Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

John wrote:
I know that the institution of rebates is meant to rip you off so I'm
quite anal about paying attention to the details and ALWAYS sending in
the rebate with delivery confirmation. The delivery confirmation at
least minimizes the "Sorry, we never received your rebate" or "Sorry, we
didn't receive your rebate in time" excuses.

I read the rebate forms several times looking for the "gotcha's". I know
I go through way more trouble than I should for $20-$50 but it's the
principle. They make it as annoying as possible to claim a rebate so
that most people won't bother. I'm the one that bothers.

I send in my rebate to Canon along with all the rebate form, purchase
receipt and I cut out the UPC code from the box and put that in the
envelope. My new tactic is to use wide tape and tape the UPC code to
the rebate form.

I checked on my rebate status just now.

Error(s): An original qualifying UPC was not included

Yep. No matter how hard I tried, Canon still managed to screw me over.

Since they want "an original" qualifying UPC", my copy won't suffice.

Canon, the next time I'm in the market for a product I'll remember this
incident.

Mail-in rebates are always a scam. Why do they do them? Because
people buy based on this.
50-80% never claim them.
Rebates take 8-12 weeks and often are never delivered, another 50%
forget about them.
They force you to call someone to fix the problem or ask where your
rebate is 16 weeks past due delivery time.
At the end of it all, according to various business studies, only 3% of
rebates are ever paid out. So, they can boost sales with what might
amount to a 0.5% overall discount paid.
It is business genius.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

RichA wrote:

John wrote:
I know that the institution of rebates is meant to rip you off so I'm
quite anal about paying attention to the details and ALWAYS sending in
the rebate with delivery confirmation. The delivery confirmation at
least minimizes the "Sorry, we never received your rebate" or "Sorry, we
didn't receive your rebate in time" excuses.

I read the rebate forms several times looking for the "gotcha's". I know
I go through way more trouble than I should for $20-$50 but it's the
principle. They make it as annoying as possible to claim a rebate so
that most people won't bother. I'm the one that bothers.

I send in my rebate to Canon along with all the rebate form, purchase
receipt and I cut out the UPC code from the box and put that in the
envelope. My new tactic is to use wide tape and tape the UPC code to
the rebate form.

I checked on my rebate status just now.

Error(s): An original qualifying UPC was not included

Yep. No matter how hard I tried, Canon still managed to screw me over.

Since they want "an original" qualifying UPC", my copy won't suffice.

Canon, the next time I'm in the market for a product I'll remember this
incident.

Mail-in rebates are always a scam. Why do they do them? Because
people buy based on this.
50-80% never claim them.
Rebates take 8-12 weeks and often are never delivered, another 50%
forget about them.
They force you to call someone to fix the problem or ask where your
rebate is 16 weeks past due delivery time.
At the end of it all, according to various business studies, only 3% of
rebates are ever paid out. So, they can boost sales with what might
amount to a 0.5% overall discount paid.
It is business genius.

I get every damn rebate I file, so I'm saving money at the expense of
illiterates/incompetents - so what?

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

RichA wrote:
John wrote:

I know that the institution of rebates is meant to rip you off so I'm
quite anal about paying attention to the details and ALWAYS sending in
the rebate with delivery confirmation. The delivery confirmation at
least minimizes the "Sorry, we never received your rebate" or "Sorry, we
didn't receive your rebate in time" excuses.

I read the rebate forms several times looking for the "gotcha's". I know
I go through way more trouble than I should for $20-$50 but it's the
principle. They make it as annoying as possible to claim a rebate so
that most people won't bother. I'm the one that bothers.

I send in my rebate to Canon along with all the rebate form, purchase
receipt and I cut out the UPC code from the box and put that in the
envelope. My new tactic is to use wide tape and tape the UPC code to
the rebate form.

I checked on my rebate status just now.

Error(s): An original qualifying UPC was not included

Yep. No matter how hard I tried, Canon still managed to screw me over.

Since they want "an original" qualifying UPC", my copy won't suffice.

Canon, the next time I'm in the market for a product I'll remember this
incident.


Mail-in rebates are always a scam. Why do they do them? Because
people buy based on this.
50-80% never claim them.
Rebates take 8-12 weeks and often are never delivered, another 50%
forget about them.
They force you to call someone to fix the problem or ask where your
rebate is 16 weeks past due delivery time.
At the end of it all, according to various business studies, only 3% of
rebates are ever paid out. So, they can boost sales with what might
amount to a 0.5% overall discount paid.
It is business genius.

Hmmm,
I always got my rebate check. Only thing is it takes upto a few weeks to
get it. Follow the procedure and mail it and be paitient.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

Bob (but not THAT Bob) wrote:
RichA wrote:

John wrote:
I know that the institution of rebates is meant to rip you off so I'm
quite anal about paying attention to the details and ALWAYS sending in
the rebate with delivery confirmation. The delivery confirmation at
least minimizes the "Sorry, we never received your rebate" or "Sorry, we
didn't receive your rebate in time" excuses.

I read the rebate forms several times looking for the "gotcha's". I know
I go through way more trouble than I should for $20-$50 but it's the
principle. They make it as annoying as possible to claim a rebate so
that most people won't bother. I'm the one that bothers.

I send in my rebate to Canon along with all the rebate form, purchase
receipt and I cut out the UPC code from the box and put that in the
envelope. My new tactic is to use wide tape and tape the UPC code to
the rebate form.

I checked on my rebate status just now.

Error(s): An original qualifying UPC was not included

Yep. No matter how hard I tried, Canon still managed to screw me over.

Since they want "an original" qualifying UPC", my copy won't suffice.

Canon, the next time I'm in the market for a product I'll remember this
incident.

Mail-in rebates are always a scam. Why do they do them? Because
people buy based on this.
50-80% never claim them.
Rebates take 8-12 weeks and often are never delivered, another 50%
forget about them.
They force you to call someone to fix the problem or ask where your
rebate is 16 weeks past due delivery time.
At the end of it all, according to various business studies, only 3% of
rebates are ever paid out. So, they can boost sales with what might
amount to a 0.5% overall discount paid.
It is business genius.

I get every damn rebate I file, so I'm saving money at the expense of
illiterates/incompetents - so what?

No problem, I'm just pointing out the differences between mail-in
rebates and instant rebates.
Having automatic computer verification of rebates at the time of sale
would increase payouts massively, but the companies don't want that at
all. Meanwhile, there is also the chance with instant rebates your
name and other information wouldn't be sold to a 1000 different
databases months afterward....

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

RichA wrote:

Having automatic computer verification of rebates at the time of sale
would increase payouts massively, but the companies don't want that at
all. Meanwhile, there is also the chance with instant rebates your
name and other information wouldn't be sold to a 1000 different
databases months afterward....

The problem with instant rebates is that there is no way they
could validate that you're not doing more than one like they can
when you have to mail it in. So people could easily end up with
multiples, and the companies do not want that, especially with
the free (after rebate) stuff. For stuff like giving $100 back
on an appliance, or Sears giving free shipping after rebate,
there's really no excuse for a mail-in rebate, other than
avoiding paying it.

BTW as someone who does a LOT of rebates, there is absolutely NO
evidence that my name is sold as a result of rebates (I do get
mail specifically from a couple of companies whose rebates I
claimed). And I don't think that anyone has been able to prove
this -- it's just paranoid people like you who keep claiming
that it is true. If you have proof, post it here.

Bill

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

"Bill" wrote in message
...


RichA wrote:

Having automatic computer verification of rebates at the time of sale
would increase payouts massively, but the companies don't want that at
all. Meanwhile, there is also the chance with instant rebates your
name and other information wouldn't be sold to a 1000 different
databases months afterward....


BTW as someone who does a LOT of rebates, there is absolutely NO
evidence that my name is sold as a result of rebates (I do get
mail specifically from a couple of companies whose rebates I
claimed). And I don't think that anyone has been able to prove
this -- it's just paranoid people like you who keep claiming
that it is true. If you have proof, post it here.

Bill

I used to agree but think it has changed. Recently bought a Ultra HDD
enclosure at CC. Didn't look closely enough at the rebate PDF until readying
the paperwork. The rebate has to go through an operation called
OnRebate.com. An obvious data mining operation. I refuse to do business with
an outfit like this and will relinquish the $20 to keep from it. I'll never
buy a product again with a rebate that goes through something like this.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

As has been adequately explained here before, rebates are by their very
nature a scam. There is no logical explanation for a rebate program other
than being a scam. The following truth will never change:

If the producer of a product wants to sell you his product at a lower than
normal price, they will give you a price break at the check out counter.
Any "program" to make you jump through silly hoops to get your "discount"
six months later , is nothing other than a silly scam. There is NO logical
reason for a "program" to give you a better price six months later
!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IF they wanted to give you a lower price, they would do
it ON THE DAY THAT YOU BUY THE PRODUCT !!

I am glad that this is all cleared up now. But alas, I do know
there are those that believe in the tooth fairy, so here come the
flames........

Oh well........

--James--

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

I get every damn rebate I file, so I'm saving money at
the expense of
illiterates/incompetents - so what?

he said he followed the directions to the letter... you're
nuts if you think the rebate houses don't often deny for
bull**** reasons. I get all mine too, but more than once
i've had to resort to pretty well harrassing them to do
it. I am meticulous as he is, and i've had them denied
for bogus reasons.

The most recent example was with a Seagate hard drive.
They tried to claim my model wasn't eligible for a rebate,
despite the rebate form itself showing the model as
eligible. They also gave the same excuse to my father, so
it wasn't simply me.... and fatwallet.com had more
examples of people being falsely denied on this rebate,
they were denying legit claims left & right. It was only
after calling & raising hell they reversed the denials and
sent the checks. Still took over 6 mos.

my hassle with a BellSouth rebate was even worse. The
rebate house claimed my copy of my phone bill wasn't
valid. I didn't get paper bills, & the only copies of
bills available electronically at the time didn't look
like normal bills -- everything was in a courier 10pt
font, no graphics, lines anything. The rebate house
repeatedly diddled around saying that wasn't acceptable,
despite it being the only option available to me. And
it's not like BellSouth didn't know I had their product.
I had to write to Georgia's Office of Consumer Protections
to get that one. That got the BellSouth's presidential
escalations office involved.

Others I've had to call multiple times. I note the
dates/times I call or check the website, the CSR i spoke
with, everything... nowadays i even put a piece of paper
in the envelope advising that all contents have been
photocopied, including the postmarked mailing date on the
envelope (i use a machine), and that i will be routinely
following up.

certain rebate houses repeatedly crop up when people talk
about bogus denials. The goal is to deny. If the rebate
house promises a vendor only xx% will be fulfilled, often
they have to eat anything above that amount.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

An "instant rebate" isn't a rebate at all, it's just a sale price. And
no doubt that it's better than a mail-in rebate of the same amount, but
you will NEVER find "instant rebates" that are the equivalent of the
larger mail-in rebates. The rebate "system" depends on the fact that
only a minority of buyers will ever apply for the rebate.


RichA wrote:


No problem, I'm just pointing out the differences between mail-in
rebates and instant rebates.
Having automatic computer verification of rebates at the time of sale
would increase payouts massively, but the companies don't want that at
all. Meanwhile, there is also the chance with instant rebates your
name and other information wouldn't be sold to a 1000 different
databases months afterward....

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

Barry Watzman ) writes:
An "instant rebate" isn't a rebate at all, it's just a sale price. And
no doubt that it's better than a mail-in rebate of the same amount, but
you will NEVER find "instant rebates" that are the equivalent of the
larger mail-in rebates. The rebate "system" depends on the fact that
only a minority of buyers will ever apply for the rebate.


I'm glad you said that, because the whole "instant rebate" thing just
seems a renaming of "sale prices" because of the current trend to a lot
of real rebates.

I can remember decades ago, "rebates" were not common and you'd have
to buy six items to send off the box tops, or something similar, and
you didn't get much back. Yet, if you were lucky you'd know about
such a rebate, and it might give you something back if it was something
you actually were buying.

It's only in recent years that they've become a major "marketing tool".
And I think what irks many people is not the rebate thing, but the flyers
that make the rebate part of the deal. No longer is it a subtle matter of
finding a coupon somewhere and thinking "I was going to buy that anyway,
and getting a few dollars back would be neat". Instead, you see a great
price, and then the fine print says "after rebate". It is a promotional
tool, and the rebate becomes a far bigger part of the price and appeal
than those old coupons you might find somewhere. "That's on sale, I'll
buy it. Oh, I have to do a rebate".

The "instant rebates" are just the stores "cashing in" on the rebate craze.
The only reason I can think why they'd use the term is because customers
will think "Oh a rebate, but I don't have to do anything", which shouldn't
be necessary anyway except there are so many mail in rebates in the flyers
to begin with.

If everyone gets the "instant rebate" then there is nothing different
from an item on sale, because the company or store does not benefit
from only some people going after the rebate (but likely most buyers
choose that item based on the after-rebate price). They also don't
get the peripheral information that they may see as a benefit of
rebates.

Michael

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

anon wrote:
I get every damn rebate I file, so I'm saving money at
the expense of
illiterates/incompetents - so what?

he said he followed the directions to the letter...

No, he didn't.

The OP stated that he sent in a COPY of the UPC when the rebate clearly
specified that he had to send in the *original*.

As such, the OP failed to follow the specified instructions, so he was
denied the rebate.


you're nuts if you think the rebate houses don't often
deny for bull**** reasons.

True, but it does not apply in this particular case.


-hh

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

You have missed a big part of the picture.

With mail in rebates, the store sales figures aren't
decreased as they would be with the instant reduction.
Localities like it because they get the full sales tax
amount.

In most cases the store doesn't pay the rebate, the parent
company or manufacturer does.


Barry Watzman wrote:
An "instant rebate" isn't a rebate at all, it's just a sale price. And
no doubt that it's better than a mail-in rebate of the same amount, but
you will NEVER find "instant rebates" that are the equivalent of the
larger mail-in rebates. The rebate "system" depends on the fact that
only a minority of buyers will ever apply for the rebate.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

James wrote:
As has been adequately explained here before, rebates are by their
very nature a scam. There is no logical explanation for a rebate
program other than being a scam.

Here's further proof:

I got a rebate check sometime back. It came in a nondescript envelope via
"Bulk Mail" (now known as "Standard Mail").

I normally toss snail-mail-spam. Probably millions others do too. Evidently
the rebate company tried to take advantage of this social engineering
concept.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

-hh wrote:
anon wrote:
I get every damn rebate I file, so I'm saving money at
the expense of
illiterates/incompetents - so what?
he said he followed the directions to the letter...

No, he didn't.

The OP stated that he sent in a COPY of the UPC when the rebate clearly
specified that he had to send in the *original*.

As such, the OP failed to follow the specified instructions, so he was
denied the rebate.


you're nuts if you think the rebate houses don't often
deny for bull**** reasons.

True, but it does not apply in this particular case.


-hh


NO!

REREAD MY ORIGINAL POST! SHOW ME WHERE I STATED THAT I SENT IN A COPY.

I never said that I sent in a COPY. I sent in the original, genuine UPC
codes (actually, all the barcodes) cut off from the box.

I said that I had a scanned copy of the box (for my own records).

NO COPY OF THE UPC CODE WERE MAILED IN.

There's no other way of phrasing it: CANON RIPPED ME OFF EVEN THOUGH I
FOLLOWED ALL THE RULES.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

Bill wrote:
RichA wrote:

Having automatic computer verification of rebates at the time of sale
would increase payouts massively, but the companies don't want that at
all. Meanwhile, there is also the chance with instant rebates your
name and other information wouldn't be sold to a 1000 different
databases months afterward....

The problem with instant rebates is that there is no way they
could validate that you're not doing more than one like they can
when you have to mail it in. So people could easily end up with
multiples, and the companies do not want that, especially with
the free (after rebate) stuff. For stuff like giving $100 back
on an appliance, or Sears giving free shipping after rebate,
there's really no excuse for a mail-in rebate, other than
avoiding paying it.

BTW as someone who does a LOT of rebates, there is absolutely NO
evidence that my name is sold as a result of rebates (I do get
mail specifically from a couple of companies whose rebates I
claimed). And I don't think that anyone has been able to prove
this -- it's just paranoid people like you who keep claiming
that it is true. If you have proof, post it here.

Bill

Do I have proof that your name is sold? No, how could I. But, unless
the small print says they won't do this, it is likely that they do.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

In article ,
Andrew White wrote:

If you're not Scott, let me tell you something: rebate are a scam only
if you're a stupid and lazy slob.

Everyone who has not gotten their rebate thanks you for setting them
straight with your two cents. All rebates are run by honest Abe
corporations. They are not simply a promotional scheme designed to sell
more products without losing revenue. Rebates are designed to give stuff
away. Rebates are for the CONSUMER, not for the company.

Rebate rules are necessary to keep consumers honest, not to shield the
company from having to honor them.

What a silly ****ing screed.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

John wrote:

REREAD MY ORIGINAL POST! SHOW ME WHERE I STATED THAT I SENT IN A COPY.

My apologies.

I saw your statement of:

"Since they want "an original" qualifying UPC", my copy won't suffice"

...which I interpreted to mean that you had originally sent in a copy
instead of the original.


There's no other way of phrasing it: CANON RIPPED ME OFF EVEN THOUGH I
FOLLOWED ALL THE RULES.

Actually, it is the Redemption company who is Canon's representative
who is doing the "ripping offing".

It would appear that their excuse was because they were able to "lose"
your UPC since you didn't physically attach it.

My suggestion would be for you to photograph your swiss-cheesed box and
send that photo along with the rest of your documentation to Canon and
ask Canon to contact their redemption company to provide *to Canon,
their customer* their documentation on precisely what they claimed that
they received from you. If they have absolutely none of the cardboard
(or all of the bar codes except the UPC), even though it is your word
against theirs, you have a pretty good case that you did send it and
you can ask Canon to ovrride the recommendation of their *service
provider* and cut you a rebate check.

If this doesn't work and you want to litigate, there was just a case
recently (I think in NJ) where the supoena was delivered to a local
employee (IIRC, a Verizon cellphone kiosk?) as a company
representative. What's clever about this approach is that if they fail
to show up in court or whatever, your *local jurisdiction* has the
authority to shut down the *local* store and possibly even sieze
merchandice to satisfy the legal lien.

Granted, you might not want to do this to your local Mom&Pop camera
store, but it is worth looking up this lawsuit to see what the
specifics were and if it could be applied.


-hh

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

In article ,
"anon" wrote:

The most recent example was with a Seagate hard drive.
They tried to claim my model wasn't eligible for a rebate,
despite the rebate form itself showing the model as
eligible.

HP did the same to me. Then they backpedaled and said, "Oh, the machine
is eligible, but you didn't included the UPC label."

Like hell I didn't. I will never buy another HP product again. Corrupt
business practices, corrupt executives, **** for products and ignorant
snowjob tech support.

But boy, they got **great** propaganda... oops, I mean "marketing"--
especially with rebates-- as all their defenders will show.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

HeyBub wrote:

Here's further proof:

I got a rebate check sometime back. It came in a nondescript envelope via
"Bulk Mail" (now known as "Standard Mail").

I normally toss snail-mail-spam. Probably millions others do too. Evidently
the rebate company tried to take advantage of this social engineering
concept.

Actually, they do it to save money on postage. If you like to
toss unknown mail, then put a special middle initial on your
rebate forms and then you'll know when it's a check.

Let me guess that you also complain about postcard checks as
being too easy to steal, and you'd also complain about an
envelope that said "your rebate check is enclosed!!".

Bill

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

T Shadow wrote:

I used to agree but think it has changed. Recently bought a Ultra HDD
enclosure at CC. Didn't look closely enough at the rebate PDF until readying
the paperwork. The rebate has to go through an operation called
OnRebate.com. An obvious data mining operation. I refuse to do business with
an outfit like this and will relinquish the $20 to keep from it. I'll never
buy a product again with a rebate that goes through something like this.

Onrebate.com is just a different rebate processing company (with
really picky rules about their rebate submissions and a
requirement that you submit it online and then print and mail
the form). Please tell us how you figured out that they are a
data mining operations any more than Parago (rebateshq.com) and
the other rebate processors??? Parago also lets you submit your
forms online.

Interestingly, Ultra seems to have switched to another company
as of December.

Bill

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

Andrew White wrote:
If you're not Scott, let me tell you something: rebate are a scam only
if you're a stupid and lazy slob. I get every single rebate I file.

Andrew, you are, of course, our hero. Only you could state with
absolute certainty that no rebate in history has ever remained unpaid
unless the submitter was a lazy slob.


--

Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions.

....G.K. Chesterton

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

"Steve" wrote in message
...
Andrew White wrote:
If you're not Scott, let me tell you something: rebate are a scam only
if you're a stupid and lazy slob. I get every single rebate I file.

Andrew, you are, of course, our hero. Only you could state with
absolute certainty that no rebate in history has ever remained unpaid
unless the submitter was a lazy slob.

It's Andrew's MO. This guy is a hoot! When you get bored, read some of his
postings, he's proof, the Indian used to screw the buffalo.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

In article ,
HeyBub wrote:

I got a rebate check sometime back. It came in a nondescript envelope via
"Bulk Mail" (now known as "Standard Mail").

At least it was in an envelope. The last check I got was printed on a
postcard.

--
http://yosemitenews.info/

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

go to fatwallet.com and check the 'rebates' forum. You
may be able to get contact info there for someone at
Canon, the retailer, or the rebate house.

it may be a cliche, but it's true that the squeaky wheel
gets the grease. If you're not going away like many do,
you should get someone to take care of you.

good luck.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

"Bill" wrote in message
...
T Shadow wrote:

I used to agree but think it has changed. Recently bought a Ultra HDD
enclosure at CC. Didn't look closely enough at the rebate PDF until
readying
the paperwork. The rebate has to go through an operation called
OnRebate.com. An obvious data mining operation. I refuse to do business
with
an outfit like this and will relinquish the $20 to keep from it. I'll
never
buy a product again with a rebate that goes through something like this.

Onrebate.com is just a different rebate processing company (with
really picky rules about their rebate submissions and a
requirement that you submit it online and then print and mail
the form). Please tell us how you figured out that they are a
data mining operations any more than Parago (rebateshq.com) and
the other rebate processors??? Parago also lets you submit your
forms online.

Interestingly, Ultra seems to have switched to another company
as of December.

Bill

Ever read Websites Privacy Policies?
Know what a web beacon is?
I've used other online operations. This is going way too far IMHO.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

On 29 Dec 2006 09:56:01 -0800, "-hh"
wrote:

It would appear that their excuse was because they were able to "lose"
your UPC since you didn't physically attach it.

I bought a Canon from a big-box store several years ago. Canon tried
to B.S. their way out of the rebate even though I stapled the UPC to
the form, and scanned what I did. After a year of complaining, I
finally got my $50 rebate. In rersponse to my complaints, they kept
asking for "new" things, like the front page of the printer manual,
"photocopy" of the printer driver CD, etc.

I also had cc.'d the big-box store. The week before I got my check
from Canon, the store offered to pay me $50 in cash, which I got when
I went to the store.

Did I cash the check? Hell, ya. I consider it payment for the time
Canon made me jump through hoops by falsely denying my rebate.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

-hh wrote:
John wrote:
There's no other way of phrasing it: CANON RIPPED ME OFF EVEN THOUGH I
FOLLOWED ALL THE RULES.

Actually, it is the Redemption company who is Canon's representative
who is doing the "ripping offing".

It would appear that their excuse was because they were able to "lose"
your UPC since you didn't physically attach it.

I don't have to go back to the OP's article to know that he expressly
said he *always* attaches the UPC to the rebate form with tape.

--
Nazi: a person who is winning an argument with a liberal.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

Sales taxes are collected on mail-in rebates, they are NOT collected on
"instant rebates".

The rest of your post is conjecture that may be true in some cases and
not true in others. From the customer's perspective, it doesn't matter:
An instant rebate is just a sale price (and sales taxes are NOT paid
on the rebate amount; only the "net" rings on the register and is
charged tax).


M Berger wrote:
You have missed a big part of the picture.

With mail in rebates, the store sales figures aren't
decreased as they would be with the instant reduction.
Localities like it because they get the full sales tax
amount.

In most cases the store doesn't pay the rebate, the parent
company or manufacturer does.


Barry Watzman wrote:
An "instant rebate" isn't a rebate at all, it's just a sale price.
And no doubt that it's better than a mail-in rebate of the same
amount, but you will NEVER find "instant rebates" that are the
equivalent of the larger mail-in rebates. The rebate "system" depends
on the fact that only a minority of buyers will ever apply for the
rebate.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

I totally disagree with your premis (that rebates are generally a scam
(there are some that are, but a small minority)), and as for your
"check", I almost never get an envelope at all, they are almost always
just postcards.


HeyBub wrote:
James wrote:
As has been adequately explained here before, rebates are by their
very nature a scam. There is no logical explanation for a rebate
program other than being a scam.

Here's further proof:

I got a rebate check sometime back. It came in a nondescript envelope via
"Bulk Mail" (now known as "Standard Mail").

I normally toss snail-mail-spam. Probably millions others do too. Evidently
the rebate company tried to take advantage of this social engineering
concept.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

OK - here's the best rebate story ever - seriously, try and top it.

A number of years ago I went to one of those big box electronics store
to buy 2 computer systems for my kids for Christmas. With all the
various rebates, the total "list price" of $1750 (which no one in their
right mind would ever pay) was going to be reduced to roughly $800.
When I went to check out, I was asked if I wanted to open a store
credit card. One of the features of the card was "unemployment
protection" where for a small monthly fee they would pay off 10% of the
card balance each month while the cardholder is unemployed.

Well, at the time of the purchase I was employed, but a few weeks
earlier I had been informed that I was going to be downsized at the end
of the year. Naturally I jumped on this offer. I put the $1750 on the
card and mailed in all the paperwork for the ~$950 in rebates, which I
promptly put in the bank.

Starting in January, I submitted my first un-employment claim and they
paid ~$175 toward my balance. The next month they paid ~$155, and so on
for the 6 months that I was out of work. By the time I found a job, the
balance on my card was less than the rebate money I had banked. I then
used most of the rebate money to pay off the balance of the card.

In the end, I ended up with 2 complete systems (CPU, monitors,
printers, etc) and about $50 extra in my pocket.

Nice, huh?


Barry Watzman wrote:
I totally disagree with your premis (that rebates are generally a scam
(there are some that are, but a small minority)), and as for your
"check", I almost never get an envelope at all, they are almost always
just postcards.


HeyBub wrote:
James wrote:
As has been adequately explained here before, rebates are by their
very nature a scam. There is no logical explanation for a rebate
program other than being a scam.

Here's further proof:

I got a rebate check sometime back. It came in a nondescript envelope via
"Bulk Mail" (now known as "Standard Mail").

I normally toss snail-mail-spam. Probably millions others do too. Evidently
the rebate company tried to take advantage of this social engineering
concept.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

RichA wrote:

Bob (but not THAT Bob) wrote:
RichA wrote:

John wrote:
I know that the institution of rebates is meant to rip you off so I'm
quite anal about paying attention to the details and ALWAYS sending in
the rebate with delivery confirmation. The delivery confirmation at
least minimizes the "Sorry, we never received your rebate" or "Sorry, we
didn't receive your rebate in time" excuses.

I read the rebate forms several times looking for the "gotcha's". I know
I go through way more trouble than I should for $20-$50 but it's the
principle. They make it as annoying as possible to claim a rebate so
that most people won't bother. I'm the one that bothers.

I send in my rebate to Canon along with all the rebate form, purchase
receipt and I cut out the UPC code from the box and put that in the
envelope. My new tactic is to use wide tape and tape the UPC code to
the rebate form.

I checked on my rebate status just now.

Error(s): An original qualifying UPC was not included

Yep. No matter how hard I tried, Canon still managed to screw me over.

Since they want "an original" qualifying UPC", my copy won't suffice.

Canon, the next time I'm in the market for a product I'll remember this
incident.

Mail-in rebates are always a scam. Why do they do them? Because
people buy based on this.
50-80% never claim them.
Rebates take 8-12 weeks and often are never delivered, another 50%
forget about them.
They force you to call someone to fix the problem or ask where your
rebate is 16 weeks past due delivery time.
At the end of it all, according to various business studies, only 3% of
rebates are ever paid out. So, they can boost sales with what might
amount to a 0.5% overall discount paid.
It is business genius.

I get every damn rebate I file, so I'm saving money at the expense of
illiterates/incompetents - so what?

No problem, I'm just pointing out the differences between mail-in
rebates and instant rebates.
Having automatic computer verification of rebates at the time of sale
would increase payouts massively, but the companies don't want that at
all. Meanwhile, there is also the chance with instant rebates your
name and other information wouldn't be sold to a 1000 different
databases months afterward....

Oddly enough I haven't seem a spam increase EXCEPT when a company
specifically says to uncheck a box to stay off their mailing list.

A deluge always follows.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

DerbyDad03 wrote:

OK - here's the best rebate story ever - seriously, try and top it.

A number of years ago I went to one of those big box electronics store
to buy 2 computer systems for my kids for Christmas. With all the
various rebates, the total "list price" of $1750 (which no one in their
right mind would ever pay) was going to be reduced to roughly $800.
When I went to check out, I was asked if I wanted to open a store
credit card. One of the features of the card was "unemployment
protection" where for a small monthly fee they would pay off 10% of the
card balance each month while the cardholder is unemployed.

Well, at the time of the purchase I was employed, but a few weeks
earlier I had been informed that I was going to be downsized at the end
of the year. Naturally I jumped on this offer. I put the $1750 on the
card and mailed in all the paperwork for the ~$950 in rebates, which I
promptly put in the bank.

Starting in January, I submitted my first un-employment claim and they
paid ~$175 toward my balance. The next month they paid ~$155, and so on
for the 6 months that I was out of work. By the time I found a job, the
balance on my card was less than the rebate money I had banked. I then
used most of the rebate money to pay off the balance of the card.

In the end, I ended up with 2 complete systems (CPU, monitors,
printers, etc) and about $50 extra in my pocket.

Nice, huh?


Barry Watzman wrote:

I totally disagree with your premis (that rebates are generally a scam
(there are some that are, but a small minority)), and as for your
"check", I almost never get an envelope at all, they are almost always
just postcards.


HeyBub wrote:

James wrote:

As has been adequately explained here before, rebates are by their
very nature a scam. There is no logical explanation for a rebate
program other than being a scam.

Here's further proof:

I got a rebate check sometime back. It came in a nondescript envelope via
"Bulk Mail" (now known as "Standard Mail").

I normally toss snail-mail-spam. Probably millions others do too. Evidently
the rebate company tried to take advantage of this social engineering
concept.




Hmmm,
You must feel good about it? Once I purchased an item from Office Depot
which came with a rebate coupon. I claimed it and mailed papers in.
Few days later I changed my mind and returned the item. Then few weeks
later rebate check came. I sort of felt guilty about it but loop hole
was there at their fault.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

Tony,

The difference between my experience and yours is that I did not have
to rely on any "loop hole". I followed every rule concerning the
rebates, I paid the fee for the unemployment insurance coverage and I
did indeed use the rebate to reduce the price of my computer systems.

I simply took advantage of the timing of the rebates, the features of
the charge card and the (oh by the way) wonderful experience of being
downsized and unemployed for 6 months.

Tony Hwang wrote:
DerbyDad03 wrote:

OK - here's the best rebate story ever - seriously, try and top it.

A number of years ago I went to one of those big box electronics store
to buy 2 computer systems for my kids for Christmas. With all the
various rebates, the total "list price" of $1750 (which no one in their
right mind would ever pay) was going to be reduced to roughly $800.
When I went to check out, I was asked if I wanted to open a store
credit card. One of the features of the card was "unemployment
protection" where for a small monthly fee they would pay off 10% of the
card balance each month while the cardholder is unemployed.

Well, at the time of the purchase I was employed, but a few weeks
earlier I had been informed that I was going to be downsized at the end
of the year. Naturally I jumped on this offer. I put the $1750 on the
card and mailed in all the paperwork for the ~$950 in rebates, which I
promptly put in the bank.

Starting in January, I submitted my first un-employment claim and they
paid ~$175 toward my balance. The next month they paid ~$155, and so on
for the 6 months that I was out of work. By the time I found a job, the
balance on my card was less than the rebate money I had banked. I then
used most of the rebate money to pay off the balance of the card.

In the end, I ended up with 2 complete systems (CPU, monitors,
printers, etc) and about $50 extra in my pocket.

Nice, huh?


Barry Watzman wrote:

I totally disagree with your premis (that rebates are generally a scam
(there are some that are, but a small minority)), and as for your
"check", I almost never get an envelope at all, they are almost always
just postcards.


HeyBub wrote:

James wrote:

As has been adequately explained here before, rebates are by their
very nature a scam. There is no logical explanation for a rebate
program other than being a scam.

Here's further proof:

I got a rebate check sometime back. It came in a nondescript envelope via
"Bulk Mail" (now known as "Standard Mail").

I normally toss snail-mail-spam. Probably millions others do too. Evidently
the rebate company tried to take advantage of this social engineering
concept.




Hmmm,
You must feel good about it? Once I purchased an item from Office Depot
which came with a rebate coupon. I claimed it and mailed papers in.
Few days later I changed my mind and returned the item. Then few weeks
later rebate check came. I sort of felt guilty about it but loop hole
was there at their fault.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

Bill wrote:
HeyBub wrote:

Here's further proof:

I got a rebate check sometime back. It came in a nondescript
envelope via "Bulk Mail" (now known as "Standard Mail").

I normally toss snail-mail-spam. Probably millions others do too.
Evidently the rebate company tried to take advantage of this social
engineering concept.

Actually, they do it to save money on postage. If you like to
toss unknown mail, then put a special middle initial on your
rebate forms and then you'll know when it's a check.

Good idea.


Let me guess that you also complain about postcard checks as
being too easy to steal, and you'd also complain about an
envelope that said "your rebate check is enclosed!!".

It's generally not a wise to guess about what I'm thinking. Inasmuch as it's
against federal law to send invoices by Standard Mail (look at your
telephone bill's envelope), one would think a similar rationale would apply
to other financial instruments.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

That's why I spelled it out. The customer isn't the only
involved in the transaction. People are complaining that
rebates aren't for their exclusive benefit. They're
right. But nobody is forcing you to buy the product.

Barry Watzman wrote:
Sales taxes are collected on mail-in rebates, they are NOT collected on
"instant rebates".

The rest of your post is conjecture that may be true in some cases and
not true in others. From the customer's perspective, it doesn't matter:
An instant rebate is just a sale price (and sales taxes are NOT paid on
the rebate amount; only the "net" rings on the register and is charged
tax).


M Berger wrote:
You have missed a big part of the picture.

With mail in rebates, the store sales figures aren't
decreased as they would be with the instant reduction.
Localities like it because they get the full sales tax
amount.

In most cases the store doesn't pay the rebate, the parent
company or manufacturer does.

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

Wow... how lucky. You were unemployed for six months but you got
2 computers and $ 50 out of it!

DerbyDad03 wrote:
....
Starting in January, I submitted my first un-employment claim and they
paid ~$175 toward my balance. The next month they paid ~$155, and so on
for the 6 months that I was out of work. By the time I found a job, the
balance on my card was less than the rebate money I had banked. I then
used most of the rebate money to pay off the balance of the card.

In the end, I ended up with 2 complete systems (CPU, monitors,
printers, etc) and about $50 extra in my pocket.

Nice, huh?

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

M Berger wrote:
- Wow... how lucky. You were unemployed for six months but you got
- 2 computers and $ 50 out of it!

Yep, and a year's salary continuance from the company that I was
downsized from.

Let's do the math:
-- A year's salary continuance from my old job
-- A new (better paying) job 6 months later (can you say
"double-dipping"?)
-- 2 computers
-- $50 bucks

I'd say "lucky" is the right word to use in this situation. Good
choice.

M Berger wrote:
Wow... how lucky. You were unemployed for six months but you got
2 computers and $ 50 out of it!

DerbyDad03 wrote:
...
Starting in January, I submitted my first un-employment claim and they
paid ~$175 toward my balance. The next month they paid ~$155, and so on
for the 6 months that I was out of work. By the time I found a job, the
balance on my card was less than the rebate money I had banked. I then
used most of the rebate money to pay off the balance of the card.

In the end, I ended up with 2 complete systems (CPU, monitors,
printers, etc) and about $50 extra in my pocket.

Nice, huh?

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

In article , M Berger wrote:
That's why I spelled it out. The customer isn't the only
involved in the transaction. People are complaining that
rebates aren't for their exclusive benefit. They're
right. But nobody is forcing you to buy the product.

That is correct; people should have the freedom to make
poor choices as well as good ones. However, in most
civilized societies, outright fraud is outlawed.

The rebate scam is borderline fraud.

--
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
| Gary Player. |
| http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Screwed by Canon Rebate
 

The OP stated that he sent in a COPY of the UPC when the rebate clearly
specified that he had to send in the *original*.

NO!

REREAD MY ORIGINAL POST! SHOW ME WHERE I STATED THAT I SENT IN A COPY.

You said your new tactic was to use wide tape and attach the UPC to
the rebate form. Did this tape cover the entire bar code on the UPC?