Beware of Adobe rebate fraud
I just want to put a warning out there for anyone counting on the rebate for Adobe products. You might get the rebate, but it's going to take some work.
I am a longtime fan of Adobe Photoshop Elements. An outdated version came with a scanner I bought a few years back. I liked it enough to upgrade to the latest version. And I've upgraded twice more since then. It's a great program for fixing up digital photos. I've been buying the bundle that includes that and Adobe Premiere Elements, which is a decent program for editing videos and creating slideshows.
The bundle sells with a $30 rebate. The first time I sent in my rebate request, I heard nothing for months. Finally, I get a letter stating I hadn't submitted the necessary proof of purchase (a tab torn off from the inside of the box flap). But here's the crazy part: in the envelope with the denial, they also sent back the tab that I had submitted! So I resubmitted the request and this time it was honored.
Well, a year or two later I upgraded again and sent in the rebate request. Again, it was denied for the same reason: no proof of purchase tab was sent. They didn't send back my tab this time. But I sent a reply letter explaining that I did submit the tab. They then approved the rebate.
So this year when I upgraded again and submitted my rebate, I was sure to make copies of everything. Sure enough, I get a postcard this week, telling me the rebate was denied because "we did not receive an original proof-of-purchase tab 1 with your request". This year's added trick is that it includes these instructions: "To resubmit for this offer please return this card or letter, with any items mentioned above, to the address shown" but they don't list an address! So, I'm going to have to track down an address.
I can't believe they get away with this, which seems to be standard procedure for them. I'm sure plenty of consumers don't bother to resubmit. This time I filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
Please leave a comment if you've had similar experiences with Adobe rebates.
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9 comments:
Good luck with that rebate! Adobe has been giving me the run-around forever. Its just a scam and you've got to keep after them. You can call this #: 1 888 788 4928 and listen to your rebate status. After it has given you the information, keep pressing 0 until you get through to a customer service rep. They will try to lose you by passing you around, but if you get angry enough someone will eventually send you to a manager who will at least pretend to help. I still haven't gotten my rebate, but I'm optimistic!!
I found this post while trying to fill out my rebate. I too used a previous version of Photoshop and Premier Elements Bundle. I have other image and video editing software including Photoshop CS2 and Premier Pro 2.0. There are features in the Elements versions that come in handy for quick tasks and I like them. I recently upgraded from Win XP to Premier and the previous versions would not work. I had a hard time locating the tabs to which the rebate offer referred. I finally found that they meant the tabs supporting the closing flap on the box to which the instructions referred to as the right inside flap. Geesh!
Greg Johnson
Well, I can report that as of August 25, Adobe is still doing the same thing. I'm having trouble getting a rebate for CS3 because they say I didn't include a screen shot that I did include. Thank you for drawing attention to Adobe's fraudulent practices. What can be done to stop them?
I have had a similar experience after a purchase of Adobe 6.0, promising a $20 rebate. My postcard from them said I didn't include "Tab1". There was a sheet inside the top flap which I tore off and sent in but nothing that said "tab1". I called the number left by someone previously, on this blog, and did eventually get thru to a warm body. He insisted there was a "tab1" clearly marked as such. There wasn't. He was able to get rid of me by giving me a fax number [480-606-4313] to resubmit the copy of what I had already sent.
Pretty sad.....glad I wasn't counting on the rebate from the start.....
I think I have every Adobe product imaginable, but I like Premiere elements for same reason you do. Quick, fast and YouTube friendly. However I have never received a submitted request for the promised rebate. Adobe makes it VERY hard, if not impossible, to get rebate easily. It has to be deliberate, especially using Mickey Mouse “tab 1” method. You should be able to just send in receipt, box top, rebate form and be done with it. Thanks for opportunity to vent. While we are on the subject of getting grilled, DON’T EVER BUY a TEC Grill with so called 10 year warranty. They will not honor it even after I wrote the CEO. Thanks again! Mike
Wish I had better news about adobe rebate. I bought shoptshop elements 7 with premier 7 at Costco, it came with the typical $30.00 NON rebate. I submitted all the paperwork as required, logged on "adoberebatesstatus.com", entered my ID info and got a page stating that my rebate would be paid on dec. 17, 2008, never happened. I have logged on twice since and got a different story, still NO rebvate. tried to log on today and can't find the site, but I found this one so I am telling my story. I last bits of info i sent adobe was that I will file a complaint with California State Consummers Affairs and the states AG for all the good it will do. I will try and return for a refund the software to Costco. By the way watch out for Fry's electronics extended Warranties they are about as good a Adobe's rebates.
I'm about to submit a rebate for my copy of the Elements 7 combo. Wish me luck!
I have the infamous tab 1, the completed form, a "rebate receipt" from Fry's Electronics*, and a copy of the page with the amount paid off my receipt (invoice) from Fry's as well. I've scanned everything, including the stamped envelope!
What's tab #2 for, anyway? Just to confuse us? lol
*I wonder if the special rebate receipt that lacks a total amount paid will be an issue (probably, huh?). It just has the date, product, and some rebate information.
Additionally, the fine print states that certain stores are excluded from the rebate, including Best Buy, BJ's, SAM'S CLUB, Costco Wholesale, OfficeMax, and Wal-Mart. Wow.
I've been trying to get my $20 rebate from the purchase of Adobe Elements 7 since November, 2008. After numerous calls to the so-called "rebate center" in January, February and March, 2009 they finally told me to resubmit the paperwork in March, 2009. I had previously asked them a number of times if I should resubmit everything and they always said NO. I resubmitted everything, waited 4 weeks and called. They said they didn't have it and I should wait another week. I called 2 weeks later and they said they still didn't have it and I should resubmit everything again. They wouldn't give me a fax number or email address. It's the end of April and I am about to resubmit the information for the second time but I don't really believe I will ever receive the rebate. THIS APPEARS TO JUST BE A SCAM AND I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ADOBE PRODUCT AGAIN!!!!!!!
Same thing as everyone else. No Rebate. Company went bankrupt and the new company handeling the rebates has no record of my submission. Called Adobe and they were no help. Said they had legal issues with the first rebate company. Don't let the rebate entice you. You won't get it.
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