41% Of People Forget To Send In Rebate Coupons
from the exactly-what-they-want dept
This probably won't surprise many people, but the reason why all of those "rebate" programs work is because lots of people never even bother to send in the rebate information to get their money back. So, they buy based on the lowered "rebate" price, but actually pay much more. Combined with rebate programs that do everything possible (delays, random reasons for denying rebates, etc) to make sure you don't get your money, and the rebate business seems to be a fairly lucrative one.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Wal-Mart
One good thing about Wal-Mart - they don't screw around with rebates on hardware and software. When everyone else sells McAfee AntiVirus for $50 less a $20 rebate, Wal-Mart sells it for $30 out the door.
It's the same for computers. The price on the shelf is the price you pay, period. It's a shame they have such an awful selection of computers. I think they would make a killing if they seriously went into that segment. If you could buy a system at Best Buy for $1,000 less $300 in rebates from four different vendors, or buy it at Wal-Mart for $700 up front, where would you go? You would also save on sales tax, since tax is charged before rebates.
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Re: Wal-Mart
(* after $400 mail-in rebates to 3 different locations)
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Re: Wal-Mart
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Dell
I have always hated the idea that Dell offers rebates when you buy a computer.
If I buy directly from Dell online, and give my money directly to Dell, why don't they just discount their price? Why do I have to pay them and then go through the rebate process to get my money back from them?
This article explains why. It's because they want to take advantage of their customers.
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Re: Dell
So you can guess what I do with Dell's catalogs when they come in the mail.
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Rebate Bounties
It made me wonder though. With all the hassle and time involved, maybe that will allow for a new business to be formed. I was willing to give up to 10% of the rebate just for someone to harrass the people everyday, and to stay on top of it. I know there are companies that exists specifically to take over notes and loans. Maybe the same could be done with rebates.
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Not Surprising
Their response - only 20% of the people sent in the rebates.
This number is a lot lower that what is quoted here, so my guess this number changes based on segment, time of the year, where the purchase happens, and other items (for example, I would bet that low-end rebates for day-to-day items are redeemed more than high-end items).
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Re: Not Surprising
Remember what that did to UMAX and others?
All of a sudden, people started returning those rebates to the tune of >90% return rate. And you can't build a zillion scanners for $10 each and stay afloat.< br>
I guess it's back down to the usual, huh?
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Not actually 41%
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I need an explanation -in spanish- of Amazon
Manuel de Santiago
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ethics of mail-in rebates
All hail the God of Greed and Money.
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