Officemax Suxxx!!

[Murat Kalinyaprak]

On Jan 3, 2004 I ordered a Lexmark Printrio X75 and a Royal
DM3070SP organizer for $9.98 simply because it said it was
free with a $10.00 rebate.

After receiving the items, there was no sign of the said
rebate on their web site or the coupon book that came in
the package.

And after 5 phone calls and false promises to call me back
with an answer, to fax me a rebate form etc. on the 6th
call I just wanted to return the item but was informed that
I couldn't because it was an electronic item and it had been
more than 14 days since I had "ordered" it... Notice that I
had not used the item and it had been shipped *** 9 *** days
after I had ordered it, not to say anything about when I
received it...!! What a bunch of scum, eh...??

Luckily I had paid with American Express and I called them
to file a complaint. The polite agent on the phone informed
me that I was issued a $10.00 credit on the spot. I said:
"wait a minute, I could have written off $10.00 just as
easily but I was complaining in order to make a point"...

To make it short, it would have cost me more than the item's
value to try to return it and it would have would cost American
Express more than the value of the item to process a dispute
and the scummy Officemax once "again" got away with it... (

Why do I say "again"...? Because it has taken me in the past
dozens of emails and calls and over 6 months to get some of
their rebates processed, not knowing how many that I didn't
get...

I am a computer professional charging $40-60 per hour in a
small town in the armpit of USA (i.e. Montana) but I am
stubborn, I have principles and lots of free time to go after
even a stinking penny if I want to...

And I like rebates. I will send one in even for a light bulb
from the hardware store. Very few times I had problems with
getting rebates from Ace, True-Value or Staples; while I had
*nothing but* problems with Officemax rebates...

Sure, we know that rebates are a way to unload unwanted and
obsolete crap for most vendors/manufacturers but when we file
for them, we expect to get them for whatever they are worth...

My experience with Officemax is that you don't even get that
and my advice to you all is to stay away from Officemax...!

MK

 

[Slinky]

You've obviously never dealt with Frye's rebate prevention system. I
bought components to build a new server back in July and I'm still
hassling with two of the rebates

To make it short, it would have cost me more than the item's
value to try to return it and it would have would cost American
Express more than the value of the item to process a dispute
and the scummy Officemax once "again" got away with it... (

I am a computer professional charging $40-60 per hour in a
small town in the armpit of USA (i.e. Montana) but I am
stubborn, I have principles and lots of free time to go after
even a stinking penny if I want to...

I need to move to Montana. I'm a computer professional in a market
saturated with them. If moving to Montana will net me $40/hour I'm
all over it.

 

[ben]

OfficeMax has a very very bad reputation with regards to rebates. It is
discussed occasionally at www.bensbargains.net at they almost always get
the thumbs down.

regards,
Ben


--
"What passes for wisdom may only be eloquent foolishness"

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[lpogoda]

On Jan 3, 2004 I ordered a Lexmark Printrio X75 and a Royal
DM3070SP organizer for $9.98 simply because it said it was
free with a $10.00 rebate.

[[lotsa stuff snipped]]

My experience with Officemax is that you don't even get that
and my advice to you all is to stay away from Officemax...!

Yet another case of "do as I say, not as I do" - maybe you should take
your own advice here.

 

[psc]

On Jan 3, 2004 I ordered a Lexmark Printrio X75 and a Royal
DM3070SP organizer for $9.98 simply because it said it was
free with a $10.00 rebate.

After receiving the items, there was no sign of the said
rebate on their web site or the coupon book that came in
the package.

.... snip ...

I've never had a problem with rebates from OfficeMax. You just need to
have all your ducks in a row BEFORE you buy. Have the rebate coupon in
hand and read it carefully. Make sure you can meet all the requirements.
Some have very short time limits and stringent proof of purchase
requirements. Most rebate forms are in a booklet you can get at the
counter. After that, you are dealing with the manufacterer, not OfficeMax
(unless it is specifically an OfficeMax rebate). Some manufacturers are
finicky. I had one that did not send my rebate in the specified time, I
called and they said it was because I had not completed the form. Well, I
had a copy I had made and it was completed except for my e-mail address
(which is none of their business). I asked what if I don't have an e-mail
address, and they said fine and sent me the rebate. So now I fill in
every line, even if it's with "none".

Bryan

 

[Warren Tryk]

***
Try Staples... their rebate system is extremely user friendly, especially if
you order on-line. And they ship FREE for any order over $50.

Warren
Warren Tryk Design
<wtryk at aol dot com>

Blessed be the ignorant, for theirs is a world of infinite possibilities.

 

[LifeIsGood--SOMETIMES]

I HAVE HAD EXCELLENT results of rebates from Office Max and the only time I
had a problem, it was handled by a customer service person

LIKE ALL rebate programs they tend to be slow

I had problems with Germany Car manufacture that took multiple calls and 6
moths to get rebates

I think Byran's comment's are right on and that is what I do or similar
thing to get my rebates

 

[larrymoencurly]

On Jan 3, 2004 I ordered a Lexmark Printrio X75 and a Royal
DM3070SP organizer for $9.98 simply because it said it was
free with a $10.00 rebate.

there was no sign of the said rebate on their web site or
the coupon book that came in the package.

And after 5 phone calls and false promises to call me back
with an answer, to fax me a rebate form etc. on the 6th
call I just wanted to return the item but was informed that
I couldn't because it was an electronic item and it had been
more than 14 days since I had "ordered" it... Notice that I
had not used the item and it had been shipped *** 9 *** days
after I had ordered it, not to say anything about when I
received it...!! What a bunch of scum, eh...??

And I like rebates. I will send one in even for a light bulb
from the hardware store. Very few times I had problems with
getting rebates from Ace, True-Value or Staples; while I had
*nothing but* problems with Officemax rebates...

I'm no expert, but doesn't the time limit for returns have to be
measured from the time of delivery? I mean, if they delivered the
item after the 14-day time limit, wouldn't that mean no return was
allowed?

I've found that OfficeMax and Staples will always deliver the rebates
-- eventually, and it's Best Buy that you have to watch out for
because they're sometimes outright dishonest and will deny ever making
mistakes, even when the rebate form is misprinted with the wrong
eligibility dates or submission address (they once printed MY address
for a Symantec rebate belonging to another person). Even Fry's
Electronics has been better in my experience. Still, I won't charge
rebate items to a disreputable credit card issuer, like
FirstUSA/BankOne, which won't do chargebacks even when they should
(and when Amex or Citibank will).

 

[Bill Rubin]

Well, you're lucky. Last time I heard, OfficeMax's rebate
department was not returning calls (or email).

In theory, OfficeMax has a very nice rebate system. They publish
this book at the beginning of the month with all of the rebate
forms. However, in practice, they seem to have been changing
weeks after printing the forms, necessitating either using forms
with the wrong dates, or sometimes they will come out with
supplemental forms which are not in the book. If you buy in
store, then they will generally give you the correct form. If
you buy online, you may have troubles. Also, sometimes they will
list something in the rebate form that doesn't quite match what
the product turns out to be.

The simple answer to these problems is to visit someplace like
www.fatwallet.com, where you can discuss your problems with
others and generally get a knowledgeable answer to your problem.

Their hard 14 day limit on electronics is ridiculous (and from
date of purchase, not shipping). There is no reason for them not
to be more flexible on that. I bought a TI-83 calculator from
them a couple of years ago, found out just after 2 weeks that my
daughter did not need it. They refused to take it back because
it was over 2 weeks. I ended up selling it to someone else, but
I would have hoped that if I had brought it to the store I would
have been able to get them to take it back even if it was longer
than their policy allows.

Oh yeah, they also like to have 14 day limits on rebate
submissions. That's another anti-consumer tactic that you would
not expect of a supposedly reputable retailer. I emailed OM's
new CEO when it was announced that they had been bought out a
few weeks ago. Naturally, I got no response.

Bill

 

[Richard]

I HAVE HAD EXCELLENT results of rebates from Office Max and the only time I
had a problem, it was handled by a customer service person

LIKE ALL rebate programs they tend to be slow

I had problems with Germany Car manufacture that took multiple calls and 6
moths to get rebates

I think Byran's comment's are right on and that is what I do or similar
thing to get my rebates

I too have had poor; actually _NO_ rebates from Office Max! I am a
perfect three for three there. The problem comes when they offer a
dual rebate, i.e., a rebate from the manufacturer _and_ a rebates from
Office Max on the same product. I want to make it very clear here that
the manufacturer rebate was received _each and every time_ and ONLY
the Office Max rebate was rejected!
Each time the directions _clearly state that _no copies of the UPC
code will be accepted at Office Max_. However, in order to receive a
dual rebate, you _MUST_ send a copy to one or the other and Office Max
personal assured me each time that Office Max would indeed accept a
copy of the UPC.
Each time the rebates from Office Max were _rejected_ due to a bad
UPC. The funny thing is that the last two times I attempted the dual
rebate thing, I had Office Max do the copying of the necessary
paperwork and even had the manager personally sign the copy of the
UPC! The first time my rebate was rejected, I chalked it up to some
paperwork snafu. The second and third times I walked in to Office Max
and demanded to talk to the manager and asked for the rebate or help
in getting the rebate. The managers each time worked a deal or in the
last case (this past week) gave me the money. I have absolutely NO
problems with the local Office Max stores, as they are both helpful
and very friendly. Corporate, however, is a different matter. Do
yourself a favor and avoid _ANY_ dual rebates when Office Max is
involved! BTW, the manager even admitted that rebates were a problem
for him and he had worked on one rebate for a customer that took three
months to settle!! Again, GREAT local store but _______ (you fill in
the blank here) corporate. I will _NEVER_ attempt a dual rebate at
Office Max again as it is an exercise in futility. OFFICE MAX ARE
COUNTING ON THE FACT THAT YOU WILL NOT BOTHER FOR A FEW DOLLARS! I do
not need the money but it is the principle. If they don't want to pay
the money, then should not make the offer!

 

[Richard]

OfficeMax has a very very bad reputation with regards to rebates. It is
discussed occasionally at www.bensbargains.net at they almost always get
the thumbs down.

regards,
Ben

I too have had poor; actually _NO_ rebates from Office Max! I am a
perfect three for three there. The problem comes when they offer a
dual rebate, i.e., a rebate from the manufacturer _and_ a rebates from
Office Max on the same product. I want to make it very clear here that
the manufacturer rebate was received _each and every time_ and ONLY
the Office Max rebate was rejected!
Each time the directions _clearly state that _no copies of the UPC
code will be accepted at Office Max_. However, in order to receive a
dual rebate, you _MUST_ send a copy to one or the other and Office Max
personnel assured me each time that Office Max would indeed accept a
copy of the UPC.
Each time the rebates from Office Max were _rejected_ due to a bad
UPC. The funny thing is that the last two times I attempted the dual
rebate thing, I had Office Max do the copying of the necessary
paperwork and even had the manager personally sign the copy of the
UPC! The first time my rebate was rejected, I chalked it up to some
paperwork snafu. The second and third times I walked in to Office Max
and demanded to talk to the manager and asked for the rebate or help
in getting the rebate. The managers each time worked a deal or in the
last case (this past week) gave me the money. I have absolutely NO
problems with the local Office Max stores, as they are both helpful
and very friendly. Corporate, however, is a different matter. Do
yourself a favor and avoid _ANY_ dual rebates when Office Max is
involved! BTW, the manager even admitted that rebates were a problem
for him and he had worked on one rebate for a customer that took three
months to settle!! Again, GREAT local store but _______ (you fill in
the blank here) corporate. I will _NEVER_ attempt a dual rebate at
Office Max again as it is an exercise in futility. OFFICE MAX ARE
COUNTING ON THE FACT THAT YOU WILL NOT BOTHER FOR A FEW DOLLARS! I do
not need the money but it is the principle. If they don't want to pay
the money, then should not make the offer!

 

[Mark Herring]

Call corporate and suggest a conference call to include the store
manager where you were assured that the UPC copy was OK.

Another tack would be to ask them in a friendly way where you were
supposed to get two original UPCs

Assuming you dont want to spend the time on this, I would just avoid
OfficeMax. I heard LOTS of bad press on them. There are lots of
alternatives
**************************
Mark Herring, Pasadena, Calif.
Private e-mail: Just say no to "No".

 

[Jimmy]

I had a similar problem and the store manager simply refunded the amount of
the rebate + sales tax. Locally, they were already taking the heat from
angry customers over this very situation. Manufacturer rebates are one
matter, but mail-in store rebates is totally wrong for the consumer. Take
this 'principle' to the District Attorney, they probably have a stack of
similar complaints against Office Max.

 

[ggull]

***
Try Staples... their rebate system is extremely user friendly, especially if
you order on-line. And they ship FREE for any order over $50.

But the online prices can be significantly higher than the brick-and-mortar
stores; when managers have ordered for me sales items they ran out of, they
had to do some sort of black magic to get me the store price.