What to do when rebate is rejected?

     I bought a 512 MB stick of DDR1 RAM back at the end of January.  It had
a $20 rebate, which brought the price down to $30.

   However, I just got a letter from Buffalo saying "We appreciate your
purchase, but unfortunately your submission for the Buffalo Technology
rebate was invalid for the following reason(s):
Submission did not include an original qualifying Buffalo Technology product
UPC barcode"

  So, I guess I'm just out the 20 bucks?  I mean, there is no way I can
PROVE that the UPC barcode was in the envelope I sent them.  I know it was
there, because I remember cutting it out, and putting it in before mailing
it.  I even remember which pair of scissors I used.

  But they already have it, which means there is no way I can send it to
them again.

  Do rebate places do this sort of thing a lot?

  This one was from Young America, MN 55558.

 

I ALWAYS make a copy of everything I send for a rebate,
even a copy of the addressed envelope.  I've never had a problem
and the rebates I've sent are mostly to Young America MN.

Oh..I also tape the UPC code to the receipt or rebate form...
so THEY don't loose it.  (Then I make copies of everythin!0

 On Mon, 20 Mar 2007, Paul wrote:


Is there any phone number on the refusal you can call?  Do a google
news search on rebates for others' experiences.

Hopefully you have copies.

Now you can do Staples right online.  I imagine other stores are
following suit on that.

 Paul wrote:


It happened to me with a  $50 rebate for a monitor.  I called & insisted
it was sent, stating the bar code was obviously cut from the box I still
had.

They sent the rebate, but ever since I've always made a copy.  Then
again, I since tend  to bypass rebate items, having been burned more
than once.

 OhioGuy wrote:

Buffalo Technology's US office is right down the street from where I live.
In fact, I pass it going to the grocery store sometimes.  I guess I could
go beat on their door and demand they give you your 20 bucks.  :-)

Seriously, though, I've actually been to the office and met a few of them,
and they are fairly reasonable people there as far as I could tell.  I would
try writing a nice letter to the address at http://www.buffalotech.com/contact/
or try calling them at the phone number also listed there.  If the rebate
was done through the US office, I would guess they'd be willing to try to
make it right (which probably means calling the rebate processing company
they hired and asking them to fix it).  If the headquarters in Japan was
the one who set up the rebate, though, it's probably a little tougher to
communicate with them.  (But then, I assume things like marketing and
rebates are why companies have US offices, so why would it be done through
Japan?)

   - Logan