Tenneco -Walker Exhaust Rebate Up in Smoke-Never Delivered Nationwide

I submitted all the required documents and jumped through all of the coding hoops that were required for a muffler rebate.

I received the tracking number and checked online about the status of the rebate-on the website this is how it looks:

1. Received 11/3/2016, 2. Approved 11/17/2016 and 3. Mailed

That was how it looked in February, April and August. I kept expecting a date next to Mailed which would let me know that it had occurred.

Finally, I contacted the company via the website. They responded with an email. I then called the company and was redirected to 1-877-855-7201.

I was told that the card would not be reissued since it had expired. I asked how I would know that something I never received had expired and if there was any recourse. The answer was that the card would not be reissued since it had expired. I asked if they could determine if the card had been used and was told simply that the money on it had expired. Once in this loop, I realized that it was pointless to continue. The muffler rebate had simply vaporized.

I also asked why the website tracking doesn't list the Mailed date since it lists the Received and Approved dates. I did not receive a response to that question.

The rebate amount isn't all that much, but the complicated logistics of this rebate and the incomplete tracking documentation are an easy way for a company to minimize actual payouts.