Rebates: Where to Complain

April 17, 2006

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• Rebate: Discount or Lotto Ticket? • Where to Complain • Sample Demand Letter • The "Easy Rebate" Movement • Rebate Rogues Kennel --- • More About Rebate Madness

The only fool-proof way to avoid having problems with rebates is to ignore them. There are plenty of stores and manufacturers who will quote you an honest price minus the rebate foolishness. But if you find yourself holding a rebate slip that seems as worthless as yesterday's Lotto ticket, here are a few places you can go for help or just to vent:

• The Federal Trade Commission, responsible for keeping merchants honest. Lesley Fair, Senior attorney in the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, notes that the FTC has brought more than a dozen cases in recent years challenging deceptive rebate practices. "The frustration expressed by many consumers -- as well as recent law enforcement actions against advertisers who engage in deceptive rebate practices -- should send a clear message that this is something the FTC takes very seriously," said Fair. Consumers can complain online at www.ftc.gov, call 1-877-FTC-HELP.

Actions that get the FTC's attention include: 1) Not providing customers with forms needed to request rebates; 2) Changing the terms of a rebate program after the program's already begun; 3) Not disclosing important terms. For example, Phillips Company failed to disclose that consumers had to provide their phone number, fax number and e-mail address on the rebate form; 4) Not delivering rebates on time.

• Your state's Attorney General. You can find the AG for your state through the National Association of Attorneys General, www.naag.org or in the Resources section of this site. You can also complain to the AG of the state where the company is based.

• ConsumerAffairs.com, an independent "consumer watchdog" which collects tens of thousands of consumer complaints annually. It publishes selected complaints, consumer news and tips and works with class action lawyers who review complaints submitted to the site so they can sue companies that don't play fair. Submit your complaint through the complaint form.

• The Better Business Bureau, which handles complaints through one of its 120 local bureaus.

More on this topic ... • Rebate: Discount or Lotto Ticket? • Where to Complain • Sample Demand Letter • The "Easy Rebate" Movement • Rebate Rogues Kennel --- • More About Rebate Madness

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