The Texas Appliance Rebate used a call center, Helgeson Enterprises, to distribute it's $23,000, 000 in rebates if you buy energy star appliances between 4/16 and 4/25/10. You had to call Helgeson Enterprises early on April 7th to get the rebate as they sell out quickly. I called first thing that morning, and got one of the reservations for a rebate for a new heat pump.
According to the rules, you are allowed two rebates, but you have to hang up and dial again, which I did. I first got a reservation for a heat pump rebate ($1600), and then got the rebate for a dishwasher ($140 rebate) on the second phone call.
I asked both operators from Helgeson Enterprises for a reservation or confirmation number, and both of them told me they didn't have a number to give me, but that I was definetly going to get a letter in the mail. They both said that I actually had a reservation, not just on the waitlist but an actual reservation to get the rebates.
We then called a local heating and a/c company and we told them we were purchasing the unit on 4/16, (according to the rules you have to have it purchased and installed within a certain time frame). We told them and everyone we knew how thrilled and how lucky we were to get two reservations for the rebates.
A week later, we only received one rebate form in the mail, the one for the dishwasher, so I called the toll free number at Helgeson asking where my second rebate form was for the heat pump. They said they have no record of my first phone call for the heat pump!
I explained to the person on the phone, Rita, that I had two reservations, the first one made by Paul (although I'm not positive that was his name, I wish to God I had listened when he told me his name but never dreamed something like this could happen)."Paul" again I'm not sure that was his name, took all of my information, he repeated it back to me, and told me I had received the reservation for the heat pump rebate. He told me I had to hang up and dial again for the second rebate for the dishwasher, which I did.
If I had known he didn't put in my information, or deleted it, or who knows what on earth happened, I would have dialed the entire day to get another one. $1600 dollars is a lot of money! I would have spent every second of that day dialing and I wouldn't have given up.
But I was told that I got it, so who would think to keep dialing in to get more. This is even worse than not getting through on the phone!
The only way I can prove that I spoke to someone is that I do have the phone call durations on my cell phone showing two lenghty phone calls to Helgeson. But since they didn't give reservation numbers, I have no other proof. Please, please help me.
So, to make matters worse, when I called Helgeson back, I was told by "Rita" that I could cross off the word dishwasher and put heat pump on instead. I was still upset that I was losing the $140 rebate since now I only have one rebate form instead of two, but at least that would help.
I asked to speak with her manager to tell her what happened, and after 48 hours, the supervisor, "Heather, agent 134" called me. She said that the information Rita provided me was incorrect, I could not cross off dishwasher and put heat pump in it's place, so I still do not have the rebate for the heat pump I was promised, TWICE.
Helgeson Enterprises has really hurt us, first by promising that I had the $1600 rebate, and secondly by telling me I could get it by crossing off dishwasher and putting heat pump in it's place. I have written to the Better Business Bureau, Consumer Fraud, State of Texas, and not sure who else but so far no one has written back to me.
Please help!
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