Maybe you should learn to read the rebates terms.
I've done several hundred rebates and my success rate is 99.8%.
Given a choice of a rebate for 3X or a price discount of X, I'll take the rebate any day of the week. (industry rebate redemption rates average 33%)
In our area (CA) two stores, Costco and Fry's Electronics, offer product rebates where the rebate application auto-prints on the register reciept. Once you get home, you just register it online, and when you send the email, within seconds, it confirms the store you bought it at thru cross referencing database, then sends you a check to your home, usually within a week or two. Excellent service, and you don't have to search newspapers for coupons, they just show on the product shelf, and auto register upon leaving the check out line. I find this approach very fast, and there is no fine print to ponder.
The only time i go to Ace Hardware is for a nut, bolt , a certain screw, or a photocopy ; they are not competitive and the new Home DePot by me is going to put them out of business .
...
(paraphrase remaining...) ...followed by a bunch of stuff req'd to register it, albeit not physically mailing...
But wouldn't it be even simpler (on both ends) if they would just program their registers to ring up the discount in the first place?
Ahh... but how would then know if you've bought one before? Only one rebate per household y'know!
Since dealer mark-ups are usually based on a percentage of their purchase price, dealers prefer rebates and will sometimes not carry seriously discounted products because they don't make enough on them.
A $100 item with a $40 rebate costs the c>
The whole point of offering rebates is the knowledge that a large percentage of buyers will not redeem them. I agree that trying to increase that percentage by setting up "fine print" rules that allow them to reject rebates that are applied for is a crappy way to treat customers. There are enough people who lose their receipts, or simply forget to send them in.
The entire underlying alleged purpose of rebates is by nature a scam. It doesn't take any analysis whatsoever. If the store dealer OR the manufacturer of a product wants to sell it to you "for less" ( the fraudulent sales pitch inherent in a rebate scheme), they would do it immediately at the check out counter. Once they require you to jump through hoops to get "your" "Lower Price" then the game is a scam, pure and simple.
This should become clear to anyone with less than a second of thought.
--James--
It's no different than Wally-World or any of the other quantity discounters...you have to know what something is worth 'cause it just ain't necessarily so that the lowest price is at any given location. In particular, I find the quality of lumber at HD to be lower in general than Lowes so it's not an equal comparison between just price. Plus, if one has to drive 60+ miles to get to one of the superstores, there's a lot to be said for the cost of time/gas, etc...
The biggest disadvantage of all the large marketers is their reliance on volume of high-guantity, everyday items. If you then want/need something out of the ordinary or of quality, having supported these mass-merchandisers having driven the locals out of business leaves one w/ no alternatives... :(
I find that for some of the bulk items I get, Home Depot is a little cheaper and has more qny, However I find many of the common and specialty items comparable and some even cheaper than HD or Lowes. Easier to get in and out in a hurry also than HD or Lowes.
MC
I'm reading a lot of ignorance about why manufacturers do rebates. Note it's the manufacturer, not the retailer that gives the rebate. It is often a method for the manufacturer to lower the price of existing stock - that is stock that has already been transfered to the retailer. It is too late at that point to reduce the cost to the retailer because that transaction has already happened. So the manufacturer uses the rebate as an easy and flexible way to reduce the cost without messing with the pricing stuctuire to the retailer.
That is why the retailer does not give the discount. They are not giving the price reduction, it is the manufacturer. It is a manufacturer's marketing strategy, not the retailers.
Yes, I won't disagree that there are a percentage of purchasers who can't, don't or won't take advantage of the rebate and therefore the product can be advertised at a lower price (rebate) without actually giving the lower price. But as a general marketing strategy, it's purpose is not to hoodwink the customer, but as a way of discounting existing stock that has already been transfered (sold) to the retailer - as opposed to a different strategy of reducing the price by reducing the cost to the retailer.
That makes a lot sense for those few that honor their rebates.
Unfortunately many do not. I kept my original posting positive by naming a few who do. I won't change that policy now except to say watch out for Compusa and Tiger Software. Those two deserve a slam.
Ace has never done me. But I don't shop there.
Colbyt
Just about everything these days is a rip off.
On 1/10/2005 8:08 PM US(ET), Camilo took fingers to keys, and typed the following:
Retailers do offer rebates. I bought a Sony computer system from Best Buy. Computer, monitor and a Canon printer bundled in. I had rebate forms totaling $200 on the system. 2 for Sony for the computer and the monitor, one from Canon on the printer, and one from Best Buy on the whole bundle. I sent them all in to the various addresses provided, and enclosed the necessary items for the rebate. After about 6-8 weeks, I got the rebates from Sony and Canon, but not the Best Buy one. They claim I didn't send in the correct items. I called and complained that I had sent in all the items requested, but they said that the UPC was wrong or something to that effect. Fortunately, I had scanned everything, including rebate forms, receipts, and even placing the cartons on the scanner and scanning the UPC before I had to cut it out to send it in. After they said that I had the wrong UPC, I rescanned every carton including any tag or label that had a number on it and sent them in. I told them that there were no more numbers than that which I had provided. After another 8 weeks, I finally got my Best Buy rebate. The odd thing is that they wanted proof that I bought the products. They had no problem with proof when charging my credit card for the items. I believe that all Retailer rebates should be instant rebates at the cash register. All the proof is right there when they scan the UPC and then take my credit card.
Got screwed by them also. I find it funny how they say invalid UPC then ask you to resubmit with the UPC. (any they only accept the original UPC).
I usually don't have a problem with rebates in general, but they have lost my business. Now, I just need to find a place near me that fills propane
I found this phone number at their rebate website. I called and they said they will update their system, and mail the rebate.
There might be hope.... ACE rebate processing == > 1-800-477-4137.
c_Kubie
On 1/12/2005 3:41 PM US(ET), c snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com took fingers to keys, and typed the following:
You mean you don't have one of those 'Rhino' propane refill racks outside of every store? It seems like it here. All supermarkets, home improvement centers, grocery stores, and even the beer store has them.
I usually have very good luck getting rebates because I am very careful to send everything in properly and on time. But for about a year, I've been ripped off on about half the rebates I send in for computer hardware and stuff like that -- and generally it is a substantial rebate like $10 off of a $15 item, or $18.99 off a $18.99 item.
The company will pretend they never received it (and a search of their support BBS indicates that nobody ever gets a rebate honored (Soyo)) or they say I sent in the wrong UPC code (SMC), or they just ignore inquiries (too numerous to mention).
regards, Bob
say I sent in the wrong UPC code (SMC), or they just ignore >inquiries (too numerous to mention).
I had that problem, so I've taken to sending in the forms, UPC codes, etc. via certified, receipt-return mail.
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