Beware of mail-in rebate scams! I've learned my lesson for sure! I purchased two separate items from Staples and CompUSA in December, and have yet to see a dime of $65 in mail-in rebates.
The rebate request for the first item, an Avery CD label stomper purchased at Staples, was mailed in mid-December. According to tracking information I obtained on RebatesHQ.com, the $15 rebate check was mailed on 1/5/04. I have yet to receive the check. When I called Rebates HQ (their number is not on their site), they told me that, since it has been two days short of six weeks since the check was mailed, I would have to call them back if I don't receive the check in the next two days to request a new check.
Meanwhile, CompUSA owes me $50 in rebates on a Western Digital hard drive purchased at their Lansing, Michigan store in early December ($10 manufacturer rebate, and $40 CompUSA rebate). While (again, according to Rebates HQ) the $10 was processed on 2/13/04, they have no record of the $40 rebate, which was mailed to their Miami center in the same envelope, with the same receipt and the same UPC code. They tell me I'll have to re-submit the receipt and UPC code, which I can do, but what a waste of time and effort when they should have got this right the first time, and I should have received all three of my rebate checks by now!
Rebates HQ is a very hard company to reach. I've sent them numerous e-mails about my rebate situation, and while their website touts a 24-hour reply to all inquiries, they never replied to any of my e-mails. I finally got their toll-free number from CompUSA (passing the buck), and sat on hold for 30 minutes before finally speaking to a human being.
Suffice to say, all of this has taught me a very important lesson. Mail-in rebates aren't worth the trouble, and are just another way for retailers to get away with advertising unbelievably low prices without intent to deliver the savings. From now on, I'll make my purchases based upon price out the door!
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