Screwed out of a Rebate? (*cough* Paper Mario/Hot Shots/SF: OS) Tip inside...

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Saw this post on CNET from a heavy rebate applier who uses the power of Small Claims Court to get his rebates:

"I am an avid rebate person. Just about everything that is low cost or free after rebate is a purchase for me.

But some never pay. I make copies of everything I send in. Then after 9 months if I have 3 or more rebates outstanding with them, I go and file in the Michigan Small Claims division of District Court ($25.00 filing fee plus certified mailing cost.) and send off the paper work to the company's corporation registered agent (available online). I never call the rebate people anymore because I have found it a waste of time. I go right to Court.

I've sued CompUSA, Symantec, Michelin, OfficeMax and a few others and gotten paid every time. Some lawyer usually calls up during the week before our Court date and I get my rebates, filing fee and certified postage returned to me.

The key thing here is not to give up. A journey of 1000 steps is taken one step at a time. And this process is not difficult. No rocket science here. You will even learn how to use our court system for your benefit.

I have always gotten every rebate from BestBuy in a timely fashion so not to worry with them.

--- James"

and then a follow-up post from the thread:

"If enough people do it, the company's lawyers will beat up their marketing people and the rebate game will end. Most corporate attorneys have better things to do than to mess with $25 rebate claims."

I've never done the above process myself, but I could see myself doing it someday if I ever encounter a handful of problems. It's all a matter of what your time is worth for going out of your way to fill out a form vs letting go of the rebate money you are rightfully owed. I guess vindication is another motive for some. If given the excuse of "Typographical errors are not the responsibility of EB Games" I think some would scream BS and just go after them.
 
You mention Syphon Filter in your title, I got my rebate for that just fine. I thought everyone did. Anyway, thanks for the info otherwise.
 
[quote name='PenguinMaster']You mention Syphon Filter in your title, I got my rebate for that just fine. I thought everyone did. Anyway, thanks for the info otherwise.[/QUOTE]

Oh, I did too. They sent half of the voucher for some and CheapyD's muscle got most of us the 2nd half (thanks Cheapy and judyjudyjudy). Still, it is/was a problem rebate.
 
That person seriously needs to get a life. Who lives their lives around rebates anyways. I mean I take advantage of the occasional rebate, but to be that anal maybe you shouldn't have bought the item to begin with. Impatience is what really plagues this individual, everything drops in price eventually. Also you should always ask yourself before any purchase, "Is this a need or a want?". Hopefully this lunatic and others just alike don't screw the mass populous.
 
[quote name='neudog']That person seriously needs to get a life. Who lives their lives around rebates anyways. I mean I take advantage of the occasional rebate, but to be that anal maybe you shouldn't have bought the item to begin with. Impatience is what really plagues this individual, everything drops in price eventually. Also you should always ask yourself before any purchase, "Is this a need or a want?". Hopefully this lunatic and others just alike don't screw the mass populous.[/QUOTE]
translation: its ok for companies to not send out rebates? im really struggling with the point you were going for here.
 
If you are really that dependant on the money that is returned from a rebate, then you probably shouldn't be buying the item in the first place. I tend to view rebates as more of a gamble. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. With Staples however, you always win ever since they switched over to the easy rebate system. Now if other companies would only follow suit.
 
Mad Dog Multimedia owes me $40. My rebate has been "valid and scheduled for final processing" for months now. It is 2 months past the end of the time I should've received my rebate. By all accounts I have another 3-4 months before they will even consider sending it out.

Right now they are in possession of stolen money. And every day they keep it they earn a little bit of interest on it.

The bad part is it takes a slam dunk case with guaranteed potential for advancement before any lawmaker will tackle the problem.
 
I just called ebgames yesterday about my paper mario rebate...

guess what? they said they never got it... what BS is that...

I didn't make copys of the receipt or rebates... so I was screw over....
 
[quote name='Spoon_si']I just called ebgames yesterday about my paper mario rebate...

guess what? they said they never got it... what BS is that...

I didn't make copys of the receipt or rebates... so I was screw over....[/QUOTE]

I think CheapyD said you have to call the B&M headquarters, not ebgames.com's customer service, if that makes a difference.
 
[quote name='punqsux']translation: its ok for companies to not send out rebates? im really struggling with the point you were going for here.[/QUOTE]

No it is not ok for companies to cop out on rebate checks. My point was if you need the item and you get a rebate fine, but don't go buy multiple products just because you're going to get a rebate. The individual stated in original article "I am an avid rebate person. Just about everything that is low cost or free after rebate is a purchase for me." Rebates are not fully guranteed and whining over money that really isn't yours is childish. I realize that items are bought for the simple fact of the rebates thus the purchaser feels he is owed compensation, but this person is on a whole other level of cheap. I heard of being thrifty, but come on.
 
[quote name='neudog']No it is not ok for companies to cop out on rebate checks. My point was if you need the item and you get a rebate fine, but don't go buy multiple products just because you're going to get a rebate. The individual stated in original article "I am an avid rebate person. Just about everything that is low cost or free after rebate is a purchase for me." Rebates are not fully guranteed and whining over money that really isn't yours is childish. I realize that items are bought for the simple fact of the rebates thus the purchaser feels he is owed compensation, but this person is on a whole other level of cheap. I heard of being thrifty, but come on.[/QUOTE]

The rebates ARE supposed to be guaranteed legally if you follow all the terms of the conditions. Many times, I will buy something only because of the rebates. For example, I just bought a Western Digital harddrive for $130. There were $100 in rebates for it. Are you saying that if I never get those rebates, that I shouldn't whine about it?
 
*channels the spirit of jsweeney*

[quote name='neudog']No it is not ok for companies to cop out on rebate checks. [/QUOTE]
well, thats good to know ^^ i wasnt being a smartass, i really couldnt follow you to a point.
[quote name='neudog']My point was if you need the item and you get a rebate fine, but don't go buy multiple products just because you're going to get a rebate. [/QUOTE]
why not? who dosent like free stuff?
[quote name='neudog']The individual stated in original article "I am an avid rebate person. Just about everything that is low cost or free after rebate is a purchase for me." [/QUOTE]
yes they did.
[quote name='neudog']Rebates are not fully guranteed and whining over money that really isn't yours is childish. [/QUOTE]
rebates are guranteed because they are contracts between yourself and the company offering the incentive to buy the product. the money is yours, and if you honestly believe it isnt, can i get a loan from you? :lol:
[quote name='neudog']I realize that items are bought for the simple fact of the rebates thus the purchaser feels he is owed compensation[/QUOTE]
because he is. legally. you cant even argue hes not.
[quote name='neudog']but this person is on a whole other level of cheap. I heard of being thrifty, but come on.[/QUOTE]well thats strictly opinion
 
remember if you do win the rebates the company also has to give you the court costs and the shipping of the documents to the company so if you win you will be out nothing for filing.
 
Preach on Punq! If you don't like free or cheap stuff then what are people doing on this website. I think its time I raised the BS flag on my Paper Mario gift voucher. I have waited long enough. What was that Corporate number again?
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']I tend to view rebates as more of a gamble. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. [/QUOTE]

Thats all good for you, except rebates arent like putting money down on craps. As said above, the rebate is a binding contract. If the company doesnt fulfil the rebate, they can be sued for breach of contract, false advertising, unfair competition, and a slew of other business torts.

If i dont get my $200 rebate from best buy for my toshiba DVD burner, you better believe i'd go to small claims court.
 
Too many people are willing to just bend over and take it if a company dicks them over in one way or another.
 
Punqsux: "rebates are guranteed because they are contracts between yourself and the company offering the incentive to buy the product. the money is yours, and if you honestly believe it isnt, can i get a loan from you? :lol:"

Not trying to stir things up, but could you show me proof of a rebate being a contract. I'm not up on rebates because my wife handles most of them, so I look at a rebate as almost like a %off coupon. The reason for a send off rebate and no B&M is to seperate die hard buyers. Companies feel by making it a send off rebate people might not send off or even forget letting the rebate expire. Does this justify companies not holding up their end of the rebate process, not at all. So if rebates truly make a company contractually obligated to the purchaser, then I am owed the total amount of said rebate reguardless of its expiration date, correct? Like I stated I am not trying to stir up things or be a smart ass, I am trying to become more knowledgable on said topic. Thanks.
 
[quote name='neudog']Not trying to stir things up, but could you show me proof of a rebate being a contract. I'm not up on rebates because my wife handles most of them, so I look at a rebate as almost like a %off coupon. The reason for a send off rebate and no B&M is to seperate die hard buyers. Companies feel by making it a send off rebate people might not send off or even forget letting the rebate expire. Does this justify companies not holding up their end of the rebate process, not at all. So if rebates truly make a company contractually obligated to the purchaser, then I am owed the total amount of said rebate reguardless of its expiration date, correct? Like I stated I am not trying to stir up things or be a smart ass, I am trying to become more knowledgable on said topic. Thanks.[/QUOTE]
well you are owed the money PROVIDED you meet the terms of the contract (sending X, y, and z, to X address by xx/xx/20xx)

you cant blame a company because you didnt get your rebate in ontime.
 
I've only had a problem with a rebate once, and it was my own fault. I bought a monitor at CompUSA early in the morning right after they'd opened and they had NO regular registers open. So they sent me to the corporate purchases window. The only thing is, the computer at that window didn't print normal receipts, instead printing these hugeass receipts on an old dot matrix printer. I suspected this might be a problem with the rebate, but I didn't say anything and sure enough I'm now having trouble getting both rebates that were on that monitor. I am not pleased.
 
[quote name='E-Z-B']I think CheapyD said you have to call the B&M headquarters, not ebgames.com's customer service, if that makes a difference.[/QUOTE]


are you saying that calling EB headquarters has gotten people the rebate??
eb imo really screwed us with a little loophole and I wish we would all get our rebates.
 
had a problem with a rebate yesterday....checked the status of a FYE rebate for Lois & Clark, and it said it was invalid for reason of purchase date. I emailed them and they fixed the problem by the end of the day. Not too shabby.
 
[quote name='punqsux']translation: its ok for companies to not send out rebates? im really struggling with the point you were going for here.[/QUOTE]


What people don't realize is that companies like Dell, Compaq, et cetera hire the "mail-in rebate companies" specifically to *deny* rebates.

Let me repeat that - They want the rebates to be denied.



The accountants sit down & they figure that about 50% of customers will forget. So they made a sale with a promotion, but still get paid the full retail.

Accountants are also aware that many people make mistakes when filling out the forms. That's more money saved, by having a promotion, but still collecting the full retail price.

It's all a money game. They WANT to see rebates get forgotten, or lost, or denied.
They want to attract customers with a promotion...
...but they don't want customers to get the money.

troy
 
[quote name='neudog']That person seriously needs to get a life. Who lives their lives around rebates anyways. I mean I take advantage of the occasional rebate, but to be that anal maybe you shouldn't have bought the item to begin with. Impatience is what really plagues this individual, everything drops in price eventually. Also you should always ask yourself before any purchase, "Is this a need or a want?". Hopefully this lunatic and others just alike don't screw the mass populous.[/QUOTE]


I understand that some rebate amounts would not be worth going to court over. But I have purchased computers with over $300 of rebates. If I did not receive the rebates I could understand going to small claims court over it.
 
Thanks for the info!

To all those people saying, "I don't care if I didn't bet my rebate.." Apathy only contributes to the problem. Corporate bigwigs know you're lazy, that's why they have rebate programs in the first place. 90-95% of people never even send them in.
And then when companies don't honor the small amount of rebates that do come in, they know most people will give up. How do I know this? I asked EB about the Paper Mario gift voucher problem? They told me they only received a 'handful' of complaints, so they don't think too many customers are concerned about it. I guess you guys don't care :(

Kudos for this guy for standing up. If someone promises me something, I'm going to hold them to it.

Does anyone know how much it is to file in California. We're the litigation capital of the world, so it might be a bit more expensive...
 
[quote name='cag1000']are you saying that calling EB headquarters has gotten people the rebate??
eb imo really screwed us with a little loophole and I wish we would all get our rebates.[/QUOTE]

If you're talking about Paper Mario, yes after many calls, I did finally receive the gift voucher; 2nd Day Air, I might add!
 
[quote name='rallen']If you're talking about Paper Mario, yes after many calls, I did finally receive the gift voucher; 2nd Day Air, I might add![/QUOTE]


# you used, please?
 
Getting the full $20 for Syphon was a serious hassle for alot of people here , in the End Cheapy N' Judy came through :bouncy:
 
A rebate is a rebate, I'm not sure of the 'contract legality' of it, but if it's not some sort of contract, it's at least a company basically misrepresenting their product/price in order to get a sale. Immoral at best, illegal at worst.
I don't buy things just for the rebate, but I do track my rebates and I want what I am 'due'. I don't know if I'd go to court, I haven't lost any huge rebates [the biggest I've gotten is a 100 bucks from Dell], but it's the principle of the thing.

Some states don't allow mail-in rebates; if the manufacturer offers a rebate, and the retailer advertises it, the retailers has to sell the product for the after-rebate price. that's the way to go. But yes, rebates are so prevalent because they don't expect or want you to get it. Most people forget, and most who don't, don't fulfill all the requirements of the rebate [kinda like no-purchase-necessary contest rules, fill this out, send this, sign this, 3x5 card, etc].

Even if it weren't a law, a retailer/manufacturer could work something out to give the buyer the rebate at purchase; the retailer could sell for the rebate price, then submit proof of purchase to the manufacturer and get reimbursed for the rebate money he spent. Just like on most store coupons. Of course, that is only if their goal is to give the consumer the money.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']If you are really that dependant on the money that is returned from a rebate, then you probably shouldn't be buying the item in the first place. I tend to view rebates as more of a gamble. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. With Staples however, you always win ever since they switched over to the easy rebate system. Now if other companies would only follow suit.[/QUOTE]

Whether you can afford it is not the issue. You are promised something and have every right to get what you are owed. The only rebate I have gotten screwed on was a radio shack one like 3 years ago for $25 I kind of wish I had fought it now, just for the principle of it. I think the companies bank on people being too lazy to jump through the hoops to get their rebate. And when too many do it correctly they figure the people don't wan tto fight over something that happened three years ago.

edit. Not too mention that you have probably wasted about 30 minutes of your time jumping through the hoops to get the rebate. And in some cases devauling the product you got by cutting the UPC code off it.
 
Well, looking at the calender, its been about 8 weeks since I sent in the rebate. So, I think I'll finally put in a call to them today.
 
I don't do rebates too often, but for the problem of them claiming not to receive it, can't you pay a few cents more and get tracking or delivery confirmation? They won't be able to claim they haven't received it that way since you have legit evidence to prove otherwise.

Or do those companies not accept any mail that has those added to it?

I just bought the street fighter free after rebate from EB and am wondering if i should add tracking to the rebate form to lessen the hassle of having to prove later they did actually receive it.

Anyone have any experienece with this technique?
 
I gave a call at the number listed earlier in the thread and was told that supposedly they can not resolve the issue. Instead, they replied that it can only be dealt with on the local level, so they took my name, number, etc, and filed a complaint with a local district manager. They said that in about 2 buisness days, I should get a call from the local manager concerning the issue.
 
I know BB is getting rid of rebates [which is their right], but currently, they can deduct the value of a rebate from a return credit even if you didnt get the rebate. Yet another way the rebate process is stacked against the consumer.
I read that on their return policy board while waiting in line for CS and felt myself get madder by the minute.
 
[quote name='heffaji']I gave a call at the number listed earlier in the thread and was told that supposedly they can not resolve the issue. Instead, they replied that it can only be dealt with on the local level, so they took my name, number, etc, and filed a complaint with a local district manager. They said that in about 2 buisness days, I should get a call from the local manager concerning the issue.[/QUOTE]

Always give them a telephone number where you have Caller ID; Once you get the GM's cell phone or office number, you can call him with any problems ;)
 
Now that I think about it, I've NEVER gotten a SINGLE Mail-in-rebate back that I've sent in over the course of my life....

:shock:
 
[quote name='rallen']Always give them a telephone number where you have Caller ID; Once you get the GM's cell phone or office number, you can call him with any problems ;)[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the advice. As it turns out, the number I gave has Caller ID, so huzzah and such.
 
oomfg i just went around and around with some ass who wouldn't give me the paper mario rebate. I guess I give up I don't know how any of you got it. Bought online by the way.
 
i called the 1800 number, guy gave me a another number....702 area code..... to call and an extension...got an answering machine and left a message....
 
I still don't understand why you guys think you deserve a PM rebate? The coupon specifically excludes games that are "on sale", and therefore PM is not eligible.

troy
 
[quote name='electrictroy']I still don't understand why you guys think you deserve a PM rebate? The coupon specifically excludes games that are "on sale", and therefore PM is not eligible.

troy[/QUOTE]
how would one distinguish a sale at eb if it is not an advertised sale?
 
Don't give me that nonsense. Looking back, you can see it was a sale:

PM was $50.
PM became $20 for about 2 weeks.
Then PM went back to $50.


In hindsight, it's obvious that it was a sale price & therefore the coupon is not valid. Stop trying to screw the store. Let's almost, but not quite, as bad as stealing.

troy
 
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