InPhonic cellular phone rebates tricky, very unfriendly to buyers Rebate Ripoff Washington District of Columbia

inPhonic Inc. hid very important information when advitising its cellular phone rebates, and did not ship an item necessary for a rebate.

When I purchased a T-Mobile Motorola V600 from inPhonic November 2004, it advitised that the buyer would get $250 of rebate for each phone. Only after I received the phone, did I find out that I will have to wait up to 210 days to claim $150 of it. I even only had merely a 30-day window (90-120 days after purchase) for $50 of it.

To make things worse, they did not send me a piece of item that will be needed for the rebate. After carefully saved the whole package and checked all necessary items needed for 2 later rebates, I waited enough days to submit the $50 rebate. I was then told I was missing a copy of "Guide to Wireless Service". I told them I did include the copy, and only later found out they were referring a "Guide" I never received. The one I did send was only another similar Guide. I then told them I never got the required Guide in the package. They cited the following reasons to decline my rebate request:
1. I didn't send a copy of the required Guide;
2. Any missing piece can only be requested within 30 days of purchase;
3. There is only one copy of the Guide per phone, i.e. they don't spare copy of the Guide.

After reviewing the whole process, I concluded that I was doomed not to get the rebate anyway. The whole rebate process was designed very unfriendly to purchasers. I have to wonder whether the reates were originally desined for purchasers to get or not to.

Hugh
Austin, Texas
U.S.A.