40-60% of rebates go unclaimed every year according to this article. Well, I can promise you this blogger will be in the 60-40% of claimed rebates. Or 40-60%. I’ve confused myself.
The point is, I’m mailing in a rebate tomorrow.
Is there anything worse than a mail in rebate? I’d like to walk you through the process of my $30 mail in rebate for the graphics card I purchased today as a solution to my computer problem. I found a nice graphics card that vastly improves my entire system for $39.99 (after a $30 mail in rebate) and is way better than sending my computer away for 2-4 weeks for a minor problem.
However, in order to claim this rebate, I have to jump through flaming rings of fire while carrying ice cube trays to the freezer without spilling. (That’s a joke; I have an automatic ice maker in my apartment)
Here is the mail-in rebate process I have to go through for my measly 30 bucks:
- Open a PDF at this site – Fairly simple. I’m liking this process
- The PDF tells me to register at this site – Why didn’t they just send me here initially. Seems like step one could have been avoided entirely
- Claim my rebate with an offer code – Again, why do I have to enter anything? Just give me a link that sends the offer code please. I asked nicely
- Click through about 6 screens validating that I want this rebate – If this rebate process were a person, he would be as interesting as Ben Stein
- Register for my rebate by choosing a service level option: “No-Wait” or “Wait Forever” – This is my favorite part. Let me elaborate
I have the option to ask for a prepaid Visa debit card, which will be sent to me within about 7 days of them receiving my complete form. However, if I want this immediate service, I will only get $27, and they will keep $3 for being so nice as to offer the rebate in a timely manner. I also have the option of getting the full $30 in a check, but I’ll basically have to wait until my first daughter’s sweet sixteen before I see a check (note: my theoretical daughter isn’t even born yet). I chose the debit card because I’m impatient and I would probably lose the check before I deposited it anyway.
Here’s what kills me about this though: They are coming right out and admitting that they are fully capable of processing this request within a matter of days, but that would be too convenient, so they will arbitrarily make you wait if you want the full $30 rebate. Gee, thanks ASUS! I’m glad you value me so much as a customer that you’re happy to withhold my rebate for a few months, just because you can.
Do you remember what step I was on? I forget. Let’s start back at 1.
- Now that I’ve confirmed I really only want a $27 rebate, I have to mail in a signed rebate form, a receipt, and the UPC off the box – What? No social security card? This is way easier than the last rebate I filled out
- Additional Instructions on the Rebate Form include: “Affix the barcode to this form” and “Use the following mailing label” – I lied. This is my favorite part. More elaboration
They can find my receipt just fine as it floats around unencumbered by this “affix here” stipulation. However, when it comes to the UPC, well that’s a completely different story. That darn thing could be anywhere inside the 4 1/8″ by 9 1/2″ envelope! (note the sarcasm).
Finally, they seriously don’t trust me to copy an address properly. Did you notice the big bolded letters?
IMPORTANT – Envelopes without a proper label may not be delivered and processed.
Is there a better chance I copy the address wrong, or that I don’t tape the label on well enough and it falls off sometime before the letter is delivered? My guess is the latter. Anyway, you’ve noticed I cut out the label to use on the envelope. Unfortunately, I DON”T HAVE ANY SCOTCH TAPE! Woe is me. Woe. Is. Me.
Finally back to the final step. I think it’s #36.
- Mail everything (USING THE LABEL!) and allow 1-2 weeks after mailing to receive an update on your status – I don’t even own a freaking envelope. I think the rebate people and the envelope people are in cahoots.
So that’s it. Theoretically I will have a $27 Visa debit card in the next few weeks after I find an envelope and some tape. I’ll let you know if it ever comes. In the meantime today’s Thousandaire Question is pretty simple: have you ever purchased an item because of a mail-in rebate? Then have you ever forgotten (aka were too lazy) to pull everything together and mail in the rebate?
Kevin McKee is an entrepreneur, IT guru, and personal finance leader. In addition to his writing, Kevin is the head of IT at Buildingstars, Co-Founder of Padmission, and organizer of Laravel STL. He is also the creator of www.contributetoopensource.com. When he’s not working, Kevin enjoys podcasting about movies and spending time with his wife and four children.
If I wouldn’t buy it without a rebate, then I won’t buy it with a rebate. I’ll send the rebate in (if there aren’t too many hoops), but I won’t track it. If the rebate ever arrives, then it’s gravy.
Again, life’s too short. 🙂
Yet another day of good advice Robert. I think I’m too cheap to just forget about it and forget to track the rebate, but I’m happy with my new graphics card and my dual monitors, so if it never comes I’ll let it slide.
If I weren’t unemployed I’d let Asus slide on my rebate because their wireless router works well. But I need the money, so I’ve been disappointed to not get my approved rebate card after 6 weeks.
I agree, there is nothing worse than a mail in rebate….except perhaps people that buy something for the rebate and don’t get around to mailing it in!
I’ve actually done some work on the other side of rebates and promoters actually budget in the fact that a significant %of rebates never get reedemed!
I believe you. I guess I should just be happy with so many people failing to complete the rebate offer. They can offer a bigger rebate when only a few people actually claim it.
You just made my day.
I am a proud new owner of a Asus external DVD drive….with a mail in rebate. This is actually one of the more straighforward ones I’ve filed (ridiculous).
I’ve had my fair share of experience with rebates as I’ve worked at a consumer electronics store and have mailed in about 200 of my personal rebates, and another 1000 or so on behalf of customers. (i want to note that i’ve never not received my rebate).
The rebate industry is very shady. What happens a manufacturer like Asus will offer a rebate, lets say $10 off widget A. They expect to sell 100,000 units of widget A (theoretical $1 million in rebates). They will basically auction off the rebate submission process to another company (ever notice that all rebates are mailed to Young America). Another company like rebateHQ or 4myrebate will purchase these outstanding rebates for $600,000 (estimated 60% submission rate). If they can lower this percentage to 50%, the rebate company has made $100,000 in profit. Therefore their profit margin depends directly on how many rebates they can turn down.
I’ve seen rebates declined because customers forgot to circle the product on the receipt, because they didn’t fill it out in black pen, and sometimes for no reason, just to see if anybody would complain. (However a majority of declined rebates that I saw were because the person was too stupid to include something basic like the UPC)
PS: I will say is; You wasted $3. If you browse the internet for Asus rebates you will find out that the ‘express’ option, and the intentionally slowed down option get delivered around the same time (and both are prepaid debit cards).
I’m with Robert (except I’ll even jump through hoops), but I won’t track them. If they come, woot! If they don’t, I won’t remember anyway, lol.
I hate mail in rebates!
I got an electric shaver from Macy a few years ago and sent in the rebate. The letter was returned after a few weeks, apparently the rebate guys went out of business. WTF! that’s BS, what can I do at this point.
I try to avoid mail in rebates these days…
I purchased an ASUS VH236 on Nov 25 and it comes with a $20 mail-in rebate. I download the form and I found that my UPC is not in the Nov. form! Finally I found that my UPC is on the OCT form but since I purchased it on NOV so I cannot use it.
Why ASUS use different UPCs in each month and is it the customer’s duty to check the UPC? Will you check the UPC before buying a product?
Their “No-Wait service level” charge of $3.00 is a COMPLETE FRAUD! Read on…
Here’s what happened to me:
The first update email that was sent to me by them (Asus or their constituents) indicated VERY SPECIFICALLY the time schedule of the rebate shipment. As it said:
“We are pleased to inform you that your rebate, with the No-Wait service level you selected has been processed and approved on 12/03/2010.”
“Your Visa® Card will be mailed within 5-7 business days . Please contact us if you have any additional questions.”
Okay, I thought. I purchased the product in late Novemeber and it seemed pretty right-on as far as their pace of processing. Haha…NOT QUITE!
I checked back a week or so later, only to “track” the update where it then said it would NOW be postmarked by December 27, 2010. Hmmm, I got a little pissed and wrote asus(at)help.4myrebate.com, where they replied in a short and insulting manner saying: “it takes 8-10 weeks from approval date to receive payment.” and gave me a customer service number to call if I had any questions.
They completely ignored my question, basically refusing to respond to my complaint that Asus’s “rebate status update” email sent to me is knowingly representing blatantly false, misleading and fraudulent business practices.
If their representatives state in an email sent directly to me:
“YOUR VISA CARD WILL BE MAILED WITHIN 5-7 BUSINESS DAYS” from the indicated accepted and approved date of DECEMBER 3, 2010, this puts the rebate in the mail no later than December 14th or 15th at the latest. As of this writing it’s now the 26th of December 2010 and I have still not received my rebate.
Please then, I must be completely retarded because my math just can’t jive with how exactly do they arrive at the “…8-10 weeks from approval date to receive payment” time frame? This suggests I will not receive the rebate until late January to mid-February? This is absolutely outrageous and is also completely contradictory to their email to me, not to mention getting to keep the fee of $3.00 for your No-Wait Service Level processing.
Basically, now my math is ACTUALLY pretty good, if you just assume they get, say, 100,000 rebate requests for $25 where the customers all request the no-wait service level, then somebody gets $3.00 x 100,000 = $300,000 extra profit for screwing YOU the CUSTOMER.
Buyer beware!!! Asus may make good products but they suck at rebates. Hopefully you read David Hasselhoff’s comment and mine before you fall for this ass-clown sucker scam. He is right on the mark.
OMG. You again? I just yelled at you about the $3 thing in another one of your posts. But there, I was only assuming that you made the choice to give up the $3. It looks like I was right, as this post confirms it. But this time you make it worse, and you said in a reply:
” I think I’m too cheap to just forget about it and forget to track the rebate,”
If that’s true, then why the h*** are you gleefully willingly to sacrifice 10% of your rebate? Maybe the rebate companies are paying you to write this garbage and promote this $3 nonsense? Are you part of the scam?
How about if you cut it out dude…. seriously. The world doesn’t need your promotion of this scam. Listen to yourself and the contradiction. How many total $3s have you sacrificed now? $50+ worth? $100+?
Just send the cash to me dude if you don’t care about it.
TigerDirect sold me a PNY video card with a $30 rebate, that was in June 2011, it is now October 2011.. I can’t get anywhere with the rebate company, I filed a complaint with the california attorney general. Never again!
I bought two video cards a few years ago. Requested the $3 express processing on one rebate, not on the other. Didn’t make a difference: I didn’t receive either.
Now, I not only refuse to factor the rebate into the price… I won’t buy something _at all_ if it has a mail-in rebate. I’m not going to support those shenanigans.