Netgear router rebate

[ksocia]

Summary in case you don't want to read this long rant:
www.wheresmyrebate sucks balls, Netgear router MR814 rebate sent in May, still haven't received, very sleezy tactics.

Long Rant:
Just a heads up in case anyone else gets this situation: Purchased a Netgear MR814 wireless router in May from TechDepot, sent in the rebate (netgear branded rebate) mid-May, and showed up on www.wheresmyrebate.com a month later. Waited a few months and nothing came, checked the website and it said under status "Returned by Post Office, invalid address."..... OOOOOK.... I've been receiving mail at that address for 14 years... whatever. Called wheresmyrebate.com and spoke with them, verified the address, they had it correct in the computer. I had them change the address to my School address since summer was almost over. Said it would be another 6-8 weeks to reprocess the rebate, ok fine. Just called them last week, and they said the manufacturer has extended the rebate process, call back in 2 weeks. This is after I was told the mailing date was Oct. 22. Called Netgear's helpdesk and they said to fax them the receipt (or printout) along with a cover letter w/my address information and they would call me back. Sent the fax on Monday, nothing yet.

 

[Cpaladin]

You are in a very large, overcrowded boat of people getting jerked around by Netgear and TCA. You're in a big boat of people who have/had problems with TCA period.

TCA = wheresmyrebate.com just so you know, TCA refers to TCA Fulfillment Services.

As for your rejection, it's like this.

"If when you check the status of your rebate on the website, you get the "undeliverable address" message, that means we could not mail your rebate check because the address we have for you does not match the national address database provided by the Post Office."

That was stated by Frank Giordano (spelling?) who is one of the founders of TCA.

The PROBLEM is that the post office itself says that database is not 100% accurate and should be not relied upon as a sole means of determing the accuracy, or lack thereof, of an address, but TCA does. It's also not always the most up to date.

This rejection happens a lot. It's not that your rebate was mailed and the post office returned it, rather TCA never mailed it to begin with because your address didn't match, to the letter and I mean that literally, what was in the national address database. Note that NOWHERE on any rebate form for any product handled by TCA does it state your address must be in this database (and if it doesn't woe is you) and spelled exactly as it exists in this database, and moreover, folks do move sometimes, fathom the concept.

This is supposed to be a measure used to reduce rebate fraud, but I see it time and time and time and time again where folks, usually new to one of these deal sites, have the same problem. It is a long standing, systemic problem, and it's never going to go away because it is by design that it happens. I gotta figure they represent only a small slice of ALL the folks getting this crap, many who never post in a web forum, and it seems to me that in an effort to punish the wicked they are punishing many more legitimate consumers and that ain't right.

Now, that said, I kinda like Frank. I've had many a private conversation with him, I'd have a beer with the man, but I just can't bring myself to touch any rebate that goes to New Rochelle, NY and is handled by wheresmyrebate.com aka TCA.

 

[ksocia]

Thanks for the background/information. Never knew that was the real cause of the non-mailed rebate. The wording on the site makes it seem that they sent it to the post office and it was sent back, very sleazy in my opinion. I called netgear about 2 weeks ago and was told to fax copies of the information to their fax#. Now the website is reading "rebate mailed"... let's hope that it actually gets to the post office this time. This is the last time I buy anything with a TCA/WMR.com rebate on it. Again, thanks for the info.

 

[ksocia]

Finally Came

Rebate finally came in after faxing all the shat a second time to Netgear, about f-ing time. TCA Fulfillment Services sucks.

 

[stopTCAFraudGrp]

TCA Fraud!! Get Even Not Mad!!

I am writing as not only another TCA victim but as the founder of a group that is working constructively to right these wrongs.

I submitted to TCA for 2 Netgear rebates over 4 months ago and recently received a check for (surprise!) only one of them. Speaking to TCA Customer Service got me nowhere (another surprise). I was given the runaround in multiple conversations and was finally hung up on. I have tried contacting Frank directly. Cynically enough franks 'feedback' email is not functioning. (Another shocker!!).

A quick web search confirmed my suspicions about how Frank and TCA does business. This is a game that he's played many times before, with too many people, as most of us know too well, and has gotten away with for too long.

My point is that it is time we stop getting mad and start getting even. I've got some good ideas, and if we join as a group, I think this will be very effective. I have setup an email address ([email protected]), (soon to be website) to help organize this work. Please join me in implementing as many of these as you can. The key is that as many of us are committed as possible. I've already published these ideas elsewhere and the response, so far, has been overwhelming. This WILL work!!

Heres my plan:

1: The first step is simply: if we cant force them to pay us the money owed, we certainly shouldn't make it easy for them. Call TCA regularly (pref. checkin daily). Speak to the reps. politely (too politely). ask them about their day, how life is working min. wage for frank, and if there has been any progress on your case. Be creative, but call and call often.

2: We need to collect as much information we can about TCA. We need to gather as full a list of franks clients as possible (ie: Netgear, COMPUSA etc.) (this is key), as much TCA contact information as possible (unpublished TCA email addresses, phone numbers etc.), etc. We all have done our own investigation/detective work; pooling this information is key for the next step, but IT IS VITAL THAT WE STAY LEGAL THROUGHOUT. Please forward this information to [email protected]; I will propogate the information collected, back out to all of you.

3: This is the essential step. We are already in progress of working our way up the organizational chain in NetGear and COMPUSA. They are aware of this situation, but its apparent that this hasn't yet reached critical mass for NetGear and COMPUSA Corporate. Once we have a more comprehensive TCA client list, we, as individuals and as a group, will challenge corporate in every one of these companies as to why they are still associated with a company that is rude, incompetent and unprofessional at best and fruadelent at worst. PCWorld called TCA "one of the worst rebate processing companies". TCA has a long time "unsatisfactory" BBB rating and the BBB says "TCA has exhibited a pattern of not responding to consumers' complaints". The list goes on...

The Franks of this world have proven they have no conscience and are therefore unreachable via any way other than their bottom line. When we demonstrate to these executives that associating with a company with a reputation as tarnished as TCA's, could be harmful to their own reputation, and that their choice of TCA as opposed to any of TCA's better rated competitors is being noticed, it wouldn't be hard for them to imagine looking elsewhere. We have no doubt this will be effective, as this kind of campaign has been extremely effective before.

Our goal is to make Frank and Lynn change the way their business is run and hopefully improve this experience for ourselves and others in the future. Alternatively, if TCA resists, we would be ok with their client base (and therefore their business) going away forever as well.

Please send any information (or ideas)you might have to [email protected]. Feel free to copy us on all correspondence to them as well. It is time the honest, law abiding among us stopped giving dishonest companies such as TCA a free ride.