An Offense To Sensibility: The Mail-In Rebate

 
I think I finally saw the height of absurdity the other day when I saw an
advertisement for some entirely forgettable product that was priced $3.99,
and that was after a $1.00 mail-in rebate for the price you would actually
pay of $4.99, a sales tax of 7.75% not included.

The minute I hear some Customer Service Representative tell me in a
telephone sales pitch about a "mail-in" rebate, my first words in
interruption are:  "Stop right there!  Don't give me the nonsense of the
mail-in rebate...I don't even consider it as part of the incentive to
buy---if anything, it's an instant disincentive!---and especially when the
price of a USPS postage stamp and the time and effort in licking the
envelope and putting it in the mailbox represents a substantial fraction of
the rebated amount, if it does not entirely exceed it at all?"

I think most of the CSRs who hear this are taken off his or her balance.  
But maybe not.

Is there anyone out there who is an apologist for the Mail-In Rebate?  
Really and truly??

Is it an automatic turn-off?  And if so, does anyone go the trouble to
contact the manufacturer or vendor to tell him that if he really wants to
sell the product at the reduced price, to stop the invasion of privacy by
trying to get customer demographic information or to at least pay for it by
offering a rebate that is at the very least 75% or more of the product
price??

  Winston Smith, American Patriot wrote:
....

I vote with my wallet. Easier than tracking down CEOs.

Anthony

 On Sun, 04 Nov 2007 16:15:32 GMT, "Winston Smith, American Patriot"


There are lots of them here. You'll no doubt be hearing from some of
them very soon.


Somewhat. I won't avoid buying a product just because it has a MIR,
but I also will not factor the after-rebate price into my purchase
decision. All price comparisons are based on the price I pay AT THE
REGISTER. The item with the rebate might still be the best bang/buck
even at the pre-rebate price; if so, I'll buy it. I may even submit
the rebate, but because I don't count on receiving it I'm not
disappointed when it never arrives. And I certainly don't waste hours
of my time, send lots of letters or emails, make lots of phone calls,
and experience needless frustration trying to badger some asshole
company into paying me what they rightly owe me. If the check comes,
great - it's a nice windfall. And if it doesn't, I still made the best
choice of all available options.


No, because it's a waste of time. Companies that offer rebates know
that the kooks who call them with such demands are in a VERY SMALL
minority and can be safely ignored. The best I can do as a consumer is
vote with my wallet and not make any purchases based on the
after-rebate price. Companies will only change their ways if enough
people do the same and FORCE them to change; as long as the sheeple
keep stuffing the dollar bills into these companies' pockets, they
have ZERO incentive to change the way they do business.