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Rebate issue resolved with an added gift

By NANCY PARADIS
Published October 21, 2005

On May 2, I purchased 10 packages of Johns Manville R13 unfaced fiberglass insulation, from Home Depot's Largo store. I completed the $60 gift card rebate slip, good with a "minimum fiberglass insulation purchase of $200 or more," and mailed it May 31 to Home Depot Promotion in Atlanta with the required copy of the sales receipt.

On June 10, I received a letter from Home Depot indicating that it was unable to process my rebate/gift card request because the product purchased did not qualify. I immediately called the number on the letter and spoke with Richard. He informed me that the letter was sent in error and the request would be reprocessed.

I called again June 28 to get an update and spoke with Autumn. She told me that the request was still being reprocessed.

On Aug. 1, Courtney, whom I later found out was a supervisor in the area, informed me that there was no record of my rebate/gift card request being reprocessed. She could not explain why Richard and Autumn had told me otherwise. She did say she was going to e-mail someone about my request and would personally get back with me.

After a few days had passed and I had not heard from her, I called again. This time I spoke with Charlotte. She told me that Courtney was her supervisor and was on a break right then but did offer to look into the details of my request. According to her, my request denial was because the SKU number of my purchase did not show up on the list of SKU numbers. I looked over the rebate/gift card request for anything about SKU numbers of the purchase having to be for only certain products and found no exclusions to the offer.

Essentially, that particular reason for denying a rebate request can be used regardless of the fact that the product itself met the requirements. I asked Charlotte to have Courtney call me and she said she would leave a note for her to that effect.

I have still not heard from Courtney and that is why I have contacted you. I feel that it is unfair to the consumer to have undisclosed limitations to an offer that is being used as an incentive to purchase a product.

Unfortunately we did not hear back from Home Depot, so we don't know what the problem was. Certainly you appeared to have fulfilled all the requirements for getting the $60 gift card. You bought the correct product, fiberglass insulation (we could not find any exclusions either), you bought it within the time frame for making the purchase and you mailed the request by the deadline.

The reason for the denial is a moot point now, however, since you have let us know that the problem was resolved. Not only did you receive the gift card, but its value was increased to $100 to compensate you for the inconvenience.

We're glad we could help.

I'm enclosing information from the Consumer Product Safety Commission about the recall of CorningWare coffee percolators. The release states that Corning has purchased advertising space in hundreds of newspapers nationwide telling consumers what to do. The ads were scheduled to run beginning Sept. 10, but I have not seen any in the St. Petersburg Times.

I have eight of these percolators so I do want to know how to go about this. Can you help?

Given that the release is dated Sept. 4, 1979, it's no wonder you haven't been able to find any ads about these percolators. In fact, we're even surprised you still have eight of them. Twenty-six years seems like a long life for a percolator.

Corning Glass Works issued the voluntary recall because the handle and metal band could separate without warning from the white glass-ceramic pot. Consumers were being urged to stop using them immediately. The recall did not extend to the "Pyrex" brand clear glass or any other Corning percolators, so if those are the type you have, keep the coffee perking.

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[Last modified October 20, 2005, 09:58:03]