weasel.com: Computer Rebate Reviews

Rebate Overview
Rebate Advice
Companies I have submitted rebates to Updated Nov-25-2007
Microsoft Rebates New Sep-10-2001
Scum: Vastech Inc Rebates Updated Nov-23-2007
Scum: A+GPB Enterprises Inc New Nov-05-2003
Scum: Prime Peripherals Updated Sep-10-2001
Scum: Mouse Systems

Rebate Overview

I buy lots of things that have partial or total rebates. I have gotten lotsa free stuff this way. Keyboards, CD-R's, sound cards, motherboard memory, mouses, and much more.

Here is the results of my experience.
There are several different types of rebates.

1) 'Direct' - This type of rebate is direct from the manufacturer. An example of this is when I bought a HP 48 calculator and the rebate was mailed directly to HP.
2) 'Store' - The store rebate. This rebate is sent to a representative of CompUSA, Circuit City, OfficeMax or the like.
3) 'Manufacturers Representative' - The manufacturers rebate sent to a representative of the company (usually in Arizona or Young America MN).

Some products offer a combination of two of the above rebates, almost always a Store and Manufacturers Representative. Unfortunately, in the below data, I rarely differentiate the different types of rebates.

Rebate Advice

Here is some simple advice about rebates:

Only buy from reputable stores. This is in case the rebates don't work. A reputable store such as OfficeMax or CompUSA will almost always back up the rebate (that means pay out the rebate amount) if you have documented it properly.
Always, always make copies of everything you send in. A copy of the envelope is overkill, but make copies of the rebate form (front and back if there is writing on the back), the receipt, and the UPC code at a minimum. I used to use a copy machine, but now with cheap scanners and big hard drives there is no excuse not to do this. Use the scanner in black and white mode, as it makes clearer images and the images are smaller. Once in a while, I use grey scale when the original is in color, to make it easier to read.
Only use rebates that have a phone number (preferably a toll free one) or a web address. The phone numbers don't always work, nor do the web addresses, but not having contact info means no recourse if there are problems.
Write clearly. My handwriting sucks, and even clearly written stuff can be misread my some of the rebate folk.

Companies I have submitted rebates to

Here is a list of all the companies I have dealt with since 1998 (except the fraudulent Cyberrebate scum). In some cases I specify the product rather than the formal company name as I am more familiar with the product than the formal manufacturers name. Unless otherwise noted, rebated were received at the expected time. Don't think that I am wealthy, since 90% of this stuff was free after rebate.

3M - 2 rebates sent in
Acer - 5 rebates sent in
1 rebate had to be resent
ACP - 3 rebate sent in
Actiontec - 3 rebates sent in
Adaptec - 2 rebates sent in
Albertsons - 1 rebate sent in
Antec - 4 rebates sent in
APC / Conext - 5 rebates sent in
One rebate was paid very quickly.
Apex - 1 rebate sent in
Apress - 1 rebate sent in. Took 18 weeks not '8-10' weeks as their rebate form states.
They added me to their newsletter without me asking, which seems like the definition of spam (unsolicited - yes, commercial - yes, email -yes).

In the newsletter they say 'You are receiving this because of your recent participation in a rebate campaign for purchasing either an Apress or a friends of ED title from Fry's or another retailer.'. At the bottom they say 'We do not send unsolicited newsletters. You received this because you signed up for our newsletter at http://www.apress.com or at a tradeshow.'

It is true that I participated in a rebate campaign.
That doesn't mean I want their spam/newsletter.
On the bottom it says 'We do not send unsolicited newsletters.' That is a 100% lie.
I did not sign up for their newsletter at http://www.apress.com, so that is also a 100% lie.
Oh yeah, their book wasn't very good, and I wouldn't have gotten it if wasn't free after rebate.
ATI - 2 rebate sent in
Aurora - shredder, calculator 2 rebate sent in
Award Technology - 4 rebate sent in
Bafo - 1 rebate sent in
Belkin - 27 rebates sent in
Best Data - 3 rebates sent in
Body Glove CD wallet - 1 rebate sent in
Brother - 1 rebate sent in
Centon - 3 rebate sent in
Cendyne - 4 rebates sent in
Circuit City CDR - 2 rebates sent in
Cobra FRS radio - 1 rebate sent in
Coca Cola - 1 rebate sent in
The rebate was paid very quickly.
Compton Enclyopedia - 1 rebate sent in
CompUSA - 5 rebates sent in
Coolermaster - 3 rebates sent in
Coolmax - 1 rebate sent in
Corel - 1 rebate sent in
Creative Labs - 4 rebate sent in
Croteam (serious sam) - 1 rebate sent in
CyberAcoustic - 3 rebate sent in
Dazzle - 2 rebates sent in 1 was very slow
Diamond Stealth - 1 rebate sent in
Digital Media - 3 rebates sent in
D-Link - 14 rebate sent in
1 took a very long time
2 had to call in as they were slow
DWP - 1 rebate sent in
E3 - cd-r discs 2 rebate sent in
I had to call them as they lost a check
Eagle Bit - 1 rebate sent in
Eisenworld - 1 rebate sent in
Encore - 1 rebate sent in
Envision - 2 rebates sent in
Epson - 1 rebate sent in
I had to call them, as the rebate was stuck in limbo.
EVGA - 5 rebates sent in
One rebate was paid very quickly.
E-Works CDR - 2 rebate sent in
EZ Video - 1 rebate sent in
Fellows CD holder - 1 rebate sent in
Franklin Organizer - 2 rebates sent in
GE telephone - 1 rebate sent in
Gigafast - 3 rebate sent in
1 had to call in several times and show up at PC Club in person and get them involved in order to get the rebate.
Global Star Software - 1 rebate sent in
1 had to call in several times as they were very slow
Grand Theft Auto - 1 rebate sent in
Hauppage - 1 rebate sent in
H & R Block - 1 rebate sent in
Hewlett Packard - 2 rebate sent in
rebate came back very quickly
Hitachi 7 rebates sent in
Hi-Val 6 rebate sent in
1 had to call them as they 'lost it' 1 rebates ignored
CompUSA paid this one after Mouse Systems defaulted.
See below for "weasels for rebates"
HP - 2 rebate sent in
The rebate was paid very quickly.
Hypermedia - 9 rebates sent in
1 was denied, and I had to call several times to get the rebate.
IBM - 6 rebates sent in
Icom - 1 rebate sent in
Imation - 18 rebates sent in
The RipNGo! rebate came back very quickly
Inland - USB PCI cards and flash card readers 4 rebate sent in
I had to call them for 3 rebates, often more than once for them to send me a check. Clearly a company to avoid.
Intuit - 21 rebates sent in
rebates usually come back very quickly
IO Gear - 3 rebates sent in
IO Magic - 4 rebates sent in
Kaser Corp - 1 rebate sent in
See this for details about these weasels
Kbyte - 2 rebates sent in
Keningston - 3 rebates sent in
Kingston - 6 rebate sent in
Kitchenaid Juicer - 1 rebate sent in
Koss - 2 rebate sent in
Kworld - 2 rebate sent in
I had to call them for 1 rebate as they claimed never to have gotten it.
Labtec - 1 rebate sent in
Lexar - 1 rebate sent in
Linksys - 4 rebates sent in
One check came in about 3 weeks
Logitech - 1 rebate sent in
Madcatz - 2 rebate sent in
Mad Dog - 8 rebate sent in 5 times there were problems that required phone calls
One rebate required many phone calls to Mad Dog, CompUSA, Rebate Processing company, etc. 9 months. The last required 7.5 months and several phone calls.
Maxtor - 6 rebate sent in
1 had to resend it, as they lost it
Memorex - 6 rebate sent in
Mcafee - 6 rebates sent in
MGE - 2 rebate sent in
There was no phone number on the rebate form (a bad sign).
After 4 months I sent them email, which they ignored.
I then called them (got number from internet), and send them another email (including receipt), which they claim never to have gotten. I called them again, and emailed in the rebate receipt. They replied, wanting the 'invoice'. I emailed in the 'invoice'. I am not sure what the purpose of the rebate receipt is, except to cause confusion. It took only 2 weeks to get the check. Total time 5.3 months. Other rebate had similar problems and took 5.5 months
MGI - 3 rebates sent in
1 had to call, as they were very slow
Microadvantage - 3 rebates sent in
Microsoft - 19 rebates sent in
rebates usually come back very quickly
See this for details about how rebates should be
MicroUSA - 1 rebate sent in
Motorola - 1 rebate sent in
Mouse Systems - 5 rebates sent in
0 rebates received
CompUSA paid this one after Mouse Systems defaulted.
See this for details about these weasels
Motorsims - 1 rebate sent in
Netgear - 3 rebate sent in
Nikon - 1 rebate sent in
Norton / Symantec - 18 rebates sent in
2 I had to call many times and wait about 6 months in order to get the rebate.
OCZ - 1 rebate ssent in
Office Depot Paper, CD-RW, other stuff - 8 rebates sent in
Office Max stuff - 10 rebates sent in
I had to call in for two, as they 'lost it', took about 8.5 months.
O'Reilly and Associates - 4 rebates sent in
I had to call in for one, as they 'lost it', took about 4 months
Panasonic - 4 rebates sent in
Patriot - 1 rebate sent in
The rebate was paid very quickly.
PC Club - several rebates sent in
I usually have to call up the rebate company.
PC USA - 1 rebate sent in
It took 5 months to get the check.
Pearson aka Sams / Que Books - 2 rebate sent in, 1 paid, 1 free book
I bought 2 books at Fry's, one published by Pearson and one by Sams / Que. They each had a rebate. What I found out was that were both really published by Pearson and that Pearson would only accept one rebate form. To their credit, they did send me a free book of my choosing. Nonetheless, it was impossible to determine that they were the same company, nor was it clear that only one of the two rebates would be honored.
Pentel - 1 rebate sent in
Pentopia - 1 rebate sent in
Philips - 2 rebate sent in
Plextor - 3 rebate sent in
Two rebates took 1.5 months.
PNY - 1 rebate sent in
PQI - 3 rebate sent in
Prime Com Interactive - 1 rebates sent in
0 rebates received
CompUSA paid this one after Prime Com defaulted.
See this for details about these weasels
Prime Peripherals - 3 rebates sent in
2 had to call them
See this for details about these weasels
Qualcomm Eudora - 1 rebate sent in
1 had to call them, as I screwed up
Raidmax - 1 rebate sent in
Rebate was 'incomplete', but they didn't bother to tell me. I had to call, and it took 4.5 months
Rand McNally - 1 rebate sent in
RCA - 6 rebates sent in
Ridata - 3 rebates sent in
The rebate was paid very quickly.
Rio Volt - 1 rebate sent in
I had to call them, as they were late
Roxio - 2 rebate sent in
Sakar - 4 rebates sent in
Sams Club - 1 rebate sent in
Sandisk - 4 rebate sent in
Seagate - 8 rebate sent in
2 rebates came in 4 weeks
Sharpie (the markers by Sanford) - 3 rebate sent in
2 rebates were very slow (7 months). I kept on calling. One rebate was sent to a bad address which was partially my fault. The rebate processing center would not resend it, as the promotion had closed (even though they were very slow). I called Sanford, and without any documentation that I had ever bought anything, they cut me a check in about 2 weeks. They also told me they have switched to a different rebate processing company, as the old one had too many complaints.
Shell Oil - 1 rebate sent in
Siemens - 1 rebate sent in
I had to call them, as they were late
SIIG - 1 rebate sent in
I had to call them to get the rebate
Simpletech - 2 rebate sent in
Smart Buy - 1 rebate sent in
Sonic Foundry - 1 rebate sent in
Sony - 4 rebate sent in
One check 'got lost' and they had to resend, which was pretty quick.
STI Mobile - 3 rebate sent in
Staples - 2 rebate sent in
I was supposed to get a $20 gift check for a purchase. It took a number of calls and 6 months to get
Targus - 5 rebates sent in 3 was very slow
TaxCut - 5 rebates sent in About 1 month to get check!
TDK - 9 rebates sent in
1 rebate came back in 1 month.
Texas Instruments - 1 rebate sent in
rebate came back very quickly
Travroute Door to Door - 2 rebates sent in
Trendnet - 7 rebates sent in
Turbo Linux - 1 rebate sent in
Ulead - 1 rebate sent in
Ultra - 11 rebates sent in
Some were very slow in coming.
Valvoline (motor oil) - 3 rebates sent in
rebates came back in 3-4 weeks!
Verbatim - 2 rebate sent in
Virgin Tek - 1 rebate sent in
Vivitar - 1 rebate sent in
Voice Express - 1 rebate sent in
Western Digital - 12 rebate sent in
sometimes the rebates came back very quickly
Wherehouse (DVD's) - 2 rebates sent in
one rebate came back very quickly
World Book - 1 rebate sent in
Yahama - 4 rebates sent in
1 had to call them, as they lost it
See below for "weasels for rebates"
Zonet - 4 rebate sent in
One took 3.5 months, I think I had to call them

Microsoft Rebates

Say what you will about their software, but Microsoft has never screwed around with rebates for me, or hardware warranty problems. I have bought far too much Microsoft hardware and software, and I have always gotten my rebates from Microsoft with no fuss, and quickly to boot. They are the gold standard to me about how rebates should be handled. They have never 'lost' a rebate either.

Only Intuit is close to them for quality and speed of rebates.

Here are the latest weasels for rebates:
Most of the time, I get the rebates on time. Sometimes I have to call the company in order to get my rebate. Here is a list of companies that I have had to call to get my rebate.

Scum: Vastech Inc Rebates

I sent in two rebates to them. I didn't get a check. I sent them email. They ignored it. I called them. Their line is always busy, and their answering machine is full and doesn't accept messages. How can you get customer support when they ignore email and phone calls? This is my first rebate that I have failed to get. It had to happen eventually. Clearly the company is to be avoided at all costs.

Looks like I am not the only one. 1,300 Unopened Rebate Applications Found In Dumpster And where were the 1300 unopened rebates found? Why in a dumpster near Vastech. Shocking! I called Frys (where I bought the items). They said that I had to go to the store to show them the copies of my paperwork. All other problems I have had with rebates I have fixed via a phone call, email, or mailing letters. So I drove down there. I gave them my paperwork. And about a month or so later, I got my checks from Fry's.
Scum: A+GPB Enterprises Inc
I bought a 350w power supply made by A+GPB from Fry's Electronics. Some of my friends did so also. They were $3 after rebate, and seemed to be reasonably heavy (hopefully a measure of quality). I haven't tested the power supply yet, but I do know about the rebate process.
The rebate form is sent directly to the company. There is no phone number, or internet address on the rebate form. When I didn't get my rebate in a timely manner, I looked up the company via the internet. I called them (toll call), and got their rebate person, who spoke broken english. I gave my name, and they said they didn't have my rebate form. They kept on saying things like "Not my fault", over and over again. I tried to re-submit my rebate, but they wouldn't accept any rebates mailed after the dates listed. After 3.5 months, I did get my check. They had mis-spelled my name. The correct spelling is reasonably clear (thought not perfectly clear) on the rebate form (I kept a copy). It would be nice if they could look up close name matches. What is far worse, is if they lose the form, or the post office loses the form, you are 100% out of luck, as they won't accept a resubmission. This is the first company that I know of with this policy.

A friend who bought one and filled in the rebate had a worse problem. Though the address was clearly filled out, the company left out the last digit of the address when they mailed the rebate check. The company eventually got back the check, but did nothing. There is a phone number on the rebate form, but it was never called. They simply waited for my friend to contact them. After being contacted, the company mailed the check to the correct address. It took 5+ months.

I won't buy anything from this company. They might have good products. They may not. But it is clear that their customer support is quite unacceptable.
Scum: Prime Peripherals
After the modem fiasco below you would have thought I would have learned... but no. There was a deal at Office Max for 200 Prime Peripherals cdr's free after rebate. I decided to give them another try. What a fool I was. First I was sent a postcard denying the rebate. Then I resubmitted it, and heard nothing from them for awhile. So I started calling Office Max. I ended up calling them 8 times. Each time they knew about the problems, and were working on it. Well, I finally got my money, thanks to Office Max leaning on Prime Peripherals. It only took 6.5 months. Needless to say, I have finally learned my lesson, and I won't be buying any more stuff from this weaseliferous company.
I bought a modem from Prime Peripherals. I mailed in the rebate form. I waited the 8-10 weeks. I decided to call them. They had gotten the form, but claimed they couldn't read my address. Since I have a copy, I looked, and my address was easy to read. I asked them why they didn't call me, as I wrote my phone number, or send me email, as I wrote my email address. I got the impression that they were clueless or were really trying hard not to mail me my money. In any event, I cannot recommend them. Naturally, they said I had to wait another 8 weeks (since they screwed up).
Clueless: Yamaha
I mailed in a rebate for some CR-R's and some CD-RW's. The form said "Products Purchased", I listed both. Seems they forgot that Products is plural, and ignored the second one I listed. I had to call them, and they said wait another 8 weeks (since they screwed up).
CPVUE They sent me a rebate check after a phone call.
Recoton
They sent me a rebate check after a phone call.
Memorex
They sent me a rebate check after a phone call.
Scum: Hi-val
They are scum. I mailed in my rebate. No check. I called them 4 times, and left messages. They said they would contact me within 24 hours each time. They never called. I sent them email. They ignored it. Not only that, but their cd rom drive broke after less than a week in light use. Twice. I would never purchase anything from them under any circumstances.
Scum: Mouse Systems
Their Site
The scum of the earth. I have purchased at least 4 items from them and I have never gotten a rebate check. I have sent them e-mail, and it went into their black hole. I have called them on the phone. Although I have called at least 50 times, the phone is always in one of the following states:
- They are closed
- The line is busy
- The line isn't busy, but there are so many people waiting they won't let you leave a message.
I would NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM THESE UNETHICAL SCUMBAGS.

Also one of the keyboards I got from them failed in the first week of use.

On the advice of a lawyer friend of mine, I contacted the Federal Trade Commission

Here is what I told them:

I purchase a variety of goods from a company called Comp-USA. They have rebates on many of their goods. In almost all cases, I mail in the rebates along with the documents, and I receive a rebate check.

I have purchased 5 items from Mouse Systems. I have sent them on 5 separate occasions the rebate info. I have received nothing back from them at all.

I have contacted them electronically, and they have send me back nothing.

I have tried to contact them via their rebate line, but although I have tried at least 50 times, their number is always busy, or there is a message saying to call later.

I even posted a review of rebates in general, and mouse systems specifically on my web page, Mouse Systems and sent email to their sales, service, and rebate addresses with no results.

I believe that the 'rebates' are in fact fraud, and they have no intention of rebating any money. I have received at least 30 rebates from other companies with minimal problems. When there is a problem it has always been resolved with a single phone call.

I do not blame Comp-USA for this deception.

I would appreciate any help that I can get.

Thanks,
Turbo

There is some good news after all. I went to Comp-USA and told a manager about my problems with Mouse Systems. He suggested I call the 1-800 Comp-USA number, and they would take care of it. Well, I called them and explained the problem to them. They have had lots of complaints about Mouse Systems. After I faxed all the copies of my receipts and rebate forms, they sent me a check for all the money that Mouse Systems owed me.

If you have comments or suggestions, Email me at turbo-www@weasel.com

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Companies I have submitted rebates to Updated Nov-25-2007

Microsoft Rebates New Sep-10-2001

Scum: Vastech Inc Rebates Updated Nov-23-2007

Scum: A+GPB Enterprises Inc New Nov-05-2003

Scum: Prime Peripherals Updated Sep-10-2001