Rebates Give Companies The Right to SPAM You

Have you ever bought anything that had a discount tied to a rebate? You know, the one that takes months to show up…or doesn’t how up at all. Well, I was browsing through the Province Newspaper, when I saw an article in there that piqued my curiosity. There was no Globe and Mail, and it was the only thing I could find to read at the time. I hate the Province. But anyway, the article was talking about those rebate forms you have to send away to get your…rebate.

According to the article, 93% of companies that choose to give you a discount in that fashion actually end up using the information on those forms for marketing purposes, or sell them off to external marketing companies. It sounds like they think that paying you the rebate means that you consent to them sending you more junk mail and more email spam, if you’ve chosen to include an email. The article also goes on to say that finding a way to unsubscribe or opt out of these lists is nearly impossible once you’re in, though some forms do give you the option to not receive these mailings by checking a very tiny box hidden somewhere.

Well, I guess you’ll think about that the next time you fill out a rebate form won’t you?