Mail In Rebate: 10 to 14 Weeks
Friday, 19 June 2009
I went ahead and sent in the mail-in rebate last week ($100 rebate), and got an email confirming that they received it.
The psychology of mail-in rebates are quite interesting. I mean, 10-14 weeks? Do they need the time to figure out where their financials fell before they actually go and pay out the rebates? Is it just enough time for people with money to burn to think that it’s not worth it? I’d like to know the percentage of redeemed mail-in rebates. Palm Goon thinks half do, half don’t. I bet at least 65% don’t. I know that a lot of people are thinking: but it’s $100. Let’s face it, the majority of individuals in the high-end smart phone market are not extremely price sensitive. But I’m also betting that the group I belong to, the price sensitive 3G-hording techphiles that couldn’t deal with a touchscreen keyboard and non-multi-tasking outdated OS and needed to penny pinch by getting a cheap data plan with Sprint, that probably make up a total of 5-10% of Palm Pre purchasers, will ALL turn in their (I mean our) rebates.
What to Expect when Mailing it In
With the Palm Pre, I got a long pamphlet that included my receipts and a card with a short form that was easy to fill out. The card fit in a business size envelope perfectly, and I just dropped it in the mail. I was also pleased to get an email about 4 business days later telling me that they had received the card successfully and to expect the check within 10-14 weeks. This is a standard boiler plate ETA quote for rebates; I will report how long it took in reality.