Rebates Bite

Rebates Bite

You walk into a retail store with the intention of purchasing a desktop computer. You have compared shopped aplenty and are now ready to make a final decision. You are taken back now that you are noticing that a mail-in rebate is part of the equation for each of the computers you are interested in. Disappointed, you still decide to buy a computer from the retailer. A few weeks later, you receive a letter in the mail from the rebate center stating untrue and bogus information. You sent in copies of everything asked, UPC code and sent the information in a timely manner, but somehow there was not enough information given to the rebate center. In a frenzy, you make the round of necessary phone calls, remain on hold for the typical, hideous wait time, speak with numerous customer representatives, and unfortunately come to an unsatisfied halt. After much effort, you find out there is not any way to receive the rebate check. Instantly, you hold a grudge towards any and all rebates. The most common rebate offered would be the mail-in; this begins my explanations, statistics, and reasoning of why I am against rebates.

Why should a person have to initially pay out of their own pocket of their hard earned money to eventually receive it back much later on? The general concept of rebates, especially mail-in rebates are ridiculous. Then, to retrieve the money back, the customer has to put in effort and time to earn back the money they once had!

To define rebate in general would be a generalized amount that is offered by a retailer and / or manufacturer that may be paid to the consumer separately or to be credited to a lease agreement. Notice the key word "may." This is not what a consumer wants to see, but in truth, may truly applies in any situation. A mail-in rebate is redeemed through the mail whereas an online-rebate through the internet and in-store rebate simply means instant savings from the retailer the moment the item is purchased.

While rebates seem intriguing, the customers who have had unfortunate experiences before will not hesitate to look somewhere else. In the spirit of "may", the consumer may automatically associate rebate with scam. These advertising and marketing techniques might only work for new buyers or with consumers of relatively good luck. On the other hand, because of mail-in rebates, sales drop for several retailers. "At least 50% of rebates go unclaimed because consumers lose the form, throw away the UPC code, or just can't be bothered to fill out the paperwork and mail it." (lakedonpedro.net). On the subject of UPC codes, did you know this highly benefits not only the retailer, but the manufacturer as well because if you were return the item, this would be rather difficult if the UPC code was part of the rebate requirements?

Yes, incredible sums of people are employed at rebate centers and people need jobs, but think about this aspect. Where is the customer service? Once the representative picks up the call, it will be about a half hour or more, then the consumer receives the run-around of whom they are supposed to talk to, but the overall point is the robotic representative spits out information the consumer can not use. This will only fluster the buyer more! You would assume with the amount of people working in this particular field would recognize the problems associated with mail-in rebates from the received complaints and attempt fixing a few of them, but no! Just how do the rebate centers stay in business? In life, we want to cut corners, take shortcuts, and complete our tasks in a timely manner. We do not want to struggle though an obstacle course in any instance.

As far as the rebate forms themselves are concerned, the fine print requires a magnifying glass! The tiny print is ridiculous and customers obviously feel scammed.

"Part of the problem is that three parties--the product manufacturer, the retailer, and the rebate fulfillment house--are usually involved in the process. Each company ends up relying on the others to ensure that things go smoothly." (Rae and Dupree, 2004)

If all the necessary terms were spelled out and every customer pushed for their deserved rebate check, eventually the rebate centers will not exist. "It's gotten so bad that (in case you didn't know) many states are talking about passing rebate laws to deal with the problems!" (www.techreport.com). One retailer, CompUSA, had a situation back in 2005. "In 2005, for example, the FTC settled complaints against CompUSA, the first national retailer to be charged for allegedly failing to pay rebates within a "reasonable" timeframe." (http://www.lawcrossing.com). In a harsh situation that you were never to receive you deserved rebate, there are a few routes you can take. You may get in touch with the Federal Trade Commission, the Better Business Bureau, and / or the Attorney General's Office.

From personal experience as an Appliance Specialist at Home Depot; unfortunately we carry mail-in rebates. Our signs advertising, "Free Delivery with haul away," lures in buyers. The downfall is the fine print underneath stating by mail-in rebate. Once customers are knowledged on the requirement of mailing in a copy of their invoice, copy of receipt, applying serial numbers in specific places, they are easily detoured. Then, we lose a sale. I would say four out of every ten customers are lost sales.

"There's no reason any of us should have to risk being