What To Do when Your Rebate Check Is Late

Rebate Roulette • FTC Settles With Atlanta Company Over Untimely Rebates • Iowa Sues To Reclaim Rebate Money • Senator Warns Consumers Of Rebate Traps • Consumers Playing Rebate Roulette This Holiday Season • Rebate Madness: How to Defend Yourself • Behind the Rebate Screen • First FTC Action Against Rebate Delays • Young America, Inc. --- • Rebate: Discount or Lotto Ticket

Rebate Madness • Introduction • Protect Yourself • What If ... • Sample Demand Letter • Behind the Rebate Screen

Late rebate? Don't wait and hope it shows up eventually. You're in a contest with powerful companies who are counting on you to trust them. Don't fall for it. Follow these steps:

• Contact the manufacturer (or the manufacturer's rebate processing service) in the way specified by the manufacturer in the original rebate offer. (This is why you kept the contact information).
• Be prepared to re-submit your proof that you provided everything the manufacturer asked for. Again, mail the resubmission via certified mail, return receipt requested.
• If patient pursuit fails, you may consider writing a letter stating that you have attempted to claim your rebate to no avail, and will be reporting the company to the FTC and to the Attorney General in your state and in the state the company resides in. (See sample demand letter).
• Give the company a reasonable amount of time to respond to your inquiry (usually 30 days).
• If the company fails to respond, notify the FTC of the vendor's failure to send the promised rebate. You can use the FTC's online complaint form or you can send your letter (with supporting documentation) to the regional FTC office closest to you. (See www.ftc.gov/ro/romap2.htm for a list of regional contact information.)
• Send copies of the letter to the Consumer Affairs Department of the Attorney General's Office in your state and in the state where the company is located.
• Send a complaint to ConsumerAffairs.com using our online complaint form or postal mail. Attorneys review all complaints and have filed hundreds of class action cases on behalf of consumers.

Next: Sample Demand Letter

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