disappointed with ipod rebate management

Hi all,

A few weeks ago I bought a MBP and an iPod nano with the educational discount and promotional rebate. While I am quite satisfied with the products, I am disappointed in how the rebate has been managed and wanted to share it with the forum. Much to my displeasure (I hated defacing the MBP box ) I removed the full UPC and barcode along with the cardboard it was attached to and the iPod's UPC and mailed them in along with the other required info. Not long afterward I received an email documenting the receipt of my letter. Then a few days back I received another email saying my claim was rejected because I did not include the UPCs. I have tried calling their support without success and have finally gave in to filling out a Lost UPC Affidavit. Hopefully it will all clear up, but I didn't expect this kind of run around from Apple. I definitely will avoid Apple promotions in the future unless they are given at the time of purchase.

 

happens all the time with mail in rebates. i dont even bother with them anymore.

 

I had no problem with my rebate for the printer. In fact I got the money back about 2 weeks after I put the UPCs in the mail.

Did you make copies of your UPCs before you sent them? Having copies available will make this process a lot easier for you. If you didn't bother to do that, then it's your own damn fault for being unprepared.

 

how is it his fault? he paid the postal service to deliver, he bought a product with a rebate promise/offer, he followed the rules. he is fully within his right to expect the letter to arrive and for apple to NOT lose his UPC. it is Apple's fault. granted he should have made a copy but it isn't his fault. That's like blaming someone for his car being stolen, despite locking the door/activating the alarm. That's like blaming a murder victim for being killed or a rape victim for being raped. He did everything right, a photocopy is usually not accepted cuz of the high possibility of forgery

 

I am afraid this is going to happen to me when I send my ipod and printer rebates in. Here is a site with other people with similar problems. Does anyone know if this happens often?

 

i go to a school that uses all apple computers basically, nearly every student uses an Apple Laptop, and I don't know of any of them that had any problems with the rebate, just be persistant and you should be fine.

I have to agree that it is stupid to have to cut the box up to do it though.

 

SideSwipe, perhaps I should have phrased that differently. What I meant was that if apple can't help him now because he doesn't have upc copies, then it's his fault for not being prepared. As far as I see it, it's common knowledge that companies are hoping you wont send in a rebate, and that's how they make their money. Common knowledge, also, to make copies of EVERYTHING in case of situations like this. It's not just rebates either. My experience in college has been the exact same. I have stacks of copies of forms that I've submitted, and I'm glad I did that, cause it's saved my ass several times.

Everybody I've ever known to send off for a rebate has made copies for situations like this. While most companies will make you wait 6+ months for the rebate, Apple sends the checks very quickly. They're getting a lot of these rebate deals in the mail right now, so it's only to be expected that they'll lose a couple. Sucks that it's him, but there's a certain necessity to be prepared for this situation.


vipergts, you'll see a lot more negative response than positive because people tend not to get overly excited about positive results. If something bad happens, they'll go post about it everywhere. If something good or normal happens, then they just nod their head cause it's what they expected. As long as you're well prepared the rebates shouldn't be an issue.

 

I have actually been reading the same exact story on several other sites. I think whoever is handling these rebates is up to something. And if you think about it, you never know. If they get 10,000 of these rebates in a few weeks, but somehow lose 500 of them, that is 100k saved right there.

Someone on another site got the same bs, and was told he had to go the Affidavit route, but instead he just threatened to do a chargeback with his credit card. Bam. Game over. He won.

If you are sure you did everything correctly, and suspect they are trying to pull a fast one, don't hesitate for a second to fire back.

 

This happens all the time with any rebate, anywhere. Have you ever tried to cash in on rebates from phone companies for cell phone deals?

Obviously, you're not going to file and notarize affidavits of service and use certified mail with return receipts just for a rebate and then sue them if they lose your rebate, but it's also common sense to take some precautions - such as having copies just in case. They may not accept it, but it would certainly strengthen your position if it came down to it.

I wouldn't say he did "everything right" - there are reasonable precautions that can be argued a person should take when filing certain documents.

It's not someone's fault for having their car stolen - but it can be argued that it's his fault for leaving an unlocked car, with the keys in the ignition, without any alarms, in the worst part of town overnight.

EDIT: I'm not saying Apple's right in this. There's no excuse for losing your UPC codes either by accident or on purpose. But I'm also saying it's not unreasonable to expect the consumer to have made copies of what he sent out.

Incidentally, Apple was one of the faster rebate companies I ever came across - both checks came back to me in under a month. As others mentioned, many rebate offers would take nearly 6 months!

 

Although I do not always agree with how system_159 put things lol, I must agree that you should make copies of the form you filled out along with the UPC codes in events like these. Having copies will make everything much easier to prove that you did in fact send the necessary information and it was an error by mail delivery, not you. Good luck with trying to reclaim your rebates.

 

I am about to send the rebate too. I tried my best to do everything by their rules like cutting the UPC all the way so it left hole on the box. I tend to avoid rebate because of my previous bad experiences, but I was hoping for the best from Apple.
This thread makes me worries and makes me wonder if I made the right decision getting the printer.

Crossing my finger for the rebate to come.

Dugdug

 

decal, so sorry to hear that, but it is not your fault at all.

 

My suggestion next time you are going to send a mail-in-rebate:

always always always always photocopy what you are going to send. This includes receipts and UPC. You can even tape the UPC onto the receipt or form so it doesn't get lost.

In the meantime, hope they found your UPC cutout.

 

Geez, don't worry about it. As mentioned, people only post when they have a problem, not when something goes well. Rebate problems can occur on anything - that's just the way it works.

On the other hand, the fact that there are so few complaints about Apple rebates is actually a positive. This is actually the first thread on these forums about that for this series of rebates.

If you're curious, from the time I mailed mine out, I got both checks in under a month--no hassle, no questions asked.

 

One more thing,

The guy in Apple store told me to send in the original MBP UPC with the printer rebate and send copy of MBP UPC to IPOD rebate.
Is that what everyone doing?

Dugdug

 

Doesn't matter. I sent the original with the Ipod rebate (the ipod's worth more, so I figured if any issues arise, I'd at least get the $200 first and then argue for the $100).

But as long as you send the photocopy of the MBP UPC to the other rebate offer (and actually indicate which rebate offer the original UPC went with), it should be fine. Just follow the instructions on the rebate website to the letter.

 

I am happy to tell you guys that I got both of my rebate with no problem in about 3 weeks.
I was worried for no reason.

 

well, i got my rebate 2 weeks after they received it...

 

apple also sent mine after two weeks. however I did send both of them through certified mail w/ delivery + signature confirmation so they couldn't try any BS.

 

Good to hear some success with the rebate. They are always a gamble.

 

my friend got the runaround from apple when he called them. they claimed that they never got his UPC. he doesn't know what to do now. he's basically just given up and said screw it.

 

I received mine in two to three weeks. No problems here.

 

Yeah mine also came in 2-3 weeks. I sent in several different versions of my order reciept so I hopefully wouldn't get screwed and I didn't.

 

I always assume a rebate is going to be handled in a shady manor, or just plain bungled by the company in question. That's why I always make copies, and unless the rebate form specifically states otherwise, I keep the originals as well and send copies. Regardless, I've never been out and out screwed on a rebate, they usually just take almost months to come back.

I'd suggest sending it registered mail, but a lot of companies will just refuse to sign for it these days which is bull, honestly. If they give you problems, threaten to cancel the charge with your credit card company like someone else said. That usually puts them in their place.

 

The iPod offer ends 9/16----is that the deadline to purchase the Mac+iPod, or the date by which the mailed-in rebate must have reached Apple?

 

You have 30 days till date of purchase to send the rebate in. You qualify for the rebate as long as you buy both during the promotion period (9/16)

So you can buy both on 9/16 and send the rebate on say 9/25 and still qualify.