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in November 2001 I saw a flier for CompUSA, and saw a good deal on a DVD-R drive with a $50 in store discount & $50 mail-in rebate.
I decided to order online since it was the same deal, sure I'd pay shipping but I wouldn't have to waste my time over the holiday weekend.
So I buy it, get the $50 discount and when it arrives a couple days later, fill out the $50 rebate form, it's now late November and my form goes in.

A month or so later I check on the status of the rebate via wheresmyrebate.com, the web side of the fulfillment company CompUSA uses. I look and the rebate has been DENIED.
I contact the rebate center and they say it was denied because the SKU# didn't match, wrong product. I double check my copies, sure enough the # CompUSA used on they're Packing Slip (you don't get a true invoice) is not the same as the model # advertised.
They say contact CompUSA's rebate center at corporate headquarters. I call and eventually speak to an individual (and jot down his name fortunately). He has me send in copies of the paperwork that I originally sent in.
After having to physically send in copies at my expense (does this company not have a fax machine or email?), I call several weeks later (now January) to make sure that they received the copies and have processed them.

From this point on I can't get a straight answer out of them. They first say that the item doesn't match and they don't have any information on a substitution that's valid.
I say there was no substitution, this was the exact item in the rebate, you even advertised the rebate on your site and flier.
They confirm that the SKU # is wrong but it is the right item. Then they say it's a manufacturer's rebate (gee didn't bother to mention that in the ad or online) and that it would have to wait to be processed by the manufacturer.
I ask "how long?", they can't say. It's now at least February. I call again. Has it been processed, they have to look it up and can't find it, they have to find the person I sent the copies too so he can find it, they can't find it.
I call back next week, still can't find it. I call back weeks later, they find the file, has it been processed, no. Why? Don't know.
It's now March, I call back again has it been processed, no, why not? We couldn't send it to be processed yet, why not, I sent this in 4+ months ago. NO STRAIGHT ANSWER.

As of May they finally sent it to be processed again, but when I call the processing company (Where I started back in Dec.) they say they haven't got an update.
I call CompUSA again, this time they're computer is down, can't look up anything to find out one way or another. Finally in June they resend the information to the processing company.
The processing company finally gets it, they have to send it to the manufacturer, call back next week.
I call back next week, sorry phone system isn't working (sounds worse than a 1990's cell phone), try back in a few days.
Call this week (last week of June 2002), finally it's been approved. Expected mailing date August 23rd 2002.

August? I sent this in November of 2001, and you're telling me you can't get this done any sooner than August, when it was a mistake on your end that caused it.

At this point I just can't believe how horrific CompUSA is regarding customer service, I mean I've had problems going into the local store, and waiting for a manager or such, but I figure that might have just been this particular store.
Now I see that the whole corporation is run like a nuthouse with no chain of command responsibility, and no motivation towards good customer service.
If it's coming out of my pocket I'm never shopping at CompUSA again, I'd rather have to drive the extra half-hour to Fry's instead from now on.