Complaint Review: Digital Research/ Staples Stores

I have purchased 2 products from Staples in the past year that each had 30 dollar rebates on them. I was very careful to staple together the rebate forms, the receipt, and the UPC symbol I cut off the box. I did get my rebate checks both times in about 4 to 5 weeks.

While I don't normally buy anything just cause it has a rebate on it, these were brands of RAM and monitor that I wanted, so I went ahead and sent the rebate info in.

I know rebates have become a big racket over the years, so I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I did get the checks back in the mail. :)

In fact, when we bought the monitor and had it delivered and Staples couldn't get it here the day it was promised (driver couldn't find our address), the manager of the store sent us a letter of apology and a voucher for 20 dollars towards anything we wanted to purchase in the store. I did not ask for her to do this, she did it on her own initiative.

I have purchased 2 products from Staples in the past year that each had 30 dollar rebates on them. I was very careful to staple together the rebate forms, the receipt, and the UPC symbol I cut off the box. I did get my rebate checks both times in about 4 to 5 weeks.

While I don't normally buy anything just cause it has a rebate on it, these were brands of RAM and monitor that I wanted, so I went ahead and sent the rebate info in.

I know rebates have become a big racket over the years, so I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I did get the checks back in the mail. :)

In fact, when we bought the monitor and had it delivered and Staples couldn't get it here the day it was promised (driver couldn't find our address), the manager of the store sent us a letter of apology and a voucher for 20 dollars towards anything we wanted to purchase in the store. I did not ask for her to do this, she did it on her own initiative.

I have purchased 2 products from Staples in the past year that each had 30 dollar rebates on them. I was very careful to staple together the rebate forms, the receipt, and the UPC symbol I cut off the box. I did get my rebate checks both times in about 4 to 5 weeks.

While I don't normally buy anything just cause it has a rebate on it, these were brands of RAM and monitor that I wanted, so I went ahead and sent the rebate info in.

I know rebates have become a big racket over the years, so I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I did get the checks back in the mail. :)

In fact, when we bought the monitor and had it delivered and Staples couldn't get it here the day it was promised (driver couldn't find our address), the manager of the store sent us a letter of apology and a voucher for 20 dollars towards anything we wanted to purchase in the store. I did not ask for her to do this, she did it on her own initiative.

I have purchased 2 products from Staples in the past year that each had 30 dollar rebates on them. I was very careful to staple together the rebate forms, the receipt, and the UPC symbol I cut off the box. I did get my rebate checks both times in about 4 to 5 weeks.

While I don't normally buy anything just cause it has a rebate on it, these were brands of RAM and monitor that I wanted, so I went ahead and sent the rebate info in.

I know rebates have become a big racket over the years, so I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I did get the checks back in the mail. :)

In fact, when we bought the monitor and had it delivered and Staples couldn't get it here the day it was promised (driver couldn't find our address), the manager of the store sent us a letter of apology and a voucher for 20 dollars towards anything we wanted to purchase in the store. I did not ask for her to do this, she did it on her own initiative.

Dear Someone,

Everybody knows that mail in rebates are a scam. If they wanted to reward the customer for purchasing their product they would put a coupon on their product that was redeemable at the time of purchase.



Instead, they do count on lost paper work, people forgetting, complicated rules, time restraints, etc. Some of those products with rebates my sit on a shelf for a long time and the rebate is outdated within days of purchase.



Depending on the amount, every rebate refused, or every customer that finally gives up can save them big money.



Why does it take 4-6 weeks? Things used to take 4-6 weeks 20 years ago before so many companies computerized. They have never updated their response times... for various reasons I am sure.

Paul mentioned 2 weeks as in two weeks after the phone call and fax sent from the store... not 2 weeks from the time he sent in the rebate.



People can have issues with a retailer and still appreciate the store overall. However, rightly or wrongly, if it is a manufacturer's rebate it is the retailer that is probably going to take the hit. I build a relationship with a store, not a brand of appliance or manufacturer. That is what stores advertise and promise... that with them you will get what you want at a price you are willing to pay.



Individually there isn't much we can do about the rebate mess. Together through reports such as this we can maybe get the word to the stores that since they have much more sway with the companies they might be able to make changes if it hurts them enough.



Retailers do have much more influence. You should see the weight that Wal-Mart has with their suppliers. That is one of the reasons that they can sell at lower prices. They are big enough to make their suppliers be responsive to them... and by extension to Wal-Marts customers.



I understand the desire to be fair. If this was an isolated incident then your points would carry much more weight. However it isn't isolated, it is rampent in the industry.



Do a search of this site for "Rebate" or a Google search for rebate. You will see that processing and denying a rebate has become big business. One of the ways that these companies can make money is to find ways to deny rebates.



There is so much concern about these companies needing to be careful so they don't get ripped off. There would be no concern of being ripped off it it was a coupon redeemed at the cash register.



There is a report here about a person returning a printer and the store not wanting to give the person a replacement unless he paid the rebate price.



They didn't know if the rebate had been sent in for the original product, whether that rebate would be honored and if the person paid the rebate to get the printer and then got the rebate he would have ended up with $0.00 net gain. If he didn't get the rebate he sent in for then he was actually worse off. See what I mean? It is a total mess. I don't know why they couldn't just cut off the UPC or colored it out with a marker.



Excusing the behavior and practices of companies that use deception at the expense of customers isn't the best way to work towards an improvement for all.



Thanks,

1) that when you send in a rebate offer it ALWAYS takes 4-8 weeks to hear anything back from the manufacturer.



2) that, most likely, this customer did NOT send in the proper rebate information in a timely manner. Heck, they lost the information for the first purchase. NOT TO MENTION, he even said, "I called the number on the rebate slip," which should have been sent to the manufacturer.



3) Staples ALWAYS (100% of the time if it's a Staples rebate, approx 98% of the time if it's a manufacturers rebate) has the actual rebate form and receipt print out at the register BEFORE the original receipt is printed and is given to the customer. For that 2% that it doesn't print out, it can be retrieved and printed within minutes of the purchase. The "ALLKNOWING" Paul Smith could've gone back to the store and gotten that "lost paperwork"



4) that Paul probably receiverd his rebate the next day.



5) he is a LOYAL Staples customer and is one of those that later would say, "I wouldn't shp anywhere else!"