Thomas, Un-freakin' believable. 9 people actually each took down $90,000 worth of IOU rebates before this co. went belly-up? Did they have their brains on auto-pilot with their auto-pilot in the shop? Rebates are not my favorite online tool, even though I am known for occasionally being a wee mite cheap. I did use BrandsforLess rebates that offered free shipping at other online sites. But they stopped listing Bluefly and Joseph A. Bank online will never accept my credit cards, so I no longer have any use for BrandsforLess. They always sent the shipping rebates after many, many moons. But, what the hey, I didn't order the stuff because of the free shipping and it didn't hurt to put in the rebate form as long as I was ordering anyway.
The scam with rebates is that most people are not organized and are lazy or busy. They lose receipts, forms, forget cutoff dates, etc. So it can be pretty profitable for the co. and destructive for the consumer if folks buy more than they should for the rebate.
In the bricks and mortar world, I use Eckerd and Walgreen's rebates every month. I haven't paid for a toothbrush, deodorant, a ballpoint pen, shaving cream, razors and razor blades, hair dye, writing paper and notebooks, lip balm, body cream (don't ask, don't tell <g>), etc. for years. It is a huge freebie, though the wait for the rebates is usually about 45 days. But this is stuff I'd be buying anyway if it weren't free, and Eckerd and Walgreen's are a bit more established in business than CyberRebate.Com. I used to use Office Max rebates, too, but they haven't been good for more than a year and I don't even drop by the store to check them out unless I just happen to be buying a printer cartridge or something of that sort.
I always suspect those who really jack up prices and then offer rebates on it. And wish I'd thought up the scam first. Talk about your great Ponzi schemes. <VBG> |
