HP $150 rebate declined on Lazer Printer

[Rick]

Well I got my rebate form back from HP today

After spending $525 for a new laser printer
It is selling today for $350.00 in some locations and still allows the rebate

They declined the rebate because I purchased it at Officemax
BTW. The form letter listed reason below

"Offer NOT Valid at bestbuy Bestbuy.com, Officemax, or Officemax.com"

Why buy it from Officemax you may ask?
Well the store is 2 blocks from the house and no shipping involved

BTW.. For those who may also deal with OfficeMax
They do NOT use or distribute ANY Mail in rebates

Buyer Beware


After almost 2 hours of phone calls to HP
I was unable to get anything out of their customer support ( India ? )
Other than the rebate phone number
Who is NOT an HP company but an outsourced company they hire to handle to rebates

I couldn't even get a US customer support person so I could tell them they may have just LOST a good customer

Rant done !!

[Budfred]

I stopped shopping at OfficeMax because I was ripped off by their rebates too many times and I know at least one other person here who was as well... I actually will shop there now because they don't do rebates at all anymore... You got a crummy deal, so that doesn't help you at this point... They do sell things at prices adjusted for the lack of rebates, so they sometimes have some very nice deals without the need for messing with rebates and I appreciate that... I have grown to be more and more reluctant to buy anything with a rebate because of all the hoops and fine print... It sounds like you got hooped and printed badly on this one... :(

[Whyzman]

I had some problems with HP (just prior to the merger) and after an initial bout with customer service, I took it right to the top. I emailed Carly Fiorina directly with my phone number. Within 2 days I received a call from HP looking to assist me. Their initial offer basically sucked. I told them I would take it under advisement and emailed her again with my dissatisfaction at their offer. I received another call from HP basically asking me what would it take to turn the tide... They wound up cutting me a check to make things right...

I'm not sure who the CEO is currently, but I would suggest going directly there. I did the same as you...listed all the HP products I own...considered myself a loyal customer, and expressed my current dissatisfactions with how I was being treated.

[Whyzman]

If you haven't been here...

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/execteam/email/hurd/

[Rick]

Thanks
I just added yet another message to his long list of feed back

I have been doing a large amount of searching online and have yet to find anywhere on the HP site that states the offer is Not valid at Officemax or Bestbuy
http://h30014.www3.hp.com/offers/US/detail.asp?id=1418
http://h30014.www3.hp.com/offers/US/...2-175mir-2.pdf

As you can see in the links
Even the terms and conditions does not say anything about these restrictions or limits
Unless they think this is it

This offer may not be combined with any other HP promotional or discount offers or any reseller offers such as instant savings, instant rebates, special pricing, and reseller offers. Discount offers may not be combined.


I see no discounts in the price I paid

Maybe Canon wants to replace my Plotter :)

[Whyzman]

All major product/service companies spend a lot of money trying to get customer surveys. What some do with these can be quite questionable...as in, why are they even spending the money?? Who's this supposed to be looking good for...stockholders??

All kinds of money is being spent in marketing and customer service and I scratch my head as to, "Why after you've spent all this money to win me over do you treat me like dirt and ignore me?? Do you hope I'll go away after you've gone through all the trouble and expense to woo me??"

Customer service for the majority of large corporations must use retired insurance company adjusters. They know statistically that if denied only about 50% will appeal the decision. Of the "determined" 50% only about 35% will return for another round after the second denial...

I suspect for the big boys, that ultimately it is all about the bottom-line. Yet, I would think that once you've developed a loyal "fan" base that you'd look to keep them happy... :(

[Rick]

I added the following in my little letter

After this rebate denial which of the following plotter do you at HP think I will be purchasing ?

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/ga/WF25a/18972-18972-3328061-12600-3328079-3204970.html

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000GWJNLO/interactiveda650-20

:)

[classicsoftware]

First I would send a firmly worded letter of disappointment to Mark Hurd (http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/execteam/email/hurd/), CEO of HP. I would then follow up with a phone call to explain why they lost a $4,000.00 sale and a customer by attempting to rip you off for a rebate. The main number is (650) 857-1501.

[Rick]

Thanks for the Number

I will be using it Monday

As for the letter to Hurd.
It is already in the mail
Not the check But the letter ( I Know Bad Pun )

[Budfred]

I switched to Comcast a few months ago for my ISP/web connection... They started to rip me off by setting it up without my promised discount and billing me for several days that I didn't even have service yet... As I talked with their customer service, I was told (in various ways) that I was lying, dumb or just didn't get the intricacies of their work... Each time it turned out that they were either just not listening or plain wrong... The next round started when they started SPAMming me in spite of my specific efforts to opt-out of every possible SPAM option... Somehow my settings were set back to default, but of course, they insisted they didn't do it... When I reset them, I would told it would take a week to 10 days to stop the SPAM... A month later I got more SPAM and contacted them again, when I was told it can take 30 days... When I pointed out that it had already been more than 30 days, they ignored me... I also started receiving a variety of SPAM (or the sleazy type) that wasn't even addressed to me, including some at the email address I had used ONLY to communicate with Comcast... Emails to customer service kept generating maddening canned speeches from them, so I called and talked to someone... She eventually assigned a case number and assured me that someone would get back to me in 24 to 48 hours... That was about 10 days ago now... Next week, I will try again...

The thing is, I really like the speed I get with Comcast, but I also have the option of returning to Qwest DSL, getting a satellite option or going with the, soon to be available, community wireless... None are as fast, but I am developing so much anger towards Comcast that I may do it anyway... All they need to do is treat me with a little respect and I would be quite happy, even urging others to use them... Instead, they hire kids to do their customer service at pitiful wages and train them to use canned speeches in response to some key word they find in a request rather than looking at what is really going on... They have a corporate culture of "the customer is always wrong" and continue to act like a monopoly even though that position has eroded... These are some of the reasons I dumped Qwest and they may become the reasons I dump Comcast...

The problem, IMHO, is that corporations are willing to spend billions on advertising to get you to sign up... Then, they don't see the need to spend any more than the minimum to keep you... As long as a company maintains this perspective, while they may remain profitable, they will be hated and they will have hateful people working for them... I know some people who have done customer support for Comcast and they have been clear that the policies are focused on minimizing time wasted on each customer on the issues presented by that customer while maximizing time to try to sell that person something... As long as companies maintain that philosophy, they will gather an increasingly vocal base of angry ex-customers...

[PrntRhd]

Budfred,
If you still do not get satisfaction, try posting in the non-company Comcast forum that previously helped you with the connection issue. They have liaisons that can help with billing issues and you can avoid the idiots.
I blame the business management schools and the MBAs they spawn and also the boards of directors who allow this way of doing business.

[Whyzman]

The problem, IMHO, is that corporations are willing to spend billions on advertising to get you to sign up... Then, they don't see the need to spend any more than the minimum to keep you... As long as a company maintains this perspective, while they may remain profitable, they will be hated and they will have hateful people working for them...Are we totally missing something?? On the surface it would seem that it would be easier, and less costly, to provide incentives to remain loyal.

I get irritated with my cell phone company when I see them willing to comp phones to new customers... Hey, what about those who've been with you for nigh unto 10 years?? How about comping me the phone of my choosing?? All those annoying dropped calls would be but a speedbump if I received a call upselling me to a contract that will save me money...and, just altering my current contract to take effect...not forcing me to sign a new 2 year deal. That'd speak volumes to me that the company believed strongly enough in themselves that they were confident that when the initial 2 years was up...I'd be back.

Getting someone to switch companies seems as though it would be tougher, and more costly, than incentives to stay put! :confused:

What do they figure, the $200.00 cancellation fee velcros you to the wall of abuse??

How about when I register my products with a company and exhibit brand loyalty that they incentive me??

The numbers, as you point out Budfred, and as I intimated in an earlier post must be dictating behavior. It doesn't make logical sense, except on the short term. Maybe that's it... Perhaps companies need to take off their myopic 1-2 year bottom-line glasses and realize they just might be around in 5-10 years. Or, again, perhaps the merger and acquisition bandwagon precludes a long term view to business success. Maybe it's all-important to look good "now" because that's how a purchase price is established...

[Rick]

I may have picked the wrong day to look for/buy an upgrade
I visited Roxio a few moments ago and looked at Version 10 of easy media creator

In the past ( 2 or 3 versions) I have purchased the upgrade directly from Roxio
and I am listed as registered
it even shows the versions and numbers
At first glance I see they are offering a $30 mail-in rebate :(
Then after doing the login I find the Mail-in rebate is Listed as $20.00 :(

That was the final straw
I emailed their customer support informing them of a change of mind.
if they want to sell me the upgrade then sell it to me for the final price, NO BS No jumping through hoops and NO Mail In Rebates

I refuse to buy direct, and deal with any more of these %$#&*^& rebates!!!

[Rick]

HP Update

HP called this week. ( twice) I was working and not able to answer both times

Wife agreed to accept Two toner cartridges for the printer in place of the $150 rebate.
They refused to pay any rebate what so ever if the purchase was made at Officemax
It's an all or nothing deal with HP and Officemax

I still don't like the idea that it does not list these limits in the rebate
But Lesson learned
Sorry Officemax.. I'll be at Office depot next time

PS.
They shipped them Next day delivery :)

[Whyzman]

Obviously, not a best case scenario...however, I do credit HP with providing the opportunity to take it to the top and...actually responding!

[Rick]

At 3000 pages each they won't last long
Now that the daughter has one of these printers also at work

[Whyzman]

What do the carts run each??

[Rick]

$80.00 and lower
But HP originals are $80