Add OfficeMax to the list of national CE and office-supply chains with $400 computer rebate programs. In a deal with CompuServe, the office superstore is offering the rebate to customers who purchase any desktop or laptop computer and sign up for a three-year commitment to CompuServe 2000 Premier service at $21.95 per month.
“OfficeMax is very pleased to provide our customers with this program that reduces the cost of Internet connectivity,” said Michael Feuer, OfficeMax’s chairman and CEO. And while Feuer stressed the Internet connectivity, it’s the $400 rebate, one dollar more than the cost of some low-end computers, that has caught consumers’ attention.
This is the second rebate deal CompuServe has announced in the last few weeks. On June 30, CompuServe parent company America Online said it was entering into a deal with eMachines to provide a $400 rebate to anyone who buys one of three eMachine computers, including a $399 model, and signs up for three years of CompuServe 2000 Premier.
“Consumers are increasingly purchasing PCs for the sole purpose of getting online, and when they do, they want easy access to the leading online brands like AOL and CompuServe,” said Jan Brandt, President of AOL Marketing.
Other retail chains and Internet service providers have entered into similar agreements over the past few weeks as well.
