I heard back from the good folks at StaplesTweets who asked for details on the problems I've had with rebate programs, since I mentioned them as part of a tweet on my less-than-fun experiences: "I'm amazed at how companies (@ bestbuy , @ officedepot , @ staplestweets ) make their "rewards" programs so convoluted & frustrating" So, in brief (but not as brief as 140 characters that I'd be limited to on Twitter), here's my Staples experience in particular: In March, I had two "Staples Rewards" certificates -- 20-some dollars that expired that month, and 30-some dollars that expired a month or two later. I made a $30-something purchase and paid by handing over my $20-something certificate to pay most of it, then handing over my $30-something certificate to pay for the few dollars on the balance. When I got home, I took a close look at the receipt; instead of there being nearly $30 left on the certificate, it said that there were only $4...