Comments on: Rebate Scams

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:51:16 +0000

I generally don’t like them…they’re much more of a hassle than sales. On the plus side, my Cingular rebate worked ok. They had us do the paperwork in-store which meant no mailing in later and no forgetting. It was in the form of debit cards–which can be really annoying but work ok if you use them for groceries.

By: Monica

Monica — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 22:57:39 +0000

I have requested rebates on everything from computer monitors to dog food–probably 10 in the past couple/three years, and I’ve received every one of them. I only had one problem once, where I had to call, but they eventually sent it. I don’t doubt that there are scammers out there, but I apparently have avoided them so far.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 06:07:37 +0000

Staples and Rite aid are one of the places that have great rebates. Those two stores deal with manufacturers directly. You can fill out your rebate online, low turn-around time. Tracking your rebates is a must. Takes only few minutes and even excel spreadsheet is enough. Just read around the forums, which rebates pay which don’t, how long it takes, etc.

By: Hal

Hal — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 08:28:55 +0000

You want to see a reason to beware of rebates? Go here.... http://www.radioshackrebatefraud.com

By: AllThingsFinancial

AllThingsFinancial — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 09:05:31 +0000

Carnival of Personal Finance – Week 30

Hi and welcome to AllThingsFinancial’s presentation of week 30 of the Carnival of Personal Finance. We had 24 submissions for this carnival so there is a lot for you to check out. I hope you enjoy. Next week’s carnival will be held by m…

By: Steve's Random Thoughts

Steve's Random Thoughts — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 17:02:07 +0000

Rebate madness

I have a love-hate relationship with rebates. On one hand, I like the savings you realize when buying something with a rebate. On the other hand, I don’t like the uncertainty, the delay and the hassle of claiming a rebate. I’m not alone. Here’s some …

By: savvysaver

savvysaver — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 21:23:45 +0000

I have never not received a rebate, and I buy things with rebates all the time. I don’t see what the big deal is personally. I put a sticker on the form with my name, throw the form, the UPC, and a copy of the receipt in an envelope, and I get my money in a few weeks.

By: fivecentnickel.com

fivecentnickel.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 20:03:14 +0000

I’ve never had trouble getting my rebates. Maybe I’m just lucky!

By: FMF

FMF — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 17:10:16 +0000

I currently have 4-5 rebates “out” to be reimbursed for. I hate them, but they can save $$$$. I have a system to track them and I ALWAYS make copies of what I send in just in case of a dispute.

BTW, Costco has a GREAT rebate system. It’s done online and you can track the status of your rebate.

By: jim

jim — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 17:09:18 +0000

Anyone remember CyberRebates? :)

By: Dus10

Dus10 — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 17:00:47 +0000

I hate rebates too, but have used them many times, and only had a problem one time (and it certainly was my fault, because I knowingly gave them the wrong barcode from the product, because the other had been destroyed).

While I hate how it is used to advertise a “sale” price by retailers, I think the government needs to back off on this one. Capitalism prevails again, because look at what other commenters have stated, “I literally will not buy something if it has a rebate.” And I know many people who do that. It is a personal choice.

Now, if there is some false advertising going on, I can see litigation. However, maybe some group, besides the government, should create a rebate watchdog service… Hmm, there is an idea!

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 11:58:19 +0000

I certainly wouldn’t mind some extra scrutiny on those rebate processing centers, I agree that their main purpose is to weed out rebates and pay out as little as possible.

That said, I’ve received every one of my rebates, although I’ve had to make some phone calls and fax in things before. I’m also pretty meticulous about making copies and marking dates. Zero out of 8 rebates sounds excessive.

By: Caitlin

Caitlin — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 08:26:21 +0000

Yeah, I guess I feel lucky too…I’ve always had rebates show up *eventually* — I have a harder time getting my health insurance claims processed properly. Maybe the senator could get on THAT.

By: JLP at AllThingsFinancial

JLP at AllThingsFinancial — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 07:52:37 +0000

Although I TOTALLY HATE rebates, I have to say that I have never had a problem getting them. I think Chuck is trying to take a page out of Spitzer’s book by trying to find something to get all upset about.

As a customer, you have to pay attention.

By: makelovenotdebt

makelovenotdebt — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 07:37:08 +0000

We won’t buy electronics if they aren’t on sale; most of the time, the sale is through a rebate. Luckily for us, we have ALWAYS received the rebates that we have sent in. I’d like to know where that senator got that 50% statistic.

By: Hazzard

Hazzard — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 06:47:56 +0000

I literally will not buy something if it has a rebate. As you mentioned, I’ve been pretty successful at finding the same product somewhere else without a rebate, especially when it’s the retailer that is offering the rebate.

The one exception to this is Costco. Because they have an electronic method for rebates, and I’ve always received the checks from them, I will buy items from Costco.
Hazzard