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Magellan - Getting Rebate Checks ?


otr

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Are people actually getting their rebates ?

 

Of 4 of us here who bought 3 SportTrak Maps and one Meridian/Topo combo between the end of September and Mid November. All of us had valid rebates at the time...

 

The Meridian/Topo was declined. After several phone conversations, photocopying a manual and CD cover, and threatening to take it to the better business bureau, he got it 3 weeks ago.

 

The first SportTrak rebate was received last week.

 

Mine (the second, purchased 10-2) has been denied, I just found out last nite on-line. They never sent anything to let me know.

 

The third purchase (a week after mine) is supposed to be "in the mail", but not yet received.

 

I just spoke with the rebate center and they said that my rebate was not valid as the rebate period was from Oct 2x to Feb ?. They said I bought it before the rebate period.

 

After 3 attempts, I got to speak to a human in Customer service who said that they were having a problem with "Rebate Fullfilment" and refered me to the person who is taking care of the problems... I left a message...

 

I would like to know from others here if this is really is a fullfilment problem, or if they are decling most in hopes that people wont follow up.

 

I would think that if there is a problem that they would say so on their website and give some info on what to do or who to contact...

 

Sorry to vent, but crappy customer service really gets to me.

 

kris.

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Yeah, this seems to be a historical trend. I'd agree with Dusty: if you can't straighten it out with the wherethehellsmyrebate people, take it over to Magellan. They seem to have been more responsive. I don't understand why they don't go with someone else to manage this.

 

BTW, I heard a piece somewhere (National Public Radio?) that reported the rebates are generally/often set up as restrictive and cumbersome purposely to cut down on the number of rebates honored. I learned with my Magellan rebate (which took a long time but did come without my having to complain to anyone) to make copies of my forms and log my information in a tickler to follow up if necessary.

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rebates are generally/often set up as restrictive and cumbersome purposely to cut down on the number of rebates honored.

Of *course* that's true; if they actually intended to honour that price. it would be called a "sale price" and not a "rebate". I especially like the way that some companies have dropped the term "rebate" called it "earning your reward" - a friend speculated that by the time you've sent them their own paperwork, followed up with the mandatory fone calls, faxes, and general nastiness that you HAVE indeed earned a reward...

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Yeah, this seems to be a historical trend. I'd agree with Dusty: if you can't straighten it out with the wherethehellsmyrebate people, take it over to Magellan. They seem to have been more responsive. I don't understand why they don't go with someone else to manage this.

"wherethehellsmyrebate people" :tongue:

 

Thats the inpression they left me with today.

They told me to take it up with BestBuy (all the SportTraks came from them).

It was when I called Magellan, that the Customer Service person told me that they had been having problems with "rebate fulfillment" and transfered me to the person (in Magellan) that is handling them.

I left a message, thats where I stand right now.

 

It was just after hearing what my friend went thru with the Meridian/Topo bundle that I started to suspect something was up...

 

We'll see what happens when I get a call back.

 

Thanks all for your input.

kris.

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I too am still waiting for my "rebate". I bought my ST Pro at the end of Aug. WMR says it is in the mail for about a week now. I did talk to someone in December who said it would be mailed out in January. Even the US Postal Service isn't THIS slow, so the question still stands - WHERESMYREBATE?!?! Embra is right though - they are just hoping to find a reason to deny you your money. Besides, how lame is it that you buy something on line direct and still have to send in for a rebate? Would't it be easier (and cheaper) for everyone if they would just lower the price?

Edited by ThisWayOut
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I had to jump through hoops this past spring to get the rebate on my Meridian/Topo combo from wheresmyrebate.com. Calls to Magellan produced only more frustration. Actually calling the 800 # at wheresmyrebate produced results. I faxed copies (very important to keep copies!) of all the paperwork, and my denied rebate was approved and paid.

 

On a related note, I have been tracking 8 more rebates being handled by wheresmyrebate for Fry's, Microcenter, and two other retailers. All were approved without problem, and 6 checks have been received. Plan on 8-12 weeks to get your money, though.

 

I think it's interesting that the Magellan rebates are a problem, and others are not.

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As one who routinely does rebates and has never lost out on one (over $1000 worth this year alone) here are a few tips:

 

Mail everything ASAP!!! I can't tell you how many times people forget and the deadline passes.

 

Make copies of EVERYTHING!!! UPC, reciept, rebate form. Nice clear copies (scans are best imo)

 

Record when you mailed things. Better yet, send them USPS delivery confirmed.

 

Keep accurate records of what you are waiting for and how long they tell you to wait. If they say 8 weeks and after 8 weeks you have nothing. Call them and start a 'file'. You have to stay on them sometimes.

 

If after more time still nothing. Call them again. Tell them you want to resubmit the forms and fax them to them this time. Same goes if you were rejected. Tell them you have everything and fax it in. Then call every 1-2 weeks.

 

If all else fails and you still have no rebate, call the company you bought it from. They are LEGALLY obligated to make sure you get your money (IF they advertised the rebate). Small on line shops will not be as good about this, but the large Circuit City's, Best Buys and the like know this. I know one guy who has called and threatened legal action (simple small claims court case) and they mailed him a check that week. He eventually got the rebate check from the fullfillment center as well.

 

So don't give up, keep accurate records and 99% of the time you will get your money. I have only had to make calls on 2 rebates. One I had to fax a form, and another they just were slow with.

 

Yes, rebate centers do try and pay out as little as possible. When selling themselves vs the competition they keep records of rebates submitted vs rebates awarded. They pride themselves in finding that loophole to deny you. However as long as you do what you are supposed to they can't deny you. They are out to make a profit, but not at the risk of getting shut down for illegal business practices. I've noticed that Best Buy and now CC require you to sign the form. Its mentioned just briefly and I imagine its something they were told to to to add another thing for the consumer to miss.

 

Oh, and I just got my magellan rebate. Submitted it in July!!

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These companies are doing what a lot of companies have started doing: Ripping people off.

 

The idea is, if they deny the claim for an illegitimate reason, and then force the consumer to go through hoops to prove that their rebate is valid, the consumer will hopefully give up and they won't have to pay. Insurance companies have been doing it for years. MCI was overbilling people and playing the same game (they even created a fake vice-president of Customer Service).

 

My advice: Don't do business with companies that lie, cheat and steal. Doesn't sound that unreasonable, does it? The only problem is, it's getting harder and harder to find companies that DON'T behave this way. Once you have an environment where the big boys are breaking the rules, everyone else has to if they want to compete. It's a vicious circle.

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Last June my mother in law had me order a GPSr for my brother in law. I ordered a Magellan Sport Trac Pro from GPS City. Immediately after it arrived I sent the stuff off for the PROMISED $50 rebate. It was never heard from again.

 

This is the last thing I will ever buy from Magellan. That is thier chosen way of doing business.

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I had trouble getting a rebate on a hard drive.

Made copies of everything. They said my envelope

arrived with NO UPC code. !!!? I FAX'd and emailed

them copy of UPC. Still no results after severl weeks.

 

Finally I did something drastic.

I emailed entire timeline, photos of docs to

root@rebates.com (or whatever site it was).

By emailing root@ the site admin gets email. :tongue:

They don't like getting complaints from customers.

 

Within 20 minutes I had a voice mail on my answering

machine stating my check was on the way.

It was in my hands within days.

 

Aggravate the right people and things get done. :)

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Ahhh!

 

I bought my Sportrak Topo on October 12th. I found a rebate online that would give me $50 if I bought it after November 10th. Does anyone know if there's a Topo offer that would cover me? If not, maybe I'll just send it in and maybe get lucky?

 

Oh well... maybe I should have waited a wee bit longer. :)

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[QLast June my mother in law had me order a GPSr for my brother in law. I ordered a Magellan Sport Trac Pro from GPS City. Immediately after it arrived I sent the stuff off for the PROMISED $50 rebate. It was never heard from again.

 

This is the last thing I will ever buy from Magellan. That is thier chosen way of doing business.

 

UOTE]

:unsure::bad::(

Update I pursued this rebate. I called Technical support they gave me a phone number 800 390-2344. I called this number and spoke to a woman who was very smart mouthed and said I did not send in everything required. Since I have slept since then I can't swear I sent in the UPC they say I failed to send. However it is gone from the package and I generally do what is required if $50 is at stake.

 

My conclusion "Cheat me once, shame on you. Cheat me twice, shame on me".

:(:(:(

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Here's a suggestion:

 

http://complaints.bbb.org/Welcome.asp

 

Here's Magellan's USA address:

 

Thales North America, Inc.

675 N. Washington St.

Suite 400

Alexandria, VA 22314

 

Be sure to contact Magellan first and let them know you'll be filing a complaint with the BBB if you don't get satisfaction. If they get emails from 5 people about this, they may change their tune in a hurry.

Edited by Indiana Cojones
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:unsure: Maybe I'm the weirdo here, but I bought a MeriMarine bundle that qualified for a $75 rebate. Filled out the form and got a check back in 6 weeks.... No Problems whatsoever.

 

You do have to read the instructions carefully on rebates, I go hosed on a $20 software rebate last year because I missed the "Postmarked by" date.

 

David

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I just got my $50 rebate back this week. It had been sent off since September. Some of the people at work also got the $50 rebate when they should have only gotten the $30 one. That made the FlyingJ deal even sweeter for them. I still wish I had bought more than one at those prices. :unsure:

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I bought my Sportrak Map in August /03 and mailed the rebate in on Sept 3rd/03. (Must be mailed before Sept 30th). The rebate offer said to allow appox. 8 weeks for processing. If you have not received your check after 10 weeks to visit www.wheresmyrebate.com or call (800) 390-2344.

 

I visited the above address in Nov. and it said that the rebate was "approved". I called them at the end of November and they said that the cheque was due to be mailed Dec. 8th/03.

 

I received the cheque Jan. 9th 04. - 4 months after I submitted it and a month after it was supposedly mailed. There isn't a postmark on it, but it came from NY - not that far away.

 

Okay, I'm in Canada and the cross-border situation probably caused some delays. I sure wish I'd gotten it sooner, our Canuck-buck has recovered slightly and the exchange isn't quite as good. Ah well, at least I got it.

 

Good luck to all! I've sure learned some patience.

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I mailed in my rebate for my Sportrak back in September. I just received the rebate check about a week and a half ago. I had actually totally forgot about it so it was nice little surprise to get a $50 check in the mail last week :huh:. It was essentially a four month / 16 week (take or give) wait which I suppose is excessive. But at least they honored it and paid up in the end.

Edited by Jeeters
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Okay, I'm in Canada and the cross-border situation probably caused some delays. I sure wish I'd gotten it sooner, our Canuck-buck has recovered slightly and the exchange isn't quite as good. Ah well, at least I got it.

I bought mine at the end of September, mailed it in early November.

 

(I kept all copies of everything)

 

Just got me cheque last week, about 10 weeks after sending it in.

 

www.wheresmyrebate.com never showed anything for me.

 

I too get hosed by the exchange rate. When I bought the unit, $50 USD would have been close to $75 CDN, but with the loonie up there these days, I only got $66.

 

Oh well, at least I got it.

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Okay, I'm in Canada and the cross-border situation probably caused some delays.  I sure wish I'd gotten it sooner, our Canuck-buck has recovered slightly and the exchange isn't quite as good.    Ah well, at least I got it.

 

<snip>

 

I too get hosed by the exchange rate. When I bought the unit, $50 USD would have been close to $75 CDN, but with the loonie up there these days, I only got $66.

Same thing here with this rebate (and a few hunderd more US dollars). I opened a no fee US$ bank account for the US money. Hopefully the exchange rate will get back to 'normal' at some point. Either way at least I will avoid the extra fees/inflated exchange rate when I next need spending money for a US trip.

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Well, heres an update...

 

Finally got a call from Magellan a little more than a week ago. I was asked to fax in a copy of my receipt and it would be looked into, which I did... I was also told that she was surprised that there was a problem with this purchase being that it was from BestBuy, aparently they have a good track record. The reason she told me is that the rebate code was wrong as printed on the receipt from BestBuy, and she did find the correct code for those dates.

 

I have not heard anything since, I'll call them today.

 

"Wherethehellsmyrebate" still shows it as being denied, but now there is a reason.

 

Wrong rebate period.

 

When I faxed this to her, I included a link to this thread. She said that she would pass it on to their rebate people in marketing.

 

If you have had a problem, start speaking up...

 

kris.

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Update and BTT...

 

Still no rebate.

 

"where-the-hells-my-rebate" still shows it as being denied so I take it that they have not corrected it yet.

 

I left another message today with the person Ive been talking with. We'll see what happens, but I'm tired of waiting...

 

So, what do you think my next step should be ?

Ive given them a good 5 weeks already to fix this. I sent them a copy of my receipt as requested. They confirmed that the rebate# was wrong and gave me the correct rebate number.

 

Im thinking of going to the Better Business Bureau with this.

That is what the guy with the Meridian had to threaten. He got his check really quick after that...

 

kris.

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I purchased my SporTrak and Topo CD in December, received it in January, and sent the rebate in a few weeks ago.

 

After reading this thread, I'm becoming paranoid. I went to wheresmyrebate.com, and entered my name and zip, and nothing came up. Should I be concerned? Do I need to register with them?

 

I'm not sure if I made copies of everything I sent in. What should I do?

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i bought my sportrac pro in december and bought map send direct route in january. just received an email saying my rebate has been approved this week. 1st week of february. they said i will receive my rebate in 8 weeks. then went to wheres my rebate and it was approved on their. i made sure i sent everything in and i have never had any problems with rebates. crossing my fingers knocking on wood. also regestered my products online at magellan. will see

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When I talked with a Garmin guy at a show last year, I commented on my prompt rebate and he said they have an employee in-house who processes the rebates. This is great service, and highly unusual--hopeit continues.

I send for a lot of rebates and I do the things already mentioned-- copies, dates, tickler file/mark calendar, follow-up. If you complain, you can usually get results.

Also call the store who where you bought item if you need more help.

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I set in for the $10.00 rebate for MS TOPO. They said it was denied because I bought it from a non-participating dealer. I got it on Amazon.com. Anyone else have this problem?

I got the $75 rebate about 16 months ago buying a Meridian from Harmony Computers and MS Topo from Amazon. Did Amazon advertise and/or provide the $10 rebate form? If not, any relevant fine print on the form?

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I set in for the $10.00 rebate for MS TOPO. They said it was denied because I bought it from a non-participating dealer. I got it on Amazon.com.
Magellan seems to provide conflicting information on this. If you go to the promotion page of their website it says:
Purchase your Magellan MapSend software and your SporTrak Map together, at your Local Dealer...
"Local dealer" is actually a hyperlink. When you click it, it gives you the option of finding a traditional store or an online store, which might lead you to think an online store qualifies. Amazon is one of the online retailers they provide a link for, which makes it seem that they are an Authorized Dealer. Also, the rebate form itself has fine print that excludes online auctions , but says nothing about online stores or "participating dealers." In the end it seems (to me) like the only thing should really matter is the fine print on the form.
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embra: Yes, Amazon did advertise and provided the coupon; and no, there was no fine print on the rebate saying anything about 'participating dealers' that I saw- only about winning it in an online auction, which I did not do. Thanks for asking.

 

Karma Hunter: Thats what had me confused too. Thanks for info.

 

Will update when/if I learn more.

Edited by Corp Of Discovery
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Well, February 12th was the last call I made to Magellan.

 

At the time of my last post I didnt tell you that I had made the decision to be stronger in the requests for my rebate.

 

I believe "Frankly, I'm getting tired of this" was what I closed the last message with...

 

I never got a call back.

 

I received my check on the 25th, 5 days after it was printed.

 

Amount ?

 

$75.00

 

Im happy its over. Unfortunately it doesnt look like its over for quite a few of you.

 

Keep after them. Keep calling. And if it comes down to it, threaten to take it to the BBB.

That seems to get their attention.

 

And yes, they are reading this thread.

I was asked to send them this link with the copy of my receipt and was told it was being forwarded to the people in marketing that handle the rebate program.

 

Good luck.

kris.

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