I hate rebate programs

I hate rebate programs. I hate them for three reasons.

The first reason: when you buy the product, you pay taxes on the entire price, including what you're going to get on the rebate. For example, if you get a rebate of $20 on a $100 product, you pay sales tax on the entire $100, even though you're really only paying $80 for the product.

The second reason: you have to fill out a stupid form, mail it to somebody, and hope it doesn't get lost in the mail. Or get lost in the mail room after it's delivered. Then you have to wait to get your check, hoping it doesn't get lost in the mail, and then you have to go cash it.

The third reason: it's possible to lose the receipt, or lose the rebate form, or even to simply forget to apply for the rebate. (That's likely what the company is hoping for).

It would be simpler for everybody to just take the rebate form at the store, like a coupon, and reduce the price you pay - so you don't forget to apply for it, so you don't pay sales tax on the rebated amount, and so you don't even have to use a stamp and an envelope to ask for the money they promised you.

But do they go for the simpler method? No, of course not. And AT&T found a way to make it even more complicated, more expensive, and even more likely that you'll lose the money in the process. Notice that AT&T has an actual contract with you when you have your rebate coming. They know they're going to be billing you every month, using a numbered account. That means they could simply apply your rebate to your account, and save everybody (including themselves) a lot of time and work. But do they do that? No.

They sell you your phone, charge you the full sales tax, promise you a rebate, and then instead of sending you a simple, easy to cash check in the mail, they send you a debit card. A debit card!

So they go to the trouble and expense of establishing and manufacturing a debit card, with a unique number, tied to an accounting system, which you get in the mail just like the check, and then you have to call a toll free number (probably using your cell phone and costing you minutes) and waste five or ten minutes navigating through a sea of menus, so you can activate it. And your trouble is just beginning.

Say it's for $100. Now you have to keep a log of how much you've spent on it, unless you can find a place where you can spend exactly $100. The instructions say to calculate the difference between your purchase and the amount on the card, pay the balance first, then run the card through, while the clerk is frowning at you, along with the twenty people in line behind you, waiting. I tried it at the grocery store. Neither of us could figure out how to make it work. Neither could the next five people in line, as they frowned impatiently.

You can't use it at the gas pump, at least not pay at the pump. You have to give it to the clerk. But even though it says it's a debit card, you have to instruct the guy in the gas station to run it as a credit purchase, again with a line of people waiting behind you.

So I try the card again, at the grocery store. It says Not Authorized. I go home and call AT&T. They tell me that according to their records, that day I tried to use it at the grocery store? And we couldn't make it work? Well, the next day the grocery store took the money somehow. My card is empty. Now I have to take it up with them.

Remember, all this instead of simply applying $100 to my cell phone bill, as a credit - saving the cost of the card and all this hassle.

I hate rebate programs. And I especially hate rebate programs that involve a stupid, orange debit card instead of a nice, paper check.