Over 8 months still waiting for Delta rebate!

[Todd Brewer]

Purchased a Delta Drill Press model 18-900L in February. Due a $100 rebate. 8 months later nothing!

On 7-31 I sent an inquiry.

On 8-2 I received this reply to my inquiry:

***********************

Dear Todd,
Thank you for reaching out to DELTA about the status of your rebate submission. We are still behind on processing these rebates due to a back log in our system. I am not sure how far we are behind at this point, but I will look into this matter some more. I will see if there is anything I can do to get your rebate moving faster through our system. I will let you know as soon as I receive an update as to when your check is to be mailed.

We would like to thank you for choosing to purchase DELTA products.
Sincerely,

DELTA® Power Equipment Corporation

**********************************

I appreciate the timely response but after 5 months it's a lame excuse. Now after 8 months it speaks volumes of what Delta thinks of its customers.

I sent another email on 10-15, it was not exactly polite. No reply. Sent another polite one tonight, will see if I get a reply. The not-so-polite email threatened to spread the word about not getting my rebate... so here I am, spreading the word.

8 months is beyond acceptable. Not replying to my email 2 weeks ago is unacceptable. Personally I will never buy another Delta product.

Manufacturers count on a certain percentage of people not submitting rebates or not filling them out correctly. Then they send the rebate check in an envelope that looks like junk mail. I thought Delta/Beisemeyer was above this but I guess not.

If I knew how to complain to my state Attorney General I would. There should be a law on rebates: Must be sent in a timely manor, must send email notice, must not look like junk mail.

Todd

[David Nelson1]

That's flipping crazy!

[Matt Meiser]

In Michigan you can fill out a complaint at Michigan.gov. And they do follow up.

[Steven Hsieh]

I would call them

[Matt Meiser]

They been getting bad "press" on the web for quite some time. Obviously they don't care. Calling won't do any good. They have one person working on them part time and she has no authority. They acted VERY quickly when I gave them a four hour deadline before I filed a complaint with the AG. She even drove the check to the post office because they missed the mail.

Looks like in SC, where they are located, it is done via Consumer Affairs: http://www.consumer.sc.gov/consumer/ComplaintInstructions/Pages/default.aspx.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I scan or photocopy everything I send, just to make sure that I get what is due to me. I once chased a $50 rebate for a year...then ended up getting two. Not my fault.

[Todd Brewer]

I scan or photocopy everything I send, just to make sure that I get what is due to me. I once chased a $50 rebate for a year...then ended up getting two. Not my fault.

I have copies of everything and all email correspondence.

I have never filed a complaint with Attorney General but I think this is deserving of the effort required.

[Jim Andrew]

Makes me glad that I have decided to go with Grizzly equipment. Still waiting for the free batteries for my Bosch drill. Think more people took advantage of their offer than they planned for.

[Todd Brewer]

Makes me glad that I have decided to go with Grizzly equipment. Still waiting for the free batteries for my Bosch drill. Think more people took advantage of their offer than they planned for.

I have a Grizzly table saw and Grizzly 8" jointer. The jointer blades were out of spec. Called Grizzly, they sent out a new set of blades, no questions asked. Now that is customer service!

[Stephen Cherry]

Personally, I would take it back to the store and get a refund. It's coming up on a year, and there is no reason to think that the rebate is coming.

This is why I buy all used machines. You can look at it, operate it, and if you like it, lay down the dinero and it's yours. PLUS, if I were buying a drill press, I can't help but think that the older delta, powermatic, etc. were at least as good as what is made today.

[John Coloccia]

8 months? Wow...you have far more patience than I do. I very occasionally run into problems like this, and not just with rebates. Refunds, getting product shipped, etc. When it gets to the point of silliness, I make a phone call and I politely tell them that they have until tomorrow to resolve it. If it's not resolved when I call back at COB tomorrow, I will call them every 20 minutes until it is resolved. I also tell them that I will report it to the appropriate agencies to investigate and prosecute. In this case, you can probably get postal inspectors involved because they had you mail the rebate information to them. You don't want don't want to anger the the Mossad and you don't want to anger the IRS....THEY don't want to anger postal inspectors.

99% of the time, the problem gets resolved by the next day, or I at least get some communication back that gives a reasonable schedule for fixing it. I did have one company take me up on my offer to call them until they fixed it. It's amazing what you can learn about a company if you just keep calling and asking questions...social engineering I believe it's called? It didn't take but an hour to make a complete and utter pest of myself and send the entire office into turmoil. I'll bet they still talk about it at happy hour.

[Kevin W Johnson]

The whole rebate issue with Delta, coupled with parts and service issues has prompted me to put Delta on the Do Not Buy (DNB) list.

I get the feeling the new owners are trying their living best to get out of every rebate they possibly can. Those that are due rebates are going to have to make a big stink or lot of noise to get them.

[Ron Natalie]

This is what happens when you deal with Chinese manufacturers.

[scott vroom]

Ron, are you saying that all companies that manufacturer in China have poor customer service? Really?



This is what happens when you deal with Chinese manufacturers.

[Matt Meiser]

Didn't know Best Buy and CompUSA were Chinese manufacturers? Because they tried pulling the same kind of thing before several states sued them...

[Brian Kincaid]

Well, I filed a BBB complaint about denying my rebate to which they didn't bother responding.
Let us know if you get any movement on this, I'd like the $100 rebate I was promised as well.

-Brian

[Kevin W Johnson]

I don't think many companies worry about the BBB much anymore. The BBB doesn't have any authority to do anything anyway.

I think the state attorney generals office is probably the best bet.

[Todd Brewer]

I don't think many companies worry about the BBB much anymore. The BBB doesn't have any authority to do anything anyway.

I think the state attorney generals office is probably the best bet.

As do I.

I still haven't received a reply to my latest polite email. I posted a 1 star review on Amazon, where I bought the drill press. I hate it when people give 1 star reviews for reasons other than how the tool/item performs. My Amazon review clearly states my sentiments on such reviews, yet I was compelled to call attention to Deltas' incredibly poor customer service.The $100 rebate was a significant factor in my decision to purchase the Delta drill press over another similar rated drill press.

Amazon has responded to this problem beyond my expectations. I was amazed at their response. I have always liked/loved Amazon and their concern and response to this issue blows me away. I love Amazon!

[John Fabre]

I'm never lucky enough at buying a tool when rebates are offered. http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/Smileys/extras/brickwall.gif (http://javascript<strong></strong>:void(0);)

[Brian Brown]

Same problem with a $50 rebate on a Delta lathe. I emailed them, and got the same response. I figured I would never get the rebate, and it wasn't worth my time to go after $50. I know it is the principle of the thing, but it is amazing how much of my life I have wasted fighting for "principles" so I dropped it. Good news it that about 6 or 7 weeks later, I did get the rebate.

[Rick Fisher]

I would not blame them because they are a "Chinese" manufacturer. I think your dealing with simple disorganisation which will probably be addressed. Chang Type is a Taiwanese company that makes OEM tools for TTI, DeWalt, Sears.. not a company that is unfamiliar with doing business in North America.

When this type of thing occurs, its usually not a company driven problem .. Its usually a disorganisation that needs to be addressed.

[Jim O'Dell]

You know, I've never had a problem getting a rebate. I've done it multiple times, from tools to computer equipment. Most of the rebates I send go to El Paso. I guess it's a company that takes on the task for the seller/manufacturer to process them. All come in the 6-8 week period as stated in the process. The last 5 or 6 you start online, and you have a way to track it through the process. You don't get a specific date you will receive like say UPS or FedEx, but you at least see if there is a problem and when it has made it through the process. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones. Hope it comes soon for you. Jim.

[Todd Brewer]

Yesterday I got a reply from Delta. Apparently the rebate checks must be signed by the president and controller (huh? really? the President?). Apparently posting here and on Amazon have been seen by Delta. They moved me to the front of the line. The email said someone else now has to wait longer, sorry, didn't mean to jump the line. My reply was that if Delta is going to offer rebates then they need to have a system in place to handle the paperwork in a timely fashion. I do not blame the poor worker bee that has to deal with the emails (me and many of you, I assume, know the feeling of being just a worker bee). I do blame Delta management for such a poor system. Don't they realize what this does to their image/reputation?

[Kevin W Johnson]

I wouldn't buy their guilt trip. I'd be curious to know if anyone that isn't complaining to them is actually getting their rebates. I get the feeling (which may be wrong) that they are hoping the vast majority just let it go, to which they won't mail a check.

[John Coloccia]

Yesterday I got a reply from Delta. Apparently the rebate checks must be signed by the president and controller (huh? really? the President?). Apparently posting here and on Amazon have been seen by Delta. They moved me to the front of the line. The email said someone else now has to wait longer, sorry, didn't mean to jump the line. My reply was that if Delta is going to offer rebates then they need to have a system in place to handle the paperwork in a timely fashion. I do not blame the poor worker bee that has to deal with the emails (me and many of you, I assume, know the feeling of being just a worker bee). I do blame Delta management for such a poor system. Don't they realize what this does to their image/reputation?

They've had the better part of a year to get it under control. Making an excuse that the president of the company HAS to sign is complete nonsense. If that is really the case, after all this time the president had better make some time to sit his butt in a chair for a week, and start signing until his hand falls off. Personally, I don't believe for one second that this is anything other than an attempt to pay out as few rebates as humanly possible. I've never in my life heard of any company that requires the signature of the PRESIDENT in order to pay a rebate. That's just absurd.

Life lesson, guys. Always pay by credit card, and when the 4-6 weeks that are promised are up, return the item or dispute the charges if you can't get satisfaction with a return. That will get everyone's attention very quickly. I hate to slam companies, but this issue has been going on for nearly a year, and there have been many numerous complaints about it to the point that you just can't ignore it anymore. It's obvious that there is no intention to make good on the rebates.

[paul cottingham]

Its a crock anyway. I sent in a rebate for a Delta mortiser 2 years ago, and nothing has ever showed up. So I wound up with a crappy mortiser, and no rebate.

[Rick Fisher]

Gotta remember that Delta is probably only a company of about 40 - 50 people. (The Unisaw Factory may skew that a bit) .. They are largely an importer of product. So while they may have some impressive titles, this is not Bank of America... Heck I could be wrong .. they may be less than 40 people ..

I remember going to a Roofing company/ Factory in Oregon .. All the fancy literature and brochures.. Advertising .. You have this image of a huge company .. Then I arrive and the building looks like it was built in 1940 .. single level with beat up old warehouse/ factory in the back .. Mud and dirt.. The whole place had maybe 40 employees ..

After that response, it sounds like the President procrastinates at signing his rebate cheques.. I know it sounds silly but there is probably a frustrated office girl wishing he would sign his cheques..

[Matt Meiser]

That's no excuse either. Erin pulled this president has to sign/move you to the front of the line crap with me too. HAS to could have been fixed many, many months ago. More like WANTS TO (or doesn't want to as the case may be.)

I think there are some really bad signs about about what is going on at Delta. This, issues with availability of machines, the whole parts fiasco which has been going on for probably at least a year past when they said it would be resolved. Then they aren't even honest about what is going on. I won't buy another Delta machine myself.

[Richard Coers]

I'll be at a 1 year wait on a midi lathe rebate come Dec. 31. It's the last Delta machine I buy. Just hope my switches don't fail like all the other mentioned on-line. I also threw the live center away when I tried to use it. Total cr$p. It's almost like they put worn out bearings in it.