David Savage wrote: > I am not a big fan of the rebate concept. IMO, it would be > much easier if the store just reduced the price by the > "rebate" amount & then claim the difference from the > manufacturer / wholesaler. > > But I'm no retailing expert.
And Bob Shell wrote: >I think a lot of the rebates we see advertised are outright scams. I would much rather the store reduced the price and yes, I think it's a scam. I can see that as a marketing tool, people may well be tempted in the shop to opt for product 'x', because with the rebate it's a better deal. The manufacturers rely on a certain percentage of those buyers failing to complete the rebate forms because they are too complicated, fail to complete in time, lose the paperwork or reading it, decide they can't be bothered. So it's sold under the implication of a price reduction but in reality the manufacturers know that many will be sold for full price. That's a legal scam - if you're going to give a discount, give it to the customer at the point of sale. Having been down this route of buying an item under such an offer, and completing the paperwork within the time frame etc etc and waiting three whole months for the rebate to return, I think the idea stinks and if I see a similar offer I ignore it - and remember I got my cash back! Malcolm
