Do you go for rebates?

[DaltonM]

I feel rebates would be 100 times better if the money went straight to my bank account or just came off the price. WTF am I going to do with a $20 gift card like 2 months later >_> 

 

I almost never feel like it's even worth the annoyance of filling out the form and sending it through 'who even uses this anymore' snail mail. 

[Kobathor]

Same here. If the rebate is less than $15 I don't even bother. Not worth it to wait months for a few dollars.

 

EDIT- I do $15 rebates.

[79wjd]

Buy groceries? or something else you need? Rebates are great and if they were any easier then a company wouldnt be able to give a $20 rebate. It's only because most people don't bother than they're able to give so much back (if everyone took advantage of them, then they wouldn't be feasible). 

 

It literally takes five minutes to get an envelope, right the address, answer the two or three fields and then cut the barcode off the box. 

[TidaLWaveZ]

I've filled out so many rebates that I've never gotten the money back from.

 

Rebates are Jip Joints.

[Yoinkerman]

If what I buy comes with a rebate, ill fill it out, then make copies, then resend a copy because the rebate place tried something every single god damn time, then eventually get the rebate.

 

However, ill buy a product because it's the product I want, a rebate makes zero difference, and I abhor the poor business practice of advertising the "price" as the price after rebate.  Since every single rebate is a scam.

[GeekJump]

A rebate doesn't persuade me to buy a product. If a product I want happens to have a rebate - Yay for me.

 

I only go through the hassle if its $20+ (maybe $15 if I'm feeling less lazy that day). So far I haven't had any problems getting rebates back, it just takes awhile sometimes. 

 

4 hours ago, djdwosk97 said:

Buy groceries? or something else you need?

The only physical store near me that has ever accepted the rebate gift cards I get is Gamestop. Thankfully I just trade cards with people I know that go to GS regularly in exchange for equal cash value (doesn't matter to them). 

 

Amazon is the only place I buy from that accepts those cards (american express?)

[79wjd]

4 minutes ago, GeekJump said:

A rebate doesn't persuade me to buy a product. If a product I want happens to have a rebate - Yay for me.

 

I only go through the hassle if its $20+ (maybe $15 if I'm feeling less lazy that day). So far I haven't had any problems getting rebates back, it just takes awhile sometimes. 

 

The only physical store near me that has ever accepted the rebate gift cards I get is Gamestop. Thankfully I just trade cards with people I know that go to GS regularly in exchange for equal cash value (doesn't matter to them). 

 

Amazon is the only place I buy from that accepts those cards (american express?)

I've never once not been able to use one of those gift cards. They work at any store that accepts credit cards. 

[GeekJump]

47 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

I've never once not been able to use one of those gift cards. They work at any store that accepts credit cards. 

Not in NJ. Major chains, small stores, fast food, etc. Gamestop is the only physical store near me (that I shop at) that accepts it.

idk if it depends on the rebate but the gift cards I get are never visa or mastercard, always some smaller thing. 

[79wjd]

5 minutes ago, GeekJump said:

Not in NJ. Major chains, small stores, fast food, etc. Gamestop is the only physical store near me (that I shop at) that accepts it.

idk if it depends on the rebate but the gift cards I get are never visa or mastercard, always some smaller thing. 

I live in NJ as well. 

 

The only time I've been told they couldn't accept it is when it happens to be an AMEX gift card, and that store happens to not accept AMEX; and even then, most places accept AMEX 

[GeekJump]

1 minute ago, djdwosk97 said:

I live in NJ as well. 

 

The only time I've been told they couldn't accept it is when it happens to be an AMEX gift card, and that store happens to not accept AMEX; and even then, most places accept AMEX 

Then I've been lied to this whole time!

 

Double checked an EVGA one I had in my wallet, its American express as well. After trying it a couple places I ended up just using it on Amazon. Maybe you have a prettier face than me and they let you get away with it >_>...

[WkdPaul]

so from the conversation ... title should be "mail-in rebates", 'cause last time I checked there's also instant rebates, those are great! lol

[QueenDemetria]

(Mail in)Rebates are a good idea in theory, but in practice I've found that manufactures are terrible at handling rebates in a timely manor(2-8+ months is not timely) or they just don't handle them at all(looking at you ASUS, MSI, and pre-Toshiba OCZ). Not worth my time or effort, certainly not worth the false hope.

 

This is why I budget things with full price instead of "after rebates and savings".

[Real_PhillBert]

I've never bothered to send in a rebate card. First world problems, I guess.

[NumLock21]

instant rebate over mail in rebate. Instant as in I get my discount right at the counter, when I check out. Not fill in some stupid ass form and wait a millennium for it to come back. By the time it comes back, the product isn't even worth the rebate.

[vanished]

I used to care but I would now ignore the "incentive" of a MIR offered on any product since I've realized they are just a trick to lure people in with a price that seems lower, but they make it such a nuisance to claim and use the rebate that it's not worth it.  You have to round up all of the materials, fill out forms, mail it in, and then a few months later you get mailed an american express card that you then have to activate and Steam won't even accept.

 

I like to think I got my CPU cooler for $25 because of a rebate, but it wasn't really.  Not if you really think about it...

[spellmanuk]

never even seen a rebate since like 1999 lol i use amazon for everything anyway these days 

[deVIZtation]

I tend to avoid products that have MIRs. Take the price right off or I won't even bother buying your product.

[givegomezthegun]

5 minutes of my time, and a stamp.  I take advantage of every mail in rebate offer for anything I purchase.  Why not?  It's nearly effortless money.  However, I DON'T make a purchase just because there's a rebate.  

[Briggsy]

mail-in rebates are of so little consequence to me, that I hate dispise loath online retailers that show the price including the MIR (thank you newegg for not doing that). The only product I will do MIR for is computer cases, because sometimes those can be 20 or 30 dollars, and I can't be arsed to RMA a computer case anyway, so the proof of purchase is useless to me. 

[Hman1250]

I now try to purchase things without rebates. I filled in a mail in rebate from Asus and EVGA and never gotten it back.

[MDK42]

I've mailed off rebates following everything requested and I never get the money. I suspect it's because the rebates are for Mericans only.