If you've ever tried to get a mail-in rebate you know it can be a frustrating process. One woman in Pleasanton did not give up. She says it was a relatively small sum of money, but the rebate had been a big promotion and she wanted the cash back she was promised.
Karin Nebelung is pretty happy with her new dishwasher. It's so quiet she and her husband can turn it on, and still watch TV in peace. There was just one small problem - not with the dishwasher - but with the promotional rebate that came with it.
"I would not have been that concerned but they started to become very wishy washy," Nebelung said.
The Nebelungs bought the dishwasher at Lowe's, and part of the incentive was a $137 rebate. Karin mailed the required forms right after they got home.
"They said allow six to eight weeks for delivery and I thought 'OK,'" Nebelung said.
However, eight weeks went by and Karin didn't get her money. Lowe's rebate department told her it would just be one more week.
"I gave it another two weeks and I said, 'Well I haven't received a check,'" Nebelung said.
Karin called Lowe's and a representative said her check would be there any day. When that didn't happen, she contacted the company again.
"They started to give me the runaround," Nebelung said. "He said, 'Well you can expect the check to be cut in two or three weeks,' and that is when I got a little annoyed."
They'd purchased the dishwasher in November. Here it was March; Karin began to wonder if she'd actually get the promised rebate.
"I thought, well I'll call 7 On Your Side and see what they have to say," Nebelung said.
7 On Your Side contacted Lowe's, which looked into the case. Two weeks later, Karin received a check for $137.
Lowes said rebates typically don't take so long to process and "many factors" could have caused the delay. Lowes said, "We are looking into this and apologize for the inconvenience the longer processing and delivery may have caused."
If you get a rebate offer, make sure to read all the rules for eligibility. Often there are very tight deadlines to mail everything in.
