PRESTONE REBATE ADMINISTRATOR - Lies - Tells you what you want to hear to get you off the phone - then does absolutely NOTHING! Severall messages left, but no return calls, no resolution, no almost 3 months!
College boys hard at work here duping consumers into buying a product based on a rebate offer that they will never get. Here's why:
The submission guidelines (in the very fine print) require BOTH the sales reciept AND the foil seal from the mouth opening of the jug! Yep. You have to poke a hole in or tear off and discard when you open and use the product!
Is this a clever scam to get out of honoring rebates, or just pure incompetence of someone who just doesn't know any better? Either way, it is a problem that needs to be corrected.
My situation. I bought this product based soley on the $7 rebate offer, otherwise I would have bought the generic which is essentially the same product. I set aside the register reciept, and peeled the rebate submission form from the jug, which I placed together on my desk for safe keeping until I could sit down and prepare it and mail it off.
Meanwhile, I needed to top off my antifreeze, right? After all, that is why I bought the product... I needed to use it. I open the cap, poke a hole in the foil seal and tear it off, and discard it. 3 days later (today) I sit down to do the rebate submission and find out I need that tiny foil seal to send in. That's nice. It went in the trash 3 days ago, and is gone.
So, in recap, Prestone conned me into buying their product based on a false rebate promise.
False I say, because it is unrealistic.
A person shouldn't be required to read every word of fine print on a tiny rebate sticker right when they purchase, and before they use a product.
It's not so much the money here, but the principle. With that said, I will boycott all Prestone / Fram / Honeywell products until this is made right. Just principle. Prestone is owned by Fram, and Fram is a division of Honeywell Consumer Products Group. I'll be posting a notice at my place of business warning consumers of this fraud.
To make it worse, there is no physical mailing address info available for Prestone / Fram / or Honeywell, and no email address. Therefore you can't put anything in writing to them at all, and you must endure endless circles and menus when you call in, only to get voicemail with no return call, or a low level call center operator who really doesn't know how to direct your call.
I'm done with Prestone Products, Fram Products, and any product that comes from Honeywell Consumer Products Group until this is made right.
Even if it is made right, I have lost my confidence as a consumer in this group of companies as a whole, and will be hesitant to buy them in the future. I interact with about 25-30 customers a day, and every single one of them will be informed of this SCAM.
You have to apply what is known as a "reasonable person" standard to any dispute or problem.
In this case, no "reasonable person" would expect someone to tear off that tiny little label and read all of the fine print BEFORE using the product. That's just stupid.
Normally someone buys a jug of antifreeze / coolant because they actually need to use it. Common sense would say that the little foil seal would be damaged and/or discarded during this process. Just plain old common sense.
Furthermore, the administrators of this rebate program agree, and have removed that requirement from the rebate submission process, DUE TO THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS.
They clearly saw a problem, and stepped up to fix it, so you see, there must be alot of "stupid" people out there who did exactly what I did.
In all of my 30 plus years of senmding in rebates, I have never been required to send in a foil seal from a moth opening of a jug containing a hazardous substance like anti-freeze / coolant. Again, back to the "reasonable person" standard.
Anyway, I do have the name and direct phone number of the Program Administrator for Prestone Rebates. Her name is AnneMarie Genardo and her direct phone number is 203 830 2568. She told me to pass this along to anyone I talk to that has this rebate issue and she will take care of it.
It all comes down to what a reasonable person would expect.
Reasonable vs. Unreasonable.
In over 30 years as an adult, I have NEVER been asked to send in a foil seal from any product in order to get a rebate, ESPECIALLY a HAZARDOUS PRODUCT like Anti-Freeze / Coolant!
This is just common sense! Too bad the little college boy that dreamed up that requirement had no common sense.
And, now, the people behind Preston AGREE that it was an unreasonable requirement, and have removed that requirement from the rebate process.
Furthermore, the consumer has the ultimate power.
Even if I get the rebate described above, I most likely will never buy anything from this group of companies again, at least as a first choice.
As of today, approx 6 weeks since submitting my rebate, I still have not recieved it.
If I don't, I certainly will never buy any more products from that entire group of companies even if I have to pay more for a different product.
And, I'll be sure that as many of my family and friends are on board with that decision too.
Therefore, it looks like only the college boy lacks common sense here.
They probably fired him by now anyway over this.
Still NO REFUND... Looks like that "manager" was all talk! AUTHOR: Southern Chemical and Equipment LLC - Sarasota (USA) SUBMITTED: Tuesday, March 13POSTED: Tuesday, March 13
As of today, 3/13 I still have not seen my refund. Imagine that. Not suprised.
That's OK. I'll never buy another product from this entire group of companies if I have another choice.
Boycott Honeywell / Fram / Prestone, etc..
Liars and thieves.
Looks like time for some major national publicity on this and possibly a class action lawsuit, as it's not about the 7 bucks anymore. It's about holding a scammer accountable. They purposely designed a rebate requirement with intent to defraud. Sell more product at a high price with the promise of a rebate that you will never pay out on, or pay only a few.
This is a SCAM, and everyone needs to BOYCOTT this entire group of companies under the HONEYWELL CONSUMER PRODUCTS Group, such as FRAM and PRESTONE.
I will never buy another product from any of these companies if I have a choice for a different product, even if I have to pay more.
Also, these products are now banned from use or sale in my repair shop, and a sign is being posted to inform all customers.
I want to get this in the public eye, so a lawsuit over 7 bucks may sound ridiculous, but they will have to pay my legal fees and costs, and the national publicity will be VERY bad for them.
It's not about the 7 bucks anymore.
Its all about principle now.
I don't like being lied to or ripped off.
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