I bought a Digital Camcorder two summers ago. It came with a rebate for a 128MB SD card, which I never got. I have inquired with the 3rd-party rebate company roughly ever 4-6 months, and each time I get what seems to be an automated reply, even though someone's name is attached to it. They give me a tracking number and everything, and according to their website, the status is "fulfilling reward". At this point, a 128MB is more or less useless, it's value being 1/4 of what it was 2 years ago. Suck it up and walk a way? Or should I complain to Canon directly?

Tracking Results: Rebate Submission Detail
Rebate: 128MB SD MEMORY CARD
Rebate Information For: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Promotion: 128MB CARD WITH PURCHASE OF EITHER THE OPTURA 500, OPTURA 400, OPTURA 40, OR OPTURA 30 OR 64MB CARD WITH PURCHASE OF EITHER THE ELURA 70, ELURA 65 OR ELURA 60
Submission Type: MAIL
Date Received: 08-31-2004
Status: Fulfilling Reward
Status Detail: You will receive your reward within the terms and conditions listed on your rebate form.<ul><li><a href="http://www.rebateshq.com">This is the 3rd Party rebate outfit.</a></li></ul>

Call the Canon Rebate Center number eventhough its the same place.

This has been going on for a long time and I never saw any rebate. Can you at least confirm that you are stiffing me on this? Or are you so incompetent that you can't even figure out that you haven't sent me anything, or even owe me anything in the first place? I hope you realize by now that the size of the SD card is probably obsolete, as they now make SD cards with 20X the size for half the price as they did back when we bought this camera.

You guys are really reflecting poorly on Canon, and if I don't see anything soon, I will certainly take it up with their customer service department.

Do it during daytime business hours to ensure you will get a manager that can authorize a check immediately.

That number is for Canon cash rebates. I guess they used a third party for SD card rebates. Canon has never heard of me. I can't seem to find a phone number anywere on rebateshq.com's website.

Parago runs rebatehq.com. I had to look them up in the yellow pages since they don't offer a phone number on their website. I finally got through to a human. She looks me up. "Sir, that rebate offer closed in 2005." "No ****, I told you I've been waiting for two years." She is going to get a "manager" involved, might take 2-3 days to fully "investigate" what to do. Since the offer is closed, they don't have anymore SD cards anyway. So, I don't really know what they are going to do, but at the rate they've been responding to me, I'd give 10:1 odds that they never call me back.

rebate companies buy rebate accounts (or get subcontracted) on the sole premise that certain percentage of people will never mail in their rebate forms. Then they count on the fact that some people will mail the rebate form and forget about it, or simply won't bother to raise hell.

There are plenty of stories of rebate companies "never receiving" the forms, or "losing" them.

Basically, if you keep on it, you'll get your money. Their hope (and business model) is that you don't.