Rebate Confessions
Editors Note: An
Interview with a worker at the large Rebate Center in Canada, about
ripping off consumers who are seeking legitimate product rebates.
John, I will not use his last name, works in Ontario,
Canada at one of the largest product rebate centers handling rebate
requests from the USA.� He says that about 90% of their product rebate
requests come from the US.
John confesses that he and his 400 fellow workers try to stall and not
pay rebates that have been promised by manufacturers.� He says there
are many ways to keep consumers with legitimate rebate claims from
getting their rebate checks.
Here are some of the ways John told us about:� First one department
simply throws away the rebate requests for the smallest reason, like
the product code is stapled to the request, or it is taped, or it falls
out and they can't find it, or John says they claim they can't read the
address.� All these rebate requests are immediately thrown away.
He says many of the original proof of product codes are dumped and when
the consumer calls to asked what happen to their $100 or $200 rebate
they are told to resubmit the rebate request.� Then weeks later when
the consumer doesn't get the rebate check and calls again, he or she is
told that they submitted a copy of the proof of product code and it
must be the original product code.� (Of course we know they do not have
it now, because we threw it away on their first rebate request.)
John says he mainly cheats people out of legitimate rebates by the
stalling tactic.�� He says all manufacturers' rebates have a time limit
for the rebate-� offer, like 20 to 25 weeks.� So I will talk to a
consumer and tell them they have to wait 10 to 12 weeks for
processing.� When they call back again I tell them to resubmit and it
will be another four to six weeks.� When the consumer calls again I
tell them that we sent out the rebate check but it has come back two
times, I say there must be a problem with the address. (There is no
problem with the addresses, consumer are extremely careful with
printing the correct address-John)� John says he thinks they never
actually mail out the rebate check at all, but he ads he does not know
this as a fact.� By this time many consumers gives up and realizes that
they will never get the rebate and they have been ripped off. But, for
the consumer who will not give up and keeps calling the center, we will
finally tell them that the rebate offer period is over and we no longer
can issue rebate checks on that offer.
John says he is paid $8.50 Canadian per hour and it is the best job he
can get right now.� He says he wants to quit because he is having a
hard time ripping off consumers and making the guys at the top big
bucks.
Rebate Industry figures show that in 2004 the industry took in
$5-Billion in total rebate money that was supposed to be paid back to
the consumer. But� $2-Billion or 40 percent of all rebate money was not
paid back to the consumer.� It was estimated that in 2005 the amount of
rebates taken in would increase to more than $6-or $7-Billion dollars,
with half that amount not paid back to consumers.� At this writing I do
not have the exact industry figures for 2005.� After John's confession,
we now know why about half of the rebate money is never returned to the
consumer.� That means the Rebate Industry is a $5-Billion dollar
business that produces nothing but excuses, and totally rips off
consumers.
Editor's Note:� John, the employee said he was on the job when he spoke
from the Rebate Center in Ontario, Can. on the phone with Judd
McIlvain, June 28, 2006, on the Worldwide Troubleshooter Talk Show on
www.AdviceRadio.com.� If you want more Rebate Information go to
www.TroubleshooterJudd.com and search for Rebates on the Scam Page and
the Investigations Page.
Filed June 29, 2006 |
