Recent class-action suits against rebate programs may spur marketers to void mail-in rebates in California.
Suits against marketers including Eastman Kodak Co. allege that offers violate California law if they require consumers to take some action and/or provide personal information to collect a rebate. The suit against Kodak cites a state statute that prohibits marketers from saying consumers will get “a rebate, discount, or other economic benefit, if the earning of the benefit is contingent on an event to occur subsequent to the consummation of the transaction.”
That means only rebates redeemable at point of sale would be allowed, according to law firm Loeb & Loeb, New York City. Marketers couldn’t require Californians to mail a form, sales receipt, or UPC code, per Loeb & Loeb. The Kodak suit argues that marketers profit from attrition when purchasers don’t bother to submit paperwork for a rebate.
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