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Cell phones: Wirefly/Inphonics Rebate Scam
Wirefly/Inphonics Rebate Scam
by majortom123 - 1/2/06 12:09 AMI too am still waiting for a rebate of 600.00. It has been 11 months. I too have had been told its just an oversight and the rebate is coming in 8 weeks. After 8 weeks still no rebate and the same crap all over again. Inphonics is a publicly traded company. I was kicked off the Yahoo finance Inphonics message board when I discussed the scams and poor customer service. The companies stock price has dropped from 28.00 a share at its IPO 1 1/2 years ago to 8.60 a share this week. I think this really smells like an enron-type scandle. Do Not buy from this company unless you like being ripped off.
send me an email and I'll look into it
by ddennis-from-wirefly - 1/16/06 11:39 AM In reply to: Wirefly/Inphonics Rebate Scam by majortom123Hey Major Tom,
Sorry that you've been having problems with your rebates. We really do want our customers to be happy - as you said, we're publicly traded, so clearly we're in it for the long haul. Nothing sinister going on, I promise.
Send me an email at ddennis(at)inphonic.com with your order number and I'll see what I can do to get those rebates mailed out to you.
Doreen
Infonic rebate scam
by machinery-man - 1/24/06 7:38 AM In reply to: send me an email and I'll look into it by ddennis-from-wireflyYou never got back to me when I told you the problem. I sent you my order # and want my rebates.
Chuck in Kentucky
It's amazing...
by gmormile - 2/1/06 7:45 PM In reply to: Wirefly/Inphonics Rebate Scam by majortom123That a company can get away with this in todays business environment....
I am waiting for 4 rebates 2 each on 2 cell phones. Submitted in Sept 2005.
Filed complaints with the BBB against Cingular and Infonics.... but that didn't do anything except generate letters from the Office of President... BFD.
I think that I'll go to the Infonics board and see what's going on there.... Thanks for the tip.
Greg
How to get the rebates that Wirefly won't. pay on....
by gmormile - 2/8/06 9:00 AM In reply to: It's amazing... by gmormileI read on other web sites that Sprint and Verizon were making good the Wirefly rebates (that Wirefly would not pay on).
So, I contacted Cingular and they did the same.
They had not even received my fax info yet, and they credited my account for the rebate amount, $160.
I think there is a BIG message there.... a resonable person can fill in the blanks.
Thanks Cingular....(No Thanks Inphonics)
Greg
P. S. "You can fool me once, shame on you....If you fool me twice, shame on me."
Just Happened to Me - Stay away from WireFly/Inphonics
by anneliefs - 3/13/06 11:39 AM In reply to: How to get the rebates that Wirefly won't. pay on.... by gmormileTheir rebate policy was so convoluted, there was a narrow window to send in your rebate. Mess this up and you get nothing. After 150 days, I sent mine in too early where it should have been 180 days. After 5 months does it even matter? Verizon, Cingular, Sprint and any others should ban Wirefly/Inphonc from selling their service and phones. It gives them a bad rap.
Just Happended to Me
by anneliefs - 3/13/06 11:44 AM In reply to: Wirefly/Inphonics Rebate Scam by majortom123Their rebate policy was so convoluted, there was a narrow window to send in your rebate. Mess this up and you get nothing. After 150 days, I sent mine in too early where it should have been 180 days. After 5 months does it even matter? Verizon, Cingular, Sprint and any others should ban Wirefly/Inphonc from selling their service and phones. It gives them a bad rap. The people at cellphonerebates.com (they process the rebates)were no help either, just robots doing the broken record technique. They claim to have sent a warning letter but I got none. Who would throw away $100-160 dollars.
Yes, it does matter...
by mightyphung - 3/13/06 12:58 PM In reply to: Just Happended to Me by anneliefsActually it does matter... authorized dealers only get paid if the customer stays with the carrier for 6 months, and has not had any outstanding balances in those 6 months. So if you don't wait to submit at the right time, these dealers don't have any money to give you.
Weird, I know. But it's a carrier thing.
Just Spoke with my carrier - Cingular and it doesn't matter
by anneliefs - 3/14/06 12:16 PM In reply to: Yes, it does matter... by mightyphungI spoke with my carrier Cingular and they told me that what Wirefly is doing with regard to rebates had nothing to do with carriers. It is their own policy to cheat you of your rebate if you are not careful with timing your paperwork. If you believe the lie that you get your rebate when Wirefly gets paid it's a load of crap. I have been with Cingular for over a year now well past 6 months. No other authorized dealer offers such a convoluted rebate policy. It's almost like a pyramid scheme. They take the rebate money they don't pay and use it to pay others, any money left over they keep. The bottom line is to learn from your mistakes. The manager at Cingular Consumer Advocate suggested avoiding all third party sellers as Cingular has no control over what they do. She promised to cascade upward through management the Wirefly problem. Then she gave me half of what Wirefly owed me in rebates, which is better than nothing at all.
Cingular is lying through their teeth!
by lampietheclown - 3/24/06 10:40 AM In reply to: Just Spoke with my carrier - Cingular and it doesn't matter by anneliefsI went to their website, and downloaded their Securities and Exchange Commission annual and quarterly reports. Included in the quarterly report was the contract they have with Cingular. It's public information, and here's part of it.
If a Subscriber does not complete [***] days of continuous active service (as defined in Section IV of this Exhibit B) in the Area in which
the Subscriber began using CINGULAR’s service, CYBER-AGENT shell be required to repay to CINGULAR the amount of
compensation paid by CINGULAR to CYBER-AGENT for such Subscriber. Such repayment may be deducted by CINGULAR from
amounts otherwise owed to CYBER-AGENT by CINGULAR. If such amount is not deducted by CINGULAR, such repayment shall be
made by CYBER-AGENT to CINGULAR within [***] days after CINGULAR notifies CYBER-AGENT that the Subscriber has failed
to complete [***] days of continuous active service in the Area in which the Subscriber began using CINGULAR’s service.
[***] INDICATES MATERIAL THAT HAS BEEN OMITTED AND FOR WHICH CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT HAS BEEN
REQUESTED. ALL SUCH OMITTED MATERIAL HAS BEEN FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION PURSUANT TO RULE 24b-2 UNDER THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED.
On average, they loose about 53% on every phone they sell, because they can make it back in spades from the sign up money, bonuses, spiffs, etc.
If a customer flakes out in the first 6 months, their contract with the carrier makes them refund the entire amount they were paid, and if it happens enough to effect their churn percentage, it will cost them bonus money. That means that if you bail before 180 days, they are out everything they made on you, plus the bonus, plus half the phone cost. That's way more than they made on you, and a big risk.
Is it any surprise that they don't want to add the rebate to the amount they are in the hole if you bail in say, 5 months?
After the 180 days, the problems they cause for people trying to get their rebate are greedy, wrong, and I won't defend it, but until they have their money on day 180, they're in the red for half the cost of the phone, and have no way to recover it from you except the rebate.
I can't argue with that,
Lampie
Same old thing!
by hrhkingcol - 3/14/06 3:44 PM In reply to: Wirefly/Inphonics Rebate Scam by majortom123I bought a phone last April and sent everything in. They wrote me that I had sent in a wrong invoice so I faxed one in and checked by phone that everything was in by the due date. I was told yes and to expect my refund. Bottom line is I got several messages telling me my materials were received too late. My husband says forget about it so I learned my lesson. Never again will I fall for something like that.
Wrong attitude. Go after those liars.
by hh - 3/14/06 9:02 PM In reply to: Same old thing! by hrhkingcolYou see, when people give up, these ******** thrive. You want to teach them a lesson, do everything possible to make them honor the rebates. Don't give up.
Wirefly phone rebate SCAM
by benthampl - 3/14/06 8:15 PM In reply to: Wirefly/Inphonics Rebate Scam by majortom123I ordered two raz phones with two year contract. Phone cost was to be rebated after 6 months. The VERY tricky rebate form was filled out and a copy of the in store register receipt was mailed within the 180 day to 210 day window. I mailed it on day 179. I started calling to see if they got it. After many different phone numbers I finally spoke with a liar and thief. Wire fly said it takes ten weeks before they could tell me the rebate was received. However on day 212 I got an email saying the cash register receipt was not good enough. So my rebate was declined. When I placed the order I was suppose to receive two Motorola blue tooth headset what I got was two x brand headsets that where three times larger than the Motorola headset. They looked like some flea market rejects.
The whole deal was a scam and I don’t ever want anyone to go through it. I doubt anyone gets their rebate from wire fly. Call the wirefly phone number and ask about a rebate and you will see what I am saying. When you call, it has a message that goes something like this if you purchased the phone before this date or between this or after this date but before this date and so on and on you need to mail your rebate to a different address.
SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM
Inphonics rebates are a pure SHAM
by zeblives - 3/15/06 8:39 PM In reply to: Wirefly/Inphonics Rebate Scam by majortom123I have also had a horrible experience with this company. All I can say is, and I'm sure you've all heard this before, don't waste your time. This company's employees are expertly trained in the art of dragging out the process and making false or empty promises.
You'll note that Doreen Dennis, who keeps writing in these forums, never promises anything substantive - just that she'll do her best.
No one will ever admit that they have any power to do anything other than personally see to it that they'll do their best, if you submit x, y, or z.
They'll never say if you do X, we'll cut you a check, even though doing X might be asking you for more than is strictly necessary.
Unfortunately, we've all been had. And by the way, the company's own representatives have told me explicitly that part of the "problem" in my case is the size of my rebate. They're being more "picky" because my rebate is for close to $1000. What nonsense. The lesson: the larger your rebates, the more likely the company is to make a concerted effort to wiggle their way out of cutting you any sort of check. Their $ acceptance rate per claimed $ must be impressively low given the number of complaints on line and with the better business bureau. What do you think, people? Anywhere near approaching even 10%? What would be a respectable rebate rejection rate before the Securities and Exchange Commission comes crashing down on this sort of operation? 90% of all claimed rebates? 99% of all rebates claiming more than $400? What does the company's ethics committee make of all these complaints? Is Dorren Dennis conveying all the consumer frustration and anger to the company's committees and directors?
Clearly their business is designed to catch people out. That makes sense. Business is business. Profit maximization is the goal. Fair enough. What's not fair, and at least borders on the wrong side of fraudulent, is the made-up excuses for denying rebates that clearly meet the terms and conditions of the rebate.
But don't worry too much, people. It's only a matter of time before a class action lawsuit strikes a major dent to this company's market cap.
I just don't know how the people who've been working at this company manage to sleep at night. They are the voice of some highly unethical InPhonics practices and they have to put up with frustrated rebate claimants day in day out. What a stressful job that must be!
"bill invalid"
by lyndonAP - 3/21/06 12:20 PM In reply to: Inphonics rebates are a pure SHAM by zeblivesI just sent in all of my paperwork after waiting the 180 days and have received an email stating my bill bill is invalid. That's funny, when I sent Cingular my check they accepted it and the bill they sent seemed to be valid. I called inphonics and the customer service rep said that the bill I sent sounds like it is dated correctly. I pride myself on attention to detail. There is absolutely no way I messed up the paperwork and I have copies of everything including the boxes my phones came in six months ago. Actually, there are four different rebates and they say they are processing two of them in one department but the other two which are higher are being denied due to the bill being invalid????? One of my professors is a lawyer and I am going to ask for his help if this continues.
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