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Best/Worst Rebate experience

krstee

By krstee
in 2006

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krstee

krstee

Posted
Posted

I am not new to BF or rebates, but I haven't done many, so I was wonder who to avoid (which stores have sucky rebate practices) and who have good rebates?

 

My experience - only with Staples. I had a few rebates last BF, and got them within 2 months. It seemed kinda long time to wait - but at least I didn't have to send anything in - all done over the internet.

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Marcster

Marcster

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Posted

Best is Staples, it's so easy.

 

OM is one of the worst. They take forever to mail out the rebates.

If OM follows their current advertising scheme, they won't have any rebates this year.

 

In my experience, Office Depot is the worst. I waited 5 months for my rebates on my 26" LCD TV and 3 months for the other rebated items we bought from them.

 

I agree, Staples makes it a synch! You don't even need to waste money on stamps.

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Rebirth

Rebirth

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Posted

If OM follows their current advertising scheme, they won't have any rebates this year.

 

In my experience, Office Depot is the worst. I waited 5 months for my rebates on my 26" LCD TV and 3 months for the other rebated items we bought from them.

 

I agree, Staples makes it a synch! You don't even need to waste money on stamps.

What's OM's scheme? I have no idea since I haven't bought anything from their since summer of 2005 when I had $10 off $10 coupon.

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Marcster

Marcster

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What's OM's scheme? I have no idea since I haven't bought anything from their since summer of 2005 when I had $10 off $10 coupon.

http://omximages.officemax.com/images/slot_images/0908_topslot_p1.gif

 

OfficeMax bids farewell to mail-in rebates

By Erica Ogg

Published: June 30, 2006, 4:09 PM PDT

 

Citing overwhelming customer dissatisfaction with its mail-in rebate system, OfficeMax said it will eliminate the program beginning this weekend.

 

After a year of working with suppliers to implement the change, the office products retailer decided to do away with mail-in rebates in favor of in-store discounts.

 

The decision was the culmination of almost uniformly negative feedback regarding the lengthy and often-frustrating process of mailing in a rebate form and proof of purchase, followed by weeks of waiting for a check, a company spokesman said on Friday.

 

"Rebates were the No. 1 customer complaint we were getting," said Ryan Vero, OfficeMax's chief merchandising officer.

 

Customers would often call the company or question store staff as to the whereabouts of their reimbursement checks, Vero said. Because OfficeMax has no control over rebates--they come from the product manufacturers--the company decided it "needed an easier way to do this."

 

Vero said the decision will benefit customers because the new discounts will make shopping simpler and will apply immediately.

 

"In our stores, they'll be able to save that money right at the register; they don't have to pay taxes on that or wait four to six weeks," he said.

 

In 2005, Best Buy announced it would end its rebate program in two years.

Go here too: http://forums.gottadeal.com/showthread.php?t=42512&highlight=officemax

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f1rstclass

f1rstclass

Posted
Posted

Ok, my feelings (which I have never changed regarding rebates)....it doesn't take the store 8-10 (or more or less) to take the money from you be it check, cash, credit card, etc. so why do we customers have to wait for them to process our rebate???!?!!? They should do strictly INSTANT rebates during the holiday shopping season. It, in my opinion, would certainly draw more customers into the stores therefore resulting in higher sales.

 

I am sooooooo against rebates! I just don't shop at a store that makes me send in something to get my money back....just my $0.02 worth!

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Shortness

Shortness

Posted
Posted

Speaking of rebates... Home Depot just messed me over...

 

4th of July sale--paint rebates. $20.00 of 5 gallon of Glidden, Behr and another paint. So, Home Depot gives me the form then--I send it in with the UPC and receipt. I just got a letter yesterday saying it was not valid. Home Depot had given me the wrong form. Of course, now I can't do it, as date is long passed. We bought two 5 gallon buckets from them. I am a little more than ticked off.

 

On the other hand.... For buying 5 items of Fruit of the Loom, they offered $10.00 GC. We bought 10, so sent in for two GC. I just got emails from them the other day saying they were mailing them out.

 

So, don't necessarily trust Home Depot, but you can trust Kmart of all places... Just my experience.

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cherry33778

cherry33778

Posted
Posted

I used to work for HD and the best way to handle it is to call the rebate company and explain the situation, they usually will cave.

 

Speaking of rebates... Home Depot just messed me over...

 

4th of July sale--paint rebates. $20.00 of 5 gallon of Glidden, Behr and another paint. So, Home Depot gives me the form then--I send it in with the UPC and receipt. I just got a letter yesterday saying it was not valid. Home Depot had given me the wrong form. Of course, now I can't do it, as date is long passed. We bought two 5 gallon buckets from them. I am a little more than ticked off.

 

On the other hand.... For buying 5 items of Fruit of the Loom, they offered $10.00 GC. We bought 10, so sent in for two GC. I just got emails from them the other day saying they were mailing them out.

 

So, don't necessarily trust Home Depot, but you can trust Kmart of all places... Just my experience.

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Lacey

Lacey

Posted
Posted
I think our Best Buy is really tops! When we buy something the person at the register highlights the Rebate amount, what you need to send in, and the rebate address. It really helps the customer. The one thing I hate about rebates is cutting the UPC Code off of the item bought. I wish they could make it easier for the customer. We usually receive the rebate in 4-6 weeks.:g_dance:
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schwoozer

schwoozer

Posted
Posted

As long as you are methodical and organized, you shouldn't run into any problems, although a bit more work may be necessary to get your money. I implemented a system after I was 90% sure I got ripped off by some Office Max rebates (wasn't 100% sure because I had filled out dozens of them in like a 2 month span).

 

Here's my system:

-Keep a spreadsheet summary of all the rebates, including:

Store

Product

Amount

Type (if more than one on a product: manufacturer's, store's, store's electronic, etc...I have had up to 3 rebates on a single product and there needs to be a way to distinguish)

date submitted

where to status check (phone number/website/etc)

WHEN to check status (very important...these windows are often way in the future and short)

a place to check off when it arrives

 

-Make copies of EVERYTHING. This process thankfully became alot easier for me this past year. I use my computer's scanner and a program called pdf995. It lets me keep pdf files of my scans instead of getting buried under an avalanche of paper copies. When all the rebates for a product come in, I can simply safely delete the relevant files.

 

I would guess in the 3+ years I have had this system, I have submitted well over 100 rebates (maybe over 200). Since I did this, the only company I have had issues with was newegg (I did get my money though). Of the rest, Staples is very easy, and CompUSA seems to be heading in that direction as well (I haven't had a paper rebate with them in a while). OfficeMax is the only one I have ever flat out not received, although they made up for that once by fulfilling a manufacturer's rebate when the manufacturer went out of business. I know CompUSA gets a bad rap in general, but I have had no issues with them over the past year, and I probably have done at least 30 rebates with them in that time. Should a dispute arise, just make sure you have evidence to back up your claim. Any of the large retailers should not give a problem after that.

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Marcster

Marcster

Posted
Posted

Here's my system:

-Keep a spreadsheet summary of all the rebates, including:

Store

Product

Amount

Type (if more than one on a product: manufacturer's, store's, store's electronic, etc...I have had up to 3 rebates on a single product and there needs to be a way to distinguish)

date submitted

where to status check (phone number/website/etc)

WHEN to check status (very important...these windows are often way in the future and short)

a place to check off when it arrives

Maybe you should take a look at this:

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,8341-order,1-page,1-c,alldownloads/description.html

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Cru

Cru

Posted
Posted
Circuit City last BF was the worst!!!! I literally had to mail in over 20 different rebates, make copies of receipts & upc's, etc...... What a pain in the a** that was. Then when they came in I was trying to check them all off. Still don't know if I got all of them.....:(
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elena_398

elena_398

Posted
Posted
Honestly I hate dealing with rebates and shy away from buying something that has them. I realize in the long run they may be good, but Im the kind of shopper who needs the savings now. Don't have the money to wait until I get some back. So I usually only buy items that have instant savings
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  • 4 weeks later...
Tara3117

Tara3117

Posted
Posted

Well, unless its a manufactures mail in rebate, as far as I know Best Buy won't have any rebates.

 

CompUSA's are notorious for never coming.

 

Everyone else seems to be dead even IMO.

Couldn't agree more! I had the biggest problem with CompUSA last year. They rang some stuff in wrong, so I had to go back to have them fix it, but the rebate place didn't accept the returned receipt. It wasn't worth the hassle.

 

Every rebate I've gotten from Staples has come in pretty quickly. I much prefer the online versions!

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kpc88

kpc88

Posted
Posted

Syntax Olevia is by FAR the WORST!!!!! No one can come close to them. I purchased a 37" LCD HDTV on 11/08/05 and the rebate came in September, after 10 MONTHS. Can anyone beat that?

 

Staples is the best, as others have mentioned, but ONLY on items in their Easy Rebate system. Most software is NOT and you have to go through the same process as every other store.

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Bestbuy7

Bestbuy7

Posted
Posted

AVOID CIRCUITCITY !!:chairshot cc rebate is a big joke

 

I purchased a tivo from their store and in the same week mailed in the rebate. 2 months later they claim that the rebate had expired in a postcard. IF YOU WORK OR SAW THE DEALS POSTED YOU SHOULD KNOW THE REBATE WAS FROM OCTOBER UNTIL FEBRUARY:fedora: . I purchase it in NOVEMBER , WAAY BEFORE THE EXPIRATION . I STILL HAVENT RECIEVED MY 100 DOLLARS REBATE. Never again . NEVER AGAIN!:mad:

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guilliam

guilliam

Posted
Posted
Tigerdirect.com. I bought my son a monitor on Thanksgiving last year for Xmas. Had 2 rebates, 1 manufacturer, 1 tigerdirect. I received the manufacturer one in good time (it was the larger one) but never did receive the tigerdirect.com one:no: they say they guarantee their rebates, but you have to send it certified mail etc for it to be guaranteed!! It would've cost me the $25 to mail it to get the $25!!! Oh well, leason learned. From now on, I'll buy elsewhere!:mad:
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Liv4Deals

Liv4Deals

Posted
Posted
My worst rebate experience was actually with Staples but it wasn't an easy rebate. I mailed in two rebates totaling $100 on two Canon printers. I waited a few months and hadn't heard from them so I called them and they said they hadn't received the rebates and they told me to resubmit them. I resubmitted them and waited again for a few months and called them back and the said they didn't receive them this time either so I was given an email address and told that I could submit them there, waited about a week and still nothing. So I reported them to the Better Business Bureau and I got a call from Staples a few days later. The lady that called was really nice and she apologized for my trouble and she seemed really upset that this could have happened to me so many times. I faxed her my rebates and received a $100 check in about a week. So it all turned out fine but if I hadn't filed with the BBB I don't think I would have ever gotten them.
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