Are mail-in rebates scams?

[DocRafiki]

I just got a letter back from my HP laptop rebate saying that it wasn't valid because the postmark date was more than 45 days after the purchase date.

I spent several hours getting every little piece of information together for these rebates, and I marked on my calendar when I needed to get them done by. I have been late on rebates before and have not even bothered to send them in. I wouldn't have sent it in if it were too late. Of course I didn't have it sent certified mail or anything, so I have no proof. (I knew I shoud have, but the ever-popular hour-long wait at the USPS on my day off changed my mind.)

Do you think they knowingly and fraudulently do this?

This is not the first time I've gotten burned by a Best Buy rebate. I bought two memory chips previously and was led to believe I could get the rebate on both when I was making the purchase. Of course the fine print on the receipt told me otherwise -- one rebate per household. OK, fine, I didn't read the details, but I still wasn't happy with the misleading marketing.

This was not the case on the HP rebate. I followed all the rules. I'm mostly angry because they leave you completely helpless. You pretty much just have to suck it up.

 

[pumba]

experience......we scan all the paper work..receipts ...and also the finished product that we are mailing in and the dates........and then when they say it isnt' valid......we say ....oh yes it is......so usually because of this we get our money back.....
If you kept your receipts and all the stuff......you would have your proof.....don't let them get away with it

 

[maleficent1959]

Doc,

I have been burned too. I just got a postcard from OfficeMax saying that they won't honor the rebate ($50 no less) because the UPC was invalid. Huh??? I'm always careful to follow every rule because I know that they would prefer not to give you the rebate.

My response? I'm packing the item back up and taking it back. They advertised the rebate, they put the item in the flier, I made double-sure at the store it was the correct item, and now they tell me I did something wrong. I think it was fradulent advertising and I will let them know. And you can be sure I will leave with a refund.

 

[Magix]

I bought an HP laptop at Best Buy about a year ago and had no problem with either the Best Buy rebate or the HP Rebate being offered at the time. Both checks arrived as expected.

Don't know what happened in your case, DocRafiki. It is a shame there's no way to prove when you sent in your request.

 

[pumba]

it is the little companies that do the rebates......

 

[janette]

I would call and appeal, it can't hurt to talk to someone a little higher up. I hate rebates and never seem to get them done right.

One time I had a staples rebate that required several purchases, I ended up sending it in 3x before finally getting the rebate. One time they said I'd only sent one UPC and it required 4, the ironic part was that the I was sending copies of the UPC's and they were all on the same page. There was no way they got one without the others. Of couse they didn't keep any of the documentation I had to send it again everytime! If it hadn't been about $100 I would have given up.

 

[DocRafiki]

Hmm... maybe i will call them. I kept copies of everything, but dropped it in the mail box so don't have a copy of the postmark.

I can't blame Best Buy for this one (though the other one was misleading). I already got $150 back from Best Buy for this laptop. This one is directly from HP.

I would love to try the taking it back thing, but there's no way I'm giving up my laptop after getting it fixed up like I like. I've had it for 5 months now, and it's my only computer.

 

[tinaluis]

I got the "wrong UPC" reply from OfficeMax on a digital camera/printer/Microsoft purchase and I was going to let it go because I couldn't find the copies I'd made. I stumbled upon them and spent about 1/2 hour on the phone on hold while being transferred around and when I finally talked to someone I told her I had copies of the items I submitted and they were, in fact, the correct ones. She said "OK we'll send your check" just like that. I didn't even have to send proof. I'd definitely call and appeal as others have said.

 

[bunnyfoo]

Yes, I agree that you should call. I'm not fond of mail-in rebates either... I usually forget to send them in and I'm sure that most companies count on a certain number of people like me. Usually for bigger rebates, I send them in by registered mail ... that way there's no way they can say it came in late or that it got lost in the mail.

Let us know what happens Doc!

 

[my3kids]

Call and talk to the Best Buy manager and explain what happened. At Circuit City, Lowes and The Home Depot, their office staffs were able to straighten out mistakes the rebate company was making.

 

[Dan Murphy]

If you follow up on it, Jen, I am confident they will make good on it. Give it a try, good luck.

 

[kadaten]

I've gotten rebates on my cell phones no problem and also on my Compaq (HP company) no problem.

My problem...the check said "VOID after 30 days" and I didn't notice that....just stuck it in my wallet until I made it to the bank (rarely go since everything is direct deposit) and it was 45 days later....bank wouldn't take the check. Think they'll re-issue it?