Rebates. Love them or hate them, they are a business model that many companies have made permanent.
This snapshot is from the excellent site Ben’s Bargains. Ben aggregates deals of all kinds, so when I’m in the market for a bigger hard drive, for example, I’ll lurk awhile and see what kind of deal I can find. Often, there will be a mix of regular sale offers as well as those containing rebates. Starting a few months back, I was looking for a bigger hard drive and started following the Internal Storage category. What I found curious was that one particular vendor listed was Tiger Direct. Their deals came up frequently, but every single on of them came with a rebate requirement, some with more than one. This one deal really got my attention (you can click on the image to enlarge, if needed). First, a requirement to sign up for V.me Checkout. Then, two different rebates that have to be filled out. So, for an item whose recent price was $64, you need to lay out $120, and make sure you comply with the rebate terms. I think I’ll pass.
I’ve purchased from Tiger in the past. And not had any issue with the order itself or with rebates if they were part of the deal. Lately, my time has become tight, and when I make a purchase, I just want to be done, no paperwork, no tracking the arrival of rebates. Sorry, Tiger, if your deals are ever rebate-free I might be back, but not till then.
What do you think? Have you had enough of the rebates?
I absolutely hate them. Just knowing that the company has crunched the numbers and worked out how many people probably won’t bother sending in the rebate.