Then, provided the rebate arrives, you'll have to take or mail the check to the bank. Consider the hassle factor. A few big retailers, including OfficeMax, Sam's Club, and Walgreens, are trying to minimize the runaround. At OfficeMax, for example, you fill out just one form at the store to claim multiple rebates from different manufacturers, paid to you in a single check. At Sam's, a monthly circular alerts shoppers to current rebate offers.
Buyers can then mail in a single form for all the rebates they like.
But most rebate experiences are anything but smooth. Your rebate refund can go astray in a myriad of ways, and months could pass before you know something's amiss. To make good on rebate claims, most manufacturers contract out the job to fulfillment centers, some of them located in Mexico. A misread name, a keypunching error, or simply recording the arrival of your application a day late can invalidate your refund. Straightening out the problem can mean bouts of frustration as you're bounced from retailer to manufacturer to fulfillment center in search of an explanation.