Maybe they were trying to move forward into the 21st century. Or maybe they were trying to reduce costs. Or maybe they were trying to improve customer experience.
If so, they failed.
It looks more like they were trying to place hurdles in front of people trying to use their rebate. Which, of course, is typical. It's just that normally the hurdles are done after you fill out the form and mail it in. Not this time.
When they sent a debit card with my rebate funds on it, I was happy. One less step to using the money! Terrific!
Wrong.
Specific issues with the cards:- Not all places that take debit cards can take these cards. Any low-end device that doesn't have an explicit debit/credit user interface path rejects the transaction.
- Any transaction for more than the amount remaining on the card will also be rejected, and there is no way to tell how much would be valid.
- To find out how much money is left on the card, you must either call a phone number or go to the web site. The web site is poorly designed, and requires the user to remember a 4 digit PIN that was not created by the user. Nor was there any indication that the PIN would be necessary in the future when the user first activated the card. Hint: the PIN is the last 4 digits of your phone number. Not that the web site bothers telling you that before your number of entry attempts expires.
- You can't use the card to get cash at an ATM.
If you get one of these cards, go immediately to the grocery store and use it for a purchase equal to or greater than the amount on your card. Don't carry it in your wallet. Don't try to use it at a restaurant. And don't try to use it for multiple purchases.
What I really wanted was ATM access. That would have been fabulous.
They’ve been doing this for a couple years. I had the same experience nearly 2 years ago when I did my last rebates.