THIS MONTH: The WatchDog goes after...
Rebate? What Rebate?
The Dog has heard his fair share of rebate hor-
ror stories. Like the one about the guy who
purchased a notebook, submitted the claim
forms, and was later told his rebate was held up
because he failed to include a piece of informa-
tion. Then he was told he was too late to submit
for the rebate. Other readers have complained
about the months of badgering it often takes
before companies will make good on a rebate.
And what about consumers who purchase
rebated items but have only one receipt with
which to redeem the rebates?
This bleak picture may change (in California,
at least) if state Senate bill 1154 passes this sum-
mer. Proposed by California state Senator Liz
Figueroa the bill would:Require rebate checks to be mailed to con-
sumers within 30 days of receiving the rebate form.
Require rebates offered by retailers to be
redeemable at time of purchase.
Allow at least 60 days from the date of
the purchase for the consumer to submit the
rebate claim form.
Require that a phone number be made
public for consumers to check the status of the
rebate.
Make it illegal for companies to ask for
more personal information beyond the name,address, and home phone number.
Allow copies of receipts to be submit-
ted for rebates and allow that only the model
number be written on the rebate form if the
name of the product is not included.
These certainly sound like good
reforms, but not everyone agrees.
Wireless phone providers, grocery
stores, and the Promotional Marketing
Association have said any changes to the
existing law are wrong for a number of
reasons. First, by allowing people to sub-
mit copies of receipts, the law opens the
companies up to increased rebate fraud
by people who make a living running
rebate scams. Companies also argue that
consumers will ultimately suffer because
Californians will simply be excluded from
rebates because of the changes.
For their part, the phone companies argue
that rebates associated with wireless, land
line, and data service often require more than a
name and address to establish credit.
What does the Dog think? These are valid
concerns, but the companies need to recog-
nize that consumers are increasingly frus-
trated by rebates that never materialize or are
impossible to obtain because they have only
one receipt. If companies are going to rely on
rebates to entice consumers to buy products,
they need to stand behind them 100 percent.
Sadly, many don’t. SB1154 is currently in com-
mittee for a rewrite.Monsoon Experiencing
a Drought
DEAR DOG: Is Monsoon one more manufac-
turer to give up the ghost and leave its cus-
tomers without a warranty? My Planar Media
9 subwoofer just bit the dust, and Monsoon is
nowhere to be found.
— MIKE KEYESTHE DOG RESPONDS: Bad news, Mike. The
Monsoon brand may be just as flat as its beloved
satellite speakers. Despite its popularity in the
speaker market, the brand hasn’t been doing
well. The original maker of the Monsoon speak-
ers, Sonigistix Corporation of Canada, wentunder receivership in September 2001 after
it ran out of capital, according to the company
that helped liquidate Sonigistix’s assets. A
majority of its assets and intellectual property
were purchased by Eastern Asian Technology of
Singapore, but the Monsoon brand lived on under
the auspice of Level 9 Sound Designs. At the time
Level 9 President Jack Fatum said, “the acquisi-
tion marks the creation of a unique player in the
audio industry. Level 9 is now the only major
multimedia speaker company that integrates its
manufacturing and proprietary technology devel-
opment, giving us the strong competitive advan-
tage of faster speed to market, extremely tight
quality control over production, and guaranteed
supply to our growing customer base.”
Apparently, that advantage did not mate-
rialize. At press time, Monsoon’s web site,
http://www.monsoonaudio.com, provided no information
about how to contact the company for service or
support. Phone numbers for the company were
either disconnected or not functioning. Messages
left with Jack Fatum, former president of Level 9,
were not returned.
Although Monsoon’s web site promises a
return, the Dog suggests that consumers steer
clear of Monsoon products until the storm clouds
dissipate. Woof.
Rebates >Monsoon >EZ Electronics
Say hello to Koa,
WatchDog of the Month.WatchDog (^) Maximum PC takes a bite out of bad gear
20 MAXIMUMPC AUGUST 2004
The maker of Monsoon speakers
may be drier than the Atcami desert.
Rebates have become the bane of
electronics buyers everywhere.
Rebates have become the bane of
ted for rebates and allow that only the model
Association have said any changes to the
existing law are wrong for a number of
reasons. First, by allowing people to sub-
mit copies of receipts, the law opens the
companies up to increased rebate fraud
rebate scams. Companies also argue that
Rebates Rebates have become have become the bane of the bane of