Here & There Column 2-24-09

Doing The Rebate Thing

Have you ever tried to figure out what the buying public would do without the "Rebate" thing?
Most people stay away from rebates because they are afraid they will either be denied or they just don't want to fool around with all the regulations and paper work involved.
On a recent purchase I made the paperwork I had to fill out wanted my life history, the sales slip (and no copies) along with the product ID and serial number, where I purchased the product, the total cost and the UPC code from the original packaging ..........all of this for a $10 rebate.....you might wonder whether this is worth it or not.
But then again on a different product I purchased there was this scenario......the item I purchased included a free carry case with an easy rebate. The catch here was that I had to pay for the full price for the case, then fill out a rebate coupon (which was an easy procedure because all they wanted was my name, address, phone number and email address and everything else about the product was included on the rebate redemption form which told me I should receive my rebate in four to six weeks.......with a small catch here being that my rebate would come to me in the form of a Visa debit card.
Just a quick note here......don't let the card lay around the house because some folks tend to set them aside on their kitchen counter and forget they have to be used within a certain time frame .... this forget-fullness almost cost me $40 one time.
Just have to scratch my head sometimes and wonder why the store made me pay for the case when they were going to refund me the full cost of it in the form of a rebate....can you imagine the extra help this company must pay for to handle the rebate process when it would have been just as simple and more cost effective to not charge me for the case in the first place.
I know some folks have a good organization method and save hundreds on rebates and they make for sure they won't be denied this savings.
To play by the rebate rules it's good to have a copier, stamps, envelopes and scissors. Always make copies of what you send in because if you get a denial all you have to do is call the number on the sheet and let them know you have copies of the submission and usually this is all you need to do to get the rebate issued.
Important to remember that in most cases, the rebate paperwork must be sent to the manufacturer or retailer within 30 days of the purchase and companies are required by law to send rebates within the time frame promised.
Happy rebate shopping.