Another scam beffudles an unsuspecting resident

By Bill Erin

Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008 | midnight

Several weeks ago, the co-publisher of the Boulder City News, Tim O'Callaghan, in his column "One Man's View" detailed a gas rebate scheme into which his wife was lured by purchasing a more expensive window-tinting process than the one originally contemplated.

About the same time, I was sucked into a similar gas rebate promise by a tire store. I was lured into what turned out to be a carefully worked out scheme cleverly designed to confuse, befuddle and otherwise trap the unwary Boulder City bargain-seeker into getting less rebate than promised.

Remember, at the time gasoline was flirting with $4 a gallon and gasoline rebates were flying around in the newspaper ads like confetti at New Year's. But let me add my story to that of the O'Callaghans.

I purchased four tires without doing my usual shopping around among the various tire dealers who advertise legitimate bargains. When I paid for them, I expected to be handed a credit card such as we had received when we won free gas at a casino. Just stick the card in the slot at the gas station pump and fill 'er up.

Instead, I was handed a registration form in print so fine I almost needed a magnifying glass to read it. Dumfounded, I was told the rebate was through a Canadian company, not the tire store.

OK, I can handle this, I thought. Think again, dummy, you can't outwit the old shell game. I found out I not only had to fill out the registration form, automatically agreeing to all the fine print, but send in the name of my favorite gas retailer, receipts for $30 worth of recently purchased gas from that retailer, a $6 international money order, a self-sealing, self-addressed and stamped envelope (they would not accept an envelope they had to wet to seal), buy an expensive Canadian stamp, and do it all within a restricted few days.

And I had to do this every month for 10 months in order to get $300 at $30 a month. It dawned on me that I was only netting about $20 a month.

I've already blown that return. The second month I goofed and sent a personal check instead of the international money order. No payment that month. A month ago, my monthly gas receipts, money order, self-sealing addressed and stamped envelope, etc., had to be in by the 20th. I went to the post office, got the money order and mailed it all on the 16th. Sorry, I was notified, it didn't reach my Canadian sadists in time. No $30 that month.

I managed to get their Web site, much as I dreaded it. I don't do well on the Internet. I found a little box in which I could ask a question and they would answer me via e-mail the next day.

Does this mean I lose the $30? Yep, you lose, sucker, I was told in the next day's e-mail. I furiously clicked their Web site and protested in the little box. Sorry, they informed me the next day, you violated the terms you agreed to when you signed the registration.

Back to the computer. I threatened to sue them.

"You think you can hide from the law up there in your Canadian hideout?" I wrote.

"We're not hiding," came back the smug reply the next day. "Canada is a beautiful place to live."

They had me hook, line and sinker. They know I'm not going to hire an expensive lawyer to go to Canada and sue over $60, or whatever it turns out to be.

I'm meekly making out this month's form and gathering all the stuff to get it back to Canada by the 20th. After all, 30 bucks is 30 bucks!

Bill Erin is a Boulder City News columnist.