Do not do it unless
1. you have the ad in your hands or online and have read everything,
and
2. it is a reputable company with reputable products,
and
3. you are calling them.
I learned the hard way that sales reps will lie a bit on the phone. Then when you get it in the mail, the fine print does not match what they said on the phone. The company may even be somewhat reputable. But if the sales rep wants a bigger commission, and are not being recorded, or you don't know their name, then they sometimes lie a bit. This one told me that even if I choose to cancel, I can still keep the free gas coupons just for signing up and looking at their other offers. I got it in the mail, and it clearly said in the contract that I must pay for a month subscription first before I am eligible for the coupons. I cancelled over the phone, and I still got charged. I'll have to call and find out why. I cancelled before 30 days. Maybe there was something I had to mail in with the cancellation number on it. And it better not be a yearly thing. Isn't it lovely how they don't tell you that stuff, but somewhere hidden there is fine print somewhere, or a reference to some other contract that is not printed there?
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Lesson #2:
Rebates are usually scams. I read this in NewsWeek, and have the same experience.
It is better to get the moderately higher final priced item, than the more expensive initial price one that is lower after rebates. Even if it is reputable, you have to drive around photo copying stuff, mail it registered mail by a certain date but not before a certain date, usually a 3 day window. Then you get something back in the mail from them with more instructions. Or you need to call a number to get a confirmation number, after an hour wait, and then must write the confirmation number on the package, just to make sure you don't mail it early. Already mailed it in? Too late.
Yes, you can get the rebate. But you have to look at the opportunity cost of all the hoop jumping. Some rebates are very simple and honest. But you never know until you try.
One computer is $500. Another is $550, but $450 after $100 mail in rebate. You still pay sales tax on the $100, which already eats into your $50 savings. Even if you are responsible enough to jump through the hoops, you still got the opportunity cost of jumping through them.
Often the rebate company is a third party not affiliated with the manufacturer or the store. They are just symbiotic, and they make a proffit off selling rebates.
1. you have the ad in your hands or online and have read everything,
and
2. it is a reputable company with reputable products,
and
3. you are calling them.
I learned the hard way that sales reps will lie a bit on the phone. Then when you get it in the mail, the fine print does not match what they said on the phone. The company may even be somewhat reputable. But if the sales rep wants a bigger commission, and are not being recorded, or you don't know their name, then they sometimes lie a bit. This one told me that even if I choose to cancel, I can still keep the free gas coupons just for signing up and looking at their other offers. I got it in the mail, and it clearly said in the contract that I must pay for a month subscription first before I am eligible for the coupons. I cancelled over the phone, and I still got charged. I'll have to call and find out why. I cancelled before 30 days. Maybe there was something I had to mail in with the cancellation number on it. And it better not be a yearly thing. Isn't it lovely how they don't tell you that stuff, but somewhere hidden there is fine print somewhere, or a reference to some other contract that is not printed there?
--------------------------------------------------------
Lesson #2:
Rebates are usually scams. I read this in NewsWeek, and have the same experience.
It is better to get the moderately higher final priced item, than the more expensive initial price one that is lower after rebates. Even if it is reputable, you have to drive around photo copying stuff, mail it registered mail by a certain date but not before a certain date, usually a 3 day window. Then you get something back in the mail from them with more instructions. Or you need to call a number to get a confirmation number, after an hour wait, and then must write the confirmation number on the package, just to make sure you don't mail it early. Already mailed it in? Too late.
Yes, you can get the rebate. But you have to look at the opportunity cost of all the hoop jumping. Some rebates are very simple and honest. But you never know until you try.
One computer is $500. Another is $550, but $450 after $100 mail in rebate. You still pay sales tax on the $100, which already eats into your $50 savings. Even if you are responsible enough to jump through the hoops, you still got the opportunity cost of jumping through them.
Often the rebate company is a third party not affiliated with the manufacturer or the store. They are just symbiotic, and they make a proffit off selling rebates.