I too am adding my name to the list of countless people that have been ripped off by OnRebate, while they hide behind a cloud of ridiculous technicalities.
Beware of any rebate promotion that uses onrebate.com!!!
Despite following the instructions carefully (as I understood them), AND also despite my repeated attempts to proactively correct a mistake I admittedly made that MANY others have also made due to their ambiguous instructions (as reported here at usacomplaints.com), they absolutely refuse to deal with my rebate.
I purchased an LCD monitor at TigerDirect that was being sold at a very favourable price, IF you included the rebate which was $70. Read on to find out how they screwed me out of my $70.
Here is how the scam works:
1. A rebate is offered by Tiger Direct
2. You pay full price and fill out numerous forms online and on paper related to the rebate. (At this point OnRebate.com already has all the proof they need to prove that your rebate is legitimate, including a unique order number from your receipt!). Here is where the scam begins:
3. After you fill everything out online, you must print a form, fill it in and mail it along with documentation within a certain timeframe. You MUST include in the envelope the Tiger Direct Invoice (thus parting with your original invoice!), the model number, the serial number AND the UPC label with the barcode.
4. You look at the packaging and see two UPC labels with bar codes on the box one is part of the graphics on the box and one is a peel-off sticker that also included the model name and serial number (there are actually 2 copies of this one).
So you have a choice of either cutting a hole in the box (and ruining the box should you ever need it for warranty or return) to get the one UPC code, or you can use the convenient peel and stick code. Naturally, being a sane person, you peel off the easy one which includes the serial number and model number (also required by OnRebate), attach it to the OnRebate claim form and send the envelope. Easy right? No problem right? WRONG!
5. You just lost your rebate. OnRebate does NOT recognize the barcode on the peeled label this despite the fact that Tiger Direct is probably their largest account (it wouldn't surprise me if Tiger Direct OWNS OnRebate). Therefore your rebate is denied on the grounds of a missing UPC label. You will get an email notifying you that the rebate has been denied. Case closed, no room for discussion, and no re-submissions accepted.
Now it gets REALLY good:
When this happened to me, I went back and looked at the box again and realized what had happened: I had chosen the wrong barcode to send. So I immediately printed the form out AGAIN, cut out the other barcode from the box, and sent ANOTHER envelope to Miami with another copy of my receipt.
This time, they rejected my rebate because they said I was past the deadline for submission! When I pushed the issue further via email, they said resubmissions were not accepted, period.
So they make the rebate process very ambiguous so that you will screw it up, they throw in a deadline so that when you try to correct it, you're now late, and they will NOT deal with you at all after your original submission.
It seems clear that OnRebate is set up for one reason only: To save the manufacturers and retailers money. They make it as difficult as possible to claim your rebate, and the retailers and manufacturers don't have to get their hands dirty. You can bet that OnRebate sells it's services to the manufacturers based on how much money they can save THEM, not us, based on rebates that fail their ridiculous process.
Bottom line: do not ever buy any products from any retailer that offers a rebate via onrebate.com! You will regret it!
Kevin
Winona, Ontario
Canada
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