Thank you Eliot Spitzer...

[pam123]

I got my mail on the way in and in it were 2, long overdue, rebate checks from CompUSA.
I didn't have to jump through any corporate hoops to get them and I think I've got a few more coming.
I'm still doing my shopping elsewhere but Spitzer is a State AG who certainly does his job.
The only problem with him running for governor is that he'll win.
Then who will New Yorkers threaten corporations with? :p

[catacon]

Eww...CompUSA! It annoys me that they only hire people to sell stuff. The people that know stuff about computers are locked in back rooms and only let out when CompUSA is asked to do a repair. And I avoid MIR's, they take forever.

[Panama Red]

I take it you had to ask for assistance with some rebates, Pam? So far I've been fortunate. All my rebates have come in the stated time frame. However, I've never bought anything from CompUSA. Their local store has the worse service and inventory I've ever seen!

[catacon]

Yeah, I forgot about the inventory. In order to get a 3-pin to 4-pin adapter there, I had to buy it with a heat checker or something. And also, they have like not IDE and SATA cables or power cables. Last thing I bought there was an Antec PSU which I overpaid $20 bucks for, but it works.

[pam123]

I take it you had to ask for assistance with some rebates, Pam? So far I've been fortunate. All my rebates have come in the stated time frame. However, I've never bought anything from CompUSA. Their local store has the worse service and inventory I've ever seen!

I don't know about service there, never used it, but when I first started buying parts in 2000 CompUSA had great prices, a great inventory and prompt rebates pay outs. It didn't last.
I also ran across 2 knowledgable sales people (They may have been the only 2 in the store but that's another problem and, admittedly, I'd done my homework.).
The rebates worked well for about a year and a half and then everything went to hell in a handbasket and I switched to newegg and mwave ( I'd discovered PCMech by then) and never went back there except for the occassional box of floppies, spindle of cd-r disks, or to buy a game or DVD.
When matters got worse I wrote off the last of the rebates I'd mailed.
Spitzer the Avenger, who really does seem to dislike that sort of thing, got on their case.
He won but I didn't think it would affect me.
Wrong.
I will have about $250 before the summer ends (Bless the local copy shop that was just down the block from my office. I always mailed everything promptly and kept copies.) without having to do anything further than I did when I filled out rebate forms and mailed them in the first time round.
My only regret is not getting compound interest.

[SonicVanguard]

Bought a laptop from Dell over 8 months ago - still waiting on the rebate checks. First I was told they didn't have my info - faxed everything I had - then I was told that since my rebates are old they need authorization for them - that was four months ago.

I almost forgot about them except for this thread. Guess I need to place a call or three...

[inflames988]

Rebates DON'T work. Something needs to be done about them on the legal end. For those of you who do get your MIR's in the stated time frame, good for you. I've never had one returned in the stated time frame, and most often they just wont give it to me at all. I know how picky they are, i take time to fill them out correctly, and all i get to show for it is a letter saying your UPC is wrong, or just nothing at all. The companies straight out lie to you about these things. Whatever you send isn't good enough. Im still waiting on one thats way overdue (not for that much anyway, but i want it because the product doesnt work well) and one that should be here soon. Luckily the 2nd one i KNOW everythings right. Its a staples one, they started a program of easy rebates. From coworkers ive heard it works pretty well. It was easy to fill in a few numbers on the receipt (basically the transaction number and a couple other things) and my personal info without any problems. My only doubt here is that as an employee i wont receieve it, because the week i bought it was employee discount. Either way, the drive cost me around 130 at the store with an extra year of warranty...if it breaks next year, i get a new one, the year after that i have the replacement plan covering, so if it dies then, i get back my full purchase price in a cash card at staples....by that time theyll have 500 gig drives on sale at the same price lol.

I also sent in two 50$ rebates on cell phones which were "free" after rebates. Chances of getting those back in the next year? Id be willing to bet 0%.

EDIT: since they tell u to keep copies of ur stuff u send in, i may just start a rebate file on my computer and keep track of all of them. i would guess i do at least 5-10 of these things in a year, whether its some DVD-rs or whatever. I have the stuff from my maxtor drive rebates already on there, i usually just scan in whatever documents i send to them. I also have a laser copier downstairs i could use, that way i could track everything on paper and write on them if i recieve the check. I can see what %age come back and an in the given time frame...my guess would be 20% come back, 5% in given time frame.