🚀 go-pugleaf

Here is the story Teri Aitkins was working on to expose the evil CompUSA
mail-in rebate program:


Hi all...
        Okay, it finally made air!  The CompUSA story we've been working
on for months now, has finally been show on the SF Bay Area NBC station!
Thanks to all, especially to John Buen for bringing to our attention,
Ron Ablang, for posting it on dejanews and forwarding email to me, and
Mark Welch & Marc Katz for agreeing to our on-camera interview.  We hope
it'll help others who are having problems, and that it'll also help
consumers who are considering buying a product that offers a rebate.
I'm also emailing the following script to my friend at Dateline NBC, in
hopes that the problem will get national attention!  Thank you all again
for all your help and for your patience!!
                                        Teri Aitkins
                                        Producer, KRON-TV
                                        1001 Van Ness Avenue
                                        San Francisco, CA  94109
                                        aitkins @ kron.com
SCRIPT:
        NEWS ANCHOR: "REBATE--- FOR CONSUMERS, THAT WORD MEANS MONEY IN
THE POCKET... MONEY PROMISED TO YOU AFTER YOU BUY A CERTAIN PRODUCT....
A PROMISE THAT CAN GET YOU TO CHOOSE ONE PRODUCT OVER ANOTHER.
        BUT FOR ANGRY CUSTOMERS OF ONE COMPUTER CHAIN STORE... THE WORD
"REBATE" MEANS MONEY LOST.
        OUR CONTACT 4 CONSUMER REPORTER EMERALD YEH EXPLAINS.
{{TAPE}}
        Marc Katz, Oakland Resident: "There hasn't been one time where
I've done what they said on the rebate certificate, mailed it in and
just gotten the rebate back."
        Emerald Yeh, reporter: "IT'S A COMPLAINT HEARD MORE AND MORE
OFTEN THESE DAYS... ESPECIALLY WITH ADS LIKE THESE... OFFERING MAIL-IN
REBATES FOR COMPUTER EQUIPMENT OR ELECTRONICS.  THEY SEEM LIKE GREAT
DEALS:  WITH THE FINAL PRICE PRINTED IN BIG NUMBERS... THE MAIL-IN
REBATE AMOUNT IN SMALLER PRINT.
        BUT... BUYER BEWARE.
        WHEN PLEASANTON ATTORNEY MARK WELCH  SENT IN FOR A 50-DOLLAR
REBATE THAT COMPUSA HAD ADVERTISED ON A ZIP DRIVE...."
        Mark Welch, attorney: "I got back a letter a month later, a
month and a half later, basically saying thanks for applying for the
rebate, but you don't qualify..."
        Emerald Yeh, reporter: "THE FORM LETTER TOLD HIM HE HAD SENT IN
AN EXPIRED REBATE COUPON. THE THING IS--- WELCH HAD NOTICED THE EXPIRED
DATE BEFORE HE MADE HIS PURCHASE, BUT...."
              Mark Welch: "The clerk said oh no, that's waived. it's not
a problem. we're extending the rebate."
        Emerald Yeh, reporter: "TO PURSUE THE MATTER, WELCH CALLED
COMP-USA'S TOLL-FREE HOTLINE FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. AFTER BEING LEFT ON
HOLD A NUMBER OF TIMES, HE FINALLY GOT THIS..."
        Hotline recording: "i'm sorry, we could not locate a rebate
request for the zip code, last name combination you keyed in."
        Emerald Yeh, reporter: "THEN HE TRIED LONG-DISTANCE CALLS TO THE
COMPANY HEADQUARTERS IN DALLAS.. WITH NO LUCK.
        HE GOT SO FED UP THAT HE FINALLY WROTE TO THEM... THREATENING TO
GO TO SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF HE DIDN'T HIS REBATE WITHIN TEN DAYS....
        AND HE POSTED THE LETTER ON THE INTERNET.
        ONE DAY BEFORE THE DEADLINE... HE GOT HIS 50-DOLLAR REBATE VIA
FED-EX.. NO NOTE, NO LETTER, NO APOLOGY, NO EXPLANATION."
        Mark Welch: "I was pretty obvious to me that it was the threat
of the suit that got me the check when it came. I have no way of knowing
that if I hadn't threatened to sue or i I hadn't included the fact that
I was an attorney on my letterhead, perhaps I would never have gotten a
reponse or the response would have been less quick."
        Emerald Yeh, reporter: "AND IT DIDN'T END THERE.  WELCH LATER
RECEIVED TWO OTHER CHECKS... ONE FOR 50-DOLLARS... THE OTHER FOR A
HUNDRED!  AGAIN, NO LETTER OR EXPLANATION.  HE SENT BOTH BACK.
        SOME OTHER CONSUMERS, HOWEVER, ARE STILL WAITING FOR REBATES ON
THEIR COMP-USA PURCHASES. MARC KATZ OF OAKLAND HAS BEEN WAITING FOR A
YEAR...."
        Marc Katz: "I know I purchased a cd rom at one time, probably
about  a year ago, and I never got the rebate back on that..."
        Emerald Yeh, reporter: "KATZ IS AMONG THE DOZENS OF PEOPLE WE
HEARD FROM HERE IN THE BAY AREA AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY BY E-MAIL ... WHO
SAY THEY'RE ALSO WAITING... AND WAITING... FOR REBATES ON VARIOUS
PRODUCTS.
        IT'S NOT JUST COMP-USA... BUT MANY OTHER STORES TOO.
        AND MOST OF THE TIME...  THE REBATES ARE ACTUALLY OFFERED BY
MANUFACTURERS.
        COMP-USA DECLINED OUR REPEATED REQUEST FOR AN ON-CAMERA
EXPLANATION... AND WOULD ONLY SAY THAT MOST OF THE REBATE PROBLEMS ARE
THE MANUFACTURERS' FAULT.. NOT THEIRS.
               BUT MANY OF THE REBATES OFFERED BY COMPUSA ARE STORE
REBATES WHERE CONSUMERS ARE INSTRUCTED TO SEND THEIR FORMS IN TO A
COMP-USA P.O. BOX IN ARIZONA.
               IN EITHER CASE,  CONSUMERS SAY STORES SHOULD DO MORE TO
HELP THEIR CUSTOMERS RECOVER  THE REBATES OFFERED SO PROMINENTLY IN
THEIR ADS."
        Marc Katz: "I don't think it's right for people to say that
they're going to sell you something at a certain cost and then fail to
do that."
        Emerald Yeh, reporter: "AND IT'S LIKELY TO SOUR A CONSUMER ON
ANY FUTURE REBATE OFFERS... LEGITIMATE OR NOT... IF THEY FEEL IT'S TOO
MUCH TROUBLE."
        Mark Welch: "It was definitely not worth it and in fact, because
of this experience, first of all, I assume that if a rebate is offered,
I assume that I won't get it.... It's definitely not worth the hassle."
        Emerald Yeh, reporter: "SOME OF THE THINGS YOU SHOULD KEEP IN
MIND IF YOU'RE GOING TO SEND IN A REBATE:
        --MAKE SURE THE OFFER HASN'T EXPIRED. MANY OF THE REBATE FORMS
WE FOUND IN A COMP-USA STORE RECENTLY HAD EXPIRED.
        --WATCH FOR SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS LIKE "U-P-C OR BAR CODES"... OR
"ORIGINAL RECEIPTS ONLY." AND BY THE WAY... A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL
RECEIPT IS FINE, SINCE YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR ORIGINAL IN CASE SOMETHING
GOES WRONG WITH YOUR PURCHASE.
        --BEWARE OF REBATES FOR ENTIRE COMPUTER SYSTEMS... YOU MAY HAVE
TO SEND IN SEVERAL REBATES FOR DIFFERENT PARTS OF THAT SYSTEM.
        --TAKE AN EXTRA REBATE FORM, OR MAKE A COPY OF IT BEFORE YOU
MAIL IT IN.  THAT WAY, YOU'LL HAVE WHATEVER ADDRESS OR NUMBER YOU'LL
NEED TO CONTACT IN CASE OF PROBLEMS.
        --AND BE SURE TO FOLLOW UP. IF THE FORM SAYS IT'LL TAKE 6 TO
8-WEEKS, COUNT OUT THE WEEKS 'TIL THE DEADLINE... AND WRITE IT DOWN ON
YOUR CALENDAR AS A REMINDER."
        SO WHY ARE MORE CONSUMERS HAVING SO MUCH TROUBLE GETTING REBATES
LATELY?
        IT'S NOT SO MUCH A CASE OF COMPANIES  TRYING TO CHEAT YOU....
LURING YOU WITH A REBATE AND THEN DELIBERATELY NOT PAYING.
        MORE OFTEN, IT'S  A PROBLEM OF BAD PLANNING. THEY SIMPLY DON'T
ANTICIPATE THE HUGE RESPONSE THEY GET AND CAN'T KEEP UP WITH THE
PROCESSING WORK TO GET THE REBATES TO YOU.
        BUT WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE YOU? UNFORTUNATELY, YOU HAVE TO BE
PERSISTENT AND DO FOLLOW-UP.  DOCUMENT YOUR ATTEMPTS TO GET YOUR REBATE.
        IF AFTER ALL THAT, YOU STILL DON'T GET YOUR REBATE, YOU CAN
CONTACT AGENCIES SUCH AS THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, STATE ATTORNEY
GENERAL OR YOUR  LOCAL D.A. AND REPORT THE PROBLEM SO THEY CAN SEE IF A
PARTICULAR STORE OR MANUFACTURER HAS A HISTORY OF NOT HONORING REBATES
IN A TIMELY FASHION.
        News anchor: "SO WHY DO COMPANIES OFFER REBATES IF THEY CAN'T
COME THROUGH?"
        Emerald Yeh, reporter: "IN MANY CASES, THE IDEA IS TWO-FOLD:
FIRST, IT'S AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE THEIR PRICES MORE COMPETITIVE.  SECOND,
IT'S A WAY FOR THEM TO KEEP TABS ON THEIR CUSTOMERS AND THEIR PRODUCTS,
TO FIND OUT WHO'S BUYING WHAT... AS WELL AS TO COMPILE MAILING LISTS."
        IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS OR ANY CONSUMER PROBLEM,
CALL US AT 1-800-414-KRON... WEEKDAYS BETWEEN 11 AM AND 1PM.
        OR CHECK OUT OUR WEB-SITE AT WWW.SFGATE.COM.  JUST LOOK THE OUR
CONTACT 4 CONSUMER PAGE.

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