Secret Hoops to get Circuit City rebates

Actually *getting* a manufacturer's rebate from Circuit City requires jumping through SECRET HOOPS

In late January, I bought a Motorola SB5120 cable modem from Circuit City. It had 2 overlapping rebates, each for $20. I called the nearest store, and I was told that the modem had to be ordered on the website. So I ordered it on the website, and it said to pick it up at the nearest store. At the store, they charged my credit card and handed me the modem. Sounds like I bought it at the store, right? Wrong!

I sent in the meticulously filled-out rebate forms with a copy of the purchase receipt, and I waited four weeks. Today, I received 2 letters - one for each form - saying that the rebates wouldn't be issued due to "INVALID PURCHASE LOCATION". The modem hadn't been "purchased" at the store!

I called the number in the letters, and there was a recording so bad that I couldn't even understand it. I called the store, and their recording said to call a different no. about rebates. The people at that no. said they were the old rebate company - only up to last October. They knew all about the scratchy recording at the "new company", and they gave me a series of menu numbers to push on the "new company's" automated telephone system. That got me a live rep in Texas for Circuit City's manufacturer rebates. She told me that the Terms and Conditions of the 2 rebates "clearly say" that the purchase had to have been made in the store. Of course, the form that I had printed off their website made no mention of purchase location. They wouldn't budge, and neither would their supervisor.

I went to the Circuit City store and complained to the Director of Operations. She was soooo sympathetic and without even seeing my refusal letters, she refunded my credit card for $43.

It's obvious to me that the whole series of hoops is standard procedure at Circuit City!! Most people would not be so perseverent and would just give up on getting the rebates. But I knew I had a good case for FRAUD, and I was willing to take the suckers to Small Claims Court.

Consumer Beware at Circuit City!

*TimDaniels*
Reply to
Timothy Daniels
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I will not purchase products with rebates except and auto. I wanted a xm2go radio for a present, when to bestbuy and it was 200 dollars with a 50 dollar rebate, when to samsclub and bought the same radio for

149.00 with no rebate. If people would look around these prices can be found from many vendors and retail stores.

Reply to
BigJim

I've been thru similar scenarios. But you used the right procedure. It isn't just Circuit City. They all hope you do something wrong or give up on it. You have to be ready to prove you have it coming and fight for it. I buy a lot of items with rebates, follow the instructions to the letter, document the hell out of it and follow up when I don't get it. I always get what's coming to me but have had to fight for it. I too have talked to management at Circuit City as well as a few other places.

Reply to
Dave

I guess I was spoiled. My previous experiences with rebates were with Fry's Electronics and Maxtor. I bought 4 Maxtor hard drives at Fry's, and I applied for rebates for each of them over a 10-day period (even though the rebate was restricted to one-per-household). Lo and behold, they all came through without a hitch! I thought all manufacturer rebates were like that.

*TimDaniels*
Reply to
Timothy Daniels

I wish they were. Some are getting a little better. I like the ones that send an acknowledgment email and provide a web site with status. Symantec used to be very bad. But lately they're pretty reliable. Once I bought a Western Digital hard drive from Circuit City with a $50 rebate from WD. I had a hell of a time getting it. I ended up going to Circuit City and telling them about the trouble getting the promised rebate from one of their vendors. They made some calls and I had it within a week.

Reply to
Dave

I suspect those "calls" went as far as the back room at the Circuit City store. Your going in to your local store so that they could "rescue" you from the nasty rebate company was just a hoop you had to jump through. You went away thinking highly of your local store, didn't you?

*TimDaniels*

"Dave" wrote:

Reply to
Timothy Daniels

Yep, it's just what you have to do sometimes. They aren't going to cheat me out of it though.

Reply to
Dave

It is highly likely that the money came out of that particular Circuit City store's P&L, which is what the manager is being judged on, and earns a bonus on. In a sense, the store manager was taking money out of their pocket to make things better, and they hope that their actions will impress you enough that you continue to shop at their particular store.

Reply to
Warren

I don't think so. It was a Western Digital check that I received. I think Circuit City just prodded them to pay up. I did find that they had a special list of contact numbers just for that type of situation.

Dave

Reply to
Dave

I checked my credit card account today, and the $43 rebate has hit my account. Apparently, the Circuit City strategy is to get people back into the local store where they can be stroked and "rescued" from the Bad Rebate Company. It all makes sense, now that I think back - the "old rebate company" was so apolegetic for the "new rebate company's", behavior - although they supposedly had no connection whatsoever with it - and they knew about the scratchy recording and just what series of 3 menu options to select to get through to a real person at the "new rebate company". The whole scenario was choreographed and staged by Circuit City! What a friggin' HASSLE!!

*TimDaniels*
Reply to
Timothy Daniels

Could be depending on what the product was....I got my $30 rebate check without any problem other than checking the rebate site & not seeing my entry. I did remember tho that entries on any rebate website isn't done or appear until the expiration date of a rebate; at least that is what it appears to me. My rebate was for a Panasonic DVD recorder without a harddrive.

The biggest problem is that the postal "service" don't forward any rebate checks to a new address; the rebates apparently "disappear" somewhere without a trace.

Reply to
plew

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