Rebate #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge 1 Minute
Image by Aksa2011 from Pixabay

When Windows XP came out, one of our local retailers was advertising a free webcam with the purchase of the upgrade. I couldn’t have cared less about the webcam, but if they were just giving it away, I wouldn’t say no to it. So, I take the software and the webcam to the register, and the cashier charges me for both.

"Wait a sec… the webcam is supposed to be free!" I protested.

"It’s free after the rebate from Logitech," she said. She handed me a form. "You fill this out and mail it in with a copy of the receipt and the UPC on the package, and they’ll refund the purchase price." Needless to say, I told them what they could do with their "free" webcam, and after much wrangling with the cashier and her supervisor, they voided the sale and rang up just the software.

I think what bothered me was they didn’t say that it was "free after rebate," or that point was not clear on the sign (i.e. I missed it). I wouldn’t have even messed with the camera had I known that.

Rebates are usually pretty generous, because you have to work to get them. If you don’t mind doing all the work (filling out the form, gathering the other stuff to send in, finding an envelope and stamp, sending everything in on time, and waiting 8-12 weeks for them to cut you a check), revealing your information to the manufacturer (who will then use it to try and sell you more stuff), and waiting for your money, they’re terrific. From the retailer’s and/or manufacturer’s perspective, only about half of the people eligible for the rebate claim it, so any money that they’ve set aside to pay for the rebates earns interest, and when the promotion ends they get to keep the money, plus they now know who their customers are and more about them.

So, if you get a mail-in rebate, be sure and mail it in.

Published by John Holton

Internet disc jockey, lover of old TV (especially the commercials), inveterate wise guy.

Published

46 thoughts on “Rebate #atozchallenge”

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  3. I worked at Menards for four years, so rebates were big and I am still a fan — when you’re going to buy it anyway, not because rebate. It takes so long, you forget about it and then one day you get a check and it’s a surprise! LOL

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    1. Exactly: if it’s something you were going to buy anyway, the rebate makes sense. But if you weren’t going to buy it, it’d be silly to buy it just because of a rebate.

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    1. The rules are invariably written in some of the densest legalese in tiny print, so you have to be a lawyer with incredible eyesight to get it right.

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  6. I hardly ever do that either. My wife will every time….I cannot be bothered filling paperwork out.

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    1. If I had actually wanted a webcam, I would have filled out everything and made sure I had all the required paperwork. And had the webcam actually been free, I’d have taken it home and put it into the box with all the other useless peripherals I’ve amassed over the years.

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      1. Yep! One day I wanted to see what I could really get for free. Well I got a whole lot of junk. If you go on the internet you will be sent a bunch of stuff free…a guide on how to do underwater basket weaving…all sorts of useful stuff to gather dust.

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  7. Fred is always better—depending how hard you have to work for it. BOGOs are really good but not buy two get one 50% off. That store should have been clearer since a lot of people wouldn’t have noticed.

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    1. A lot of people might not have even noticed that they paid for it and needed to send in the rebate form. The deal actually included a microphone as well, but they had run out of the microphones, so they’d give you a rain check and charge you for the microphone. It was the most bizarre thing…

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  8. Me, I don’t trust companies, emails, words on products and I believe no one about any freebies until I research it myself. Best Buy is famous for that junk too. Sorry you got jipped. oh & yes, I was a faithful friend of Frazier Thomas. All the greats were on his show and especially around the holidays! Woo Hoo….

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    1. I had a bunch of friends that went to Lane and Gordon Tech, both of which were right near WGN (guess they’re no longer at 2501 W Bradley Place), and they would ride the bus with Frazier. He was a real humble guy, and really dedicated to putting a quality show on the air. He handpicked all the “Family Classics” himself. After Ned Locke retired from “Bozo’s Circus,” WGN cast him as a sort-of replacement, and he was totally lost…

      I don’t feel like I was gypped out of anything, because I got my upgrade. I just didn’t accept all the other crap which I had no use for, anyway…

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    1. There’s a breakeven point with rebates, where fulfilling the requirements is worth it. We always do in the case of big-ticket items (major appliances etc.), but some of the smaller stuff isn’t worth the effort.

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  11. The only thing I purchase with a rebate is my dogs heart worm pills. I’ve never understood why they don’t discount the price? Elanco has made the rebate process easier over the years. Its all online now.

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    1. It’s a marketing thing. We bought a new furnace and central air unit a couple of years ago, where if you bought both you got a $200 rebate, which the salesman would apply to the cost of the whole unit. You felt like you were getting a better deal, even though you really weren’t. It’s the difference between saying something is $1300 and saying it’s $1500 with a $200 rebate.

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  13. Rebates are much more hassle than they are worth – and that’s what most retailers are counting on. They want the sale, and distributors are banking on the majority not claiming the rebate.

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    1. Exactly… if you’re the kind of person who takes the rebate form home and immediately fills it out and sends it in, they’re great. If not, forget it.

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  15. Yep, not quite a scam but a way to make people think they are going to pay less than they do. Sort of like Rakuten… buy through their site and get cash back…but so many ifs , ors and buts. I decided to buy a moderately big ticket item not long back – not something I do too often – for a few hundred bucks, decided to do it online when I could’ve bought one in store . But the promised 3% rebate from the large retailer was only 1% on electronics and many other things… then they sublet it to another store so I got the item, paid shipping and Rakuten didn’t give me one cent back … I now pretty much delete any of the daily e-mails from Rakuten and won’t be signing in there anytime soon

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  16. I’ve been good at getting my rebates, especially when buying a new smartphone. Seems most times explanations about rebates are not clear or you need a magnifying glass to read it.

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    1. We’re good about mailing in rebates for big-ticket items (appliances etc.) but the small stuff gets left out, which is what I would have done with the webcam.

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  17. Bummer! I have never successfully completed a rebate or benefited. Seems I always miss a key piece because the process is so involved.

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    1. Right, you end up needing a copy of the receipt, the official form, the barcode off the end flap, the blood of a virgin etc. Sometimes you decide “ah, screw it…”

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  21. I would have been like you and told them to take that out and I would have asked for the manager and would have complained about the misleading sale information. I have done that in the past.

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    1. The supervisor got an earful from me… There was something else, too, that was free after rebate, that they charged me for and tried to give me a rain check because they were out. They probably would call me he day before the rebate ran out to tell me it was in…

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  22. I, like you, would have told them where they could stick their camera. I dislike it when things are not made clear in the first place – it feels dishonest. ‘Buyer beware’ is a terrible marker – the buyer should not have to beware because the seller should have integrity. /rant Hmm … sorry about that, apparently I have strong views about this 😂
    Tasha 💖
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    1. If they had said “free after rebate,” it would have been one thing; I’d’ve just said “I don’t need it” and let it ride. But they didn’t…

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