Free money!

Just purchased a new range at Lowe's. They offered FREE drop off, installation and removal of the old range ...

for $79.95

Here's how it works:

I pay for the 'free' services.
They issue a receipt.
I send in the receipt.
They issue a pre-paid Lowe's Visa card...
in 4-6 weeks.
So, from the time I pay for the 'free' services, until the time I use the card, Lowe's gets use of my $79.95. Multiply that by a few 100,000 customers and you've got a nice chunk of extra working cash. Free.

Considering they "can't re-use the old power cord". I'd be out another $30 bucks or so. For free.

That sounds like one helluva deal.

david_42 said:

I send in the receipt.
They issue a pre-paid Lowe's Visa card...
in 4-6 weeks.

Click to expand...

You might send it in, but a lot of people won't. Standard 'rebate' deal. I think the rates for customers actually cashing in rebates is somewhere around 40%. So multiply the $79.95 by 100,000 and bet on only 40% getting that back, they have just made about $4.8 million by selling people on a "free" deal. Not to mention they make whatever profit margin on that $79.95 since it is a gift card.

Great marketing.

I looked at this when i got my fridge, ended up getting it at Best buy on a price match, they included absolutley free delivery, and gave me a $200 gift card on the spot....

after they lowered their price by $100 to match Lowes, and left the delivery money in my pocket, i gained $200 (towards my flat panel TV) and didn't have to wait for it.

Hmmm, when I bought my washer & dryer (used from the classifieds), I loaded it on my trailer, and a friend helped me get them into the basement. And all it cost me was a few pints pulled from the kegerator. So, nearly free delivery.........

The most reliable benefit for them is that they still get your money. They basically converted your real cash into a gift card, which is only good at their store. Move more goods and get money in the door.

As a brewer I assume you do some DIY, so you'll probably spend it, but a lot of people won't. Take that 40% rate and make it 30%. How many of you have gotten to the store and thought, "Oops! I forgot that gift card!" Did you go back home for it? Not me. If you only go to Lowe's a few times a year chances are you'll forget the card again by the time you go to Lowe's next time.

Gah. Reminds me that Alltel is still screwing around with my rebate money. Wife carefully followed the directions and sent everything back as directed. Only thing is, she didn't know (they didn't say) to send each rebate back in separate envelopes. The store told me, but I forgot by the time I got around to having the wife send them in. Now they got 4 phones worth of rebates and are dicking around with them, saying they are not valid for several reasons. C@cksuckers.

Great. Now I'm officially pissed off again. Better call the store and see if they have got anywhere with the company.

Careful, you're going to need a valid reason to have been reminded of their problem. "I saw a thread about rebates on HBT" probably won't fly.

One time I ordered a new fridge from Best Buy...they came and left...the hand truck...in my front yard. :rockin:

They never called back...

Beerrific said:

You might send it in, but a lot of people won't. Standard 'rebate' deal. I think the rates for customers actually cashing in rebates is somewhere around 40%.

Click to expand...

And then even fewer of those people using the cards, and not forgetting about them, or losing them, or only using part of the value...

homebrewer_99 said:

One time I ordered a new fridge from Best Buy...they came and left...the hand truck...in my front yard. :rockin:

They never called back...

Click to expand...

But what about the fridge? Did you get that too?

You wanna see some killer deals check out slickdeals.net

Go to the hot deals forum, by the time the deals hit the main page they are on their way to being dead

I love that site! That's how I got my 24" monitor for $205 and then a $30 mail in rebate on top of that!