I hope the mail-in rebate system in America dies. Unfortunately, it'll take some people getting screwed, but whatever it takes to get rid of it.

I love the challenge of MIRs, but the fact that the check that I have to call for might bounce is scaring me. I'll be sure to cash those checks I have lying around.

I'm going to finish up these 12 rebates, and then hold off on the MIR for a while.

Just one MORE reason not to buy products based on rebates.

They would probably not have paid out more than $3M anyway ... some people may have forgotten the periods in "P.O. Box", thus disqualifying them!

uh oh, just got an email from sprint saying my blackberry rebate has been processed and should be mailed within 3 weeks...

@Bladefist: Amen. Biggest piece of rubbish system that many individuals try to take advantage of, only to suffer, and then some.

Good thing I never attempted to mail a rebate. I'm too much of the impatient type. :P

@Hastin:

You love the challenge? I send in everything they want, exactly as listed, and will get rebates bounced back at me simply stating "something" is missing. How about pointing out what I did wrong, because....it doesn't exist?

I haven't bought a product based on the price after rebate since I got ripped off on some floppy disks I bought in 1994. Hell, I even got screwed when I sent in those Marlboro Miles.

@Hastin: Well, you may have to pay a $20 bank fee for depositing a bad $3 rebate check so check with your bank about possible fees before depositing or cashing any suspicious checks.

Always photocopy your Rebate Paperwork and ALWAYS send them Certified Mail. You will get them back if you do.

i hate the rebate system and would much rather have the item on sale, but i am guilty of repeatedly taking advantage of them. for example. it's free after rebate, 1 per household. so i send one to either parent's houses, my own house, and my work. i get 4 free things, and then ebay/gift the 3 extra away, paying only tax on each.

it has never failed me, but i will be wary with black friday coming up, as most of the electronic stuff i get is 'after rebate'.

@Hastin: Gotta love the rebate requests you can submit online, such as for Rite Aid Single Check Rebates and Staples Easy Rebates, just by entering the information printed on the receipt and your name and address.

I just got an e-mail this morning not to cash a rebate check that I received. The instructions were to send the check back to the manufacturer and they will send a new rebate. Unfortunately, I already deposited the check on Wednesday.

@jdmba: Actually, the USPS prefers that you leave out periods and other punctuation when you address an envelope.

One new thing to dread about rebates is, getting a Visa (or whatever) gift (or whatever) card instead of a check.

crap I'm waiting on a 100 dollar rebate from sprint....

@Bladefist: I say just change the regulations so you can't advertise the "after mail-in rebate" price of a product as the actual price.

@IceCoffee: I'd expect a $30 fee to show up on your next statement.

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't someone actually determine the number (or percentage) of MIR forms that are actually processed and credited back to the consumer? Do these rebate vendors operate off the assumption that consumers won't comply with the directions, enter something wrong, forget to dot an "I" or cross a "T" and get rejected?

$9 million is a rather large deficit.

I guess I've just been lucky: I've sent in for A LOT of rebates over the years, and have never gotten screwed. And logicalnoise, I got my $100 from Sprint no problem, and it was pretty quick, too. Sit tight!

The only MIR I ever have gotten has been from Costco. Other then that its it. I did take the manager from a Radio Shack to court over a rebate. I did win, but never got the money. No big deal, still. King me.

What's not being discussed in that article is what's up with the missing $9 million. Stolen? Invested in CDOs? All put into flipper houses in Detroit?

What, have they been investing the rebate money they receive from companies in the stock market?

Wait, nevermind, I don't want to know...

Psh... how many people actually follow through on rebates? I'm sure there are plenty here, but I'd wager the vast majority of America procrastinates the crap out of them and eventually loses the information or is disqualified.

That's why the rebate system exists.

i religiously follow up on my rebates. the last $40 rebate from corsair bounced! i was charged a $10 returned item fee for that. my bank was nice enough to refund the fee! i will not be buying from that company again!

@Ben_Q2:
I would LOVE to hear the RS mgr story... in fact that sounds as if it may warrant a consumerist.com post of it's own! Please share!

Shiot....I try to stay away from rebates but if I have too (or the deal is too good), then I will scan each and every receipt, SKU, label, or whatever and force them to send me my check. I have had to refer to my scanned stuff at least twice.

@savvy9999: I think they addressed it as well as they could. They don't know, its something to cops are going to have to sort out.

Sorry, but I think some of you are missing the point. They're actually SHORT 9 million, as in they have sent that money out or otherwise spent it...not that they have extra laying around because people were disqualified. Geez, how do you lose 3/4 of your rebate funds??

Wow, if MIRs fail, then Tigerdirect.com might be in big trouble. It's rare that I see an item "on sale" from them that isn't "on sale" because of a rebate.

I hate MIRs and usually don't buy products that have them. I still have to fork over the dough up-front, so to me that's not really a winning idea.

I just got an email telling me not to cash the rebate check I just received. The email told me to give them back the $50 rebate by wiring the money to bank in Nigeria. At that time they will issue me a new check. Sounds legit to me.

@Segador: That's what changed me from a Tiger Direct customer to a Newegg one.

TD plasters a fantastic discount or sale price on something and it's only after it's in your cart that you find out that the advertised price is only after a mail in rebate.

Newegg on the other hand lists the full price and informs you that it's eligible for a rebate. World of difference as far as I'm concerned.

I got a 50.00 rebate hanging out there for my Viewsonic monitor. The just emailed me confirmation of receipt of my submission. I hope it's not through these clowns.

Someone ought to go to jail for this.

Saboth: Usually, I just scan everything before mailing it in (I've got a massive Access Database setup for my MIRs). Once you get the postcard saying something is missing, I just call and talk to a CSR. Most of the time, they'll transfer you to a Level 2, and I just email it to him/her - and they will release the check. :)

@Cat_In_A_Hat: Sprint rebates are processed by Parago, not Continental. Parago is one of the most respected rebate houses (and the easiest to get stuff fixed from). You should be fine.

I knew there was something particularly screwy about Continental Promotions Group.
To date, I've had the worst experience with rebates fulfilled by them.

They conspicuously post a BBB seal on their page (which I believe the BBB of Arizona is in cahoots with them anyhow, judging by the issues/response I've saw).

Contrary to what was stated on the terms and conditions, these clowns tried to intentionally hold onto my rebate check for an additional month. How?

Instead of "starting the clock" when they've received the mail and giving a few days allowance for processing, these clowns held onto my mail for well over a month before they've "processed" it. They've also kept changing the estimated mail date (each time being two weeks later than the previous estimated mail date)

I've brewed up a sh*tstorm afterwards, contacting the BBB and alerting the AG (of Arizona and New York) about their practices. They've continuously "maintained their innocence," but they did ultimately mail my check one week after the check was due to me (according to their own terms and conditions listed on the rebate submission form), but only after I kept the pressure up.

I hope these jerks burn in hell!

@Bladefist: I agree. Get rid of it, and good riddance as far as I am concerned. I got ripped off by one MIR, and I have never done another one since.

@thebluepill:

I think you're missing the point... you could have hand delivered your rebate wearing a ballerina tu tu and this company will STILL send you a bad check... they blew through the money they billed the electronics manufacturers... and not for rebates to consumers.

So, regardless of how meticulous you are in filling out your forms in triplicate, keeping copies for yourself, your accountant, and the executor of your will, this company is going to FAIL to send you your rebate when they go bankrupt next month.

For all the complaints I see on this site about Best Buy, someone needs to bring attention to one good thing about them: They abolished Mail-In Rebates a couple years back.

@Hyman Decent: And that's how they get you! Do you follow the directions? Do you follow the USPS? Hint: If you don't follow the directions, you don't get your rebate!

I bet I know what happened...

CPG was playing with short term investments with the money given to them for the rebates, thinking this was a way to earn some extra money.

CRASH goes the market. POOF goes the money.

So they took a cue from the banksters and made themselves their own bailout.

The lawsuits should be interesting. I wonder if the gummint will make them into a bank, too?

I recently had a problem with a major online store, ZipZoomFly, not funding their rebate on a Seagate hard drive. Turns out they refused to pay their rebate fulfillment company. Even an executive email carpet bomb to ZipZoomFly failed. So I talked to the ZZF account manager at Seagate. Coincidentally enough, the next day the rebate was funded to the fulfillment company and I got my check a week later. Since that episode I vowed NEVER to buy ANYTHING from ZIPZOOMFLY ever again.

@Segador: "I say just change the regulations so you can't advertise the "after mail-in rebate" price of a product as the actual price."

I say we allow some government entity to prosecute companies that promise services they have no intentions of delivering.

@EarlNowak: @Cat_In_A_Hat:

I bought two Blackberrys from ATT around 5-6 months ago. It was a buy one get one free deal (free after rebates). I thought it was a good idea. My fiancée and I filled out all the forms correct and we were told we would receive the rebates in 7-10 weeks. Ok. whatever.
I called last week (still haven't received them) and the girl on the phone said, "oops, we sent them to the wrong address. Good thing you called because they were going to expire at the end of the month."
All in all, I got the rebates yesterday but makes me never want to do MIR again.

@tmlfan81:

It is called breakage.

As I read this I remembered that I just got a rebate check for a purchase from Costco today. Well on the outside of the envelope who's name do I see? None other than Continental Promotion Group."

Running in the bank in the morning in the hope that my $100 won't bounce.

i have two rebates from 2004 i am still waiting to receive. not to mention a one from 2007. the whole process is a scam.

i figure send in the paperwork. if i receive something great, if not, i didn't base my purchase on the rebate price to begin with.

@ShadowDancer: Mail In Rebates are a part-time job by themselves.

You have to constantly monitor the status and breathe down their necks when they renege. The two rebates from 2004 is probably a lost cause, but if you still have their contact information, maybe you can still salvage.

The rebate from 2007, sic em! Most rebate terms and conditions state 10-12 weeks for the mailing of a check. 10-12 weeks does not equate to 1 year ;-)

---

It's just an urban myth at this point, but I get the feeling that the fulfillment group is less likely to f*ck around especially if you routinely call up or visit their status check websites to check for rebate status.

@Bladefist: I am currently a believer in rebates from office depot, staples, rite aid, longs drugs, and walgreens. I receive 100% of the rebates I turn in. Now that I'm aware of Continental Promotions Group (CPG), I will be on the lookout or read carefully on who is giving out these rebates.

I don't mess with MIR unless its the same price I am going to get it elsewhere on sale before the MIR. Like FYEs 50 dollar ps2 rebate that i had to fight over and eventually got.