mail-in rebate

i've had bad luck with mail-in rebates in the past. compaq is offering a $100 rebate. how are they about getting rebates back to you and how has it taken for those of you who have got them back?

 

I don't know about Compaq, but I send larger rebates certified mail which means they must sign for it. Costs a couple bucks, but worth it I think.

 

They are alright, not particularly fast but if you send the submission in correctly they will send out the check in ~2 - 3months. I sent in a rebate submission on Aug 15 or so(f I remember correctly) and my check was just processed and supposedly mailed this week. They are bad at updating the status on their website. Mine only showed up a month or so after I set it in.

 

thats a good idea. I'll do that.

 

I also sent one in, early August. I received the check late Sept/early October. This was an HP rebate, though.

 

I have gotten every single mail in rebate I have ever applied for, probably about 50 of them.

#1 make copies. If you send original documents off and don't make copies then what are you going to do if the rebate company rejects your rebate due to missing paperwork? Make copies, copies are "rebate insurance".

#2 follow the rules. If you don't follow the rules and turn things in by the deadline, then you lose. Don't expect a sympathetic ear while trying to explain that you were only late by one day.The rules are there so that they can reject you when you don't follow them.

#3 Be patient. Rebates can take months. Date your copies with the mail in date. Don't get crazy if you haven't heard back in 2 weeks. After a couple of months, then it's time to call them. It says "allow 8-10 weeks for processing" for a reason.

#4 is a no brainer. Write legibly. Rebate forms are hand processed. If the processor can't read your chicken scratch version of your own address, then you aren't going to get your money.

#5 did I mention make copies. This is where 99% of rebate submitters fail. I sent a perfect rebate once that got rejected for "item not purchased in within rebate time period". The rebate form clearly stated the purchase period, my receipt clearly showed the item was purchased in time, by weeks. If I didn't have copies of my forms I would have been out $50. Instead, I simply made another set of copies (just in case) and sent them copies of all forms with the proper dates highlighted. They couldn't fight me the second time around. Moral of this story: they will lie about reasons for rejection. I have seen it happen. MAKE COPIES if you really want to receive your money.