Rebates. The promise of cold, hard cash back for making their brand your choice! You buy the product, carefully read the rules, fill out the coupon, circle the date and purchased item on the receipt, cut out the UPC Code from the package, put the dated register receipt, UPC Code and register receipt in an envelope with the rebate address carefully printed on the outside and with your 44 cent stamp attached. Then you wait, and wait. Sometimes, you actually win, and then, sometimes you actually get screwed, as happened to me today.
This is no huge rebate, just $7.99 on a bag of Tyson frozen chicken. But after doing all the above and especially circling the purchase date (which I always do as sometimes I know it could be hard to find) today I receive a card in the mail from CMS Rebate Center telling me my rebate is not qualified because "Reg receipt did not contain a valid purchase date." WTF??
Luckily, I make copies of each and every rebate I send in and sure enough, there big as day is the purchase date of 7/19/09 circled on the store identified register receipt. The rebate period is from 5/1/09 to 10/31/09 so it sure was a valid date!
The rebate company states to resubmit the "missing information" within "7 business days" to an address they provide. I'm resubmitting it, and submitting copies to the Better Business Bureau, Consumer Affairs and filed a complaint with Tyson Foods.
Why? Because I think this is just another way to screw the consumer out of their rebate. Who could miss the purchase date circled? Do they employ the visually handicapped to read the submissions? What next...they'll say it wasn't returned within the seven business days and therefore invalid? Would save them lots of money to just send out postcards instead of rebates, wouldn't it? We all have heard about how some rebate companies have scammed their customers by refunding the money, but not to the consumer. And others who make big bucks by the number of rebates they can deny rather than by the number of rebates they fulfill.
As an investigator, I don't get mad. I generally get even at some time, sooner or later. I could tell you of getting ripped off for five thousand dollars some years back, that cost a company millions in the end, but that's a story for another day.
UPDATE: After writing to Tyson (who simply asked what I bought and no further response...no more of their products for me) and calling the rebate company (who were very nice on the phone I might add) I received a notice in my e-mail today, September 1, stating my rebate was being processed and would be received in two to four weeks. All of this for a rebate, which still brings the question of how many thousands are not getting their rebates because they don't complain?
I suggest people buy products with instant savings and let the stores know that the store should be doing the instant rebate and the work if they want to sell the product. Bags of old outdated chicken left on a shelf would tell the company more than you could imagine!
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