In my ever-growing collection of reader complaints about deadbeat rebates, I've noticed one name surfacing with great regularity in recent months. SanDisk, maker of memory products, seems to have a strange lack of memory when it comes to fulfilling the promises of its rebate offers.
"I bought a SanDisk flash memory from MicroCenter who printed out a rebate form to send in," wrote one reader. "The rebate was rejected by the rebate processor as being outside the purchase dates which it was clearly not or MicroCenter would not have given me the rebate form. SanDisk promotes these rebates as a way of increasing sales. Since I felt cheated, I now avoid the SanDisk brand when I purchase any products that they make."
Even when SanDisk acknowledges it made a mistake in processing a customer's rebate, it often still forgets to send the check. "SanDisk Corporation admits their errors on my rebate for an item purchased, but still does not send the rebate after many months," another reader wrote. "I believe SanDisk rebates are fraud, period."
A certain amount of forgetfulness seems to be built into SanDisk's online rebate tracking system as well. "I bought a SanDisk USB drive because there was a $40 mail-in rebate," wrote another reader. "When I went online to check the status, I got an 'invalid receipt error.' I called SanDisk and was told it's only a $20 rebate. No more CompUSA or SanDisk for me."
But some readers suspect that rebate offers don't move through the system at all unless you check up on SanDisk frequently. "I purchased a 1-GB SD memory card from SanDisk, against my better judgment, because of a very good rebate offer," one reader wrote. "I mailed all the necessary items in early January and promptly forgot about the offer. I happened to come across my copies of the documents in late March and decided to visit the rebate website. It actually showed my request in the system, with a status of 'Pending,' but gave no further information. I checked again the next day to find the request in a 'Check Approved' status, but now with a 'pending' check mail date." The reader plans to continue to nudge the process along by frequent visits to the website, but can't help but think it an odd coincidence that after 12 weeks in limbo, it moved along right after he checked up on it. Had I not inquired, my request may still be languishing in that netherworld of 'pending.'"
One thing SanDisk apparently doesn't forget is to spam you after you fill in your e-mail address on the rebate form. "I just got an email with 'special offers' from SanDisk," another reader wrote. "It states, 'This email was sent to you because you expressed an interest in receiving special offers from SanDisk.' The only interest I have ever expressed in SanDisk is just to receive a $20 rebate on a card I purchased five months ago. The rebate documents required me to submit an email, supposedly to be contacted if there was a problem with the rebate. Well, I got the rebate; but for SanDisk it means I also have now opted in to receiving marketing material from them."
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