I purchased a set of 2-way radios in June from Outpost.com and sent the required form, receipt, and UPC code in right away for the $25 rebate.
To make a long story short, everyone who ordered the radios online was originally rejected because the only receipt they received — and sent in with the rebate request form — was the packing slip, which the rebate center automatically disqualified.
In my case, I started calling in October and finally got throught to a human being on February 10th. This person, Lillia, then gave me the song-and-dance about being rejected because I didn't send in the receipt. When I insisted that the packing slip WAS the receipt, they agreed that they would process the rebate if I faxed a copy of the packing slip/receipt again, which I did the same day. I also called back to confirm that they received it.
I have called several times since then, and they kept telling me I would receive the rebate within two weeks. Today, March 17th, they said I would have it within three weeks.
Fearing that I would get the run-around again, I filed a complaint on March 6th with the Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection, and I specifically said that I specifically mentioned the word FRAUD so that the Bureau would take this seriously.
I advise anyone else who is experiencing the same problem to do the same, as the more complaints they receive, the likelier they are to expedite resolution. They will send copies of the complaints to Columbia Telecommunications and require them to respond. Since they are backed by the Attorney General's Office, they have the clout to make it happen.
The number is 800-441-2555. I'm not sure if that is just for Pennsylvania, but they should be able to help you find the correct number for your state. I found this number in the government pages of the phone book.
In the meantime, I am planning to keep on telephoning every couple of days, keep on accusing them of FRAUD, keep on telling them this delay is unacceptable, and keep insisting that they expedite my rebate. I'm not sure if it'll help, but I'm certain they will get very sick of talking to me, which, if nothing else, will make me feel better!
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