| Beware of Adobe rebate fraud |
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| Written by Brian Houser |
| Sunday, 24 February 2008 13:15 |
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I just want to put a warning out there for anyone counting on the rebate for Adobe products. You might get the rebate, but it's going to take some work. I am a longtime fan of Adobe Photoshop Elements. An outdated version came with a scanner I bought a few years back. I liked it enough to upgrade to the latest version. And I've upgraded twice more since then. It's a great program for fixing up digital photos. I've been buying the bundle that includes that and Adobe Premiere Elements, which is a decent program for editing videos and creating slideshows.
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  written by Anonymous, March 11, 2008
Good luck with that rebate! Adobe has been giving me the run-around forever. Its just a scam and you've got to keep after them. You can call this #: 1 888 788 4928 and listen to your rebate status. After it has given you the information, keep pressing 0 until you get through to a customer service rep. They will try to lose you by passing you around, but if you get angry enough someone will eventually send you to a manager who will at least pretend to help. I still haven't gotten my rebate, but I'm optimistic!!
written by Greg, March 22, 2008
I found this post while trying to fill out my rebate. I too used a previous version of Photoshop and Premier Elements Bundle. I have other image and video editing software including Photoshop CS2 and Premier Pro 2.0. There are features in the Elements versions that come in handy for quick tasks and I like them. I recently upgraded from Win XP to Premier and the previous versions would not work. I had a hard time locating the tabs to which the rebate offer referred. I finally found that they meant the tabs supporting the closing flap on the box to which the instructions referred to as the right inside flap. Geesh!
Greg Johnson
written by Anonymous, August 23, 2008
Well, I can report that as of August 25, Adobe is still doing the same thing. I'm having trouble getting a rebate for CS3 because they say I didn't include a screen shot that I did include. Thank you for drawing attention to Adobe's fraudulent practices. What can be done to stop them?
written by Anonymous, August 29, 2008
I have had a similar experience after a purchase of Adobe 6.0, promising a $20 rebate. My postcard from them said I didn't include "Tab1". There was a sheet inside the top flap which I tore off and sent in but nothing that said "tab1". I called the number left by someone previously, on this blog, and did eventually get thru to a warm body. He insisted there was a "tab1" clearly marked as such. There wasn't. He was able to get rid of me by giving me a fax number [480-606-4313] to resubmit the copy of what I had already sent.
Pretty sad.....glad I wasn't counting on the rebate from the start.....
written by Mike, October 18, 2008
I think I have every Adobe product imaginable, but I like Premiere elements for same reason you do. Quick, fast and YouTube friendly. However I have never received a submitted request for the promised rebate. Adobe makes it VERY hard, if not impossible, to get rebate easily. It has to be deliberate, especially using Mickey Mouse “tab 1” method. You should be able to just send in receipt, box top, rebate form and be done with it. Thanks for opportunity to vent. While we are on the subject of getting grilled, DON’T EVER BUY a TEC Grill with so called 10 year warranty. They will not honor it even after I wrote the CEO. Thanks again! Mike
written by Anonymous, January 12, 2009
Wish I had better news about adobe rebate. I bought shoptshop elements 7 with premier 7 at Costco, it came with the typical $30.00 NON rebate. I submitted all the paperwork as required, logged on "adoberebatesstatus.com", entered my ID info and got a page stating that my rebate would be paid on dec. 17, 2008, never happened. I have logged on twice since and got a different story, still NO rebvate. tried to log on today and can't find the site, but I found this one so I am telling my story. I last bits of info i sent adobe was that I will file a complaint with California State Consummers Affairs and the states AG for all the good it will do. I will try and return for a refund the software to Costco. By the way watch out for Fry's electronics extended Warranties they are about as good a Adobe's rebates.
 written by Tony V., April 15, 2009
Yes, Adobe has been pulling these rebate frauds for years. I just got my denial card for Elements 7 rebate stating that my postmark was too late. I sent it in over four monthes ago, the same day I received the software. This is my third Adobe rebate denial in 5 years - always a different excuse.
Poor Adobe, no matter how much they overcharge for their obsolete crapware, they still can't seem to make enough money to operate with an ounce of integrity. This will be the last Adobe product I buy - really, most Adobe products are long obsolete and easily replaced with open-source options available for free.
 written by Tom B, April 20, 2009
Purchased Adobe Elements 7, on 7 December 2008. Mailed ALL THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS ETC. on 12 December 2008.
Followed up only to learn the company processing the rebates went bankrupt. Spoke to someone by phone in Texas who told me they were now looking after the rebates and to check back in two weeks. Well, in the last three months I've checked the web site half a dozen times including today. Typed in my tracking number and again it stated my rebates was being processed. Just how busy can they be? It's now not an issue of money but one of corporate integrity, or lack of by Adobe. Tom B
 written by Gary M, June 29, 2009
I would like to contribute to this list of victims of the Adobe Elements 7 $30.00 rebate scam! I ordered Adobe Elements7 from Amazon on March 8, 2009 and received it by mail on March 16. I went thru all the required steps: a. The rebate form b. TAB #1 c. Copy of sales receipt and sent off to US Submissions: Dept108874. Adobe Photoshop Elements7 & Premiere7 Bundle $30.00 rebate, PO Box 52900, Phoenix, Az.85072-2900 on March 17,2009. I waited almost 10 weeks before I tried contacting Adobe by phone at the # listed on the rebate form 1-888-788-4920. I was re-directed to the # they now have listed in El Paso, Tx. 1-866-599-3906 and I too was told by a representative that the original holding company for this rebate had gone bankrupt, and I would have to re-submit my rebate forms. When I mentioned I had already sent the "TAB #1" with the original I was told that would be no problem. So on May 13, 2009 I sent my re-submission forms to the Claims Office in El Paso, Tx.
Saturday, June 27 I got a card back from Adobe Systems INC. Resubmit Offer #485-3, PO Box 740913, El Paso, Tx. 88574-0913 informing me "Your submission was not postmarked within 6 weeks of the purchase date"! When I called today June 29, I was first told by someone, whom I could barely understand, that I was denied because I didn't send "TAB #1" with my submission. Needless to say I lost it so she put someone else on the phone with me who again hasn't mastered the English language yet, and this one, after putting me on hold for 5 minutes, came back on and told me she had found records of my first submission, but because she couldn't find any other info on their "Database" my submission was denied! I won't post my reply to her on here, as children might be reading this! I for one am not going to let this die here...copies of this post will be sent to Amazon, Facebook, MySpace, the FCC, Missouri BBB, the local TV stations here in Springfield....and ADOBE! I agree...who would have thought that Adobe would pull such a scam??
 written by Dave R, July 07, 2009
I was also stiffed by Adobe on this one. I hate rebates with a passion and usually avoid them like the plague, but this time I let my guard down. Never again. I was once burned with the same scenario previously posted, where the UPC that was supposedly not sent was sent back in the envelope along with the denial. With this rebate, I actually stapled TAB#1 to the rebate form. I read all the fine print and followed the instructions to the letter, rereading and rechecking everything in addition to making copies of all.
When the rebate didn't show, I went to adobe.rebatestatus.com and sent them a pdf of the copies I made per their procedures. I expected maybe an automated email acknowleding that my request was received, but nothing. Now, adobe.rebatestatus.com appears to be a completely different site... and of course there is no status that my rebate existed. That clinched it for me. I'll never buy another product from Adobe again.
 written by c wright, July 15, 2009
Well, I wished I had read this blog before I got duped by Adobe. I too let my guard down from previous experiences with various businesses.
As for crapware, Elements 7 bundle IS IT! Too many problems to list here. I'm done with them, and my $30 gets a big KISS GOODBYE. I don't have time to fool with it and that's exactly what they are banking on!
 written by George R. Earhart, July 20, 2009
Just submitted the second submittal with tab 2 as instructed. They claimed that they had a rebate company go our of business and therefore they had no record of my submittal no. 1 with tab 1 that I submitted in March. I had called several times with no success. I hope this time I will be successful. Its a problem. I purchased the photo shop and photo elements at Staples. I think they should support the customer and go after Adobe to live up to their promised rebates. They advertise the product with rebate of $30.00. What do the rest of you think about that.
 written by Bob H, October 05, 2009
I've run into Adobe's stone wall on rebates, too. Seems their rebate processing contractor went belly-up, and all of the rebate forms mailed to that address are "lost". I've opened a claim with Adobe's Customer non-Service, but they keep advising me that the issue is resolved, and closing the case. Well, I still don't have my check, so I don't think it's resolved. The most recent is that they sent me a link to a claim form - only the link doesn't work. Sounds like a run around to me!
 written by Gary B, November 10, 2009
I sent my $20 rebate 'package' to the AZ site ... it was
returned to me on 10/29/09 marked as undeliverable ... Adobe ripoff-con artists ...
 written by Lori, November 22, 2009
I to submitted a rebate for $30.00 this summer and it was never received. I contacted Adobe and found the PO Box that was on the rebate form had been closed and the mail was not forwareded (granted this rebate was good for another aprox. 3 months). I was told by the customer service rep that some rebate forms had the wrong address printed on them. She informed me to re-submit and I would get my rebate. I instead received a nice note in the mail that said that it was denied due to I submitted it to late. I called Adobe and they again "apologized" and asked me to submit it electronically and I spent over a hour on the phone with them. I submitted it electronically and waited for my rebate. I got a nice e-mail saying my case was closed and never got the rebate so I called again. They said that they never got my electronic copy of my forms and asked me to re-submit. I told them I was not going to waste my time again. I am very computer literate and knew that they received my form and they were just making excuses again. Rebate fraud?
 written by Tony L, December 18, 2009
I purchased Adobe photoshop Elements 8 because of the $20 rebate but although I was very careful to send them all required documents, they have rejected my rebate. First they said that I did not send them the correct receipt nor did I send the proof of purchase Tab 1. I called Adobe and explained that I purchased the software over the internet via Amazon and sent them the receipt that I printed from my Amazon website account. I also informed them that I stapled the proof of purchase Tab 1 to the claim form. The first person, Bill, told me that someone keyed the information in wrong and did not scan the receipt correctly so I should to call back when I receive the denial letter. After receiving the official denial I called back and spoke with Virginia.
I again explained everything to her and she told be to send a copy of all the claim form, the receipt and the proof of purchase tab 1 the to re-submission dept. Luckily, I copied all of the documents so I did so. Well, I never received the rebate so I will probably need to make another phone call. This does not reflect well on Amazon and they should be concerned about these unfair practices. As for Adobe, they are off my list of desired software.
 written by MBell, December 22, 2009
Same thing here. Sent it all in, including tab 1 and denied for no tab 1. did not make copy so am hosed. Something should be done
 written by Alicia, January 10, 2010
Same problem here. My husband purchased Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for me for my birthday the first week of October 2009. The program is an upgrade from Elements 5 for me. My husband actually called Adobe to order it for me because it was cheaper (bought it the day it came out actually). Well, here it is, January 10, 2010 and I STILL have not received a rebate. I received an email on December 15th (2 months after I mailed it) that they are had received my rebate request and now I needed to wait 8 weeks for processing! GOOD GRIEF! So, it takes 10 weeks for them to even get the rebate and then another 8 weeks to process it! That's insane! I sent off a rebate for my husband Verizon Wireless cell phone just last week, I've already been notified that they received it and I bet I'll have the rebate in my hands within the next week or so! I keep checking the status of my Adobe rebate daily to see if there are any changes....I've never waited for a rebate this long in my life!
 written by Daniel, January 20, 2010
I am dealing with Adobe now on a denied rebate for Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac. They say I did not include tab #1, which of course I did. They say that if send a photocopy of the tab (which proves nothing, by the way) they will honor the rebate. I did not photocopy the the tab.
So...if anybody out there did make a photocopy, please post an image online so those some of us being denied by Adobe can resubmit our rebate forms.
 written by James, January 21, 2010
Just got my postcard today also saying that I didn't submit a proof of purchase. Having been burned before with another rebate scam, I actually had photocopied the rebate form I sent with the proof of purchase STAPLED to it (don't know how it could be lost). I suggest everyone who's been burned file a complaint against Adobe with the Better Business Bureau. http://www.bbb.org/us/i-am-a-consumer/ It's pretty simple. I realize Adobe isn't running the rebate program, but it is their name attached to it and they are benefiting from incremental sales because of it, so they are liable. Who knows, if there's enough complaints some lawyer may pick it up and file a class action suit on all our behalf.
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