Rebates: I Hate Them

I wish one of the consumer protection agencies would crack down on rebate offers. My experience of late is that it not only takes a long time to receive the rebate, but now it takes phone calls and threats to get your money. I have had particularly bad experiences with Hewlett Packard and Epson.

I bought a Hewlett Packard scanner with a rebate offer. I filled out the rebate form and submitted all the requested proofs of purchase. Three months went by and no rebate came. I called and called and called. I spoke to supervisors. I was on a first name basis with the woman who headed the operation named Trudy. We exchanged emails. Finally my check arrived. I cashed it and thought the matter was resolved. Then the second check arrived. I emailed Trudy. She said to tear up the check. I filed the check for reference. Then the third, fourth and fifth checks arrived.

Then I received a telephone call from a woman in the accounting department of Hewlett Packard, who wanted to know why I had not cashed check No. XXX. I was completely honest and told her how I had received five checks and how I had only cashed one. I gave her the numbers of all five checks. She then asked me to mail the checks back to her. I told her I had wasted enough time and money on the rebate offer; and if she wanted the checks back, she could send me a stamped, self-addressed envelope. She asked me to hold and then she came back and said she would handle it, and I need not send the checks back.

Last November I bought an Epson photo printer. The rebate was for a free print pack if the print pack was purchased at the same time as the printer. I bought both the printer and print pack from Amazon.com. Eight weeks went by which was the time that the form said to allow to receive the rebate. Epson had a website where the rebate status could be checked. My rebate never showed in the database. I made several calls over the next few weeks. Finally a woman said they had not received my rebate request and to resubmit it. I did that and a couple of weeks later my letter was returned with the notation that the post office box was closed.

I called again and demanded to talk to a supervisor. I told them I was ready to file a complaint with my state’s attorney general. I played voice mail ring-around-the-rosy. Finally a woman said if I would fax her the form and copies of the proofs of purchase she would authorize my rebate. I faxed her the information. She did call back to tell me she received the fax and authorized the rebate. A couple of weeks later I received my check.

I know most people are not as persistent as I am, and many of the rebates just go unpaid. This is why I think it is time for the regulators to crack down.