R8600 Icom Irresponsibility ?

[BOBRR]

Hello,

Have a new R8600 purchased about a month ago from HRO in Salem, N.H.

At the time, I was told there was a $ 50 rebate.
Filled out all their paper work for (on line), and submitted a few days after purchase.

The $ 50 is certainly not that big a deal, but it is the principal of the issue that bothers me.

Nothing received from Icom (or HRO). Over a month now.
Icom eMails re go unanswered (as well as one or two technical questions to their service inquiry eMail I sent)

Not the Icom of years ago that I remember.

Anyone have any name and eMail for some VP or responsible individual I can contact ?

Thanks,
Bob

 

[AK9R]

From Rapid-Rebates.com, the rebate processor that Icom uses:

Terms and Conditions: Offer valid January 1st, 2022 through March 31th, 2022. Customers must redeem and upload rebates no later than April 30, 2022. Valid only on specified Icom America Products purchased from authorized Icom dealers. All offers good for US versions only, excludes all government, unblocked versions. Allow up to ten weeks after submitting for delivery of your prepaid card. PO boxes will not be paid, except in North Dakota. US and Canadian residents only. Icom reserves the right to confirm identification and request additional proof of purchase to substantiate claim. Fraudulent submissions could result in federal prosecution under US Mail fraud statutes (18 USC Sections 1341 and 1342). Sponsor or their agent may, at their discretion, pay this claim with a check instead of a prepaid card. This Card is issued by Sunrise Banks N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Mastercard International Incorporated. Mastercard is a registered trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. Use of this card constitutes acceptance of the terms and conditions stated in the Cardholder Agreement. Cards will not have cash access and can be used everywhere Mastercard debit cards are accepted.

Take note of the underlined sentence.

Also, take note that Icom does not process these rebates themselves. They farm it out to another company. And, you must follow their instructions exactly.

From my own experience, I have had no issues with rebates being honored on Icom equipment.

 

[kruser]

From Rapid-Rebates.com, the rebate processor that Icom uses:


Take note of the underlined sentence.

Also, take note that Icom does not process these rebates themselves. They farm it out to another company. And, you must follow their instructions exactly.

From my own experience, I have had no issues with rebates being honored on Icom equipment.

I've also had zero issues with rebates from Icom equipment purchases.
They may be slow to arrive but are always received within the time window given in the fine print.

@BOBRR If you feel wronged, take it up with Rapid-Rebates.com whom AK9R pointed out as being the rebate handler for this particular Icom rebate.
I'm sure you will receive it though.

 

[BOBRR]

Hi,

Thanks for info.

Bob

 

[kruser]

Hi,

Thanks for info.

Bob

All my Icom rebates were in the form of a paper check and like you, I was impatient as far as waiting goes!
Like I'd said earlier though, they all did arrive with some arriving literally on the last day of the waiting period specified in the fine print!
Those were kind of nerve wracking as I felt for sure that I'd been taken!

For both my 8600's, the rebates were for $100 dollars each.
I've had very similar experiences with about every rebate I've ever applied for. They all seem to wait until the last possible day before sending out your payment. I'd guess they have a way of drawing interest on the unpaid rebates and that may be how they make money if the company they are handling rebates for does not pay them very much

Only once in my life did I receive a paper check rebate in just over one week! That one really surprised me when that check arrived in the mail as I was not expecting it for several more weeks. I think it was a rebate for a fairly expensive ATI video card and if I'm not mistaken, ATI handled their rebates without using a 3rd party service back in those days.

Good luck and I hope you receive yours.
If it gets near the time you should receive it, it doesn't hurt to call or email them from the info provided on the rebate form you filled out and just make an inquiry from them they the forms you sent were all in order. Some will tell you and some rebate processors will just say to call back if you have not received anything by the date specified on the official rebate form.
Hopefully you printed out a copy of the form as you filled it out for your records. I used to scan everything into my computer including the little proof of purchase barcode or whatever they wanted and an image of the envelope showing the address I sent the rebate info to!
I never needed any of that but I guess it made me feel good having the proof if they did seem to pull a fast one on me!
If you don't have an actual copy of the rebate form you filled out, you should be able to find an unfilled copy that you can print and save just in case you need to contact Rapid-Rebates.

 

[Marcy57]

I purchased my Icom R8600 11/29/2021 and just a few weeks ago
received my $50.00 card ....if that helps at all it does take awhile!
and thank you for reminding me I forgot I had it! you have to call
to activate it just to remind you if you get the debit card..73,s Marcy
(purchased from DX Engineering )
Also I had to add I do not remember? getting any emails or such
as far as the rebate I submitted the info they wanted from the receipt
and just forgot about it and it showed up several months later..73,s)

 

[TDR-94]

Companies don't consider rebates as a priority. It's marketing to get you to buy the product. They're hoping you will never actually request the rebate.

 

[N9JIG]

Companies don't consider rebates as a priority. It's marketing to get you to buy the product. They're hoping you will never actually request the rebate.

Spot on.

Rebates are designed to show a lower price and most companies that use retail rebates or money-back coupons use third party providers that process them. They bank on a fairly high percentage of people not submitting the rebate request or doing so improperly so that the rebate would not be issuable. The process is designed to be somewhat complicated to deter some people from sending in for them or the rebate is small enough to be not worth the hassle.

On high-dollar items like Icom receivers the percentage of people sending in for the rebate will be higher of course but $50 these days on a $2500 radio is pretty much a drop in the bucket, relatively speaking. It is like saving 2 cents on a 99 cent candy bar. It makes you feel good but in the end it isn't going to break the bank.

 

[Marcy57]

Spot on.

Rebates are designed to show a lower price and most companies that use retail rebates or money-back coupons use third party providers that process them. They bank on a fairly high percentage of people not submitting the rebate request or doing so improperly so that the rebate would not be issuable. The process is designed to be somewhat complicated to deter some people from sending in for them or the rebate is small enough to be not worth the hassle.

On high-dollar items like Icom receivers the percentage of people sending in for the rebate will be higher of course but $50 these days on a $2500 radio is pretty much a drop in the bucket, relatively speaking. It is like saving 2 cents on a 99 cent candy bar. It makes you feel good but in the end it isn't going to break the bank.

I do not understand rebates really anyhow? like I was going to buy the R8600 even if it
did not have a rebate and like you said $50.00 ?? (really) if it was not for the thread I
completely forgot I had the card they gave me...guess what I,m saying is ? does offering
a rebate really sway you towards buying that rig...?? I mean great the $50 is a tank of
gas ....but it,s not changing my mind I,m getting the receiver with or without it...73,s Marcy
(Or like you mention it shows a lower price but by $50.00 not much difference!)

 

[MTS2000des]

The reason companies use rebates is that many consumers won't follow the steps as instructed, want to wait weeks/months, and thus, the company doesn't have to pay out on every sale. "Serious" buyers as you say aren't going to cry and whine over $50, and many won't spend the few minutes submitting forms or going down to the slow post office to mail everything off as it isn't worth their time.

 

[Marcy57]

The reason companies use rebates is that many consumers won't follow the steps as instructed, want to wait weeks/months, and thus, the company doesn't have to pay out on every sale. "Serious" buyers as you say aren't going to cry and whine over $50, and many won't spend the few minutes submitting forms or going down to the slow post office to mail everything off as it isn't worth their time.

I do not think it was like a two second thing! you had to get some numbers and go back to your
paperwork and copy something I almost said forget it!...If I remember correctly (lol) ...now I
have a BIG $50.00 debit card....73,s Marcy

 

[AK9R]

Icom rebate applications typically ask for a copy of your sales receipt and the UPC label from the box. Now that they are accepting submissions online instead of mailing in a form, you can send a PDF of the sales receipt and an image of the UPC label. Why do they ask for these things? To prove that you bought the item during the rebate period and that you actually bought the item that the rebate is for.

And, yes, instead of sending a check, they send a debit card loaded with the rebate amount.

 

[xshark]

I'll add my $.02 to this older thread because I have some insight from a previous job where I had responsibility for managing rebates from the manufacturer's side.

Most companies utilize a 3rd party company to manage their rebate processing. The rebate processor does not pay the customer until they have received funds from the manufacturer. Most manufactures receive a rebate report from the processor on a weekly or maybe even a monthly cycle and review/approve before sending the processor the funds. If a manufacture only pays the rebate processor once a month, the cycle times can be lengthy.

Manufacturer's usage of rebates seem to lost their popularity from previous years. Even though the processor pre-screened the rebate submissions, we still dealt with excessive amounts of fraudulent submissions (including fake UPC labels and receipts). In my opinion, rebates generated more complaints than they did business.

 

[Marcy57]

I went to use my rebate debit card that I got from the 8600
purchase the other day (and I did register it by calling) it
did not work ...came up invalid card.. gotta look into it,
but does not surprise me!...I really forgot I had it anyhow
I think thats what they want?/..lol! I would have bought
the 8600 rebate or not did not sway my purchase at all
more like a gimmick I think?/...too be fair maybe it,s
certain places it does not work just guessing? this was
a gas station figured I would fill up with it...but no joy!
threw it in the glove box with the gum and sunglasses
probably were it will stay till expires....73,s Marcy

 

[MTS2000des]

If it's a Visa/MC debit card, it should be valid anywhere Visa/MC is accepted. What were you trying to purchase? Places like gas stations, eateries, etc often put larger holds than your purchase (known as pre-auth's) for things like tips, bar tabs, etc. I would call the 800 number on the back and verify the balance and find out why it's invalid.

If you get nowhere, an email to Icom corporate wouldn't hurt, but as I said earlier, the whole point of rebates is to avoid payouts. But if you got the card and it's a dud, then they owe you to make it right. Getting that done may require more than $50 of your time.

 

[Marcy57]

$50.00 rebate card ...the balance is $50.00 never used
I might call but probably the hell with it...should have
just left it in my pocketbook till expiration do not put
much faith in those rebate cards ...thats just me!...73,s
Marcy

 

[prcguy]

I've put in for and have received many Icom rebates and they do take awhile. I always make copies of all the paperwork I send in just in case something goes wrong. If I never received a refund or got a bogus card I would start by contacting the the 3rd party company and if I got no satisfaction I would first start with HRO as they sold you the radio with a promise of a rebate. You can threaten to return the radio because you didn't get what you paid for as promised by the seller. I personally would not hesitate to file a small claims suit with Icom even if it required some travel.

I once had a problem with a newer GM car where the dealer lied about a paint warranty and would not make things right. I filed a claim with General Motors and it went to arbitration, which was a joke and rigged in favor of the lying POS dealer. About 10 minutes after I got the decline from GM arbitration I waddled up the road to my local court and filed a small claims suit against the dealer. Two days later I got a phone call from a big guy at GM corporate saying there has been a mistake and if I cancel the claim they will completely repaint my car at any GM dealer in the country for free.

Bottom line is, a small claims suit will get their attention if nothing else will and they have to respond. I'm sure the OP will get his refund soon but if not there are ways to get satisfaction.

 

[Marcy57]

Purchased abt 10months ago, but thank you prcguy for the input and MTS2000
I take the ferry to CT alot kinda boring trip staring at the water for a hour maybe
I will call then but for $50.00 not gonna burn time with phone calls and filing
something ...$50.00 is not gonna change my life too much...lol!
(was not HRO by the way) if you go back in this thread you can view my posts
when I received it and so forth ....anyhow won,t say anymore on it , I hate this
saying but "it is what it is" QRT on it...ciao guys...Marcy

 

[eorange]

Two days later I got a phone call from a big guy at GM corporate saying there has been a mistake and if I cancel the claim they will completely repaint my car at any GM dealer in the country for free.

Surprising a piddly small claims court filing generated that kind of response, given there must be 1000s of those happening at any one time. Not doubting you btw.

 

[DS506]

Surprising a piddly small claims court filing generated that kind of response,

Ah yes, but if it is picked up by the media, or these days social media...