- Report: #67336
Complaint Review: Young America - Young America Minnesota
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Young America
www.young-america.com Young America, Minnesota, U.S.A.
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952-467-1100
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Young America rebate facilities the scoop from a past employee Young America Minnesota
This is more a rant about working at Young America, in a Canadian facility. Read on if you'd like general knowledge about my former place of employment.
As a former employee with Young America (Canadian office, mind you) I can vouch for a large portion of the complaints against Cingular/Verizon/T-Mobil, etc. I dealt with cell phone rebates while employed at YA. However, as much as I needed the money, I've ultimately decided it was too much a demoralizing job at any wage for anyone to live with. I'm not going to repeat what was said in earlier posts, I'll overlap likely when I list these suggestions/comments though.
1. Read your rebate form closely. If it says 10-12 weeks, go by that information-not by the information provided by whomever sold you your cell phone/other electronic productthey're just trying to push you to buy it when they use the rebate as a big selling perk. Before calling to complain about something that can possibly be your own fault, make sure you know your information, have it documented, keep copies, etc. I say possibly' for this reason...read on.
2. Either YA or the companies we represented were in some cases fraudulent. I have no proof of this other than from what legitimate-sounding people have told me. Generally, watch you back when sending in rebates and know what kinds of recourse you have. KEEP COPIES of everything.
3. Send in rebate submissions individually. Plain and simple. YA wont process your multiple rebates if you send them together in the mail. Only YA is allowed to save money on postage in this case (i.e. bulk mail). Strange how it could take a maximum of 40 days (guidelines followed by my former facility) to get your rebate. Yet if you get an unqualified letter in the mail?that's sent out first class and usually received within a few days. Just some food for thought.
4. Don't b***h at the people you're phoning, even if you're THAT furious with whatever company you're calling about: YA employees are NOT the people you're really mad at. At YA, they're sub-contracted by companies wanting us to do their rebate work.
A good portion of the time, the initial company offering the rebate through YA is at fault for misrepresentation or misguiding 'fine print' that they're intentionally hoping you'll miss when you read it over. However, it is my theory that employees at the facility where I worked were merely employees to allow annoyed people to vent about how they've been screwed over by a big corporationwe weren't rebate customer service reps (whatever that would envelop).
As a side note: funny how Canada and the US have made deals' regarding employment. Ontario has a relatively high unemployment rate, so, rich US corporation Young America expands to Canada at a minimal cost to do the dirty work' of the American people. As well, did we tell consumers that we were Canadian? Of course not, that would've annoyed the Americans even further. We lived near' Minnesota.
Finally, 5. AVOID REBATES ALTOGETHER. Rebates are a marketing scheme that lead one to believe that they're getting money back eventually, when it's never that simple. Sure you'll find a good deal when including a rebate. But think of the effort you're going through to get that rebate. It's really not worth itso buy from a different company who offers a relatively similar cost without any rebate BS included in the long run. As well, when you cut out that UPC from your cell phone box, or any other product, you often void your warranty through that manufacturer. Your only recourse in that case, should something go wrong with your product, is to take it up with the retailer where you purchased iteven then, it's at their complete discretion as to how they want to deal with your case.
That's all I have to say about YA and its Canadian division. If you're considering employment with YA, don't. Unless you've got no heart or no soul, then don't contribute to the problem of rebates. The more that people lobby against corporations like YA and TCA/wheresmyrebate.com, the quicker they'll go down.
People have to realize that rebates are not discounts, they're psychological hassles we can't understand until we're affected by the true duration they incur.
Jeff
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Canada
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Young America
Click here to read The *EDitorial: The Marketing Rebate Rip Off ...Manufactures invent reasons why not to pay the consumer
As a former employee with Young America (Canadian office, mind you) I can vouch for a large portion of the complaints against Cingular/Verizon/T-Mobil, etc. I dealt with cell phone rebates while employed at YA. However, as much as I needed the money, I've ultimately decided it was too much a demoralizing job at any wage for anyone to live with. I'm not going to repeat what was said in earlier posts, I'll overlap likely when I list these suggestions/comments though.
1. Read your rebate form closely. If it says 10-12 weeks, go by that information-not by the information provided by whomever sold you your cell phone/other electronic productthey're just trying to push you to buy it when they use the rebate as a big selling perk. Before calling to complain about something that can possibly be your own fault, make sure you know your information, have it documented, keep copies, etc. I say possibly' for this reason...read on.
2. Either YA or the companies we represented were in some cases fraudulent. I have no proof of this other than from what legitimate-sounding people have told me. Generally, watch you back when sending in rebates and know what kinds of recourse you have. KEEP COPIES of everything.
3. Send in rebate submissions individually. Plain and simple. YA wont process your multiple rebates if you send them together in the mail. Only YA is allowed to save money on postage in this case (i.e. bulk mail). Strange how it could take a maximum of 40 days (guidelines followed by my former facility) to get your rebate. Yet if you get an unqualified letter in the mail?that's sent out first class and usually received within a few days. Just some food for thought.
4. Don't b***h at the people you're phoning, even if you're THAT furious with whatever company you're calling about: YA employees are NOT the people you're really mad at. At YA, they're sub-contracted by companies wanting us to do their rebate work.
A good portion of the time, the initial company offering the rebate through YA is at fault for misrepresentation or misguiding 'fine print' that they're intentionally hoping you'll miss when you read it over. However, it is my theory that employees at the facility where I worked were merely employees to allow annoyed people to vent about how they've been screwed over by a big corporationwe weren't rebate customer service reps (whatever that would envelop).
As a side note: funny how Canada and the US have made deals' regarding employment. Ontario has a relatively high unemployment rate, so, rich US corporation Young America expands to Canada at a minimal cost to do the dirty work' of the American people. As well, did we tell consumers that we were Canadian? Of course not, that would've annoyed the Americans even further. We lived near' Minnesota.
Finally, 5. AVOID REBATES ALTOGETHER. Rebates are a marketing scheme that lead one to believe that they're getting money back eventually, when it's never that simple. Sure you'll find a good deal when including a rebate. But think of the effort you're going through to get that rebate. It's really not worth itso buy from a different company who offers a relatively similar cost without any rebate BS included in the long run. As well, when you cut out that UPC from your cell phone box, or any other product, you often void your warranty through that manufacturer. Your only recourse in that case, should something go wrong with your product, is to take it up with the retailer where you purchased iteven then, it's at their complete discretion as to how they want to deal with your case.
That's all I have to say about YA and its Canadian division. If you're considering employment with YA, don't. Unless you've got no heart or no soul, then don't contribute to the problem of rebates. The more that people lobby against corporations like YA and TCA/wheresmyrebate.com, the quicker they'll go down.
People have to realize that rebates are not discounts, they're psychological hassles we can't understand until we're affected by the true duration they incur.
Jeff
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Canada
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Young America
Click here to read The *EDitorial: The Marketing Rebate Rip Off ...Manufactures invent reasons why not to pay the consumer
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Lynn
T.Bay,Ontario,
Canada
If only consumers contained intelligence
#2Consumer Suggestion
Thu, October 09, 2003
So the company gets attacked and the rebate center gets attacked all by the consumer. AND THEN the ex employees get in on it, understandably so if I got fired for stuffing my face with Doritos while on the phone Id be disgruntled too, but when the current employees get in on it too you really begin to wonder exactly how bad it really is. Let me ease your concerns. So Young America, yes an outside fulfillment company (read those addresses a little close you oh so clever consumers). Rip off artists? Hardly so. Think of this: a middle aged panel of men who run a company decide to sucker their consumers in with a rebate. That said panel and company lay down the rules and pass them on to lawyers who draw it up with big words and contractual obligations. Young America gets a call Hey, do you want to handle this for us we will pay you X amount instead of hiring our own people to do it for more? (sucky but hey those of us doing it for a low rate of pay got to eat too eh?). So YA agrees, they hire a bunch of people 17-80 (no discrimination) and tell them the rules drop them in front of a computer give them a headset ( lovingly called a leash) and phone and say have at it. So these unsuspecting newbie employees answer the phones and they get some screaming cocky consumer on the other side swearing up a storm, something about wheres my rebate. Well like we know, youre acting like a banshee gone wild! Do you think the 10 minute spiel made any sense? So we ask some simple questions. Did you submit? When did you do that? Whats your address/phone number or any other impertinent information to do the search. Then we consult the rules that we learned and provide that information to you. We are not the mostly 5 letter profane words you call us because something went wrong. Dont shoot the messenger. So to the disgruntled employees: You arent helping to rip people off you are the messenger the consumer called YOU, and they entered into the contractual-type rebate. Them signing the form is like twisting their rubber arm. To the disgruntled consumer (possibly included are questions we wont ask you over the phone): Do you always not read the things you sign your name to. Do you always purchase things you cant afford and then expect someone else to give you half that money back because you cant fill out a form properly. Do you really think that our supervisor knows more than us when we consult the same place as they for the information you asked for? What makes you think that if only 1/28th of consumers call in regarding their missing rebate and we tell them all no that today at this minute because you are my 100th yelling consumer of the HOUR that I will politely send you a check? Oh and by the way, yes 98% of rebates DO require a UPC and no matter how many times you tell us you have been submitting for rebates for 50 some odd years and never needed one we will NOT believe you because we work for a company with more clients than you can count on your fingers and toes, all who need a upc to qualify. ? In closing READ the form from beginning to end before you call and yell and think before you act. And most importantly: We always answer the phone pleasantly, as we know if you treat other as you wish to be treated it generally works out to be a civil conversation even if the outcome isnt want you wanted. Yelling gets you no where.
