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Symantec Rejection
Yes I Did, No You Didn't
Unreadable Rebate Coupon
Late Rebates On Time Rebates FYI Rebate Articles |
March 19, 2006. In January 2006, I purchased a copy of the PC-cillin anti-virus software made by Trend Micro. I hated it and will never use software from Trend Micro ever again (I really hated it). Adding insult to injury, Trend Micro denied a rebate for the purchase saying the documentation was not sufficient. Trust me, the documentation for the rebate was fine. A word to the wise, avoid Trend Micro. They are bad news in every way -- including never responding to three separate technical support requests.
Symantec Rejection back to top
Symantec rejected the rebate due to "Missing Proof of Previous Purchase". This was not true. The upgrade was from a version of Norton AntiVirus that came pre-installed on a new computer. Since I had no manual or CD or retail box, I took a screen shot of the serial number of the old version of NAV and printed that. Of course, now that NAV 2004 is installed, there is no way to go back and get the serial number for NAV 2003. However, I did save a copy of the printout and supplied Symantec with the Free subscription SKU, the Paid subscription SKU and the Part number. June 2, 2004. Symantec responded very quickly to me after I wrote to them about this at www.symantecrebates.com. The guts of what they said was: |
We truly apologize for the inconvenience, if you have the copy of it please send it to us in order to solve this issue. The proof along with your name, your complete mailing address, and the Rebate ID at the top of this e-mail, may be mailed or faxed to ... We appreciate your participation in this promotion. If there is anything else we can do to assist you, please contact us at customer.care@symantecrebates.com. We are always happy to help.
I even went to the trouble of restoring the computer in question from a disk image backup to a point in time before NAV 2004 was installed and while NAV 2003 was still there. Perhaps I had missed some identification numbers for the software? Nope. Because I never bothered to register NAV 2003 there was no serial number assigned to it. That is, Help -> About Norton AntiVirus -> General tab displayed no information at all. The only numbers I had were for the Free subscription SKU, the Paid subscription SKU and the Part number.
June 4, 2004. The rebate rejection reason on symantecrebates.com has changed. Now in addition to "Missing Proof of Previous Purchase" it also says "There are either no valid rewards or there is a $0 check reward".
June 5, 2004. As per instructions from Symantec, I re-sent all the necessary
paperwork again, though to a different address this time. It went to
Rebate Special Services PO Box 028516 Miami FL 33102-8516
June 13, 2004. It turns out I did have a registration number for NAV 2003. I had registered it on the computer but then, after suffering computer problems, restored the machine to an earlier state where NAV had not been registered. This may explain why they considered my proof of ownership invalid, it was missing a unique serial number. I went to symantecrebates.com and gave them the serial number today.
June 14, 2004. It now seems as if Symantec and/or Parago (which handles the rebates) is definitely out to screw me. Here is the reply from my online note described above that told them the serial number for the pre-installed version of NAV 2003. |
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June 15, 2004. Supposed success. Pointing out that they are not complying with their own rules and noting that I had a PDF version of the rebate coupon with the full details on the rules, seems to have done the trick. Then again, maybe it was just asking a third time in conjunction with filing all the forms twice. Anyway, here is what Symantec/Parago said today: |
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August 14, 2004. Forced to Play the Rebate Game by Ed Foster in his Gripe Log. He concludes Symantec is the worst company to deal with regarding rebates.
July 30, 2003. I purchased a Maxtor hard disk from CompUSA that came with a $60 rebate. The rebate was rejected because "...your rebate is invalid because the product was not purchased within the dates specified by this promotion." This was not true. The promotion requires a purchase between June 7, 2003 and June 14, 2003. My purchase was made on June 12, 2003.
The item is a Maxtor 120GB 7200 RPM Ultra Series Hard Drive and the rebate applied only if purchased at CompUSA. The rebate is managed by www.RebatesHQ.com (888-241-6208). They have a web page about rejected rebates and where to mail re-submissions. Since I can't see re-submitting the exact same material again, I asked them what to do. They replied within hours:
| We have received your submission, but we are currently unable to honor it because our records indicate
the purchase date was outside of the guidelines for this promotion. Guideline Purchase Dates: 06-07-2003 Customer's Purchase Date: 06-12-2003 We apologize for the inconvenience. If there is anything else we can do to assist you, please contact us at rebates@parago.com. We are always happy to help. |
This is not true. I emailed them with the Maxtor rebate number (03-58858) and a link to a Maxtor web page that provides the details on Maxtor rebates. Entering the rebate number on this page provides the details on the rebate, including the dates for which it was valid.
The rebate company (parago.com) replied to my email within hours:
| Thank you for your rebate inquiry and the additional information you sent. We are pleased to inform you that we have updated your record with this information, and your rebate submission is now valid. Please allow 4-6 weeks to receive your rebate. Note that the check is remitted in the form of a postcard and will not arrive in an envelope. |
Whew.
In dealing with RebatesHQ they want a tracking number, however when I found my rebate on their web site by name and zip code, the details on the rebate did not include a tracking number. They claim the postcard includes a tracking number and it does, but it is not labeled as such and is in very small type.
The rebate was late too. They got it on July 16, 2003. On August 16, 2003, after the above issue was settled, the rebate showed as being valid on the web site. On September 4, 2003 the web site said: "Processing Rebate. Your rebate is valid and is in the final stages of processing and should be sent to you within the next 30 days." On September 11th and 18th it still said the same thing.
The rebate came on October 14, 2003. Fourteen weeks after it was mailed. The check was dated October 9, 2003 so the Post Office is not to blame.
May 26, 2003. After purchasing Microsoft Streets and Trips 2003 from Amazon, I tried to print the rebate coupon. The quality was so poor that the text for the coupon is not readable. The coupon from Amazon is a JPG file rather than an Adobe Acrobat file, which most coupons are for just this reason. I tried printing the coupon in five different programs with assorted options in each program. Not once was the text of the coupon readable. To see the actual JPG coupon, click on this thumbnail. The full JPG file is 70K. The same problem also happened with a rebate for Red Hat Linux. I can't know how long Amazon will keep the original JPG files online, but at least for now, you can see the rebate coupon for Red Hat Linux.and the one for Microsoft Streets and Trips. Both of these rebates are from Amazon, not from the software vendors. I wrote to Amazon about this and they responded quickly, saying they will mail me hard copies of the rebate forms. June 6, 2003. They did. However, even their copies were a bit fuzzy
and I had to email them again to confirm the address that the form
should be sent to. They responded very quickly and provided the
address. |
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| Belkin WiFi Router | |
| Rebate should have taken: 8-10 weeks | But really took: 11.5 weeks |
| I mailed a $45 rebate for a Belkin WiFi router on January 20, 2005 and got the rebate on April 11, 2005, just over 11 weeks later. The check was dated February 28, 2005. www.rebatestatus.com said it was mailed on March 24, 2005 and to allow 2 weeks for delivery. Two weeks to go from Arizona to New York? On the upside, it arrived in a real envelope, not a postcard. | |
| Lexar USB Flash Drive | |
| Rebate should have taken: 8 weeks | But really took: 12 weeks |
| I mailed a $15 rebate for a Lexar USB flash drive on December 29, 2004 and got the rebate on March 22, 2005, just about 12 weeks later. Although later than indicated on the rebate coupon, they did keep me informed. On January 23, 2005 they emailed that the rebate was recieved, was being processed and to allow 6-8 weeks for processing. The status can be checked at www.rebate-zone.com/LexarMedia using a Claim ID they provided. On February 25, 2005 the web site still said "Received, Submission is being processed". | |
| Lite On CD Burner | |
| Rebate should have taken: 6 weeks | But really took: 12 weeks |
| I bought a LiteOn CD Burner LTR52327 on August 28, 2003. Mailed the $30 rebate September 6, 2003. Got the check December 3, 2003, over 12 weeks later. This rebate was from LiteOn, not from the store where it was purchased. I checked the status at www.rebatestatus.com where the Department shown as 041720 (whatever that means). Three times in October, the web site reported "We have received your submission and it is being processed. Please check back again to receive the date your rebate or premium item was mailed". Eventually it reported the check was mailed November 28, 2003. | |
| Red Hat Linux | |
| Rebate should have taken: 10 weeks | But really took: 12 weeks |
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$20 rebate for purchasing Red Hat Linux from Amazon.com on May 7, 2003. Part
of the Get Back A Jackson promotion. I mailed the rebate June 6, 2003. to P.O.
Box 3145 in Seattle, WA. This Amazon promotion involved many software programs
which caused a problem. Not only was this rebate late it was wrong. I got too
much money. As part of the promotion, I also purchased Streets and Trips from
Microsoft at the same time. That rebate and the one for Red Hat Linux were both
mailed the same day. The Streets and Trips $20 rebate was handled fine - it
arrived in less than 7 weeks. The Red Hat Linux rebate, however showed up on the Rebate Status web site on July 20th as $40, not $20. On August 16, 2003 the web site said they had mailed the rebate on August 5, 2003 and that I should get it in 10 business days. I did not. After 13 business days, on August 22, 2003 I emailed them about the late rebate and got no reply. The check arrived around September 3rd and it was for $40. On September 12, 2003 I filled in a form on their web site, told them that I was overpaid and asked how to return the extra $20. The answer from rebatestatus.com was: "Please just destroy additional check". This is not possible as it was $40 check that should have been for $20. I told them that. It has been well over a week with no response. Never heard back from them. | |
| Canon i320 Printer | |
| Rebate should have taken: 6 weeks | But really took: 10 weeks |
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$30 rebate from Canon. Mailed February 14, 2003. As of April 4, 2003, seven
weeks and no rebate. Called Canon April 7, 2003. A recording said that
rebates really take 8 weeks and not to call until it has been 8
weeks. It did not show up after 8 weeks. After 9 weeks I called the rebate phone
number 888-864-6781. The automated system said the rebate had been processed on
February 21st and mentioned there was also a web site for checking the status: canon.rebatestatus.com.
The web site said the check had been mailed on April 15, 2003 (six days ago at
the time) and
that it would take 10 business days to arrive. It arrived April 25, 2003. Ten
weeks, altogether.
A relative of mine also purchased this printer a day after I did. Their rebate request was mailed on February 20, 2003 and is also late. The web site said it too had been mailed on April 15, 2003, two days prior to the 8 week limit. It arrived April 25, 2003 after 9 weeks. | |
| D-Link Cable/DSL Router | |
| Rebate should have taken: 8 weeks | But really took: 9.5 weeks (initially rejected) |
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$20 rebate for a D-Link Cable/DSL router (model DI-704P) with a 4-Port Switch and Print
Server. Mailed rebate February 12, 2003. After 8 weeks (April 9, 2003) I checked
the rebate status. It said "Your submission did not qualify as sent. A non-compliance explanation was mailed on March 24, 2003. Please refer to the mailing for further instructions."
The rebate was fine. Also,
16 days after they claim to have sent a rejection notice, I have not received it. There are two different phone numbers to call D-Link about the rebate, (800) 279-4763 is identified as customer service on the rebate status web site. The rebate form says to call (800) 279-4784. I called the second number on April 9, 2003. This is the D-Link rebate center. The person I spoke with said the non-compliance letter was mailed April 7, 2003 (2 weeks after the web site said it was mailed). The problem was a missing UPC symbol. I am quite sure the UPC symbol was included. Fortunately, I copied it before mailing the rebate and was able to read off all the numbers from it. Based on this, D-Link agreed to honor the rebate and said I should receive it in 3 to 4 weeks. The rebate came on April 19, 2003. The non-compliance letter never arrived. | |
| Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 | |
| Rebate should have taken: 8 weeks | But really took: 8 weeks |
| A rebate for $30 from Adobe for Photoshop Elements 2.0 was mailed on October 26, 2002. It should have taken 8 weeks and did take 8 weeks. Exactly 8 weeks, actually (it arrived December 21, 2002). The day before it arrived, while the proverbial check was literally in the proverbial mail, I called to check on the status of the rebate. The rebate was from Adobe and the phone number to call about it turned out to be Adobe customer service. After explaining that I just wanted to know the status of the rebate request, they asked for a lot of personal information - without saying anything about the rebate. Turns out the person I spoke with was not even able to answer rebate questions. He gave me a case number and said that someone would call back in a couple days. As I write this, it has been over 20 days and Adobe never called (the phone number I gave them has voice mail). To get rebate status information from the web site of a company that specializes in rebates, you only have to provide minimal information, such as your last name and zip code. Adobe wanted my name, address, phone number, email address, and the name and serial number of the competing product that qualified me for the rebate. | |
| External Maxtor USB 2.0 Hard Disk and USB 2.0 Adapter Card | |
| Rebate should have taken: 8 weeks | But really took: 4.5 weeks |
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The rebate came in 4.5 weeks, well within the 8 weeks they said to expect.
However, they sent a postcard which incorrectly said the rebate was
denied. On March 25, 2002 I purchased a Maxtor 40 gig external USB 2.0 hard disk and a USB 2.0 PCI adapter card from Staples. There was a $50 rebate for purchasing both items. In effect, the USB 2.0 adapter card, which sells for $50 was free. The web site for checking on Staples rebates is www.staplesrebates.com. Staples got the rebate request on April 12, 2002. On April 21, 2002 I got a postcard in the mail that said the rebate was rejected because the UPC barcode was not eligible for this promotion. This is not true. On April 23, 2002 the Staples rebate web site said something different. It says "Your rebate is valid and is in the final stages of processing and should be mailed to you within the next 30 days." On April 30, 2002 I went to the web site to check on the rebate status but instead got an error message: "An unexpected error occurred while processing the request." This was after I used the full URL that I had saved previously. Then I tried to track it via the rebate ID or Tracking number which was part of the saved URL. When I entered the tracking number and clicked on the search button, I got a web page error that said "A run time error has occurred. On line 230 an object was expected". I told IE 5.5 that I did not want to debug this error and finally the inquiry worked. It said " Your rebate is valid and your reward is scheduled for fulfillment. Please allow 10 to 15 days for mail delivery." This was true, the check came on May 6, 2002. The actual check came as a postcard which seems like poor security to me. | |
| Maxtor Internal Hard Disk and Adapter Card | |
| Rebate should have taken: 8 weeks | But really took: 10 weeks |
| On December 9, 2001 I purchased a Maxtor hard disk and an Ultra ATA 100 PCI adapter card (a.k.a. controller card) from Circuit City. This included a $25 rebate from Maxtor for purchasing both items, which I mailed on December 11, 2001. On January 11, 2002 they emailed me that the rebate was received and told me the rebate tracking number. In early February 2002, I got a postcard that the rebate was denied. The web site for this rebate said the following: "... your rebate is invalid because this promotion allows only one rebate per item per household." This was probably confusion caused by my previous use of a Maxtor rebate in March 2001. But this was a different offer. The problem resolved itself however. A check was sent to me on February 12, 2002 which I received on February 19, 2002. | |
| Another Maxtor Internal Hard Disk and Adapter Card | |
| Rebate should have taken: 8 weeks | But really took: 22 weeks |
| A relative of mine bought a Maxtor hard disk and PCI adapter card. For purchasing both, Maxtor offered a rebate of $50. The items were purchased on September 15, 2001. The rebate was mailed on September 18, 2001. Maxtor responded to the rebate fairly quickly with an email message that it had been received on September 26, 2001. However, the check never came. A few phone calls to the 888 number were fruitless. There were also some problems with the web site at www.rebateshq.com. On February 4, 2002 my relative sent a letter complaining that the rebate never came. The letter resulted in an email dated February 12, 2002 saying the rebate was rejected because it was sent in too late. The date, of course, was wrong; they were using the date of the complaint letter, not the date that the rebate was in fact sent. On February 14, 2002 a person was reached on the phone and the matter seemed to be straightened out. They said a check would be sent out very soon. It arrived on February 20, 2002. | |
| Circuit City Rebates for buying a Maxtor Hard Disk and Adapter Card | |
| Rebate should have taken: 8 weeks, 10 weeks | But really took: 9 weeks, wrong amount |
| On December 9, 2001 I purchased a Maxtor hard disk and an Ultra ATA 100 PCI adapter card (a.k.a. controller card) from Circuit City. There were two rebates from Circuit City for this purchase, one for the hard disk ($20, rebate number Y5141) and one for the combination of buying both the hard disk and the controller card ($25, rebate number Y5146). I mailed both rebates out on December 11, 2001. The $25 rebate was received on February 12, 2002, after 9 weeks. Not bad, only one week late. The $20 rebate was not received at all. Instead, on February 21, 2001 I got a check for $10. As for timing, the check arrived in 10 weeks which was exactly as advertised. The rebate applied to a few different items and depending on the item was for either $5, $10 or $20. For the Maxtor hard disk that I purchased, the rebate should have been for $20. I gave up. | |
| Maxtor Hard Disk | |
| Rebate should have taken: 8 weeks | But really took: 12 weeks |
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Mailed out a $50 rebate on March 9, 2001 that should have been
processed in 8 weeks after the claim was received. The rebate is really for a companion hard disk
controller card (Ultra ATA/100 PCI Adapter Card) that sold for $50 with the $50 rebate if you also bought
a qualifying Maxtor hard disk. After 10 weeks (May 17,2001), I called the rebate customer service center. My rebate was in the system, they had received it in March, but had not yet issued a check. The person I spoke offered to expedite my rebate and said that I should receive it in 15 days. It finally arrived June 2, 2001. Twelve weeks and one day after mailing it. This was the worst packaged rebate I've ever seen. The check was not enclosed in an envelope! It could have been stolen by anyone who could see that it was a $50 check, not to mention being flimsy and prone to loss or environmental damage. My check was in perfect condition, but sending it with no envelope is an accident waiting to happen. | |
| PBA Bowling by Bethesda Softworks | ||
| Rebate should have taken: 8 weeks | But really took: 23 weeks | |
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Mailed out a $30 rebate on Feb 27, 2000 that should have been
processed in 8 weeks (April 24, 2000). It wasn't.
July 7, 2000 I called Bethesda Softworks on the phone and they explained that a 'glitch' occurred with this particular rebate. There was a failure to communicate between them and the company that processes the rebates. They said that later rebates were processed just fine. What to do? Wait while they straighten things out and call them back in a month if the check has still not shown up. August 11, 2000. The check showed up this week. I was away for a few days week so I don't know the exact day that it came. The check was dated July 7, 2000, the date of my phone call. Coincidence? | ||
| MGI PhotoSuite III | |
| Rebate should have taken: 8 weeks | But really took: 14 weeks |
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Mailed out a $30 rebate on Feb 29, 2000 that should have been
processed in 8 weeks (April 26, 2000). It wasn't. | |
| Corel Clip Art Gallery | |
| Rebate should have taken: 8 weeks | But really took: 11 weeks |
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Mailed out a $15 rebate on Feb 27, 2000 that should have been
processed in 8 weeks (April 24, 2000). It wasn't. Corel also uses the web site of Continental Promotion Group, www.rebatestatus.com. I used this site on May 17, 2000 to ask about two rebates with this product. The $15 one was due in 8 weeks, but there was also a $20 rebate that was due in 10 weeks and was also late. They responded: "Our records show that a check was mailed out to you on 4-24-00, that was for your $15.00 dollar one and your $20.00 dollar one was also mailed out on 4-24-00. If you need any further assistance please feel free to contact us at 800-340-0108". This was written on May 17, meaning that it had taken over 3 weeks for the post office to deliver the checks at the time it was written. I guess they don't consider this unusual. The rebate showed up the next day (isn't it always like this?). Both the 8 week and 10 week rebate took over 11 weeks. The checks were dated April 10th which means it took them two weeks to mail the checks after printing them. Then it took the post office 24 days to deliver it. | |
| Reader Rabbit Complete Learning Kit | |
| Rebate should have taken: 8 weeks | But really took: 11 weeks |
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Mailed out a $30 rebate on Feb. 27, 2000 that should have been
processed in 8 weeks (April 24, 2000). It wasn't. It arrived in 11 weeks and 2 days. Interestingly, it was dated 4 days before the 8 weeks would have been up. If this date is to be believed, it took 3.5 weeks for the Post Office to deliver it. | |
| Imation CD-R discs (5 pack) | |
| Rebate should have taken: 8 weeks | But really took: 9.5 weeks |
| Mailed out an $8 rebate on Feb 27, 2000 that should have been processed in 8 weeks (April 24, 2000). It wasn't. Instead it was received in 9.5 weeks. | |
| MGI PhotoSuite II | |
| Rebate should have taken: 8 weeks | But really took: 10 weeks |
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Mailed out a $25 rebate on May 21, 1999 that should have been
processed in 8 weeks. It wasn't I called them after 10 weeks. They found my pending rebate in their records and a check was issued shortly thereafter. | |
| eMachines | |
| Rebate should have taken: 10 weeks | But really took: 14 weeks |
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I bought an eMachines computer in March of 1999 which came with a $25 rebate
that was supposed to take 10 weeks to process. It didn't. The rebate was mailed April 25, 1999. I called them after 14 weeks on August 2, 1999. The phone number was busy many times. When I finally got through it took voice messages so I left my name and phone number but no one called back. I called again two days later (August 4, 1999) and spoke to a person this time. The phone number is for a rebate company (I don't know their name) that does rebates for many vendors, not just for eMachines. There turned out to be two problems: slow processing and bad spelling. They found my rebate in their computer system and said it was scheduled to be printed and mailed out soon and that I can expect it in 10 business days which would have put it at 16 weeks, quite a bit past the 10 weeks it was supposed to take. Because of the bad spelling however, I might never have gotten the rebate if I hadn't called. My last name is HOROWITZ, they had it in their computer as HERMOTIZ. Also, I live in an apartment building and always include my apartment number in rebate requests. They did not have my apartment number in their system. Had they sent it to the wrong name with no apartment number, I never would have recieved it. I got the rebate 8 days after this phone call and noticed that the check was issued the very day of the phone call. After 14 weeks of waiting, this was probably not a coincidence. | |
| IBM World Book Encyclopedia 1999 | |
| Rebate should have taken: 10 weeks | But really took: 13 weeks |
| Mailed out a $30 rebate on December 13, 1998 that should have been processed in 10 weeks. It wasn't. It took over 13 weeks. | |
Netgear switch $10 rebate: It was supposed to take 6 weeks, took about 8, but I count it as
on time because I was apprised of the status along the way. Mailed rebate June 22, 2007 and got the
check August 16, 2007. On July 10th they emailed that it had been received and provided both a tracking
number and a URL to check the status:
netgearrebates.com/promocenter/netgear/trackdetails.html?track_number=123456789.
On August 1st when I checked the status it was marked as accepted and in the queue to be processed.
$50 and $40 Staples rebates. One was for an external Western Digital MyBook hard drive, the other was for an internal Maxtor hard drive. It was a Staples easy rebate. I filled out the Staples rebate web page on February 23, 2007 and received the rebate on April 2, 2007.
$12 Corsair Thumb Drive. Mailed November 18, 2006. It was due in 10 weeks and came in almost exactly 10 weeks. Tracking along the way at corsairmemory.status-now.com was good. And when the check arrived, it was clearly marked and in a closed envelope (no cheap postcard).
$60 Maxtor Hard Disk rebate at CompUSA. Mailed February 17, 2006. Received March 17, 2006. The rebate process was not only quick, it was relatively painless. erebates.compusa.com. And when the check arrived, it was clearly marked and in a closed envelope (no cheap postcard).
$100 HP Printer rebate. Mailed December 7, 2005 after starting the submission process at HP's web site where it was assigned a tracking number and a URL to check on its status. After 2 weeks, HP emailed that it was approved and would arrive in 2 to 4 weeks. Three weeks later (January 11, 2006) it arrived.
$20 Norton Ghost Upgrade rebate. Mailed December 10, 2005. It was said to take up to 8 weeks, but it arrived in 4 (on January 9, 2006). Sixteen days after mailing it, Symantec emailed that they had received the rebate submission, assigned it a tracking number and provided a URL at symantecrebates.com to check on the status.
Netgear $20 rebate on a USB WiFi network adapter. Mailed December 4, 2004. Got the rebate February 22, 2005. It was said to take 6-8 weeks but took 11.5 weeks, still the notices they sent along the way were accurate. Just over 3 weeks after mailing the rebate, they emailed that it had been approved and would be mailed in approximately 8 weeks, which it was. I was given a rebate tracking number, a URL to check on the status and a phone number to call for questions. At just over 10 weeks, they emailed that it had been mailed and I can expect it in 8-10 days. It showed up a week later. The rebate was from TCA Fulfillment Services.
Seagate portable external hard disk. $20 rebate. Mailed the rebate December 21, 2004, got it February 7, 2005. It was said to take 8 weeks but really took less than seven. On February 5, 2005 Seagate emailed me that the rebate had been processed and mailed. They also provided a URL to check on its status, a rebate ID number and a phone number to call. Also, the check arrived in an envelope, not as a postcard. Very well done.
Netgear WiFi router from Staples. $35 rebate. Mailed rebate on October 23, 2004. Got the rebate November 20, 2004, well within the time period they said it would come.
Sandisk A $15 rebate for a Cruzer micro was mailed August 20, 2004. September 11, 2004 they emailed me that it had bee received and tell me where I can check on its status. The web site for this www.web-rebates.com/sandisk is very well done. Later, they emailed that the rebate had been processed. It came on October 9, 2004.
APC A $25 rebate for a UPS that was due in at least 10 weeks, came in five weeks. June 12, 2004.
Symantec A $30 rebate for Norton AntiVirus 2004 came very quickly. It was mailed May 7, 2004 and a check was received on June 1, 2004.
Circuit City $25 rebate for a LiteOn internal CD burner. Mailed September 6, 2003 and it was supposed to take 8 weeks. The rebate arrived October 13, 2003 which was just over 5 weeks. www.circuitcityrebates.com had correct information on the rebate.
Panasonic offered a free headset with the purchase of some of their cordless phones. I mailed the required form on August 23, 2003. It was supposed to take 8-10 weeks but the headset showed up in four weeks.
D-Link $10 rebate for purchasing a WiFi USB NIC. Mailed July 25, 2003. Due in 10 weeks, it arrived in 8 weeks. A week before the check arrived, they emailed me to say that it was coming. Only gripe: it did now show up on the status web site. www.web-rebates.com/dlink/status
Amazon.com There was a $30 rebate from Amazon for purchasing Window Washer from Webroot. The rebate was mailed July 23, 2003 and was supposed to take 8-10 weeks. It showed up in six weeks (September 2, 2003).
Lexar $20 rebate for a Jump Drive storage key (a.k.a. memory stick, USB keychain storage device). Mailed May 30, 2003. It was supposed to take 8 weeks, got it in 7 weeks. After two weeks, they sent an email message confirming that the rebate request was received, giving me a claim number and a web site URL to check the rebate status.
D-Link $30 rebate for purchasing both a WiFi router/AP and a WiFi card. Mailed May 27, 2003. After 5 weeks they emailed that the check was on its way. After 7 weeks I had the rebate which was supposed to take 8-10 weeks.
Microsoft Streets and Trips 2003. Mailed out a $10 rebate to Microsoft on May 27, 2003. It was supposed to take 6 to 8 weeks, but the check arrived June 16, 2003, after less than three weeks.
Dell Computer I mailed a $100 rebate for a new Dell Dimension 2350 on February 10, 2003. It was supposed to take 8-10 weeks. It showed up April 18, 2003, two days prior to 10 weeks. On March 31, 2003 the Dell Rebate Center sent an email saying the rebate had been processed and the check could be expected soon.
Imation External USB Floppy Disk Drive This $20 Rebate from Imation was said to take 6-8 weeks. I mailed it February 21, 2003 and got the rebate on March 29, 2003, five weeks later. In addition, Imation was nice enough to email confirmation of their having received the rebate request. Their email provided a URL to check the status of the rebate claim and even provided a Claim ID. Nothing to gripe about.
Partition Magic $20 Rebate from PowerQuest (the vendor) on version 8 for owners of a previous version. Mailed the rebate February 11, 2003. It was supposed to take 8 weeks, the check came in less than five weeks.
Amazon.Com I mailed a $30 rebate for Adobe Photoshop Elements on October 25, 2002. It was supposed to take 8-10 weeks and showed up on December 16, 2002 after just over 7 weeks.
Dell Computer I mailed a $100 rebate for a new Dell PowerEdge computer on September 30, 2002. It was supposed to take 10-12 weeks. It showed up December 6, 2002, just shy of 10 weeks.
Staples Modem I mailed a $20 rebate for a Sterling V.92 PCI Soft Modem (aka winmodem) on November 14, 2002. It was supposed to take 8 weeks but showed up on November 30, 2002, just over two weeks later. Like other Staples rebates however, the check is nothing more than a postcard.
Samsung Monitor I mailed a $40 rebate for a 17 inch Samsung 753DF CRT monitor on May 7, 2002. It was supposed to take 10 to 12 weeks but showed up just over 8 weeks later, on July 5, 2002.
Staples / Imation A $20 rebate on the purchase of 100 Imation CD-R discs. Mailed the rebate April 7, 2002. Got the check May 6, 2002, four weeks later. Staples even emailed me on April 16, 2002 that they got the rebate request. Only downside was that the check arrived as a postcard so that anyone could see what it was.
Sony CD-RW Recorder A $30 rebate on the purchase of an internal CD burner. Mailed rebate July 30, 2001. It was supposed to take 8-12 weeks after the claim is received by the fulfillment company (www.rebateshq.com). The check arrived 11.5 weeks after I mailed it.
Staples / Imation A $10 rebate on the purchase of floppy disks. Mailed the rebate February 12, 2001. It was supposed to take 8 weeks after they receive it. It took 6 weeks, the rebate came March 26, 2001.
Staples (for an IDG Dummies Book). Mailed a $6 rebate August 25, 2000 that was supposed to take 8 weeks plus. The exact wording on the rebate coupon is that the rebate takes 8 weeks "after claim is received by fulfillment company." It took 9 weeks. Just on the borderline of being late.
Staples / Linksys NIC card. Mailed out a $15 rebate September 6, 2000 that was supposed to take 8 weeks. It did.
Microsoft Streets and Trips 2001. Mailed out a $20 rebate on August 4, 2000. It was supposed to take 6 to 8 weeks, but I got a check on September 1, 2000, after less than 4 weeks.
Microsoft Home Publishing. Mailed out a $20 rebate on Feb. 27, 2000 which was scheduled to be processed in 8 weeks. They processed it early, I got a check a month later.
Imation Floppy Disks. Mailed out a $9 rebate on Feb. 27, 2000 which was scheduled to be processed in 10 weeks. The check arrived two days before the 10 weeks were up.
The Rebate Report Card web site lets people report their rebate experiences. The site went live March 2006.
In February 2006, I used the online eRebate system at CompUSA and liked it. You enter information from the store receipt. erebates.compusa.com
Techbargains.com has a rebate page with Rebate Resources to help you locate and check rebate status.
On July 7, 2003 I purchased a Kingston 64MB 1.1 USB Flash Memory storage device with a $20 rebate. The rebate was supposed to be mailed by July 21st. I mailed it on July 22nd and it was rejected for being mailed too late. The email message from KINGSTON.Rebate.Center@rebatesHQ.com said "To confirm the eligibility of your rebate submission click on xxx" where xxx was a link to www.rebateshq.com that had my tracking number built into it. Sounded innocent enough. The web site however, delivered the bad news: ...your rebate is invalid because your rebate submission was not postmarked before the promotion deadline..." My fault, no gripe here, just a word to the wise.
Xerox anything and everything that you mail out as part of a rebate. Both sides. And be sure to know when the rebate is due so that if its late, you can follow-up.
A reader of this web site encountered a problem with a rebate which would not be sent to a Post Office Box. He claimed to live in a rural area where his Post Office Box was the only means of getting mail. Read the fine print.
CompuServe is being sued by the Florida state attorney general's office regarding their $400 rebates to customers that sign up for 3 years at $22 a month. Florida is claiming deceptive business practices and cites 100 customers that either did not receive their rebate or that got it months late. CompuServe is owned by AOL Time Warner. March 22, 2001.
A list of rebate clearing houses trident.mcs.kent.edu/~wfan/rebate.html April 17, 2003.
Rebates For Better or Worse
by Ed Foster for InfoWorld March 30, 2007.
OfficeMax bids farewell to mail-in rebates by Erica Ogg at CNET. June 30, 2006. Citing overwhelming customer dissatisfaction with its mail-in rebate system, OfficeMax said it will eliminate the program beginning this weekend. Hurray!
18 weeks in Amazon rebate hell By Stefanie Olsen CNET News.com April 6, 2006. Problems getting a rebate from Amazon.com. The article mentions that FatWallet has a forum devoted to tracking rebates.
TigerDirect Rebate Has Privacy Catch By Ed Foster, December 20, 2005. About a rebate from OnRebate.com.
November 23, 2005. The Great Rebate Runaround By Brian Grow in Business Week magazine. Forty percent of all rebates are not redeemed.
Vanishing Netgear Rebate Reveals Unseen Dimensions By Ed Foster October 21, 2005. Quoting: "... By far the most common rebate gripe I get is from readers who have all the proof they could that they sent in the receipt with their rebate submission, but were nonetheless told by the rebate fulfillment house on the other end that their rebate must be denied because the receipt had magically disappeared."
Parago Rebate Gripes Keep on Coming By Ed Foster April 22, 2005
Jonathan Kamens had a problem with a Staples rebate and documented it in detail. April 11, 2005.
The Rebate Debate: Why Were They Late? FTC Settles Charges Against CompUSA. March 11, 2005. The Federal Trade Commission. Action Is First Challenging a Retailer’s Promises for Third-Party Rebates. The FTC alleged that CompUSA engaged in deceptive and unfair practices relating to rebate offers made for both its own branded products, as well as QPS products that it marketed and sold. See also CompUSA Agrees to Settle Rebates Complaint from the Associated Press. March 11, 2005 and CompUSA fingered by feds over rebates in The Inquirer March 14, 2005.
Of Rebates and Retailers by Ed Foster. As always, the GripeLog is backlogged with numerous deadbeat rebate complaints from readers. One thing that does seem to have changed a little in recent months, though, is who the victims blame for all those rebates gone bad. While in the past it's usually been the product vendor or the rebate fulfillment house, increasingly reader ire is focusing on the retailer. February 7th, 2005.
Ohio official files suit against OfficeMax by CBS MarketWatch.com January 14, 2005. OfficeMax Inc. was sued by the Ohio Attorney General's office Friday for allegedly failing to honor rebates and provide rainchecks when items on sale weren't in stock. See also Ohio AG sues OfficeMax for missed rebates at dealnews.com. January 20, 2005
Followup: The Rebate Debate. An excellent article, a follow-up to the one below. January 18, 2005. After many people commented on the article below, there was little consensus regarding which stores or manufacturers come through with their rebates and which ones don't. But, the most complaints were about Symantec's rebates. Great reading about both good and bad rebate experiences. A must read.
The Rebate Hassle: Is it Worth It? from the WinXPnews newsletter by Sunbelt Software January 11, 2005
Circuit City changes rebate terms after the fact, rejects submissions January 12th, 2005 on the GripeLog web site by Ed Foster. From an anonymous source.
Some Retailers Offering Online Rebates from the Associated Press November 7, 2004
Dilbert on rebates. November 7, 2003.
Forced to Play the Rebate Game By Ed Foster August 14th, 2003. Quoting: "The problem with rebates isn't just those companies that don't want to pay up. For many readers, the biggest problem is just the fact that they are forced to play the rebate game at all."
Rant on Rebates by Vic Laurie Princeton PC User Group. No date.
Deadbeat Rebates: Who is the Worst at Paying Up? at Ed Foster's Gripe web site. July 2003
Let’s Make a (Tough) Deal Companies are boosting rebates to drive sales—and driving many customers crazy Newsweek, June 23, 2003 issue. Manufacturers and retailers love rebates because they drive store traffic—and because many customers don’t bother to send away for them , lowering the cost of the promotion. But some shoppers who count on the check in the mail are starting to loathe this trend. Also read about a class-action lawsuit charging Dell with a “systematic and wholesale failure to honor its contractual obligations to pay rebates.” Wow.
Customers Tire of Excuses for Rebates That Never Arrive. The New York Times. April 17, 2003. Declines in the sales of computer products have spurred an increase in the use of rebates. Philips consumer electronics of North America was charged with deceptive practices by the Federal Trade Commission regarding their rebates. Approximately 60% of purchasers never get their rebates. The time consuming rebate process is designed to discourage consumers from applying for the rebates.
Dilbert on rebates. March 18, 2003.
An article about rebates from Tim Duffy, a consumer advocate, from January 2000. He also wrote another article on the subject, with no date on it.
An article on rebates called Consumer Watch: Bait and Rebate appeared in the September 2001 issue of PC World magazine July 23, 2001. The sub-title is: Buy stuff, receive money back. It's a great deal--if you can get it.
The rebate runaround by Ed Foster in Info World magazine April 1, 2002 issue. An excellent article that starts with "One thing to remember about rebates: If the manufacturer really wanted you to have that price, it would have offered a discount instead."
| Page created: March 1999 | Page last updated: August 26, 2007 |
| Prior updates: April 2, 2007 | January 30, 2007 | July 6, 2006 | |
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