This is basically a free $200 for filling out an annoying form, but companies can predict that customers will continually fail to complete it.
Another possible strategy is to just “lose” a small percentage (or a large percentage) of such forms submitted, on the grounds that the additional effort of remembering that you were supposed to get a rebate and calling them on it would push more people under the effort threshold.
This has happened to me, I think. Filled out a rebate for a printer, mailed it in, and… nothing. I understand companies outsource rebate processing, and so it wouldn’t surprise me if that meant perverse/anti-consumer incentives much like one sees with professional arbitrators.
No. I’d long since lost most of the documentation, and it wasn’t worth whatever effort it would have taken. What do you do, go to small claims court? That’s at least a wasted day.
I just stopped paying attention to anything to do with rebates and price things at the original full price. Fool me once etc.
Another possible strategy is to just “lose” a small percentage (or a large percentage) of such forms submitted, on the grounds that the additional effort of remembering that you were supposed to get a rebate and calling them on it would push more people under the effort threshold.
This has happened to me, I think. Filled out a rebate for a printer, mailed it in, and… nothing. I understand companies outsource rebate processing, and so it wouldn’t surprise me if that meant perverse/anti-consumer incentives much like one sees with professional arbitrators.
Did you call them on it?
No. I’d long since lost most of the documentation, and it wasn’t worth whatever effort it would have taken. What do you do, go to small claims court? That’s at least a wasted day.
I just stopped paying attention to anything to do with rebates and price things at the original full price. Fool me once etc.