Hi,

That sure is interesting feedback on rebates in general.

I guess it comes down to whether or not the company offering the rebate is
trustworthy. My dealings with SPOT have me believing that they are very
trustworthy. Heck, I'm trusting them to rescue me if I need help in an
emergency. I guess I can trust them with a $50 rebate check. However, I'm
pretty sure they use a "rebate company" to handle the rebates.

There are many reasons why companies do rebate offers. One big reason is to
gain information on where their products are being sold. Since the customer
needs to send them a receipt to get the rebate, the company learns a bit
about its customer base. That (theoretically) allows them to serve their
customers better. It also allows them to check on their dealers to see if
any are selling at levels lower than the recommended market price levels. I
don't have a problem with either of those goals. Another goal of rebates is
to increase sales by lowering the final cost - although delayed.

I'm not a big fan of rebates either, but as a customer I wouldn't pass up
the possibility to get $50 back on a $149.95 product.

As a dealer, I can't give you a $50 discount on the unit, because I would
lose money on the sale.

Of course, I'm biased because I'm a SPOT dealer.

Good Soaring,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com

"bildan" wrote in message
...
On Nov 20, 8:59 pm, Eric Greenwell wrote:
I notice SPOT is offering a $50 rebate until the end of the year. I also
noticed it was $200 at Costco, $150 after rebate, but the online stores
still show them for sale for at less than $150. I don't know the
specifics of the rebate offer - I have a SPOT already, and my wife loves
it.

www.findmespot.com

If you want one for next year, probably should check into this.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

* Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes"http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more

* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" atwww.motorglider.org

I just ran a scan of my electronic bank statements. Over a 10 year
period there was not a single rebate check deposit despite having
applied for scores of them. I am certain I have never received a
single promised rebate.

I refuse to buy based on rebates scams. Instead, I ask the vendor to
give me the discount up front and apply for the rebate themselves.
None have ever taken me up on that offer - I'm sure they know the
rebate check will never appear.