I've Got the Rebate Blues
19 August 2003, 10:05 PM

This is now the *second* time that a rebate from a Maytag-related product has come back with the excuse that the receipt did not show proof of the product purchased.

The first time was with a KitchenAid blender. Weeks went by after I dutifully clipped, copied, filled out and compiled all the necessary bits and pieces for a rebate (actually in this case it was a choice of attachments for the blender). Finally a card arrived in the mail stating that I didn't show proof of purchase of the item (What?!?!?) and that I could resubmit.

Resubmit what? THEY had everything now, including the form that I had to fill out. I had nothing TO resubmit. I was angry but unable to do anything and so I just wrote it off. I didn't really need those attachments and I didn't expect something like that to happen again, just a month or so later.

But happen again it did. This time it was a rather expensive Maytag refrigerator. The Lowe's-Maytag rebate offer seemed impossible to screw up. The form was simple and the sale-rep even conveniently checked off the correct model number of our new fridge for us. The Lowe's rebate receipt was miles long with every imaginable bit of information possible on it, complete with another form for the rebate! And this was no piddly little $3 rebate. Considering what we paid for the fridge (which we love), $50 was more like it.

But months later another card arrived in the mail, claiming that we didn't show proof of purchase and that we could "resubmit". Even after I calmed down enough to make a few phone calls and fire off a testy email to the rebate center, the only response we've gotten so far is to note that we are in their system but our "item number" does "not show as being valid for this rebate".

In this case, I am going to resubmit the rebate. I can send a copy of the original receipt, and I can compile all the necessary information again. But this time, I'm going one further. I'm going to take a few photographs.

One of the refrigerator in our kitchen. One of us standing in front of it. A closeup of the model number. Of the receipt. Of the front of the Lowe's store. Of the happy sales-person who sold it to us. And I'm going to stuff all of THOSE in the envelope with the rest of the crap and hope somebody there gets "the picture".

*growl*

Oil Spill in the Arabian Sea
19 August 2003, 2:32 PM