The Real Bev wrote:
jeremy wrote:
"The Real Bev" wrote:
Why would I go to CompUSA, say, just to tell the manager that I'm not
going to buy the advertised special that brought me to the store just
because it offers a rebate which I should have known?
I've had minimal problems with rebates. I figure that the people who
are too dumb to fill in the forms properly are paying me to do it
correctly -- always nice when stupidity carries its own punishment.
I would not go to a store if I knew they imposed rebates, but if I were
in one, and I declined a purchase because of a required rebate, I'd tell
them why.
I don't shop unless I know what I'm shopping for and how much it costs
before and/or after any rebate. You just go to a store expecting to buy
something but not knowing what the price might be?
Your comment about people being "too dumb" to file forms properly is
insulting and inaccurate. Many of us have experienced not getting
rebates that were properly filed.
Many people ARE too dumb to file forms properly. You may not be. I
only know that I've had very little trouble with rebates over the
decade(s) I've been dealing with them. Yeah, they're a nuisance, but
nobody else is going to pay me $50-$100/hour.
I choose not to go through the aggravation of sending in copies of
receipts and proofs-of-purchase, just to get back money that I should not
have had to part with in the first place. Perhaps you have more time to
fool with that nonsense. Not I.
There are definite advantages to being retired. Perhaps taking
advantage of rebates is one reason I was able to retire early.
I'm with you, Bev. I'm self-employed, and I don't get paid that kind of
money, either. I bought a second hard drive for my computer a couple of
years ago. CompUSA sold it to me on sale online for $80, as I remember.
I was offered a deal whereby if I sent them my name and address (so they
knew where to send the check - understandable), a copy of my receipt (to
prove I bought the drive during the offer, entirely understandable), and
a UPC code off the box (to prove I bought the model the deal was offered
on, again understandable), they'd send me a check for $50 - after a
six-week delay for processing. So I spent 2-3 minutes filling out a form
with my name and address, and another 5 minutes or less cutting the UPC
code from the box, and maybe another minute making a copy of my receipt.
Another 5 minutes addressing a 1-cent envelope, stuffing it, and
affixing a 37-cent stamp, and maybe another walking with it to my
mailbox. 15 minutes of my leisure time and 38 cents-worth of materials
for a $50 return. By my calculations, that works out to $198.48/hour -
*for my leisure time.* It cut into my TV-watching time a bit, but it was
well worth it, IMHO.
I didn't *have* to take the deal. I could have paid the full sale price
and watched that 15 minutes of TV, while ranting on the newsgroups about
the unfairness of rebate "scams." But if you ask me, I'd have been
pretty stupid to do so.
I've only had one rebate refused, and another that I got only after
inquiring about its lateness. None of the other 100 or so have been a
problem. But then, I take the time to read the requirements before
making the purchase, to be sure I can follow them.
TJ
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