Beat the System of Mail-in Rebates

Thanksgiving is over and so is the day after Thanksgiving, the biggest [tag]shopping[/tag] day of the year. I’m sure that many of you were up and waiting in line at 4am at the stores with the best deals. Personally, I was lined up at 11:45 the night before…yea maybe I’m crazy. If you’re a big [tag]electronics[/tag] shopper like me, you probably ended up with more [tag]mail-in rebates[/tag] than you can shake a stick at. I’m sure that you have every intention of sending those [tag]rebates[/tag] in, but the manufactures are hoping that you won’t. In fact, the Wall Street Journal says that up to 95% of shoppers forget to claim their [tag]rebate[/tag].

Eric Bernatchez at About.com has a great article on mail-in rebates. While this article is focused on cell phone rebates, it applies to just about any product.

According to Eric, manufacturers have good reasons to offer rebates:

• They expect you to forget about the rebate
• They make the process very complex in order to discourage you from applying for the rebate
• They actually make more money since most people will not ever get their rebate

But he offers some great tips on how to beat the system:

• At the store, ask for an extra copy of the rebate form
• Make sure there is a 1-800 number to call if you need assistance
• Make copies of everything before and after you fill it out
• Use a service such as memotome.com to remind you when you should receive the rebate

As a big rebate shopper I can attest to all of those points. I love the [tag]deals[/tag] you get with rebates, but I hate using them. If you are in the same boat I am, then make it as easy as possible on yourself this year – stay organized and make copies of everything!

Are you a big rebate shopper? Do you have any rebate horror stories?

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