Electronic gadgets and technology are driving forces in today’s economy. There is an avalanche of products designed to simplify our lives, educate us, entertain us, and keep us better connected with our families, news and sports events, the world and universe (or at least this solar system).

Maine consumers are driven to have the fastest, latest model, the smallest, most versatile gizmo possible at the best price.

Our focus today is the widespread practice of offering mail-in rebates to merchants in selling many of these products. Rebates sound very nice at the point of sale as a way to make a low price even lower.

Sadly, the reality is that what is promised in the way of rebates is not always what is delivered. These practices often provide the well-meaning consumer with a wheelbarrow full of hassles and a pocketbook eternally devoid of the promised rebate.

Rebates help retailers in several ways. First, the revenues make the monthly financials look stronger on the bottom line. Also, customers get the perception that a $500 product with a $100 rebate has more value than an item priced at $400.

The idea of getting some investment back at a later time is attractive to some consumers. Complaints abound from consumers with mail-order rebate problems. Here are some of the chief beefs with these programs:

The process of collecting all of the receipts, the UPC label on the box, and other paperwork is often very cumbersome. The rebate company (sometimes called “a fulfillment house”) often claims it did not receive the mail-in rebate paperwork at all, or that something required was missing, or the correct piece was not included in the packet of materials sent in. The result is no rebate.

Retailers and rebate companies know that fully 60 percent of purchasers will never get around to applying for the rebate, and half of those who do have challenges to getting their promised rebate.

When rebate checks are issued, the mail they come in often is made to look as much like junk mail as possible. This tactic is used so that the rebate check goes into the wastebasket or shredder; thus the check never gets redeemed.

Some fulfillment houses issue plastic debit cards good only at the company that sold the rebated item. These cards often have monthly fees or expiration dates that lessen the value of the rebate and force the consumer to continue to buy at the store where the rebate was offered. Cell phone companies with mail-in rebate programs widely use the debit card rebate practice.

The fine print about how to apply for the rebate often is inside the packaged product or at the checkout counter of the retailer and not available to the buyer until the sale is concluded. This practice forces the customer to buy without understanding how much rigamarole to process the rebate is required.

What are consumers to do when confronted with products that are sold with rebates attached?

. Find products of equal quality that do not have rebates attached and avoid the rebate hassle completely.

. Compare pricing of products with rebates and products without. If the savings are small for the item with the rebate, then buy the product without the rebate.

. Follow the rebate directions exactly and photocopy all material sent. Send the rebate request by certified mail so that the consumer will have documentation that someone at the fulfillment house received it. (Remember that your time and postage is eating away at the final value of the rebate.)

. File the rebate without delay. Look for expiration dates. If the form requires a certain color ink, use it.

. Let your retailer know loud and clear that you are not appreciative of the rebate hassle and would prefer lower prices instead. Do not yell or be rude and argumentative. Speak in a forceful voice that carries for one or two aisles over that others may hear. If you are shy, write a letter expressing your concerns to the retailer. The Maine Attorney General’s Office, Northeast CONTACT, and the Federal Trade Commission would benefit from a copy of your letter.

. Keep written reminders in your appointment book or on the refrigerator that note when the rebate is due. Look at several online sites that allow for tracking of your money due. Often, consumers will, over time, forget that money is due to them.

Rebate programs have been around for a while, starting with the automobile industry back in the 1980s. Today’s programs provide very little in the way of customer satisfaction and there are considerable abuses by retailers and fulfillment houses. Consumers, beware!

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast CONTACT, Maine’s membership-funded nonprofit consumer organization. Individual membership costs $25; business rates start at $125 (0-10 employees). For help and information write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329.