AVOID STAPLES! REBATES ARE A TRIP TO H...!

[geezer]

I pass this along just to warn you out there that buying hardware from
Staples that has a rebate may look like a worthwhile endeavor, but be
prepared for a fight to get that rebate.

I bought a Minolta 1350W Laser Printer three weeks ago, and am still
fighting with the Staples Rebate Center, who keeps saying via their
web site and by snail mail that my submission is 'incomplete' and
still being 'validated'.

The reason for this post is that when I call the rebate center to talk
with them, I get a computer of course which says I must wait 6 weeks
before complaining. When I called the store where I bought the
printer, the manager told me the store does not get involved, and that
rebates are between customer and the rebate center. When I reminded
the manager that the submission-rejection card I received in the mail
clearly had STAPLES on it, he said 'So?'. He even said 'I am a
customer just like you are, and can do no better!'.

Anyway, I plan to return the printer, but I really wanted it and still
do - at what I thought was a good price after rebate. But you know, I
got better things to do.

For what it's worth, I feel better now, after this venting.

Geezer

 

[kony]

I pass this along just to warn you out there that buying hardware from
Staples that has a rebate may look like a worthwhile endeavor, but be
prepared for a fight to get that rebate.

I bought a Minolta 1350W Laser Printer three weeks ago, and am still
fighting with the Staples Rebate Center, who keeps saying via their
web site and by snail mail that my submission is 'incomplete' and
still being 'validated'.

First, you are being premature at the 3 week point to go
complain to the store. The rebate itself should have a
phone number on it, and if as you wrote you can't get a
human at that number with any automated menu choices, search
online for alternate phone numbers for the rebate house.

I do hope you made copies of things like the rebate form,
UPC, receipt, and anything else the rebate may have
required. In cases where a rebate is rejected these bits of
evidence can be crucial.

The reason for this post is that when I call the rebate center to talk
with them, I get a computer of course which says I must wait 6 weeks
before complaining.

Oddly enough, sometimes calling back and talking to a
different person can help. Perhaps you only used the word
"complain" but were polite, but either way, try calling back
and innocently asking why your rebate was denied (if the
card you were mailed didn't specify) and that you need
information on how to submit this proof (the copies of the
items I'd mentioned previously, the UPC or receipt, form,
whatever).

When I called the store where I bought the
printer, the manager told me the store does not get involved, and that
rebates are between customer and the rebate center.

It is easier to be brushed off on the phone than in
person... not a guarantee that going to the store will help,
but something to think about. As with talking to a rebate
center employee, you might have better luck talking to
another manager at Staples, and the best time to do that is
on another work shift, not the shift during which you made
your last call.

When I reminded
the manager that the submission-rejection card I received in the mail
clearly had STAPLES on it, he said 'So?'. He even said 'I am a
customer just like you are, and can do no better!'.

Some stores will make good on a rejected rebate, but not
yet... generally it's after the specified period on the
rebate form (like 6-8 or 10-12 weeks) has elapsed.

Anyway, I plan to return the printer,

I doubt you can, without all the UPCs on it.
Actually, it could be considered fraud, because you're still
not sure you won't get the rebate.

but I really wanted it and still
do - at what I thought was a good price after rebate. But you know, I
got better things to do.

For what it's worth, I feel better now, after this venting.

I've had fairly good luck with rebates on products Staples
sells... but which rebate center did this go to, Staples' or
the manufacturer's ?

If you can find a fax number for the rebate center, just
start faxing them your rebate ID # (on the card they sent),
along with copies of the UPC, receipt, all details. Just
fax it to them... without them even telling you to. Wait a
week, if the website hasn't been changed to reflect success,
fax it again... and again, and again. Once you have the fax
readied, it's rather easy to just keep resending it... just
give them time to check and update the website, there's no
point in resending it without a little time inbetween each.

I'd still try to find another phone # and call the rebate
center, it's your best course of action.

 

[geezer]

I do hope you made copies of things like the rebate form,
UPC, receipt, and anything else the rebate may have
required. In cases where a rebate is rejected these bits of
evidence can be crucial.

I have everything. In fact the printer is still in the box, on the
floor, unopened. I applied on-line for the rebate.

I've had fairly good luck with rebates on products Staples
sells... but which rebate center did this go to, Staples' or
the manufacturer's ?

The snail-mail rebate rejection has STAPLES right on the front.
Thanks for response. This has been a frustrating experience at best.

G

 

[J. Yazel]

I pass this along just to warn you out there that buying hardware from
Staples that has a rebate may look like a worthwhile endeavor, but be
prepared for a fight to get that rebate.

=========== SNIP ============

I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone in disliking Staples rebate
system.

I accidently sent the wrong UPC code with my rebate submission and
it's been impossible to contact them to discuss correcting the
problem.

I had a similar experience with the manager (or somebody similar).
He seemed to be very unknowledgeable about contacting their own
rebate system. I never did contact them. I finally got a postcard
about the problem but if anything else occurs (or if they decide to
ignore the re-submission), then it will get worse.

I also will not be buying anything from them if it has a rebate.

 

[John]

I have everything. In fact the printer is still in the box, on the
floor, unopened. I applied on-line for the rebate.

The snail-mail rebate rejection has STAPLES right on the front.

Thanks for response. This has been a frustrating experience at best.

G

If you have the docs to back you up , in my experience you can always
fix it. Rebate veterans no that many rebates seem to just get rejected
period as if its a game. When you call and resubmit then 80% of the
time its fixed. Once in a while you get a really pain in the ass
situation where you have to resubmit several times etc. But even then
I eventually got the rebate.

Right now Im in a streak of bad luck. Lots of pan in the ass stuff
happening and a Targus wireless mouse rebate I bought a few weeks ago
from Compusa was rejected by Targus. I mentioned it and another person
had the same thing go on. They claimed wrong UPC and of course its the
right one as COMPUSA prints out the rebate form with the item so
theres no way its wrong unless they screwed up on their system. The
funny thing is , its the only scanned backup I did recently of a
rebate that went bad, cant read the file only CDR I backed it up to.

Anyway ALL the places have human reponders that Ive called. Some are
hard to figure out how to reach though. Sometimes you have to stay
online after all the options are read and after a while a human comes
on. You should post the REBATE firm maybe someone can give you tips
on how to get through. Theres usually 5-6 common firms that handle
most of the rebates unless its handled inhouse by the manufacturer.
Those tend to be the worst to deal with.

 

[tluxon]

About two years ago I bought a couple 250GB drives that had maybe $15
or more worth of rebates. The same "incomplete" notice came to me an
I remember having to make a number of phone calls. I recall at th
time I swore I'd never buy another Staples item depending on a larg
rebate to get the price I thought was fair. Nonetheless, the rebate
did eventually come through several months later

If you keep pressing for this, you'll get the rebate(s) sometime dow
the road, resulting in getting the printer for the price you firs
thought. I know it's a pain and that's why I shy away from Staple
rebates when I can

Success to you

 

[Bob]

I pass this along just to warn you out there that buying hardware from
Staples that has a rebate may look like a worthwhile endeavor, but be
prepared for a fight to get that rebate.

It's not just Staples - it's every vendor. I had problems with HP and
with McAfee. In the case of HP I finally got a full rebate after
several months. But in the case of McAfee I only got 50% of the
rebate.

So I found a backdoor to the McAfee upgrade/update site and got 4
years worth free. What goes around comes around. Pricks.

 

[Bob]

If you have the docs to back you up , in my experience you can always
fix it.

Not always true. In the case of a McAfee rebate, the company
processing the rebates disappeared. McAfee condescendingly gave 50%.
Pricks.

 

[Bob]

If you keep pressing for this, you'll get the rebate(s) sometime down
the road, resulting in getting the printer for the price you first
thought.

Anyone consider contacting the printer manufacturer and letting them
know. Ask for the "Executive Complaint Dept.", which is at corporate
HQ. Tell them that the Atty. Gen. of your state vigorously prosecutes
consumer fraud.

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

I bought a Minolta 1350W Laser Printer three weeks ago, and am still
fighting with the Staples Rebate Center, who keeps saying via their
web site and by snail mail that my submission is 'incomplete' and
still being 'validated'.

How can a submission made online be incomplete when there's no way to
complete the online form without filling in all the information? If
you were given a tracking number, you had to provide a complete
submission.

I get a computer of course which says I must wait 6 weeks
before complaining.

I always ignore that and press the button for submissions made over 8
weeks ago, and Parago (the main rebate processor for Staples) usually
has the submission on record in 5-15 days. Also don't trust any
automated system, whether it's the one you phone or at the website,
because a live person will often provide different information.

One thing Staples' online rebate system does is hold off approval until
the refund period for the product has passed, usually two weeks for
electronics or computer equipment. IOW you may not be able to get a
rebate, and it wouldn't surprise me if that jerk manager won't let you
take back even an unopened product. Also when I recently made an
online submission, I got an e-mail telling me it was invalid (rebate
form and online system had a different expiration date than what was
listed on the shelf tag in the store), but my status was fixed after I
made a phone call, so don't give up.

When I called the store where I bought the printer, the
manager told me the store does not get involved, and that
rebates are between customer and the rebate center.
When I reminded the manager that the submission-rejection
card I received in the mail clearly had STAPLES on it, he
said 'So?'. He even said 'I am a customer just like you
are, and can do no better!'.

He's an idiot because if the store ad mentioned the rebate, the store
IS involved and has some responsible, according to a person who sued
over a $10 rebate and was told by a court clerk to file against the
store. This is why I always keep the store ad.

 

[Bob]

One thing Staples' online rebate system does is hold off approval until
the refund period for the product has passed, usually two weeks for
electronics or computer equipment.

Two Weeks???

That's crap. WalMart gives 90 days.

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

Two Weeks???

That's crap. WalMart gives 90 days.

Yes, but lots of places now have short return times for certain
products or charge restocking fees for them even when they normally
give 100% cash refunds (even Target does the latter on cameras). OTOH
last year CompUSA dropped its 15% restocking fee for products bought
during the Thanksgiving-Christmas holiday season (not that I'd ever
shop there again).

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

Not always true. In the case of a McAfee rebate, the company
processing the rebates disappeared. McAfee condescendingly gave 50%.
Pricks.

How did they get away with that? That seems like outright fraud, and I
would have demanded a chargeback through my credit card company.

The company that gave me the worst treatment is Best Buy. They issued
rebate forms with misprinted expiration dates and rejected my
submission because the date was wrong, never mind that it was their
fault. They simply wouldn't budge until I talked to a store manager
who looked VERY different from the typical Best Buy cult member (actual
human being, no holes in his skull where the brain cells are normally
removed during pre-employment screening).

 

[Grinder]

It's not just Staples - it's every vendor. I had problems with HP and
with McAfee. In the case of HP I finally got a full rebate after
several months. But in the case of McAfee I only got 50% of the
rebate.

So I found a backdoor to the McAfee upgrade/update site and got 4
years worth free. What goes around comes around. Pricks.

Does for years worth of McAfee anti-virus have any monetary value?

 

[kony]

VERY different from the typical Best Buy cult member (actual
human being, no holes in his skull where the brain cells are normally
removed during pre-employment screening).

hehe

Sometimes I get the urge to tell them "here's a dollar, go
away".

 

[Bob]

Does for years worth of McAfee anti-virus have any monetary value?

Good question. But it was there chugging away like the lil' choo choo
who could.

 

[Bob]

Yes, but lots of places now have short return times for certain
products or charge restocking fees for them even when they normally
give 100% cash refunds (even Target does the latter on cameras). OTOH
last year CompUSA dropped its 15% restocking fee for products bought
during the Thanksgiving-Christmas holiday season (not that I'd ever
shop there again).

I quit shopping at Circuit City when they tried to pull that
"restocking fee" crap. CC almost went bankrupt.

Here's WM Return Policy:

http://tinyurl.com/a52ez/

There are some exceptions but DVDRs are not listed in those
exceptions. You get a full 90 days on DVDRs.

BTW, I returned that ILO unit and swapped it for the other kind and I
am running tests now. The unit I got a couple months ago is DVDR05ZU
and the one I have now is DVDR05MU. I am told by Ilo tech support that
the units have different chip sets.

Despite what the manual says, the ZU unit requires that you Finalize
DVD +RW discs or they won't play on another DVD player. I tested that
and it is true - I had to Finalize my +RWs to get them to play on
another DVD player. When I did Finalize the disc the ZU unit would
sometimes corrupt the second 1-hour title. That's with the latest
version 76 firmware.

This time it happened I was using Verbatim discs, which were highly
recommended by tech support. I ran a CD-DVD Speed Scan on the
corrupted disc and sure enough I could see the corruption where I
expected it. I then fully erased the disc, laid down the test pattern
and did the Scan again - this time there were no defects not even a
"damaged" sector. Therefore I concluded that the disc was not at fault
- it had to be the ZU unit. So I swapped it.

I will know in a couple days if the MU unit is any better. If not,
then Santa better have a better unit in his sack for Christmas or
Santa is going to get an assful of buckshot if he shows up empty
handed.

 

[Bob]

How did they get away with that? That seems like outright fraud, and I
would have demanded a chargeback through my credit card company.

This happened in 1997. I do not believe all the card companies were
offering consumer protection like they do now. I have used that
chargeback protection twice recently and it works great. You ought to
see a crooked vendor get helpful quick when that happens. BTW, it
costs the vendor $35 from his merchant bank for the chargeback, so
vendors do not like it. Whenever I buy anything from a vendor on Ebay,
I use credit card payment even if I go thry PayPal, and I send an
email to the vendor if I win the auction reminding them of my Zero
Tolerance Policy. They can back out of the transaction if they don't
like it. Thus far every vendor I have dealt with has been overly
solicitous to make sure I am satisfied.

The company that gave me the worst treatment is Best Buy. They issued
rebate forms with misprinted expiration dates and rejected my
submission because the date was wrong, never mind that it was their
fault.

I despise that place as much as Circuit City. I go to Office Depot for
better deals anyway. Or Sam's Club.

They simply wouldn't budge until I talked to a store manager
who looked VERY different from the typical Best Buy cult member (actual
human being, no holes in his skull where the brain cells are normally
removed during pre-employment screening).

I thought those holes were for the shit to drain out. Worst Buy won't
hire anyone unless they have shit for brains.

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

On 29 Oct 2005 09:06:00 -0700, "larry moe 'n curly"
<[email protected]> wrote:

In the case of a McAfee rebate, the company processing
the rebates disappeared. McAfee condescendingly gave 50%.
Pricks.

This happened in 1997. I do not believe all the card companies were
offering consumer protection like they do now.

The card companies may not have been offering it, but federal law,
namely the Fair Credit Billing Act, had been requiring card companies
to provide a great deal of protection since the mid-1970s. That act is
summarized on the back of each paper bill and has provisions such as
requiring complaints to be filed in writing within sixty days (not
always 60 days, not always in writing) or applies only to purchases
made within the same state or within 100 miles of your address (time
limit doesn't apply, but $50 minimum does; also in the case of mail,
phone and Internet orders the distance is measured between your address
ad your phone, mailbox, or computer). There's also a provision for
collecting up to a $50 fine from the card company if they don't fix
things or explain themselves properly within ninety days, and in one
case that was the only way I was able to get a refund. BTW card
companies vary greatly in how well they obey the law, with FirstUSA
(now part of Chase) being among the worst, Amex and Citibank the best.
Also Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and Discover have long had their own rules
that extend the 60-day complaint limit to at least a year, but
Mastercard doesn't seem to enforce this very much against its member
banks. As you may have guessed, I complain a lot. I filed my
first chargeback before I was 18 (accidentally got Dad's pre-approved
card application at age 16, was given a card despite telling them my
real Social Security number).

I have used that chargeback protection twice recently and it
works great. You ought to see a crooked vendor get helpful
quick when that happens. BTW, it costs the vendor $35 from
his merchant bank for the chargeback, so vendors do not like
it. Whenever I buy anything from a vendor on Ebay, I use
credit card payment even if I go thry PayPal, and I send an
email to the vendor if I win the auction reminding them of
my Zero Tolerance Policy. They can back out of the transaction
if they don't like it. Thus far every vendor I have dealt
with has been overly solicitous to make sure I am satisfied.

Good idea for handling Ebay purchases.

I despise that place [Best Buy] as much as Circuit City.
I go to Office Depot for better deals anyway. Or Sam's Club.

I've been buying almost all my computer/electronics stuff from Fry's
Electronics (almost across the street from my house) and the office
supply stores because they have the best bargains and by far the best
return policies. Unfortunately Office Depot closed all their retail
stores in my area, but they have a local distribution center, so I
think that shipping is still free above a certain purchase amount.

[Best Buy] simply wouldn't budge until I talked to a store manager
who looked VERY different from the typical Best Buy cult member (actual
human being, no holes in his skull where the brain cells are normally
removed during pre-employment screening).

I thought those holes were for the shit to drain out. Worst Buy won't
hire anyone unless they have shit for brains.

Best Buy was so bad that I once heard another customer complain to them
-- about the treatment that _I_ was receiving! It's a shame that such
a bad company has become the leading consumer electronics dealer in the
U.S. They're as bad to customers as Wal-mart is to employees.

 

[Bob]

It's a shame that such
a bad company has become the leading consumer electronics dealer in the
U.S.

This is typical. The original team that made the store great was
replaced with the cheapes thing around, to enhance profits.

You see this with restaurants a lot - great food and great service
until the client base grows sufficiently large that food and service
can be downgraded for more profit.

They're as bad to customers as Wal-mart is to employees.

That is regional. In my part of Houston WM babies its employees.