Scammed By Vox?

Re: Scammed By Vox?

There was a couple threads going about the sale in October on this forum. If I knew how to link you to it I would. If you look back at some of my posts you will find it. I was a bit skeptical about this whole thing back then and rightfully so. This is one of those too good to be true situations.

Vox may have dropped the ball on this one but they should suck it up and pay it out. Instead they are gonna change the rules after the fact and jerk everybody off.
 
Re: Scammed By Vox?

ItsaBass,
I think you are thinking its the LIL NIGHT TRAIN? Its not. Its the 15 watt Night Train. So you cant see the info on the site anymore. Here is what happened....
At first these were $299 from Sweetwater. Sweetwater also listed a rebate form on their own site that would give you $100 off of the amp. Lots of people called and asked if they are vaild. They told everyone yes since they are manufactures rebates. The same was told to everyone that called Vox directly. The about a week or 2 later Sweetwater dropped the price to $249 on the amp. Then a few days or a week later they changed the rebate form located on their website. The new one did not mentioned the Night Train. But at this point many people already bought the amp because they were old the rebate would work after their price.

What I posted is what the sweetwater page said when I bought the amps. The amps are sold out now so you will not be able to see what it said.

Yes, the $199 I posted was accidentally for the Little Night Train. I will edit my post to reflect the mistake. And thanks for explaining the situation in a clear manner.

So, my take on what happened, based on what you just said:

- Sweetwater originally had the $100 off as a mail-in rebate. Total price after rebate: $200, with $300 paid up front.
- They and Vox then changed it to a $50 instant rebate. Total price after rebate: $250, with $250 paid up front. Clean and simple.
- Either: 1) Some people who bought the amp after it was changed to a $50 instant rebate mistakenly assumed/misread that they would also be getting the $100 mail-in rebate, when the Sweetwater had already taken down the $100 rebate from from their site, or 2) Sweetwater screwed up, and for a short time had the amp listed for $250 plus a $100 mail-in rebate, for a total sale price of $150.
- At no point was a mail-in rebate of $50 ever offered. The $50 rebate was always an instant rebate.

My take on it:

- All people who bought it for $300 when the mail-in rebate was listed on the Sweetwater site should be getting $100 back.
- If, by mistake, Sweetwater at any time on the product page had the amp listed at $250 with an additional $100 mail-in rebate on top of it, then the people who bought it during that short time should be getting a $100 mail-in rebate on top of the instant rebate that they already got. That is just a foul up, and it sometimes happens in retail. So, a few people get amps for $150, and life goes on.
- Anyone who bought the amp after the "mail-in rebate" that listed the Night Train had already been taken down from the Sweetwater site...is owed nothing. They should have checked the rebate form right before buying.
- In no case should anyone be getting a $50 mail-in rebate per amp. It's either nothing, or $100...which is why the OP's statements confuse me. He has stated that he should be getting back $50 per amp, but a $50 mail-in rebate was never promised. It was $100, according you what you said.
 
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Re: Scammed By Vox?

aw crap, i bought this and sent the rebate too. I've never communicated after that though... i bought it for 250. Came with a bad tube, I also don't think it sounds that great and the rebate was the reason i didn't return it...
 
Re: Scammed By Vox?

What does this mean officially you werent denied? Did you or did you not receive the rebate?

Other people have been denied who bought the amp from Sweetwater like I did. So far, I have not been denied. I am waiting to hear from them.
 
Re: Scammed By Vox?

The rebate was always for $100, never $50. The product page never said instant rebate ever. Just after some time the took the night train 15 off of the rebate form posted on their site.
 
Re: Scammed By Vox?

aw crap, i bought this and sent the rebate too. I've never communicated after that though... i bought it for 250. Came with a bad tube, I also don't think it sounds that great and the rebate was the reason i didn't return it...

Exactly my situation. I think the amp sounds kinda crappy. But I planned to keep it for $150 only to mod it and see what happens. For $250 I wouldnt have kept it.
 
Re: Scammed By Vox?

The rebate was always for $100, never $50. The product page never said instant rebate ever. Just after some time the took the night train 15 off of the rebate form posted on their site.

"Instant savings" is usually a factory rebate applied at purchase, i.e. an "instant rebate." If it isn't, they just call it "Sweetwater savings."

But, we agree; there should be no mail-in rebates for $50, only $100. The $50 was always something that came directly off of the price at the time of purchase.

If (and it's a huge "if") Sweetwater slipped up and left the rebate form up after they had lowered the price to $250, then a select number of people who ordered within a very specific time frame should be lucking out and getting $150 amps. Anyone else should be getting a $200 amp or a $250 amp. The problem is, did that actually happen? Can anyone prove that Sweetwater had the $100 rebate and the $250 price listed concurrently?

At any rate, the people who are getting screwed are the ones like the OP, who bought it for $300 when the rebate was clearly published on the Sweetwater site, but then got shut out of the rebate through some bureaucratic SNAFU in which Vox thought that they had never offered the $100 warranty.
 
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Re: Scammed By Vox?

Yes, the $199 I posted was accidentally for the Little Night Train. I will edit my post to reflect the mistake. And thanks for explaining the situation in a clear manner.

So, my take on what happened, based on what you just said:

- Sweetwater originally had the $100 off as a mail-in rebate. Total price after rebate: $200, with $300 paid up front.
- They and Vox then changed it to a $50 instant rebate. Total price after rebate: $250, with $250 paid up front. Clean and simple.
- Either: 1) Some people who bought the amp after it was changed to a $50 instant rebate mistakenly assumed/misread that they would also be getting the $100 mail-in rebate, when the Sweetwater had already taken down the $100 rebate from from their site, or 2) Sweetwater screwed up, and for a short time had the amp listed for $250 plus a $100 mail-in rebate, for a total sale price of $150.
- At no point was a mail-in rebate of $50 ever offered. The $50 rebate was always an instant rebate.

My take on it:

- All people who bought it for $300 when the mail-in rebate was listed on the Sweetwater site should be getting $100 back.
- If, by mistake, Sweetwater at any time on the product page had the amp listed at $250 with an additional $100 mail-in rebate on top of it, then the people who bought it during that short time should be getting a $100 mail-in rebate on top of the instant rebate that they already got. That is just a foul up, and it sometimes happens in retail. So, a few people get amps for $150, and life goes on.
- Anyone who bought the amp after the "mail-in rebate" that listed the Night Train had already been taken down from the Sweetwater site...is owed nothing. They should have checked the rebate form right before buying.
- In no case should anyone be getting a $50 mail-in rebate per amp. It's either nothing, or $100...which is why the OP's statements confuse me. He has stated that he should be getting back $50 per amp, but a $50 mail-in rebate was never promised. It was $100, according you what you said.

The point is there was no "rebate" on the sweetwater site, and it's a manufacturer rebate that can be found on vox's website. sweetwater is an authorized dealer of vox, and there's no other rebate, so the manufacturer rebate should be valid.
 
Re: Scammed By Vox?

The point is there was no "rebate" on the sweetwater site, and it's a manufacturer rebate that can be found on vox's website. sweetwater is an authorized dealer of vox, and there's no other rebate, so the manufacturer rebate should be valid.

According to Slaveunit, there were two different Vox rebate forms listed on the Sweetwater site (one with the Night Train on it, and one without, valid beginning Oct. 1), which is what I was talking about when I was saying "on the Sweetwater site." They are the same rebate forms as the Vox forms.

Where is this first version of the Vox rebate form? Anyone have a copy of it? The one on their Website (also on Sweetwater's) is the one that doesn't include the Night Train. What are the validity dates on this older form? Since the newer one started Oct. 1, I'm assuming the other one ended September 31, but that's just an assumption.
 
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Re: Scammed By Vox?

In post 18.

Got it:

"This offer is valid on any new DelayLab, VDL1, NT2H, NT15H, NT50H, TB35C1, or TB35C2 purchased in the U.S. from a participating authorized VOX dealer. Purchases made at Guitar Center or MusiciansFriend do not qualify for this promotion. The rebate period runs from October 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. All coupons, copies of original receipts and warranty cards must be postmarked by January 31, 2013."

And there you have it. Totally cut and dried. Vox can't argue with that, as long as you have this form.

However, the date you bought the thing is an issue. You still must have bought the amp when that rebate form was posted on the Sweetwater site. When they took it down, they stopped "participating." The issue here is establishing just when Sweetwater officially stopped "participating" in this particular rebate offer. Someone needs to find that out as the next step.

So, I have to ask the OP, did you – or anyone – actually send in that original rebate form and formally get denied? Or is this all based on e-mails and phone calls with Vox? If it's the latter, there is always the possibility for confusion and mistakes in those types of conversations. But if you have your receipt and your rebate form, and you mail them in, there isn't much they can get mixed up on. The paperwork is right there. So, any cases of anyone who followed the proper paperwork steps actually getting turned down?
 
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Re: Scammed By Vox?

Got it:

"This offer is valid on any new DelayLab, VDL1, NT2H, NT15H, NT50H, TB35C1, or TB35C2 purchased in the U.S. from a participating authorized VOX dealer. Purchases made at Guitar Center or MusiciansFriend do not qualify for this promotion. The rebate period runs from October 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. All coupons, copies of original receipts and warranty cards must be postmarked by January 31, 2013."

And there you have it. Totally cut and dried. Vox can't argue with that, as long as you have this form.

So, I have to ask the OP, did you – or anyone – actually send in that original rebate form and formally get denied? Or is this all based on e-mails and phone calls with Vox? If it's the latter, there is always the possibility for confusion and mistakes in those types of conversations. But if you have your receipt and your rebate form, and you mail them in, there isn't much they can get mixed up on. The paperwork is right there. So, any cases of anyone who followed the proper paperwork steps actually getting turned down?

So far this is based on emails and phone calls. I am still waiting to hear from Vox.
 
Re: Scammed By Vox?

You probably wont get formally denied, your claim will just be ignored. Thats why I think everyone needs to be aggressive on this. A $100 rebate isnt some no big deal Ill let it slide amount to me.
 
Re: Scammed By Vox?

Itsabass...I think you are realizing why the op is calling this a scam now? It should be VERY clear and simple but already Vox is saying Sweetwater included the rebate in their price.
 
Re: Scammed By Vox?

Itsabass...I think you are realizing why the op is calling this a scam now? It should be VERY clear and simple but already Vox is saying Sweetwater included the rebate in their price.

I don't know if I would call it a scam until I had more facts, but I see why people would think that.

To fight this, first it must be determined that there actually is something to fight. It must be shown that Vox are actually denying/ignoring rebate claims that are clearly legitimate. However, until someone figures out when that rebate form came down from the Sweetwater site, what makes for a claim that is "clearly legitimate" is up in the air. It must be established when exactly that original rebate form was removed from Sweetwater's site. Once they took it down, they ceased "participating" in that rebate offer, which is covered by the wording in the form.
 
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Re: Scammed By Vox?

I don't know if I would call it a scam until I had more facts, but I see why people would think that.

To fight this, first it must be determined that there actually is something to fight. It must be shown that Vox are actually denying/ignoring rebate claims that are clearly legitimate. However, until someone figures out when that rebate form came down from the Sweetwater site, what makes for a claim that is "clearly legitimate" is up in the air. It must be established when exactly that original rebate form was removed from Sweetwater's site. Once they took it down, they ceased "participating" in that rebate offer, which is covered by the wording in the form.

Are you a sweetwater representative? since when does it officially mean you're not participating when you take down a link to a rebate form on your site? They should have said (like guitar center and musicians friend ALWAYS has a link to the list) if you are not participating in certain offers. There's nothing there. If vox wants to get technical and deny hundreds or thousands of people that probably scooped this deal up and sent in the rebate, they're gonna loose a lot more money in future sales, at least from me. This is the first substantial vox purchase I've ever made and it will surely leave a permanent damper on my views on them as a company (large corporation) taking advantage of the little guy. I hate to say it, but i'm not suprised. not to mention the amp sounds like a bumble bee pooping.
 
Re: Scammed By Vox?

Sweetwater deserves no bad press from this. They did nothing to warrant any complaint. All they did was to stop participating in a certain rebate offer, which they are perfectly justified in doing; it's their decision. IMO, all they need to do to do that without being shady is to remove the rebate-related files from their Website. There is no announcement needed. They don't handle the rebates. And it's the customer's fault if they assume that a retailer has a deal going on simply because it was there a week ago, or even a day ago.

I am not saying that this isn't looking shady on Vox's part, but as of yet, we have not heard of anyone actually being denied their rebate. My point was simply that if you want your rebates, be prepared to do some research first. You can't just go in yelling, completely unprepared and uninformed. And you certainly can't complain about something that they haven't even done to you yet. So, step one, send in your rebate forms to Vox. Step two, in preparation for a denial, call up Sweetwater and find out when they dropped out of the rebate offer. No need to direct any anger at them. You are just getting information from them so that you can deal with Vox if there is an issue.
 
Re: Scammed By Vox?

true. nothing has happened yet. though i don't think it can be certain if or when sweetwater stopped participating in a rebate. It is definitely vox's problem yes, and they listed who was not participating on the rebate and that didn't include sweetwater music, which is one of the biggest online music retailers. OP, don't get me all fired up over nothing!
 
Re: Scammed By Vox?

Sweetwater could be very well the ones to blame. They make agreements with Vox on how much they sell their products for. How do I know this? Because when I called called to price match the Night Train to another site they told me we can try and will have to call Vox to see if they agree to it. So if they were selling these under what they and Vox agreed to then they are the ones to blame.
 
Re: Scammed By Vox?

Sweetwater could be very well the ones to blame. They make agreements with Vox on how much they sell their products for. How do I know this? Because when I called called to price match the Night Train to another site they told me we can try and will have to call Vox to see if they agree to it. So if they were selling these under what they and Vox agreed to then they are the ones to blame.

yeah.... yeah! where did i leave my torch and pitchfork...
 
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