Originally purchased two cell phones with T-Mobile plans via WireFly-InPhonic.
I knew going in that the 120-day waiting period prior to filing rebates was a way to make it difficult to collect the rebates. However, I am a fastidious individual and filed both rebates, with all the required supporting documentation, exactly after the 120 day period, but before the deadline to submit paperwork.
Even before the deadline to submit was up, we received a notification that one entry was missing the required documentation. I found this particularly odd, since both rebates had been identical, and that we had stapled (multiple times, I might add) all the documentation to the rebate forms for each entry, in the same envelope. The other rebate was approved.
Again, being a thorough individual, I had kept copies of everything, and re-submitted all the documentation, with a letter, along with copies of all the *original* documentation that was sent. This was submitted prior to the original deadline for sending rebates.
We then received a notification stating that the materials were not submitted within the rebate period and that the rebate claim was denied. At the same time, we received a check for the other rebate that had been submitted at the same time. Keep in mind they even sent out this notification prior to the original deadline. We could have submitted the whole thing anew and still been within the rebate period.
We contacted InPhonic-WireFly, informing them that it was certainly odd for them to send us a check for one claim and deny the other when they were both sent in (and received) at the same time, in the same envelope, with identical paperwork.
InPhonic-WireFly responded that they would begin an investigation and to allow two weeks for a response. It has been over a month now and we have received no response, and the rebate status continues to show as denied for submission outside the rebate period.
Clearly InPhonics/WireFly business practice is to make it as difficult as possible for customers to collect rebates. Even if you have kept all the documentation and sent everything in via certified mail, there is little action a consumer can take to ultimately collect.
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