Complaint / Review
Circuit City
Rebate Ripoff Credit Card Took My Money and Then Failed to Honor Their Rebate

I purchased an $299 Apple I-POD on Jan. 11 under a special rebate promotion, the original form is currently still at their web-site at the address:

Circuitcity.com/ccd/genericContent. Do? Oid=115813&WT. Mc_n=51538&WT. Mc_t=U&carriage=
befree&sourceid=qIZmQj8hxjoYAlrDJX7P&com.
Broadvision. Session. New=Yes&affiliateid=
39502629&BV_UseBVCookie=No

The exact wording of their form (see actual form through the above link) lists the following as a disclaimer to exclude items from this rebate:

... (*After mail-in rebate. Offer excludes Akai, ESA, Sony XBR, Bose, Alpine, Oakley, Velodyne, HP MP3 Players, Hitachi camcorders, outlet models and Circuit City Gift Card purchases...

Obviously the only MP3 players excluded are listed above as "HP MP3 Players". There is no exclusion of Apple I-POD

Tod, ID 2015 or 2815? At their rebate center, on Jan 10, even verbally verified for me by telephone before this puchase that Apple I-Pods did qualify for this 20% gift card rebate.

After I sent in all the needed papers, I then received a rejection letter in Feb. 05, from them telling me the Apple I-Pod was not eligible and the rebate would not be sent.

I have called many times to try to resolve this. Most recently I was told by William with their Corporate Headquarter office that I did not qualify for the rebate becasue this the Apple IPOD is actually made by HP. The good folks at 1-800 MYApple, (the Apple Corp), ensured me that this is incorrect and that HP makes no Apple I-POD products.

This case is currently listed under Reference No. IM 120663 at Circuit City. I have called many of their rebate and management staffers to try to get this resolved and they still reject this request. I do not think they have any legal grounds to do so and will be filing a formal complaint with the KS ATTY General's Office if this is not resolved soon.

Some of the staffers at their rebate center cannot even access this Jan. Form at their own web-site. And I have also been also told by their rebate staff that this form actualy explicity excludes APPLE, which the version linked to above does not.

I know this company is struggling financially but this is a blatant rip-off.