rebates or Ripoffs?

[Moose1am]

Here is a link to an article about these so called rebates.


http://www.courierpress.com/ecp/mone...373343,00.html







I for one will never buy a product based on the rebate. I will look at the actually amount of money that I have to take out of my pocket to bring the item home. I dont' even look at the rebate cost as I know that 60% of the people who send in a rebate form won't get their money back in the alloted time frame. Why let someone else keep your money for six months when you can put that money to work for you instead of them?

IMHO these rebates are a scam. I would never send my ORIGINAL recepit back to someone. If you did that then HOW CAN YOU PROVE THAT YOU PAID FOR the item if you don't have a receipt and they claim you never sent the receipt to them? You need to show the receipt to a judge when you file suit against them so save those recepit guys and gals. Send them a photo copy of the receipt but always save your original receipt. It's your receipt as you paid for it along with the item.

Call me cautious.

[Big Zig]

I say get rid of rebates, coupons, sales, etc. Sell products for what they're worth, not overprice them, and make the "real" price look like a deal.

I was asked if I was going to have "show specials" when selling my jigs at local outdoor shows. People are so conditioned to getting a deal, they don't even realize what things are actually worth. I'm always amazed at items that go on sale after a holiday - 50% off. half price from what the product was being sold for two weeks earlier, and the manufacturer is still making money.

Moose, are you sure you don't mean "paranoid" instead of "cautious"??? :D
Mrs. Zig has this thing for rebates, I would have to say at least one every two weeks and we've haven't been burnt yet, all things went as they should have. I grumble everytime I put one in the mailbox...........until we get some $$$$$$ back. :p

[Moose1am]

Let me tell you a story about a local car dealership here in Evansville, IN. O'Daniel Ranes Car Dealership. Back around 1980 or so they had this car for sale in the showroom. The car was selling for X amount of dollars at the time we first saw it. A month later is was on sale for more than X dollars. They raised the list price and put the sale price lower but the sale price was still higher than the list price was for that car the month before.

I would say that I am cautious and have seen some of the ticks that are used. Lucky for me and my friend he was looking for a pickup truck and not a sedan. But it taught us both a good lesson.

check the value not the sale price. shop around and bargin or go to Saturn to buy a new car.

I found out about rebates when I shopped at Best Buy. First I purchased some computer ram that was sold with a rebate offer. I wanted the ram no matter what and was going to try to take advantage of the rebate offer. Well the store clerk said he was fresh out of rebate tickets but that they would mail one to me later. Yea Right!. To make a long story short I never got the rebate as the put so many requirements on the deal that it was not easily met. I was not going to mail my original recepit to them for the first time so that right away disqualified me for their rebate. I still have my receipt and those copies of the original rebate tickets that I didn't even bother to send in. Most people just don't mess with the rebates and making copies of receipts and those that do have to wait up to 6 months sometimes before they get a check in the mail for the rebate. Now I would rather go to a different store that gave me a price that was firm and lower than the first store. That is what is called the Consumer taking control. Shop around and locate the best deals before you buy. Take your time and if they tell you that you have to hurry up before the sale goes off then walk out of the store. That product will be there tomorrow and they still have to sell it. It costs them money to stock items and they have to move them sooner or later. You control the price by waiting and being patient and not jumping through the sellers hoops. Buy smart and you will not be burned as often.

I say get rid of rebates, coupons, sales, etc. Sell products for what they're worth, not overprice them, and make the "real" price look like a deal.

I was asked if I was going to have "show specials" when selling my jigs at local outdoor shows. People are so conditioned to getting a deal, they don't even realize what things are actually worth. I'm always amazed at items that go on sale after a holiday - 50% off. half price from what the product was being sold for two weeks earlier, and the manufacturer is still making money.

Moose, are you sure you don't mean "paranoid" instead of "cautious"??? :D
Mrs. Zig has this thing for rebates, I would have to say at least one every two weeks and we've haven't been burnt yet, all things went as they should have. I grumble everytime I put one in the mailbox...........until we get some $$$$$$ back. :p

[Big Zig]

Let me tell you a story about a local car dealership here in Evansville, IN. O'Daniel Ranes Car Dealership. Back around 1980 or so they had this car for sale in the showroom. The car was selling for X amount of dollars at the time we first saw it. A month later is was on sale for more than X dollars. They raised the list price and put the sale price lower but the sale price was still higher than the list price was for that car the month before.

yeah - it's crazy some of the stuff that is done. Makes you wonder how many people don't see it - or better yet, what we haven't even figured out yet.
When I worked at a local grocery store in high school -I remember that certain music was played at certain times of day. They said music stimulated compulsive buying, and would shift music styles based on the age group that would be in the store at the time. (Wonder what is playing @ BPS when I'm there? :D ). Makes you wonder...........


OOps almost forgot - we always send photocopied reciepts with the rebates. What do you do if there are other purchases on the original? Sounds like Best Buy wasn't the best place to deal with - I've never been in that store.

[duane]

Let me tell you a story about a local car dealership here in Evansville, IN. O'Daniel Ranes Car Dealership. Back around 1980 or so they had this car for sale in the showroom. The car was selling for X amount of dollars at the time we first saw it. A month later is was on sale for more than X dollars. They raised the list price and put the sale price lower but the sale price was still higher than the list price was for that car the month before.

I would say that I am cautious and have seen some of the ticks that are used. Lucky for me and my friend he was looking for a pickup truck and not a sedan. But it taught us both a good lesson.

check the value not the sale price. shop around and bargin or go to Saturn to buy a new car.

I found out about rebates when I shopped at Best Buy. First I purchased some computer ram that was sold with a rebate offer. I wanted the ram no matter what and was going to try to take advantage of the rebate offer. Well the store clerk said he was fresh out of rebate tickets but that they would mail one to me later. Yea Right!. To make a long story short I never got the rebate as the put so many requirements on the deal that it was not easily met. I was not going to mail my original recepit to them for the first time so that right away disqualified me for their rebate. I still have my receipt and those copies of the original rebate tickets that I didn't even bother to send in. Most people just don't mess with the rebates and making copies of receipts and those that do have to wait up to 6 months sometimes before they get a check in the mail for the rebate. Now I would rather go to a different store that gave me a price that was firm and lower than the first store. That is what is called the Consumer taking control. Shop around and locate the best deals before you buy. Take your time and if they tell you that you have to hurry up before the sale goes off then walk out of the store. That product will be there tomorrow and they still have to sell it. It costs them money to stock items and they have to move them sooner or later. You control the price by waiting and being patient and not jumping through the sellers hoops. Buy smart and you will not be burned as often.

Most manufacturers rebates are so the sale price is passed to the buyer not store selling the item.

[Barnacle Bill]

Yea, but I am agreeing with Moose. If the rebates are legit, why can't the retailer get them when they sell the item? That ain't gonna happen because the manuafactures know most people won't bother sending them in, and if they do, and something is forgotten, the manufacture never tells you. Meanwhile, the consumer has forgotten all about it.