Screwed by Canon Rebate

THIS IS EASILY SOLVED:

You did the right thing by using DC and keeping copies. However, this
is how to get your rebate paid:


1. Go to the rebate web site and find out which fullfillment company
owns it so you'll know which one is handling this for Canon. You can
then search Google for their address.

2. Go to BBB.org and file a complaint online against the Fullfillment
company (not Canon) explaining that you mailed the original UPC, you
have a copy to prove it, they claim you did not send it and will not
correct the problem for you.

I had to do this three times in all my years of rebates.. EVERY time
the fullfillment company MAGICALLY "found" my entire claim the moment
the BBB contacted them and one even sent my check via FedEd.

DON'T GIVE UP. It's not hard to shake the money out of them, just have
to use the right tactics. :-)

Ryan wrote:

THIS IS EASILY SOLVED:

You did the right thing by using DC and keeping copies. However, this
is how to get your rebate paid:

1. Go to the rebate web site and find out which fullfillment company
owns it so you'll know which one is handling this for Canon. You can
then search Google for their address.

2. Go to BBB.org and file a complaint online against the Fullfillment
company (not Canon) explaining that you mailed the original UPC, you
have a copy to prove it, they claim you did not send it and will not
correct the problem for you.

I had to do this three times in all my years of rebates.. EVERY time
the fullfillment company MAGICALLY "found" my entire claim the moment
the BBB contacted them and one even sent my check via FedEd.

DON'T GIVE UP. It's not hard to shake the money out of them, just have
to use the right tactics. :-)

This is a great suggestion. I've had success filing complaints
against Parago.

Another option is going to the Canon USA website and looking for
some email address to complain to. He could also file a BBB
complaint against Canon.

The worst thing people can do is simply sit back and say "they
ripped me off on that rebate, and my response is to not buy from
them again". The best response is to get your money.

Bill

Bill wrote:
Ryan wrote:
THIS IS EASILY SOLVED:

You did the right thing by using DC and keeping copies. However, this
is how to get your rebate paid:

1. Go to the rebate web site and find out which fullfillment company
owns it so you'll know which one is handling this for Canon. You can
then search Google for their address.

2. Go to BBB.org and file a complaint online against the Fullfillment
company (not Canon) explaining that you mailed the original UPC, you
have a copy to prove it, they claim you did not send it and will not
correct the problem for you.

I had to do this three times in all my years of rebates.. EVERY time
the fullfillment company MAGICALLY "found" my entire claim the moment
the BBB contacted them and one even sent my check via FedEd.

DON'T GIVE UP. It's not hard to shake the money out of them, just have
to use the right tactics. :-)

This is a great suggestion. I've had success filing complaints
against Parago.

Another option is going to the Canon USA website and looking for
some email address to complain to. He could also file a BBB
complaint against Canon.

The worst thing people can do is simply sit back and say "they
ripped me off on that rebate, and my response is to not buy from
them again". The best response is to get your money.

Bill

You're absolutely correct. I may verbal, but I don't sit on my hands.

I used one Canon number to find the Canon Rebate status phone number. I
then called the Canon Rebate status number.

As it turns out, the error message was in error. The person at Canon
Rebate was holding my UPC codes in his hand (his words).

He said that the rebate would be sent out in a few weeks.

Which leads me to ponder another mystery. In the age of the Internet
and fast computers, why would it take weeks to months to send out a
rebate check?

One rebate said that if I don't receive the rebate in 12 (twelve, that's
a dozen) weeks I should call to determine the status. I wonder if
they're hoping that I'll forget about the rebate in 3 months?

In article ,
Bill wrote:

He could also file a BBB complaint against Canon.

Don't bother with BBB. They're worthless.

In article ,
John wrote:

Which leads me to ponder another mystery. In the age of the Internet
and fast computers, why would it take weeks to months to send out a
rebate check?

It doesn't. But they want the float.

John wrote:
He said that the rebate would be sent out in a few weeks.

Which leads me to ponder another mystery. In the age of the Internet
and fast computers, why would it take weeks to months to send out a
rebate check?

It's because the rebate house doesn't have the money from the
manufacturer/retailer. It appears that they have to invoice the
company, then a check is cut (eventually), and THEN you get
paid. If the rebate house does not get paid (and it happens),
then the consumer does not get paid.

Some rebate houses may sit on the money for a while to get the
float as well. I've never seen that confirmed. The best
companies appear to have money "in the bank" at the rebate
processor, so the check can be cut very quickly.

Bill

wrote:

In article ,
Bill wrote:

He could also file a BBB complaint against Canon.

Don't bother with BBB. They're worthless.

Depends on the company you're complaining to. As I said, I had a
very quick response from Parago (Rebateshq.com) and they fixed
all my problems.

I currently have a BBB complaint in against Toys R Us, they are
trying to lie their way out of a $10 (yes, $10) rebate. I went
back and forth with their "customer service" person several
times via email, during which time this person lied and then
contradicted themselves in an effort to avoid paying me the $10
I am clearly due. I may not get my $10, but I've certainly
gotten my $10 worth of revenge by warning people about them.

And BTW, this is proof that no matter how careful you are, there
ARE still companies out there who will screw you. I didn't
expect it of Toys R Us, however.

Oh, and if you want to see their emails and my rebate
submission, you can view them he

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthr...68659&t=368665

Bill

The delay is intentional on a number of levels. Firstly, the
rebate/fulfillment companies are understaffed for the number of rebates
they are responsible for processing. Secondly, the money is invested
while they hold it, so they make some extra cash off that.

But one of the main reasons, is because one of the functions of a rebate
is to trick the shareholders of the company. By having such a long
delay between the sale and the payout, companies can clear their channel
f product (reduce inventory, which ends up looking like sales) during
one fiscal quarter, and not show the liability (the rebates owed) until
the following fiscal quarter.

Rebates often move old stock that otherwise would not have sold. Excess
inventory is a line item that has to be written down and lowers profit
margins for that quarter, but if the company suddenly sells out of a
product (even if the company is giving all the money back, plus costs)
as can be the case with a "full rebate" offered, that money returned is
done outside of the fiscal quarter, so the company looks more flush.


John wrote:

Bill wrote:

Ryan wrote:

THIS IS EASILY SOLVED:

You did the right thing by using DC and keeping copies. However, this
is how to get your rebate paid:

1. Go to the rebate web site and find out which fullfillment company
owns it so you'll know which one is handling this for Canon. You can
then search Google for their address.

2. Go to BBB.org and file a complaint online against the Fullfillment
company (not Canon) explaining that you mailed the original UPC, you
have a copy to prove it, they claim you did not send it and will not
correct the problem for you.

I had to do this three times in all my years of rebates.. EVERY time
the fullfillment company MAGICALLY "found" my entire claim the moment
the BBB contacted them and one even sent my check via FedEd.

DON'T GIVE UP. It's not hard to shake the money out of them, just have
to use the right tactics. :-)


This is a great suggestion. I've had success filing complaints
against Parago.

Another option is going to the Canon USA website and looking for
some email address to complain to. He could also file a BBB
complaint against Canon.

The worst thing people can do is simply sit back and say "they
ripped me off on that rebate, and my response is to not buy from
them again". The best response is to get your money.

Bill


You're absolutely correct. I may verbal, but I don't sit on my hands.

I used one Canon number to find the Canon Rebate status phone number. I
then called the Canon Rebate status number.

As it turns out, the error message was in error. The person at Canon
Rebate was holding my UPC codes in his hand (his words).

He said that the rebate would be sent out in a few weeks.

Which leads me to ponder another mystery. In the age of the Internet
and fast computers, why would it take weeks to months to send out a
rebate check?

One rebate said that if I don't receive the rebate in 12 (twelve, that's
a dozen) weeks I should call to determine the status. I wonder if
they're hoping that I'll forget about the rebate in 3 months?

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 00:37:16 +0000, Bill wrote:

wrote:

In article , Bill
wrote:

He could also file a BBB complaint against Canon.

Don't bother with BBB. They're worthless.

Depends on the company you're complaining to. As I said, I had a very
quick response from Parago (Rebateshq.com) and they fixed all my
problems.

I currently have a BBB complaint in against Toys R Us, they are trying
to lie their way out of a $10 (yes, $10) rebate. I went back and forth
with their "customer service" person several times via email, during
which time this person lied and then contradicted themselves in an
effort to avoid paying me the $10 I am clearly due. I may not get my
$10, but I've certainly gotten my $10 worth of revenge by warning people
about them.

And BTW, this is proof that no matter how careful you are, there ARE
still companies out there who will screw you. I didn't expect it of Toys
R Us, however.

Oh, and if you want to see their emails and my rebate submission, you
can view them he

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthr...68659&t=368665

Find the 10K report for ToysRUs--it will be on their Web site or if not
there then you can get it from the Securites and Exchange Commission
site--it is a mandatory filing for all publicly traded companies. It will
have the name of the CEO and the address of record. Write a polite letter
(snail mail, not email)to the CEO, explaining the problem and what you
would consider to be a reasonable resolution (i.e. you get the rebate)
including copies of the receipt and the rebate form and your
correspondence. Wait a week or so for it to arrive and be read, then
call. Don't expect to actually talk to the CEO--the executive secretary
may be able to handle it or if not you'll be transferred to a VP or
ombudsman or someone else who can--all you need is someone who sees the
big picture and has the authority to light a fire under a junior assistant
to the associate peon. If you're in the right and want anything halfway
reasonable something will almost certainly get done.

Bill

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

What you may not fully comprehend nor appreciate is that this guy's
battle with Toys R Us may well save you a similar battle in the future
Often, when one person fights this through the system at a larger
company, changes are made in how the system functions to resolve the
problem for the next set of people. Sometimes malicious people in the
company are dismissed or given different jobs, and sometimes the company
figures out the problems within the work flow so it doesn't happen again.

Sometimes even more clout can be exercised if you own shares in the
company. I find they tend to listen to investors even more than
clients. It's a bit strange since the clients are who help crete the
profit, not the investors.

Art

Scott en Aztlán wrote:

Bill said in misc.consumers:


I currently have a BBB complaint in against Toys R Us, they are
trying to lie their way out of a $10 (yes, $10) rebate. I went
back and forth with their "customer service" person several
times via email, during which time this person lied and then
contradicted themselves in an effort to avoid paying me the $10
I am clearly due. I may not get my $10, but I've certainly
gotten my $10 worth of revenge by warning people about them.


And wasted $100 worth of your time and aggravation attempting to
browbeat Toys-R-Us into giving you your $10. Not exactly a
cost-effective use of your time.

But hey, at least you have a hobby you enjoy.