Symantec Rebates - "Your rebate request did not pass our audit process"

Quote from ryanm2890 : Okay, before you read down the quote... I did it kind of quickly but it's a starting point. Feel free to propose any suggestions but I think we should finalize a version of it before we send it anywhere. I also think that we should wait a while to send it, let some more rebates come in so if they dig any deeper it will be too late to change some. Again it's a rough draft but a starting point. Let's get our money back.

Ryan,

good start on this so far. I think before threatening with BBB and AG, we should include FRys CS in the email. Perhaps mention that Frys advertised it as free after rebate and it is Frys and symantec's responsibility to clearly state the terms of the rebate and if they failed to mention the audit process, it is up to both of them to fix this and if it's not, Frys will be liable for false advertising and such. I'll try to make an edit later this weekend.

We should all wait before we send these emails out and I think we should all do it at the same time with the same subject line "Symantec Frys CS re: rebate failed to pass audit without reason - Our name"
That way when they see a big group of people with similar subject lines they are alerted that we are organized and ready to raise hell if they don't fulfill out rebates.

Quote from billcsho : I am glad that I don't have any Symantec rebate pending. My last one came in a week ago for the NIS/NG/NSW combo pack. I usually do 2 N360 and 2 NIS rebates per year. I guess now I need to track my rebate history better. Anyway, I still have 4 unopen NIS (3U) license and 3 N360 (3U) license that would last a few years.

resellers.......blea

Quote from YankeeRedneck : resellers.......blea

Nope. I just need them for my 6 computers at home and for my church.

Norton is following what McAfee did. This isn't Parago's issue, though they could handle this a bit better. I'm following what I did back when McAfee happened, and I already contacted Frys. The only question I have at this point is I'm trying to find out what is Norton's equivalent to the "Executive Services Team".

FYI: Frys has a rebate inquiry department, but apparently it's not really a "department", but one person who follows up on this. She will be in on Monday. We can take the "team" approach to Frys, but I actually prefer each of us calling in individually and referencing this same issue. I think this person would realize it is a lot bigger if they get tons of calls about it.

Quote from wreptyle : Norton is following what McAfee did. This isn't Parago's issue, though they could handle this a bit better. I'm following what I did back when McAfee happened, and I already contacted Frys. The only question I have at this point is I'm trying to find out what is Norton's equivalent to the "Executive Services Team". FYI: Frys has a rebate inquiry department, but apparently it's not really a "department", but one person who follows up on this. She will be in on Monday. We can take the "team" approach to Frys, but I actually prefer each of us calling in individually and referencing this same issue. I think this person would realize it is a lot bigger if they get tons of calls about it.

Absolutely, we should all call individually, the more the merrier.

Also, for those who are interested, here is an email response I had with McAfee back in 2010. I imagine we'll discover that Norton would be something similar. I posted this on FW as well.

Also, I called Parago (just for the heck of it, but I have no illusions that it'll get anywhere). The CSR said she will escalate this to the investigative department and for me to call back in 10-14 business days.

---------
Dear <me>,

I understand that you are upset with audit result from Parago. And after careful consideration, and I have researched the issue and decided to support the answer that has been already given. If you feel that I'm addressing your concerns then that unfortunate. The language under the terms and conditions states One rebate per product per household, and considering that all of our retail subscription are one year subscription. Also couple that with the fact that there has been well over 20 rebates submitted from the address <my address> with a 2010 date. Also the EULA applies to anyone who has our product, it's not possible to have the software installed on a computer without agreeing to the EULA. Part of my job is to take note of your feedback and communicate these issues internally with the goal of making an impact on our business policy moving forward. I also like to provide option or a work around to resolve the issue at hand.

I understand the need to cover many computers. I would like to get you in touch with my corporate sales team, to get you switched over to a corporate license. You also have the option to add more licenses to one individual account so you can protect more than one computer and keep them all under one email address. Let me know if this is something that you would like for me to set you up with. Again, I'm sorry if this has caused any trouble for you, and I hope all is well. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to assist you and address your concern. I urge you to keep my direct contact number for any future McAfee needs. I am available Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm, Central Time.

Sincerely,

Eric Robinson
Executive Services Team
McAfee, inc.

Quote from OITSoulReaver : The only information they give me is that my account is being audited. This audit does not only apply to Kaspersky. My other rebates with them, such as Arctic Silver from Newegg, cannot be tracked either. I tried getting more information about their audit process, such as how much time it takes, but got the run around. When I pressed the matter, I got disconnected. I called back to talk to the manager again and was told that she was fixing problems with the phone. I left a number so she can call me when she's done with the phone issue, still waiting on that call, it's been 2 weeks. My next steps is to call and ask for company name and address so I can file a dispute through the BBB. If that fails, I'm going to try small claims.

How did you find out your account was being audited? Through lack of a tracking number? Email? Finally receiving something in mail? Thanks for your info.

With most if not all status-now submissions, you have to submit online, get a tracking number, then send in like a normal rebate.

There's something wrong with your rebate if you search for the tracking number and it's not found.

If I try to track using the link they provide, I get this:

The promotion "" is promotion number and it runs from , , to , .

sounds like they are doing this to people that submitting a lot of rebates from the same address in a short amount of time.

Quote from ReverseHandedJO : sounds like they are doing this to people that submitting a lot of rebates from the same address in a short amount of time.

yea, those people are called resellers
and they are getting what they deserve

Quote from YankeeRedneck : yea, those people are called resellers and they are getting what they deserve

Rude much???
Why do you care what people do with things they buy? Just because someone resells things that they don't need, they deserve to lose money, even though they met all the requirements of the manufacturers for the rebate? Perhaps they just saw a opportunity to make a few extra bucks in a tough economic time.
I bet there are also lots of people who buy every free after rebate item who don't resell and give them away or are just plain hoarders. Do those people deserve to lose their money as well?

Quote from YankeeRedneck : yea, those people are called resellers and they are getting what they deserve

Another TC. There may be reseller doing that, but many experienced SDers submitted more than 1 rebate are not reseller. Everyone should follow the rules and agreements. If there rebate does not allow reseller and a reseller submitted multiple rebate, it is a rebate fraud that can be prosecuted. Denying rebates that comply with the requirement and restriction is a different story.

I used to purchase tons of Norton products but in the past year, more by accident than by design, I got only Norton Ghost in December. Just as well as I used to buy heavily from Fry's.

I hope that all of you get your money back. Symantec used to be one of the most reliable companies to pay rebates and now it is playing games. I actually think that Parago has a hand in this as well because it holds patents on a system that apparently promotes "breakage", which is anything that can prevent rebate completion, e.g. claiming invalid UPC, missing receipts, invalid address etc. Anything to deny a rebate.

Usually, only 40-60% of rebates are redeemed and I am guessing this number may have gone up for some companies, including Symantec and Staples (now increasingly using a lame system of using a coupon with obscure instructions to trigger a rebate). That is why Parago has stepped up the denial of rebates. After all, it is working for the companies, not for us. This is how it sells its services - we will process rebates for your customers, but also make sure you stay within or beat projected redemption rates.

Quote from Cagnotte : I used to purchase tons of Norton products but in the past year, more by accident then by design, I got only Norton Ghost in December. Just as well as I used to buy heavily from Fry's. I hope that all of you get your money back. Symantec used to be one of the most reliable companies to pay rebates and now it is playing games. I actually think that Parago has a hand in this as well because it holds patents on a system that apparently promotes "breakage", which is anything that can prevent rebate completion, e.g. claiming invalid UPC, missing receipts, invalid address etc. Anything to deny a rebate. Usually, only 40-60% of rebates are redeemed and I am guessing this number may have gone up for some companies, including Symantec and Staples (now increasingly using a lame system of using a coupon with obscure instructions to trigger a rebate). That is why Parago has stepped up the denial of rebates. After all, it is working for the companies, not for us. This is how it sells its services - we will process rebates for your customers, but also make sure you stay within or beat projected redemption rates.

That happened to me too. I just co-incidentally having more than enough N360 and NIS on hand that I did not jump into the recent FAR deals from them. Nevertheless, Parago is still my most favorite rebate processor (as of now) as I have a bunch other rebates through them without any problem. I have shy away from the McAfee rebate since a year ago. I hope I don't need to do that with Symantec too. After all, I still have zero issue with any Parago rebates although I submit $1000-$2000 rebates per year with mostly processed by them.
From an article I read years ago, the rebate redeem rate was around 1/3 of eligible purchase. That was from the time when electronic submission just started. I am sure the successful redeem rate to be higher than 1/3 now and your figure of 40-60% sounds reasonable. Nevertheless, to me, it is nearly 100% still.