Microsoft Live Cashback – step by step by step by step….

A few months ago I was making a big ($200 plus) purchase on eBay.  I saw a posting that explained if you start your search on Microsoft Live and go from there to eBay you could be eligible for 25% cashback.  Seems simple – well here is the whole process

• Go to Microsoft Live (search.live.com).   You have a prerequisite to have a Live Search cashback account.
• Search on product name and eBay
• Once on eBay search for the specific product
• Complete the purchase (the cashback only applied if the item had “buy it now” and Paypal.  So more prerequisites – an eBay account and a PayPal account.
• You wait a day
• The next day you get an email from eBay telling you that you are eligible for cashback
• You follow the link in the email, go to Microsoft Live, login and your purchase/cashback is linked to your account!
• You get an email telling you that your cashback is confirmed and will be available in 60 days to ensure that the item is not returned.
• You wait 60 days
• You get an email telling you that cashback is available
• You follow the link in the email, go to Microsoft Live, login and and request that the money be sent to you.
• You get an email telling you that your request to be paid is processing
• You wait 14 days
• I’m not here yet – but I think I will get the cashback in 14 days….

I love the smell of a good process.  But in Microsoft’s case all I am smelling is skunk.