Recently I bought a refurbished ThinkPad and an ATX power supply from TigerDirect. Both items showed a rebate on Tiger's site which, in the past, was never a problem.initially, when I saw the OnRebate.com rebate site, I thought this was going to be a more efficient way of getting my rebate. I expected I'd enter my order number and the rebate would be processed. Since OnRebate appears to only do TigerDirect and Global (a related company) this should not have been an issue.
Instead, I found that TigerDirect had found a way to make the rebate process even more cumbersome. You have to enter all the order information, submit it online, wait for and find the reply email, go back to the site, enter the code they sent you and finally print out the rebate form. From that point, it's the same old process.
Besides delaying the process, using OnRebate also gives TigerDirect/Global a way to squeeze you for approximately 10% of your rebate if you opt for receiving your email within a week instead of waiting the usual 6-8 weeks.
I went through all this pain to process the $60 rebate on the ThinkPad but gave up on the $10 rebate for the power supply. I hate to give up the $10 but my time is worth more than that and I take some satisfaction in the fact that after buying thousands of dollars of TigerDirect hardware, they will never see another cent from me. I checked on Overstock and found they had the same ThinkPad on sale for the same NET price (price-rebate) as TigerDirect but with Overstock, there was no need to process a rebate. I've also found other vendors for other equipment that sell for the same or less than TigerDirect but without any rebates.
It's too bad TigerDirect has gone from an honest company that was easy to do business with to one that thinks they can steal from their customers and remain in business. I've already started warning my clients to stay away from Tiger and Global. You may want to do the same.
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