Follow Directions Exactly

According to a Boston-based market research firm, 20% of the people who fill out and send in their rebate forms don’t do so correctly and consequently never receive their rebates.  Employees of rebate fulfillment houses back up this research, often bemoaning the fact that consumers don’t follow simple instructions.

Some people don’t send in the original cash register receipt, others don’t send in the UPC (Universal Product Code) which is the bar code on virtually every item purchased.  Others go past the deadline, some obviously hoping “they” won’t notice  yet in spite of the millions of rebates processed every year, “they” notice even the tiniest of details and won’t process your rebate if you’ve violated the time requirement.

It’s also important to make a copy of everything you send in.  It may be possible to still qualify for the rebate if something does go wrong and you have a copy of all of your documentation.  In addition, your paperwork can serve as a reminder to you of when you sent the rebate paperwork in so that you can mark on your calendar an approximate time to be looking for your rebate.  The standard turn-around time is about 12 weeks although many rebates do arrive quicker.

Don’t assume all the rules are the same for all rebates however.  Read the fine print on every offer you participate in to make sure you are following that particular manufacturer’s instructions.  For more tips on how to get the most from cashing in on rebates visit MyRebates at: www.myrebates.com/main.cfm?option=tips.


Tracking Rebates Online

Some companies let you track your rebates online.  Walgreens is one such company and also one of the companies that make sending in the rebate forms especially easy and fun because you usually can get one or two products completely free after the rebate.  In addition, if you choose to receive your rebate on a giftcard, they’ll add an extra 10% to the total.  You can’t beat free money on top of free money!

Go to www.walgreens.com to download the current rebate catalog.  You can either print out the form or use the in-store one from the rebate catalog.  These come out once a month and you send in all rebates for the current month at one time.  You’ll need to send the original cash register receipt and any other items the instructions call for.  Within a week or two after you have mailed your rebate, you’ll be able to track it online.

The only downside to the Walgreens rebate system is that you don’t have very much time after the end of the month until you have to have the rebates postmarked.  Usually, the deadline is within a week of the prior month ending so you want to keep track of your Walgreens purchases as you make them to avoid scrambling at the last minute.


If You Have a Complaint

Believe it or not, there are government agencies that handle complaints regarding companies who don’t fulfill their rebate promises.  You want to be sure you have followed all the instructions to the letter but if you have and you still don’t receive your rebate, you can complain to the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov), your state’s Attorney General’s office and you should also complain to your local Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org/).

Most rebates are legitimate but consumers have complained about the level of difficulty in receiving their rebates and they have complained about retailers and manufacturers who don’t fulfill their rebate promises.  For the first time ever, in 2005, the FTC charged a major retailer for failure to pay thousands of rebates sent in over a 3 year period.  The company settled the charges by agreeing to pay back all the rebates.

The complaint process has gone on for a long time, prompting the enactment of laws regarding mail-in rebates.  Rhode Island recently enacted a law that makes the retailer give the consumer the rebate at the time of the purchase and send in the paperwork themselves.  Connecticut has a similar law and more are on the books.


The New Rebates

Some major retailers have done away with rebates altogether and some have switched to online only rebates.  Bestbuy.com (www.bestbuy.com) has an online rebate center although by 2007, they will have discontinued rebates altogether.  They promise they will instead lower prices.

OfficeMax has also discontinued rebates but Staples has gone to an online rebate center.

Ebates.com (www.ebates.com) is an online rebate center that works with several manufacturers and retailers to get cash back for the consumer when items are purchased online.  Ebates receives a commission from the retailers and manufacturers whose products are sold through their website and the savings is passed on to the customer in the form of cash back or an “ebate”. 

The drugstore chain, Rite aid introduced their online rebate system in 2005 which allows the consumer to enter information and request their rebate online (https://riteaid.rebateplus.com/).

This may indeed be the beginning of the end of the mail in rebate however it may also be the beginning of the strictly online rebate, which would revolutionize the entire rebate enterprise system and make it much easier for the consumer.