Motorola Talkabout Rebate

[+LETaylor]

I went online today to check the status of the $15.00 rebate offered by Motorola on the purchase of a set of their T5950 Talkabout Radios. I purchased them to use when out and about on hikes/caching, etc.

 

Anyway, I entered in my information and the computer came back with a dry little notice that my UPC code was not included in their offer. I checked the rebate form again and verified that this set was part of the offer. I sent them an email asking for an explanation, and you guessed it. . . those weren't covered.

 

So, has anyone else been robbed recently?

[+CYBret]

Anyway, I entered in my information and the computer came back with a dry little notice that my UPC code was not included in their offer. I checked the rebate form again and verified that this set was part of the offer. I sent them an email asking for an explanation, and you guessed it. . . those weren't covered.

Might they have meant that you forgot to include your UPC symbols when you sent in the rebate form? Usually you have to cut those out and mail them off too.

 

Just curious.

 

Bret

[+LETaylor]

Yeah, I sent the UPC code and my reciept along with their rebate form. (I kept a xerox copy for my records too). I'm going to call their offices on Monday and find out what gives.

[+Corp Of Discovery]

Was the site you checked online 'wheresmyrebate.com'? I sent in for a Magellan rebate and they said the same thing. I ended up going directly to Magellan and getting it. Good luck.

[+BadAndy]

I finally got my Magellan rebate from wheresbyrebate.com. Took a little over 90 days.

[+LETaylor]

Below is the text of the email I got back. I hope that Motorola makes good on this. Their web site is still offering the rebate on the radios I purchased. Grrr

 

Dear Consumer:

 

Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding the status of your Motorola

rebate.

Our records indicate you are not eligible for this rebate because:

 

The UPC symbol or proof-of-purchase tab you submitted is not

valid for this promotion

 

If you have any more questions or concerns, please contact us via e-mail

at your convenience and we will be happy to assist you. To respond,

please select "Reply" in your e-mail software, and be sure that the past

e-mail is included in this reply. If your e-mail client automatically

deletes prior e-mail thread information, it will cause a delay while we

look up your support history.

 

Please feel free to view the status of your rebate on our website.

 

Thank you for contacting Motorola.

 

Customer Contact Center

motorola.rebatestatus.com

[+Klondike Mike]

I recieved an email today saying my 50 US rebate from magellan is on it's way.............. YIPEEE

[+TresOkies]

Consumer product rebates are a scam. I remember reading an article in Wired or Cnet a few years ago about the ways that companies use rebates. They draw you in with the promise of a rebate. Then, they outsource processing of the rebate to a third party. The third party is paid based on the number of rebate forms they can cull out of the "pay pile" by invalidating the entries. "Oops, she forgot to dot her I's, it's invalid". "Incorrect ZIP code, can't have that", etc.

 

One trick they use is to require the purchaser to submit the rebate form within 72 hours of purchase. If you buy something on Friday morning and send the form on Monday, you may get pulled that way. Or, if your rebate envelope isn't postmarked until the next day, you're out of luck.

 

I've sent in probably 2 dozen rebate forms on various computer parts--ethernet cards, routers, etc. I don't think I've received more than 2 checks back in 5+ years.

 

Ignore the rebate. If it's a good price without the rebate, buy it. If not, don't use the rebate as the thing that tips your hand because you likely won't ever see the check. The only exception is rebates applied at the register.

[+Kealia]

Interesting take on things (read above).

 

Rebates from legitimate companies are hot a hoax and not designed to fool the consumer; just the opposite - they are designed to incent you to purchase.

Sure they know that some percentage (most) will lose their forms etc. and they will never have to send out a rebate check, but the rest received HAVE to be processed.

 

Many laws exist to protect consumers for promotions such as these.

Keep working on them. Their intent was not to screw you; you may just have to place a few calls and get a hold of hte right people.

 

Keep in mind that the people in customer service that you are talking to get paid their minimum wage whether you get a rebate or not - they don't see the bid picture. Get a hold of someone higher up.

 

Best of luck -

[+TresOkies]

Rebates from legitimate companies are hot a hoax and not designed to fool the consumer; just the opposite - they are designed to incent you to purchase.

Ummm, yeah

 

Rebates incent you to buy, but they don't incent the company to actually pay.

 

http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/2003/c...ary030410JF.htm

 

Funny thing about this article is that Motorola is one of the companies they ding for bad rebate practices.

 

-E

[+Prime Suspect]

Rebates from legitimate companies are hot a hoax and not designed to fool the consumer; just the opposite - they are designed to incent you to purchase.

No, actually they pretty much are a scam. Otherwise, the company would simply lower the price. But using rebates, companies make the price appear lower, while doing everything they can to deny paying the rebate. Many companies don't handle rebates in-house, instead farming them out to third-parties, who have a profit incentive to give out as few rebates as possible.

[+Ltljon]

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. I've gotten rebates back on a monitor, cable modem & a pair of walkie talkies since the holidays. Two of the rebates did come from the same company although the brands were different. This probably means I'll get stuck the next time.

[Dinoprophet]

I also have never had a problem with a rebate (most from CompUSA). But I'm very particular about fulfilling everything in the small print and keeping track of when they're supposed to get back to me. I don't think most are an outright scam, but certainly they hope people forget what they sent in for, lose the forms, wait too long, etc. That's why companies prefer rebates to giving everyone who buys their product a flat rate.

[+Polgara]

I would call them back, and talk to someone *important*. Not the customer service rep, not the customer service rep manager either, in fact i wouldn't talk to anyone in the whole customer service rep department at all. Talk to someone who has power to get you your money. Eventually you'll reach someone high enough on the ladder who will find it easier to cut you a check for your rebate than deal with the situation.

[bug and snake]

Well, I have no comment and nothing to add on how legitimate the overall concept of these rebates are. However, I did buy a laptop computer, HP, with the promise of a substantial rebate. (in the hundreds) It came with all the paperwork in the box for the claim. When I sent in the required proofs of purchase I got the same response as the original poster in this thread. My particular model (based on the UPC) did not qualify for the rebate. I am in communication with the vendor and with HP over this matter still and have been for some time. As another poster said, if it's not a good deal at the cash register, don't buy it - whatever it may be. Treat any possible rebate as a bonus, not as a buying incentive.

[+geospotter]

Of dozens of rebates I have sent in I have never been ripped off.

[Larry H]

I had a problem getting a rebate from Staples one time. I submitted the proper forms , did everything right and waited...... and waited. Finally i got a letter in the mail saying the rebate is not a Staples rebate but a manufacturers rebate and i needed to resubmit a new rebate form. I did what was required and sent it in again only to get a letter back saying that the rebate had expired, that i sent the new paper work in to late. So i went to the Better Business Bureau online and filed a complant. I got my rebate 2 weeks later.

[Jake - Team A.I.]

I should have done what Larry H did.

 

I bought a 40Gig hard drive from Staples. The cachier told me it was eligable that week for a $40 rebate. When I got home I looked at the flyer I noticed that the date was for the previous week. I put the info in to a pile for some other rebates I was sending out.

 

I got back to the other rebates and looked over the hard drive rebate and noticed that they had 2 different dates on the flyer. One side was for like the 3rd week in June, and the second side was dated a week earlier. I sent the rebate out with a note stating the problem on the coupon. They didn't even open the envelope. It was stamped "offer expired" and sent back to me. I took the envelope to the store and showed the manager the problem on the coupon. She called the processing center and talked to a manager. They gave me a different address to send it (different P.O. Box). I've never heard any more about it since then. That was over 2 years ago.

[+aka Monkey]

I tend to stay on top of the news and such, and the evidence I've seen would indicate that our corporate playing-field has gotten so corrupted and uneven, that in order for any business to compete they have to play by the rules of the big boys... and we've seen what those rules are like. If you don't follow the big three (Lie, Cheat, Steal), you're not going to be able to compete with those that do. Sad, but true.

 

It's for this reason that I assume any large corporation is likely to shaft me until proven otherwise. There are a few companies that I've found to be fairly reputable in their business practices, and while they may not be the cheapest places to shop, they usually get my money when the time comes. A few of the companies that come to mind: REI, Costco, Malden Mills (makers of Polartech fleece), Garmin. It's a lot easier to come up with names of companies I avoid: Microsoft, WalMart, HP, Sony and Magellan to name a few.

 

I urge everyone to stand by their principles, even when it's difficult (ESPECIALLY when it's difficult). It's fine to bitch and complain, but the pocketbook is the only thing these companies care about, so they don't get my money. Don't give them yours either.

 

I just wish it wasn't getting so hard to be an ethical consumer. It seems like a new scandal every week.

[+Amazingracer]

I have sent reabets to all of these companies for products and gotten a rebate back on every single one!

Best Buy

Mr. Clean

PNY

Norton

and a few other that i cant think of off the top of my head. But every reabte ive sent back ive gotten a check back!

[+WindChill]

I urge everyone to stand by their principles, even when it's difficult (ESPECIALLY when it's difficult). It's fine to bitch and complain, but the pocketbook is the only thing these companies care about, so they don't get my money. Don't give them yours either.

 

I agree, and do avoid some companies. The unfortunate part is that if they arn't toldy they're not getting your mony (and why) they wont change because our individual purchases dont amount to a rounding error on their bottom line.

 

Even when they do know, many dont seem to care. When I make sure someone knows why they arn't getting my money, the attitude is often "Im sorry you feel that way. Have a nice day...Next".

[+JohnnyVegas]

Consumer product rebates are a scam. I remember reading an article in Wired or Cnet a few years ago about the ways that companies use rebates. They draw you in with the promise of a rebate. Then, they outsource processing of the rebate to a third party. The third party is paid based on the number of rebate forms they can cull out of the "pay pile" by invalidating the entries. "Oops, she forgot to dot her I's, it's invalid". "Incorrect ZIP code, can't have that", etc.

 

One trick they use is to require the purchaser to submit the rebate form within 72 hours of purchase. If you buy something on Friday morning and send the form on Monday, you may get pulled that way. Or, if your rebate envelope isn't postmarked until the next day, you're out of luck.

 

I've sent in probably 2 dozen rebate forms on various computer parts--ethernet cards, routers, etc. I don't think I've received more than 2 checks back in 5+ years.

 

Ignore the rebate. If it's a good price without the rebate, buy it. If not, don't use the rebate as the thing that tips your hand because you likely won't ever see the check. The only exception is rebates applied at the register.

Why would it be a rip off if the purchaser does not read the directions?

[+LETaylor]

Perserverence pays off. This came in my email this morning. This has been an interesting one for me. I, like many of the respondents, have been ripped off in the past (the worst being a $60 rebate on a new monitor) but I expected a brand name company like Motorola to come through. I'm pleased that they seem to have fixed the problem. Of particular interest to me was the link to the aritcle on the Motley Fool that one person linked. It was a great article.

 

Anyway, it's nice to have a place to vent. My trusty Talkabout radios are in my day-pack and I'll be out at lunch today placing two new caches. Have a great day.

 

 

Dear Leon Taylor,

 

Thank you for your inquiry regarding the status of your

Motorola rebate. Our records indicate a valid rebate in

the amount of 15.00 is currently being processed and

will be mailed to you upon completion. The error has been corrected.

 

Thank you,

Customer Service

www.rebatestatus.com