Hawking Technology and Micro Center commit consumer fraud via mailin rebate program.

Because they were $4.00 each after rebate I bought three Hawkings
wireless products and promptly fill out and sent in the three separate
rebates in three separate envelopes.

sometime later I got a notice that two of them (each for a $20 rebate)
didn't include the UPC for the offer.

So I called them. Not only was the notice misleading (as I most
certainly did return teh UPC from the box, but upon the making the phone
call they clamed it wasn't lack of a UPC but wrong P.O. Box.

All three of these are to the same company but two of the three had a
different P.O. BOX However, I was then instructed to return a copy of
the paper work I originally sent in (which I have) along with the post
card notice and assured that I would be getting my rebate.

Even the rebate for the third item I have not received ($10) and its
past the 10-12 weeks processing time.

Today I received two more post card saying these two were not mailed in
within the 21 days required.

This is consumer fraud.

Has anyone else experienced such bad dealing with these offers?

All things considered, I suspect there are many others who have.

I'd say legal action is in order.

This type of attitude has kept me from buying
some interesting Hawking products.

do some more research on this "scam", also look at Soyo rebates.
Some of the retail companies are making good on the rebates! ;-)

http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-3000-0-...5063&start=160

to complain
http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-3000-0-...6221&start=160


"threeseas" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:OJbbf.177$(E-Mail Removed) k.net...
> Because they were $4.00 each after rebate I bought three Hawkings wireless
> products and promptly fill out and sent in the three separate rebates in
> three separate envelopes.
>
> sometime later I got a notice that two of them (each for a $20 rebate)
> didn't include the UPC for the offer.
>
> So I called them. Not only was the notice misleading (as I most certainly
> did return teh UPC from the box, but upon the making the phone call they
> clamed it wasn't lack of a UPC but wrong P.O. Box.
>
> All three of these are to the same company but two of the three had a
> different P.O. BOX However, I was then instructed to return a copy of the
> paper work I originally sent in (which I have) along with the post card
> notice and assured that I would be getting my rebate.
>
> Even the rebate for the third item I have not received ($10) and its past
> the 10-12 weeks processing time.
>
> Today I received two more post card saying these two were not mailed in
> within the 21 days required.
>
> This is consumer fraud.
>
> Has anyone else experienced such bad dealing with these offers?
>
> All things considered, I suspect there are many others who have.
>
> I'd say legal action is in order.

Zebulon wrote:
> This type of attitude has kept me from buying
> some interesting Hawking products.
>
>

I don't know how good their products are, as I don't have much
experience with wireless to compare it to.

Except for a Netgear card.

I use linux, and the netgear card, which was given to me, is compatable
out of the box on ubuntu linux (almost - but works after removing a
driver for the chipset it uses, that was included in ubuntu (acx), and
installing the netgear supplied driver for windows via tyhe ndiswrapper
application).

The hawking booster antenna (what I'm supposed to get a $10 rebate on)
doesn't seem to improve wireless connection at all). Maybe if I stick it
in a pringles can and point it in teh right direction.

The USB wireless device from Hawkins works on a couple windows boxes I
have but its reception/transmittion is just about as good as using the
booster antenna on either of the PCI cards (netgear or Hawkins cards).

Funning thing is, I was given the Netgear card because the person who
gave it to me couldn't use it due to cpu incompatabilities... and the
antenna connection came loose ... Later fixed by using a pair of pliers
to squeeze the connector back on.

But the antenna that canme with the netgear card - small and directly
connects to the connector on the card (none of the 2 foot long thin
cable included with teh hawking card which probably acts as an antenna
itself), works as good or better than the hawking booster antenna.

I only bought the hawking stuff because I was lead to believe the final
cost would be $4 each. I was lied to, not once, not twice, but at least
three times. (and thats not once per each hawking product but in general
in regards to the rebates).

For the money I spent (without rebate), I could have gotten better.

dave AKA vwdoc1 wrote:
> do some more research on this "scam", also look at Soyo rebates.
> Some of the retail companies are making good on the rebates! ;-)
>
> http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-3000-0-...5063&start=160
>
> to complain
> http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-3000-0-...6221&start=160
>

This is all well and fine Dave, but it really is just an extension of
the scam. The how far will you go before you give up or get paid off
enough to shut up.

Lets say MicroCenter does honor the rebate... And what of those who gave
up before getting far enough to know to try and do this?

How much of my time and expense have I expended to get rebates that were
promoted to be of such simplicity as filling out a form and sending it
in along with the UPC seal?

My time is worth more that that, even if I'm doing nothing else with my
time. The outcome of this is is not what I agreed upon, it is plain and
simple FRAUD, mail fraud, from the flyer I received to the post cards
from Hawking.... the mail is being used to commit these crimes.

All I have found in my research is that there are centainly enough of
these rebate frauds that warrents some change in the laws that apply, so
to much better discourage such fradulent practice by the parties involved.

threeseas wrote:

> dave AKA vwdoc1 wrote:
>> do some more research on this "scam", also look at Soyo rebates.
>> Some of the retail companies are making good on the rebates! ;-)
>>
>
> This is all well and fine Dave, but it really is just an extension of
> the scam. The how far will you go before you give up or get paid off
> enough to shut up.

I disagree. The rebates are being advertised by the retailers, so it really
is the retailer's obligation to make good on them if the company actually
offering the rebate won't.

> My time is worth more that that, even if I'm doing nothing else with my
> time. The outcome of this is is not what I agreed upon, it is plain and
> simple FRAUD, mail fraud, from the flyer I received to the post cards
> from Hawking.... the mail is being used to commit these crimes.
>
> All I have found in my research is that there are centainly enough of
> these rebate frauds that warrents some change in the laws that apply, so
> to much better discourage such fradulent practice by the parties involved.

People always ask for a new law when they see something like this. You've
already made it clear that old laws apply. If it's mail fraud (and I
agree, it probably is) then you should file a complaint in the appropriate
place (probably tell the company not honoring your rebates that you will,
wait another week to get your money - _then_ file the complaint). If the
authorities won't charge them under the existing laws, why would you expect
them to be charged under new laws?
--
derek

Well threeseas,
YES it is a rebate scam.
Of course you know that a lot of companies that offer rebates, in order to
get the consumer to consume their products, hope that no rebate claim is
ever sent in or it is incorrectly sent in. That is why YOU MUST keep proof
of all documents and make sure you follow all of their instructions.
I also think that there should be penalties for rebates that are not honored
in a timely manner. Maybe double the rebate sounds reasonable to me! lol

I have had rebate problems with Microsoft, Soyo, Land's End and others. I
believe that I have received all of my money but the Land's End rebate, and
it was so small it was not worth my effort to see what went wrong. Also I
might not have qualified for that one! <g>
I usually persue these rebates to make sure the companies honor them!!

Now either you:
1. Want your rebate money that you are due.
2. Want to complain, either to the internet and/or to the courts.
3. Want to give up.
4. Or want a combination of the above.

I thought that the recent BIG Soyo rebate fraud info on the web might give
you some ideas about the path(s) you wish to follow.

Good luck,
dave
(One out of many daves)


"threeseas" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> dave AKA vwdoc1 wrote:
>> do some more research on this "scam", also look at Soyo rebates.
>> Some of the retail companies are making good on the rebates! ;-)
>>
>> http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-3000-0-...5063&start=160
>>
>> to complain
>> http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-3000-0-...6221&start=160
>>
>
> This is all well and fine Dave, but it really is just an extension of the
> scam. The how far will you go before you give up or get paid off enough to
> shut up.
>
> Lets say MicroCenter does honor the rebate... And what of those who gave
> up before getting far enough to know to try and do this?
>
> How much of my time and expense have I expended to get rebates that were
> promoted to be of such simplicity as filling out a form and sending it in
> along with the UPC seal?
>
> My time is worth more that that, even if I'm doing nothing else with my
> time. The outcome of this is is not what I agreed upon, it is plain and
> simple FRAUD, mail fraud, from the flyer I received to the post cards from
> Hawking.... the mail is being used to commit these crimes.
>
> All I have found in my research is that there are centainly enough of
> these rebate frauds that warrents some change in the laws that apply, so
> to much better discourage such fradulent practice by the parties involved.
>
>
>
>

threeseas wrote:
> Because they were $4.00 each after rebate I bought three Hawkings
> wireless products and promptly fill out and sent in the three separate
> rebates in three separate envelopes.
>
> sometime later I got a notice that two of them (each for a $20 rebate)
> didn't include the UPC for the offer.
>
> So I called them. Not only was the notice misleading (as I most
> certainly did return teh UPC from the box, but upon the making the phone
> call they clamed it wasn't lack of a UPC but wrong P.O. Box.
>
> All three of these are to the same company but two of the three had a
> different P.O. BOX However, I was then instructed to return a copy of
> the paper work I originally sent in (which I have) along with the post
> card notice and assured that I would be getting my rebate.
>
> Even the rebate for the third item I have not received ($10) and its
> past the 10-12 weeks processing time.
>
> Today I received two more post card saying these two were not mailed in
> within the 21 days required.
>
> This is consumer fraud.
>
> Has anyone else experienced such bad dealing with these offers?
>
> All things considered, I suspect there are many others who have.
>
> I'd say legal action is in order.

Try filing a complaint with the BBB. They will contact the vendor and attempt to
get a response.