Office Max Changing Recycling Program AGAIN!

[sandygirl]

Here's the email I got this morning on it:

"We want to notify you that effective January 1, 2010, the MaxPerks In-Store Ink and Toner Recycling Program is changing. MaxPerks members will still receive rewards for recycling, but some important terms have been modified. Please see changes below.

More Brands to Recycle:

Now you can recycle visibly undamaged HP, Dell, Lexmark, Brother, Epson, Samsung, Kodak, Sharp or Canon ink or toner cartridges by bringing them to any OfficeMax® retail store with your MaxPerks ID.

Change in Earning Structure:

•
You will earn $3 in rewards for each qualifying* ink or toner cartridge that you recycle.
•
You can earn up to $60 in rewards per calendar month per member (from 20 ink or toner cartridges). While there is no limit to the number or brand of ink/toner cartridges you may recycle, you will only receive rewards for the brands and limited quantity noted.
•
Simply present your MaxPerks ID when submitting cartridges to ensure you receive credit.
•
The total amount of recycling rewards issued cannot exceed your total qualified† purchase amount in your MaxPerks account.
For example, if you bring in 20 cartridges throughout Month 1 and spend $50 on qualified purchases, your Month 1 recycling rewards earned will be $60, but the rewards that will be issued to you will be $48 (which is $3 for each of 16 cartridges). The remaining $12 for the last 4 cartridges will be held in your account in a “pending” status until you make additional qualified† purchases in at least $3 increments in subsequent Months or until January 1 of the following year, when the account balance will be reset to $0.
•
Recycling rewards will be issued in the next statement cycle along with any other MaxPerks rewards you may have earned during the same period.
•
For complete terms and conditions, go to officemax.com/maxperks.

[momabrown3]

Thanks for posting.
This is crazy. Will have to check out Staples now.

[mommy2parker]

Thanks for posting. I am glad I saw this. I just signed up for MaxPerks on Dec 31st and turned in 10 cartridges. I wonder if this will effect me since the rewards will be issued after the 1st when the new rules start. I will be upset since I had no intentions of having to spend money in the store in order to get my reward credits. I was going to wait for the rewards and spent it on more ink. Guess I'll have to wait and see.

[Mickeebabe]

I don't get it. If I still turn in my empty ink cartridges, will I still get my $3 each credit for them? Or do I have to now buy something first to get the credit?

I'm confused.

[crnoda]

I don't get it. If I still turn in my empty ink cartridges, will I still get my $3 each credit for them? Or do I have to now buy something first to get the credit?

I'm confused.

it's pretty simple office max basically took the worst ideas from office depot and staples. From Office Depot you now have to spend what you want to earn idea, and from staples limiting the number of cartridges you can a month to a very very small number only 20 a month staples is 10 unless ur premier than it's 20. So officemax went from the best to the worst just like that. so to answer your question yes if u want to earn that 60 dollars a month turning in your 20 cartridges you will first have to spend 60 dollars before taxes to be able to earn that credit.

[Rocio_777]

I can say as someone who's worked in various retail and has acquaintances who work at this store, I can guess they most likely had to change the policy because of constant abuse of the program. People using huge amounts of bulk-purchased empties, and multiple accounts per household ruined it for the honest people who brought in their own household's used cartridges. The store offers an organization/business bulk recycling program you can register for if your organization goes through a large amount of cartridges, which store employees regularly encourage these particular 'large-volume recyclers' to register for, but they always decline, as it requires registration as a business or organization, which most abusers of the program are probably not.
Their customer redemption limits are more than generous for a household or small business with typical ink usage, and again, a business bulk program is offered if it isn't.
As for the spending minimum in place now, probably also from abuse. Many people were using rewards from large amounts of purchased empties to clean-out big ticket items in the store, which the store probably takes a huge hit to their sales with, as coupons and rewards typically cut into retail bottom line (not being regular tender).