Do You Trust Rebates?
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
United States
September 5, 2011 5:23pm CST
i know when i was younger in like the late 80s-early 90s it seemed like rebates were kind of on the shady side with a lot of people scamming companies and companies not paying out. i recently started doing rebates and havent had any problems but it always makes me a little paranoid knowing it had a bad rap at one time..
do you trust rebates now? did you do them years ago? did you have problems getting your money back? do you think the system has improved?
4 people like this
9 responses
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
5 Sep 11
I never trusted rebates. I remember a lot of controversy around them and people getting scammed. However when I bought my last AT&T cell phone, it came with a good rebate. I was expecting not to get it but I did. It required some paperwork but I got a very good rebate in timely fashion. That was my one and only experience with rebates. I still am wary of them and would only buy a product coming with a rebate if I had to or wanted the product rebate or no rebate.
2 people like this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
21 Sep 11
seems like electronics are good about getting the rebate back to you.. i know i have never had probs with cell phone and other electronic rebates and they seem to be faster than others..
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
5 Sep 11
I have had no problems with rebates. I got a good one on a printer I bought recently, and on my first cellphone, and a few more I can't remember. They all came through just fine.
2 people like this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
21 Sep 11
seems like the ones for electronics are more good about you getting the rebates even back in the day. thank goodness no probs with any so far *knock on wood*
@twallace (2675)
• United States
7 Sep 11
I don't know of anyone that has problems with rebates back in the day. I know for sure that I haven't has any problems with any of the rebates that I have had from computers to anti-freeze for my car. That is something really good though; most companies can do more of the rebates if they want to cause they will always make there money for what ever the have rebated. I have been trying to get in the work from home as a rebate processor but i have not found one that is legit yet. Most of them have been scams and that is something that I have been trying to stay way from when it comes to rebates. If you happen to know of any companies that are looking for rebate processors I would be greatful for the link.
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
21 Sep 11
i was a kid so my memory is vague on what the prob was in the 80s but it had something to do with fraud on receipts. some people noticed the stores receipts were really plain and made their own to send in and seems like for awhile the rebates either werent available or harder to qualify for because i know a few people that just STOPPED doing them and i know they werent any of the frauders..
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
8 Sep 11
It depends on what company and or store I'm dealing with if I trust it. I know I sent a rebate in at an Office Max and I didn't get my rebate. I called and was told it was not recieved, I had no copy of the form and upc to even try to resend it in. I was not happy with that one. And when Walgreens sent out those checks well, I never got mine. Even sent them to my IL's home so that I'd get it and nothing... but the checks used to say "your name or bearer of ....." which ment anyone could cash the lil rebate check. So you do the math why no matter where I sent it we never got it. And I haven't used their lil rebates since though I know it's changed a bit since then.
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
21 Sep 11
i havent had a problem with either of those stores but office max was like 10 years ago lol.. staples is a good one and you can opt to get it sent to paypal now so that would be a way to get around that problem.
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
21 Sep 11
We don't have a staples nearby a couple counties over but not nearby. Neat idea though with the paypal. Probably cheaper than sending a check out and having to balance it on the books
@AishaBR (345)
• United States
9 Sep 11
I personally don't trust rebates I will never ty and get a rebate. But I worked at a phone business for about a year and the customers would get rebates on the phones. I think its just about filling out the form correctly and following the agreement that you had to pay your first phone bill on time if you paid it late you wouldnt get the rebate.
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
21 Sep 11
i got a rebate on my blackberry and seems like i didnt have to pay the first service bill because i sent it in right away.. yeah i read all the small print. i was pissed i got a certain type of popcorn (i usually go generic on that product) and i got flavored and it was suppose to be like a new type or way they are making it or something.. what ever it was i didnt qualify so im thinking about taking it back since its just been sitting on a shelf.. the new type they wanted i didnt even see in the store!! grr
@zaq110111622a (25)
• China
21 Sep 11
Hi moonlit:I do recieve a rebates for my merchants which I bought from Monbasa.However,I clearly know that rebate is just a way of sales promotion for companies.There is no doubt that a lot of consmers prefer to buy products with rebates because most of time they make a big fortune without much money.
Anyhow,we should adopt a rational view of consumption when we are doing shopping or buying some so-called "spike" merchants online.
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
21 Sep 11
except for a laptop i only do rebates for smaller items from a store and usually combine it with a coupon so when i get the rebate it was not only free but i made a few bucks
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
6 Sep 11
I have done rebates for years and never had a problem....just lately I got a new furnace and thermostat etc and the rebates took a while but they came in and they were not small! So yes...I trust them and haven't had a problem with them at all.
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
21 Sep 11
i havent done many big ticket items just because i couldnt afford it to begin with lol.. but i know the ones i did do with my cell phone and etc worked great
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
6 Sep 11
Never had a problem and I have been rebating for 30 years. But what I don't like is..they used to be good rebates. Buy a few things, send in box tops etc. I got so much stuff for my little girl in the late 70's just with rebates...either you got cash/check or you got items. I remember I got a huge heavy cardboard playhouse for her through a rebate offer...put it up in her room and she loved it!
But then they started to trickle down to not to many. Then they come back but you have to have cash register receipt.....then a receipt dated within a certain time only. Then they just started not being worth the trouble...either the cash/check amount wasn't worth it (you had to mail them in and with postage going up...spending 42 cents to get a dollar rebate..just not worth it as you only net about 60 cents...not to mention the cost of the envelope!) or you had to buy a large amount of items, watch the "good for" dates and still register receipts. It has just gotten to much work for to little pay!
But I will say.. I am on the Olay Club (the beauty product) and they have great rebates. For the past 2 years now, they have had periodically during the year a rebate of "buy $50, get $20 back". So for $30 you get $50 worth of their product. Yes, they ask for a receipt and the PKU codes, but still... I buy it anyway, and always went to a store called Ulta that had a coupon for "$3.50 off any $10 purchase" and then wait till the Olay itself went on sale...so I was in reality and regular price...getting about $70 worth of Olay product for $30. That is the only one I really watch anymore.
Then again, I don't see to many rebates these days either. Last recession the freebies and samples were fantastic and abundant, now...this current recession...prices don't seem to be coming down at all! So neither are the coupons, rebates of freebies!
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
21 Sep 11
thats weird there is usually a grace period between the cutoff day and the day they have to get it in the mail.. i try to do mine early but sometimes it doesnt happen. sucks you have such bad luck
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