Mail in Rebate

[rgriffin25]

I am so sick of mail in rebates! Every Sunday in the Best Buy flyer you see these "great prices" with the fine print underneath it. Now I understand the philosophy behind MIR, I just think it is stupid to waste our time. I think they should list prices with the instant rebate included and leave the mail in rebate out of the advertised price.

Am I the only one this annoys?

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

It seems like almost everything I buy has a mail in rebate. All the digital memory cards for xmas, my lcd tv, pc software, everything nowadays uses these mir's. Unless you photo copy everything and tack it to the wall, you forget. That's how they make their money. Studies show only half of people actually follow up on them. The Ohio Atty General filed suit against Office Max, Staples, and Best Buy on the promptness of these rebates. Now in Ohio you can fill out the mir's online without any receipts. My last rebate took 2 weeks. It's gotten better, but still a pain in the neck. Agree wholeheartedly.

 

[zipper]

No, you're not alone

 

[sjdgpt]

Come on now, without the consumer returning their rebate cards, how would some of us make any money?

 

[Resident Loser]

My wife...

...bless her coupon clipping heart, wishes all these companies would just lower their prices(whether it's cents-off on soup or dollars-off on doo-dads).

In the case of publishing a "lower" price(after rebate, of course), it really stinks...it's no longer a simple purchase...it requires more than just handing over your cash, now you gotta' work for it. It's all marketing...a distant cousin to bait-and-switch IMO...the manufacturers are betting most folks won't bother to (a)make the copies required(b)fill out the rebate forms(c)mail everything in a timely manner(d)follow-up and b!tch when it's a no-show...

I'm waiting on a "rebate" in the form of a tool, from Hitachi Tools after my purchase of power miter saw...it's comin' to the end of the "8-10 weeks"...they better not try to screw me on this...I will make someones' life a livin' hell if they do...

jimHJJ(...heck, that's how I got the saw in the first place, when Lowes' Customer Service, and ultimately, the store manager realized the error of their ways...)

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

I rarely buy anything with a rebate. Too much hassle. And the few times I've actually sent it in, say for batteries or a bottle of Cognac, I've never seen the money. It's like they hope I'll forget I sent it in and I usually do.

 

[annunaki]

They would not be so bad, if:

A) They made them easier to redeem

B) They actually sent you your refund in a timely matter

C) They were automatically applied for when you check out, only if the company is going to use the "price after rebate" to advertise

 

[philh]

I am so sick of mail in rebates! Every Sunday in the Best Buy flyer you see these "great prices" with the fine print underneath it. Now I understand the philosophy behind MIR, I just think it is stupid to waste our time. I think they should list prices with the instant rebate included and leave the mail in rebate out of the advertised price.

Am I the only one this annoys?

I spent 1200 at CompUSA on a new laptop, software, and camera
Sent in 15 Rebate forms
total cost after rebate, 350
But I've only received about 10 rebate checks, which means I get to spend time on the rest of them fighting for the checks.

 

[rgriffin25]

A couple of years ago I bought a Replay TV and it had a $100 rebate.($50/$50). I called them because there were 4 upc codes on the box. They instructed me on which ones to send in. Approx. 10 weeks went by w/o a rebate. So I called them and they told me I sent in the wrong codes. So at that point I was SOL. From that point I do not consider the rebate to be a part of the purchase price and I never buy because of the great rebate either.

 

[HookedOnSound]

...From that point I do not consider the rebate to be a part of the purchase price and I never buy because of the great rebate either.

Yep, I'm with you on that one. Rebates are a royal pain in the butt! I've done a few and after long delays and some technical problems (misread the fine print) I don't bother with rebates anymore. Staples, Best Buy and Futureshop can stick it where the sun don't shine!

Can anyone explain to me what the point is about Mail-in Rebates? why can't the retail chains turnover the rebates "directly" at the point of purchase?

Everyone that I have talked to who has used MIR's has been screwed at least once. I really do believe the retail outlets/mfg. are playing stats on this one yet I can't understand why consumer watch groups aren't fighting hard to give more media exposure to this problem. IMHO, I definitely think it falls in line with 'deceptive marketing' practices.

Hopefully things will change.

 

[mcwilson]

I consider rebates to be like money you find. You know, like I mail in say 20 rebates a year, and maybe 12 - 15 of them actually lead to rebates. When I get the checks I use them like found money. I immediately take the family out to dinner. Or sometimes I stick the smaller checks in my 6 year old's savings account. I never consider them to be deducted from the actual purchase price.