Woman Struggles Through Comcast's Outsourced Rebate Maze
Coaxed by the promise of rebates, Rhea took the Comcast high-speed internet plunge, but found it difficult to get her money, since Comcast had outsourced its rebates to a company called OfferWire.
She blogged about her difficulties in getting the rebate, having to go through a convoluted process, and sent us the link asking for help. She writes:
I ordered high-speed Internet service after putting it off for years (we were able to pick up a neighbor's signal). And as I had always feared, the process has been one enormous hassle after another. First I was told by Comcast that I could install my own service using their handy Self-Installation kit. I spent a few hours with wires, disks, a modem and a router, and no dice. Then I made an appointment to have the Comcast worker come in, and guess what. He told me I could never have installed it myself. There were multiple problems and old wiring and it took him - a very experienced technician - two hours to get the signal!
Then I went online to try to apply for the rebates the original operator promised me. Have you ever done this? It's through a company called OfferWire, which seems like a complete scam. There is no clear way to find the forms you need to fill out for the rebates. They make you register on the site and at every step along the way you are offered all manner of crap that they would like to see you spend your rebate money on. No, I want my cash. Then when I finally did reach the page where I select my rebates, the list of rules and regulations is staggering. This is a complete joke. I am pissed off. Frankly, Comcast accomplished what it had hoped for: I don't have the time or patience to collect the forms and information they demand in order for me to get my rebates, worth about $140. WHO ELSE HERE HAS TRIED TO CLAIM THEIR COMCAST REBATES AND HAS GONE THROUGH THIS?
Does anyone have tips on how to navigate OfferWire to get their Comcast cash?
A Comcast Rant!!! [The Boomer Chronicles]
(Photo: mojojornjorn)
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Comments:
Rebates are a marketing gimmick to sway the uncertain into buying a service or product, IMHO. Ignore them in your decisionmaking. If you ever DO get your rebate, think of it as a bonus.
As a teenager, I did rebates with my mother. We were both savvy and successful. You would think with all this knowledge and experience, the Comcast rebate wouldn't be a problem. But, it was the most difficult and time-consuming rebate that I've ever done. I did get my money, but that's only because I've had years of experience in dealing with companies who bank on you not being able to follow their byzantine guidelines. God help those who were not professional rebaters. I use the past tense, because hardly anyone does it as a hobby anymore, due to it becoming a frustrating chore.
i photocopy everything down to the envelope with the postmark so they can't claim I didn't send it in time. I fold the items in a piece of paper that says "all items photocopied" in an enormous font. I don't know that that last bit helps, but I've had no issues getting rebates since I started doing it.
my worst experience was with BellSouth years ago and their rebate processor, the notoriously bad rebate house Parago. I ended up having to write to BellSouth's CEO on that one with about a dozen pages of documentation. I copied Georgia's public service commission. At that point, they fell over themselves helping me, and in the rush sent me the rebate twice. Still didn't cover my time, but given the effort it took to get that rebate, it was nice to get a little something extra.
people sometimes forget that government can be your friend in these situations, especially with regulated monopoly utilities . Another time after tons of issues with Charter, I contacted my city's attorney. I've never seen a company respond so quickly as they did after that. They're going to have serious problems getting approval for rate increases if they have tons of unresolved complaints on file, and they know it.
This is why I try to make sure my price is low, i always assume the rebate is a scam....so what i do, is go to twitter/comcastcares and they can help you directly..They work for comcast, and it is honestly the fastest way to get any kind of customer service from them...
Then just try to get a good discount...like i got a 30 buck discount for 6 months, and it is good....
Just keep asking for discounts...don't play the rebates game...
Good Luck!
UVerse just sent me a check for $200 for getting their service.
I didn't have to fill anything out, it just came in the mail as promised.
Now the install did take about 6 hours, but it was new in our area, and the techs were friendly.
@Bearded Rapper: Even Newegg, who I hold in high regards... I have never ONCE gotten any of the rebates offered back. Probably upwards of $300 of rebates, all filled out, all sent, not one ever returned.
Sad panda.
@Amelie: My dad always used to give me his rebate forms when I was a teenager (and before that too, actually). The deal was that if I could work through the maze, my reward was keeping the rebate money.
i have had success with rebates from both sprint & whirlpool.
both were significant enough to claim.
@tdatl: I admire your thoroughness and tenacity, but the point is that we shouldn't have to jump through those sort of hoops.
But, I've always made photocopies of rebates that were more than $10.
Yeah, I've pretty much given up on rebates--I've done the "photocopy everything," follow-up, etc. At some point, it's just not worth the hassle. Now, I look at a sucessful rebate as pure gravy--I never expect to get them.
I have NEVER received a promised rebate - ever! I've jumped through all of the hoops, made copies, phone calls, et cetera, but now I believe that rebates are a fool's game.
Now when I want to buy something that allegedly has a rebate, I go directly to the manager and tell them that I'll only buy if they credit me the rebate NOW, then THEY can deal with the paperwork. Surprisingly, this works - so far every time I've done it.
Guys, you all act so surprised. It's COMCAST what the hell did you expect. This is one of the most despicable companies in the country. If there is a way to just generally screw with you thye have found it it if not invented it.
@Preyfar: Strange. I have always received my rebates. I've had them through Newegg, Circuit City, Best Buy. I must be lucky or something but I have heard these same issues from friends of mine, but it's weird that I haven't. My time is coming though. Good luck never lasts long.
That's the point of a rebate! They make sure it's hard to get the rebate, so that way they know only a certain percentage of people will actually go through the whole process. That way they can market the product as having a $100 rebate, but since only 15% of customers will get the rebate, they really only have to account for a $15 rebate per customer.
Come to think of it, that's probably how these rebate outsourcing companies work. They strike up a deal with the company, such as Comcast, to provide rebates. They charge Comcast something like 20% of the cost of the rebates, then hope that only 15% of the customers will actually follow through with the process. So they keep the other 5%.
@Amelie: You're right, we should not have to jump through hoops, but you folks have to remember that businesses lie and they lie to us constantly. These gimmicks and specials are not for the betterment of us, but for the betterment of them. They lie, period. I have no sympathy for making them work for my money and refunds. Money talks, BS walks.
@TCama: Ditto for me, except when it was him getting me something I wanted (Like a new cellphone or something) he would keep the money, but I got the phone. Otherwise, Dad would not do the rebate anyway, so he might as well give it to me.
He has a wife now though, so my rebating days might be over.
@tdatl: I do the same with photocopying, read and re-read the rebate form to make sure I have included everything, and on the date I post the rebate, I set up a reminder in my scheduling software the required # of weeks they say I'll get it in, to remind me if I actually got it. I have to say that my last couple of rebates (last year, I've tried to avoid rebate purchases) went very smoothly, and I received the rebate in less time than they stated.
I have never had an issue with rebates. Most of them were through best buy, circuit city and home depot. In all cases, all I had to do was print out the form (circuit city conveniently did that for me when they were still alive), copy the receipt, include the upc barcode, and mail it off. Had to wait sometimes, but I have always received my rebates. $500 one when I bought my appliances for my rebuilt kitchen (that was through a local Appliance store, the rebates were from Kitchenaid though)
Initially, I read the first sentence as "co-axed"... as in the cable, made into a verb, and put into the past tense.
Perhaps that would be a good way to refer to "the state of having been smacked around by Comcast." I've been coax-ed!
@MostlyHarmless: Lol.. actually my ex-stepdad was much worse.. but that is a whole 'nother story.
But yeah.. the free money/less Christmas presents is kindof a drag.
@Bearded Rapper: I have always had great luck, and Home Depot even processed a rebate submitted online 4 days late (I was going to argue that the rules only referred to postmark, but didn't have to. It was $150.)
I have even collected some InPhonic rebates. They had the craziest most convoluted terms of anyone, such as must be submitted after 120 days but no later than 180 days including my 4th AT&T bill after the activation, and a separate rebate that had to be submitted after 90 days but before 120 days. I just put them on my calendar. Unfortunately some states sued them over this and they went bankrupt before paying me my rebates the second time I purchased from them.
I ALWAYS make copies of everything, check over everything twice, and I have never had a problem. The $5 and $10 rebates suck, because I forget about them 75% of the time, but anything bigger I have submitted and received (thousands total).
AT&T has always paid me rebates (They switched to gift cards, so I just apply them in full to my wireless bill) and they are easy.
She probably didn't even know what she was doing.
What she could have done is maybe call up OfferWire and ask for held on hot to get the rebate.
Some people make a big deal out of nothing.
I never had problems getting rebates, what I do is follow the instructions, and make sure I got everything I need.
And anywhere people should get rid of mail-in rebates altogether, and just have instant rebates.
I too was offered $200 cash for signing up for the 2 year lock in of the $150/mo rate for internet/cable/phone with HBO included. I too cannot seem to figure out how to get my rebate. Just adding another frustrated person to the mix.
I got DirecTV coming this tuesday baby! $59 for NFL, all channels and kids prog, then after 5 months downgrade to 200 channels for $75 and after 10 months all pay $85 for the rest of the contract. I was on comcast triple play for $99 but it expired and is now $200. Ill keep the internet + DirecTV. Why comcast did not want me as a customer is beyond me, the "best" they could do for their customer of years is $149 + tax a month, bah!
My first couple of tries at rebates ended in failure. But from those failures, I learned my lessons. Like others have stated, the key is to copy everything before sending it in. After that, I have never had a problem in getting the rebate. Except for Newcom, who basically didn't mail a rebate to anyone who sent one in.
@Cybrczch: I do the same thing, and my wife think it's funny, but I just got my latest -- $2.50 from AmeriGas!
I completely forgot I sent a Sprint phone rebate. Weeks and weeks passed. Then one day, as I opened my oft-neglected PO box, there it was: a lonely envelope, the words "Pay to the Order of" peeking teasingly at me. Could this be true? Money? For me? Alas, the check made its way to the bank, where it was deposited, its funds later garnering a steak and beer dinner for my girlfriend and I. See? Good things *do* come to those who wait. Thanks, Sprint! You're the best!
I grow my own rebates at home to avoid all this.
@Preyfar:
That one is strange. I successfully submitted and received 4 rebates for hardware I purchased from NewEgg at one time for a new computer I built. The amount came to something like $80 and I was very pleased to see the whole thing completed in about 4 weeks.
@TCama: You've got about half the story there. Rebates allow companies to maximize profits above that of a single pricing strategy. Say your research shows:
Single Pricing strategy (Widget costs $90 to produce)
Priced at $100 you would sell 1500 for $15k profit.
Priced at $120 you would sell 1000 for $30k profit.
Priced at $150 you would sell 400 for $24k profit
It would appear that under a single pricing strategy you would maximize your profits by pricing at $120 and generating $30k profit, but if your research also shows that if you price at $150 and offer a $50 rebate, you will still pick up those 400 who would have bought for $150 but will also pick up 800 more who would have bought for $100. Of those first 400 who would have purchased at $150, the rebate may be too much time and trouble for them, so the rebate claim rate for this group may be as low as 5% (for a rebate cost of $5,000). Of those remaining 800 purchasers, who were counting on the rebate, say 80% follow through (for a rebate cost of $32,000) so the total profit would be $72,000-$37,000 or $35,000 profit - more than they would have made under a single pricing system.. This is the real reason companies use rebates.
Wait..... "I ordered high-speed Internet service after putting it off for years (we were able to pick up a neighbor's signal)." She was stealing internet from her neighbor? I assume she was using her neighbor's wi-fi. With or without their permission?
I did one of these outsourced Comcast rebates. It took almost 4 months and some very careful form-following, but I did get my money.
My time is worth a hell of a lot more than jumping through rebate hoops all day. I avoid rebates like the plague. Offer real savings at point of sale or get skipped as a company in the "Who do I buy this widget from" decision making process.
It's just that simple for me.
@LeChiffre: they only lie because of government regulation. if we let them compete freely, they would totally act in our best interest.
.... or something.
I signed up for comcast about 5 years ago with a rebate and free ipod give away. I got my rebate, how ever no one was ever able to help me get my free ipod. After about two months of try by calling all the numbers they gave me, mostly resulting in a number with no person or anything on the other line, i gave up on the ipod. Then i just gave up on comcast.
@Colonel Jack O'Neill: Few very companies would get rid of mail-in rebates for instant rebates. Every time a company offers a rebate and people don't redeem it, that's money the company can keep. Anything they do make it easier to redeem is money they lose.
@AustinTXProgrammer: I submitted mine absolutely correctly to AT&T, and they sent out a check. To somebody else's address. Which they themselves informed me, when I called, but then denied that addresses could come from anywhere but my phone bill.
There's only so much control we can exert from our end.
Try Staples or Walgreens per the Staples Ad - "That was easy". All on-line so no stamps, copies, proof of purchase, etc. Very few questions and fast response. Walgreens even rebates 10% more if you provide a Walgreens gift card number. No waiting 6 weeks (months), no postcard in the snail mail, even more than you were promised. Nothing better than being paid to get/use a product. I am not a "rebater" but have had at least 90% positive response over the years. #1 seems to be NO PO BOXES which I think is a bummer since some people only se P.O. Boxes. Guess those folks need to "borrow" a trusted friend's physical address.
@HappyCthulhu: Are you me?
We switched from DirecTV to Uverse (eff you, DTV for refusing to adjust my satellite that hadn't worked properly, ever). We got a $200 rebate, easy as pie (we also got a Home Depot paint rebate quite quickly) but it did take for-ev-ver to get it installed.
I really don't get this line of thinking. Why do you think you're entitled to a major discount just because you've been a customer of some company for years? My parents have bought the same brand of milk for 20+ years - should they start getting a discount? No.
I've had AT&T for 5 or 6 years - do I expect a discount on my monthly service? No.
The fact of the matter is, you were on a promotional rate & the promotion ended. You'll go to direct TV & their promotional rate will end too. Will you then expect a discount from them?
Can I praise Apple for a sec? I had a rebate coming from them... I even sent the forms off late, with a note of apology, hoping they'd still accept the documents and honor the warranty.
They had no problem. And yes, the check came directly from Apple, and not some shady third-party.
@cigsm: When the 2 years end ill see if i can get another promo or something, if not ill switch back to comcast or dish. These companies are already overly expensive. But you're right, i got the promo, it ended and im a regular customer. BUT they dare not bitch in any meetings or press releases about how everyone is leaving cable, or how to keep current customers, I gave them a chance and they couldn't take it and now its my choice to move on to the better deals. If DirecTV or Dish can offer me this or that then they can, if not ill dump off my old equipment on saturday.
Every rebate I've ever done in my life has ended in utter failure. It's like you need a degree to do it properly or something.