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| You Can Find Good Deals at CyberRebate |
March 13, 2000 |
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Bill Woolfe, Courier-Journal, Kentucky
(GANNETT NEWS) If you get excited by rebates, you'll want to check out www.cyberrebate.com, a Web site that sells a range of items on which most or all of the purchase price will be refunded. But be aware, you may have to wait up to three months to get your rebate check in the mail. CyberRebate, based in Cedarhurst, N.Y., was founded in May 1998 as "The Rebate Company" and switched to its online format last October. We ordered several items late that month: a four-way language translator for $40, a set of headphones for $40 and a pair of two-way radios for $100. The headphones and translator were free after the rebate. The radios were $25 after a $75 rebate. Shipping is always $4.99 per order, (note: Now all shipping is FREE!!! No kidding!) no matter how many items you buy.The Web site warned that it could take 10 to 12 weeks for the rebates to arrive, and it was right. The last check didn't arrive until the end of January. However, CyberRebate got high marks for customer service. When the headphones quit after a day or two of use, we e-mailed the company. It immediately shipped out a new set, no questions asked. How can CyberRebate afford to give merchandise away? The company is trying to build its business by "offering people what are obviously fantastic deals," said company president Joseph Lichter. While it loses money on "free" merchandise, it makes a profit on other items. So far, CyberRebate says it has filled orders for about 150,000 shoppers and has sent out rebate checks totaling more than $1.9 million (note: now it’s closing in on $10 million).What can you find for sale at the Web site? Recent offerings included hundreds of items, ranging from a $20 Spanish canteen to a $40 CB transceiver. One caution: If you tend to be forgetful about sending in rebate forms, you should probably avoid CyberRebate, where items tend to cost much more than you would pay at a retail store. That's no problem if you are getting a full rebate. But if you neglect to file or if there are other problems in getting your rebate -- you will have paid two to three times what you might have spent at a retail store. (note:THIS PART IS KEY! Always make a copy of your UPC codes and anything else you mail in. I do this and it saved me because I had a friend take my forms to the mail box for me. He never mailed them and misplaced them. I checked online, saw they were never sent, sent an email and they told me to send my copies right in! It worked great but would have stunck if I wasn’t prepared)But the company promises to be customer friendly and to try to resolve rebate problems. If you lose your rebate forms, the site makes it easy to print out new ones, though you will want to guard your packaging proofs-of-purchase carefully. One unusual feature at the Web site: a rebate tracker that allows you to see where your rebate fulfillment stands. |
