Rockybalboa

Ok

I bought South Park season 7 and 5 Star Trek movies back in March or April, I never buy in FYE basically because they charge so much more than other places, I know they have to so they can stay in business, but still..

Anyway, they had rebates on both the SP and the Star Treks, and of course they had to be mailed in seperatly and forms filled out, POP tabs cut out, and all mailed in. So I do this, as we were looking at 35.00 worth of rebates...

I do everthing according to the directions, I even get an email saying they received it all.. Then last week, I get a postcard in the mail saying they are not honoring the rebate on the SP as I did not send in the correct information... I sent the rebate form, filled out, POP and original dated receipt. I have heard nothing on the Star Trek rebates to date..

This is not the first time they have pulled this on me which is why I double checked EVERYTHING before I sent it in..

Is this just me, or is FYE really just scamming people with this fake rebate stuff, figuring you will just give up on getting it?

GuruTwo

They have to be UPC's. A similar thing happened to me. "The Godfather: The Game" and "South Park Season 7 came out on the same day and I bought them both. The "Godfather" rebate knocked $20 off of a $40 game that I was on the fence about getting so I definitely wanted to get that but I only got "South Park" there out of convenience because I was right there and I didn't feel like going elsewhere to save $5.

Anyways, I refuse to cut UPC's out because it ruins the packaging but on the "Godfather" game there was a second (identical) UPC on the back of the instruction manual and I couldn't justify losing $20 on something that was tucked away in an inconspicuous place so I cut it from the book and sent it in.

I still haven't recieved my rebate for that game but I know that it worked because I sent away for my "South Park" rebate the same day and I've already heard via e-mail that they wouldn't be honoring it.

The "South Park" rebate was only $10 so I took a gamble and instead of sending in the UPC (which the rebate specified) I took out those little proof of purchase tabs from the inside of the case. In any other case I would have been reluctant to even compromise the packaging that much but I had already removed the PoP's from the first season of "South Park" way back when you could mail away for the 5-CD commentary set.

Just like I anticipated, they didn't take it. They want the UPC bar code, no ifs ands or buts about it.

If you care about your packaging you definitely want to forget about ever mailing away for an FYE rebate. The only time I could think of where I would be willing to sacrifice the UPC from a DVD would be if the back had one of those little slips that lists the features but is intended to be removed when opened like "The Terminal", "War of the Worlds" and "Walk the Line".

Joe Molotov

I've never done FYE's rebates, but from what I hear, they're fairly notorious for denying rebates.

hindolio

i bought the die hard set from fye when they had that ridiculously low price of $9.99 after rebate.

havent received the rebate.

i dont shop at fye any more.

end of my sad story

Supermallet

I don't understand how FYE stays in business. They have rebates on some big items, but most of their items are just high-priced. The one near me is in a mall. Across the street is Best Buy, and two doors down is EB Games, both with lower prices. I just don't get it.

DrPrimo

They will accept the yellow price-sticker from the front of the package instead of the UPC. I have never had a problem with them regarding this. All 10 of my ST rebates were accepted w/o a problem.

The only time I have been denied is with the "Deal-Of-The-Day" rebates they had before christmas. This was due to a combination of them switching to NOT requiring a UPC on stuff from FYE.com, and inaccurate/missing dates on the packing slip. Of 6, 4 were denied, but those were all accepted after sending an email.

I did have a problem with rebates on 10 discs when they put the wrong rebate code on the form, but these were accepted after re-submitting.

I have taken advantage of many FYE rebate deals and have always gotten my check. Like any rebate, you must make sure you follow all directions and keep copies of everything. Denials are almost always fixed with a email or phone call. I do not think all blame lies with FYE, Parago (who did replace a much worse company last year) are the ones handle the rebates and make the approvals/denials.

Combined with the backstage pass, you can get some really nice deals if you dont mind a little work.

Link_182

Very true. As a manager of an FYE I have even given customers the difference when they had a rebate denied. In special cases of course. Sometimes rebates get denied for strange reasons. Definatly call and see what the problem is, and if you can't get it straitened out, call the FYE you bought it from and see if they will do something for ya. The worst they could say is no. FYE wants your buisness!

Billyspunk

The local FYE here in MA is at Swansea Mall and it absolutely SUCKS....The same mall has Walmart at the other end and it is sad how Walmart blows FYE away each and every week. I would NEVER buy a new release at FYE even with a rebate, they obviously only want your money upfront, wait a year and maybe get your rebate...maybe...

Mr. Cinema

I hate FYE. I would much rather go to Circuit City or Best Buy and save on the discounts there instantly, rather than waiting 8-12 weeks on a $7 rebate check that may or may not show up. I don't understand how they stay in business by selling music and movies at full retail price.

wildman1037

After hearing the horror stories, I would never buy anything from FYE based on cheapest price after rebate. The only thing I bought there recently was Stargate SG1 S1-4, when they had the Buy 1, Get 1 Free on various TV Season sets.

FantasticVSDoom

Ive never had a problem with the FYE discounts, but I hate them none the less...Just for the simple fact as they always have to make everything that happens in-store such as coupons and what not a big pain in the ass.

GradVT06

Shouldn't all this be in the store forum?

and on a side note, fye was good to buy from as a former employee because you could get good deals, but the company sucks and has a horrible business plan and marketing strategies

Sweet Baby James

I have done many rebates with Coconuts and FYE and ever only encountered one problem. They said that my rebate was invalid due to a missing UPC. The yellow price sticker usually does the trick, but for some reason they said that the UPC was missing. I stated that I did include the UPC. I resubmitted my rebate request with a photocopy of the UPC and the rebate was processed. Make photocopies of everything, including the UPC and stay persistent. You should eventually get your rebate. Here's a link to info about resubmissions-

www.rebateshq.com/parago/resubmissions.htm

Rockybalboa

Ok, so the problem was that I sent in the POP instead of the UPC.. so I got denied even with a receipt and a POP..

Guess that is the LAST time I shop with FYE, now I have cut up boxes for nothing..

Can't wait for BB and CC to put them under, just like what is happening to Suncoast.

unbeeleebable

I just hate ANY mail in rebates.

Sweet Baby James

You really should resubmit your rebate request before writing it off. Make a photocopy of the UPC code on the box and include it with the rest of your info and mail it to-

RebatesHQ Processing
Resubmission Department
P.O. Box 028516
Miami, FL 33102-8516

You'll be surprised at how much better that you'll feel about FYE once your check is in the mail.

Rockybalboa

I think I already went though enough just to get the price to the level of BB and CC, not worth a second time around for 10.00.. I will just take my business elsewhere, they lost a customer for life that spends alot on dvd's..

sotra

If you're interested there is an 1-800 fax number for resubmissions that has worked every time for me.

Rockybalboa

Thanks for the offer Sotra.

Wallet Boy

I think we really need to band together and do something about this blatant rip-off of customers.

Here's my latest and last rebate story with FYE/Parago.

Bought Scrubs S3 online and it offered a $10 rebate. I submit all the materials, but no UPC because the rebate form didn't call for it and I didn't want to butcher the box if it wasn't necessary. I include a note saying "this rebate form does not require the UPC, which is why I haven't included it. Please do not invalidate this rebate for not including the UPC."

I check the status of my rebate yesterday - and wouldn't you know it -"Invalid - missing UPC". Annoying, yes. Fixable, also yes. I call them up and figure they will just make me read the UPC to them like they always do and validate the rebate. Not gonna happen.

1st rep: She asks me for all my vital info, even asks me to read the UPC to her, then tells me that I had to purchase all 5 TV box sets on the rebate form in order to get the Scrubs rebate, and if I want to resubmit that is ok. I told her "how can resubmitting work if I didn't buy all the box sets - you are changing the rules as you go - it said I was invalid because I was missing the UPC, not because I failed to buy The West Wing!!"

2nd rep: Took my vital info, and said "As a valued customer...blah blah blah - we will validate the rebate." I go back online today and it says "Invalid - missing UPC". So I call back and they tell me its still invalid.

3rd rep: Tells me once again I needed to buy $150 work of product to get the $10 Scrubs rebate. I said that was untrue and, with little sanity I had left, asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor who listened to me babble about how ridiculous this all was, did some "research", and validated my rebate.

At the current time, the web site is experiencing "technical difficulty" when I look up the status of the Scrubs rebate, but hopefully its valid now.

In my spare time, I'm going to start researching the best way to formally complain about this company. If anyone else has ideas, please post.

juanmgonzalez

I've always heard that sending the Attorney General of your state does wonders for businesses who don't want to fulfill something like a rebate

kenbenobi

It's simple. They deny 90% of rebates. Just call the 800# on the postcard, and they will say "as a one time courtesy, I have gone ahead and approved your rebate." They won't ask you any questions. You won't need to argue one bit. They approve ALL rebates if you call the 800#, every single time (even though they say one time courtesy). But yes, I do think they hope people won't call or resubmit. It's a shame they make you do it, but you won't have any issues getting a rebate if you call...

fryinpan1

I also hate FYE. Their prices are ridiculous and sometimes they make up their own suggested retail prices.

The only time I buy from FYE is when I trade in DVDs that I do not want for store credit. I use the credit for non-Columbia House DVDs with rebates. I always use the UPC price sticker and have probably received 19/20 successful rebates. The checks usually arrive three months after I mail the rebate forms.