Canon rebate- good experience!

[adzy]

I am posting this mostly because of the large number of negative feedback that

the Canon rebate handling seems to get.

 

I had bought a canon 30d and a 5d and sent in the rebate in mid December 2006.

The rebate status took a while to change from prequalified to received postal

mail. The status even went backwards once to awaiting postal mail. Today it

went to step 3- "processing" however it showed that they did not receive copies

of the warranty cards.

 

So expecting the worst and praying that I did indeed have the copies saved, I

called the support number. The CSR that answered was very helpful and after a

few questions she said that I neednt send in the copies and that i should

expect the check in 2-3 weeks.

 

True, I havent received the check yet and things might screw up again, but this

is my thought-

 

1. The rebate CSRs are rather helpful, not snooty like some of the companies. I

hate Cingular, BTW. Hardly a minute of wait time here.

 

2. Keep copies of everything you send out. Use certified mail and you should be

OK.

 

So if you have been debating taking up the rebate offer, I say go for it. And

then, post a couple of "what lens for my EOS xxx" "Focus problems /CA/

vignetting/banding/ high noise problems with Canon xxx" :)

[PuppyDigs]

I've not had any problems with Canon rebates and I've sent one in nearly every year snce the

mid-90s. The check is always in hand within 2 months. Never had to call them. The website

thing is sorta like the EOS battery indicator--doesn't work that well. Mine indicated still in

process after I had cashed the check...

[anson_ko]

true, not 100% rebates are bad. YOu are the lucky ones. The real question is, what is the percentage gone bad? 80%? 90% ? Canon will satisfy a small percentage of rebate and they win no matter what.

[roy_zoellner]

I check the USPS mail tracking and it said my certified letter had been received by the rebate

center in El Paso,TX this past Monday morning. I filed a rebate for a 5D & 17-40. Hope all

goes well.

[john_gleason1]

I'll repeat what I've said before: For some of us, this rebate program doesn't really exist. That's because the USA version of the program says "No P. O. Boxes".

 

(That's actually a fairly common clause in rebate fine print.) Trouble is, my mail is delivered to a P. O. Box (there's no alternative), and apparently the only way for me to collect this sort of rebate is to have it sent to someone else with a real "street address". Rather than engage in that kind of subterfuge, <i>and</i> run the risks reported by others, I'll just wait some more.

[mormegil]

I seriously doubt 80%-90% of rebates don't go through.

 

It may seem that way due a vocal minority. Nobody really makes a bit deal when it works.

 

I've done 3 rebates so far and got them all (including from this last round).

[mendel_leisk]

Good to hear your positive experience. Still, the numerous requirements, such as US resident only, no PO box, etc, the hoops you have to go through, the time lag, all beg the question: why rebates in the first place?

 

Canon: give us a break, just reduce your prices, and stop the rebates.

[kelvinphoto - arlington, t]

I am still crossing my fingers. I have pre-qualified my rebate and send the rebate in month ago and still at step 1 (internet submission).

[alec_myers]

Me too.

 

The rebates in the UK are handled by a firm in Ireland; I've had three, and all have gone through within a month. There's even an option to have the money credited to your bank account. All flawless, in my experience.

 

Why the rebates? It holds up the retail sticker price which is good for retailers' and manufacturer's sales grosses, prevents international buyers from taking advantage of what otherwise would be a lower retail price in the US (not that I'm in favour of that though!) and there are probably tax advantages that I'm not smart enough to figure out.

 

Consider the cost of processing, I doubt that Canon "win" very much against people not taking up the rebates; I really can't see that there's any justification for the cynicism shown by some.

[steve torelli]

There was another thread on why there are rebates rather then across the board price cuts : http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00JOTU&tag=

 

I also have never had any trouble with Canon rebates, once getting a check merely two weeks later. I hope my luck holds for this current round. Good luck.

[mark u]

I'd define a good experience as only needing to send off the application without any need to chase up (assuming you make a correct submission), and reasonably prompt payment. I don't think the OP's experience meets those criteria, although other respondents do.

 

The rebate fulfillment company used by Canon USA (among others) is said to have withheld at least $129 million in rebates and pocketed nearly $43m of that as its own profit according to this:

 

http://www.mass.gov/treasury/PressReleases/11705.htm

 

That may exclude sums for some rebates that were denied to customers on improper grounds. It seems fairly clear that there is a significant chance of having to follow up with the company, and sometimes quite vigorously.

 

I think that the European rebate program doesn't suffer from these problems because consumer protection law is much tougher and more effective in Europe.