Really, truly singular

I just posted about Cingular doing a unique head trip on me by sending me a "rebate card" instead of actual money. It turns out they didn't just send me one card, but two. Each card is worth $50. I vaguely remember getting a $150 rebate, so there's even odds that I'll eventually get a third card for another $50 "value", each card being uniquely challenging to activate. (You don't have to activate cash, by the way, or even a check.) This time I decided to "activate" my rebate on their web site, www.cingular.com/rebatecard. The first thing you have to do is to type the first 10 of 16 numbers on the front of the card. Then, once you've mastered figuring out which are the first 10, you have to type all 16 numbers (but the web site doesn't supply the first 10 that you just typed, so you have to retype them) and then the last 4 numbers of your cell phone number.

I did all that and successfully activated my card, but the account that I activated doesn't know about the other card that I already activated by telephone. And what really busts my balls? The very first time I tried to use that first card, to pay for $50 of a meal at a really nice restaurant here in San Francisco, the waiter refused to take the card: He said he had already seen one of these cards and they didn't work.

So how do I feel about Cingular after this experience of getting my $150 rebate? I haven't gotten the whole $150. I have had to work really hard to get two pieces of plastic that say that I have $100 of value, but the very first time I tried to use it, it didn't work. How do I feel: Manipulated. Angry. Disloyal. Everything that a company that really cares about its customers would likely be really unhappy about. But I'm pretty certain that Cingular could care less.

Comments

[cliff]

If it helps any, I also recieved one of these rebate cards, and I was wondering why the resturant wouldn't take it. I wasn't aware you had to activate the thing.

Your website was the first thing google pointed me to about activating this thing. Thanks!
Oh, and I don't think that issuing rebates via cash cards is really that under-handed. It is defineley inconvinent and a hassle, but there are always reasons why they go through these hoops. Heck it says VISA on the card, perhaps VISA cut them a deal. What is annoying is that what do you do with the remaining sum on the card? What happens when you charge up $49.50 on one of these cards, what do you do with that last 50 cents?

[Gayle Walker]

Yeah I received my two rebate cards also. Haven't activated them yet, but I did read on the statement that any leftover balance that is not used will be issued back to you in another rebate card.

[Albert Ancel]

Get over it! $150 free and all you have to do is enter a few keystrokes? I got a $100 card for my first phone and a $50 card for another phone. Both were accepted by retailers without a problem or comment. When the new $50 bill came out some years ago, I had it refused at my regular watering hole as being a fake!!!

[mandi]

We also were lucky enough to be awarded three rebate cards at $50.00 dollars each and it has been nothing but a complete hassle.
We had some delays and difficulty with activation and once that was straightend out we immediately attempted to use the cards for a purhcase at Home Depot. Our cards were denied! This was so embarrassing! The cashier finally tried ringing the cards through at smaller incriments. For example: $5.00, then $20.00 (all on one individual card consecutively) and they started to go through- even though the individual card amount started at $50.00 and my purchase was below the $50.00 dollars and the card should have easily covered my purhcase.
What we have found is with these and many similar cards you need to always know your exact balance because if you are applying them to a purhcase and wish to pay the amount on your card and it won't fully cover the purchase know this in advance and alert the clerks. We have had several clerks tell us we have to know your exact amount to be sure to key it in first. But, in our case these cards were being denied for the entire amount of the card- even though the card would or should have covered the entire purchase! A giant pain in the ass for everyone to try to pay for something. And you better use the cards immediately becasue there is not a large window of time in which to use them. We tried to use one at Hollister and it was denied as well and my purchase was less than 20 dollars.
I have decided to go back and use them all at Home Depot because at least the cashier was able and willing to figure it out, but I will also go in knowing that I may not be able to use them at all. This will definately affect my decision on which carrier I will be using for my phone service in the future as we have 4 phones and two teenagers the next time we sign up. I think they should just do away with the rebate and just give you the deal up front, less hassle for everyone and a lot less paper work too.