FAQs - Rbate Consumer

Frequently Asked Questions
(Consumer Perspective)

What is Rbate?

There are plenty of services that can help you find someone who can sell you a particular product at a good price, but first you have to work out which product would be best for you.
But how often when working out which product to buy do you feel overwhelmed by choice, and starved of information that would simplify that choice? You give up and make a leap of faith, putting yourselves in the hands of (and paying the the premium of) a full-service retailer, or choosing based on price, availability, brand, advertising, packaging, or the limited information you were able to dig up — a decision you may later regret.
Rbate aims to make comparison shopping less frustrating and time consuming by making it easier to find articles, clips, websites, and experts that can provide you with product information, product reviews & recommendations, product demonstrations & try-outs, and even services that can save you time by evaluating, choosing, buying, and delivering the most suitable product.
Such purchasing help may be delivered in many different ways — in a publication or a recording, over the Net (by website, email, chat, or VOIP), over the phone (even while you're out shopping), at the helper's own premises, or at your home or office.
You can find these media and services by using Rbate's search engine, dedicated to such purchasing help. A separate product search engine allows you to keep up-to-date with new products in the product categories that interest you. Rmarks allow you to keep a record of your product research and favourite sources of purchasing help.
Rbate aims to improve the quality, breadth, and availability of media and services that can help you choose the right product by paying these advice providers when they help someone decide what to buy. When purchasers use Rbate.com to claim a cash rebate, they are asked state which providers helped them make their choice. Claiming a rebate usually involves completing a survey, written by the maker of the product, and getting paid for answering questions posed by other product makers.
The net effect is that the help you get will often be free. Money that product makers now spend on advertising instead funds better information for prospective purchasers, and better feedback from purchasers to makers.
Once you've made your informed choice, make your purchase at the retailer with the best prices, policies, or people.
A full description of how Rbate works can be found here.
What are the problems with the current ways to get professional purchasing help?

A new way is needed to provide consumers with purchasing help, because current methods don't provide the sort of help that people seek:
- Advertising, product-placement, endorsements, & sponsored articles
  - One company's product, one company's spin.
  - Pushed to you, even though you may not be interested.
  - The prominence of an ad is totally or substantially determined by the promotional payment.
- Ad-supported media:
  - No personal service.
  - Ads reduce the clarity of presentation (distracting & over-paginated).
  - There is a greater pressure for bias when advertising deals are done directly with product makers.
  - Dwindling ad revenue is reducing the quality of material that ads can support.
- Affiliate links:
  - Often works like advertising: it helps you find an product, but doesn't help you choose a product.
  - Affiliate relationships are rarely clearly disclosed.
  - Directs consumers to specific vendors or price-comparison engines.
  - Help goes unrewarded if a purchaser doesn't use the affiliate link, if the vendor doesn't report the sale, or if the consumer purchases a different product (a disincentive for a bad review).
  - The helper's reward is not related to how instrumental they were in the purchaser's decision. It is unsustainable when vendors make large payments for simple redirections to sites that users may have found themselves.
- Current types of help brokers:
  - Only available for a few products like mortgages, utility companies, and insurance.
  - They only get paid if you purchase through them. That is, at most one source of help is rewarded, no matter how many were used.
  - Brokers have a direct relationship with product makers, potentially compromising their independence. They usually don't provide any advice about the brands with which they do not have a fee arrangement.
- Full-service retailers:
  - Limited product range. They will want to sell you one of these.
  - Limited service, because they are only rewarded if you buy there, instead of at a discount or online outlet.
- Review subscription services (e.g. from consumer organizations):
  - Material is often of high quality, but only a limited range of products are reviewed.
  - The subscriber pays for information that is of no use to them.
  - No personal service.
- Fee-for-service consultants:
  - Payment is required, even if they're unhelpful.
  - It's expensive to consult more than one.
  - Payment needs to be arranged, complicating spontaneous use (e.g. while out shopping).
- Word of mouth from other consumers:
  - Consumer-written reviews and advice are less detailed and less reliable than that sourced from professional experts.
  - It is hard-work to find and read numerous subjective consumer opinions to get a fair overall assessment.
In contrast, the Rbate system:
- Allows you to get free help for just about any product from multiple sources.
- Pays advisors according to how helpful their advice has been, rather than according to the advertising they expose or the products they sell.
- Elminiates the need for advising organizations to deal directly with product makers.
- Clearly discloses how each advice provider has chosen to deal with the payments Rbate offers, including publication of a policy statement.
- Makes new types of free advice services viable, such as advice over-the-phone, dedicated demonstration and try-out services, and professional digests of consumer reviews.
- Makes it rewarding for helpers to collaborate, giving you better and more concentrated information.
- Lets you get cashback after a purchase, and allows you to get paid for providing feedback to product makers.
- Ranking of help sources in the search engine is unbiased, determined by both the degree of match with the consumer's query and the total amount of help that source has previously provided to consumers.
Aren't there plenty of product reviews already available?

Very few professional review, recommendation, and demonstration services are wholly and directly funded by consumers through either subscriptions or fees. People baulk at paying subscriptions for information they'll only occasionally make use of, and, except for large purchases like cars and real estate, are not willing to pay fees for a service that may end up not being that helpful. Reviews in magazines and newspapers are partially funded by subscriptions, but this subscription revenue is slowly drying up in the face of freely-accessible reviews on the Web. So reviews must be funded by advertising, while recommendation and demonstration services are usually tied to a sales service.
Advertising is not however a secure way to fund a review service because busy and bombarded consumers are increasingly ignoring ads, using do-not-contact lists and technologies such as digital video recorders and on-line blockers to actively bypass ads, or simply purchase their entertainment and information outright. Some consumers always have and always will pay little attention to advertising, disliking its push-based nature, but have had to deal with the dilemma of advertising being the only source of income for some review and information services that they wish to use. Moreover, the general move of just about everything to an ad-funded model has spread the limited pool of advertising dollars more thinly. To boost advertising revenue some online review sites riddle their work with distracting advertising, or resort to excessive pagination (via short pages or long-winded expositions) in order to maximize advertising impressions.
Likewise, the potential of product recommendation or demonstration services is limited by being funded by sales. Such services will either sell a limited range of brands (e.g. a car dealer), or often won't make too much effort to compare alternatives in case you ultimately purchase from a low-service discount outlet. Many online review sites are also effectively involved in sales via links to affiliated retailers or price-comparison services, but miss out on any affiliate revenue if a purchase is made of a different product, or at a different time.
Rbate gives each of these service types a reliable revenue stream that depends on the quality of their reviewing work, which means better quality product reviews, recommendations, and demonstrations. This may manifest in more detailed reviews that allow every potential purchaser to decide whether a product suits, in reviews that make it easier find and digest the key information you're looking for, or in better follow-up work that summarizes new information as the product matures and consumer feedback rolls in. It may also result in new forms of review services, such as automated purchase advisors, or businesses dedicated to providing product demonstrations and purchasing advice.
Aside from these professional review services, purchasing advice can be obtained through consumer-written reviews and the recommendations of knowledgeable friends. The trouble with consumer-written reviews is that they usually reflect only one person's experience with one product, are often terse, poorly-written, un-illustrated, anonymous, and are buried among a large number of similar reviews. But in aggregate they can be a valuable resource. That's why sites that collect consumer-written reviews are eligible to apply to be a Rbate Helper and be paid for their work, possibly sharing their revenue with their consumer authors. Moreover, Rbate provides an incentive for groups of consumer-written reviews to be summarized into master reviews, by providing an easy way for both the compiler and the original authors to be rewarded.
A similar allocation of credit can occur for knowledgeable friends, to whom you may turn for advice on a purchase. If such a person is eligible to register with Rbate as a Helper, then any research they do on your behalf can be credited. If desired, credit can be allocated to the sources on which your private advisors drew.
Can I trust helpers to give honest opinions when their work is funded by product-maker bonuses?
Rbate may pay a cash bonus to a provider of purchasing help when a product purchaser states that the provider helped them choose that product. Rbate Helper bonuses are funded by the companies that make the products purchased by help recipients.
The recovery of service fees from suppliers is already well established for mortgage, insurance, and investment brokers. Rbate simply extends this model to professional services and media that help people purchase every other type of product and service, as well as eliminating the need for any direct dealings between product makers and the organizations that evaluate their products.
Only professional media creators and service providers are eligible to register with Rbate as an organization that offers consumer help (Helpers). Such companies have a reputation to protect, and are more likely to have a culture of journalistic ethics.
Rbate makes the relationship between editorial selection, editorial content, and revenue as transparent and as flexible as possible by allowing Helpers several options as to what they know about the bonuses on offer, and how they are paid those bonuses, and by making these choices plus an optional editorial policy statement public via both Rmarks and Rbate's purchasing help search engine.
We believe this open and professional system is preferable to systems where disclosed or undisclosed bonuses can be earned by "friends", "affiliates", arbitrary "bloggers", or deliverers of media testimonials. Advertising itself is certainly not unbiased, and is deceptive when it masquerades as content.
Payment by bonus avoids several problems with the currently dominant method of funding purchasing advice through either advertising or direct or affiliate sales.
If a review service sells ads to individual product makers or their representatives, they face the possibility of ads being withdrawn from their publication if a maker is unhappy with their work. An honest service will try their best to insulate their editorial choices from advertising bookings, but the direct threat to revenue remains.
Further, many online review services make money through affiliate links to particular vendors. Such affiliate relationships are often not disclosed, and sometimes the affiliate link does not even display the name of the linked vendor, merely the name of a product or topic.
Rbate allows these services to be less dependent on advertising, selling, or any direct relationship with makers by paying them specifically for their product assessment work. The best services get paid the most by being cited by the most consumers on their rebate claims. More review and demonstration services will be able to afford to purchase their own samples, no longer dependent on the supply of (possibly specially-selected) maker-supplied samples, which smaller makers may not be able to provide.
There is no strong pressure for a review service to write positive reviews of products that carry a Rbate helper bonus because they have no relationship with indivdual makers, and are still paid for their work when either (1), the reviewed product is purchased, and in the subsequent rebate claim the purchaser cites the review in question as being helpful in evaluating the pros and cons of the alternatives, or (2), it helps someone decide to purchase a different product that also attracts a Rbate bonus.
In any case an honest reviewing service will clearly separate the selection of products to review from the reviewing process itself, so the data and opinions they publish should be independent of the range of bonuses on offer at the time (though Rbate bonuses do make it more likely that particular products are either selected for review, or join the pool of recommendation options).
Can I get paid for help I give and reviews I write?
Only organizations that provide professionally-run choice-assisting services that are substantial, rapidly-expanding, or solidly-established, can become an Rbate Helper. Small or one-person operations that fit these criteria are welcome to apply.
If this is not the case you can still look to join a Rbate Helper that edits and aggregates consumer-written reviews — one that distributes a portion of their Rbate bonuses to their consumer reviewers. Alternatively, if you are an expert in the marketplace of a particular type of product, you may be able to join or start a professionally-managed helper cooperative.
For what products can I get cashback through Rbate after purchase?
What is an Claim Code?
Rbate manufacturer rebates are only available for certain products purchased in certain locations. Such products usually have a sticker on their packaging that looks like this

Under the laminated scratch-off panel is a 15-character claim code that you enter on Rbate.com to begin the claim process. Please ask your retailer for another item if the sticker has already been scratched, or if it is missing (you should either see remnants or a heavily damaged packaging surface).
Rbate Claim Codes may also be found on different types of stickers, cards, and forms that have been created by the product's maker. For products delivered either electronically or directly from maker to consumer, the maker may instead provide the claim code in a Web-link, or may provide just the claim code characters on paper or by SMS.
When I make a claim how do I state which media and services helped me decide on my purchase? What is an Rcode?
When claiming your cash rebate you will be asked to provide a list of media (articles and clips) and services (consultants, websites, demonstrators, trial services, and purchasing services) that helped you come to your purchasing decision, allowing them to be compensated for their work. Fixed selections are available for the portion of help attributable to entities outside the Rbate system, including self-help, anonymous online help, and help from friends.
The remainder — help from Rbate-registered Helpers — should be specified by either entering the unique Rcode that Rbate has assigned to each Rbate-registered publication and service, or by making selections from the displayed list of your relevant Rmarks (review bookmarks).
The Rcode of a particular service, article, magazine, or video presentation is usually displayed in an image such as . Rcodes may be also found on business cards or on invoices, in helper's premises, broadcasts, emails, or SMSs, or can be provided over the phone. So make sure you keep these Rcodes handy until you are ready to submit your claim (or add them to your Rmarks).
Instead of displaying an Rcode, material found on the Web displays the image. By clicking on this button, or by registering with Rbate, choosing the auto-Rmark option, and simply visiting the site, this article or service will be added to your Rmarks, allowing you to easily cite this entity during a claim by clicking on one of the arrows beside this Rmark. If a webpage is printed, the Rmark button will print as an alternate image like that displays the entity's Rcode, if one has been assigned.
If friends help you make your purchasing choice, you may like to ask them what material they in turn relied on, adding these Rcodes to your list.
What is an Rmark?
An Rmark is a bookmark to a particular article or service that is a source of purchasing advice. A collection of Rmarks can be stored in each Rbate consumer account. Notes can be stored with each Rmark, each can be classified by product, product category, and tag, and a personal 1-5 rating applied. Rmarks to webpages can be easily re-visited. This provides a searchable repository of your product-related research, useful when you come to make your purchasing decisions.
Rmarks also make the rebate claim process easier by providing a ready list of product-relevant articles and services you've read, visited, or used, from which you can select the ones you found helpful.
To add an Rmark to a article or service that's on the Web, look for and click the button on one of the article's pages. If you have registered with Rbate, and the material or service at that webpage is also registered with Rbate (an Rbate Help Entity), the image will change to , and the Rmark will be added without leaving the page. Otherwise you will be taken to a Rbate page where you can review the Rmark, perhaps adding tags, notes, and a rating before saving it. If you are registed with Rbate, click to do the same.
If you have checked the auto-Rmark option on your Profile, you do not even have to click on registered entities. Such entities will be automatically Rmarked, and soon after visiting the page you will see the Rmark button change to the button.
If the entity you wish to Rmark is not on the Web, or doesn't have an Rmark button, you can manually add an Rmark by clicking on the button on your Rmarks page, and filling the form. If the entity has an Rcode, that is all you need to enter.
Rmarks are not currently able to be either publicly shared or community-tagged. However popular Rmarks are sometimes added to Rbate's buying help search engine, if they are not already included. To send an Rmark to a friend, provide them with the Rmark's Rcode, URL, or publication reference.
Why am I asked to answer some survey questions as part of my rebate claim?
Part of the process for claiming a cash rebate for a purchase involves answering a number of survey questions. Most of these are written by the maker of the product you have purchased. They are paying you to provide feedback on both their product and the purchasing experience, so it's only fair that you answer accurately. (Surveyers usually offer either nothing for your time, or only offer a small chance of winning a prize.)
Some survey questions from the product's maker may ask for identifying information, similar to those often asked on product warranty cards. Rbate only provides survey answers to the product's maker, and Rbate requires that if the maker wants to share this information with third-parties they indicate this on the survey.
On some claims some additional questions will be asked by makers of products similar to the one you have bought. You are paid individually for these answers, increasing your rebate. Rbate does not allow such questions to ask for identifying information.
Into what types of account can I have my rebate paid? Why do some payment options reduce my rebate?
Currently cash rebates are only paid by electronic transfer, and only to these types of account:
- US Bank Account (US Dollar rebates only)
- Australian Bank Account (Australian Dollar rebates only)
- Moneybookers account
- Paypal account
Some combinations of payment type, rebate denomination currency, and rebate payment currency may incur payment fees, reducing your rebate. This is done to prevent cross-subsidisation of more expensive payment methods. These fees are displayed when you select your payment method.
Rebate recipients who are registerd for Australian Goods and Services Tax are always paid in Australian dollars, and only after Rbate receives a Tax Invoice for 110% of the Australian Dollar rebate amount. Any necessary currency conversion is performed using the daily reference rates of the European Central Bank, plus a 1.75% risk spread.
Why should I register with Rbate?
If you register with Rbate as a Consumer you can:
- Create Rmarks (review bookmarks).
- Receive email alerts when new help or products are available that match your search criteria.
- Be alerted when your cashback claims are paid, and have the details of your preferred rebate payment account remembered.
What is browser-based registration?
When you register for a Rbate Consumer account, either through the registration page, or after clicking the button on a webpage, you have the option of leaving the email address and password fields blank. If you do this, your Rbate consumer account will be linked to the browser you are using, rather than an email address.
You will be able to use the Rbate Rmark system, but will not be able to receive search alerts. Your Rmarks will not be available from another browser, and will be lost if your Rbate cookie is deleted. You can convert a browser-based account to an email-based account by re-registering with Rbate.
How can I delete my Rbate account?
Ensure you are logged-in, then click the "DELETE MY RBATE ACCOUNT" button on the Profile page.
Why use Rbate search rather than a general-purpose search engine?
Rbate's purchasing help search engine:
- Only returns information about media and services that can help you choose the most suitable product,
- Ranks search results according to how helpful each publication and service has been to previous purchasers — a metric that's meaningful and hard to corrupt,
- There are no sponsored results or other advertising,
- Provides links to both the first page and the most relevant page of multi-page online articles,
- Includes offline media and services (e.g. TV, radio, newspapers, magazine articles, and full-service stores),
- Allows searches to be restricted to particular product categories and local areas,
- Allows you to specify exactly the sorts of purchasing help you're looking for, and to see which of these attributes each search result possesses, and
- Allows you to receive email alerts when new media and services become available for a given search.
What is the "Policy" link seen on Rmarks and buying help search results?
Each article or service listed in buying help search results contains a "Policies" link, which when clicked pops up a window that describes how the organization that created the material or runs the service handles the product-maker bonuses that Rbate offers for their work. You can view the policies of the creator of a work that has been assigned a particular Rcode by entering that Rcode in the "Find help matching" search box.
Policy information for each Rbate-registered Rmark on the Rmarks page of your account can be viewed by clicking the icon in the Provider column.
Helpers normally get to scan a list of products for which bonuses are offered, and can see the value of these bonuses, but can instead choose to either hide the values, hide the products (seeing only product categories), or hide the bonus offers altogether if they feel that particular knowledge could affect their work.
If a Helper feels that the availability of different bonus amounts for different products could affect their work, they can also choose to always be paid the lowest bonus offered among all products in the same category and availability region. They can also choose to receive no bonus payments at all.
The policies window lists the choices this Helper has made, followed by an optional statement in which the Helper can explain their choices and other policies.
Use this information, and the Helper's reputation, to decide whether they are likely do a good job, and work in your best interests.
How can I be notified when new products or purchasing help become available?
Ensure you have a Rbate account, with a registered email address (not a browser-based account). Then, after performing a search on Rbate's product or buying help search engines, click the "Email me when new results are available for this search" button at the top of the search results.
To remove a notification, either perform the same search and click the "Stop emailing when new results are available for this search" button, or click the halt notification link in any notification email you receive for this search.
RSS feeds are planned.

Frequently Asked Questions(Consumer Perspective)

General

Rebates and Claims

Registering with Rbate

Using Rbate to help you buy

Frequently Asked Questions
(Consumer Perspective)