didn't purchase at a participating store.

They also deny submissions incorrectly and dont care because the less the manufacturer has to spend on the rebates, the better off the organiztions are that are helping them to save money such as rebate centers. The best thing would be to make copies of everything and frequently follow up. Dont forget, manufacturers also go out of business, change names, and do other things just to get out of paying. Now, I cannot disclose the location where I worked or any of my info due to privacy acts. I may have spoken to many of you consumers that have posted on this site. However, I will check this website to address any future questions.

Former Rebate company employee

Now, this is a bit different. I was actually an employee of a rebate company that processed for big organizations such as Fry's, CompUsa, and so on. Now, let me give you people some insight as to what is done.

First of all, everything you may have done with submitting your rebate may in fact be correct.
However, at times, these manufacturers dont pay the rebate organizations. Therefore, they cannot distribute money to customers if they aren't gettting any.

Also, these companies sign contracts with the manufacturers not to disclose any information. Therefore, when customers call, no one can disclose any information as to the manufacturer's contact info, ph#, address, and account information even if they aren't paying.

The rebate company and its employees have to handle these customers the best way they can. Okay #2, even though these rebates say 6-8 wks or 10 wks. It takes almost 8 wks just to process depending on how much mail or how busy the centers are. Sometimes, you may get lucky and get an early rebate check. However, that is rare.

The time it takes for a consumer to get a rebate is the amount of time it takes for the manufacturers or company's offering the rebates to pay. They often claim a consumer is missing some information that is stopping them from getting the rebate.

Now, things get lost all the time. People try to make things more convenient by cutting and gluing things to the paper. However, they must understand that no one that processes these rebates takes the time to turn over a paper to see if the customer put some other information on the back. If they send all the bar codes because they are unsure of what is required, they will get denied because no one will take the time to look at all of them.

The manufacturers often require some foolishness to make people not even want to bother to submit for the rebate. They make sure that a customer must fully damage the box so that they cannot take the item back, even though they may not get a rebate. They don't care if they lose mail because it saves them money. Often, the places that offer these rebate such as the stores don't know anything about the rebates. They are just trying to sell products to make their commission.

Most rebates have a limit of one in the fine print. The terms and conditions are tricky. Often times, a customer may believe they have months to send in a rebate, when in fact they may only have 15 days from when they purchased.

They don't care about what went on in your life why you couldn't send the rebate in on time, you will still be denied. They just care about how to save themselves money. With all the information, I know, I probably wouldn't be too interested in rebate offers. They can also be denied if someone else buy's something and their name is anywhere on the rebate receipt or store receipt and someone else submits for the rebate. This is considered a transfer even though it makes no sense because you still bought the item. That's just another tricky way for them to deny a rebate. Most customers skip over that part because they don't even know what it means. Pls read these rebates carefully and ask the store question. Get names of people you speak to.

Have the store call the rebate center to verify the info before you submit it. These internet companies offering rebates you should be very scared of. They don't even know where these rebates are supposed to be mailed to. Some store are not even participating retailers for the rebate. Therefore, the customer will be denied because they didn't purchase at a participating store.

They also deny submissions incorrectly and dont care because the less the manufacturer has to spend on the rebates, the better off the organiztions are that are helping them to save money such as rebate centers. The best thing would be to make copies of everything and frequently follow up. Dont forget, manufacturers also go out of business, change names, and do other things just to get out of paying. Now, I cannot disclose the location where I worked or any of my info due to privacy acts. I may have spoken to many of you consumers that have posted on this site. However, I will check this website to address any future questions.

Former Rebate company employee

Now, this is a bit different. I was actually an employee of a rebate company that processed for big organizations such as Fry's, CompUsa, and so on. Now, let me give you people some insight as to what is done.

First of all, everything you may have done with submitting your rebate may in fact be correct.
However, at times, these manufacturers dont pay the rebate organizations. Therefore, they cannot distribute money to customers if they aren't gettting any.

Also, these companies sign contracts with the manufacturers not to disclose any information. Therefore, when customers call, no one can disclose any information as to the manufacturer's contact info, ph#, address, and account information even if they aren't paying.

The rebate company and its employees have to handle these customers the best way they can. Okay #2, even though these rebates say 6-8 wks or 10 wks. It takes almost 8 wks just to process depending on how much mail or how busy the centers are. Sometimes, you may get lucky and get an early rebate check. However, that is rare.

The time it takes for a consumer to get a rebate is the amount of time it takes for the manufacturers or company's offering the rebates to pay. They often claim a consumer is missing some information that is stopping them from getting the rebate.

Now, things get lost all the time. People try to make things more convenient by cutting and gluing things to the paper. However, they must understand that no one that processes these rebates takes the time to turn over a paper to see if the customer put some other information on the back. If they send all the bar codes because they are unsure of what is required, they will get denied because no one will take the time to look at all of them.

The manufacturers often require some foolishness to make people not even want to bother to submit for the rebate. They make sure that a customer must fully damage the box so that they cannot take the item back, even though they may not get a rebate. They don't care if they lose mail because it saves them money. Often, the places that offer these rebate such as the stores don't know anything about the rebates. They are just trying to sell products to make their commission.

Most rebates have a limit of one in the fine print. The terms and conditions are tricky. Often times, a customer may believe they have months to send in a rebate, when in fact they may only have 15 days from when they purchased.

They don't care about what went on in your life why you couldn't send the rebate in on time, you will still be denied. They just care about how to save themselves money. With all the information, I know, I probably wouldn't be too interested in rebate offers. They can also be denied if someone else buy's something and their name is anywhere on the rebate receipt or store receipt and someone else submits for the rebate. This is considered a transfer even though it makes no sense because you still bought the item. That's just another tricky way for them to deny a rebate. Most customers skip over that part because they don't even know what it means. Pls read these rebates carefully and ask the store question. Get names of people you speak to.

Have the store call the rebate center to verify the info before you submit it. These internet companies offering rebates you should be very scared of. They don't even know where these rebates are supposed to be mailed to. Some store are not even participating retailers for the rebate. Therefore, the customer will be denied because they didn't purchase at a participating store.

They also deny submissions incorrectly and dont care because the less the manufacturer has to spend on the rebates, the better off the organiztions are that are helping them to save money such as rebate centers. The best thing would be to make copies of everything and frequently follow up. Dont forget, manufacturers also go out of business, change names, and do other things just to get out of paying. Now, I cannot disclose the location where I worked or any of my info due to privacy acts. I may have spoken to many of you consumers that have posted on this site. However, I will check this website to address any future questions.

Former Rebate company employee

Now, this is a bit different. I was actually an employee of a rebate company that processed for big organizations such as Fry's, CompUsa, and so on. Now, let me give you people some insight as to what is done.

First of all, everything you may have done with submitting your rebate may in fact be correct.
However, at times, these manufacturers dont pay the rebate organizations. Therefore, they cannot distribute money to customers if they aren't gettting any.

Also, these companies sign contracts with the manufacturers not to disclose any information. Therefore, when customers call, no one can disclose any information as to the manufacturer's contact info, ph#, address, and account information even if they aren't paying.

The rebate company and its employees have to handle these customers the best way they can. Okay #2, even though these rebates say 6-8 wks or 10 wks. It takes almost 8 wks just to process depending on how much mail or how busy the centers are. Sometimes, you may get lucky and get an early rebate check. However, that is rare.

The time it takes for a consumer to get a rebate is the amount of time it takes for the manufacturers or company's offering the rebates to pay. They often claim a consumer is missing some information that is stopping them from getting the rebate.

Now, things get lost all the time. People try to make things more convenient by cutting and gluing things to the paper. However, they must understand that no one that processes these rebates takes the time to turn over a paper to see if the customer put some other information on the back. If they send all the bar codes because they are unsure of what is required, they will get denied because no one will take the time to look at all of them.

The manufacturers often require some foolishness to make people not even want to bother to submit for the rebate. They make sure that a customer must fully damage the box so that they cannot take the item back, even though they may not get a rebate. They don't care if they lose mail because it saves them money. Often, the places that offer these rebate such as the stores don't know anything about the rebates. They are just trying to sell products to make their commission.

Most rebates have a limit of one in the fine print. The terms and conditions are tricky. Often times, a customer may believe they have months to send in a rebate, when in fact they may only have 15 days from when they purchased.

They don't care about what went on in your life why you couldn't send the rebate in on time, you will still be denied. They just care about how to save themselves money. With all the information, I know, I probably wouldn't be too interested in rebate offers. They can also be denied if someone else buy's something and their name is anywhere on the rebate receipt or store receipt and someone else submits for the rebate. This is considered a transfer even though it makes no sense because you still bought the item. That's just another tricky way for them to deny a rebate. Most customers skip over that part because they don't even know what it means. Pls read these rebates carefully and ask the store question. Get names of people you speak to.

Have the store call the rebate center to verify the info before you submit it. These internet companies offering rebates you should be very scared of. They don't even know where these rebates are supposed to be mailed to. Some store are not even participating retailers for the rebate. Therefore, the customer will be denied because they didn't purchase at a participating store.

They also deny submissions incorrectly and dont care because the less the manufacturer has to spend on the rebates, the better off the organiztions are that are helping them to save money such as rebate centers. The best thing would be to make copies of everything and frequently follow up. Dont forget, manufacturers also go out of business, change names, and do other things just to get out of paying. Now, I cannot disclose the location where I worked or any of my info due to privacy acts. I may have spoken to many of you consumers that have posted on this site. However, I will check this website to address any future questions.

Former Rebate company employee

I too went to Lowes, and I too purchased Olympic
products. I FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTIONS and prompt- ly received my check on the rebate/refund. In fact, I don't ever remember NOT receiving money when I FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS, and I have done this type thing numerous times. I think there area lot of people out there who DO NOT FOLLOW THEM.

i went to lowes here in hamilton ohio two and a half months ago and the person behind the paint counter said " oh miss you want to get the olympic paint because i was getting 8 gallons and on 5 of them i would get a refund" . so he handed me the refund and i thought well this is great thats $30.00 i will recieve back . well i'm still waiting and decided to look up where my refund would be at today and to my surprise, as many others out there, find out it was a fraud . how can companies think that they are getting away with this ? and as a consumer what can we do about it ? if anything ?

In response to karen in Brocken Mass.
The rebate " follow the simple mail in instructions " scam. Is a way to infer to the consumer that it is a simple matter of sending in a reciept.

In reality, it is almost always an obscurely, deceptivly worded, hard to read, or comply with, set of instructions, that many thousands of consumers decide to " put off" for when they have more time.

And then forget about.

If Best Buys advertised " it only takes an hour or two to interpret the fine print and mail this to the several differing states, { making it more costly to litigate against} and when you comply, you will inevitably get a letter saying you did not mail it in ! i keep all records and copies, I am also quite literate, much more so than the cheap counsel that approved this thinly disquised fraud. it only takes a few to intigate a class action.

I called best buys after hearing my call would be recorded I asked three differnt suporvisors, If I could also record the call , and was told No! that is not our policy ! gee I wonder why ? just to muddy up the fraud trail a little more thier callin center is in Nova Scotia ! ya think because they sell more in Canada ? and it is less costly to call another country toll free ?
hah! just more proof of intent to decieve !

I guess when I start serving people in Canada to testify in depositions in California, and Best buy's has to pay, costs, not to mention the slam dunk nature of this settlement, they might think they should have just sent me the twenty bucks !

ANYONE who has had ANY trouble with a rebate from Best Buys please post your own Rip-off Reprot, it won't cost you a dime. The more reports on these companies, it will benifit consumers in the future.

Sorry, my comments were for Stewart,not
Jason!
Anthony
Cherry Hill
New Jersey

Jason, while it is true that the customer
did not send his rebate form in a timely manner,
that does not lessen his anger at Best Buy!!

HP gave him the rebate-WHY? Did you ever think
that maybe HP wants to keep a customer?

This is an excellant way for businesses to build a
loyal customer base! True, for a minimal discount HP comes out smelling like a rose. Where is BEST BUY's logic? True, BEST BUY got THE sale, but
can they count on anymore sales from that
particular customer?

This is a customer who spent $2000 in 2 years at BEST BUY!!

Technically BEST BUY is RIGHT, BUT as their customer base dwindles, they will also be right to consider bankrupcy!!!!!!!!

There is one thing that may possibly happen good to BEST BUY-- Alot of thank you notes from WALMART!!!!

You were not ripped off, by your own words you did not fulfil your obligation to send in the rebate on time. Even though the rebate was a Best Buy rebate the money more than likely did come from HP. When manufactures make deals retail stores to back a rebate there is a cut-off time for the retail store to turn in the dollar amount that the manufacture must pay.

It sounds to me that you are looking for someone to blame for your own mistake.

I had recently bought a Hewlett-Packard computer at Best Buy in Braintree Massachusetts, and the store's rebate department(based in Canada) had refused to honor the $100.00 rebate. Now, I was late in sending in the store's rebate form (about two weeks).I had explained the dire circumstances which greatly preoccupied my mind during the rebate timeline , which in turn, led to missing the deadline, but still they would not concede. However, the Hewlett-Packard company did honor my rebate form without any hassle, and I am grateful for that. I am just so very peeved that Best Buy would not honor my rebate form because that was one of the motivating factors in my purchase of the computer. I know, theoretically, that I did in fact miss the deadline for the rebate and it is my loss, but I cannot overlook the fact that within the past two years I have spent almost $2,000 at that Best Buy store. They repetively said in a sing-song voice that I would not be granted the rebate, regardless of anything. Previous to this, I had felt an unquestionnable sense of trustworthiness and loyalty to the Best Buy environment, but that is now definately shattered. For example, I just bought a $300.00 camera at Wal-Mart. Never again will I shop at Best Buy. They have no compassion towards their loyal customers. What a comparison between the Hewlett-Packard company and Best Buy. One might think that the latter would have honored the rebate, and the former be more prone to decline, but such is not the case indeed. I will continue to purchase Hewlett-Packard merchandise(and send in their rebate forms on time), but not to be bought at a Best Buy store. when Ia wover the hat I me the $100.00 rebate cthe store's )