About $400 PC Rebates

Watch for the VGraphix PTCruiser around town!

Many VGraphix customers have asked if the "Free PC" or "$400 Rebate" are a good deal. This page will attempt to describe these deals, compared to a separate Internet Service Provider arrangement.

See the Federal Trade Commission's bulletin about these rebates.

CompuServe $400 Rebate

This deal offers a $400 Instant Rebate or Store Credit with a qualifying purchase. Full prepayment of $790.20 for 36 months (the contract amount) is required within the first month. If you cancel, there are penalties:

Any cancellation during the three years incurs a $50 cancellation fee, PLUS the following:

• Cancellation during months 1-12 will require a full repayment of the $400 (Total Cost $450)
• Cancellation during months 13-24 will require a $300 repayment (Total Cost $350)
• Cancellation in the final 12 months requires a $200 repayment (Total Cost $250)

MSN $400 Rebate

This deal is similar to CompuServe's rebate:

Any cancellation during the agreed contract (1, 2 or 3 years) incurs a full repayment of the rebate amount (1 year-$100, 2 years-$225 or 3 years-$400) unless you are a resident of Oregon or California.

Your account is charged monthly for the service at $21.95/month, but you have different lengths of contracts to choose from (at less savings).

What's the Alternative?

Many local ISP's provides 56K dialup service for $19.95 per month. Over three years, this service will cost you $540, or $250 less than CompuServe or AOL. There are no cancellation fees.

If you would like, you can sign up for one (1) year access for $14.95/month, a total annual cost of approx. $180. In addition, you can change your service (say to DSL or Cable when available) and incur no penalties - you simply pay the difference to the upgraded service! CompuServe provides no such deal at this time.

NOTE: These deals change frequently, so read the fine print - the above examples were taken from available information provided by the individual service providers. VGraphix holds no responsibility as to the accuracy of these plans.