SanDisk off my list

[mark_kay]

<p>I have been a big fan of SanDisk for a long number of years. I purchased a card at a BestBuy in part because they have a rebate. However, my request was denied because BestBuy is not considered one of their "authorized" photo dealers. What a scam.... </p>

[starvy]

<p>are you unhappy with bestbuy or sandisk?</p>

[eric_silvi]

<p>That happened with me once when I purchased a Sandisk card from another store. I called the number listed on the "rejection post card" and they apologized. They said it was their error. I ended up getting the rebate.<br>

I get the feeling they like to make it difficult so the customer will give up on the rebate. I've bought more Sandisk cards since then, and still enjoy getting their rebates.<br>

I had on Sandisk card go bad. They made me jump through hoops to get the card replaced, but I still got the replacement.</p>

[sattler123]

<p>Stop! The company who processes the rebates does this all the time. They are just trying to cheat you of your money. YOu should have gotten a card - there is a number to call. Call them and it will be approved immediately. I have to go through the same bull>>>t every time with Sandisk. I ALWAYS get denied first and then when I call everything is fine. I bought my cards at Abe's of Maine (authorized Sandisk dealer ) and I got the same nice notive that you got.</p>

[Spearhead]

<p>BestBuy doesn't sell products unless they are an authorized reseller.<br>

<br /> There are a couple possibilities for what happened. One is that the rebate processing company is at fault, one way or another. However, there is another possibility. Some manufacturers use unique SKUs for large customers. This allows better order management and it also allows better tracking for rebates. Sometimes, a store ends up with the wrong SKU of the right product. This can happen because the factory ships the wrong box or because the store runs out of the product and buys through the distributor channel instead of direct. </p>

<p>Either way, you should go back to the rebate company and get your rebate.</p>

[mark_kay]

<p>I called the rebate number on the card sent to me with the rejection notice. They told me BestBuy is not an authorized dealer. I This is baloney -- of course they are authorized. Do you think BestBuy would buy these in a non authorized manner? Of course not. SanDIsk should have advertised this as rebate available only from selective dealers. It was not the 20 dollars but the time i took to cut and mail the stuff in. I would have rather not have had the rebate, I would bought the card anyway. </p>

[Spearhead]

<p>Go to the SanDisk website, go to Where to Buy and put in any zip code. You will get Best Buy. You will probably have to explain this to the rebate center.</p>

[mark_kay]

<p>I called the rebate center and they said they were not on the list. I think this is a scam.. and this upsets me more than the 20 dollars</p>

[joseph_wisniewski]

<p>It's not a "scam". Where did you find out about the rebate, and where did you get your rebate form? I bet "BestBuy" isn't the answer to either of those questions. On the SanDisk rebate form <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/FrameWork/Rebates_Promos/010210_SANDISK_T-00003527.pdf">(link)</a> is a list of the 85 retailers that are authorized for the rebate. BestBuy is not on that list (but I don't normally shop there). Costco, the Dell store, and NewEgg are not on the list, either.</p>

<p>I do not know if this is because dealers like BestBuy or Costco get pricing from SanDisk that has too low a margin to allow for a rebate, or if it's because the dealers who are on the list (including Adorama, B&H, and Norman Camera) paid some to be on the list, but that's the way it is.</p>

[leicaglow]

<p>I was denied a rebate on a Netbook because Best Buy was not the right level dealer. I was pretty torqued.</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>Sandisk rebates are like health insurance benefits - typically denied on the first pass. You have to work at it to get what is owed you, and most people give up. The latter is probably the best course for Sandisk. They make fast, reliable cards, so I shop for the best price and availability, ignoring the rebate. Pick your battles - life is too short.</p>

[jyoungman]

<p>What is all this about rebates, anyway? I only hear about it in the USA. In other countries I've shopped in, the manufacturer just reduces the price of the product. Wierd.</p>

[Mike D]

<p>A couple years ago I had the same problem so I did a quick internet search and was able to get the name and address in of the CEO of Sandisk in Silicone Valley. I sent him a certified letter (signature required) explaining the rejected rebate. I got the rebate check in less than 2 weeks. If enough people send their complaints directly to top management, maybe they will change their policy. It's personal, they really don't want to spend their personal time dealing with upset customers when they have much more important stuff to work on.</p>

[Jerry_]

<p>Two other methods to try, if you paid with your credit card.</p>

<p>Write a nice 'letter' to your credit card company and see if they have any interest in getting SanDisk (or Best Buy) motivated. And if that fails, you may see if your state's Attorney General's office likes stores that sell things that are not 'on the list' of rebates, but sell the products in your state.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

 

[austinphoto]

<p>Don't buy anymore sandisk products and maybe this bs will stop. What's with the rebate, but a scam to get you to buy and not pay up? It costs money to get paper work for rebate, hire a company to manage the rebate, get people to fill out, send, keep records, etc. Isn't is just easier to just drop the price and eliminate the extra work? </p>

[c jensen]

<p>I sent a SanDisk rebate in and never heard back anything. Not even a rejection letter.</p>

[johnw63]

<p>I hate rebates in general. I'm OK with Instant rebates that require nothing of me and happen at the cash register.</p>

<p> </p>

[joseph_wisniewski]

<blockquote>

<p>What's with the rebate, but a scam to get you to buy and not pay up?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>As far as I know, the rebate wasn't advertised by SanDisk themselves, only by the various camera and computer stores <strong>listed </strong> on the rebate form. That's the same form that tells what products are eligable, and <strong>what all the other rules are</strong> . The list of participating retailers isn't "file print", it occupies about half the rebate form.</p>

<p>What did Mary Kay do, hear people on the street chatting about the rebate, and without doing any sort of "due dilligance", like tracking down the rebate form (which pops right up if you Google "SanDisk rebate form") wander into a store that <strong>doesn't mention the rebate at</strong> all, and buys a card? She then goes online to track down the form (BestBuy isn't going to have it, they're not participating in this rebate offer).<br>

At the top of the form, it says (emphasis mine):</p>

<blockquote>

<p>To receive your SanDisk® Visa® Prepaid Card(s), please send:</p>

<ol>

<li>This completed form, postmarked by January 15, 2010</li>

<li>The original UPC bar code (see images right), cut from the retail package. If claiming the maximum 3 cards per redemption, please cut and send all 3 individual UPC bar codes.</li>

<li>Your sales receipt (original or a copy) or a copy of an email or online order confirmation <strong>from one of the qualified retailers listed on this form</strong> , that includes a purchase date, showing purchase of an eligible SanDisk product.</li>

</ol>

 

</blockquote>

<p>The right half of the form has a list of the 85 participating retailers, and a check box in front of each one, and a note above that which says (emphasis mine):</p>

<blockquote>

<p>From which of the following <strong>qualified retailers</strong> did you purchase your memory card(s)?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>BestBuy is not on the list.<br>

And at the bottom, the terms and conditions say (again, emphasis mine):</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Terms and Conditions: Activate card upon receipt, use card prior to valid through date. Receipt or confirmation, bar code and reward form must be postmarked by January 15, 2010. Limit three cards per redemption claim. U.S. residents only. Offer valid only for purchases made between September 27, 2009 and January 2, 2010 in the U.S. <strong>from one of the participating retailers listed on this form</strong> . Redemption values for multiple cards...</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Yet Mary Kay says:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I called the rebate number on the card sent to me with the rejection notice. They told me BestBuy is not an authorized dealer. I This is baloney -- of course they are authorized. Do you think BestBuy would buy these in a non authorized manner? Of course not. SanDIsk should have advertised this as rebate available only from selective dealers.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>In other words, she got all the way through filling out a form that says, <strong>twice</strong> , at top and bottom, that you <strong>must </strong> make your purchase from a vendor on this list, a form that has check boxes in front of each vendor on the lists and asks which of these vendors did you get the card from. She <strong>doesn't check one of the boxes</strong> (because BestBuy isn't on the list), ignores the directions that say (multiple times) that you're not getting a rebate unless you purchase from a vendor on the list, sends the form in anyway, gets a rejection notice, and then she acts <strong>surprised!?!</strong> How dense is this person? She calls, complains, and broadcasts her complaint on dpReview, photo.net, and God only knows how many other sites.</p>

[mark_kay]

<p>Abe.. The companies know exactly what proportion of rebate forms they will get and what proportion will actually get honored. They have it down to a science. They know that many will not even file a rebate. Nevertheless, I would rather see less money back and there be an instate rebate</p>

<p>Joseph Please realize my name is Mark not Mary. The ad i saw said rebate valid from authorized dealers and the card even said this was the reason for the rejection "not authorized dealer". The form stated which qualified place did you purchase. I did not see that you needed to get from one of the listed vendors. Every rebate i have seen is valid if you use an authorized dealer. So this particular situation while in part my error is clearly misleading. I knew there was a rebate going and when i saw the cards at BestBuy decided to purchase and knew i would send the rebate information in. I just will they would use the term repeat available from selective dealers. </p>

[joseph_wisniewski]

<p>Sorry, Mark.</p>

<p>Can you point us to where you saw that ad? I didn't see any ads for this particular rebate, except on the websites of some of the dealers listed on the form. As far as "I did not see that you needed to get from one of the listed vendors" there's only one form, and it says that quite clearly, twice, as I quoted.</p>

[parv]

Last year I had filed & sent the rebate form after purchasing 3 SanDisk Extreme III 4 GB CompactFlash cards from one of the dealers listed on the form. Zero money of mine was spent (minus the postage stamp & gas to drive a mile to the post office) in the end.

[steve m smith]

<p>What's the point in a rebate scheme? Surely it's easier and cheaper to just reduce the price.</p>

[mt4x4]

<p>Hmm.. I've never had this problem. Then again, all of my cards are Lexar or Delkin.</p>