A new high tech scam from the partnership of VerizonWireless and Citi

[Stinky The Clown]

We just bought new Blackberry Storms that each had $50 rebates. We dutifully fill out the not-so-simple rebate forms, complete with needlessly complex instructions, failure to comply with any one of which will cost you your rebate. Six weeks later, right on schedule, our rebates arrive.

Now, since a rebate is effectively a price reduction, that means that Verizon had use of our money for a while. Okay ... it only may have cost us a few cents and may have only earned them a few cents; maybe a buck. I won't quibble. Well ..... not too much.

Anyway, remember the old days when rebates where in the form of legal checks that your bank could convert to the coin of the realm?

Not any more.

Now we get "Rebate Cards". Like this one.



It is a credit card like appliance loaded with $50.

Sparkly goes to the bank to try to convert them to cash. "No can do."

Later, we go the grocery store. "Sorry, only for the amount of the purchase." Which now leaves me with a card that has a value of $32.19. I am told by the cashier that if I swipe it for even one penny over that, it displays "Limit Exceeded" .... but never allows anyone to see what the balance is. She advises that we keep this and any future receipts with the stupid card so we can calculate what balance we have. Good advice, I think.

We go next to a car place to pick up Sparkly's freshly oiled and filtered '96 Honda. The guys there know the deal with these stupid fucking cards, too. Our bill was $31.87.

Eureka!

We run it through. It works.

I now have a card worth 32¢.

I ran it through my shredder.

Now loop back to the beginning. They had fifty bux of mine for six weeks. Gotta have been worth a buck to 'em. At least. Next, you know damn well they get a cut of Citi's commission on the sales amount. Maybe another haffa buck.

Still not much money ....... from me.

But add it up for every rebate they give.








You remember a long time ago some genius ran (or was mythologically said to have run) a gimmick whereby he transferred the fractions of pennies from a bunch of electronic transactions to his account and got a big wad of cash? That may have been an actual happening, an urban myth, or a movie plot ...... but it sure seems possible since the big bidniss types are doing it to us.

[Wapsie B]

1. I remember a story several years ago about grocery store scanners.

If one of those things is off even a few pennies it can really add up in the course of a month, let alone a year.
Rebates themselves irritate me. Just cut the price by the amount of the rebate and be done with it.

[HillbillyBob]

2. It was a Richard Pryor movie I thought

Where his character programs the payroll computer to put all the 1/2 pennies left over from everyones pay and puts in one check for himself..

[KansDem]

3. I shop at Whole Foods...

I pleasantly found out recently that I can "split" an order and charge half of it while paying cash for the other half. Might be one way of getting around this: charge $32.19 of the total and pay cash for the rest.

I have a "rebate" coming from AT&T. I wonder if they'll do the same thing...(???)

[rateyes]

4. Yes, they will do the same thing. But, they will also allow you to use

the rebate toward payment of your AT&T bill. That way you get the whole $50.00

[KansDem]

5. I'll keep that in mind...

Thanks! :hi: