OfficeMax Rebates

[spazntwitch]

On the 11th of this month, I ordered a TaxCut bundle with the federal and state programs as well as H&R Block's Deduction Pro. The bundle came with a 128MB flash drive that was FAR...at least according to the Web site.

Yesterday when I went to submit my rebates, the flash drive one said that I had to purchase it after the 13th. What the...?

I called their customer service number and they told me I should have read the rebate first. I don't believe most consumers will read the entire rebate before they make a purchase...especially if the Web site leads them to believe the rebate is available at the time of purchase.

Has anyone else had this bait-and-switch problem? I've fired off an e-mail to OfficeMax and will go elsewhere (the Utah Division of Consumer Protection and the Utah AG office) if the rebate doesn't come.

 

[penpen]

A few months back, OfficeMax featured an ad w/ a $10 rebate on an Lexar 128mb SD card that should have made it $20 AR (yes this was a while ago). Like you, the Web site lead me to believe the rebate was available at the time of purchase.

Anyway, when I got home and went to get the rebate online, it wasn't there. So i called their rebate center, and they said no such rebate exists. Luckily, I had a copy of the ad's jpg img, printed it out & faxed it to them (would have been easier to just email it as an attachment, but they asked for me to fax it). They called back & offered an OfficeMax GC (not $) for the same amt. I didn't feel like pursuing the problem any further, so I just said OK to the GC.

I'd suggest trying to call OM's rebate center. If you have a copy of the ad, I'm sure it'll help.

hope this helps good luck!

ps Office Max Rebate center phone # 1-800-283-7674

 

[spazntwitch]

For OfficeMax, buyer beware!

Here's a copy of the e-mail that I recently received. I still believe it is bait-and-switch and will likely forward a copy of their reply to the attorney general's office. At least I can hope that the AG office will force OfficeMax to not list rebates early...


Dear Mr. xxxxxx:

Thank you for your e-mail in regards to your rebate inquiry. I do apologize for any inconvenience you may have encountered. However, these rebates must be reviewed before you purchase the item to obtain the information regarding the rebate promotion. Our rebates are listed online on Friday for the Sunday sales, some of these items can be ordered online for the sale pricing. The items that have rebates can be ordered, however the rebate will not apply due to the time frame. It is the customers responsibility to retrieve the rebate information for the items purchased. Once, again I do apologize for any inconvenience you may have encountered. Unfortunatally, I will not be able to honor the rebate due to the time frame but you are able to return the merchandise to the local store and receive credit back on your account. You can also contact us at 1-800-OfficeMax to request a pick up on these items. If there are any questions or concerns let me know. Thank you for your interest in OfficeMax.


Sincerely,

Kita,
Customer Service Representative
OfficeMax Customer Service
e-mail: [email protected]
www.officemax.com
Fax: 1-800-995-9644

 

[penpen]

Unfortunatally, I will not be able to honor the rebate due to the time frame but you are able to return the merchandise to the local store and receive credit back on your account. You can also contact us at 1-800-OfficeMax to request a pick up on these items. If there are any questions or concerns let me know. Thank you for your interest in OfficeMax.


Sincerely,

Kita,
Customer Service Representative
OfficeMax Customer Service
e-mail: [email protected]
www.officemax.com
Fax: 1-800-995-9644

Ugh, Office Max.

I say have them pick up the items and return the money to you. I'm sure there are better deals for tax software + add'l items that are available out there. for example, i know it's not a flash drive, but compusa has a Microsoft digital media pro keyboard (313558) + software for free AR if you buy either h&r block taxcut deluxe or premium.

 

[juggsy]

So maybe I'm not seeing the point of this post, but if the details are listed in a rebate, it is the consumers reponsibility to read it all first. I would side with the company over the consumer in this case, as it is clearly the consumer's fault. Also, there is no law saying that a company cannot list rebates early as it is advertising to drive their sales up of the items that have a forthcoming rebate.

just my 2 cents.

 

[spazntwitch]

juggsy,

I don't mind if a company lists something early such as an upcoming President's Day Sale and the prices aren't good until a certain date. It builds up anticipation.

What rubs me wrong is that the OfficeMax.com Web site stated that the expected items were FAR at the time of purchase, not at some date in the future. Most ads for an upcoming sale will state that the prices are valid on such-and-such date.

After all is said and done, I agree with you that I should have read the rebates, and now I will do so in the future before I make a purchase. Lesson learned. The lesson of this post is read before you buy.