Circuit City Rebate for $350 invalidated

[JohnD]

Here is my story. I saw a 'too good to be true' deal on Circuitcity.com A 299$ home theatre system with a $350 rebate, purchased between 4/9 and 4/15/2006, valid on web purchases only. I tried to purchase it and printed out the rebate, only to find out it was unavailable in my area, out of stock everywhere. A few days later, I check again and it seems to be back in stock, with the rebate still showing on the page. I purchased and picked up my system in a nearby store. Little did I know that they had changed the dates on the promotion, even though it was still showing up on their website.

So I am happy with my purchase, and send in the rebate. Now I see today that it is invalid. I called in to the rebate center and was told that they made a mistake on the rebate form and issued a new one. (I had checked the form when I purchased on the 12th, and at a glance it appeared to be the same form, and I didn't notice the changed dates.)

They told me that even thought it was their mistake, that they would not honor the rebate for me. What I want to know is whether or not they can get by with not honoring hte rebate.. do they have the right to change the promotion, and by doing such, invalidate all the previously printed forms?

I searched around on the internet and found a website that had hundreds of posts on the same home theatre system. They also have a link to a pdf file of the rebate that said 4/9-4/15/2006. Link to the forum

Is there anyone that can give me any advice on whether or not they can legally refuse my rebate?

 

[JohnD]

Terms and conditions of rebate form

here are the terms and conditions

All rebate items must be purchased on the same sales receipt.
Qualifying items must have been purchased between 04/09/06 and 04/15/06.
Rebate offers for online purchases end at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the date of expiration.

• Items must have been purchased on circuitcity.com
• In-store purchases are not eligible for this rebate

MAIL THIS FORM IN ITS ENTIRETY TO:
CIRCUIT CITY REBATE - PW0FN
P.O. BOX 540040
El Paso, TX 88554-0040

If you have questions about your rebate, please call 1-877-224-8966. Business hours may vary.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR REBATE APPROVAL:
To receive your rebate please send in the following items:
* This rebate form in its entirety.
* A legible copy of the Circuit City sales receipt or confirmation email from circuitcity.com.
* A copy of the UPC barcodes from the product packaging.
* Please circle the qualified item(s) and purchase price(s) on your Circuit City sales receipt or confirmation email.

The above listed items must have been purchased on circuitcity.com during the listed sales dates. In-Store purchases are not eligible. Forms postmarked later than 30 days from date of purchase are ineligible. By submitting a rebate form you certify that the above rebate item(s) are for personal use only and not for resale. Allow at least 8 weeks from postmark date for processing of your rebate. Rebate is valid for customer name on sales receipt only. Not responsible for lost or misdirected mail. This offer is no longer valid if not fully redeemed within 11 Months from the close of the rebate period. Offer void where prohibited or restricted by law. Fraudulent submission of multiple requests may result in prosecution under applicable law. Circuit City and its associated companies reserve the right to audit any claims, request additional information regarding this claim and to nullify any claims that cannot be substantiated. Offer Valid in United States of America only. Advertised rebate amount assumes payment of Circuit City's before-rebate advertised price. Circuit City reserves the right to reduce the fulfilled rebate amount based on price adjustments and/or price matches made on qualifying items.
Limit ONE rebate(s) per: customer
To check the status of your rebate online, go to www.CCityrebates.com

Does the line in there about 'reserve the right to audit any claims..." give them the right to change the promotion and invalidate all the old forms?

 

[JohnD]

Also, what makes it even more confusing, is that many people got their rebates validated.

When I called, I was basically told I am out of luck, there is nothing they can do, and I spoke with a supervisor and he told me I should just return it. I have already opened it though, so it might even be subject to a 15% restocking fee, but I don't want to return it.. I never even expected them to pay me more than I paid for the system, but I thought they would at least pay me the amount I paid.. tons of store run free after rebate promotions with large rebate amounts.

Any help would be very much appreciated.