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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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?

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. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~