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Office Depot Recycle Scam

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Consumer reviews about Office Depot Recycle Scam

Yvonne King
Dec 17, 2011

Ink Cartridge Recycle Scam

I have been recycling ink cartridges for months. I have turned in at least 20 cartridges in the past 3 months. I looked at my rewards account and found I was credited $6.00. Now I buy there all the time. After all Office Depot is a toy store for me. When I looked up my purchases there was a list of at least 20 receipts during the quarter. I bought a $300 chair not to mention other things. What gets my goat is the 100% rewards program is supposed to give me back the money I spend on the items they specify. . The $6.00 I was allowed should have been $60.00. Why? Well, I bought 2 staplers which were on 100% rewards and a Sanford box of pens that was $19.99. I asked at the store if I had to keep track of every penny or would the store do it? I was told the store would do it. So, Office Depot has lied to me. Without the rewards program, I would not have bought as much as I did. After all, I didn’t have to have a stapler at home and at word.
I will buy their 100% rewards on purchases one more time, but you better believe I have the receipts and the ads. In addition, I wrote them asking for an explanation of why my money was not right. I may have to get used to Staples..

Jamesmk88
Dec 17, 2011

Ink Cartridge Recycle Scam

Yvonne, the 100% back in rewards promotions are actually a great deal. The key is you have to buy the items that qualify. Go by the item numbers listed in the flyer, not the description. Because they trick you there. I did the 100% back in rewards last summer, and got 2 packs of AA Energizer batteries, thinking I would get my 100% back in rewards. But when I looked at my purchase history, I realized I should have bought the AAA Energizer batteries. Look in the FAQ on www.myworkliferewards.com, go down to "Promotions", then "Which items qualify for 100% back in rewards", click on the date of the promotion you're looking for, and it will bring up a .pdf file of each item number that is covered under the 100% back in rewards. You can verify, by logging into your Worklife Rewards account, click on purchase history, click on the time quarter that you made the purchase, then click on the blue "transaction number" link to take you to your purchase. You can then copy/paste the item numbers that you think you should have gotten 100% back in rewards on into the .pdf document search, to see if the item numbers match. If they do, you deserve 100% back in rewards on those items (as long as you only bought 2, because you only get 100% back in rewards on 2 items per member per day). That's where they got me, because some of the items are SO SIMILAR, and only one item number is a part of the 100% back in rewards promotion.

BUT, I have spent HUNDREDS of dollars at Office Depot on items in the 100% back in rewards promotions, and gotten every penny back in reward cards (excluding tax).

It really is a great rewards program, AS LONG as you know how to play it. The ink recycling program really is great if you go through a lot of ink, but yes you do have to meet your quarterly spending requirement.

Also, you get 10% back in rewards on paper, toner, ink, and anything in the copy center. They did away with the 1% back in almost everything else in the store. But I go through a lot of ink, so I get a really good deal when I buy all my ink and paper at Office Depot, and then get 10% back in rewards on it at the end of each quarter. And of course I recycle all my empty ink cartridges there, and get $2.00 per cartridge. I recycle 10 each month, which is 30 each quarter, which is $60.00 each quarter in rewards on top of my 10% back on paper ink and toner, which is added to my 100% back in rewards on all the special promotions they've been running.

I LOVE it! I love Office Depot, and they do price matching too...either in the store or online. If you see it cheaper somewhere else, including Wal Mart, Best Buy, Costco and Staples, call them on the phone and they'll verify the sales ad at their competitor's website and match the price right then and there.

I think Office Depot is the best office supplies store in the world. They are very friendly in the store, the associates always help me out and love to see me and joke around with me, and their rewards program really makes it a pleasure shopping there every single weekend without fail.

James

cmon now
Dec 26, 2011

Ink Cartridge Recycle Scam

I'm guessing that Jamesmk88 here is employed by Office Depot to do online damage control, directed to gush over this "wonderful" company while trying to sound like a real customer. I'll second the original poster's comments and reiterate that the WorkLife Rewards program is a steaming pile of crap. And cleverly deceptive crap at that. If you try to recycle any cartridges within the last half of a quarter, those credits won't show up before that quarter expires - and then they're just gone. And of course, your 10%-back rewards, if totalling under $10, expire at the end of each quarter too. So, say for example that you bought $96 worth of printer ink in mid-December, and recycled 5 cartridges, you think you're entitled to $19.60 right? Wrong! You'll get $9.60 in 10%-rewards to your account, but that will expire Dec 31 and won't be paid to you, since you hadn't earned >$10 in rewards. And the $10 of cartridge credit? Well, that will supposedly "process to your account in 4-6 weeks". But by that time, the quarter in which you recycled them will have ended, and so that reward period will have expired. Making a purchase of equivalent amount (which I have done) doesn't speed up that 4-6 week processing time. In the end, Office Depot gets your cartridges back for free, and you the customer gets screwed. The best advice then? Screw Office Depot, and do your office shopping and rewards program with Office Max or Staples or some other place of your liking.

shopperntpa
Mar 15, 2012

Ink Cartridge Recycle Scam

TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO STAPLES! Office Depot Ink recycling has so many loopholes! Go to somewhere straightforward!!! Staples gives you credit every month - you don't have to jump through hoops to get any thing! I lost $60 in ink cartridges before I realized it was a scam! Stupid me... read ALL OF THE FINE PRINT! Don't listen to the uninformed cashier.

smartshopper
Sep 16, 2012

Ink Cartridge Recyle Scam

I agree with the other individuals that this is a scam.......you are actually paying Office Depot to take the ink cartridges!!!!! If you turn in 10 cartridges, you have to spend $20 within the quarter to get a $20 rewards for the next quarter. So you are giving them the ink for free at this time. When you redeem the $20 rewards amount, the rewards amount is taken off the final total after tax has been calculation on the original amount, meaning you are paying Office Depot the sales tax rate for each $2 cartridge you turn in.......WHAT A SCAM!!!!

EileenO
May 2, 2019

Recycling Program is a hoax!

I have been extremely frustrated with Office Depot's recycling program for ink cartridges. The "rules" are difficult to understand and I have a Ph.D. so I am not a dummy. I have spoken with my local store manager (who was snotty to me) and the folks at the counter as well as customer service and the rewards people and am just now starting to understand the ludicrous program that is full of loopholes and misleading statements. If you are a big business that spends a lot of money there on a regular basis, the cartridge recycling program would be fine. But if you are a regular person, BEWARE! I have "lost" several $20 credits for 10 cartridges several times. Here is the latest info from a rewards phone call:

1. You may take in up to ten cartridges for $2.00 each credit. However, you must buy at least $10 of products or service in that SAME MONTH, not within 30 days like the "rules" and personnel state. That means, do not take the cartridges in toward the end of the month because if you do not buy something before the month ends, you lose your credit! Take your ink in toward the beginning of the month.

2. Spend at least $10 (with some exclusions) before that SAME MONTH ends.

3. Your $20 will show up around 4-6 weeks after you take in the cartridges and you are supposed to receive an e-mail that you have $20 credit. I have never received such an e-mail.

I guess we are supposed to write all of these dates in our calendars to make sure we do not lose our credit. I just finished a phone call with the rewards rep and she promised I would have a $20 credit in my account within 5-7 days. Never mind that I was told a week ago that I would receive my $20 credit within 24 hours from a customer service rep one week ago and NOTHING! This is simply ridiculous! Here is the rewards phone number if you want to call and get info or complain. (866) 562-3872

I am switching to Staples!

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