ASUS rebates
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 1:22 pm
A few months ago I bought a new video card on newegg, and it had a $20 manufacturer rebate.
Now BACK IN MY DAY that meant you send in the form with the UPC symbol on the box, and in a couple months you get a check for $20 and you deposited it and forgot about it and considered it the close of a transaction.
A few years ago they switched to prepaid credit cards, the only thing wonky about them is that if you didn't use it all in one chunk, you had to remember the remaining balance for the next place you tried to use it. I tried using it again at the next place and they said I needed to know the exact balance, so I had to register at some website and register that disposable card and get the balance. I had a card in my wallet with $3.17 once for like 6 months before I had the patience to tell one merchant, "hold on, run this first for 3.17." Seems like ASUS was trying to make it a little more difficult for peeps to actually cash their rebates.
The rebate card I got the other day had a sticker on it saying it needed to be activated, so I called and did that. And then it said I had to register a PIN number, so it went ahead and generated one for me.... better write it down! Because if you don't then you can't change your pin to something you'll remember in a week when you actually try to use it. And I assume it would have the same issue with "better remember your remaining balance to use the rest of it." So I haven't used it yet, but goddam. Now there's a pin, too.
That's ok I like people with whom I do business trying to fuck me over.
Now BACK IN MY DAY that meant you send in the form with the UPC symbol on the box, and in a couple months you get a check for $20 and you deposited it and forgot about it and considered it the close of a transaction.
A few years ago they switched to prepaid credit cards, the only thing wonky about them is that if you didn't use it all in one chunk, you had to remember the remaining balance for the next place you tried to use it. I tried using it again at the next place and they said I needed to know the exact balance, so I had to register at some website and register that disposable card and get the balance. I had a card in my wallet with $3.17 once for like 6 months before I had the patience to tell one merchant, "hold on, run this first for 3.17." Seems like ASUS was trying to make it a little more difficult for peeps to actually cash their rebates.
The rebate card I got the other day had a sticker on it saying it needed to be activated, so I called and did that. And then it said I had to register a PIN number, so it went ahead and generated one for me.... better write it down! Because if you don't then you can't change your pin to something you'll remember in a week when you actually try to use it. And I assume it would have the same issue with "better remember your remaining balance to use the rest of it." So I haven't used it yet, but goddam. Now there's a pin, too.
That's ok I like people with whom I do business trying to fuck me over.