This could go on Flame, but I think the awareness fellow geeks should have of this is important enough for it to go here.

After doing some extensive deal shopping I decided to buy a computer from TigerDirect back in January. I got it for an amazing price and have been extremely happy with the machine. Part of the deal clincher was th $80 rebate. I've done rebates in the past without a problem, so I decided to go for it.

I got the computer on 2-10-05 and sent the rebate off the following day. The rebate had all sorts of expiration date warnings on it, but the expiration date was still a month away, so I didn't worry about it.

I actually kind of forgot about it, but my wife didn't. She started reminding me that we hadn't received it yet, so I looked at the copy I made of the formbefore sending it and it said allow 10 weeks for delivery. That's a long time to put a check in the mail, but that's what I agreed to so be it. Than I started counting how many weeks it had been. 13 weeks? So I called Tiger Direct who gave me another number for the company doing the rebates. I called them and after telling them that day I sent the rebate in, she said it will be another 4 weeks before they get to mine. 17 weeks to put a check in the mail? How can it take 17 weeks to do that. A computer can handle that with barely any human intervention at all. If it took 17 weeks to get my computer I certainly wouldn't be buying from that company, but somehow TigerDirect built my computer and shipped it to me in just 2 weeks.

I then fired off an e-mail to Tiger-direct telling them what a lousy rebate deal they had going. Now I'm telling all of you in the hopes that Google will pick it up and spread the word further.

How much interest can be made off $80 in 7 extra weeks? Probably not a whole lot in itself, but multipy that by 1000 or more and were talking a bit of money. I think I see why they are so "backed up" and it has nothing to do with the amount of labor to process a little paperwork and put a check in the mail.

Anybody else have similar experiences.

-Steve G.