Ever buy something that included a rebate so you’d essentially get the product for free or at least with a great discount?
Last fall I purchased a laptop from Apple that include a rebate of over $100. I dutifully cut off the UPC / product serial number tag from the shipping box exactly as directed in the directions and mailed it in with the paper work. Eight weeks later I received a letter saying the rebate was denied because I’d sent them the product serial number / UPC, which in fact I had. Now they wouldn’t accept a photo copy and I’d already sent them the original so what did I get? Nothing.
Think about it when a company offers a $25 or $50 rebate and it involves cutting up the shipping carton, filling in a long form with product numbers, serial numbers, etc what percentage of people will do it? And then if you deny them the rebate months later, it’s too late to take the product back and even though it turned out not to be such a good deal you keep it.
Are rebates like Apples rebate a good marketing idea?
They are one more tool that can increase the perceived value of the offer but in most cases they’re a scam. I got scamed by Apple’s rebate and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.
Should you use rebates?
I strongly recommend against them – unless your goal is to get people to spend once and then alienate them as Apple is. If you do use rebates, make sure you honor them. If you do you’ll have happy customers instead of people bad mouthing your company.
What do you think?
– Charlie
Which Marketing Ideas to Use and Not to Use
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September 20th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Apple has managed to alienate me, a customer of 20 years, with their rebate fraud. I will never buy another Apple product.
October 23rd, 2007 at 7:58 pm
I am terribly disappointed with Apple promotions too. I bought an ipod which I likely wouldn’t have otherwise bought and I am out the money for it. I had everything on one receipt and mailed in my information for two promotions one for an ipod (with original receipts) one for a printer (with photocopied receipts) and the rebate status page says I was mailed the printer rebate but not the ipod rebate. Besides the fact that I never actually received a rebate check for the printer I am super angry that I am not getting my money back for the ipod. It’s not much of a promotion when it leaves the person who was supposed to get a good deal angry and bitter towards the company.
December 18th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
In August 2007 Apple ran a promotion stating with the purchase of a Mac computer you could get a “free” iPod Nano. Well, the concept of a “free” iPod Nano was quickly dispelled at checkout when the Clerk explained that you had to first purchase an iPod Nano and then send in a Rebate Form. I hesitated because I didn’t even want an iPod Nano as everyone in my family already has some version of an iPod. But, I made the purchase anyway along with the Mac Mini thinking I’d sell it to my brother. And that’s exactly what happened. At checkout the Clerk gave me a duplicate receipt and an ‘official’ Rebate Form. I then mailed in the proper paper work, mutilated the Mac Mini box to get at the UPC label, included an original receipt for both the Mac Mini and the iPod Nano and the one-page Rebate form to get my $199 back.
That was on August 3, 2007. On August 27, I received an email confirmation from the Apple Rebate Center notifying me Apple received my claim and that it would take 6 to 8 weeks to be processed.
Well, I just learned yesterday Dec. 17, 2007, why it was taking so long. After keying in my email address and the Apple Rebate Center Claim Documentation Receipt Acknowledgment number from the August 27 email, a dialogue box popped up notifying me that “In accordance with the terms and conditions established…your claim is ineligible and no rebate can be issued.”
To make a very long and unpleasant story short, and after 45 minutes of being told by a variety of Apple’s customer non-service representatives my rebate was not eligible because I purchased a Mac Mini [to which the very first customer non-service representative chuckled under her breath saying “oh, that’s not a real computer anyway”]. I then asked each of the Apple customer non-service reps WHY their supposed in-store Mac geniuses didn’t think to tell me that the purchase of a Mac Mini wouldn’t meet the terms and conditions of this iPod Nano Rebate offer!
I’m very disappointed and disheartened. First, because I DIDNâ€T EVEN NEED ANOTHER iPod! Second, because I held Apple in such high esteem and third because they are no better than the PC jungle I thought I left behind. I also think Apple’s advertising practices are bordering on the unethical.
I managed to let each of the customer non-service reps know about the number of Apple purchases I made in 2007 alone: 2 iPods, a Macbook, a Mac Mini, 2 Pro Care Plans, 2 .Mac email accounts and the ill-fated iPod Nano. But all they kept referring back to were the terms and conditions of the rebate offer found in paragraph 4 of page 3 which clearly stated that a Mac Mini didn’t qualify for the rebate. I never received a hard copy of pages 2 through 3 at the checkout counter.
I’ve learned a very expensive lesson. Not to trust the so-called qualifications of a Mac genius and to always log on to the Apple Web site to read the fine print before making a purchase. Tomorrow, I’m going back to the scene of the crime at the Lennox Mall Apple Store here in Atlanta with the iPod Nano in hand to have a few words with the store Manager and try to get my money back.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Signed,
Marianne, One Badly Bruised Georgia Peach
December 18th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
In August 2007 Apple ran a promotion stating with the purchase of a Mac computer you could get a “free” iPod Nano. Well, the concept of a “free” iPod Nano was quickly dispelled at checkout when the Clerk explained that you had to first purchase an iPod Nano and then send in a Rebate Form. I hesitated because I didn’t even want an iPod Nano as everyone in my family already has some version of an iPod. But, I made the purchase anyway along with the Mac Mini thinking I’d sell it to my brother. And that’s exactly what happened. At checkout the Clerk gave me a duplicate receipt and an ‘official’ Rebate Form. I then mailed in the proper paper work, mutilated the Mac Mini box to get at the UPC label, included an original receipt for both the Mac Mini and the iPod Nano and the one-page Rebate form to get my $199 back.
That was on August 3, 2007. On August 27, I received an email confirmation from the Apple Rebate Center notifying me Apple received my claim and that it would take 6 to 8 weeks to be processed.
Well, I just learned yesterday Dec. 17, 2007, why it was taking so long. After keying in my email address and the Apple Rebate Center Claim Documentation Receipt Acknowledgment number from the August 27 email, a dialogue box popped up notifying me that “In accordance with the terms and conditions established…your claim is ineligible and no rebate can be issued.”
To make a very long and unpleasant story short, and after 45 minutes of being told by a variety of Apple’s customer non-service representatives my rebate was not eligible because I purchased a Mac Mini [to which the very first customer non-service representative chuckled under her breath saying “oh, that’s not a real computer anyway”]. I then asked each of the Apple customer non-service reps WHY their supposed in-store Mac Geniuses didn’t stop to tell me that the purchase of a Mac Mini wouldn’t meet the terms and conditions of an iPod Nano Rebate!!!! To which more than one replied in classic customer non-service-rep-fashion that they weren’t responsible for what a clerk did or said.
I’m very disappointed and disheartened. First, because I DIDNâ€T EVEN NEED ANOTHER iPod! Second, because I held Apple in such high esteem and third because they are no better than the PC jungle I thought I left behind. I also think Apple’s advertising practices are bordering on the unethical. I let everyone of the customer non-service reps know about the number of Apple purchases I made in 2007 alone: 2 iPods, a Macbook, a Mac Mini, 2 Pro Care Plans, 2 .Mac email accounts and the ill-fated iPod Nano. But all they kept referring back to were the terms and conditions of the Rebate offer found in paragraph 4 of page 3 which clearly stated that a Mac Mini didn’t qualify for the rebate. I never received a hard copy of pages 2 through 3 at the checkout counter. I’ve learned a very expensive lesson. Not to trust the so-called qualifications of a Mac genius and to always log on to the Apple Web site to read the fine print before making another purchase.
Tomorrow, I’m going back to the scene of the crime at the Lennox Mall Apple Store here in Atlanta, GA with the iPod Nano in hand to have a few words with the store Manager and try to get my money back.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Signed,
Marianne, One Badly Bruised Georgia Peach
July 18th, 2008 at 7:12 am
my friend you are not the only one.
January 7th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
The same thing happened to me with Apple Computer regarding the bogus rebate. Steve Jobs should be ashamed.
August 21st, 2009 at 11:27 am
I currently work at the Apple Rebate center, which is handled by a different sub company now. I actually recently took care of a rebate claim that was from August of 2007. And I agree, it was very sketchy and not the best system. But let me tell you one thing, Apple rebates are not fraudulent or a scam. Apple promotions, is simply a promotion like any other, where the company is willing to sacrifice cutting prices and giving deals so in the long run, they can have more customers. If the point of a promotion is to have more customers, tell me why Apple would want to lose customes over a silly $30 rebate, or even a $200 dollar rebate, when they are selling a $1500 dollar machine on the same receipt? To back up what I am saying, I will elaborate. The customer purchases the products. They come home, they go online to the website. They take three steps to sign in with their apple id, they put in their contact info (so we can mail them their check). And lastly, they put in their receipt number on the bottom of the receipt. After that once we get it, if there are any problems, we have someone look over it. If there is any problems, we call and notify the customer. If they dont answer or we leave a message, we wait 7 days and call again. If still no luck, we send an email. And then we leave it in our systems, virtually forever, if they ever do think about it and call back. APPLE WANTS TO GIVE THEIR CUSTOMERS THEIR REBATE!
September 5th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
damn, are all these true, I cant believe it I love apple and they’ve always looked after us, what happened to them?
I sent my rebate just now, probably shudve checked these before doing so but lets see how it goes.
September 7th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
I wish it were true.
It certainly wasn’t in my case.
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