I'm building a computer and purchased a number of parts from TigerDirect a few weeks ago. One of the parts - a video card - was sold with a $15 mail-in rebate. I had it on my to-do list to take care of, and got around to it today while in the process of ordering a _second_ video card from TigerDirect.
Long story short, I wasted nearly an hour struggling through the 10 steps of that mail-in rebate process before finally giving up in disgust. I actually had to call customer service at one point because I had spent over 30 minutes trying to look up my rebate code on their website. The last straw was a step where I had to cut out a label and glue it onto the envelope..."the rebate may not be processed without the proper label."
I presume that this is exactly what TigerDirect is hoping for... Make customers work so hard for that extra discount that they give up and concede the extra margin. It's a well-known tactic, so why should I expect anything else?
As a customer that's spent a lot of money with TigerDirect, I'm done with the cynical rebate mindset. They've won... They've worn me out. They can keep their extra $15. But they've also wasted my time & p&ed me off.
Therefore I called TigerDirect to cancel my order for the second video card - worth $379. The rep I spoke to didn't ask why and couldn't give me a clear answer if my order could be cancelled. It was a frustrating call, and his attitude struck me as completely indifferent. So I emailed TigerDirect to outline the situation & explain why I cancelled my order... Hoping that someone would read it and perhaps want to actually make things right. Their response: a two-sentence, misspelling-filled "Dear Valued Customer" blowoff email. They lose $379 from me and they can't even address an email to me by name?
So... Why am I going to all this trouble to call, email and write this post over 15 bucks? In some small way I'd like to send a message to companies that cynical rebate schemes that are designed to minimize fulfillment are completely unacceptable. Yes this is unfortunately the status-quo for many, but it's still unacceptable. Frankly they ought to be illegal. I feel ripped off, but TigerDirect doesn't seem to care. They lose my business, and they don't seem to care. Amazing.
How to make this right? Refund my $15 immediately. No games. I spent over $1400 with you expecting this rebate and shouldn't have to jump through hoops.
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