Mail in rebates (MIRs) are the among the worst “deals” you can fall for, because any number of issues—most of them beyond your control—can render your supposed savings moot. Now a reader wonders whether Worldwide Rebates is deliberately employing what has to be the world’s least durable check mailing system to throw yet another obstacle in the difficult path to a successful rebate.

I think Worldwide Rebates is using a new trick on not getting a rebate to a person.

I received a rebate from them and it was basically two light weight postcards held together with a small round sticker. I took a picture which should explain it better:

If that sticker fails the two parts will come apart. Once it comes apart the actual rebate check will get separated in transit and then USPS will have no way of knowing who to send it to. It might get sent back to Worldwide Rebates who may or may not cut another one for you. I think it is pretty sneaky on their part.

They know there is a chance that it will get lost and they will probably not end up having to pay on it. They could have designed the mailing with two stickers one on top and one on bottom and it would have been much better.

They could have also made the check detachable, which would easily solve the lost address problem.

We don’t know if this was a unique exception, or the way Worldwide Rebates sends out checks now, so if anyone else has received a similar rebate check from them, please let us know either way. It’s possible that the check and address label were mechanically separated in some mysterious way after it left Worldwide Rebates, but considering the general tendency of rebate companies to thwart their customers, and of Worldwide Rebates in particular to play dirty, we have our suspicions.

(Thanks to Derek!)

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