You obviously fail to understand the difference between BMW NA and BMW CCA. One is a manufacturer's North American sales/service organization and is affiliated as a part of BMW AG. One is a club. The club is neither a part of BMW AG nor of BMW NA. It is not controlled by them. It is not sponsored by them and it is not, except at their pleasure, supported by them. The reply you lambasted came from a club representative. She replied promptly with information that was correct as far as could be determined at the time. Upon further investigation (in which she was clearly involved), it was revealed that a dealership practice had sidetracked the process. The process is one in which BMW has magnanimously chosen to allow club members to have a loyalty rebate, but it is a strictly controlled process in which the club really has no say. Therefore, it behooves anyone seeking this magnanimity to observe the rules. It was cutting very close to the sharp edge of the rule that nearly cost this buyer the rebate, and it was the dealer that apparently 'backdated' a transaction (More likely used the actual date of sale as the date of delivery - which could cause some confusion to anyone who's never been in the business before.) that caused the deadline to appear to have passed. BMW NA did nothing out of the ordinary except follow their rules. They are under no obligation to make nice with folks who 'almost' made the deadline. Two months is more than enough time to gather and send the required paperwork to receive what is essentially a gift. BMW did not screw up and the buyer did not screw up (but if he were playing horseshoes or hand grenades, this 'close enough' could have done him in). The dealer arguably (but explicably) screwed up and fixed the problem promptly. The club representative was kind enough to explain it all to us. The original poster (after some not-so-subtle prompting) came back to say 'thanks'. Then you and tkotsikonas came along with your nonsensical two cents' worth. I'll stop now so as not to offend anyone else with what I would otherwise say to you.
I do understand and the club bases their response on BMW NA policies. My comments still stand that BMW NA should thank their lucky stars that consumers fork out $40+K for their products and BMW NA should never question a reward form regardless of when it's filed. BMW CCA should also not be in the position to need to deny legitimate rebates for a new vehicle purchase. The only reason they are in this position is because of BMW NA's policies. It's bad business to alienate loyal customers.
If memory serves correctly, the Club used to not be "in the loop" regarding the Rebates and got involved to help to try to speed up the process, which based on what I can discern, has helped out a lot in that regard.
On this, we must agree to disagree. By that logic, the original owner of any new BMW should be entitled to have all failures repaired under the new-car warranty, regardless of age or mileage. After all, they should be grateful they sold the car in the first place, so they shouldn't question a request for free service no matter when it's filed, right? Apart from that, let's not forget the reward is not a flat $500. It could be up to $1500 depending on model, and mbergen never named the vehicle or reward amount. In total BMW NA pays out millions of dollars a year in rewards. Individually the amounts may seem trivial but that is a significant total sum, even for a large company. If someone offers me free money, gives me a set of rules to follow and cautions me that the rules are rigid and enforced without exception, favoritism or passion--all of which apply to the rewards program--I will damn sure follow the rules if I want the money. The OP's case was unusual in that he didn't have full information but followed the rules based on what he did know. Objectively, it stands to reason that is why NA agreed to pay. Tough but fair.
