I see lots of posts about this. Frankly, I'm tired of always typing in the replies to people, so I'm going to do it here, and that way, I can simply link them to the post and they can read it. IMHO this should really be made into a sticky, because not only is it a common question/concern, it's good info that will help assuage people's fears about PM's and rebates. Next time someone asks "will the MIR be denied since I got the PM?", just post a link to this thread.
- ABBREVIATIONS USED HEREIN:
- MIR: Mail-In Rebate
- PM: Price Match
- RFC: Rebate Fulfillment Center (or Company; this is who actually sends you the rebate check)
- CSR: Customer Service Rep (cashier, counter person, etc.)
- UPC: Universal Product Code (that sticker that usually has a barcode on it)
- BS: What comes out of a bull's butt
- MIR: Mail-In Rebate
- Scenario #1: Manager or CSR tells you "doing a PM will invalidate the MIR".
- Pure BS. Yes, some rebate forms include wording that says a PM "can" invalidate a MIR, but to date, we have yet to see even one confirmed refusal based on a PM. Some rebates do specifiy that the purchase has to be above a certain amount; again, we've yet to see one confirmed rejection even when the "minimum" purchase price was not met. I've personally done at *least* a dozen or more rebates that had this stipulation, and each of them has been below the "minimum" purchase price. I've gotten every single one of them.
- Scenario #2: Manager or CSR writes something on the receipt saying "deny rebate due to price match" or something similiar.
- Yet another crock. It doesn't matter what the manager or CSR writes on the receipt. The RFC is only looking for specific information: that the correct item was purchased during the rebate valid dates, and that the required documentation (specified on the rebate form; typically it's a copy of the rebate form, a copy of the receipt and the original UPC from the product packaging. Sometimes a copy of the UPC is allowed; make sure you check the rebate form for specifics) is included. That's it. Nothing else matters. If you're REALLY paranoid, you can always scan the receipt, then use PhotoShop or Paint Shop Pro to "edit" out whatever the manager or CSR wrote on the receipt, then print that out. No, it's not in their "system", and if the manager or CSR tells you it is or that they "put it in the computer to deny the rebate", it's more BS.
- Think of it this way: if the manager or CSR wrote "great customer, please give double (or triple) rebate amount" on receipt, do you think you'd get double or triple the amount of the rebate? Uh, no. The reverse is true as well. Writing "PM done, reduce rebate by half" or "PM, deny rebate" isn't going to have any effect whatsoever.
- To test this, I had a CC B&M deal where the manager wrote "DENY REBATES, PRICE MATCH DONE" all over the receipt (there were two rebates; one CC, one manufacturer.) I figured what the heck, I'll not even bother to edit the receipt and send it in as-is and take my chances just to see what happens. Sure enough, about 6 weeks or so later, I get the rebate checks in the mail, just as expected. I took the original receipt (with the writing on it; I keep all receipts since I'm a pack rat) plus the rebate checks back to the CC store, and asked to speak to the manager (and I asked for him by name; I had to go back a second time since the first time I went, he was off that day.) When he came out and asked me what I wanted, I asked him if he remembered me and the rebate/receipt issue; he said he did (as well he should, since I had to argue with them to get the PM in the first place.) I then held up the receipt, which had his writing on it, then held up the rebate checks to his face, and said "It doesn't matter what you write on a receipt, moron. You don't have the power to deny a rebate. Suck it!" Needles to say, he wasn't very pleased with me.
- Yet another crock. It doesn't matter what the manager or CSR writes on the receipt. The RFC is only looking for specific information: that the correct item was purchased during the rebate valid dates, and that the required documentation (specified on the rebate form; typically it's a copy of the rebate form, a copy of the receipt and the original UPC from the product packaging. Sometimes a copy of the UPC is allowed; make sure you check the rebate form for specifics) is included. That's it. Nothing else matters. If you're REALLY paranoid, you can always scan the receipt, then use PhotoShop or Paint Shop Pro to "edit" out whatever the manager or CSR wrote on the receipt, then print that out. No, it's not in their "system", and if the manager or CSR tells you it is or that they "put it in the computer to deny the rebate", it's more BS.
A lot of people don't know this, so here's how rebates work; this applies to either store and/or manufacturer rebates:
Company X advertises a product with a mail-in rebate. Company X contracts with an RFC to fulfill said rebates. Company X pays the RFC the amount they *think* they will sell, and the RFC is then in charge of fulfilling said rebates. (For example, if Company X expects to sell 1,000 items and there's a $10 rebate, they will pay 1,000 X $10, or $10,000, to the RFC, plus a cost of X per rebate, usually around $5, so another $5,000 for a total of $15,000.) Now, this is where it gets tricky, but stick with me: the RFC is paid per expected number of rebates to be fulfilled, but not only that, any rebate that goes unfulfilled (either by the total rebates redeemed is less than what company X expected, or by the RFC rejecting rebates for whatever reason), the RFC keeps the amount left over that was paid by company X to begin with to fulfill the rebates. In effect, they double-dip, which is where their real profit comes in. It's estimated that only 60%, at most, of consumers actually send in rebates. Of those 60%, at least 10% are rejected by the RFC for various reasons: not including a clear receipt showing the item purchased, not having the rebate postmarked by the specified date, not including required items like the UPC, etc. Some of the more "notorious" RFCs will actually deny 20% of MIRs out of hand, for no reason whatsoever, and wait for the customer to contest it; if they don't, they win (they keep the money), and if the customer does, the RFC pays, which isn't a loss since they expected to pay already. For them, it's win-win, since they get paid either way. They just get paid more if the customer doesn't contest it.
What happens when more rebates are sent in than company X expected? The RFC goes back to company X with their documentation, and gets paid the additional cost. The RFC will basically say "you told us 10,000 MIRs would come in, we got 15,000 already, and we're expecting another 5,000 as well", so company X will pay out to cover those actual *and* expected MIRs. There's also, usually, an agreement that company X will have to pay a penalty for that to the RFC (which means more profit to the RFC.) This is also why sometimes it takes longer to get a MIR fulfilled, since the RFC goes back to company X to get more funds to pay the rebates, and won't fulfill the MIR amount until company X pays the RFC.
The MIR game is actually quite profitable for the RFCs, and there's a lot of fly-by-night RFCs (yes, I know some of you will mention the Buy.com MIR fiasco, which is a prime example.) There's also several very reputable RFCs, who fulfill on time and even very quickly. It's not hard to figure out who they are (the address is the giveaway), and people here on FW have a list of them somewhere (but I can't remember where.) Some companies actually solicit bids from RFCs, where they try to get the lowest cost (per MIR), while others only deal with one RFC (OD is a prime example, and only deals with the RFC in Young America, who's name escapes me.) Typically, the more reputable RFCs charge more to company X, and the fly-by-night ones charge less. That's where the gamble (for both company X and you, the consumer) come in.
Capiche? Hope this helps you understand the MIR game a little better. In closing, here's my tips for making sure you actually get your MIR:
- READ the MIR form completely. Twice.
- Make copies of ALL items you send. This includes MIR forms, receipts, UPCs, etc. I recommend scanning them and saving them electronically.
- Staple everything together before you put it in the envelope. Loose papers - especially those small UPCs - can fall out when they open the envelope, and that could lead to your MIR being denied for "not including required items."
- Send your MIR (including all required documentation) immediately after purchasing the item.
- Use a program to TRACK your MIRs. I use and recommend Rebate!Rebate!. Yes, it's an older app, no it doesn't let you attach files to the rebate entries, but it does the job, and does it quite well. Plus you can see your overall statistics.
- Pay attention to when the MIR is *supposed* to arrive (usually 4-6 weeks.) If it doesn't arrive by that date (Rebate!Rebate! will calculate for you and show it on the rebate details page for that rebate), follow up with the RFC and find out why. Some of them you can call, others you can email, still others you have to fill out a form on their website.
- If you are denied a MIR for whatever reason, dispute it with the RFC. Do so in writing. You'll usually get a postcard in the mail, or sometimes an email. Either way, make sure you respond by the date they specify.
Since I first started tracking MIRs (using Rebate!Rebate!) on 05/19/2003, I've spent $11,001.21 on items, another $105.61 on postage, and gotten back $7,094.80 in rebates. Which means I bought $11k worth of stuff for $4,012.02. Not bad at all. Of course, not as GREAT as I'd like, but still, an overall 64.491% discount over 157 purchases covering 4 years isn't bad at all.
