Posted on 12/25/2006 9:45:09 PM PST by SmithL
There is and they have to have the actual product.
They have a few of the discounted TV or whateer.
Remember a few years back when here were riots over the limited supply of DVD players?
I have never bought ANYTHING based on REBATES... publish the sales price that I pay at the register walking out the door, or I'm not interested.... If the "rebate" isn't INSTANT, its not worth my time.
I'm not signing up for AOL to get a rebate, jumping through hoops and reams of paperwork to get a rebate... if you computer isn't $299 or $399 or whatever AT THE REGISTER, NO SALE... Not going to pay $599 at the register in hopes of one day getting $200 or $300 back by mail.... someday.... maybe...
Frankly I think the laws need to be changed to where the price advertised must be the price paid at the register.
What gets my goat the most are car ads where they advertise a price or payment, but that price or payment includes you paying them thousands of dollars first.... Insane.
Computer equipment is probably the second worst for these.
Lets not forget, you now get the names and address of 20% of your your buyers so you now have a recent mailing list you can sell to mailing list and phone solicitor companies for another profit center.
Rebates as an incentive to purchase with being a PIA with hoops to jump through has been going on for decades.
In the early 80s, I read a WSJ article about it. The then-president of Conair (that's Continental Air Products - hair dryers, curling irons, etc.) said something like "You think we want people to claim the rebates?"
That was in the days before receipts specifically for rebates were printed at on the spot. Probably a consideration when buying muliple items with rebates, and all want the original receipt.
When did you do the rebate? I'm talking about rebates in the 2001-2004 time period.
At my local store, they used to have a huge board near the exit to the store where they just stuffed rebate forms and you had to go hunting for the right form. Sometimes, they didn't even have the right forms!
Plus, the fulfillment groups they used were sketchy. They did everything possible to not send out rebate checks.
I will say that it is easier to apply for and receive a consumer rebate than to get your VAT taxes back for purchases made while on vacation in Europe.
Why can't we just show our American passports and be exempted from their 17% tax rate?
If I were a nice guy, I'd go back to Circuit City and tip off the sales manager.
I bought 2 phones from verizon 6 months ago. Sent in all the paperwork (identical for both phone). Only got the check for one phone..they said the paperwork for the other was wrong.
Sounds like they have improved since I last bought stuff at CompUSA, but I still wouldn't shop there. Too many bad rebate-related memories.
You're joking right?
Cases of wine coolers have run around $20 for years now.
$8 comes to about 33 cents a bottle. That's a steal.
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