Retailers" love affair with mail-in rebates may be coming to an end. In response to customer complaints, Best Buy Co. Inc., the world"s largest electronics retailer, promised Friday to eliminate mail-in rebates within two years. Best Buy"s rivals, including Circuit City Stores and CompUSA, are expected to follow suit.
"Our customers are telling us they just hate the process," said Ron Boire, executive vice president and general merchandise manager at Best Buy. But it wasn"t immediately clear Friday whether Best Buy would pass on the eliminated rebates in the form of lower prices, though several industry watchers said they expect the company to do so.