Rebates – Reward Or Rip Off?

Rebates have become very popular in the last few years on a lot of items and for sure on electronic items and computers. Rebates of $20, $50 or $100 are not uncommon.

I’ve even seen items pushed as “free after rebate”. Do these discounts come under the heading of “too good to be true”? several of them do and there are “catches” to watch out for but if you are careful, discounts can help you get some really good deals.

The way a rebate works is that you pay the normal price for an item then mail in a form and the bar code to the manufacturer and they give you a back a percentage of the purchase price thus reducing the price of what you paid for the item except with a time delay of several weeks.

Rule #1. discounts from reputable companies are usually just fine.

You can be really sure you will get the promised rebate from Best Buy, Amazon or Dell but you should probably not count on getting one from a totally unknown company. If you really want to buy the product and are OK with paying the full price that's listed then buy it but don’t expect actually getting the refund.

Rule #2. Watch rebate expiration dates.

Many times products will stay on the shelf of a retailer after the date for sending in the rebate offer has expired so check that date carefully.

Rule #3. Be sure you have all the forms required to file for the rebate before you leave the store.

Rabbets will almost always require a form to be filled out, a receipt for the purchase as well as a bar code.

Rule #4. Back up your rebate claim.

Make copies of everything you send in to get your rebate - this includes the bar code. Mailings get lost in the mail all the time and if the rebate is for $50 it’s worth the hassle to back up your claim.