Rebate (marketing) - General Complaints

General Complaints

At some big box stores, personal computers are regularly sold with sizable rebates attached, making the advertised price more attractive to buyers. It is common, though, for these rebates to be conditional upon signing a long term contract with a particular ISP, to which some customers may object. Hardware manufacturers have come under fire, also. Dell, for one, has been the subject of rebate complaints involving misprinted receipts, potentially confusing expiration dates, and service representatives who are slow to react.

Rebate issues began to clog Dell's customer service forums, leading the company to shut down that portion of the website, and refocus its energy on new online customer care services. CompUSA used rebates regularly until it started closing its remaining stores in December 2007.

Cell phone service companies, including major players like T-Mobile, as well as third-party retailers like Radio Shack, Wirefly and others have received growing attention due to complex rebate redemption rules. Both carriers and retailers make customers submit rebate claims during a 30-day window, often 6 months after cell phone activation. Some authorized dealers have responded by trying to make rebate requirements more transparent, explaining that the carrier will withdraw payment from them if a customer quits service before the end of the contract.

In 2009, Florida State Attorney General Bill McCollum filed suit against Tiger Direct, OnRebate, and their parent company Systemax, charging the companies with failing to provide rebates to customers.