They've always come within the time given and are well worth the trouble.
I just picked up a case of Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers for $20 with a $12 rebate. That means I paid $8 for the case. Great deal.
I am working on one right now with Home Depot....so far I know the amount of phone time and copies and mailings it has cost the company and me much more than the rebate...I don't understand why they just don't lower the price...they really are a waste of time and paper....let alone the people involved
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.