Complaint Review: TigerDirect - Miami Florida

I wish I had listened to my brother-in-law's advice last October when I purchased an Ultra 512MB DDR memory chip from TigerDirect.com. The memory chip came with two $20 rebates for a total of $40 to be distributed by Onrebate.com. My brother-in-law told me he does not do business with TigerDirect.com because the company has a bad reputation for cheating customers out of their rebates. I ignored his advice and ultimately lost. Here is my frustrating account of how I tried to get my rebates from TigerDirect.com and Onrebate.com and failed. I hope my experience will serve as a warning to others.

On October 19, 2005, I submitted my two separate rebates along with the product bar codes to Onrebate.com. I signed both rebate forms as instructed by the Onrebate.com online registration form and submitted them in separate envelopes. I made copies of all the documents I sent to Onrebate.com. For months I waited for my rebate checks, but they never came. I called Onrebate.com on April 11, 2006 about the delay. I was told that both of my rebate submissions were never received. I found it hard to believe that both of my rebates, sent in separate envelopes, were mysteriously lost in the mail. The customer service rep gave me an address in Miami, Florida to resubmit my rebates. I resubmitted the rebates the next day. I followed up with Onrebate.com on May 3, 2006, and was told that my rebates were still in the Resubmission Office and more time was needed to process my claims. I was told to call back on May 11. Subsequently, I called Onrebate.com again and again on May 11, May 17, and May 31, 2006. I was told the same story each time - more time was needed to process my rebates. By May 31, I was losing my patience. I insisted on talking with the supervisor at Onrebate.com. The rep promised that her supervisor would call me later that day. However, the promised call never came. That same day, I also called the TigerDirect.com customer services. I talked to a man named Mr. Walter Nunez. He asked me to fax him all my documents and he would fax them to the Onrebate.com supervisor. Mr. Nunez told me the problem would be resolved ASAP. I thought the long, arduous process was finally reaching an end. In fact, I got an email from Mr. Nunez the next day, stating that my forms were faxed to Onrebate.com and that my rebate problem would be resolved soon.

After more waiting, I again called Onrebate.com on June 6. This time I talked to a man named Mark, who found no record that Onrebate.com had ever received any of my forms faxed by TigerDirect.com. Mark told me to fax them to him and he would take care of everything. In fact, he promised to call me at home at 5:00 pm to let me know the status. I faxed Mark the same documents I faxed to TigerDirect.com. Again the promised phone call never came. On June 21, I called Onrebate.com for the final time. This time I was told that the rebates had expired and that I no longer qualified for the rebates.

One discovery I made from my correspondences with Onrebate.com is that all the personnel are experienced liars. They knew all along that the company had no intention of paying me the $40 rebate, and yet they lied through their teeth each time I called. They repeatedly told me more time was needed to process my resubmitted rebates, or that my fax was never received, or that the supervisor would call, etc. They were hoping that by delaying the process with excuses, I would give up.

I am quite experienced in dealing with companies over rebate problems (CompUSA, Office Depot, Amazon.com). In each and every case, the company resolved the problem quickly and professionally. I have never dealt with a company like Onrebate.com, which willfully conducts its business in such a dishonest and shameful manner. My original desire was to get the $40 rebate that Onrebate.com owed me. But after all these months of being lied to by both Onrebate.com and TigerDirect.com, it is no longer about the money. I will make every effort to let others know about this unnecessary and horrific experience that Onrebate.com and TigerDirect.com made me go through. I did some research and found that the two companies could be separate divisions of the same company.

No one deserves such poor treatment from any company. It goes without saying that I will never buy another product from TigerDirect.com. I told my family, friends and co-workers about my dreadful experience. In addition, I will never buy anything from companies that use Onrebate.com as their rebate distributor. I will send copies of this complaint to the CEOs of companies that use Onrebate.com as their rebate redemption partner. Here are other agencies and company offices I intend to make aware:

FTC (Federal Trade Commission)

Florida Better Business Bureau (OnRebate.com's HQ)

Maryland Better Business Bureau

Maryland Department of Consumer Affairs

Maryland State Attorney's Office

My local TV channel 7 (ABC) and Dateline NBC's consumer offices

CEO of Ultra Computer Products, Inc. The company sponsoring the rebate is ultimately responsible for distributing the rebates in an honorable manner. The CEO of the manufacturer ought to know that Onrebate.com is not distributing the rebates when it is paid to do so.

Office of New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Mr. Spitzer is a champion of consumer rights. This type of company dishonesty should get his attention, since his office receives many complaints from consumers.

I will continue to do everything within my power to let others know about these two deceitful companies. We consumers need to stay informed, share our experiences and warn others about companies like TigerDirect.com and Onrebate.com.

Steven

North Potomac, Maryland
U.S.A.

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