The Energy Star appliance rebate program slated to run from April 16-25th was a huge success. Millions of consumers all over the United States opted to get new energy saving appliances as well as heating and cooling systems for their homes. The rebate program was so successful that it lasted a mere 10 hours in Illinois.
The New York Times discussed the successes and failures of the program in an article yesterday. “Illinois took another approach, pushing all of the paperwork hassles onto retailers, which were required to give instant rebates to the customer and recover the funds from the state. “It was easier on the customer,” said Michael Abt, president of Abt Electronics in the Chicago area.
Mr. Abt said that the state paid his company promptly after the first phase of rebates in January, which applied to heaters and hot water heaters, and he expected to get paid within a month for Friday’s phase, which covered other appliances.“ (New York Times¹)
In other states, consumers had to spend hours online and on the phone reserving their rebates. There were many flaws and consumers suffered the most, even though they were the ones that this program intended to help.
Did you participate in the program? Did everything go as expected or did you have a hassle? Let me know!
Kelly B.
1. Zeller Jr., Tom and Skipp, Catherine. “Appliance Rebates Come and Go, Quickly.” The New York Times 19 April 2010:https://www.nytimes.com 19 April 2010. 20 April 2010. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/business/energy-environment/20rebate.html
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