[jimb]

Bought 9-19-04. Was told on 9-24-04, no additional action required to get $700. Then I have received calls from the dealer wanting me to bring in Toyota letter and get manager to sign it. Same dealer that didn't want to take the same $700 off the price at the time of purchase. That is an option per Toyota's letter.
The letter has a confirmation number on it, it is crystal clear. I have NO doubt I will get the $700 but the run around is a bit of a surprise.
The, I'll call you back line is getting old. About 2 weeks old now.

Anyone on here from Toyota that would like to get involved?

 

[jshore]

I have NO doubt I will get the $700 but the run around is a bit of a surprise.

Don't be so confident. I bought mine on June 10th and after ~9 weeks I called them to tell them I didn't get my $300 rebate due in 6-8 weeks. They looked into it and said it might have been that the company who is handling it for them probably balked because in one database it had my apartment number and in the other it didn't (which turns out not to matter since there are only 4 apartments in this house). At any rate, they told me that they confirmed that I was due the rebate but it might take another 6-8 weeks. Well, it has now been another ~10 weeks and I still haven't gotten it. Called last Tuesday and they said that I am still confirmed as being owed it and why don't I wait and see if it shows up by the end of the week. Looks like they are due another phone call.

I love the car but I think Toyota has done itself a huge disservice by farming out the rebate to some fly-by-night operation. (Someone on this board pointed out that these rebate companies make their money off of not paying up on rebates if they can in any way avoid it.) Maybe if we continue bitching about it on messageboards like this, Toyota will realize that it isn't worth the negative publicity to save a couple of bucks! Working at a big corporation though, I know how brain-dead upper management is on **** like this...They've all been lobotimized by business school classes.

 

[jimb]

I have NO doubt I will get the $700 but the run around is a bit of a surprise.

Don't be so confident. I bought mine on June 10th and after ~9 weeks I called them to tell them I didn't get my $300 rebate due in 6-8 weeks. They looked into it and said it might have been that the company who is handling it for them probably balked because in one database it had my apartment number and in the other it didn't (which turns out not to matter since there are only 4 apartments in this house). At any rate, they told me that they confirmed that I was due the rebate but it might take another 6-8 weeks. Well, it has now been another ~10 weeks and I still haven't gotten it. Called last Tuesday and they said that I am still confirmed as being owed it and why don't I wait and see if it shows up by the end of the week. Looks like they are due another phone call.

I love the car but I think Toyota has done itself a huge disservice by farming out the rebate to some fly-by-night operation. (Someone on this board pointed out that these rebate companies make their money off of not paying up on rebates if they can in any way avoid it.) Maybe if we continue bitching about it on messageboards like this, Toyota will realize that it isn't worth the negative publicity to save a couple of bucks! Working at a big corporation though, I know how brain-dead upper management is on sh** like this...They've all been lobotimized by business school classes.

You seem to be more on track than I. After many phone calls and assurances as to what to send them, who to send it to, it just came back in the mail (11-9-04). Toyota Corporation in Torrance, CA said it wasn't signed by the dealer and the bill of sale wasn't included.
That's funny, I eclosed exactly what their employee (who I won't name but do have the name) said to enclose. As for the dealer, I had the letter Toyota sent me with me at the time of purchase and the dealership manager (also nameless for now) didn't want to hear about the option to take the $700 off at the time of purchase (I asked 2X). That option is right on the Toyota letter. Now they want that dealership to sign the letter? Funny, they said the signature wasn't necessary to get the $700 when I asked in one of the many conversations before I sent the letter to Torrance.
Today I called and someone (nameless for now) at Toyota Corp. in Torrance had me fax them the bill of sale. I also faxed them the title. They again said, no dealership signature was required.
So.....I still say I will get the $700 but I am definitely getting jerked around. I don't know about any outside co. being involved, just incompetent employees in a huge corporation.

 

[ElectricTroy]

Mail-in rebates suck ___. I worked briefly at Sears and I got soooo many customers who bought an applicance, were promised a $40 refund on delivery, and never got the rebate. Too many companies use them as an excuse to not pay the customer.

Sears, like your dealer, also refused to hand cash back. They just said, "Tough". Poor customer service:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/consumer ... ess01.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/ny_samsung.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/computer ... bates.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/computer ... ebate.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/computer ... bates.html

 

[cactsbob]

rebates

For years I applied for & got rebates. I didn't understand why everybody didn't do it. Then I begin to have the problems that are being described here. Also, I need a wheel barrow to carry in my junk mail.

It seems that the rebates are simply efforts to get & sell names & addresses to mailing lists & have nothing to do with trying to increase sells for the manufactuer.

 

[jimb]

Re: rebates

Latest: Toyota Corp. faxed the information to the dealer, dealer to sign and fax it back to Toyota Corp.
What a joke. That dealer ignored me THREE times when I tried to talk to them about the options ($700 off price or mail in) listed on the letter. The dealer didn't exactly ignore me, he told me to mail it in to the Corporation. He made no offer to sign it or get it signed. Then an employee at Toyota Corporation said the signature was NOT necessary.

Thank goodness the bean counters weren't in charge of engineering the Prius. It would be another Pinto or Vega if they were.

 

[ElectricTroy]

Re: rebates

It seems that the rebates are simply efforts to get & sell names & addresses to mailing lists & have nothing to do with trying to increase sells for the manufactuer.

Actually, it's a way for the manufacturer to offer a sale ($100 mail-in rebate!), but still charge full price, because ~30% of customers forget to mail it in.

 

[richard schumacher]

I'd blame the dealers for delays. I got my rebate less than two weeks after one call to Toyota to remind them that they hadn't sent it.

 

[hcec9]

I didn't think they had any rebates going...I even checked before I bought, at Toyota online.

 

[jimb]

Re: rebates

It seems that the rebates are simply efforts to get & sell names & addresses to mailing lists & have nothing to do with trying to increase sells for the manufactuer.

Actually, it's a way for the manufacturer to offer a sale ($100 mail-in rebate!), but still charge full price, because ~30% of customers forget to mail it in.

30% are not going to forget $700. Seven.

 

[ElectricTroy]

I was talking in general.