FUJI REBATES ARE A SCAM !!!

[Defcon]

I bought two 10pk of the Fuji DVD-R at office max during their promotion. This is the card I got back for my two $5.00 rebates !!!



I do not have a Zip drive, nor I purchase any other Fuji product......

This I letter I am writing to the c.e.o. & cc the rebate center. Please feel free to comment on how I can make this letter better.....

FUJIFILM Corporation of America
Attn: Yasuo Tanaka
200 Summit Lake Dr. Floor 2
Valhalla, NY. 10595

Dear Mr. Tanaka:

I am writing to you regarding FUJIFILM rebates for your DVD-R 4.7 GB discs. I purchased two 10 packs of the DVD-R 4.7 GB in April at Office Max in Coral Springs, Florida. The rebate promotion FUJIFILM was offering was a $5.00 rebate for each pack purchased. When I mailed in my rebate I received the attached card in return.

I bring this to your attention as there appears to be major processing errors at your rebate centers. It has come to my attention that other individuals have also experienced this similar problem. The above media is the FUJIFILM product that I always purchase and hopefully will continue to use.

I think you will understand, Mr. Tanaka, why I am upset at the manner in which this was handled. When it comes to blank DVD media, I as well as others have a choice. I purchase your product due to its excellent quality and superior reliability.

Obviously, I am certain you can share in my frustrations regarding this issue FUJIFILM is having with the rebate process. It is my wishes that you resolve this matter at your earliest convenience and in return keep a loyal & faithful customer.

Sincerely,

I wonder how much money they make ripping people off ???

[CaseyComb]

This is merely an example of the new american business model. The idea is to discourage you. Most people would just give up at this point. Although they would never admit to it, I'm positive the whole "Zip disc" mistake was actually deliberate. I do not buy products for the rebates as it is only another way to sponge the american public. My suggestion to you and everyone else is to stop buying products from these manufacturers.

[888888]

I never did get my $15 rebate for those (crappy)Fuji CD-Rs I bought.

[dafoe]

I have to agree with CaseyComb. I used to fall for that. I bought many items at Staples because they had a rebate attached. While I did recieve some of the rebates, many never came.

This has happened too many times for me to believe that some of the instances were not deliberate. I simply stopped buying things that carried rebates.

Furthermore, logic begs the question: How much effort is the average person going to put into securing 5, 10 or $20? For most people the answer is not much. Unless you are college student on a shoestring budget or the money is a matter of principal you're not goimg to miss a few dollars. And that's what they're counting on. I call them phantom rebates because you'll never see them

I can't count the number of times I bought an item with a rebate and just never sent in the form. I make pretty good money and I'm not going to miss $20. I'd rather have the time spent filling out the form and driving to the Post Office for a stamp than the money. I'd be willing to bet that there are thousands of people who do the same thing.

Does it bother me that these companies are essentially stealing from me? Yes. But I'm not going to waste my time harrasing these people for my money. I simply stopped giving them the opportunity to rip me off.

As far as Fuji DVD-R are concerned I have had one experience with them and it was a negative one. In September of 2002 I was in a bind.I needed a blank DVD to record the Pats game. I was lucky enough to find a disc at Radio Shack. I paid almost $10 for one disc and it skipped constantly. It was crap! Maybe the quality has imporved since then.

[budz]

Include your copies of the rebates that you sent in with that letter. Now I'm wondering if the same thing will happen to me because I just sent in the same rebate. I'll let you know if I get the same response or worse. I had to use 2 of my friends addresses so I could get the rebate because it said 1rebate per household.

There was a thread in here about rebates and Office Max was one of the worse ones when it came to receiving them. I'm tight with my money so if they wanna fark me over, they've barked up the wrong tree. Last month I emailed ADAPTEC because I didn't receive my $20 rebate for a firewire card I bought last Dec. 2003. I got the $20 rebate check the following week. Although I did get these FUJI DVD-R dirt cheap because there was a additional $10.00 off coupon in the local paper so I used them. It came out to 54 cents per disc after all the instant & mail in rebate plus the newspaper $10.00 off coupon.

[presto]

You guys seen any black helicopters lately? Their run by the rebate companies you know. :P

But seriously folks...These companies hire fullfillment houses to handle rebates. Of course they sometimes make mistakes. It's MUCH more common however that people don't bother to apply for the rebate or that they don't follow directions. Why, some people even try to rip THEM off, would you believe...

I had to use 2 of my friends addresses so I could get the rebate because it said 1rebate per household.

There was a thread in here about rebates and Office Max was one of the worse ones when it came to receiving them.

Not exactly taking the moral high ground here are you?

[gll99]

I bought two 10pk of the Fuji DVD-R at office max

Did you talk to Office Max. They have some part in this. Maybe they stuck the wrong upc label on the pack. If the bar code is wrong and it's a stick on label then it's the store's fault too they can't pass the buck expecially if you have the ad. I'd get my money from them even if I had to talk to every employee and manager in the store and the head office.

I had a problem with a rebate a couple of years ago from Future Shop in Canada (Best Buy). I made sure the computer counter was busy so that they couldn't brush me off without many customers hearing. I was polite but firm and pushed them into helping me by going up the ranks but made sure that they came to me near the computer service counter. I used their ad as my reason since they were using the net price as a draw in the ad. I got my rebate from the rebate center within a week after the manager of the store contacted them. The manager gave me a written promise to reimburse me if the rebate didn't get to me within 2 weeks of my complaint.

If this fails try the better business bureau. Consumer protection associations, etc.. It's as much the principle as the money. I hate rebates but when I bought my DVD burner it was worth $100 so it made the difference between me waiting another 6 to 8 months or buying it then.

[budz]

PRESTO WROTE

Not exactly taking the moral high ground here are you?

I don't see it as a RIP OFF....BIG CORPORATIONS are the ones ripping us off.....Morals eh....who died & made you god! Didn't know this site had a forum rule on having MORALS! Get a farking grip!

[presto]

I didn't say it was a big deal. I just pointed out the contradiction. You're cheating and your concerned that they might cheat you.

Why are you so sensative about it?

[JohnnyCNote]

I can't recall the last time I did not receive a rebate I applied for. The last problem I had was when I sent in the wrong form, but all I had to do was call the rebate fulfillment service and I got it straightened out. If you follow the instructions and keep copies of everything, you shouldn't have a problem......

[ZAPPER]

If you are going for the rebate ask the cashier at check out time for a rebate receipt. I think that most places give these automaticaly when a big rebate is in the works. In any event get one. Next fill out the forms and follow the instructions to the letter. If you don't know what this or that code or reference number or whatever is, call the rebate center or store and get help filling out the form. Some rebates can be done electronicaly. Do this also. See if there is a tracking process and get it. Keep copies of everything. Send your rebate via registered mail with a return receipt (I think that this is the most important part. I think that it shows them that you mean to get this rebate at whatever cost and they just give in and send out the rebate) I have received every rebate that I sent in via registered mail. The only rebate that I did not get was from HP. And that was before I heard about the registered mail thing. (By the way I called and raised hell and still didn't get any rebate because the offer was now over) So if you don't hear anything by a week before the offer is over start calling and raising hell! If you do get screwed on a rebate feel free to take the product back to the store for a refund and tell them why. It probally wont do jack shit, but who knows, it just might start a revolution! (As it seems needed these days here is my disclaimer "I ain't no expert, but I pertend to be one at work")
GOOD LUCK

[aero]

I had to use 2 of my friends addresses so I could get the rebate because it said 1rebate per household.

I can't figure out whether you wrote this as a joke. If you didn't then you are part of the problem. Are your eally saying you are worrying the rebate company or manufacturer may want to "fark me over" when in fact you are starting by trying to rip them off? This is exactly why rebate rules are so complex and stringent.

On a more general note I look at mail in rebates as whatever their face value is minus about $5 to $10 in time. For anyting over $20 I keep copies of everything.

I have to say that I have had no problem with 95% of mail in rebates, but I would defineltly prefer a $15 instant rebate to a $2o mail in. Of the retailers own rebates I would say circuit city has the best performace in terms of speed and ease of documentation requirmeents.

[BobK]

I've received about $1100 in rebates over the last 18 months, including several from Fuji. 90% of them came with no problem. The other 10%- after waiting the 6-8 weeks I called. Most of them sent the rebate within a week or two of my call.

Fuji is very slow- all their rebates took 12-15 weeks to be sent. Pinnacle is even slower- they take up to 5 months to get your rebate in the mail and I have to call on every one.

But they do get sent. If you're too lazy to keep track and call then you might not get some. And companies do count on the fact that most Americans are too lazy to actually fill in the forms and mail the rebate in.

Best Buy is the fastest for the Best Buy (not manufacturer) rebates.

[NightWing]

The fastest rebats I have ever had were the ones from Intuit for Turbo Tax this year. Got them back within 30 days! Even beat their email saying aproved and will receive in the next two weeks!

[tjborwn101]

So far Best Buy has yet to 'do me wrong' regarding rebates.. they have always shown up...

Staples.. 2 submissions... 1 scam, 1 received

One pending with Madddog products -- $30.00 for a DVD ROM/CDRW

[Defcon]

I am not on a shoestring budget, and I make decent wages..... However it is the principal behind it all. Ofcourse I could survive w/o the $10.00 rebate but if they are not going to pay it, then don't advertise one. I have purchased Fuji media at regular price before.

As for the UPC, the only that was there is the that was part of the box.....

And it is possible that it was an "employee" error, but I seriously doubt it.

None the less, I will still press them to see what happens.

[budz]

aero wrote

I can't figure out whether you wrote this as a joke. If you didn't then you are part of the problem. Are your eally saying you are worrying the rebate company or manufacturer may want to "fark me over" when in fact you are starting by trying to rip them off? This is exactly why rebate rules are so complex and stringent.

get a grip!

[DVDeeZ]

That sux that so many are having issues with Office Max rebates. I've read this in other places before too. What is strange is that i've never had a single issue with an office max rebate and i've gotten somewhere between 15-20 of them in the last 6 months alone. Every month they have some "FREE" offer on jewel cases if you send in the rebate. Since December i've gotten every single one of the rebates for the Jewel cases and usually a month before the 12 week max. I just got two more rebate checks in the mail on Friday. One for Jewel cases, another for DVDR's I purchased a while back. I haven't had any problems getting my rebates and I always check the status at officemax.com and then hit the rebates tab and put my info in. It shows a long list of all my rebates.

I will say that I purchased a leather chair a few weeks ago from Office max and the mail in rebate was for $45. The site has yet to update this rebate into the system. I have been weary from what i've read about office max so I always scan my original receipt, rebate receipt and UPC bar codes. If it isn't updated on the site this week i'll call them up. This is the biggest rebate i've submitted as of yet, but i've gotten a couple of $20 and $25 rebates from Offfice max so I have no reason to doubt i'll have any problems with this one. Just keep copies of EVERYTHING and then they can't deny you your rebates due.

[MOVIEGEEK]

"Best Buy is the fastest for the Best Buy (not manufacturer) rebates"

I agree,all of my rebates have been sent to me on time(<12 weeks).OfficeMax is the worst,maybe 50% have been sent over 3 years.I generally don't like to buy products with mail-in-rebates and wish all rebates were instant when you purchase at the register.

[Sam Ontario]

I bought two 10pk of the Fuji DVD-R at office max during their promotion. This is the card I got back for my two $5.00 rebates !!!



............
I wonder how much money they make ripping people off ???

Your are lucky that u got something from Fuji. I have at least 5 rebates from different Canadian suppliers do not honour their rebates last year, costing me at least $200. Anyone knows how can I get these crook to pay their rebates?

[CaseyComb]

presto wrote:

These companies hire fullfillment houses to handle rebates.

Yes, they do. So what's your point? That these fullfillment houses are honest? That they are not subservient to the major companies that hire them? B*ll SH*T... Nobody's being paranoid here man. How does one mistake a UPC code from DVD-R's as Zip Discs? If UPC codes are that faulty the entire retail industry would be in shambles. IT'S A UPC CODE FER CHRISSAKES!!! How many times have you been to a store and had something ring up as something different than what it is? For me it's been in the .0001% range. Eventually in the next 5 years lawsuits will start springing up alll over the place against these companies...it won't matter because the money will be made and they will be rich enough to buy there way out of it with the best lawyers and probably only pay minor restitution fees.[/b]

[presto]

My point is that it is just business for them. It's not personal.

If UPC codes are that faulty the entire retail industry would be in shambles. IT'S A UPC CODE FER CHRISSAKES!!! How many times have you been to a store and had something ring up as something different than what it is? For me it's been in the .0001% range.

Solid reasoning here ...UPC codes can't ever be wrong because they are not usually wrong. Right! And you also believe this proves it is intentional? Gosh what a clever idea they had. We'll send these guys a postcard that claims they sent the wrong UPC code when they clearly will remember that they didn't! Boy oh boy that's much better than not sending them anything and pretending we never received it.

[mujahid7ia]

One pending with Madddog products -- $30.00 for a DVD ROM/CDRW

Yeah, same here, for the 4-in-1 dominator right? Also waiting for the maddog conquerer fx5200 rebate, 20 bucks. RebateStatus.com has had the same damn message for a month now.

[JohnnyCNote]

I got a $10 rebate check today on an APC UPS I bought at Office Depot. Last week I got another $10 manufacturer's rebate on a Panasonic cordless phone from Circuit City. I got 2 or 3 rebates from Office Max over the past few weeks. They sometimes take a while, but it's nice to get a check in the mail, although I rarely bother for less than $10.....

[musher70]

go here for rebates...

www.wheresmyrebate.com

[mujahid7ia]

go here for rebates...

www.wheresmyrebate.com

Yeah, or www.rebatestatus.com

Different retailers/manufacturers use either one.

[dewbidge]

I got the same postcard for this offer. I called the 800 number and they straighted in out, they said they messed up so it wasnt too bad

[Defcon]

Thanks dewbidge, I will try giving them a call tomorrow......

I still think it's a scam in the sense that, they want to make an attempt not to pay !!!

[dvdashot]

I use to work at the call centre portion of a fulfillment centre. Loads of people would call wondering where their rebate is, we'd tell them that it's still processing.. so on and so forth. Some customers would be resubmitting for the 4th time for reasons as stupid as they didn't check off the precise product that they purchased even though its on every other piece of documentation in the submission envelope (funniest part about that is that some rebate forms only had one product to select and check off, and that if it wasn't checked off you would get your rebate submission back with a denial letter).

The denial letters come signed by a fictitious person. People would always call wanting to talk to that person, thinking that the person who "signed" the letter was the person who handled their rebate submission, when in fact the rebate processing centres are full of people who don't know much (if any) english.

It was a nightmare. At first I felt terrible, and then it became funny to hear people pointlessly struggle to get their rebates (these were $50 rebates, and a good chunk of people had multiple rebates). I eventually quit because I could not be part of such a hideous scam any longer. Rebates really are the worst.

Another fun fact about rebates: They allot "12 weeks" to process your rebate. The longer they hold out on giving you your rebate, the longer they gain interest on that $50 you were promised. 3 months of interest on $50 isn't much, but when it's 100,000s of $50 rebates you're holding on to, the interest is huge.

[jam007]

Office Max has been ******* me over a lot lately as well claiming I did not send them in on time, or cut out the upc code. I'm getting so sick of rebates in general, but Office Max is my # 1 new store NOT to shop at!!!

I ended up calling them, complaining and I just got 10 rebates today.

>>JAM<<