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Call Kurtis: I Signed Up For Your Special Offer -- Where's My Rebate?

OAKDALE (CBS13) -- We've all seen the special deals and rebates meant to lure you into new cable and Internet service. But how simple is it to actually get those perks?

After waiting five months for the $500 Comcast promised her, Nancy Parker of Oakdale called Kurtis for answers.

Parker said the deal sounded great: If she signed up for two years of Comcast, she would get a $500 Visa prepaid gift card.

She had no idea it would take this much to actually get it.

"All you need to do is place your order online," said Comcast representative Chris in an online chat in February. Nancy subsequently signed up online for two years of that service, Comcast's "HD Complete XF Triple Play," at about $200 a month.

But Parker said she's been getting the runaround ever since and Comcast can't explain why she hasn't received her card.

"I did everything they asked, and now nobody seems to remember that I still need that Visa card," she said.

We found swarms of complaints online about similar promotions from Comcast, AT&T and Verizon.

Some consumers call it "ridiculous" they can't get what they claim they were promised.

But Call Kurtis has learned companies often put extra requirements on offers like these -- such as paying on time for the first few months, or completing some extra verification process to get the reward.

But remember, Parker said she was told all she needed to do was place the order online.

Consumer attorney David Mastagni thinks that's a contract Comcast needs to honor.

"She had every reason to believe that the deal was going forward," he told Call Kurtis.

Comcast investigated and said Parker did not properly complete the telephone verification from the company that fulfills the gift cards for Comcast.

"There was clearly a glitch in the process," a company spokesperson said.

Instead of a gift card, the company agreed to cut Parker a check for $500, which she was thrilled to finally receive.

"Thank you guys," she said, "because it's finally resolved."

Comcast told us the third party that runs their rebate program for promotions like this is often slow.

The company said customers should be aware they may have to wait a few months before getting those perks, but said customers should bring up any such promotion to a customer representative who may be able to track down answers.

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