I bought a Toshiba laptop from TigerDirect and went through all the hoops on the internet to get the rebate. I sent in everything required, and when the box arrived, I cut off the piece of cardboard containing the bar code, as required and sent in the paperwork. The paperwork was made complicated, certainly in the hope that not many would apply for the rebate.
Despite receiving all this, Onrebate.com wrote me an email on April 26 saying I could not receive the $50 rebate because the bar code was "incorrect." Since I had taken it directly from the box the computer came in, if it was incorrect, it was because someone at the company who sent the computer put the wrong one on. The error, if there was one, was made by the company. I had sent everything in as required.
Their email went on to say that they normally don't give second chances, but if I wanted to go through the entire internet application process and send in the "correct" barcode, I could. There is only one barcode: the one on the box the computer came in, and that is the one I have a copy of. How could I submit any other one?
I called the 888 number given in the email, and after a half hour of waiting, the canned music stopped and silence ensued. I waited another 5 minutes and then figured out that I was never going to get to speak to someone from the company. I'm sure they do this deliberately. They make any kind of redress impossible.
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