Raymarine is probably the most aggresive manufacturer when it comes to marketing. They constantly produce road shows with a decked out semi-truck full of gear, they advertise all over the place, they sponsor both power boating and sailing events and they also offer hundreds or thousands of dollars in end user rebates.

January Rebate

Do you take advantage of these rebates and do they entice you to buy Raymarine gear over another vendor's wares? According to marketing pros, end users seldom take advantage of rebates even after they have bought the equipment. They are an excellent teaser, but they are perfectly legitimate discounts also. Why don't people take the time to fill out some simple paperwork to get three or four hundred dollars back in cash?

I see where Raymarine has a new rebate being offered for the month of January. They just came off several months of Gear Up rebates also. Maybe, consumers know that the rebates will most likely be available at some point or another so they have lost their mojo? I don't know, I just know that based on Raymarine's public numbers, they have to do something to move product and they consider rebates attractive, especially when people don't request them after the sale.

Raymarine's not the only company in our business to offer rebates. Furuno and Icom offer them occassionally, so sometimes the problem arises where dealers just can't keep track of the various programs.

Regardless, I would be interested in knowing if rebates entice you to buy products and if you actually turn them in after your purchase.