On February 6th. I went to Brandsmart to purchase a Compaq computer and a HP monitor. I was told I would get a $50 rebate on both productsby the sales rep. Whose last name is Mckenzie. I was given the rebate paperwork for both and took it them home to make sure everything was workign ok. I waited two days to start processing my rebate because you nvere know if you have to take it back due to some kind of malfunction.
After the two days I decided to go ahead and process the rebates. The rebate form for the computer was correct so I went ahead and filled it out. When I got to the form for the monitor I noticed that my monitor was not on the list. I called Brandsmart the next day and was told that I needed to go back to the store and get the correct form. I went back the next day to the same rep. And let him know that I needed the correct form. He told me that I could just go online and fill out the rebate form and I didn't need the paper.
I asked him for the paper anyway in case there was a problem. He insisted that I didn't need it, I would be able to do it online. I believed him and stupidly went ahead and gave him more commission by purchasing a printer.
I went home that night and got on the HP rebate site to try and process my rebate, it's not there. I decided that I'd wait until morning and call HP and ask directly. The CSRs at HP were very nice and helpful when I called. They told me that unfortunately, my monitor was NOT eligible for a rebate.
I was not surprised by this information so I called Brandsmart again to ask them how I could get my $50. I was told that I needed to speak with a floor supervisor. I got transferred and was put on line with one of the most obnoxious sales rep. I've encountered in some time. He refused to give his full name. All I got out of him was his first name which was 'Ali'. He then refused to put a supervisor on the phone, called me 'sweetheart' yelled at me, then hung up.
I decided that I need to take a break and try again the next day. I called back the next day and got the run around and was even connected to 'Ali' again before I finally spoke to a supervisor who basically told me that I got screwed over. He could not give me an excuse as to why I was promised a rebate I wasn't qualified for and he wasn't kind enough to offer any kind of in-store rebate. I could not return the monitor because a week had passed. The only thing he could say to me is that 'the rep. Should not have promised me a rebate when I couldn't get one'. Duh. I was then told to call the store manager who never called me back after I left a message on his answering machine.
I would have pursued it further but then a family situation diverted my attention. Over the yeas I've spent ALOT of money with Brandsmart. I asked the supervisor to look under my name to see how much I've spent with them. Sure enough, he agreed with me. I am still very angry that I got conned.
I'm mad at myself for dropping the ball on the pursuit of my money but if one person sees this and decides against doing business with them, then this long letter will be worth while. I told the supervsor that I will not be buying a thing from them ever again and I will notify my friends and family about how they conned me. I wish that I could get my $50 though.
One more thing. I've noticed that Brandsmart is not nationally known. This is a specialty store that sells mostly name brand electronics and appliances at resonable rates. With that being said, it's somewhat annoying not to have many options when trying to file a cmplaint. I'm grateful that I found this site.
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