- Report: #186647
Complaint Review: OnRebate.com TigerDirect - Nationwide
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OnRebate.com TigerDirect
Onrebate.com Nationwide, U.S.A.
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OnRebate.com, TigerDirect Misleading rebates rejected Ripoff Los Angeles California
I recently purchased a computer on tigerdirect.com and proceeded to file several rebates through onrebate.com. The system is engineered to make the process as long and arduous as possible. I am waiting for $240 worth of rebates.
I had the foresight to actually photocopy all my documents prior to mailing them off. I have 5 pending rebates with onrebate.com, and recently they all got rejected for missing signatures.
Going back to the forms I submitted, I actually did miss the signatures. There is a STEP 4 section titled "Print Your Rebate Form". But this section requires a signature. Of course, people are not going to read more than the "Print" part assuming it's the print section, and printing the form is self-explanatory. I fell for it, just like many of the rest of you did.
STEP 5 is the "Mail In Rebate Form". The checklist on this form requests "This Form", "Copy of Original Invoice", and "Original Proof of Purchase Label".
So just out of curiousity, I look at the rejection email and going online, I have an opportunity to print a new form to submit. Well, guess what! -- The signature required part has MOVED to section 5! How many of you noticed this?
This is clearly a deceptive practice and I want my rebate money promised. I have no way to contact them. They don't respond to my emails and actually in one of my emails... there is no phone number and email to reply to. In my latter emails, the info did show up.
However, if I call the number "for my convenience due to high call volume, we will direct you to the automated system". This smells really bad.
Kris
Sherman Oaks, California
U.S.A.
I had the foresight to actually photocopy all my documents prior to mailing them off. I have 5 pending rebates with onrebate.com, and recently they all got rejected for missing signatures.
Going back to the forms I submitted, I actually did miss the signatures. There is a STEP 4 section titled "Print Your Rebate Form". But this section requires a signature. Of course, people are not going to read more than the "Print" part assuming it's the print section, and printing the form is self-explanatory. I fell for it, just like many of the rest of you did.
STEP 5 is the "Mail In Rebate Form". The checklist on this form requests "This Form", "Copy of Original Invoice", and "Original Proof of Purchase Label".
So just out of curiousity, I look at the rejection email and going online, I have an opportunity to print a new form to submit. Well, guess what! -- The signature required part has MOVED to section 5! How many of you noticed this?
This is clearly a deceptive practice and I want my rebate money promised. I have no way to contact them. They don't respond to my emails and actually in one of my emails... there is no phone number and email to reply to. In my latter emails, the info did show up.
However, if I call the number "for my convenience due to high call volume, we will direct you to the automated system". This smells really bad.
Kris
Sherman Oaks, California
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Arthur
Wylie,Texas,
U.S.A.
I Had A Similar Experience
#2Consumer Suggestion
Fri, April 21, 2006
I had failed to include a copy of the invoice, due probably to an unconscious feeling that it was redundant anyway since you can't print out the rebate form online until after you have placed a successful order. Perhaps I was subconsciously rebelling against what was an obvious hoop to deter me from cashing in on my rebate. Anyway, the next day I ran off a copy of the invoice and sent it in a new envelope with the tracking number of the rebate plastered on both sides of the envelope. Sure enough I got an email saying my rebate had been denied. A few weeks later, mind you. Grrrrr.. I didn't know about Nadina but I did get through to customer service somehow. Sure I got the old run around about call volume and thought how convenient that they don't hire more people so they can shunt you off to the automated system. I forget if I kept trying or if I just mashed the "O" button until the system crashed and gave me customer service. Anyway, I got through and got someone named Shanti. I told her about my late mailing of one part of my rebate submission and said I figured someone had received it and had just thrown it in the trash. "Don't you people talk to each other?" I asked. "Seems to me if you wanted to be good at customer service the one who opened the second envelope would yell out ' Who's got Arthur's rebate stuff, tracking number so-and-so?' " She sounded like I hurt her feelings and said that the ones who process the rebates aren't in customer service, but she was and would look into it. If I would fax her the missing invoice she would approve the rebate. The file showed they had received all the rest of it. For what it's worth, that fax number over there is: 888-426-9467. I had the advantage of putting "Attention Shanti" on the fax, so that perhaps got me better treatment. Well, I let some weeks go by and no update so I called again and asked for Shanti. She wasn't even there any more but a gal named Donny (sp?) went over to Shanti's stuff and looked for my stuff and found it along with the faxed invoice. She promised to approve it. I asked how long and she said 8-10 weeks. I choked, and she said 'well maybe I can cut that time down some'. She did. and I got the check in 14 days. My impression of OnRebate is that they are human beings over there (like Nadina) trying to do an honest day's work, at least in Customer Service. The ones who process the claims may be mere drones and perhaps won't do a lot of independent thinking, especially when it benefits the customer. My guess is that the decision to make it uncomfortable for you to receive your rebate is the fault of the higher ups. At least I am willing to give the ones lower down on the corporate chain the benefit of the doubt.... You CAN get through to these people and find someone with a heart, if you just try hard enough.
Kris
Sherman Oaks,California,
U.S.A.
How I resolved it.
#3Author of original report
Fri, April 14, 2006
By reading over some of the other responses writing to [email protected]. I wrote her an email summarizing my issue and asking if I could fax the 5 rebates with signatures to 1-888-426-9467, including the email I received from onRebate. She responded and within the space of a couple hours, I have had all 5 of my rebates approved with confirmation emails. So I'm glad for that. I would like to see if OnRebate are actually going to take some steps to simplify the process and remove the deceptive steps from this process. Simply moving the entire signature section from Step 4 to Step 5 would completely fix these problems for most people. Now I'd like to know why it takes 8-10 weeks from the approval to actually send the money. An automated system would be out in the mail the same day. But of course, for a "premium" processing fee, I could have it sent out much sooner. Leave that for another issue...
