Cashbacks? Joke?

C

caperunner

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I went to visit a local electronic/furniture/soft goods store and while looking at their computer display noticed that some of the big companies were offering 'Cashbacks' say, $200 off the advertised price. Buy the machine and apply for the cash online later. Sounded mildly reasonable. Could swing the sale too I thought.

But whoa! dig deeper and you will find a bit of a minefield here.

A/. The advertising companies have their databases expanded by your address(es) and other personal details. Stand by for some spam!

B/. If you don't apply for the rebate quick smart you may miss out. Worthwhile to mention that the due dates are in a somewhat smallish print..


C/. So why can't they give you the discount on the spot as you buy the item? Hell no..

Anyone had 'experience' of this scheme? I think it has been around here in NZ for about 6 months but I am not sure..

Dave
 
rebates are not given on the spot because not everyone bothers to send in the proper paperwork.

The problem with rebates for the customer is that they are very often unfulfilled, so the customer never gets the promised cash. Buyer beware.
 
Rebates have been a very common practice here in the US for years. Some of them are truly complicated to realize- send sales slip, special bits of the box, affadavit, DNA sample, must be postmarked on a Tuesday...

You are correct you have to read the fine print carefully. Some of them have taken many months, but I don't know of any I've been due that I did not recieve.

I take advantage of them every opportunity, and have yet to notice a spike in spam. Probably less likely to result in spam than filling out product registration cards.
 
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Cheaper laptops here in Oz are often sold this way... Compaq wanted 2 or 3 months to actually pay the cashback, but it did arrive as promised (the date was in the fine print).
 
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