Scams of the 21st Century!
It seems we have increasingly pervasive rot out there in the form of liars, cheats, and confidence gamers.
What happens when a little guy pulls a big one? If he gets caught, he gets thumped.
What happens if you lie to the government? If you get caught, you goto jail. Unless you are Hillary, of course...
What happens when a big guy pulls a little one? Nothing! Read the T-mobile story below for more proof!
When is sex not sex? When a US President says it isn't!
When is cash back not cash? When "American" Express sends you scrip good only at Costco, and says it is cash!
When is a rebate not a rebate? When T-mobile executives order rebate company to reject it and lie about it!
Now we have a "cash rebate" that is neither cash nor a rebate, and a "family owned" company that says it is good and proper.
What is the difference between these scoundrels and the con-game running 409 scamsters?
I would say it is a matter of racketeering. These guys aim to pilfer small amounts where the 409 guys want just a few big pay days.
These guys calculatingly cheat hundreds of victims out of amounts too small to draw much attention.
The Organized part of the Crime makes nickel-and-dime acts yield good money.
Now today, we have a masterful deception. It goes like this:
Cash Rebates from PrepaidOnline.Com!
What is wrong with that you say? Well at GPA, Inc, (http://www.gpa.net) DBA
PrepaidOnline.Com, cash rebates are neither cash nor rebates!
How can that be? First you get a come-on with the offer above. {The BAIT}
Then you have a request for the rebate: "Per the terms of your offer, I have made a qualifying purchase. Order number is xxxxxx. Please send along my Cash Rebate as you have offered in the email."
PPO: Your $5.00 cash rebate has been posted to your account and can be used at anytime! {The SWITCH}
Tszefr: Since you offered the $5 as a Cash Rebate, I presume this is just an error on your part. Credit to my so-called account is neither cash nor a rebate. Such a credit is not what you offered and is therefore unacceptable. Please either mail me the check for $5 or issue the rebate back to my charge card.
PPO: There is no error on our part, we issue a $5.00 rebate in the form of a cash discount credit to a customers account which they can then apply to a future purchase. Because we are the issuer of the promotion, we get to define how it works.
Tszefr: The promo I accepted specified "cash rebate," not "discount credit to a customers account." Your substitution is completely unacceptable. If you had offered "Future Credit" there would be no objection. "Cash rebate" and "future credit" are two completely different things. ... Your offer of account credit or scrip fails this definition too. I do not accept scrip where cash was offered. As previously requested, I expect and demand my cash rebate as described. Convertible to money and usable anywhere, not just in some account that I cannot even get to. ... I executed my end of your deal: I bought and paid for product. Because of your "cash rebate" offer, I spent more than I otherwise would have. Now it is your turn to do what you advertised and issue the five bucks in a form consistent with what you offered. At this point I am growing weary with companies that refuse to make good on their offers. What is it called when you offer one thing and substitute something else? I trust you will take the high road and issue my "cash rebate" in some usable form. Account credit is not what I bought.
PPO: The rebate terms that we offer to all customers including you, stands and will not be changed. Your $5.00 rebate was already been applied to your account...
Finally, we go to see if the alleged "cash rebate" exists. Lo and behold, it isn't even denominated as money but as Points, and usable only when buying more product.
This you see further demonstrates the treacherous behaviour that signifies this seller.
My friends, if you you want to have a Bait & Switch confidence game played on you, by all means do business with these people! But if you expect "cash rebate" to be what is says, any such offer from this outfit is not worth the electrons to get it to you because it is a sham, and they stand by its counterfeit nature!
Sham Sham, a.: False; counterfeit; pretended; feigned; unreal; as, a sham fight.
[1913 Webster]
