This has been my ONE and ONLY (as I refuse to order any further "rebate" items from TigerDirect) contact with OnRebate.com. My youngest son wanted a computer for his birthday so he had one of his own and could quit fighting with his brother for computer time. This was in mid/late March.
Enter TigerDirect.com and their wonderfully low prices. Yes, when they are low, it always is followed by an asterisk. Because he wanted a computer, there was an attractive deal on a case, motherboard, cpu and memory. One stop shopping pretty much as I had all the other pieces laying around.
I was delighted to see that OnRebate has such a simple, easy to use web site for registering your rebate. However, it did state that I still had to mail in the UPC's and forms. I meticulously read and fulfilled the rebate requirements, stuffed them into envelopes and promptly mailed them.
WEEKS went by. Still no status from OnRebate using their web site. I patiently waited until June. I sent one inquiry to their general web email which was responded to by a customer support agent in a few days. They indicated that it hadn't been very long and I should see it update soon. After another week, I sent another inquiry to the agent that followed up with a seemingly generic message stating that two have been processed and the others hadn't arrived.
I promtly responded that I sent them the same day, from the same mailbox in the same type of envelope and they should have all arrived at the SAME time. Again, another generic response stating that two have processed and two hadn't arrived. Nice.
Another follow up email was promptly sent asking for a phone number and contact to speak with. Another reply arrived stating that the two other rebates seem to be missing and that *I* should resubmit copies, oh, and that the other two have been processed.
Well, needless to say. I sent another email that may have been a little cynical of them sending form responses and that no one actually reads them. To this, finally no response.
Now. I almost always make copies of everything in case of things like this but BECAUSE OnRebate.com looked so impressive and easy I didn't. That may be my fault but I find it very, very difficult to believe that the four envelopes didn't end up in the very same processing pile.
I then researched and found that TigerDirect and OnRebate are relative companies. I also found that TigerDirect has had VERY significant problems with rebates in the past. Enough so that I've been since warned NOT to buy ANYTHING from TigerDirect that has a rebate. True. Found out first hand. Ow.
TigerDirect.com has been very quick to deliver and provides top notch products at reasonable prices. However, they have been continually been given a black eye due to their rebate handling; And I'm out $60.
I understand that TigerDirect NOW requires rebates to be sent via certified mail. Now that is not convienient at all. It adds another layer of complexity to an already overly complex problem. Is there any thing being done legislatively to help us consumers deal with this growing problem? Are we required to put up with this just to get a little better deal? I don't think so.
The last thing I'd like to add. After checking, once again, the status of my rebates I found something VERY, VERY disturbing. Very disturbing indeed! OnRebate has instituted a $1 fee. Yes, you read right. A $1 fee. When I fill out a rebate form, I expect to receive the full amount stated. If it states $20 rebate, I *EXPECT* $20, not $19. Isn't it bad enough that I already have to waste my time, envelope and stamp along with now having to go to the post office for a certified mailing?
So, there you have it. I'm miffed and I still don't have my $60.
Thanks for listening,
Todd
Todd
Madison, Wisconsin
U.S.A.
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