Last year when I bought a Canon 5D it had a mail-in rebate of £200. It took ten months and multiple e-mails and snail-mail letters to finally get the check.
I had a suspicion I was not alone. This proves to be the case.
It looks like Canon and others like them are doing it on purpose, saving big money on the big percentage of customer who just give up or forget. This is dirty business, and these companies should not be doing it.
A similar thing from Sandisk.
JB enlightens:
"Well they had a problem in the US which was blamed on the company they used to process the rebates. Canon USA promptly made public apologies (on forums and blogs) and created a way to register your rebate request on their website. This was supposed to speed up processing.
When I submitted my rebate request after they had done that my rebate was processed and in my hands within 3 weeks, maybe a bit less.
So perhaps the Canon Europe managers have been less active in fixing the problem. I haven't heard any complaints after the initial problem was fixed here in the US."
They made apologies on forums and blogs? Really? I've never heard of a big company doing that.
JB expands:
This is the message that was sent to several forums/blogs by Canon:
--------------
"Hi, Folks:
Let me assure anyone who is interested that Canon U.S.A. takes the issue of
customer satisfaction very seriously. It's not by mistake that the PC
Magazine Readers Survey has rated us #1 in digital camera after-sales
customer satisfaction for the past 3 years in a row.
We are sincerely dedicated to honoring legitimate claims for our mail-in
rebate programs. Towards that end, we recently set up a new system on our
website that allows customers who qualify for rebates to expedite their
requests through a pre-qualification process. Please visit the following web
page and click on "PRE-QUALIFY YOUR REBATE" for details.
[They had a link here but blogger doesn't like it]
In addition, we provide a toll-free dedicated support line for rebate
requests through our Customer Support Center at 1-800-828-4040, and there is
also a dedicated e-mail address for assistance on rebate claims:
rebates@...
Hope this helps!
Best Regards,
Chuck Westfall
Director/Media & Customer Relationship
Camera Marketing Group/Canon U.S.A., Inc."
I've given up on mail in rebates. There is a window of opportunity to start your claim, then you need to send in several copies of your receipt, and various parts of the box - bar code, proof of purchase tab etc. There is a tax preparation software, TurboTax, that used to allow mail in rebates of the Federal version, the State version - bundled with the Federal and another for the store. The three rebates needed a receipt each, and a coupon each AND barcodes each. They were mailed separately to difference locations.
ReplyDeleteFor some rebates you had to highlight the item on the receipt, and only the rebate item, nothing else. It's a painful procedure.
There are so many places you can screw up the application, they can easily avoid paying it. It's a dirty trick and a cunning game.
The other cunning plot is mail order from the web. You go to buy something, and you get the best price only to find their shipping and handling is extortionate. The final price is cheaper from the more expensive looking on-line store.
I've given up bargain hunting and buy from a physical store when the price is tolerable, or I just need the thing.
I never liked mail in rebates but when I purchased my verizon phone two months ago they offered a rebate of fifty bucks. I sent it in and received the rebate in a month. I was impressed.
ReplyDeleteI tipp my hat to verizon.
On the contrary, I bought a Canon 5d and several lenses a few months ago, in two separate orders, and I received the promised rebates within the time frame that was indicated. I registered for the rebates on line, which was suggested to speed them up. With the double rebates, I probably saved almost $1000, not small change.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear, Dave.
ReplyDeleteWell they had a problem in the US which was blamed on the company they used to process the rebates. Canon USA promptly made public apologies (on forums and blogs) and created a way to register your rebate request on their website. This was supposed to speed up processing.
ReplyDeleteWhen I submitted my rebate request after they had done that my rebate was processed and in my hands within 3 weeks, maybe a bit less.
So perhaps the Canon Europe managers have been less active in fixing the problem. I haven't heard any complaints after the initial problem was fixed here in the US.
There's a typical phenomenon in lebanese supermarkets: you see a product labeled, say, "5 + 1 free", or "33% extra free". And, more often than not, when you compare to the exact same articles with no extra "free" stuff [in the same store, usually on the same shelf] and do the math, you find out that either you pay the same per quantity anyway, or the "extra free" offer actually costs slightly MORE!
ReplyDeleteNo comment...
Also, should you be visiting Lebanon, do NOT buy local Duracell batteries. It seems all of them are crap. Quite likely, contraband counterfeits.
So, is Lebanon a planetary hot spot for scams? Your guess is as good as mine. :-/
Our cell phone fees are among the highest worldwide. "Lonng leeve deemockrassy!"
I guess I was a bit sore last night. I have always had very positive results with Verizon. Their customer service has been good since when they were GTE.
ReplyDeleteNot all rebates are evil, and of the the few dozen I've done, a few were missed application dates through buying late in the offer, poorly written instructions (especially Tubo Tax) and over half of them I actually got the money.
This is the message that was sent to several forums/blogs by Canon:
ReplyDelete--------------
"Hi, Folks:
Let me assure anyone who is interested that Canon U.S.A. takes the issue of
customer satisfaction very seriously. It's not by mistake that the PC
Magazine Readers Survey has rated us #1 in digital camera after-sales
customer satisfaction for the past 3 years in a row.
We are sincerely dedicated to honoring legitimate claims for our mail-in
rebate programs. Towards that end, we recently set up a new system on our
website that allows customers who qualify for rebates to expedite their
requests through a pre-qualification process. Please visit the following web
page and click on "PRE-QUALIFY YOUR REBATE" for details.
[They had a link here but blogger doesn't like it]
In addition, we provide a toll-free dedicated support line for rebate
requests through our Customer Support Center at 1-800-828-4040, and there is
also a dedicated e-mail address for assistance on rebate claims:
rebates@...
Hope this helps!
Best Regards,
Chuck Westfall
Director/Media & Customer Relationship
Camera Marketing Group/Canon U.S.A., Inc."