post script added 1-24-2005

please be sure to read replies at the end of this page, to review other's problems with Soyo and their personal experiences of fraud and abuse by the SOYO company.

 

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also look into what CNet.com has to say on rebate scams:

 

 

MY OWN PERSONAL ARTICLE SUBMITTION TO CNETS FORUM

 

 

 

Article discussion: The Real Deal: When to play the rebate game 

 TalkBack 527 of 531: Rebate Scambola 
Post by: djd_201 on 04/13/05   

A lot of rebates are more than worth the trouble of the wait period and are of substantial value. Many times companies plan rebated sales during slump periods of sales to promote cash flows. However, with the persistent almost, or rather, downright fraudulent activities behind "some" of them, they become a sore spot with your patience and pocket book. As recently as 6 months ago, many found that a then current rebate running on Soyo's barebones kits through TigerDirect was merely a ploy to get your money, at the original MSRP. Six months after filing all pertinent rebate forms, and after many frustrating calls to Soyo with merely a response that "the check had mailed that same week", we never DID receive a rebate via Soyo, EVER EVER EVER. Only after expressing our extreme deepest darkest dissatisfaction with them did TigerDirect agree to refund our card the amount of the rebate. This was after 27 weeks of waiting and calling. My own personal advice for rebate consumers is this:

1.Yes, fill out all forms exactly according to directions. In this do not ere
2. include UPC (barcodes) labels if required
3.Check reseller ratings online ALWAYS on the company sponsoring the rebate item.
4. Most important....make scanned copies of all rebate forms AND UPC labels including original shipping and purchase receipts.

Remember also that if you “don’t” get the rebate, to consider the question; is the normal price even more expensive than the same item on sale with no rebate in another store or on another site?

When we can develop a government agency which does not fail in its duty and responsibility to consumers and is willing enough, to properly and promptly discourage these companies from defrauding the consumers, then these companies may decide that proper business protocols are far more worthy of their company name and bank accounts, not merely weigh the monetary amount of rush purchase dollars against the values of having to keep the rebate promise in lieu of lost customers. There should be a standardized law stating that when prompt rebate guarantees are not kept by companies, an additional percentage of the purchase price should be remitted to the consumer for each period of non-compliance with the rebate promise, as a default disqualification of the rebate guarantee, simply put. Unfortunately there are a lot of other companies exercising the same rebate scambola practices out there too, and giving honorable companies such as TigerDirect which DO keep their rebate promise a bad picture. “Buyer beware” was one of the worst excuses by our legal system for their failure to perform their duty of office. We ourselves though, will never ever do business with SOYO again...final!
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FURTHER INFORMATION ON SOYO'S FRAUD

 

 

In June of 2004, while shopping for new hardware components to build an additional computer for the house, we ran across what we thought was an exceptional "deal". We primarily purchase "ALL" our parts through a "TigerDirect.com", a massive online computer parts, components and systems organization second to none, in our opinion. You will understand why we are so satisfied with them as I explain this situation. Very seldom can you find such competitive prices, prompt order shipping or customer service. Beyond this, everyone I have ever "EVER" recommended TigerDirect to, have "ALWAYS" been outstandingly impressed with their service. It may sound like I am a shadow promoter for TigerDirect, but as you shall see here, their policy and protocols for customer satisfaction reminds one of Wal-Mart’s "satisfaction guaranteed" warranty, for those who have experienced the simplicity of the distribution chain's ease of return practices.

        Over numerous purchases through TigerDirect, we have come not only to look "to" them for best prices and merchandise, but also have become totally impressed with their company and rely on their trustful open policy for service and warranties in helping you resolve ANY problem. Their customer service is reachable 24 hours a day at 1-800-800-8300, and no matter what the problem, the helpful assistants are fully competent and willing to find a resolve to any issue as they can.

        On June 24th of this year, 2004, we purchased an advertised SOYO barebones kit through them. It included a case, power supply, motherboard, matching keyboard, mouse and speakers. It was a great price and included $90 worth of SOYO rebates on the system. Rebate practice for the purchaser is to send all rebates within 30 days, including a copy of the invoice and proof-of-purchase labels to SOYO, not TigerDirect mind you. Rebates are promised to be sent between 12 to 14 weeks upon receipt of rebate requests and with no other purchase made through TigerDirect have we "EVER" had a problem. I am speaking of "reputable" companies such as Ultra memory components, AMD processors, Western Digital hard drives etc. However, there are shady companies such as SOYO which "borrow" the road of trustworthy businesses and warp it out of perspective with their "ship it and forget" policy. After nearly six months of not receiving the promised rebates from them, we sent an e-mail via their website, inquiring about the problem. Of course as you may guess, this e-mail was totally ignored and we NEVER received a reply or response from them. With that, we decided to call SOYO directly. After reaching a young lady in the rebate-customer service department, we were told mainly that they had only received one rebate form from us for $50, and that if we had copies of the other two $20 rebates we may send them in again for a rebate. As far as the $50 rebate, she promised that they would mail it out that week. This promise was a hoax of course and eventually we called TigerDirect to let them know of the fraudulent activities of SOYO. We assumed correctly that TigerDirect would not want their own reputation "grayed" by SOYO's ignorance and stupidity of practices. Once we talked to someone there with TigerDirect though, they were not surprised that we had never received any rebates from SOYO. Their assistant “Frank” at TigerDirect told us in the exact words, that he had not heard of anyone else who had purchased through them of receiving any rebates either.

      The amazing and surprising thing of it is that although TigerDirect had NO responsibility in SOYO's fraud, they still stood behind the rebate promise. He promptly credited our purchase and adjusted our credit card with the missing $90 rebate. We were completely awed by this; I actually couldn't find words for a second. My call to complain about SOYO to TigerDirect was mainly for the purpose of informing them of SOYO's blatant disregard to make good their deal. After thanking the assistant, I attained their e-mail there at TigerDirect and sent them a thankful letter of appreciation, commending their continue policy and support and especially their fortune in having such good personnel as found in Frank, the service representative which dealt with our problem.

         The purpose of this webpage now is, to attain any support and knowledge of the vastness of SOYO's shady business practices and collect e-mails and personal information to list others who have been swindled by this pitiful company's fraudulent dealings. With enough support and collection of information, I would like to see people seek a class action suit against SOYO, just to see them brought to terms with their disregard for their customers. Other than that I would advise anyone thinking of purchasing products from SOYO, to give up on it before you start, and purchase merchandise through a company as outstanding as TigerDirect of course, but never the SOYO brand. There are numerous other companies out there through TigerDirect which supply top quality products at good savings, and offer service and warranty on their products with a true form of interest in their product’s name, reputation and performance. Not SOYO though and I think you can clearly see why. Yes, some of you out there may have purchased a SOYO product and obtained what you felt was good service and support, but believe me, from the mere word of information I have received through this experience...for each one of those "good" transactions, there are hundreds of rip-off encounters to blacken their record.

       Don't forget now that even though it took 22 weeks before we inquired about the reason why SOYO hadn't replied to us with the rebates, and also upon calling them that they claimed conveniently, "we have received only one of the rebate request forms" out of the three which were mailed TOGETHER with the one, they to this date have not sent our rebates at the start of 2005. Their idea of business is based on our own inability to respond in a demanding manner to their lack of service, but with an accumulation of records and events, I would love to see all rebate frauds corrected for other customers, and also see SOYO “brought to terms” above an beyond what is due back to customers through legal fees and attorney payments to fight a class action against them. It is only in this way, through their own pocket book, that SOYO and like companies can be awakened to the fact that you can’t just do whatever you wish too in business practices without responsibility for your actions. This is openly an error on SOYO’s part in their thought of being untouchable.

Please reply to the included contact information if you have been assaulted by SOYO's business practices and are due monies back from them. Mind you this is a lengthy legal process of course, but reply anyways because as this chain of events closes, your own personal feeling of closure upon compensation, will more than make up for the wait. Whatever you do, if you are one of the many who have been cheated, DON’T idly sit by and allow them to merely keep your money.

Thanks and I hope to hear back from an astounding multitude of e-mail responses through this. Also please remember, one hundred customers being cheated out of $90 a piece is $9000 and I have a feeling there are far more than a mere 100 people out there that have been ripped off so openly by SOYO.