Best Buy Rebate Rip-offs

I recently purchased a computer monitor from Best Buy in my city of Montclair, CA. The reason I bought this particular monitor was because there was a $30.00 rebate offer on it.

After puchasing the monitor, I received along with my receipt two other receipts that had "rebate receipt" lettered on them along with the upc bar code dupilicated from the monitor's packing box. What was a $30.00 rebate was actually two seperate rebates. One for $10.00 and another for $20.00 to be sent to two different agencies. The instructions for each rebate included the requirement of the UPC label from the box of the monitor or "rebate receipt". There is only one UPC label on the box. After inquirying about this to a store manager, he stated the receipts had the UPC label on them and that I shouldn't cut the box in case the monitor needed to be repaired or replaced. He stated that Best Buy would not repair or replace the monitor under warranty should something happen if the UPC label was removed. He stated that the rebate receipts are provided for this reason and are sufficient proof-of-purchase to satisfy the rebate requirements. Great . . . . I thought.

I sent in all the rebate information to both agencies. About a month later, I get a notice from Best Buy's own in-house rebate center stating that I did not fullfill the requirements to receive my rebate. The letter stated I needed to enclose the "original" UPC label from the box. I called the center and asked them what this was about? I explained to them what the store manager had said about the rebate receipts and they gave me no answer. Like a looped recording they kept saying over and over, "Best Buy cannot issue a rebate without the original UPC label."

I went back to Best Buy to talk to the manager and he stated he had no recollection of us ever talking, but he would look into it and call me. It has now been four months. I have received no rebate at all, the store manager never called me, and repeated calls to the Best Buy rebate center have yielded no results.

I have heard many complaints over Best Buy as well as Circuit City not honoring their rebate programs. From now on I will not buy on-sale merchandise with the lure of a rebate because I feel it is bogus. Let the buyer beware.