+- MacResource (https://forums.macresource.com)
+-- Forum: My Category (https://forums.macresource.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=1)
+--- Forum: Tips and Deals (https://forums.macresource.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=3)
+--- Thread: Tale of problem with cheap Microsoft Office Student Edition deal - long (/showthread.php?tid=44508)
Tale of problem with cheap Microsoft Office Student Edition deal - long - Ted King - 12-01-2007
Later Edit: The problem seems to be resolved so you can skip reading about it unless you are interested in hearing about an issue with Amazon and how they eventually responded in a positive way. Original post:
I'm just blowing off steam about what happened with my order at Amazon for the Microsoft Office Student Edition for $100 off and free upgrade to the new Office in 2008. Intellectually I know it's a pretty small thing in a the world of too many really bad things happening, but dang, I was looking forward to getting that deal. I have Office X and I don't really have a strong need for a new version but I would have liked to have gotten it for such a great price.
I almost never seem to get the jump on those kinds of outstanding deals, but this time I read the post someone (sorry, I don't remember who - but I thank them) put up here about getting Office from Amazon for $125 with a $100 rebate and then for the cost of shipping you can get the new Office when it is released in 2008. So, I was really jazzed that I got on it right away and was scheduled to get the package yesterday. It never came. When I checked the status of the order at Amazon it said that the package had been sent back because of having the wrong address. It took me awhile to find the place where you can get Amazon to call you back, and when I did that I got what seemed to be a call-service person in India.
I explained that I was concerned that I would not receive a replacement in time to get it to Microsoft for the $100 rebate. She talked to her supervisor who told her to tell me that I could mail in the rebate form with just a print-out of the email confirmation of my order. When I told her that the rebate specifically says I needed to have the cover off the Office package, she talked to supervisor again. He told her to tell me that Microsoft would honor the rebate without the cover being included. I don't believe that is true and I told her I didn't see how he could know that to be true. I really think that supervisor was just trying to blow me off in a manner that could have cost me the $100 rebate. She put me on hold again to talk to him and came back saying that I would get a refund on my credit card and could order Office again - except now it is $5 more and, to make sure I got it on time for the rebate, I would have to pay more for expedited shipping. I told her to just do the refund and I'd skip the rest.
I fired off an email to Amazon and got a fairly quick response. The email essentially said the same thing as what I had been told online - signed by a guy with an Indian name so as far as I know it was the same supervisor who handled the issue in the first place.
I had given Amazon the right address for the order - which they verified - and they were probably correct that the shipper had made a mistake. I don't blame them for that, but I think if they had wanted to be more costumer friendly they could have chosen, since it wasn't my fault either, to send me Office at the price I originally paid with quicker shipping for free to make sure I got it on time for the rebate. Instead the best they chose to offer was for me to pay $5 more for a new order and then more for expedited shipping.
Like I said, in the realm of all things this is a small deal and I am not out any money so I shouldn't be all that displeased. But I have to confess that I was looking forward to getting the deal so I'm a bit ticked and disappointed. Because of Amazon's inflexibility on this I will be much less inclined to do business with them - I'll look to some other outfit first. I have been shopping at Amazon on a fairly regular basis, so this decision on their part will, over the long haul, probably cost them at lot more than the couple of bucks they would have had to pay for expedited shipping it would have cost to keep me as a happy costumer.
Re: Tale of problem with cheap Microsoft Office Student Edition deal - long - mstudio - 12-01-2007
Too bad, but I think it may have worked as Amazon stated. If you would have included the documentation with the rebate form, Microsoft may not have honored it, but probably would have given you a chance to send in the right stuff later. A similar thing happened to me with HP, they told me all of the info was not included and told me to send it in and they honored the rebate. Is there any way to contact Microsoft to see if they will honor?
Re: Tale of problem with cheap Microsoft Office Student Edition deal - long - Ted King - 12-01-2007
Hey, good news. I got an email from Amazon asking if I was satisfied with the costumer service problem I was having. In the email was a link to click on if I wasn't satisfied, so I clicked on that. I was then given an option to have someone call me back and I did that. I just got done talking to a costumer representative who told me they will ship me a replacement at the original price and with expedited shipping so I should get it by the 8th of December - which should be plenty early for the rebate form.
Kudos to Amazon for providing a way to keep following up with me until I was satisfied even though their systems initially weren't as flexible as they could have been. It was a good business decision on their part because I'm sure they will be getting a lot more orders from me than they otherwise would have if they hadn't worked to rectify this issue.
Re: Tale of problem with cheap Microsoft Office Student Edition deal - long - stephen - 12-01-2007
I hope it works out for you. I don't find many bargains, but was glad I got to share this one with everyone.
Re: Tale of problem with cheap Microsoft Office Student Edition deal - long - Ted King - 12-01-2007
Thanks for letting me know about the deal, stephen, it was one of the really good ones.
mstudio, I agree that the representative might have been right that Microsoft might have honored the rebate later if I had sent it in without the cover but $100 is a lot to take a chance on for software that would be very nice to have but not something for which I have a big need.
Re: Tale of problem with cheap Microsoft Office Student Edition deal - long - mstudio - 12-01-2007
Hey, good to hear. I agree that $100 is not something you always want to take a chance on. Maybe Amazon saw your first post
Re: Tale of problem with cheap Microsoft Office Student Edition deal - long - space-time - 12-01-2007
I think MS rebates specifically says that the Office must be purchased on 11/23. not one day earlier, not one day later. Now what date is on your NEW order? I doubt you will get the rebate. Sorry to bring bad news.
Re: Tale of problem with cheap Microsoft Office Student Edition deal - long - Ted King - 12-01-2007
space-time, you are right that it does say the order must have been placed on 11/23. I was told that what I will get is a replacement - which I believe won't be a new order. I still have a copy of the original order that I placed on 11/23 so I think I should be able to use that just in case the replacement goes through as a "re-order" on a different day. I hope so anyway.
Re: Tale of problem with cheap Microsoft Office Student Edition deal - long - space-time - 12-02-2007
I see, good luck!