On Your Side: Bankruptcy Ends Rebate Promises

Grace Aquino is senior associate editor for PC World. E-mail Grace at onyourside@pcworld.com. Click here to read more On Your Side columns.

I bought LapLink Gold 11 from LapLink Incorporated when the company was offering two rebates worth $150 total. I submitted the paperwork and waited. When I called several weeks later, I was told a check would be coming. Soon after, LapLink Incorporated declared bankruptcy. According to court documents, the company has not honored rebates for 15,000 customers. If each customer has the same rebate amount as me, that's $2.25 million the company got from its customers.

John McCusker, Tarzana, California

On Your Side responds: LapLink Incorporated, maker of the popular and long-established remote-access package, filed for bankruptcy in March and has shut down, but its products live on. Thomas Koll purchased LapLink Incorporated's assets and formed a new company called LapLink Software. Customers who haven't been paid their rebates can visit the U.S. Bankruptcy Court or call 206/553-7545 for information on filing a claim with the bankruptcy court. But don't get your hopes up: Customers are unlikely to receive any payment.

LapLink Software is offering customers who didn't receive a rebate check a free copy of LapLink 11.5, a LapLink USB 1.1 cable (excluding shipping fee), and a three-month subscription to LapLink Everywhere. Write to newcompany@laplink.com and provide your name, the serial number from your LapLink software, the name of the store where you bought it, and the date when you bought it.