TigerDirect rebate scam

  • Thread starter Thread starter johns
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johns

How many of you have bought products from TigerDirect
and never received your rebates? I get the feeling that
their rebate center is running a scam on these payments
and never delivering without major hassle and repeated
phone calls. If they are doing this to a lot of people,
they need to be reported to the Attorny General of
the State of Minnesota for fraud. I know their Rebate
Center is listed in Miami, Florida, but that is not its
real location. They are in Minnesota. This is the same
stunt that Dell Computers was reported as doing.
Dell offers greatly reduced prices, and then does not
deliver without being confronted equally. I believe they
are in legal trouble over it now, with pending lawsuits.
TigerDirect appears to be doing the same thing, and
it is time to make these companies stop this kind
of false advertising.

johns
 
I just reported them to the State Attorney General's Office
of Consumer Protection in Minnesota. If you want to file
a complaint, go to their web page, and fill out the form.
Mail it in to Lori Swanson, along with copies of any
documentation you may have. I also called TigerDirect
and reported the behavior of their Rebate Center to them.
They said they would look into it, but I suspect it is
the same as the Dell scam, and they will do nothing.
This really needs "class action" so that the amount
of the fines gets their attention. Minnesota is the
location of the TigerDirect Rebate Center.

http://www.ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/Complaint.asp

johns
 
Why buy from TD? I find Newegg is superior in every way.
--
Once when I was in Hawaii, on the island of Kauai, I met a
mysterious old stranger. He said he was about to die and wanted
to tell someone about the treasure. I said, "Okay, as long as
it's not a long story. Some of us have a plane to catch, you
know." He started telling his story, about the treasure and his
life and all, and I thought: "This story isn't too long." But
then, he kept going, and I started thinking, "Uh-oh, this story
is getting long." But then the story was over, and I said to
myself: "You know, that story wasn't too long after all." I
forget what the story was about, but there was a good movie on
the plane. It was a little long, though.
- Jack Handey
 
In alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt johns said:
How many of you have bought products from TigerDirect
and never received your rebates? I get the feeling that
their rebate center is running a scam on these payments
and never delivering without major hassle and repeated
phone calls. If they are doing this to a lot of people,
they need to be reported to the Attorny General of
the State of Minnesota for fraud. I know their Rebate
Center is listed in Miami, Florida, but that is not its
real location. They are in Minnesota. This is the same
stunt that Dell Computers was reported as doing.
Dell offers greatly reduced prices, and then does not
deliver without being confronted equally. I believe they
are in legal trouble over it now, with pending lawsuits.
TigerDirect appears to be doing the same thing, and
it is time to make these companies stop this kind
of false advertising.
Click to expand...
Most companies offering rebates take many long months to return them.
By doing so, they get the use of your money for those many months.
It saves borrowing money from banks.
A quick way for a strapped company to get an inflow of needed cash.
So, unless you've been waiting more than nine months or so, don't be
holding your breath in anticipation of a quick rebate.

Also, sometime READ the rebate information to see just how long they're
liable to be in getting the rebate back to you. You might find out you
still have months left to wait by the very contract offering the rebate.
 
TigerDirect is claiming that they have actually mailed the
rebate check. They did not. All they do is continue to
resubmit the check, and then it never comes. It is a
scam. They are hoping I just forget about it. After hearing
about the same scam at Dell Computers, I now figure
that TigerDirect .. and possibly many others are doing
the same thing. I applied for a rebate from a company
that sells the ATI 550 Theater Pro pci-e card. They did
the same exact thing, and that was nearly 2 years ago.
Right now, on this item at TigerDirect, I have been
waiting on an approved rebate since February. When
I call about it, they claim it was mailed, and then they
say they will not do anything until the last dated
mailing is past 30 days. They have done this twice
to me. I have no doubt that they are doing this to a
lot of people, so I am referring everybody to the
Attorney Generals Office in the state where the Rebate
Center is located .. in this case Minnesota. They will
take legal action against this Rebate Center, and
possibly fine them for every single instance of
consumer fraud they discover.

johns
 
johns said:
How many of you have bought products from TigerDirect
and never received your rebates?
Click to expand...

Didn't take long until I figured out that rebates were problematic.
Doesn't take much figurine to understand that they are mostly a scam.
When shopping, just be prepared to immediately move on to the next
product when you see a mail-in rebate, that's what I do and it works
great.
 
In message <[email protected]> John Doe
Didn't take long until I figured out that rebates were problematic.
Doesn't take much figurine to understand that they are mostly a scam.
When shopping, just be prepared to immediately move on to the next
product when you see a mail-in rebate, that's what I do and it works
great.
Click to expand...

Or you can not act like an idiot, buy things based on the sale price,
not the post-rebate price. You shouldn't pass up a good deal just
because it has a rebate as well, just don't make your shopping choices
based on the rebate.
 
DevilsPGD said:
In message <[email protected]> John


Or you can not act like an idiot, buy things based on the sale
price, not the post-rebate price. You shouldn't pass up a good deal
just because it has a rebate as well,
Click to expand...

Rebates are likely an attempt to prevent returns. You cannot return a
product if you've removed the UPC code, and that's what it takes to
apply for the rebate.

I'd rather forget about it and look for a better product, from a
different manufacturer not trying to scam its customers.
 
How many of you have bought products from TigerDirect
and never received your rebates? I get the feeling that
their rebate center is running a scam on these payments
and never delivering without major hassle and repeated
phone calls. If they are doing this to a lot of people,
they need to be reported to the Attorny General of
the State of Minnesota for fraud. I know their Rebate
Center is listed in Miami, Florida, but that is not its
real location. They are in Minnesota. This is the same
stunt that Dell Computers was reported as doing.
Dell offers greatly reduced prices, and then does not
deliver without being confronted equally. I believe they
are in legal trouble over it now, with pending lawsuits.
TigerDirect appears to be doing the same thing, and
it is time to make these companies stop this kind
of false advertising.

johns
Click to expand...

Rebates are such a pain that I decided to write an article about them:

http://www.mindspring.com/~anorton1/Rebate_Game.html

I have a Tiger Direct story in there too. ;-) I can't really complain
about Tiger Direct myself, it was a super deal.

Persistence and courtesy are the best ways I have found to resolve a
problem.

Generally speaking, if you very carefully read and follow the rebate
requirements, and track and follow-up for any rebates you do not receive
within the specified time, you can get eventually (usually) get
satisfaction.
 
John Doe said:
Didn't take long until I figured out that rebates were problematic.
Doesn't take much figurine to understand that they are mostly a scam.
When shopping, just be prepared to immediately move on to the next
product when you see a mail-in rebate, that's what I do and it works
great.
Click to expand...

Yes rebates are problematic, however I like to go with them. Most people do
not spend the time to fill them out, include all items required, or save
copies of submitted rebates. You can get much better deals on rebates
compared to so called "sales." (or combine them both)

In my experience rebates take MUCH longer to arrive then stated and may
require a phone call or two. However once you state that all mailed
materials have been 'scanned and saved' these people seem VERY happy to work
with you. No company to this day has EVER shorted me a rebate. In fact, in
the last few years I rarely even needed to pick up the phone. The companies
offering rebates seem more honest and hoping that pure laziness with help
them make their "non-fulfillment" quota over scamming their customers. Much
like grocers with "discount cards" companies not offering rebates have
higher prices BUT customers feel like they are getting a better deal.
 
WooHoo2You said:
Yes rebates are problematic, however I like to go with them. Most people
do not spend the time to fill them out, include all items required, or
save copies of submitted rebates. You can get much better deals on
rebates compared to so called "sales." (or combine them both)

In my experience rebates take MUCH longer to arrive then stated and may
require a phone call or two. However once you state that all mailed
materials have been 'scanned and saved' these people seem VERY happy to
work with you. No company to this day has EVER shorted me a rebate. In
fact, in the last few years I rarely even needed to pick up the phone.
The companies offering rebates seem more honest and hoping that pure
laziness with help them make their "non-fulfillment" quota over scamming
their customers. Much like grocers with "discount cards" companies not
offering rebates have higher prices BUT customers feel like they are
getting a better deal.
Click to expand...

I made a few typos, sorry (I pray the world will soon start again)
Hopefully no one will post my headers or impersonate an English teacher :)
 
johns said:
TigerDirect is claiming that they have actually mailed the
rebate check. They did not. All they do is continue to
resubmit the check, and then it never comes. It is a
scam. They are hoping I just forget about it. After hearing
about the same scam at Dell Computers, I now figure
that TigerDirect .. and possibly many others are doing
the same thing. I applied for a rebate from a company
that sells the ATI 550 Theater Pro pci-e card. They did
the same exact thing, and that was nearly 2 years ago.
Right now, on this item at TigerDirect, I have been
waiting on an approved rebate since February. When
I call about it, they claim it was mailed, and then they
say they will not do anything until the last dated
mailing is past 30 days. They have done this twice
to me. I have no doubt that they are doing this to a
lot of people, so I am referring everybody to the
Attorney Generals Office in the state where the Rebate
Center is located .. in this case Minnesota. They will
take legal action against this Rebate Center, and
possibly fine them for every single instance of
consumer fraud they discover.

johns
Click to expand...

If you got scammed 2 years ago why did you fall for the rebate scam
again? I learned my lesson years ago. I never buy anything with a rebate
anymore. I always find the item cheaper somewhere else without the
rebate. I'm sorry you got taken again. Stop buying things with rebates.

Bob
 
johns said:
How many of you have bought products from TigerDirect
and never received your rebates? I get the feeling that
their rebate center is running a scam on these payments
and never delivering without major hassle and repeated
phone calls.
Click to expand...

You should've known better. Never make a purchase decision based on mail-in
rebate.
 
In message <[email protected]> John Doe
I will pay more for a product sold by a merchant I trust. I stopped
shopping at Tiger Direct a long time ago.
Click to expand...

I use my credit card, so I don't have to worry about trusting them or
not, ultimately I have the authority to pull the plug if they don't hold
up their end of the bargain.
 
Just bought a Graphic Card with rebate.

TigerDirect delivered the FASTEST rebate I EVER got....and I got MANY.

3 weeks
 
I sort of knew better, but this was a first try. Thing is,
I don't "play" with these companies. I've worked with
Attorney Generals before, and they are Wolves. Tiger
Direct is going to feel some heat for .. probably .. the
next 2 years, and if the AG's office determines that
indeed they are practicing consumer fraud, the fines
levied against them will be enormous. That State of
Minnesota doesn't think this sort of thing is funny,
and they will pull TDs records and investigate the
problem throughly and send the bill to Tiger Direct.

johns
 
How many of you have bought products from TigerDirect
and never received your rebates?
Click to expand...

I bought a whole system's-worth of components about a year and a half
ago, and most of the parts had rebates. Everything came through just
fine, in time. I appreciated that some of the rebates had webs sites or
phone numbers you could call to find out the status. You have to keep
dated copies of everything you send and be very patient.
 
In message <[email protected]> Nil
I bought a whole system's-worth of components about a year and a half
ago, and most of the parts had rebates. Everything came through just
fine, in time. I appreciated that some of the rebates had webs sites or
phone numbers you could call to find out the status. You have to keep
dated copies of everything you send and be very patient.
Click to expand...

That plus you have to actually follow the instructions.

I've watched people fill out rebate paperwork and decide "The UPC code
is good enough" when it says the entire flap of the box, or decide to
send the original receipt when it says photo copy.

I pointed out the dumbassary (it was a friend, we'd just finished
assembling a new PC for him) but he decided he know better.

Guess who didn't get any rebate after an entire system's worth of
rebates.
 
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