and realistically, to back ryce's case, how likely is it that someone manages to complete everything right for the lens, (or whatever) rebate for $45, and then mess up the part of it that gives them $645?
I checked the status of my rebate online and it has been approved. I sure hope I get the check soon. So to recap, here is what happend.
#1 I do the double rebate for $640 perfectly. I photocopy everything. I've never done a rebate wrong and have always gotten my money.
#2 I check the status and got a "Invalid UPC submittion". I check my photocopies and my box and everything was sent in 100% correctly.
#3 I call and they at first try to get me off the phone saying they most likely will sent a second check without even looking into my case.
#4 I insist there is a problem and would like to know details on what the problem on the UPC submittion was. They had no clue. They said they couldn't even CHECK!
#5 Was put on hold for 10 minutes then they just said they were going to resubmitt the processing and send me my check in a couple of weeks
#6 Now the check has been approved.
So something is definitely fishy because I have read many many post on this same scenerio. Canon is to blame as they contracted the rebate company and should correct any errors the rebate company is doing. Any other business who contracts another business to do work is ultimately liable and responsible. I don't understand the people who say "It's no Canon's fault" BULL!
I have a feeling Canon is reading this thread and will take corrective measures . Canon is the greatest camera company. I've bought at least 4 digital cameras from them and 2 of them were SLRs. I'm very happy with my 5D and will continue to buy Canon. I will be hesitant to use rebates in the future, I will probably just wait for a UBER dell deal or something.
For all the people that are having a rebate problem, take the advise of many others. Call in, be nice, but firm. They will eventually do something. I had to call in twice and insist. Even though it was frustrating even to have to call when you know you did the rebate correctly, you eventually will get your money.
As for the people who don't believe there is even a problem, you can believe what you want to believe, but until it happens to you and read about the countless others having this problem, you can say what ever you want. Someone even compared this issue to bad copies of lenses which I found extremely funny. I'm not crying about a bad copy of a lens, I'm crying that I need my $640 especially at this time of season.
FWIW, everyone that has trouble with a rebate, whether it was made right or not, should report it to Canon. If they aren't notified, they will not know what is going on.
Richie S wrote:
The reason it is a scam is just the sheer number of claims that are rejected. I find it inconceivable that any company can 'lose' the number of claims that they do.
Okay, then tell me how many claims for Canon rebates have been rejected. What's the number? What's the number that are submitted vs. the number that are rejected?
moondigger wrote:
Okay, then tell me how many claims for Canon rebates have been rejected. What's the number? What's the number that are submitted vs. the number that are rejected?
Russ, I don't really see a point of doing the statistics on behalf of the rebate company. Just the number of posts in this thread only is enough to sound alarm. And it's only a small fraction of what is going on around, just google "Canon rebates"
B&H sells millions of items. Imagine just a handful number of reports that they are trying to to screw you, to do bait and switch... Even if they would make it up afterwards - the resellers rating would just plummet and bye bye B&H.
gfiksel wrote:
Russ, I don't really see a point of doing the statistics on behalf of the rebate company.
Neither do I. The previous poster claimed that the number of rejected claims is evidence that the rebate company is engaging in a purposeful attempt to "scam" people. I'm asking what that number is, and what the total number of submitted claims is in comparison. His statement implies evidence or proof exists to back it; I'm simply asking for that evidence or proof. Otherwise the statement is nothing more than unfounded speculation.
Just the number of posts in this thread only is enough to sound alarm. And it's only a small fraction of what is going on around, just google "Canon rebates."
I have googled for "Canon rebates" and failed to find evidence that Canon's rebate fulfillment house is "scamming" anybody. I found plenty of complaints from people who are upset because they had to follow up with a phone call or copies of their paperwork -- but there's nothing there demonstrating a purposeful attempt to scam anyone.
If you google for "Best Buy" you'll come across several sites, including one called "Best Buy Sux" on which people claim that Best Buy is engaging in a purposeful effort to rip people off in various nefarious ways. Does this mean Best Buy actually has a corporate policy of cheating people? No. Because no matter how many hundreds of reports you can find online of problems with Best Buy purchases, there are untold millions of purchases that go just fine and nobody feels the need to complain about on such a site, much less seek out those sites in the first place.
Likewise, anybody who sends in a rebate form, has it processed and paid without incident, is unlikely to seek out someplace to report their experience. OTOH, anybody who thinks there's a chance they won't get their promised multi-hundred dollar rebate is likely to react very strongly to it. Such a thought would be likely to predispose them to believe it is a scam rather than low-paid-worker incompetence or a technical problem with the barcode database or overly cautious attempts to prevent fraudulent payouts. When people complain about rebate problems on a thread like this one they are very likely to deny or ignore the experiences of those who haven't had problems and pay closer attention to/lend more importance to the experiences of those who have had problems, including their wild speculations about why their rebate claim was held up.
It's called "confirmation bias," and everybody experiences it to one degree or another. The greater the stakes, the stronger the effect.
Moondigger - It would only be Canon or the rebate company that would know the exact numbers - and they're not likely to release this now are they?
If you consider the tiny proportion of photographers who actively post on forums and then scale up to the number of people buying SLRs during promotions then perhaps you get an idea of the scale of the problem.
The success of these rebate periods relies on convincing people to buy cameras by telling them the price is lower than they actually have to pay at the time of purchase.
At the very least they get to keep your money for a period of months
The scheme will be even more of a success if a large number of rebates are denied.
They do not take responsibility of handling the rebates themselves and turn these over to a third-party.
Rejected claims are often fulfilled if people simply saying they have copies of everything, rather than having to provide the copies they took.
UPN codes mysteriously appear if people kick up enough fuss.
There's little to no comeback if these companies decide not to pay you. It will often cost you more money to take the legal steps to reclaim the rebate amounts.
It's also a little too suspicious that $45 rebates approved without question, $645 claims filed at the same time mysteriously lose the UPN code.
I'm not targeting Canon in particular, but the mail-in rebate schemes in general, and think action should be taken against them. Consumers are losing millions of dollars. People shouldn't have to fight for hours and days for money that they are supposed to be saving when they buy.
If Canon and other seller's want to make additional sales by offering lower prices then they need to do this at the checkout, and not in the form mail-in rebates.
Personally I vote with my feet and never let rebates sway my decision on a purchase.
So moondigger - I'm guessing you see these mail-in rebates as just a business method in a free market and that if they are so bad people will stop buying them. The market will find the solution to this?
Well it's interesting, because most of the big-box stores are phasing out mail-in rebates due to poor customer experiences with the schemes. I think Canon will probably be following suit in time.
And a key point moondigger - is that people generally don't complain or find their way to websites - most just let it go. I've only mentioned my experiences with Best Buy here, when prompted by a thread, for example. There's a couple of other rejected claims that I've just given up on because it was just for $20 or $30.
In political circles it used to be said that one letter received represented the view of 500 voters. I'm sure this is probably less in the age of e-mail.
Your confirmation bias is a fairly weak theory in my view.
moondigger wrote:
Your account is anecdotal as well. "Anecdotal" does not mean "invented" or "false." It just means that it's not part of a controlled study of the issue.
I know what anecdotal means. I was using the term in a tongue-in-cheek sense. I'm a real person who had a real problem. Obviously, there's no control and experiments groups in this comparison. Perhaps there should be.
I'm a data point; plot me.
Well, here's my take. Ya plop down yer money and ya takes yer chances. Sure, an
online check of my rebate status reveals some errors. Saying $50 due instead of
the $300 I'm expecting. Do I cry about it? No, I pick up the phone and resolve it. Don't
know how many of you are bringin' down $250+ an hour but it's certainly worth my time
to get the check due me to make a 10 minute phone call or three.. Scam? Conspiracy? I'm
thinkin' poorly educated minimum wage workers might be all that's goin' on. Oh, and
dare I say...maybe some people can't follow directions
after reading 9 pages... I've only delt with Canon's Rebate once and I didn't have any problems, but I know there are problems with rebates in general. Another "trick" is to contact the retail store that you bought from. Not only do the rebate problems smear Canon's immage, but also the retail store you bought from. I've had invalid rebate status due to "improper order number", whatever the hell that is, on a computer monitor, and the day after talking the the CompUSA manager, the status had changed the check should be on its way.
Rebates are a scam. The rebate companies are stealing from us, and they and any of their affiliates, i.e. Canon, should be held responsible as they are being negligent in dealing with the 3rd party rebate companies.
Well, I had a rebate for a 580EX.
I did the pre-submission online thing and sent everything in.
After a few weeks it showed I had done the online thing.
Today I check and it says my submission can't be found,
not even the online pre-submission.
The issue in the mass lawsuit is completely unrelated to your complaint de jour. Rebate companies are all alike--a big pain in the butt. But if you follow the protocol you get your money. So clam up and follow the protocol.
trenchmonkey wrote:
Well, here's my take. Ya plop down yer money and ya takes yer chances. Sure, an
online check of my rebate status reveals some errors. Saying $50 due instead of
the $300 I'm expecting. Do I cry about it? No, I pick up the phone and resolve it. Don't
know how many of you are bringin' down $250+ an hour but it's certainly worth my time
to get the check due me to make a 10 minute phone call or three.. Scam? Conspiracy? I'm
thinkin' poorly educated minimum wage workers might be all that's goin' on. Oh, and
dare I say...maybe some people can't follow directions...Show more →
I am going to send a copy of the Mass. lawsuit paper with my rebate paperwork, as a way of saying don't F*** with me. I am sick of being tricked out of my money, and having to spend hours of time at work chasing these people down. It is amazing how they fix the processing error after you call them without submitting any additional information.
Have you also noticed that the checks they issue are marked with "Valid for 90 days" as well? I wonder if this is even legal?
. Canon is the greatest camera company. I've bought at least 4 digital cameras from them and 2 of them were SLRs. I'm very happy with my 5D and will continue to buy Canon. I will be hesitant to use rebates in the future, I will probably just wait for a UBER dell deal or something.