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Friday Poll: Reflections on mail-in rebates

While the jury is still out on the reliability of mail-in rebates, we'd like to know how our gadget-attentive Crave readers feel. Vote in our poll.

Matt Hickey
With more than 15 years experience testing hardware (and being obsessed with it), Crave freelance writer Matt Hickey can tell the good gadgets from the great. He also has a keen eye for future technology trends. Matt has blogged for publications including TechCrunch, CrunchGear, and most recently, Gizmodo. Matt is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CBS Interactive. E-mail Matt.
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Matt Hickey

CNET News Poll

Rebate reflections
How do you feel about mail-in rebates these days?

Love 'em; they're a win-win
They're a hassle, but I like saving money
They're useless and not worth the effort
They're a total scam!
I prefer coupon codes



View results

cell phones with money

Mail-in rebates are a pain in the neck. I'd stop short of calling them a scam, but I really don't like the fact that they seem to rely on consumers' forgetfulness and/or laziness.

And there doesn't seem to be any oversight--as far as I can tell, there's nobody watching to see if a company happens to "lose" a few rebate forms.

But I also know people who've had incredible luck with mail-in rebates and save money often. I even know one person who filled out one rebate form and got two checks back from Acer a couple of years back!

CNET blogger Rick Broida asked a good question in a post Thursday. Has the reliability of mail-in rebates improved? While the jury is still out on that one, we'd like to know how our gadget-attentive Crave readers feel. Which statement best describes your current thinking on mail-in rebates?