[net.consumers] mail in rebates & proofs of purchase.

kwmc@mtuxo.UUCP (k.cochran) (01/22/86)

Ever noticed how 'final cost' adverts do not mention the fact
that you will pay sales tax and 22c postage on the item you buy ?
That irritates me !

Ever noticed how rebates on cans of oil inevitably ask for one to
cut up all the cans of oil before a rebate will be issued ?
Messy !

A story:  Two days ago I bought a three pack of Mott's apple and
raspberry juice. On the packe in big blue and white letters was
the claim " FREE 3-pack with proof of purchase (details inside) ".
One has to buy the pack and open it to find that they require
5 proofs (plural) of purchase.

I considered the claim mis-leading and called Motts (collect) They
agreed the claim was misleading and are sending a coupon for a free
one.

If you've been similarly misled call the company collect and complain.
If nothing else it may discourage them in the future.

				Ken Cochran     mtuxo!kwmc

cb@hlwpc.UUCP (Carl Blesch) (01/23/86)

> Ever noticed how rebates on cans of oil inevitably ask for one to
> cut up all the cans of oil before a rebate will be issued ?
> Messy !
> 
> A story:  Two days ago I bought a three pack of Mott's apple and
> raspberry juice. On the packe in big blue and white letters was
> the claim " FREE 3-pack with proof of purchase (details inside) ".
> One has to buy the pack and open it to find that they require
> 5 proofs (plural) of purchase.

Here's another one.  A few years ago, Andre Champagne offered a
rebate upon the return of three labels. All three labels had to be sent in
within a month.  We couldn't drink all three that fast (well, I guess we
could have if we tried!!), so we thought we'd soak the labels off
the two remaining full bottles.  But wording on the labels warned us not
to soak labels off full bottles, because the bottles could explode if
dipped in warm water!

Carl Blesch

daw1@mhuxl.UUCP (Douglas A. Williams) (01/24/86)

	I hate the rebates that never come! STP oil filters are
one of the recent jerks. First of all you spend $0.22 to send
it in; then it's $0.22 to follow-up. All for a lousy buck rebate.
I've given up on anything less than $2.00 or so.
	As far as following-up on the missing rebates, I've always
gotten the money without further difficulty. The next time I
write to get a missing rebate honored, I'm going to ask for postage
too. It's worth a try.
	I think most companies that have rebates are honest. It's
those lousy @!*%+& clearing houses in Young America, Minnesota that
always seem to loose the rebates. (BTW, did anybody out there ever pass
through Young America? Is it just a post office box in the middle
of nowheresville? No offense to The Land of 10,000 Lakes intended :-)

                1
              1   1
	    1   2   1			Doug Williams
	  1   3   3   1			AT&T Bell Labs
	1   4   6   4   1 		Reading, PA
      1   5   10  10   5   1		mhuxl!daw1
    1   6  15   20   15  6   1

andrew@grkermi.UUCP (Andrew W. Rogers) (01/24/86)

In article <506@mhuxl.UUCP> daw1@mhuxl.UUCP (Douglas A. Williams) writes:
>	I think most companies that have rebates are honest. It's
>those lousy @!*%+& clearing houses in Young America, Minnesota that
>always seem to loose the rebates. (BTW, did anybody out there ever pass
>through Young America? Is it just a post office box in the middle
>of nowheresville? No offense to The Land of 10,000 Lakes intended :-)

Young America is a suburb of Lake Wobegon. 	:-)

AWR

jao@valid.UUCP (John Oswalt) (01/24/86)

> Here's another one.  A few years ago, Andre Champagne offered a
> rebate upon the return of three labels. All three labels had to be sent in
> within a month.  We couldn't drink all three that fast (well, I guess we
> could have if we tried!!), so we thought we'd soak the labels off
> the two remaining full bottles.  But wording on the labels warned us not
> to soak labels off full bottles, because the bottles could explode if
> dipped in warm water!
> 
> Carl Blesch

Never occurred to you to use cold water, huh?
-- 
John Oswalt (..!{hplabs,amd,pyramid,ihnp4}!pesnta!valid!jao)

mazlack@ernie.BERKELEY.EDU (Lawrence J. &) (01/25/86)

>	I hate the rebates that never come! STP oil filters are
>one of the recent jerks. First of all you spend $0.22 to send
>it in; then it's $0.22 to follow-up. All for a lousy buck rebate.
>I've given up on anything less than $2.00 or so.

Yah, I've had pretty bad luck as well. I don't figure that I get more
than 50% of them. Probably the best are drug or beauty products.  The
worst are wine and booze.

>	As far as following-up on the missing rebates, I've always
>gotten the money without further difficulty. The next time I
>write to get a missing rebate honored, I'm going to ask for postage
>too. It's worth a try.

Who do you write to? Young America, the corporate headquarters?

>	I think most companies that have rebates are honest. It's
>those lousy @!*%+& clearing houses in Young America, Minnesota that
>always seem to loose the rebates. (BTW, did anybody out there ever pass
>through Young America? Is it just a post office box in the middle
>of nowheresville? No offense to The Land of 10,000 Lakes intended :-)

I'm not sure that someone is honest if they don't make sure that you
get what they promise you.

ron@brl-smoke.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (01/28/86)

> 
> Ever noticed how 'final cost' adverts do not mention the fact
> that you will pay sales tax and 22c postage on the item you buy ?
> That irritates me !
> 
> Ever noticed how rebates on cans of oil inevitably ask for one to
> cut up all the cans of oil before a rebate will be issued ?
> Messy !
> 
> A story:  Two days ago I bought a three pack of Mott's apple and
> raspberry juice. On the packe in big blue and white letters was
> the claim " FREE 3-pack with proof of purchase (details inside) ".
> One has to buy the pack and open it to find that they require
> 5 proofs (plural) of purchase.
> 
> I considered the claim mis-leading and called Motts (collect) They
> agreed the claim was misleading and are sending a coupon for a free
> one.
> 
> If you've been similarly misled call the company collect and complain.
> If nothing else it may discourage them in the future.
> 
> 				Ken Cochran     mtuxo!kwmc

I'd expect that you didn't spontaneously do all this.  This entire
article reads a lot like the article in last months Consumre Reports.
How about giving those guys the credit?