[MadDog]

I've submitted more than dozen rebate form to vendor so far I was only able to collect fews..

I sent in rebate form to following vendors about three ~ four month ago.

Cuisinart, Microsoft, Linksys, Netgear, Creative, Western Digital,
BestBuy, etc.

I've already got two checks from Creative, one from Microsoft
and the other from Linksys. Also from BestBuy.

I haven't gotten crap from the rest. I really think Netgear is a total rip-off as I sent in three rebate requests about four months ago but they haven't given me $$. I am kinda regretting about not sending certified mail to WD (rebate for $50).

Don't get suckered in by Rebate. It's not trustworthy. I've lost about $120 on rebate refund.

 

[ProFingerSk8er]

i had mail-in rabate from Western Digital within 2 months..very happy with them

 

[ServinginEcuador]

I sure don't. They can and do reject your rebate for any and all reasons. I only trust some of the larger companies I deal with: Symantec, Microsoft, Corel, etc. Anyone else, no.

 

[Wmcmanus]

"Do you trust mail in rebates?" I think so. I've never had problems with any of them. The only problem I've had is with myself! I once bought a Toshiba laptop with a $100 rebate, and then totally forgot about mailing it in!

 

[wallijonn]

You are also less likely to receive the rebate if you bought a piece of gear from an unauthorized dealer. Which is why one should buy from BestBuy, CompUSA, CircuitCity, et. al.

 

[Nightfall]

I have averaged getting less than half of the rebates I carefully and properly mailed in, on time, in the past couple years. And this is dealing with Best Buy, Circuit City and big retailers. Experiences of my friends also bears this out. I'm personally out of over $500.00 cash from rebates that never appeared.
There have been many, many articles, news stories, nationally bearing out the fact that less than a third of these rebates are ever paid out.
I will no longer even buy items with any "significant" rebate amount that isnt "instant.



JC

 

[pennylane]

It's been hit and miss for me. I tend to get the ones from the big places as long as I mail them in early early though.

 

[Sovkiller]

The only thing that bothers me of those rebates is that we have to wait sometimes two or more months to see the crisp green bills in our hands, I had pretty good luck with them, Imation, Epson, Sony, even GE from some bulbs I got in Lowes sent me a check for a few bucks....but honestly, I do not see the funny on those rebates, why not giving us the money in the register and period.....

 

[fredpb]

I also have been ripped by "rebates". I don't buy anything based upon rebate savings.

 

[Uncledan]

Quote:

Originally posted by fredpb I also have been ripped by "rebates". I don't buy anything based upon rebate savings.

Agree that!

 

[dokebi]

I made it a personal rule to buy only products with no rebate BS which means I don't spend much since there isn't much without them.

 

[Chinchy]

i don't really trust them, but that doesn't mean that I don't still buy stuff with a mail in rebate. I just end up forgetting I sent the rebates in, and if/when I do get a check it's more like, "Hey look! I got a rebate!"

In general, if it's a choice of buying from a store with a big mail in rebate over another with an instant rebate that's less, i'll go with the smaller instant rebate..

 

[MadDog]

I just think Netgear & Cuisinart should stop ripping off the consumers with a fake rebate trick through Fry's.

 

[spaceman]

I've always had pretty good luck with rebates, until recently. Canon screwed me on a $25 rebate for a lens I bought. I did everything right, and double checked....and I got screwed. Oh well, I'll buy my lenses elswhere I guess.

 

[CaptBubba]

What makes me suspicious is just how damn complicated and full of loopholes the rebate procedure is.

First: In the age where you can do just about anything online, they want you to mail it in. Why do this other than to annoy people into not sending in rebates?

Second: They don't accept registered or certified mail. Why are they afraid of there being a record that they recieved the letter? Is this so they can allways claim the USPS lost it?

Third: The forms are handwritten. Scantron sheets would be faster and cheaper to use (just feed the sheets to a scanner, no need to pay for manual data entry). Is bad handwriting another excuse for rejecting claims?

The only large rebate I've ever tried ($200 from Dell) I got back very promptly. There are tons of other $5 and $10 rebates that I never got back. How is this not fraud? It's like printing free money, most people won't return the rebates and of thsoe that do you can likely reject the majority of them, but you stil get the extra advertising power of a cheap price.