Rebates: The Ghost of Black Friday Future
December 1st, 2006The Ghost of Black Friday Future says “Stay on top of those Black Friday rebates!”
It hasn’t been scientifically demonstrated, but from my experience
last year, rebate fulfillers are either extra careless or extra shady
around the holidays. I’ve sent in 50?+ rebates in my life, and the only
two that ever had problems were 2 of the 4 that I submitted between
Thanksgiving and Christmas last year. Both came back with letters
saying they were unable to process my request due to vague reasons.
Circuit
City owed me $20 for a memory card I had purchased. A month after my submission, I received a letter from them stating that I had an “Invalid
Circuit City Store Ticket of Web Order Number.” I had no idea what that
meant, but armed with all my documentation, I called the
phone number listed, ready to do battle. I spoke with Sharon, who
looked up my information and said, “Oh, we’re just one number short blah
blah blah.” Her explanation didn’t make much sense to me and I
don’t think she even needed any information from me. She apparently
fixed the issue and told me I would receive my rebate in 4-6 more weeks. Even after meeting all the initial requirements, if I hadn’t followed up on the rejection letter, Circuit City would have kept my $20.
Don’t give retailers an excuse not to give you your money! Of course, make copies of all documents you submit (receipts, UPC’s, rebate forms, everything). Double check to make sure you’re including all required documents. Make sure you have a contact number for the rebate center to call if you have questions. Submit rebates within the deadlines! Also (if you have several rebates), make a list of checks you are waiting for and cross them off as they arrive. Even better, mark dates on your calendar by which you should have received each rebate and follow up if you haven’t been rebated within the specified time frame.